Chapter 242: Dreamwalking.

Among the three components, two were far more important to a living being than the physical vessel.

The body was certainly important, but it wasn’t an absolute requirement for existence. There were plenty of beings capable of existing without a conventional physical body.

That was precisely why the Spirit and Soul were known as the Two Great Components of Life.

Lose the soul, and one would become nothing more than a ghost, retaining a sense of self and the responsibilities tied to that self, but lacking the fundamental sense of existence that anchored them to the world.

Lose the spirit, and the result would be completely different. One would become a construct, a living husk that possessed a sense of existence but no longer had a true sense of self.

The body could be replaced, reconstructed, or even discarded under certain circumstances, but losing either of the Two Great Components meant losing something far more fundamental.

The two were also tightly connected, which was why even many knowledgeable beings struggled to tell one from the other. An injury to the spirit could affect the soul, and damage to the soul could similarly influence the spirit.

That was also what made Dreamwalking so dangerous. Although the technique primarily involved transferring one’s consciousness, the consciousness itself was part of the spirit, and any serious mistake inside that fragile realm could trigger a chain reaction reaching all the way to the soul.

Worse still, injuries sustained by either of these components were notoriously difficult to heal.

Kael’s expression darkened even further.

The situation was indeed bad.

He would have preferred a less risky solution, but as it stood now, Dreamwalking seemed to be their only option.

Kael looked toward Varek.

"From your experience, can you tell me what her chances of surviving are if I use this method?"

Varek fell silent for a moment before slowly shaking his head.

"I can’t give you a definitive answer, Master. There are too many factors involved. The most important are how much of her consciousness has already been taken over and how strong the consciousness attempting to take control of her actually is."

He paused, his gaze settling upon Ezra’s unconscious body.

"The first factor is very difficult to determine from the outside. As for the second, based on everything I’ve observed so far, I would like to believe it isn’t particularly strong. If it were, I doubt it would have waited until she became this weakened before making its move."

Kael nodded slowly.

What Varek said made sense.

If the parasitic consciousness possessed enough strength to completely overwhelm Ezra whenever it wanted, there would have been little reason for it to wait until she was severely weakened. That meant the strength of the consciousness itself might not be the biggest problem.

Which left the first factor.

How much of Ezra’s consciousness had already been taken?

That was something they wouldn’t know until Kael entered.

"Then let’s get this over with."

Kael’s gaze returned to Ezra.

"The more time we waste, the riskier it becomes."

Varek immediately nodded.

"Yes, Master."

He moved toward another empty section of the room as shadows gathered beneath his feet. The darkness spread across the floor before rising upward and condensing into another bed, almost identical to the one supporting Ezra.

"Once the process begins, the Hive Mind will help connect your consciousness to hers. I would have offered to take on the task myself, but my consciousness is still severely weakened. I wouldn’t be able to provide any meaningful assistance."

"No need. I already know."

Kael didn’t blame him.

Varek had become considerably stronger since the first time Kael met him, especially after absorbing a portion of the instance’s core, but he was still far from his former peak. The increase in his strength wasn’t the result of fully recovering what he had lost. It was more akin to reenacting abilities he had once possessed at his peak.

For someone who had once reached the level of a Quasi-Transcendent, however, experience mattered just as much as raw power. Varek’s familiarity with his own abilities was so deep that even a small portion of what he had once possessed could produce tremendous results.

That was why his current strength had increased so dramatically despite his severely weakened state.

Varek nodded, but the sadness and helplessness in his eyes didn’t disappear.

Kael noticed it.

He understood what the old being was feeling. Varek wanted to help his master, yet his current condition prevented him from doing much more than offering advice.

Normally, Kael might have said something to reassure him.

Not now.

There was no time for that.

Kael walked toward the shadow-formed bed and immediately lay down. The moment his body settled against it, the Hive Mind slipped out from his shadow.

The strange construct crawled across his body before positioning itself above him, its presence immediately beginning to spread through his consciousness as it prepared for the Dreamwalking process.

Varek stood beside him.

"Once the process begins, you’ll be sent directly into her consciousness. Every person’s consciousness is unique, so prepare yourself for anything."

Kael nodded.

Varek continued.

"Once you enter, don’t wander around aimlessly. Try to sense the core of her consciousness. It shouldn’t be difficult to locate. Think of it as the control center of the entire consciousness. If that parasitic consciousness has established itself within her, that’s the most likely place you’ll find it."

Kael nodded again.

He didn’t question how he was supposed to sense the core.

If Varek said it would be easy, then it probably was. Either Varek was confident in Kael’s ability to detect it, or he simply understood the process well enough to know that finding the core wouldn’t be an issue.

Varek seemed satisfied.

Then, just as Kael thought they were about to begin, Varek suddenly spoke again.

"Oh, Master. One more thing."

Kael turned his attention toward him.

The expression on Varek’s face had changed completely.

It was serious.

"Try to use less mental-attack power while you’re there."

Kael’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"And especially don’t use your Mental Domain."

Varek’s voice became even more solemn.

"If you use it inside her consciousness, you could trigger a chain reaction. The resulting backlash might damage the structure of her consciousness beyond repair."

Kael remained silent for a moment before nodding.

"Understood."

Varek released a quiet breath.

"Good. That was all."

With the final warning given, there was nothing left to discuss.

Kael focused his mind.

Then he issued a command to the Hive Mind.

"Begin the Dreamwalking process."