“Wow! It’s a full-grown seed! I’ve never rip anything like that.”

“Just wait until we cross to there, then we will know how much it worth. Rather than that, it’s truly fascination to know such a vassal exists. If only we waited more, we would be putting our hand on mythical level one.”

“That’s not up to us, we just need to get the orders done and he is …”

The sounds of the conversation receded. I have no gist of what had happened, as I was returning home at a late hour. I’m feeling my heart bleeding, did I get stabbed? I won’t be surprised if that’s the case, after all … I was cursed for a long time.

Whether you are careful or watched out, no means of protection had ever worked in my favor, right now, what I feel is freedom, I’ve been waiting for those moments, when I get rid of my shackle, if death at the hands of those, was my salvation, then be it.

But all it takes was a glimpse of what my life would have been, a normal life at death’s door, to regret wishing death now.

‘Salvation or a slave that was released, which one do you think it’s the appropriate. Think of it child, now that your veil has been uncovered, you should be able to restore you memories, and chase for those who made your life into hell’

Even when I’m at death door, you won’t let me rest in peace. That mind of mine is hallucinating know and that body don’t want to give up already, what was left to burn like hell you damn heart.

As if it was a cue, an entranced feeling seeped through my mind as some unfocused visions did.

‘Until you get your memories back, let this be my gift to you my pitiful child’

I felt like I have heard those words before but a flesh tearing sensation attacked me. A few moments later I was observing my own body from above.

I was in a dark empty alley, beside the hoot of some owl, and a cat with an amputated left ear looking directly at me.

‘Then I will await you in the other side’ there was no source for that voice nor anyone in this alley beside a cat, and as to put it in motion it turned away and gone. Its black fur united with the darkness. Then I was left alone.

I was left in a state my mind couldn’t proceed, but I knew deep inside me, If I don’t get my ass to work, I’m done for.

The ghost like state I was in, was weakening as the time passed, I was sure as I’m observing my body from above that It’s dying, and somehow this ghost or maybe astral form – as my hunch is telling me – was connected to my physical form, and finding a new energy source was what should keep me alive, in other terms, leeching a living being.

So firstly, how am I supposed to move. Since I was expelled from my body that facing the ground, I’m still hovering above and staring down to it, excluding the moment where I wanted to check my surrounding and stared at that peculiar cat. Having no muscles or nerves to transform my will to movement was absurd to even think about it. It’s like been unable lift your hands during push-ups after reaching your limits, despite infusing all my will in it. But yes, way do I need them anyway, it may be just ...

Hah, it worked I moved my head again, so it was just like that. Just welling to move was enough to do the job, that wouldn’t take time to get accustomed to it.

Somehow It didn’t take me long, to familiarize with my movements, it was like they were already there and just need to wipe the dust from them. Basics were done by a simple will – to lift a hand to rotate – while pacing around or changing altitude depended on how much thoughts contained in my wills – which was basically, blanking my mind to float up, while doing calculation like thoughts in my will to move around or float close to the floor –

The ‘Academic city’ was a medium size city, known by the variety educational institutions, with almost no touristic monuments or industrial facilities. The residents where mostly locals and foreigner students like me, and you can rarely cross road with someone at this late hour. But when I float out of that alley, there were moving frames I couldn’t discern, going and coming, now and then, and since it seems like they didn’t notice me, I just ignored them for the moment.

As time passed it becomes hard to stay focus, since it was neither I could find people outside, nor I could enter closed house despite the ethereal form. So, I shifted target to animals, and as if I was having not enough troubles, cats the only stray creature here were able to see me.

I felt drained, and about to give up on this life, until I heard a tiny meowing from a bush in the garden. It was a little kitten that haven’t even opened its eyes. Now that I have nothing but my life on the line, every thought of pity was washed away, so I wasn’t hesitating, rather not knowing what to do next. I had the rough idea to take over the body, but never thought of how to do it. But what if I willed to go inside it, and move on through it, it didn’t work with inanimate objects, so I’m not sure with this.

I hovered above the kitten, closed my eyes and concentrate my thoughts to be part of that living being. It becomes difficult to keep a track of time, since I will break my concentration and redo the process again. It must have been an hour or a frame of a second, until I felt something different, but couldn’t risk opening my eyes, which I regrated later. The link to my body was severed, it felt again like my heart was torn apart, even in this state I felt it again.

My energy source is almost depleted, I rushed things an opened my eyes, or that’s what I though. There was no response, everything was black, nor I could feel my other parts moving, like I’m here but not here, thinking but not responding, feeling but not seeing. It was strange.

I felt seven presences from my surrounding, or were they nine I wasn’t sure. They felt the same, yet some of them were here others weren’t. A warmness radiating from each one, they were light withing darkness. One above, one below. One behind, the other one ahead. Four at the corners, while the last was the center. It was swallowing me.

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***

“O higher one, allow me enter the wasteland and prove my worth to your teaching.”

“You know how to pick interest little human. Bring it” The higher one siting on his throne, who I dare not look to his face ordered one of his vassals who swiftly knelt on beside the throne and opened an ornamented wooden box. The higher one toke the content by his left and ordered me to stand close.

“I bestow on you the relic of the ancient. You should have already realized how far you can achieve with your human constitution. Thus, wandering a wasteland will not be an easy feat for you. This shall bring you far beyond your limit and preserve you precious life”. holding a curved red gemstone size of a thumb whit eight ledges pointing up, he continued.

“I will place it close to heart. Do you accept it”

“I’m grateful, O Higher one. I will always be in dept”.

“Mother earth, Father sky. Receive my pray, and answer I”. the higher one placed a hand on my left shoulder while his left hand holding the relic dived to my heart. The moment he stopped, I felt the relic wrapping around my heart and closing around it, the moment his hands left me I dropped to the ground.

A loud ringing echoed in my head, but I could hear a subtle voice before my vision get blurred, dark, and then I passed out.

“Feed well, my pet…”.

My senses began to come back, but not fully as they were before, even though the world seems somehow… moving at a slow rate, I couldn’t view it clearly, it was just haze of moving colorless object.

“afm goowing to schwool, dwon’t let zee door open, so ‘Benny’ won’t escape. Understood” the voice was wavering for a bit, but finally become clear.

“Yes brother!”

“We’ll take care of him!”

From my peripheral vision, I could picture two small objects moving at the side of a tall one, they must be the voice sources. But who are they, and how did I–

–I couldn’t even go through my train of thought when someone turn my light off, but I still could clearly hear the murmurs around me.

Who are those people, why my vision was abnormal, and why I can’t see now, I was sure I didn’t close my eyes, my attempts also to close and open them were futile, I needed to understand my situation or else I might lose my sanity while panicking, so I took a deep breath, again a deep brea…, ‘SHIT WHY THERE IS NO AIR COMING’, then I remembered everything.

I wasn’t upset at what was happening, I took my time to understand what had transpired at ease, hearing and seeing the joyful family I was with, while Ethan and Evan the twin kids awakening and playing with Benny which was me – precisely the kitten hosting me – I felt fortunate as the meaning given to that name.

Nearly four weeks passed since I’ve left my body, and so everything related to it, since I had known nothing but a hellish life, despite that when I have finally been freed from that misery, I couldn’t just forget what happened and live as a parasite, everything would have no meaning, and knowing that I have just recently woken up, keep me unease whether or not I would experience such a comatose hence after, the worst case… I might never awake again.

‘Chase for those who made your life into hell’ if I remember it correctly, was what that voice said, he must have known something, after all he was the one making into this, but with no clue sure I won’t be able to find him, right now I need to know myself how to use what I have.

Since I feeling a slightly better the first time I was forced on astral projection, I closed my eyes trying to remember and explain the event transpired, other than the flesh tearing pain no useful steps were there.

‘I was expelled forcefully’ I thought to myself. It must be caused by the one who was speaking to me at that time.

I was at a dead-end, but still having a last card, the will and thought process, even if it had worked before, I wasn’t sure if it will now that I’m in a corporal state, nevertheless I tried it.

To start, I had to isolate my mind from the surrounding, and focus on my inner self. The warmth started to devour me and I felt being again surrounded by eight presences. Unlike before, I knew where I am, the ethereal domain where the cat’s souls reside, and the central one was merged with mine.

Now, I redirected my will to the outside, and … there is no ‘and’, I wasn’t sure about what is next, going up or down, as I have no idea where ‘out’ is.

I was already at the epicenter when arrived, now I see no exit, improvising and moving around would expose me to another soul merging, and I might disintegrate completely this time.

I was helpless.

Seconds passed by, while I was contemplating around me, the souls moved like golden flames of fire, and sparks flew one another, the warmth has turned to heat and the threads emerged from the embers and connecting the space around me, it felt like a cage. I thought it’s time to wake.

I opened my eyes little by little, the strange host senses were felt, and my vision started to adjust. There was a dread clinging to my heart, it was a strange emotion I never felt even when I first woke up here. My heartbeat was faster than what it should be, and felt the hairs on my body rose.

Was I that fearful of what I’ve became… no, those doesn’t belong to me, if I’m right those were benny’s. My blurred vision became clear, and soon I realized why time has stop moving.

They were watching me, a pair of eyes with vertical slit pupil were just above my snout looking deep into mine. There nose was as if it has been cut off, while their gray skin looked as a burned clay, then they said something and disappeared, but their presence was there, I could still smell it.

Ignorant to what is happening around me, I heard the front door of the house opening, and sweet voices emerged.

“Did dad said he was coming today mom?”

“Yeah! we I messed him too, will he really come?”

‘No, they shouldn’t come, that thin is still roaming inside’. I hurriedly jumped from the bed, slamming my face to the ground in the process. Standing again, then falling, somehow looking as a toddler’s first steps.

I wasn’t a toddler, nor the human I used to be anymore. I ignored the fact that I’m for the first time controlling this new form, and ran toward the door, I just want to protect warm family that sheltered me for the first time.

Knowing, I can’t convey my word to them, I slipped between their feet and headed outside. The kids were screaming and following me, but I was lost to what my eyes could perceive within the shadows of the night…

A voice rang into my ears caught me by surprise, and left me from the ground.

“Where were you running new one?”