Chapter 8:The Unbound Soul

Chapter 8:The Unbound Soul

Peter woke up, even though he had just fallen asleep.

'Huh? What's going on?'

He looked around the inside of the tent, then stepped outside. The camp was shrouded in thick fog, and the entire area seemed drained of color—only shades of black and gray remained, with faint streaks of white. Even the stars in the sky looked dim, as if someone had stripped them of their ability to shine.

After a moment, Peter realized he could see only thanks to his aspect, which allowed him perfect vision in darkness. Then he noticed Selene—she was sitting under a large rock, completely motionless.

She paid him no attention. Her gaze was fixed on the blade of her sword, which was covered in a thin layer of frost. Of course, everything remained in the same monochromatic color scheme.

'She's training her element by using it on her sword…' Peter thought. 'That's good, but why is she ignoring me?'

He frowned and looked at his hand. It was the same as always, except in shades of black and gray. And then he noticed something else.

It was partially transparent.

Peter's heart froze.

'Am I… dead?'

He spun around quickly and looked inside the tent. His body lay on the bedroll, breathing steadily, as if in a deep sleep. 'So… not dead.'

That's when he saw the runes hovering at the edge of his vision. They were unreadable—his implant's translator wasn't working. That suggested one possibility.

'The implant is physical, just like my body. And my body is in the tent… which means my soul has left it?'

To test his theory, Peter summoned the runes responsible for his status. A moment later, they appeared in their familiar layout—but still untranslated. That partially confirmed his suspicions.

His explorer's instinct kicked in. He wanted to see how far he could move away from his body, which meant leaving the camp entirely in Selene's care. He slowly headed toward the path, passing Selene, who was still honing her abilities, forming small ice spikes.

'If i woke up right after I fell asleep…' he thought, watching her focus. 'She's making faster progress than I am.'

For a moment, he felt a sting of jealousy and unease, but he quickly pushed those thoughts aside. He reached the path they had traveled yesterday. His connection to his body hadn't been severed… Probably.

Now, he faced a choice.

He could head south to scout the road ahead for the coming days, or he could go north—toward the wraith he had spotted earlier.

For a while, he weighed both options. Information about the route could be useful, but Peter could handle it even without prior knowledge. However, the opportunity to gain information from a local spirit might not come again.

He made his decision.

He turned north, heading toward the familiar clearing.

***

After about an hour and a half of walking, he encountered several Ether-dwelling creatures. They moved among the twisted roadside bushes, including birds resembling giant ravens—similar to the one that had been watching their campsite. None of the monsters noticed him, even though some passed right by. That only strengthened his belief that he was indeed in his spiritual form.

However, one thing troubled him.

'What if Selene senses danger and tries to wake me up? Will I just return to my body… or will I be unable to?'

He had no answer.

Soon, he reached the clearing where they had fought the bandits the previous day.

The corpses of the robbers were still there, but now beasts loomed over them—creatures resembling a cross between wolves and boars. They tore into the bodies, devouring the remains.

And in the middle of the clearing…

Floated the wraith.

It stared silently at the half-eaten corpses of the bandits.

Peter held his breath, feeling a strange tension build inside him.

'There's one more problem…' he thought, clenching his fists. 'My sword is physical. Theoretically, I shouldn't be able to use it. But on the other hand… it's an artifact that has bonded with my soul.'

Every artifact and relic, once acquired by a new owner, fused with their soul, allowing them to store it inside and summon it when needed. However, each soul had a limited number of items it could hold, and this limit increased with each rank.

But could a weapon be summoned while its owner was in a spirit form?

There was only one way to find out.

He closed his eyes and focused on the bond he had formed with his sword the previous evening. He wasn't about to face the wraith unarmed.

Dark matter began to gather in his hand, taking shape. The process took only a few seconds—the black layer dissipated, revealing the metallic blade covered in runes.

Peter stared at the weapon, fascinated.

'It works…'

At that moment, the wraith's head twitched.

Its hollow gaze locked onto him.