The Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) train rushed noisily along its underground tracks towards its next station, though the noise didn't faze the commuters within its carriages, since they were all accustomed to it.
After all, the noise was a small nuisance relative to the convenience brought by the MRT, with stations placed all over the small island in relative close proximity to one another, not to mention the highly interconnected lines.
Among the current passengers on board this particular train stood a bespectacled young man who was dressed in a simple T-shirt, long pants and running shoes. He had short but slightly messy black hair, and his face wasn't completely blemish free, showing that he probably didn't pay much attention to personal grooming.
The young man had a lean frame, but hidden under his clothing was a well-toned figure with chiselled abs, the result of consistent physical training over the past few years. He was Lee Jin Kai, 21 years of age and a freshman of the National University of Singapore majoring in Psychology.
Today was yet another ordinary day in the eyes of Jin Kai, as he headed towards school for his first lecture in university. Even though it was an exciting prospect in Jin Kai's eyes, he did well to keep his excitement under wraps, maintaining a stoic appearance like all other commuters present.
Jin Kai took a glance at the MRT system map, realising that it would take a few more minutes before he arrived at his destination. Bored to his wits' end, Jin Kai decided to observe others silently, hoping to pick up on some interesting conversations along the way. Though the train wasn't packed because the morning peak was already over, it wasn't long before Jin Kai caught onto a particularly fascinating dialogue between a man and a woman, both dressed in office attire.
The man exclaimed, "Did you read the breaking news this morning? They say that the famous information technology magnate in the US, Mark Francis, has suddenly fallen into a coma! The doctors said that they couldn't discover the cause of this incident and had urged family members to prepare for the worst, as he still remains in a vegetative state.
This is just but the latest of what the media dubs as 'mental shutdown' incidents which are occurring all over the world! Don't you find such occurrences scary? Is this the new face of terrorism we have to contend with?"
His partner replied nonchalantly, "Oh please, you know that the media loves to stir controversy, especially in the West. There are only but a handful of such incidents, and so far, it seems that there's no clear correlation between the victims, as they come from various backgrounds.
Nonetheless, the incidents are largely isolated to the US and Europe, so I think we're pretty safe for now. If you ask me, I'd worry more about this train breaking down than such a distant threat. Come on, cheer up! We've still got a long day ahead of us to be worrying about these kind of things."
Following his companion's encouragement, the man nodded before switching the topic of their conversation to more boring, everyday issues that Jin Kai wasn't interested in. However, the term 'mental shutdowns' lingered in Jin Kai's mind as he muttered to himself, "I wonder if there's any logical explanation behind these sudden comas, could it be a virus?"
Jin Kai's thoughts were disrupted by an announcement over the train's public address system, "Kent Ridge. Please mind the gap." As the train doors slid open after the train halted at the station, Jin Kai swiftly exited from the carriage he was in, having arrived at his destination. Jin Kai was about to head for the escalator when he was entranced by a young woman in front of him.
Her attire was nothing special, as she wore a simple blouse with jeans. However, it was her sparkling blonde hair tied up in a single ponytail, accompanied by her deep blue eyes that truly captivated Jin Kai. Jin Kai had seen his fair share of Eurasians in his multi-racial country, but this woman was a truly unique beauty, since her facial features were more reminiscent of Asians than Europeans, which probably meant that she was of mixed descent.
Jin Kai drew in a deep breath as he forced himself to calm down, knowing that he probably wouldn't have an opportunity to interact with her on a personal basis. Sighing as he lamented his misfortune silently within his heart, Jin Kai walked towards the bus stop just outside the station, where he waited for the shuttle bus to bring him to the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
It wasn't long before the bus arrived, as Jin Kai found himself competing with several students for a place onboard the crowded bus. It wasn't a surprise, as the closer it was to the start of lectures, the more packed the bus would be, with many students planning their journeys such that they would reach their respective venues in the nick of time.
However, a surprise was in store for Jin Kai nevertheless, as not only did the same blonde-haired woman board the same bus as he did, she was standing in such close proximity to him that their bodies were nearly touching. Jin Kai's heart was pounding furiously as he couldn't believe his luck, though deep down he knew that this wouldn't amount to much.
The bus trip went pretty smoothly, as Jin Kai savoured every minute he had in the presence of the divine beauty before him. When it was time for Jin Kai to alight, he sighed silently in his heart, for the dream was finally over. However, fate had other plans for him, as the bus skidded unexpectedly to a halt at the bus stop, causing many passengers to lose their balance, including the woman before Jin Kai.
Having lost her balance, the woman fell slightly backwards onto Jin Kai, as she frantically reached out for something that would break her fall, grabbing onto Jin Kai's arm by accident in the process. Jin Kai was stunned by the sudden turn of events as the woman swiftly recovered from her fall before looking at Jin Kai in the eye.
The woman whispered quietly, "Sorry…and thanks. I hope I didn't hurt you in any way." Jin Kai responded instinctively, "No, I'm fine, thanks for your concern." The woman smiled brightly before exiting the bus as its doors swung open, much to Jin Kai's surprise as he swiftly alighted as well.
Walking a fair distance behind the woman, Jin Kai was pleasantly shocked to discover that the woman was heading towards the same venue as he was, implying that they were enrolled in the same introductory module for Psychology. Jin Kai thought to himself proudly, "Perhaps Lady Luck has shone on me this time…I should make the most of this heaven-sent opportunity."
Despite his initial bravado, Jin Kai couldn't muster enough courage to sit next to the woman in the lecture theatre, settling for a seat a few rows behind her instead. The first lecture soon began, as the lecturer, an aged professor, started the module proper with an introduction to what psychology entailed.
Try as he might to focus on what the lecturer was covering, which included the roots of psychology in ancient medicine and philosophy, Jin Kai couldn't keep the woman out of his mind, as his inner turmoil raged within him. Jin Kai muttered to himself, "Come on, focus! I can try asking her out after the lecture, so I've got to concentrate for now!"
It didn't take Jin Kai long before he could finally focus completely on the lecture, the content covered assisting in arresting his interest as well. Now, the professor was sharing on the different schools of thought in psychology, starting from the structuralists, who believed that processes in the mind, like molecules and cells, can be broken down into simpler units for further examination and comprehension.
The lecture started to get really exciting to Jin Kai when the professor finally touched on Sigmund Freud's psychodynamic theory. The professor narrated, "A popular school of thought in psychology between the 1900s and the 1950s was Sigmund Freud's psychodynamic theory, which remains prevalent in pop culture today as well.
According to Freud, the human mind can be split into 3 parts, so to speak. First of all, the id, which is the source of psychodynamic energy, in other words, the energy which power our thoughts and consciousness. The id represents our primitive desires, and I believe that everyone realises that more often than not, our actions are driven by our innermost desires.
However, not all desires bring benefit to us or the people around us when they are satisfied, hence, to keep the id in check, the superego, which is formed from our conscience and the need to conform to the rules of society, serves to provide the requisite check and balance.
Together, the forces of the id and the superego counteract each other to shape the ego, otherwise known as the personality of an individual. Everyone has unique personalities, but it remains true for us all that our respective ids are the product of a delicate balance between the id and the superego.
If the scales were to tip towards either side…I believe that it would spell bad news for one's psyche. If the id overpowers the superego, just like how the devil in cartoons sometimes emerge victorious over the angel, one might disregard the laws and do as he pleases, possibly hurting both himself and those around him.
On the other hand, if the superego outweighs the id by a large extent instead, the stress resulting from guilt and the constant need to abide by the rules can place a huge burden on one's mental state, since one is unable to find joy from things he genuinely enjoy. Whew, I think I've talked quite a bit already, so shall we all take a short 5 minute break here? If you've any questions, please feel free to come down and enquire!"
Jin Kai exhaled slowly as he gave his body a light stretch. Just a little longer and the lecture would be finally over. Jin Kai took a glance at the blonde-haired woman who remained at her seat, as she appeared to be actively scribbling away in her notebook. He was glad that she was sitting alone, which meant that he stood some chance if he was to ask her out.
As Jin Kai was scanning his surroundings furtively, his vision suddenly started to become hazy with a reddish hue as his environment turned deathly silent in an instant. Before Jin Kai could even panic, he heard a deep yet calm voice within his head, "You have been chosen to be the Shepherd, the one who guides others to the truth. Gather your comrades, for an arduous journey lies ahead of you…"
Jin Kai then noticed that a particular individual sitting in front of him was shrouded by a red aura unlike the other students. Curious, Jin Kai stretched his hand in an attempt to reach the aura before him. However, just as he 'touched' that student, Jin Kai felt as though his body was sucked into a wormhole, as his world went black instantly.
Meanwhile, a shiver shot down the spine of the blonde-haired lady, as she turned around swiftly before muttering inaudibly, "It can't be…there's actually a Diver here, in this very lecture theatre? Most likely a newbie, given the unexpectedness of this Psyche Dive. Guess I've no choice but to enter that psyche which I've been avoiding."
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Resting her head against the table, the lady appeared to be taking a nap before the lecture resumed, but the truth couldn't be much further as her consciousness was swiftly transported away, leaving behind a limp body momentarily…
When Jin Kai had finally regained his senses, he found himself in a completely unfamiliar environment. The sky was still bright blue, but Jin Kai found himself surrounded by debris and broken buildings. Jin Kai wondered aloud, "Where am I now? And what was that freaky voice earlier? Guess I should try to find a way out instead of panicking here."
Jin Kai swiftly began to explore his environment, as he attempted to uncover clues to his whereabouts and possible exit. As Jin Kai navigated through the foreign territory, he touched the debris with his hands and was surprised to discover how real they felt. Jin Kai muttered, "If this is a dream, it definitely feels really realistic…if only there's someone here who I could question…"
Just as Jin Kai turned right at a corner, he found himself facing the back of a giant toad, which was only slightly shorter than Jin Kai but was far heavier. The toad was brightly coloured, with warts plastering all over its back. Jin Kai was stunned, but he managed to keep himself from screaming in fear as he slowly backed away from the monstrosity before him.
Unfortunately, by a wicked twist of fate, Jin Kai accidentally kicked a pebble on the ground which skidded on the ground towards the toad, hitting its hind leg. The toad quickly turned its head around, its eyes locking onto Jin Kai as they gleamed with hostile intent. Jin Kai cursed, "Drats!" as he immediately turned tail and ran as fast as he could.
Jin Kai turned at every corner he could find, hoping to shake his pursuer off as the giant toad was hot on his heels, since it could clear great distances with a single leap. Jin Kai used the croaking sound it made to estimate its distance from him, as he kept sprinting without turning back. Just as Jin Kai thought that he had finally given his predator the slip, he felt something slimy swipe his left ankle as he instantly lost his footing, crashing unceremoniously onto the ground.
Jin Kai, who remained on the ground, turned around only to discover that the toad was only a few metres away from him, as it waddled slowly towards him, confident that he could not escape its grasp. Jin Kai noticed that its tongue was slowly emerging from its mouth and realised immediately that it was the tongue of the toad that had tripped him in the first place.
Cold sweat trickled down Kai's forehead as he recognised that there was no escape from this monster, with its extendable tongue and the short distance between them. Kai attempted to rationalise in denial, "Perhaps letting this toad eat me would return me to the real world…yeah, that must be it, this is all an illusion!"
Just as Jin Kai had resigned to his fate of becoming the toad's next meal, he heard the sound of gunfire coming from behind him. Jin Kai swore that he saw a brief image of a bullet from the corner of his left eye before it whistled past him and landed on its target, cracking the toad's skull. The toad died instantly, as it collapsed limply onto the ground before its body vaporised into black vapour, much like the death of a monster in a video game.
"I can't believe that you willingly let yourself get eaten by that Spectre. As expected, you don't know what would happen if you were to lose your life here in the Reflected World. Guess you're fortunate that I came on the nick of time, you newbie." a female voice rang from behind.
Jin Kai swiftly turned around, overjoyed to finally have a companion to assist him out of this ordeal. However, to his pleasant surprise, his saviour was the very same blonde-haired woman he was mesmerised with, but her attire now was completely different. Now, the woman before him was dressed in a tight-fitting white uniform from head to toe, the epaulettes on her shoulders giving off a militaristic feel.
The woman stretched out her hand in assistance and Jin Kai gladly accepted it, as she pulled him back onto his feet. The woman introduced herself, "I'm Lieutenant Aiko Verde of the Foundation, but you can just call me Aiko. You're the one I met on the bus this morning, right? I'm glad you're alright."
Seeing Aiko's bright smile made Jin Kai blush slightly as he replied shyly, "I'm Lee Jin Kai, thanks for saving me, Aiko. On a serious note, you were saying this place is called the Reflected World? Can you tell me more about it?"
Aiko sighed as she said gently, "Very well. However, let's move as we talk, we don't want to get caught off guard by those Spectres." Jin Kai nodded as Aiko quickly took the lead, with Jin Kai following closely behind.
As the pair walked briskly, Aiko shared, "Alright, I'll give you a crash course right now on your surroundings. This place is known as the Reflected World, in other words, the cognitive world of an individual. Everyone has their own unique Reflected World so to speak, but many are unaware of its existence, for only people like you and me, aka the Divers, are able to access this realm via the 'Psyche Dive', which you probably initiated by accident earlier.
In here, the innermost desires and beliefs of an individual are materialised. Take this place, for instance. The debris and broken buildings are very likely a hint to how this particular individual views the world around him. If I were to guess, he's probably very discontented with his life, for he has many perceived needs that are unmet, resulting in such a broken environment.
Now, onto that toad you encountered earlier. That was a Spectre, a fairly weak one to be honest. They can come in all forms and sizes, but they are all manifestations created from the excess psychodynamic energy as a result of the imbalance between the id and the superego."
Jin Kai interrupted, "Wait, you mean that Freud's psychodynamic theory applies to this realm? This is insane, to think that what we learn in psychology had such implications…"Aiko shot him a displeased look before resuming, "Yeah, glad you were paying attention to the lecture so I don't have to explain so much.
Anyway, back to the topic, the presence of Spectres indicate an imbalance between the id and the superego, which usually doesn't bode well for the mental state of the individual in real life if such imbalances were to persist for a long time.
In fact, in some cases, Spectres might even evolve into much stronger Demons, which are far harder to cleanse from the Reflected World. I believe that Divers are the chosen ones to cleanse the minds of people from the insidious influences of Spectres and Demons, a noble duty indeed.
Now, the important question awaits; What happens if you were to be killed in this world as a Diver? The answer, you'll enter a coma in the real world, never to wake up again. After all, you're injecting your consciousness, your ego, into another individual during the 'Psyche Dive', so if that consciousness gets erased, well, the answer is clear."
Jin Kai took a moment to ponder before he enquired, "Okay, I understand the severe repercussions of dying in this world now. Let me just ask you this, are the 'mental shutdown' incidents all over the world connected to this? Can you 'kill' people by erasing their ego in this world?"
Aiko's lips curved into a slight grin as she replied, "Well, you're pretty sharp, making the connections so quickly. Yes, from what the Foundation has gathered, there's a link between the 'mental shutdown' incidents and the Reflected World. This is one of the many reasons why the Foundation was formed, to prevent the misuse of the Reflected World by Divers seeking to fulfil their own personal agenda instead of using their powers for the greater good.
Another chief reason for the formation of the Foundation was to protect and nurture new Divers such as yourself. This is why I've come to Singapore from Japan, to set up a branch of the Foundation here in Singapore with a team of Divers under my charge. Currently, you're the very first Diver I know in this country, so I guess it's only the 2 of us for now."
Jin Kai scratched his chin as he remarked, "I kind of get the situation now, but you still haven't explained to me how Divers can fight against those Spectres. I was totally helpless out there earlier, but you took out that giant toad with one shot!"
Aiko giggled as she replied cheerfully, "I guess this is the part you've been eagerly waiting for. Well, I don't expect you to fight any Spectres today, just leave all the fighting to me, but I guess I can teach you the basics. There are many ways to fight against Spectres, but the most basic is the use of weapons we fashion from our cognition.
Take me for instance. I use a pair of automatic pistols as my weapon of choice against Spectres. Just remember, this is the cognitive world, so the power and efficacy of your materialised weapon is contingent on the strength of your cognition, so the more powerful your image of your weapon, the stronger it'll become."
Jin Kai swiftly added, "Hey, if this is the cognitive world where our thoughts get materialised, does that mean I can just imagine a huge nuke and blow all these monsters up with ease? Man, that would be totally cool!"
Aiko sighed, "If that was the case, everybody would become insanely powerful in here. Yes, the strength of imagination do play a part, but it's not that easy to attain a level of imagination that can be translated to such destructive power. In any case, a word of advice from me. The strength of your cognition is grounded on realism, so the more real-life experience you have with a particular weapon, the stronger it'll become here in the Reflected World-"
Just as Aiko was about to finish her sentence, the ground started to tremble strongly as the pair struggled to maintain their balance. The trembling stopped soon enough, but what came next was worse. Emerging from the ground just before the duo was a humongous lizard, which size made the toad from earlier appear small.
The lizard bared its sharp fangs, its forked tongue flicking left and right as it glared at the 2 puny humans before it. Aiko smirked, "It's finally shown itself, the head honcho of this place. Destroying it should restore the balance between the id and the superego, given the amount of psychodynamic energy it's exuding. I initially wanted to avoid a fight with it, since it was pointless, but since it chose to hunt me, I guess I'll just have to return the favour."
Before Aiko could reach for her pistols, Jin Kai stopped her, requesting, "Let me have a go at this guy, I want to gain some combat experience. If things go awry, you can step in anytime and pull my ass out of this mess. So, let me take him on!"
Seeing Jin Kai's resolved gaze, Aiko relented as she warned, "Be careful, this Spectre is not as weak as the toad from earlier. Remember what I've taught you and you should be fine, I'll provide backup if necessary."
Jin Kai smiled before closing his eyes as he began to focus his thoughts. The lizard, which had grown impatient, took the first move as it extended its forked tongue rapidly, seeking to catch Jin Kai with it before swallowing him whole. Just as the tongue was about to reach its target, Jin Kai's eyes flashed wide open as he instantly conjured a lightweight silver spear in his hands.
Jin Kai instinctively thrust the tip of his spear into the tongue of the lizard, pinning it down before he hacked away its end with a quick flick of his wrist. The lizard howled in pain as it swiftly retracted its bloodied tongue, the dismembered end disappearing into black vapour after a moment's delay.
Jin Kai then seized the opportunity to narrow the gap between the lizard and him, as he started to dash towards his target. Still recovering from the pain inflicted on it, the lizard barely noticed Jin Kai's advance until the last minute, where it launched a fierce swipe at him with its claws, much to the horror of Aiko, who hadn't expected Jin Kai to charge in from the front so recklessly.
Just as Aiko was about to step in, as she thought that Jin Kai would be heavily injured from that attack, to her surprise, before the attack could land, he vanished instantly, only to reappear right before the lizard's head as he plunged his spear deep into its skull between its eyes. Twisting his spear while it remained lodged in the lizard's head, Jin Kai performed a quick upward swing, tearing through the lizard's forehead in the process.
Aiko was stunned by the turn of events, as she muttered, "There's no doubt…he's already using psychodynamic energy unconsciously to augment his speed and power…I can't believe that these are the movements of an amateur…who is he exactly?"
Aiko's thoughts were broken when she noticed that the lizard's eyes moved to focus on Jin Kai. She warned, "Jin Kai, that creature isn't dead yet! Get out of there!" Just before the lizard could swallow Jin Kai whole, Jin Kai had instinctively leapt into the air, avoiding the attempt on his life.
While in mid-air, Jin Kai directed the tip of his spear towards the top of the lizard's head, before he pushed off with all his might, crashing into the top of the lizard's head like an arrow. The impact of his crash forced the lizard's jaw to smash onto the ground, pinning it down. Now, with his spear buried even deeper into the lizard's head than earlier, Jin Kai adjusted his grip before running down the length of the lizard's torso, ripping through its flesh from head to tail.
That was the final straw for the poor monster, as it collapsed onto the ground, its lifeless body soon vaporising into black vapour. Aiko, who had yet to recover from her shock at the ease in which Jin Kai had defeated such a large Spectre on his very first fight, stammered, "H-How are you able to use psychodynamic energy so easily? Manifesting your weapon so quickly is one thing, but using raw psychodynamic energy so instinctively…what did you do exactly?"
Jin Kai turned around and replied matter-of-factly, "Well, you did say that this was the cognitive world where imagination and cognition is key. I'm a fantasy author, so I guess you can say I'm armed with a fertile imagination, hahaha! Never would I have thought that such a skill would be so useful!"
Aiko smiled gently as her thoughts drifted away from their present situation. If she had such a capable Diver under her wing, perhaps her goal would be attainable after all…