CHAPTER 19: THE VEIL OF PERCEPTION

Soren’s life during his journey had been turned into a routine—every morning, he would help Myrin with navigating the Illusionary Barrier as well as mapping out the rest of the way toward Yadria. His Soul Weapon’s map of Yarian was slowly getting filled—more and more of the forest was being drawn along the path they were moving in. Though, it was still relatively small compared to the rest of it. According to Myrin, Yarian consisted of one singular colossal continent that was surrounded by the Endless Sea on all sides. Although Soren couldn’t completely visualize it, the picture Myrin painted amazed him.

He couldn’t wait to explore it all—if he could stay alive for that long, at least.

In the afternoon, Soren continued practicing how to control his emotions, thoughts and senses using various techniques. However, that was easier said than done. Even during his practice sessions, Soren was only really able to somewhat understand the method of walking past The Echo of Mind, and that was mainly due his innate ability to focus his thoughts to a monstrous degree. The real test was yet to come.

“Walking down the path of magecraft requires a serious amount of introspection.” Myrin spoke while munching on a snack. “You aren’t just finding your true self, you are also stripping away the facade of who you once thought you were. And that can be… A scary outcome for most people.

“Out of a hundred aspiring magi who have successfully discovered their true self, 50 will walk away happy with what they found. The other half… Will be driven mad and begin to doubt who they once were. Most of them end up killing themselves out of desperation. Even memory loss magecraft is useless at making them forget what they have experienced.”

Soren stayed silent as Myrin continued. “This is why Tyrel advised you not to put your complete faith in that flower divination. Once you strip away your thoughts, senses, and emotions… What’s left? The truth, yes, but truth isn’t always comforting.”

Although Soren didn’t doubt the risks, he also knew that he was not in a position to choose. He knew that the more he delayed this outcome, the more he would regret it. “I understand. But I still think I should continue down this path. Whatever awaits me within the void—I will accept it.”

Myrin smiled. “I guess we can finally try our first attempt?”

Soren nodded. Myrin looked toward the headless ogre and ordered it to stop. He then called over Tyrel and Tina to watch the spectacle unfold. For the past few days, Soren has been practicing with certain techniques to understand what the three layers are, such as imagining a void and popping away his excess thoughts. But all of this paled in comparison to the true test.

Soren sat plainly on a log as Myrin handed him a small, dark blue orb. It was roughly the size of a marble, but filled with holes.

“This is something we call an ‘Orb of Self,’” Myrin Explained. “What you’ll need to do is pour your anima into it. When you do, the true layers of your soul will manifest before you. Think of it like a mold—the anima you give it will take the shape of the essence within you. But for that to happen, you must find the essence that defines who you truly are, hidden beyond the three layers of the manifested self. Each layer must be confronted and ‘killed,’ one by one, until you uncover the true essence that remains.

“But be warned. You will not be able to leave until you walk past one of the layers, at the very least.”

Tina crossed her arms. “Soren, are you sure about this? You can always say no.”

Soren smiled and shook his head. “I have made my decision. In fact, I am somewhat excited. I wonder what my true self looks like.

I hope it’s as handsome as the current me.”

She shook her head. “Fine. May the Mother of Silver guide you.”

Tyrel on the other hand stood there, silently.

With a deep breath, Soren closed his eyes and imagined his willpower pouring into the orb. Almost immediately, he felt his consciousness fading.

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What was once a vibrant and colorful forest surrounding him had been turned into a formless, pitch black void filled with countless stars. Soren blinked as he looked around him—he was floating freely in space.

Where am I? Who am I? The questions rang in his head. Other than his name and goal, he had no idea who he was-the memories of who he was were all stripped away from him. Like a blank canvas, Soren simply floated in nothingness—no, he himself had become nothingness. Fear overwhelmed him.

All of a sudden, faint whispers began to invade his mind, little by little. They were incomprehensible, yet nauseating at the same time. But even more so—they were painful. Like insects crawling under his skin, the ravings continued to pierce his skull, even with his hands over his ears. What the hell is happening to me?!

The Veil of Perception. He thought. Those words slowly filled his mind. He needed to escape from this. He needed to walk past the pain, and all his senses. The whispers continued to crawl into him against his own will, but Soren simply took a deep breath and ignored it. His eyes then began to flash rapidly in color, even when he closed them. The once empty void filled with stars twisted as countless images were shown to him.

There were strange depictions of monstrous creatures, scenery, and modern cities… They continued to shift infinitely with no recognizable pattern. Then came the scents. Countless smells, some pleasant, others ghastly, invaded his nostrils one after the other. Aromas of flowers mixed feces, soil, food, perfumes, and others.

Sensory overload. That was all he could describe it as. He wanted to curl up into a ball and puke all over himself, but he knew that staying here any longer was dangerous.

Soren marched forward. He didn’t know where exactly he was headed, but he knew he needed to move. Every step he took, his perception of reality changed. It was as if he was slipping in and out of different dimensions, some more wacky than others.

He continued to walk and walk and walk. Forever. To him, it felt as if a thousand years had passed. Each second, his body itself morphed. One day, he was a ceiling fan hanging from a regular looking room. Another day, he was a tree. There was one instance where he had his whole perception of reality shift into that of a worm, crawling through the sand.

I see… So the Veil of Perception covers the sense of time as well…

Ten thousand years passed.

A hundred thousand years passed.

Five hundred thousand years passed.

Soren was still walking toward an exit he himself didn’t even know existed. Each time, doing so in the form of a different experience.

A million years had passed. By this point, Soren had already experienced every sensation that could ever exist in this world. And yet, those same sensations he had experienced were now repeating again.

How much longer do I have to walk for? I can’t go on like this. I don’t want to go on like this…

And then… A thought struck him. He remembered something.

Memory Void Spirit…

A creature that roamed across the Feylith Forest, consuming people’s thoughts, emotions, and senses. “He” had personally experienced its effects. It felt as if he was observing the world as a spectator, one who was outside the perception of reality itself.

Checkmate!

Soren imagined himself looking at his own body floating through the Veil of Perception. The exit—he never needed to walk toward it. It was hiding within him all along.

He viewed the world and all objects, experiences, realities, perceptions like a moviegoer bored out of his mind. None of it mattered.

Suddenly, the Veil of Perception shattered like glass. Countless shards broke apart, revealing a new layer beneath it all: The Echo of Mind.

Soren suddenly felt all his sensations drifting away. All that was left was the stillness of his mind. He looked out into this new reality—rather than a shifting void of perceptions, he was now standing in the middle of a still ocean, with a clear blue sky reflecting off of its surface.

Soren walked a few steps forward, ripples forming underneath his feet. This is the Echo of Mind?

“This is the Echo of Mind?”

“This is the Echo of Mind?”

“This is the Echo of Mind?”

His thoughts reverberated across this new plane for himself to hear. And then, the thoughts about his own thoughts also began to echo. The once calm ocean beneath his feet rocked, as waves continued to form with every thought he manifested.