Chapter 53

Seeing his brother open his eyes, Aurel had intended to comfort him, saying, "For non-casting sequences, it usually takes several attempts to successfully meditate, and some even need to practice for five or six days, or half a month," but she noticed that Lumian's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his eyes still held a lingering fear.

"What's wrong?" Aurel asked with concern.

Lumian took two deep breaths, the more he recalled, the more frightened he became:

"I succeeded in meditating, and my spirit seemed to float up. Around me were various colors haphazardly layered together and a faint gray mist. There were things I couldn't describe wandering around, and in the sky, there were several particularly bright and pure lights. No, not necessarily in the sky, maybe very far away, I couldn't be sure."

"Based on your description, it was indeed a success," Aurel explained. "What your 'Star Spirit Body' saw or sensed is the Spirit World. In that place, many concepts of reality either don't exist or are intertwined, which is why you felt both high up and very far away.

"Those seven lights are the seven lights of the Spirit World mentioned in some ancient texts. They are believed to have a status close to deities, omniscient, and are relatively friendly hidden entities. If you could master their complete honorific names, you could pray to them, but unfortunately, I don't know them.

"The things wandering around that you can't describe are Spirit World creatures, but what you 'saw' doesn't seem to be much, nor very clearly. This is probably a limitation of the 'Hunter' sequence, as your spirituality isn't high enough. Hmm... it might be difficult to open your Spirit Vision later, and the final effect will definitely not be good, but having it is better than not having it at all."

She had been observing her brother's condition, ready to interrupt her teaching and offer help at any moment.

Seeing that Lumian was gradually returning to normal, she finished her explanation and then asked:

"Seeing these things shouldn't have scared you. Don't you have a nickname, 'Brave Lumian'? Recently, you've experienced time loops, people turning into sheep, men giving birth, and the 'Lady of the Night' procession—strange, absurd, and mentally polluting events. Ordinary Spirit World creatures shouldn't scare you."

Hearing his sister mention these events, Lumian's forehead veins twitched; he didn't want to recall them, especially the parts related to Mrs. Pualis.

He exhaled and said:

"I felt something in the depths of the Spirit World, or very high up, was watching me.

"Merely being watched made me extremely afraid, unable to control it, and I directly exited the meditation state."

Aurel's eyes flickered, and she said thoughtfully:

"I suspect it's related to the two strange symbols on your chest. They are connected to some hidden entities, which might point to the source that trapped Cordu in the loop, or they might represent the 'special' that allows you to maintain clarity and strength in dreams and loops.

"As a 'Hunter,' you succeeded in your first attempt at complete meditation, which is likely due to the influence of those two symbols."

Lumian nodded in agreement with his sister's explanation.

This made him a bit depressed:

"In that case, I can't meditate at all. As soon as I succeed, I'll be watched, and I'll have to exit that state. Moreover, I feel that being constantly watched is not a good thing."

"Do you think you're not being watched now?" Aurel laughed. "It's just that you're not in a meditative state, so you can't sense it. Since you can't avoid it, you will inevitably suffer damage. It's better to try more often, build up your resistance, and gradually increase the time you can meditate. In the future, this might give you an advantage in certain situations. Of course, before becoming a Sequence 7 'Pyromancer,' a 'Hunter' almost never needs deep meditation. You can wait until your spirituality improves before trying again."

"That sounds a bit miserable," Lumian, having adjusted his mindset, laughed at himself. "I can't resist, so I might as well enjoy it."

Aurel chuckled:

"In this situation, I'd rather have your 'special,' even if it means facing many unknown dangers and difficulties. At least next time in the loop, I can maintain my memory without needing you to remind me, which would avoid missing many details."

She then glanced at the window, which had long turned dark:

"It's time to teach you how to open your Spirit Vision.

"Continue sitting, and try meditating again. You don't need to fully enter the state where your thoughts float, although that would be more conducive to opening your Spirit Vision, but there are some hidden entities watching, right?"

"Okay." Lumian leaned back in his chair, relaxed his body, and first visualized the sun in his mind, then replaced it with the circle his sister had drawn haphazardly.

He didn't repeatedly draw the symbol, stopping when his mind and body became calm.

Aurel observed his state and said softly:

"Good, in your current state, raise your hands in front of your eyes. You can open your eyes now."

Lumian maintained his calm, slowly opened his eyes, and found that his sister had extinguished the kerosene lamp, plunging the first floor into darkness, with only the faint crimson moonlight illuminating the outlines of objects.

After adjusting, he barely saw his hands.

"Index fingers pointing at each other, close but not touching..." Aurel guided him, "then, focus your gaze behind your hands, it can be behind the point they are pointing at. Once you've done this, slowly move your fingers, keeping them pointing at each other without touching, and don't let them leave your sight."

Lumian followed her instructions, focusing his gaze behind his hands and moving his fingers.

After many attempts, he saw no changes.

Soon, he couldn't maintain the meditative state and exited it.

"Did you see anything?" Aurel asked.

Lumian shook his head.

"Being a 'Hunter' is indeed difficult, don't feel pressured. If it doesn't work this time, try next time, or the time after. Today, if it doesn't work, try tomorrow," Aurel comforted him. "Don't worry, ordinary people with higher spirituality can open their Spirit Vision after some professional training, let alone Beyonder. Of course, how effective it is is another matter."

If it doesn't work this time, it might not work next time, and there might not be a next time after that... Lumian muttered to himself.

He was always a resilient and patient person. After a short rest and a bit of recovery, he tried again.

After many failures, he finally saw a faint red color appear between his two index fingers.

Did I succeed? Lumian felt a surge of joy and turned to look at his sister.

He then saw a faint red light emanating from Aurel's body, covering her surface.

"Didn't you say you could see the various colors of the 'Ether Body'?" Lumian asked, puzzled.

Aurel asked excitedly:

"Did you succeed?"

Lumian nodded and described his experience.

"You did succeed," Aurel sighed in relief. "This is good, probably because of the 'special' on your body. Other 'Hunters' would likely need ten days or half a month of practice to open their Spirit Vision, or even need to advance to Sequence 8. Hmm, what you saw is a very blurred 'Ether Body.' The red color indicates that I am relatively healthy. As for the rest, 'Hunters' shouldn't try to see more, as your 'Spirit Body' strength doesn't allow it."

She then took out the miniature ink bottle and unscrewed the cap:

"Try to see the 'White Paper.'"

Lumian focused his gaze and saw a nearly transparent, blurry bubble float out of the bottle.

It resembled the bubbles he blew with soapy water, about the size of a fist, tinged with crimson from the moonlight.

Lumian could barely see this thing, feeling that he would lose sight of it if he blinked.

The bubble floated in the air, flying toward Aurel's palm, which she held and tickled with her thumb.

The transparent bubble contracted inward, then slowly expanded, repeating the action.

Lumian steadied himself and told his sister what he saw.

"Very blurry, right?" Aurel shook her head. "A 'Hunter's' Spirit Vision is indeed not very effective. You can only see the basic concepts of the 'Ether Body' and discover things like the 'White Paper.' Most Spirit World creatures you can't see."

"Having it is better than not having it at all," Lumian repeated what his sister had said.

Having never seen a stronger Spirit Vision, he was relatively satisfied with his current state.

Aurel didn't say much more and guided Lumian through re-meditation, focusing his mind, and repeatedly telling his spirituality to stop to close his Spirit Vision. She also trained him to set simple actions for opening and closing his Spirit Vision while in that meditative state.

Lumian practiced repeatedly and became proficient in opening and closing his Spirit Vision, but he never succeeded in setting the "shortcut" Aurel mentioned, only vaguely grasping the key.

"Alright, rest for a bit. We'll observe the deputy priest later," Aurel saw that her brother's face was pale, and his spirituality was greatly depleted, so she let him take a short nap.

The two went upstairs to the study and turned on the electric lamp.

Lumian quickly fell asleep in the armchair, while Aurel casually read a book, waiting for the night to deepen.

Soon, Lumian entered a dream, but he didn't rush to explore, forcing himself to continue sleeping.

Finally, he was woken by Aurel:

"We can observe the deputy priest now."

"Okay." Lumian sat up and looked at his sister.

Aurel opened the miniature ink bottle and caressed the "White Paper" with her right hand, her eyes quickly becoming dark and profound.

Using the connection of the contract, she recited in Hermes:

"My contract creature, bear the special of my eyes."

Lumian, who couldn't understand or see anything because he hadn't opened his "Spirit Vision," could only wait patiently.

In just a few seconds, Aurel withdrew her hand, sat down, and told Lumian:

"The 'White Paper' has gone to the deputy priest's house."

Lumian looked closely and saw that the scene reflected in his sister's eyes was not the study or his own figure, but trees swaying gently in the darkness.

The trees were quickly receding.

This is what the 'White Paper' sees, Lumian realized.

Aurel took a mirror with a silver backing and sprinkled light-colored powder on it.

The powder soon emitted a glow, making the mirror appear as if covered in ripples.

In the ripples, the deputy priest, Michel Garigu, appeared in the scene.

The 'White Paper' had arrived outside the target's room, looking through the glass window at him.

At that moment, Michel Garigu was asleep, his eyes closed, and his breathing steady.

Aurel and Lumian patiently waited, observing from various angles using the 'White Paper.'

Time passed, and suddenly, the sleeping Michel slightly opened his mouth, and a blurry, transparent figure crawled out.

It was a lizard-like creature.