Jin stood before the great gate of the capital city. As the gate slowly opened, a blinding light poured out, forcing Jin to shut his eyes.
In a moment, the light vanished. Jin cautiously opened his eyes and found himself standing in the vast, mesmerizing city of Solomon.
Being in the unseen realm, the atmosphere was dark, and above him loomed a massive eye. Yet, despite the eerie surroundings, Jin found the city strangely beautiful.
'I can only imagine how stunning this place must look in the human realm,' he thought.
Without wasting any time, he stepped into the city. As he ventured further, he noticed several floating balls of fire, like glowing lanterns suspended in the shadowy sky.
Jin's eyes widened in awe, captivated by the sight.
'Are those... souls?' he whispered.
After a decade of searching, his heart swelled with joy. At last, he had found what he had been seeking: souls, countless souls.
Just then, a pair of glowing red eyes appeared from the dense fog that surrounded the city.
'What is that?' Jin thought, his heart racing.
As the fog parted, a creature slowly emerged into view.
'A Soul Eater...!' Jin realized with growing dread.
The creature had the body of an octopus, its many tentacles writhing and twisting as it swam through the air like a fish gliding through water. It was enormous, larger than a bus, yet it moved with unnerving agility. At its front, a massive, gaping mouth stretched open, lined with rows of deadly, needle-like teeth that seemed to glisten in the faint light. Pale, scaly skin covered its entire form, giving it a sickly appearance.
Though the monster had no eyes, it moved with purpose, as if it could sense everything around it.
The Soul Eater swam near the cluster of souls like a predator stalking its prey. Its movements became slow and deliberate as it positioned itself for the hunt.
With a sudden lunge, the monster devoured a nearby soul. The other souls scattered, but the creature's tentacles whipped out, grabbing several of them in its grasp.
Souls, though not truly sentient, were essential for giving life to beings, even while trapped in this otherworldly realm. When a soul is consumed in the unseen realm, the human it belongs to doesn't die in the human world—because even when devoured, the soul itself doesn't die.
'It makes me wonder... are humans immortal?' Jin mused.
Yet, having an immortal soul doesn't make a person immortal. Death occurs when the body, soul, and psyche separate.
'At least, that's what I read in the Forgotten Realm,' he thought.
Jin continued to watch as the Soul Eater consumed the captured souls, seemingly unstoppable.
'But there's a catch,' he realized. 'While humans don't die from this, once a soul is consumed, it can never be reclaimed, making it impossible for someone to awaken. The soul is lost forever.'
Jin pondered the consequences. What would happen if all the souls were devoured?
'But this world has its own balance,' he thought.
As the Soul Eater feasted, a much larger creature appeared, like a massive fish, even bigger than the Soul Eater. It charged with incredible speed, devouring the Soul Eater in one swift bite.
'This world hunts its own predators,' Jin thought, gazing up at the ever-watchful eye. 'The being that sealed human souls here... was it punishing them, or something else?'
Jin drifted deeper into the city, his formless psyche moving with utmost caution. He navigated carefully, ensuring he went unnoticed by the ever-watchful eye above.
Suddenly, he stopped, sensing something approaching.
Three formless psyches were approaching him.
'Human psyches? Finally, I've found someone!'
Though the approaching entities were invisible and without form, Jin could still sense their presence.
The psyches were moving toward him when one of them suddenly stopped. Jin couldn't understand why, but he could sense that it halted after noticing the Eye.
'Hey, don't let the Eye see you.'
Jin wanted to shout a warning, to tell them about the consequences, but he couldn't speak—he had no mouth.
The Eye shifted again, scanning in their direction.
'Damn it. And I just saw the first one in decades.'
Two of the approaching psyches instinctively leapt out of the way. It seemed like their actions were reflexive, perhaps driven by survival instinct.
'Hmm. They've got good instincts.'
But the last one wasn't so lucky. The Eye locked onto it, freezing the psyche in place. For a brief moment, it struggled, as if sensing the impending doom, but there was no escape. In an instant, the psyche unraveled, dissolving into nothingness without a sound.
Jin's own form trembled at the sight. The destruction was absolute—not just a death, but an erasure from existence. One glance from the Eye, and everything that psyche had been was wiped out, like it had never existed at all.
It was what humans called death—never to exist again.
'That's why not all humans can become Awakened. Only those with strong psyches can claim their soul.'
The two surviving psyches finally reached Jin.
They stood in front of him, silent—though, of course, they couldn't speak even if they wanted to.
Still, Jin could sense that they wanted to communicate.
'Oh great, I'm not good at conversations.'
Realizing that speaking to them was the only option, Jin moved closer.
Though his psyche was formless, it reached out to the first one. It wasn't exactly a touch—his psyche merely entered the other's range of mental perception, a zone known as spiritual awareness.
'Uh, hi… Are you okay?' Jin asked nervously.
'We... we can speak with each other.'
The voice echoed in Jin's mind like telepathy. There was no sound, but somehow, he knew the person was a girl.
'My senses are stronger in this form. I can perceive things I couldn't in the human realm.'
'Yes, me too,' the psyche responded.
'Oh, right. I'm sharing my thoughts with her.'
'Wait, what?! You know I'm a girl? Wow, I can't even tell your gender.'
'I'm a guy.'
Unable to stop his thoughts from leaking, he kept sharing more than he intended.
'Oh no, now I'm embarrassing myself in front of this cute girl.'
'What? You think I'm cute? But you don't even know how I look.'
Completely mortified, Jin jumped backward, pulling out of her spiritual awareness.
'Come on, mind, stop racing for a second,' Jin thought, trying to calm himself.
The girl's psyche entered Jin's spiritual awareness.
'Hey, are you alright?' she asked.
'Uh, yeah... I'm fine. What should I do, what should I do, what should I do...'
Sensing his confusion, the girl changed the subject.
'So, what's your name?'
'My name? Why do you ask?'
'Is it wrong to ask someone's name?'
'No, it's just... you'll forget everything about this world once you obtain your soul.'
'Hmm...' The girl paused for a moment. 'You're right. That's why no one remembers anything about this realm.'
The girl paused for a moment, lost in thought.
'Can you accompany us in the quest to find our souls?'
'And what's in it for me?' Jin asked.
'Hmm, let me think... Isn't it better to be with someone than to be alone?'
'Honestly? I actually prefer being alone.'
'Then How about this: you tell me everything you know about this realm, and since I'll forget everything anyway, it won't matter. In return, I'll help you find your soul.'
'And how exactly will you help me?'
'Hehehe... because I have a blessing.'
'What?! A blessing... You must be from one of the seven royal families.'
Jin was genuinely shocked. A blessing was rare, a power bestowed by higher beings. It was something only the elite could possess. Normally, a soul was required to perform abilities, skills, or arts, but a blessing could be used even in the form of a psyche.
'Well... it's supposed to be a secret, but... forget it.'
'Very well,' Jin agreed. 'I'll come with you if I think your blessing is useful.'
'Of course it's useful! My blessing is called the Blessing of Path. It helps me find the path to my goal.'
'Wait...' Jin's nonexistent eyes widened. 'Does that mean...'
'Yes, I can locate where our souls are.'
'I'm coming with you.'
Jin accepted her offer without hesitation.
'That was quick.'
Of course it was. Jin didn't need to think twice. Her blessing was truly a gift, in every sense of the word. He had wandered the Unseen Realm for a decade without a clue about his soul, and now, finally, he had a way.
'But I have another question. Why do you think I know more about this world than a royal like you?'
'That's simple. Let's just call it my intuition.'
'Your intuition?!'
Jin chuckled to himself.
'Haha...'
But she heard him too.
'Ah... forget it.'
He sighed.
'Finally,' he thought, 'a decade-long search is about to end.'
'A decade? How long have you been here?' the girl asked.
'How about you?' Jin replied.
'A day, maybe? It's hard to tell with no day or night here, but it feels like 24 hours. This one here is the same, I guess. But I didn't even know we could communicate until a moment ago. So I am not sure about them.'
'What?!' Jin exclaimed. 'And what about the test?'
'Test? What test?' she asked, confused.