Nameless calmly nodded before saying, “Would love to hear it, I have been yapping alone for too long anyway. But one thing, why are you emphasizing the word ‘my’ when referring to your body?”
Abhi slowly turned to lay flat on his back, sending the cold black water below it rippling. He intently looked at the eclipsed sun directly above both of their heads, and said without blinking:
“Because… because I don’t think that body is mine.”
The atmosphere—or lack there of, proceed in utmost silence. The already eerie nature of the nightmare dimension intensifying.
After a few seconds of quietness, nameless finally spoke,“What… What do you mean?”
Abhi closed his eyes and sighed, then turning around to look her in the eyes he said,”I don’t think my soul belongs to this body. And just like you I have come here from another world.”
The world was back to a state of absolute and eerie silence. This time lasting a full minute.
Nameless reflected on his words for a while, staring at the stranger’s soul—one far more vibrant than her’s. Suddenly, she shook her head in disbelief. Her eyes showed a glint; obscuring unknown emotions. She painfully laughed before she said, “Well, here I thought you might have known something about your own body, but turns out you are more clueless than I am! How is this fair?” She paused for a second, and in that time her expression changed into a slightly more fierce state. “You aren’t lying right? Actually I don’t believe you. Explain yourself on why and how you came up with this theory.”
Abhi smirked while looking at her and then said, “I’ll get to that later.” He paused for a moment to look at Nameless’s reaction but then soon continued. “First let's talk about the ‘flashback’ I had.”
Nameless agreeably nodded her prompting him to continue.
“I could still feel my illusory soul body’s senses while watching the flashback scene just as you did. I felt the feeling of gravity, to fall down at an accelerating rate. Then I also felt the cold embrace of the ocean around my entire body. I instantly sank deep into it, then slowly floated up. Pretty sure I almost drowned in that process…”
Nameless squinted her eyes and furrowed eyebrows before saying, “That’s a bit different than my story actually…”
Abhi raised his brow, and said, “How so?”
She lingered for a bit, then said, “The part until feeling the sensation of gravity and watching the scene at the same time; is identical to my situation. But after that, when I eventually fell onto the dark ocean itself, the story was a bit different. I also felt the cold sensation of the dark waters, but as far as I remembered, my body did not sink into the ocean. I might have barely made a splash at all. Also, how can you drown? You don’t need to breathe in the soul body form.”
“Huh? Really? Well now that you say it this world doesn’t feel like it has air at all…”
Nameless nodded, “Yes there is no atmosphere in the nightmare dimension, nor is there one in the abyssal dimension. I truly don’t understand you Abhi, how are you perceptive sometime and something totally oblivious to the obvious. She chuckled.
Abhi awkwardly shook is head, “Uhh happens I guess haha!”
“I suppose the differences in our experience have something to do with the differences in our soul body form. Like your body is so much more vibrant and bright than me, it looks like you are brimming with vitality. Where as my form is barely visible.” She said with a sincere tone
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Abhi smiled while replying, “I guess so, maybe I am more full of whatever energy our body is being supplied with. Hmm, did you believe that too? That I was brimming with more power. Is that the reason you were scared of me and didn’t tell the full truth the first time around?” His smile persisted.
“Haha, No. Infact I think the state of your soul body is qualitatively different from my own, and not just of higher quantity.” Nameless replied without humor in her tone.
While continuing the smug look, Abhi raised an eyebrow and asked, “Oh yeah, whats the difference then?”
Nameless lingered for a bit, then answered with a sincere tone, “I believe your body is half illusory half real.”
The smile of abhi’s face turned into a frown. He then said with a tone of uncertainty, “What do you mean by half illusory and half real?”
Nameless continued, “You see, I believe my body is completely illusory. Basically in a separate state of existence from the physical world, but your body on the other hand, seems like an illusory representation of something physical in the real world.
“That would explain why our contact with the water of the dark ocean was a bit different when we first fell into it. I believe this dark ocean itself is half illusory and half real. It obviously represents the salty and dark ocean in the illusory world, but it also represents the tears in your physical body—or well the tears of the host’s physical body.
“Because my soul body is completely illusory, I am more translucent than you are. And also because of me being illusory, I don’t easily sink in the ocean and it’s much easier to me to float, and maybe I can’t drown in the ocean because of the same reason.
“Your body on the other hand, works much like that of a real physical person diving into a real physical ocean. You can drown even though you don’t need to breath, and its way easier for you to sink.”
Abhi looked away from Nameless a bit, his smile turning into a frown. “What you said does make sense. but what you are saying is true, and my soul body is ‘half illusory- half real’ then wouldn’t that mean my physical body—or atleast what represents my physical body exists in the same reality as the host? Hmm why does the word ‘reality’ ring a bell? Nevermind, what do you think?”
Nameless looked at him with a devious grin, “Oh I think quite clearly now. You forgot to name another possibly, your half real soul body could also mean your theory about the host’s body not being your own is wrong. And you really are just the host’s soul body—pretending to be clueless.”
Abhi closed his eyes and sighed, “I understand why you would think that. but please let me elaborate on my story first. I’ll tell everything in detail because who knows what little irrelevant thing for me, might be the key to an epiphany for you. You should do the same too .”
Nameless gazed at him with squinted eyes then subtly nodded.
Abhi continued his story, “After I sink into the cold waters of the dark ocean—and came back up. I was still in the flashback. The flashback itself wasn’t very long, still I’ll go into detail to describe the scene as accurately as possible.”
///
I’ll just called the host body Abhi for now—Abhi stood in the mirror with tears dripping down his face. After a minute of so he took a deep, deep breath in; slightly trembling as he did.
But interestingly just a few seconds later he wiped off his tears and also the grin on his face. Suddenly his face felt devoid of all the emotions it previously held deep within. I believe this is when you transmigrated into his body.
After that he slowly walked back to his mattress but suddenly stopped. Then he looked around; his gait like a spy—trying to not make even the slightest sound with his steps.
He looked around the house and outside the window, soon bored he started feel the many things around his house. Touching and observing everything like a curious cat. But the little minute sounds he made seemed to have woken his mother up.
“Abhi! What are you doing beta, just go to sleep, no need to do any chores. You have school tomorrow.”
Abhi jumped back in surprise and fear, but quickly calmed down.
“Uhm yeah, yeah, I will.” he said.
“Good have a good night!” She went back to sleep, but just a moment later she spoke again. “Actually I forgot to tell you something.”
Abhi slowly moved closer to his sheets, and then said “Alright, what is it?”
“Nevermind your too tired right now, I’ll just do the task myself later on” Archana said while being wrapped up in a blanket; her face and expression unseen.”
Abhi’s eyes fluttered a bit before saying, “Uhm! It’s a ok mom. I’ll do it just tell.”