The protagonist was enveloped in an unsettling aura, prompting him to question the authenticity of his reality. His suspicions were further heightened as he scrutinized his environment, discerning anomalies and peculiarities that defied the natural order. As a sense of foreboding crept in, he realized with a jolt that he was a victim of psychological invasion, a realization that left him astounded yet bewildered. How could someone infiltrate his mind, undetected, and manipulate his perceptions without his consent?
Adapting swiftly to this unsettling revelation, Abbey confronted the unseen intruder with a steely resolve, denouncing their deceitful attempts to control his thoughts. With a palpable defiance in his voice, Abbey vocally acknowledged the breach of his mental sanctuary, sending a clear message to his adversary that their clandestine machinations were no longer effective. This newfound awareness empowered Abbey, signaling the end of the insidious game being played within his mind.
The bold declaration served as a proclamation of Abbey's resilience and unwavering determination to reclaim his autonomy, transcending the boundaries of his subconscious and asserting his sovereignty over his own consciousness.
Now, breaking free from the holder cage, Abbey found himself back at the mysterious lady's apartment once again. He straightened himself to look around the apartment, just to make sure he was fully awake this time. Seeing the mysterious lady in front of him, staring at him as if she had done nothing wrong, the sinister look on Abbey's face was palpable. He pondered for a while on what to do, before finally saying, "Congratulations. I am surprised you were able to affect my mind without me noticing."
"I've been trying to get into your mind and soul all day, without much luck. And here you are, able to sneak into mine and affect me the way you did. It shows a level of power and professionalism. I underestimated you," the mysterious lady spoke for the first time.
"Ever since I rescued you, I noticed someone was trying to get into my mind. At first, I didn't think it was you. But when we left the company and the attacks continued, I started to realize that something was amiss. I needed confirmation, so I sent those burglars. And when they left the way they did, I had my confirmation. But I still didn't quite trust you. So, I conducted my own investigation of you. And the only way for me to do that was to get into your mind. Since you had been trying to do the same to me, I figured it would be easier to wait for an opening. That was the time you managed to break through my barriers and take something from me. That's when I saw my opportunity."
Abbey could only clap both hands in astonishment. He looked at her with great surprise and said, "Well played." "I have a newfound respect for you," he confessed openly. "Until now, I thought I was alone in possessing power, but from the moment I met you, I noticed something different about you. Even though you have power, you hide it very well, even from me."
The mysterious lady spoke again. "The real reason I saved you is because I could sense what you were doing in the building. And when someone tried to affect me, I realized it could have been you. Everyone else was traumatized and in a chaotic state, but you were just lying there, as if you were sleeping and smiling at the same time. That was a strange coincidence to me."
"But your powers are not like mine. They may be similar, but they are different. Yours is fear-based, while mine is dream-based." The mysterious lady didn't say a word. Instead, she just looked at Abbey, surprised that he had deduced her power base. They both stared at each other for a while before the trance was broken by a sudden noise from nowhere.
They both stared in the direction the noise was coming from, but soon decided to focus on each other again. They both stared at each other for a long time, sinister plans popping into their heads. While staring and concentrating with all their might, something unexpected happened. They both experienced a breakthrough and found themselves in the astral realm or plane. Shocked and looking surprised to be there, Abbey explained, "Our powers must have brought us here, to a place of our own making."
"How do you know about this place?" replied the mysterious lady. "We are both here and not in anybody's mindset. So it can only be a place where our powers can coexist without destroying the fabric of reality," replied Abbey.
If this is somewhere in the Astral plane or realm, as you may call it, that means our bodies are still in my apartment, right?" Yes," replied Abbey immediately. "I'm guessing this is your first time in a plane or realm like this." She responded by nodding her head in acknowledgement. "Abbey, with a calm demeanor, said it is important not to get lost in the astral plane. Otherwise, you would be lost forever." Explaining further, Abbey said, "This realm or plane is bigger than the whole earth. It is a labyrinth of places and secrets things. The best thing about it is that there are no lies. All secrets are revealed, even those in the darkest of places." The mysterious lady looked at Abbey in confusion and said, "What do you mean secrets are revealed? And what are the secrets in the dark places?"
Abbey let out a sigh before saying, "The astral realm is a manifestation of our world, both in the spiritual and physical sense. What you see now as a cloud is actually a manifestation of everything and everyone who has ever existed and will exist. It is the sum total of everything you see on earth and has manifested itself into this plane, and much more. Every secret on earth is revealed here. Everything you have ever done is revealed here. Every secret that has ever existed on earth is revealed here. Now do you understand?" he asked out of curiosity. "I think so," she replied with a hint of understanding.
"You will eventually understand with time. Don't worry too much about it," he trailed off before saying, "But the most important thing you need to know about this realm is that there are beings or beasts here that can hurt you if you try to do something you should not have done or try to know something you shouldn't know."
Like an eager student she was curious about what Abbey had just said and she immediately asked what are the known , or unknown, and who are these beast or being. Abbey exclamated before saying most times people are curious to know all the secret of the world, which is very bad because information is power and knowledge is the key to power.
These beings or beasts are here to prevent someone or anyone from gaining to much information. Secret are secret for a purpose, whether it is good or bad some secrets should remain a secret, or else there would be chaos in the world, if all these secret are suddenly revealed.what do you think will happen?He trailed of again before asking her don't you think so?
She paused for a while, as if trying to think things through before saying "yes" I agree with you. But who gets to decide which secret information is good or bad for used.
With a smile on his face Abbey explained further, have you ever heard the phrase too much information can be detrimental to anyone. Well it also applies here. Beside that, these beings or beasts as I like to call them are the gatekeepers to these secrets. They could either be a friend that will assist you with this secret information or the enemy that will prevent and devour from getting the secret.
The mysterious lady let out a sigh of discomfort and disappointment before asking how do I know which secret is good or bad for me. Abbey smiled before saying there are no good or bad secrets here. That is not how here works. The secrets of the world and your own personal secrets are all here. What matters here is if it is necessary for you or not. That were these beings or beasts comes in, since there is no lies here, they can naturally see through you intension and can easily decide. So the most important thing you need to know or do is to know your intention for sorting or seeking out this secrets.
Looking directly at the mysterious lady again, Abbey asked, "Do you understand now?" She pondered something and seemed to be thinking things through before finally saying, "I think I have a fairly good idea of how things work here. The secrets must be limited to myself and my surroundings. I shouldn't probe too much about the secrets of this world. As long as I stick to myself and what's around me, I should be fine."
"Very good," replied Abbey. "Now you understand how things work here. But remember not to stray too far. You don't want to get lost in these labyrinths. If you do, it won't be easy to find your way back to the starting point."
Again, the lady nodded, trying to absorb the new information.
"One more thing," Abbey said. "Since there are no lies here..." He trailed off, trying to pique her curiosity and interest. She was genuinely curious to hear what Abbey was going to say or what new information he would provide.
She was shocked and surprised when Abbey asked, "What is your name?"