Spiritual realm. Spiritual world. Spirit world. Soul world. All of these titles encompassed the realm where souls resided. Some even called it the Soul Sea given how vast it was.

And vast was putting it lightly. Everyone’s body resided in the physical plane, and the gods themselves had their own version of a physical plane where their bodies were. I suspected that my original world counted as something similar, too. Despite having their own physical world to call home, all their souls were connected to the Spiritual realm. Probably even when I was back home my soul was in the Spiritual realm as well.

To say it was vast was like calling a blue whale pretty large. It was massive beyond any scope I could think of. Even Minamoto said no one knew just how large the Spiritual realm was; just that it connected everyone.

With how massive it was, it was a given that things didn’t really link up distance-wise with the physical world. I could take three steps forwards, but that didn’t mean I was traveling three steps in the Spiritual realm. Minamoto said that there was some sort of disconnect between the two.

Honestly, his explanation went completely over my head in some parts. I was only able to rationalize it that the Spiritual realm followed different physics than our physical one. Still, that didn’t mean there weren’t constants between the two.

For one, soul injuries weren’t some cataclysmic thing like how they were presented in some novels and games. Like how your body can be wounded, so too can your soul. And just as your body can heal, your soul can do the same as well. Of course, there were limits. It wasn’t like I could cut off an arm and regenerate it; even if I really wanted to, I wouldn’t be human if that was the case.

“So if the Spiritual realm -world or whatever is so big, how can we reasonably do anything in it? Its basically like I’m trying to punch a guy miles away.” I asked, carefully going over the information Minamoto just lectured me about.

“Miles? Is that a measurement?”

“Uh,” it took me a moment to recover from the disconnect, but I was once again presented with hard evidence that I was in a different world. Even the metric system wasn’t my ally here. If anything, that’s a positive. “Yes. It’s just really long.”

Minamoto hummed, nodding to me in understanding. “Then, it would probably be hundreds of Shaku long, I presume. Ah right, you can think of a Shaku as around the length of your forearm. I’m afraid you will have to find someone with a Shaku stick when we arrive back in the village to know the exact length.”

“Sure.” I filed that information away for when I met a villager actually willing to spare some of their time.

“Now, back to your question. I would say that, yes – attacking someone in the Spiritual realm is essentially trying to cover a very long distance in order to hit them. This can be solved normally in three very basic ways,” Minamoto held up three fingers, placing one down as he said each example. “You have a technique relating to the Spiritual realm, very specific skills, or your class is special in some way. Of course, there are other ways such as a special weapon, spell, or you are just strong enough, but those are so rare that you shouldn’t expect to see them all the time, nor will I expect you to understand them as you are now.”

Ah, I feel like he just told me I was weak in a very nice way. Minamoto creased his smile as he realized I knew what he was implying, but just patted my shoulder softly as a way to console me. It… helped. Sort of.

“Thanks.”

“I apologize if I offended you, my friend. I did not mean any offence.”

I sighed. Everything I was learning was only forcing me to remember the times where I wasn’t being forced to learn some magic right before fighting a terrifying foe. I think it meant something when I preferred one over the other. “It’s fine – I mean it. Let’s get back to this. So, I fall into the ‘Specific skill’ way, right?”

“Precisely.” Minamoto smiled. I think it was more that he was happy to drag my attention to something more productive. “The Mask of Flesh skill is pretty notorious for how useful it is, but it comes with the caveat that it doesn’t provide that skills normally are equipped with. I am sure you might have already realized it.”

I paused, pursing my lips. “I… haven’t actually tested it out. The skill drains my Life Energy pretty fast, so I was saving it in case we were attacked.”

Minamoto nodded, glancing around the clearing under the floating mountain for a second. I followed his eyes, but found nothing other than the surviving Samurai and Exorcists resting before we set off at nightfall. “It is getting closer to night, and yet there is nothing nearby.” he sighed and I felt like he aged a bit at that moment. “In the end, that was their goal, huh…”

I watched as the old man pondered over something while I took apart his words along with everything I had been through. I was no prodigy in strategy, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t put things together. The dungeon itself was a trap, but it didn’t seem like it would be enough to take down Minamoto. That could mean many things, really. That the enemy didn’t mean to target Minamoto, or that they were purposefully trying to split up Minamoto and Nishimuro. Either way, it would drag someone to the dungeon.

Then… what? There was something that Minamoto destroyed and it sent us out of the dungeon, and going off of my knowledge about video games as well as the explanation from Yasuda back in the dungeon, that room should have been the “boss” or something similar. Since the Nurarihyon was not manning the dungeon, then that meant he should be targeting Nishimuro like Minamoto had proposed.

However, that left all of us who just left the dungeon in the perfect spot to ambush as we were tired, injured, and disorganized. With no enemies nearby, it meant that the enemy wasn’t looking to wipe us out specifically. And there was only one other target that came to my mind.

The village.

Minamoto probably had the same suspicion as he shook his head while he looked over the troops. The fact that he wasn’t immediately charging towards the village struck me as odd; I had expected him to rush in support of the common people immediately, but when he didn’t, I felt a bit cold. Like I had swallowed a bunch of ice and it refused to melt in my stomach.

“Sorry, I was thinking over something.” Minamoto spoke up. He raised a palm out towards me and stopped right in front of my chest. “Let’s do this quickly since we should focus on other things after, okay? Just use your skill and wear the mask. When you touch my hand, you should feel something.”

“Okay…” I followed through his instructions, moving the Life Energy to flow into the presence where Minamoto’s mask should be. I watched as the white wood mask slowly formed in my hand.

My other hand grabbed the front of the mask, feeling the horn-like branches at the temples with my fingertips. They looked fragile but were stronger than I thought as they didn’t even bend when I tried putting more force into my fingers. Carefully, I fit the mask over my face and was surprised to find it fit snugly. I doubted it would fall off even if I shook my head around.

Surprisingly, the small slits that were supposed to be eyeholes allow me to see more than I thought I could. However, the largest change happened when I moved around. It was like my vision was dialed up to eleven and upgraded to some sort of area sense. With every step I took, I got flashes of the surroundings, but instead of seeing their souls, I was given a view of every angle around me.

It was a bit disorienting at first, and it only got worse as I tried to move around. As I walked around it felt more like the world was moving under my feet rather than the fact that I was moving. There was no sense of direction.

“Mister David.” Minamoto’s voice echoed in my ears, and I found him with his hand still outstretched. I felt a bit embarrassed at ignoring him as I was caught up in the experience of seeing everything around me.

My embarrassment got worse when I realized that my body had somehow orientated itself with my back facing Minamoto. I hadn’t really expected the ability to see in all directions to be so disorienting. It hit me that this was probably what everyone was talking about when they said the [Mask of Flesh] skill was so hard to use. The description told me it copied their physical qualities, but it didn’t mean I was automatically able to use them proficiently.

Still, the fact that Minamoto was able to function like a normal person with all this was rather impressive. It took me several tries to get myself correctly oriented in order to simply grab Minamoto’s outstretched hand.

A shiver went down my spine as my Life Energy flowed through our point of contact. There was something that was happening, but I didn’t know how to explain it. All I knew was that this seemed to be some physical quality of the Life-Reaping Willow mask or else I wouldn’t be able to do it instantly.

However, just as quick as it happened, the flow of Life Energy stopped. I twitched my lips, wondering what had happened. When nothing seemed to come about, I had thought it failed.

Then, I looked at Minamoto. I knew when my sixth sense was activating. It was almost intrinsic, but it startled me that I was no longer feeling it activating as I was looking at the soul that represented Minamoto when we made contact. A gnarled, massive tree. A kind smile that juxtaposed the terrifying imagery of cocooned bodies that tried to force their way out, and the millions of eyes that pretended to be leaves on its branches. And they were now all looking at me unreservedly.

[The Soul-Reaping Willow – Origin is looking at you]

I-

[The Soul-Reaping Willow – Origin is interested in you]

What-

[The Soul-Reaping Willow – Origin is interested in your mask]

This-

[The Soul-Reaping Willow – Origin wants to offer you a see-]

Stop!

In a moment of clarity, I ripped my hand out of Minamoto and tore off the mask from my face as I stared at the old Exorcist. My breathing was irregular as I felt my heart trying to pound its way out of my ribcage. I had no idea what happened. The second I looked at his soul, everything seemed to fall apart. My vision had blacked out for a moment, and even my thoughts seemed to be halted.

“-vid. Mister David, can you hear me?”

I calmed myself down as I felt Minamoto’s hand patting my back with a worried look on his face. I could only shove the terrifying image of his soul to the back of my head as I gathered myself back up.

Minamoto shook his head, heaving a sigh of relief after looking me over. “I apologize – I hadn’t expected it to become interested in you, too. It appears that testing your ability through me will only result in an adverse reaction. I hope the experience didn’t affect you overly much.”

“No- I… it’s not…” my tongue fumbled over my words, and I felt like my brain was a jumbled mess. I stared at the various screens that were lingering in my vision and suddenly a wave of terror swept through me. It was definitely a good thing I got out before it offered me anything. I doubted it would be anything good.

However, there was one thing that I knew now. Whatever it was, it wasn’t Minamoto. “What… was that?”

“That is… rather complicated.” Minamoto said, trying not to meet my eyes. “What you experienced specifically was a disparity in Soul stats. It’s one thing you have to take into account when you are attacking someone. When you attack someone with your soul, they are also given the opportunity to attack you as well. I had thought that it wouldn’t be interested in you, but apparently you having the same physical characteristics as me only played in its favor.”

I noticed he glossed over my question. However, if I was to point it out, that would just put him further on the spot. Instead, I just filed away to never use Minamoto’s mask on him.

“So, *cough* what is it I need to pay attention to next time?”

Minamoto hurriedly answered as if afraid I would question him more on the original issue. “W- well, in the first place, the Soul stat is notorious for how difficult it is to raise without some technique behind it. You probably won’t meet your match against people under Life Rank D so long as they are not going along the Priest class line as well. However, you probably have an idea on how you can use your mask to attack someone’s soul now.”

Did I? You’re really putting me on the spot, old man. Did you really think I was some genius? Well, I am flattered you think so. Seeing my confusion, Minamoto smiled. I realized this was one of those rhetorical questions teachers threw at you for learning purposes.

“To give you a hint, the attacker needs a way to pinpoint the position of their enemy in the Spiritual realm.”

I smacked my palm. “That’s why I needed to touch you.”

I pursed my lips as I realized there was more to it. Minamoto just smiling and not expanding on the lecture only solidified that in my head. I remembered one key thing that happened as we made contact.

“Life Energy is the key.” I answered. “Though, I am not sure where it comes into play.”

Minamoto smiled and nodded. “Yes, Life Energy is the basic fuel for most miracles. It takes Life Energy to strengthen your body, to use skills, and power techniques. Your Life Energy channels serve as a bridge from the Spiritual realm to your body, so the opposite can be accomplished with a specific set of circumstances. Of course, some people don’t need physical contact. It is because your skill only copies the physical qualities of myself – not the… rest.”

I coughed politely, trying not to linger on his last words. “So, then what?”

“What do you mean?”

“Uh, do I need to like… how do I attack them with my soul? It can’t just be to punch them, right?”

“Yes, for you. That’s all you can do.”

“Oh… thanks.” I said. I felt let down at the simplicity of it. My special attack was relegated to a soul punch. It sounded cool, but all it was a punch that basically happened in the Spiritual realm. To me, it seemed better to just punch them in the physical world.

Minamoto chuckled nearby. “Don’t be too discouraged, mister David. Sometimes an attack to the soul can be more debilitating than a normal punch. You can’t think that attacking a soul is so simple after what you just went through.”

I shivered as I remembered. Yeah… as much as I tried to forget it, Minamoto did make a point. If I could do that while fighting someone, then, just like how I was completely insensate, I could basically put them out of the fight for a moment or two.

“And don’t be too sad about your methods. There are plenty of ways to attack in the Spiritual realm that if you’re still conscious about punching, you can find them.”

I blushed, hiding my embarrassment. “Am I really that obvious?”

“No, my friend, I actually read your mind this time.”

I looked oddly at him. "So you finally admit it."

Minamoto laughed, shaking his head as he stepped away from me. I squinted my eyes, wondering if he was making a joke or actually telling me the truth. Life Energy was weird enough that I didn't doubt being able to read minds being an actual thing. “Now, let me leave you to rest. We have a long night awaiting us, I’m afraid. Don’t worry about watching for any monsters now; I can handle that much, at least.”

I sat down, laying on a particularly soft patch of grass. It was uncomfortable as all hell, but I was just exhausted from everything to really pay it mind.

“Minamoto,” I said, causing the man to pause. “Thank you – for everything, I guess. You’ve been… a good friend even when you didn’t need to.”

The man turned and offered me the largest smile I had seen from him. “Thank you.”

I watched as the old Exorcist left to go watch over the rest of the men. A bit of confusion settled within me about why he thanked me, but he left before I could ask. Instead, I watched his back while thinking of the thing that had seen me when I pierced the distance to Minamoto’s soul. Whatever it was didn’t seem to follow the old man’s will as it acted on its own.

However, it appeared in the screens that popped up in my vision. Was it another god? The god that Minamoto had a grudge against? Or did it mean that something didn’t have to be a god to be on the screens? If so, what were the criteria?

Questions swirled in my head as I laid down to get some rest. In the end, I couldn’t sleep.

Traveling through the woods was something that I never thought I would do. Doubly so when it was nighttime. Every twig and branch that broke underfoot was like thunder to my ears. Insects of all kinds buzzed nearby as the cacophony of nature tore through the night.

My nerves were frayed from sleep deprivation, and I was lucky that my previous injuries from the dungeon weren’t all that bad or else my situation would go from bad to pretty fucked. I had half the mind to stay alert of my surroundings as the thought of getting ambushed by an army of yokai was the furthest thing from my bucket list.

All my recently recruited friends were the same as well. Whatever rest they had gained was short lived as Minamoto broke everyone into a fast march through the forest as soon as the sun went down. Some Samurai were supporting the wounded, trying to keep up with the quick pace.

I had taken to controlling my breathing. The results were less than satisfactory. All I could do was try to keep in my desperate gasps for breath as I tried not to trip over the uneven surface of a forest.

Though, uneven as it was, the forest floor itself was deceptive in how it grew. Sometimes moss and grass would grow just enough to obscure small dips in the ground, and it was only when I was actively looking out for them that I avoided the worst of them. In addition, there were several small ledges that were covered by fallen trees or bushes that I needed to watch out for. Luckily, Minamoto was leading the march, so as long as we followed along with him, we avoided falling and potentially snapping an ankle on the fall.

I was pretty sure that I would be the only one who would break their ankle on a fall like that.

With the speed of the march as well as the tired atmosphere of the group, I had an unnatural amount of time to spend on my thoughts. Which was bad as it brought the earlier talk of the Spiritual realm to the front of my mind.

I had a hunch that something happened to my soul in the Spiritual realm to bring me here. What that was exactly… I am not too sure. Just a small thought that spun at the back of my mind as Minamoto explained just what the Spiritual realm was.

Now that I knew that though, did it mean that there was some way to return home? The very notion buried itself in the back of my thoughts, and even when Minamoto was explaining how souls could fight, there was some part of me that thought of the “what if” scenario.

That question itself brought even more to the front of my thoughts. Did I even want to go home being the largest of them. This place was honestly horrible. As cool as it is, my life wasn’t constantly being threatened.

And yet, I dreaded going home just as much. I was stuck in a limbo of what I wanted to do, and all I had was a vague notion of wanting to make something of myself.

I sighed. This reflection was getting out of hand. Too much moping for me, really. So what if I could go back home?

I have no idea how to accomplish it now, but it can be put somewhere on the list. What list? I need to make one, too. But, finding a way home is definitely going near the bottom.

With a satisfied huff, I pushed all my worries to the back of my mind, trying to ignore them. In that act, I couldn’t help but stare up into the sky.

The night wasn’t too different from back at my home world. Twinkling stars shone up in the sky. The only difference was there were times that the stars that I looked at disappeared from view before popping back up as if something had just blocked my view for a second.

I stopped that train of thought immediately. Instead, I focused on the things that were floating in the night sky. Besides the mountain that still was above us, I could make a few more islands that offered a middle finger to the laws of gravity with even more shadows in the distance. Some had vines that hung off them like massive, winding snakes that reached towards the ground. Others had forests of bamboo that grew so large it felt like they could touch the sky. They formed a sort of floating mountain range, each with their own unique ecosystem, that I would have never been able to see back in my home.

It was one of the times where I realized just how fantastical this world was.

“Beautiful, isn’t it, leader?” Yasuda, easily keeping pace next to me, said with a smile.

I heaved a breath, trying to calm my heartbeat. The fact that he made this march seem easy was annoying. “Yeah…”

“You guys talking about these?” Wakao butted into the conversation, bumping my shoulder and nearly causing me to trip. I glared at the man as he laughed. “I heard these island fragments aren’t much. They’re so small that they fall out of the pull of the Inverse Ocean, so they drift all the way out here.”

“Have you even seen the ones in the Inverse?” Yasuda questioned back.

Wakao waved his hand. “Obviously not. Do I look like I have experience in an explorer squad. I’m just saying I knew this one guy who did. He said they basically found a dungeon on every island they landed on.”

“What’s this-” I stopped as Minamoto abruptly halted when we reached another clearing. This time, I recognized it not by my abilities in mountaineering becoming better but because of the areas where the ground had been clearly ripped apart and the large constructs of entwined wood that stood starkly out next to the river that rushed nearby, It was the area where we had killed the Oni Variant.

And in the middle of the area was a group of around fifteen Samurai and what seemed to be a couple of villagers. They turned to us with tired, sunken eyes. Deep purple bags dug under their eyes with some of the villagers nodding off before snapping awake in a panic. From the middle of the group, I caught the sight of someone who was dressed like Samurai who walked out towards Minamoto with a grim look.

“Minamoto,” they said, and it took me a moment to realize that they didn’t offer an honorific or use the old man’s title. I also noticed the person’s face seemed a bit smoother. Their jaw wasn’t as squarish and their face was more of an oval. A second passed through my head when I realized they were female now that I had a better look at her. I could barely tell past her baggy armor and clothing.

Her eyes were as black as her hair, which was done up in a small bun. Oddly, she narrowed her gaze my way before focusing back on Minamoto. “The Hyakki Yagyo is currently performing a sacrificial ceremony in the village. They have another Oni among them… A- and Commander Nishimuro is dead. He fought to save us.”

Well, that answered most of my questions and added even more worry. It seemed like I had skipped a bunch of stuff, but I was just floored by everything that was suddenly thrown at me.

Minamoto frowned momentarily before he answered immediately despite my inner panic. “We shall run away.”