How long had it been?
Time was incomprehensible without the five senses to send input to the brain. Even with the mystical abilities of a practitioner, being completely deprived of sensation made it difficult to perceive the outside world.
After all, the perception of a practitioner, the awareness that all beings possessed, was an ethereal sense developed with the five bodily senses as a basis.
What would happen if one was made to forget what those base sensations felt like?
Naturally, they wouldn't be able to properly perceive the sensory input they gain through awareness, making the skill more harmful than helpful.
Alexandra found herself combatting this problem far sooner than she expected.
Even without senses or perception, she didn't expect her body clock to distort so rapidly.
Then again, she had no way of knowing the time in the first place.
For all she knew, it might've been years since she started walking.
Total silence.
Total darkness.
Without a sense of direction or feeling, Alexandra didn't even know if she was still walking.
However, there was nothing she could do besides continue. If continuing couldn't help her regain her senses, she'd eventually descend into madness.
'Focus…'
Alexandra's thoughts were loud as if she was speaking them. They were her only company, and her only measure to maintain sanity.
'Focus…concentrate…try to feel the surroundings…'
Alexandra focused her mind on a single invisible point of her choosing. She didn't know what exactly she was doing, all she knew was that it made her feel more secure.
'This point…this is my lifeline…'
Time passed.
It was like an eternity, filled with absolute nothingness.
At some point, Alexandra's thoughts stopped altogether.
Her mind fell into a sort of stasis as her consciousness traveled out of her body.
Flicker!
It was the sound of a tongue of flame whipping lightly through the air.
'Ack!'
Alexandra exclaimed inwardly. Even though the sound was extremely quiet, it resounded in her ears like booming drums.
The light from the flame blinded her eyes in the next moment. Her nose burned from the sudden influx of sensation, and even her mouth started tasting sour as the sensation from her nose rebounded.
"Haa…haa…haa…"
Alexandra panted heavily as she tried to acclimate to the senses she'd long forgotten. At the same time, she observed her current state.
'I am not truly present. This type of ethereal state…is it something like astral projection…?' She wondered.
After many minutes passed and her senses finally readjusted completely, she finally got the chance to understand the surroundings.
That single torch with the dancing flame atop it was merely one of many lining a long hallway with no end. In the opposite direction, one could see the staircase Alexandra was originally on, the one she still believed she was descending.
'Then I…'
Her attention finally went to the floor.
Her face turned pale.
There were three bodies there. Xinyue and Alice were immediately noticeable by their features, and it didn't look like they'd taken much damage.
Alexandra on the other hand…
'How…how am I going to recover from this?!'
Her body was a mangled mess. There were several large holes in her body, and her stomach was completely torn open. Her organs spilled out onto the ground below and formed an especially gruesome image.
And as if the damage to her body wasn't enough, her skull was cracked as well. Her head was bleeding in multiple places, and the skin and muscles of her face were drooping like melted plastic.
Alexandra went into a slight panic. In any normal circumstance, it would've been strange to even consider her alive at the moment. But…wasn't she alive?
If not, then had she become a ghost…?
The pale color of Alexandra's face became impossibly whiter.
'Impossible. I cannot die yet!'
As long as Alice was still a young girl at heart, she couldn't die. She couldn't leave her only family alone in this world.
'Then…'
There was nothing she could do with her abilities to heal her body.
However, she was currently in a strange ethereal state.
If she could enter whatever treasure site was beyond the hallway before her and find a miracle treasure, she might have a chance at healing herself.
'Good. I can also scout so I can come back with Xinyue and Alice to loot the place.'
Alexandra's eyes hardened. She immediately moved to traverse the infinite hallway, but before she could move…
"Alex…andra…?"
A confused voice came from behind her.
'Oh no…'
She panicked once more. If the two girls woke up and saw her body, how would they react?
'There's no way for them to see my current form, but I need to assure them of my safety. Otherwise, at least Alice will do something reckless.'
Alexandra slowly turned around while trying to figure out how to solve this dilemma.
Xinyue was the one who woke up. She sat on her knees and curiously looked at Alexandra's corpse without any aversion.
And then…
Her eyes turned to the spirit form.
"How?"
It was just a single word, but it hit Alexandra like a truck.
'She can see me?!'
"Yes. I can see you."
'She can read my thoughts?!'
"You are in spirit form, so your thoughts and words have no distinction."
'Oh, I see…wait, you can talk normally?!'
"Minor details."
Alexandra backed away in shock. Was this the same Xinyue she'd gotten to know over the past few days? For some reason, her aura seemed far different from usual.
"And so? How did this happen?"
Alexandra shook her head in defeat. 'I don't know. I was doing focus exercises to keep hold of my sanity in the sensory deprivation state, and somehow ended up like this. I only noticed my body's condition a few minutes before you woke up.'
Xinyue put her hand over her mouth in thought.
"This place is too strange to be a regular treasure cove. It must be the inheritance of some great emperor. However, for it to force you into spirit form…is this a blessing or a curse?"
Alexandra furrowed her brows in confusion. She had absolutely no clue what Xinyue was insinuating.
However, the latter didn't give her a chance to ask questions.
"Our first priority should be healing your body. Come with me, let us explore this inheritance site and try to find some healing medicines. There should be no small amount if this is truly the tomb of a great emperor."
Xinyue began walking, but was quickly stopped by a spirit who intercepted her path.
'Wait! We can't leave Alice alone here.' Alexandra said solemnly.
Xinyue glanced over at the unconscious Alice. "She is a good person, but she lacks grit. Even if she is a healer, she needs to develop her physical ability to protect herself. Otherwise, she will only ever be a burden."
'What do you mean by that?!' Alexandra demanded.
Xinyue shook her head. "I mean only what I have said. I appreciate Alice's personality. She has allowed me to experience many things I didn't know beforehand. However, I do not wish for her to die. For this purpose, she must develop her mentality."
Alexandra frowned. She wanted to argue, but she couldn't say anything.
The other party's critique came from good intentions alone, despite the coldness in her tone.
And truthfully, Alexandra knew she was right.
'Haa…this problem can be dealt with later. For now, you stay with her while I explore the area.'
"No need."
Xinyue swept her hand through the air, causing a current of mana to envelop Alice. Through its guidance, she vanished completely, no trace of her left in reality.
"She can rest in my spatial treasure for now. Spirits like you are easy targets for those who specialize in spiritual intent. As you are mainly an elemental practitioner, you will not be able to defend against them."
Xinyue walked forward without waiting for Alexandra's response, entering the infinite hallway with confident strides.
Alexandra watched her back for a moment and sighed.
She didn't know what provoked Xinyue's change in demeanor, nor did she understand the latter's strange abilities…
But at least she knew that the snow-white goddess was on their side.
'Fine! I'll just follow you!'
Alexandra's spirit form soon caught up to Xinyue, trailing behind her ever so slightly as they walked.
Within an instant, the power dynamic of the small three-person group completely shifted.
