First Steps into the Astral World

Tyla sat cross-legged on her bed, her fingers curled into the soft fabric of her blanket. Through the half-drawn curtains, the city pulsed with dim neon lights, flickering against the night sky. The familiar hum of traffic below barely reached her ears, drowned out by the pounding of her own heartbeat.

She swallowed hard. "System 111, are you sure this won't kill me?"

The tiny pixie fluttered in front of her, hands planted on her hips, golden hair shimmering. "Of course not! But if you fail too many times, you might get a nasty headache."

Tyla gave her a flat stare. Not exactly reassuring.

Taking a slow breath, she closed her eyes. The astral projection guide rewarded by the system had outlined a technique—slow breathing, full relaxation, visualization. Simple enough.

Or so she thought.

The First Attempt

She exhaled, sinking deeper into stillness. A strange, tingling sensation spread through her limbs, like a gentle pull from somewhere inside her.

For a moment, she felt weightless.

Then—snap.

A violent force yanked her back, slamming her awareness into her body. She gasped, her eyes flying open as a sharp headache bloomed at her temples.

System 111 hovered above her, shaking her tiny fists. "Too tense! You have to let go!"

Tyla groaned, rubbing her temples. "Easy for you to say. You don't have a body to accidentally paralyze."

The pixie giggled. "True! But you do, so don't mess it up!"

The Second, Third, and Fourth Attempts

Each time, she got closer.

She could feel it—the eerie, floating sensation—the almost-release. But something always dragged her back before she could fully break free.

By the fourth attempt, frustration gnawed at her. "This is impossible," she muttered, flopping onto her back.

System 111 puffed up indignantly. "No giving up! If you don't progress, we'll both disappear!"

Tyla's irritation faltered. Right. This wasn't just about her.

The system needed her to survive.

Something about that realization made her chest tighten.

Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself up. "One more try."

The Breakthrough

This time, she let go.

Her breaths slowed. Her mind emptied. The tension in her body melted, dissolving into the stillness of the night.

Then—

A soft snap.

The world tilted.

Tyla's stomach lurched as she felt herself peel away.

When she opened her eyes, her breath caught.

She was floating above her own body.

Below her, her physical form lay motionless—eyes shut, chest rising and falling in slow, rhythmic breaths. A surreal detachment settled over her, as if she were looking at a stranger rather than herself.

I did it.

System 111 squealed with excitement, twirling in the air. "Yay! You did it!"

Tyla barely had a second to marvel before something yanked her downward.

The next thing she knew, she was back in her body, gasping awake. A sharp pain lanced through her skull.

"Ow." She groaned, pressing a hand to her forehead.

"You lasted two seconds!" System 111 chirped. "Next time, aim for five!"

Tyla sighed. This was going to take a while.

---

The Next Seven Days

The days blurred into a cycle of training, frustration, and progress.

Mornings were spent on mana cultivation, her body growing more attuned to the flow of energy within her. Afternoons were dedicated to practicing the Purification Spell, a light-based technique rewarded by the system after mastering the basics of mana control.

And at night, she pushed herself into the Astral World.

Each attempt lasted longer. Five seconds. Ten. Thirty.

Floating outside her body no longer felt like falling—it felt like unraveling.

By the end of the week, she had finally gained control. She could move freely, drifting through her small apartment like mist. Objects in the astral realm glowed faintly, their edges blurred with a soft silver light.

It was… beautiful.

She turned to System 111. "How do I go outside?"

The pixie clapped her hands. "Just think about where you want to go! But be careful—there are things in the Astral World that aren't friendly."

A shiver ran down Tyla's spine. Things?

She swallowed her unease and focused.

She imagined stepping forward.

The wall loomed ahead.

She braced herself—

And passed right through.

---

The City Beyond

Tyla hovered above the city.

Everything felt weightless, surreal. The streets below pulsed with an eerie, muted glow.

But something was… off.

The city shifted.

Buildings flickered—one moment sleek and modern, the next ancient ruins, then towering gothic structures. A glass skyscraper warped into a cathedral before disintegrating into crumbling stone.

Some streets stretched into impossible distances, while others looped back on themselves. Alleys twisted where none had existed. Roads curled unnaturally, stretching into horizons that shouldn't exist.

And the sky…

The sky was a deep, oil-slick void. It pulsed, something vast and unseen moving behind it.

A whisper curled at the edge of her hearing.

Tyla froze.

She turned—nothing.

But the shadows moved.

Reflections in glass were out of sync, distorted figures staring back at her just a second too late. Streetlights flickered, their glow twisting into colors beyond human perception.

A shape shifted in the mist ahead.

Large. Deliberate. Watching.

Tyla's breath hitched.

She wasn't alone.