(General P.O.V)

The next day, it was back to business..

"You now have the basic foundation and discipline down. You also know how to hold a sword and even if you lost it, you wouldn't be at a complete disadvantage."

Shiva pointed out, going over the progress I had made.

"That's as closest to a genuine compliment I'm ever gonna get, am I right?"

I asked, smiling to show I was joking.

"Indubitably."

Shiva replied in equal spirit.

"Here, catch."

She added, throwing something my way.

I snatched it out of the air and turned it around.

"A bracelet made of beads?"

I wondered out loud, studying the golden inscriptions written all over the individual black beads.

"Enochian script?"

I asked with a gasp, looking up at Shiva in shock.

"Where did you get this?"

She shrugged.

"Ask your patron."

I narrowed my eyes.

"While she and I get along, Rama Kushna isn't my patron goddess."

I responded with a shake of my head.

Shiva smiled.

"I wasn't talking about her."

Before I could enquire more, she held her hand up as well, showing that she had the same type of bracelet around the wrist.

"Listen up. The next phase of your training is arguably the most important. This entire month you will spend time working on your Spirit Energy control."

"Isn't that what we've been doing everyday after sparring? And what does that have to do with this thing."

I questioned, clasping the bracelet around my wrist.

Shiva smiled.

"You misunderstand. You only have one singular task. Energy Control. That's what you'll be doing. Taking into consideration you won't have any access to Tairyoku as your physical body will remain in stasis within your soul, it is all you'll be doing."

No access to Tairyoku?

My physical body will be in stasis. What was she on about?

"You know this would go faster if you were just straight with me. Stop beating around the bush and just tell me what I need to know."

My voice sounded annoyed, matched by the frown on my face.

"And where is the fun in that? Though I admit as enjoyable as watching you flounder about ignorantly is, I will disclose something important."

She tapped on the bracelet and it changed into a beautiful black butterfly tattoo.

I could feel an instant connection with iy. Copying her, I tapped on one of the beads and the bracelet melted into my wrist.

A similar black butterfly tattoo appeared on my wrist. Seen from a different angle, it almost seemed to flap it's wings.

"These twin tattoos are connected to each other. With it I can call you back into the physical world as soon as I feel you're in mortal danger or time is up."

She explained, making me tempted to ask what she considered mortal danger.

"This sounds more and more like a sentence."

I told her plainly.

"It might as well be. You see in a few seconds the butterfly will activate, opening a wormhole and transporting your soul into Limbo."

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"A dimension exempt of all physical matter. A realm of the soul. The butterfly will also help transition your being into a spirit. Your physical body shall be placed in a pocket dimension within the tattoo."

"What?"

That's all I had to say.

"Don't die."

Shiva told me.

And then, even before the next words which were a string of curses left my mouth, my environment changed. The ground seemed to open under me and swallow me fully.

My skin shivered as I passed through something thin and cold. A membrane of some sort.

Immediately, I noticed the starry night in a void of blue and purple. Except those were not stars. They were something else.

They almost looked like... floating island.

I gaped, lowering my gaze and noticing the bleached world around me.

Everything was cast in a very pale blue color with the dull silver light falling down on me, having no discernable source.

I looked at the butterfly on my wrist. Sending Spirit Energy through did nothing. The one thing I did notice was that my control had shot to the roof.

I was now at the same level I was before I accessed Bankai. The increased control was enough to surprise me greatly, causing me to study my new form a bit more.

For starters, I felt weightless. As if all I had to do was wish it and gravity would lose hold on me. I stared at the sheer cliff the floating island ended on and shook my head.

'Maybe later.'

The next step involved looking for the familiar liquid form of energy within me. While I perceived Spirit Energy as a gas, Flesh energy was thicker and moved more fluid like.

"Fuck! She really wasn't killing, my Tairyoku is missing."

This was... unexpected and unwanted.

"On the bright side, I believe with enough hard work you can cut down the time it will take to re-access Bankai during this month."

Chase pointed out.

"What do you mean? Is being in spirit form really that beneficial?"

I wondered.

I mean I could see some advantages. Not having to eat or sleep would help me focus on a single objective. It wasn't a complete bummer to have Tairyoku locked away. I just hated the feeling of having no control.

"I thought you could do anything even without your powers?"

Chase responded with a chuckle which carried subtle derision.

"Ha-ha keep on laughing. Just remember this means no snacks for you this entire month."

I reminded him.

"Fuck."

His reply was concise and direct.

I laughed, moving onto the last test. Checking Reikaku. My range had been shortened dramatically.

If what Chase and Shiva were alluding to was true, then now that I was in spirit form, without the limits of a physical vessel, I should be able to surpass my current range.

Reikaku spread out to encompass almost a mile.

A few feet away from my body I immediately widened my eyes.

"Shunpo!"

The word left my mouth with urgency. Reiryoku propelled my soul from the floating island I was on towards a different chunk of earth, seconds before something burst through the ground on my previous position.

The creature rose up to the sky with a screech, screaming loudly before diving towards me.

I had felt it an instant after activating my spirit sense. Had I even stalled another second...

"Look alive Davian."

I said to myself, unsheathing Chesha Neko.

With a roar, I pushed off the floating island, ascending towards the creature. It was weird. A wide mouth, red eyes two trunk like arms and a lower body that ended in a tail.

Up close and personal I felt it's dim presence. It didn't feel like a soul or a consciousness.

Chesha Neko flashed as I passed through it, dealing no damage whatsoever to the...

(Devourer)

The word came from Nick's unorganized memories.

The Devourer turned and swam through the air towards me.

"You have to want to cause it harm. This is a Realm of consciousness. Each action taken is driven by pure will not physical exertion."

Chase advised.

I held a hand out towards the Devourer. Will huh? That means spirit energy, the purest expression of my conscious self should work.

"Hado no 4: Byakurai."

I released the Reiryoku and watched it burst forth, drowning the monster with it and pushing it towards one of the floating asteroid like rocks.

There was a plume of dust and smoke from the floating island. When it died away, I was treated with the sight of over a dozen Devourers flying from all over to surround me.

"Somehow I don't think we're in Kansas anymore Chase."

I quipped.

"How long have you been waiting to say that?"

He shot back.

A long time. But he didn't need to know that, so I ignored him in favor of dealing with my current situation. As much as I wanted to fight, I was here for a whole month, there would be plenty of that later on.

I had to scout the area and find a base of some sort first. Then I could work my way up from there.

"Bakudo no 21: Sekienton."

Red smoke wafted out of my hands, obscuring my figure and dulling my spirit energy. Man was I glad I'd learned this particular Kido early.

Now then, if what Chase said is true, if everything here relies on will and consciousness then... I slipped into a Shunpo, before willing my body to take flight.

Something within me changed. My body leaned forward. In an instant I was cutting through the skies flying and it was amazing.

******

The Phantom Zone.

An inescapable prison. Over the years, Zod had theorized they would need the projector Jor-El used to send them to this hellish unfeeling place, or a sunstone carrying with it the energy of a mature star to pierce through the numerous wormholes around.

Both things they lacked.

Now one of his soldiers was informing him of the possibility they could break out of their unfair exile.

"Go over everything one more time."

General Zod said, staring out into the purple void and blue rocks occupying it as far as the eye could see.

He was at the very edge of Fort Krypton, the biggest floating asteroid and their main base, built from shearing off tons of rocks and stacking then together in a unique architectural design.

"I was on the usual patrol route, keeping an eye out for any Devourers or...IT. Then out of nowhere, a humanoid appears in a flash of silver light. He looked like a Kryptonian yet...he didn't move like us."

Zod nodded. Aliens that were similar to Kryptonians weren't out of the norm. During Krypton's expansion millions of years ago, they came into contact with different alien species all the time.

"Continue."

Astra, Zod's wife ordered.

"The Devourers tried to attack him but he vanished in a cloud of red gas."

The soldier finished narrating.

"Red gas? Are you sure?

Zod enquired curiously. All color was drained by the dimension so hearing about red gas was out of the norm.

"Yes general. I witnessed it."

The soldier replied.

"Interesting."

Zod commented.

"Bring me this...man."