"Astral projection is the power to will your consciousness out of your physical body. This is the part of you that makes you aware of your surroundings and keeps you alert. Think of it as your consciousness being embodied into something like your spirit in that it takes your physical form, but no one can see it, but you can see everything and travel anywhere."
"You said that no one can see it, but you saw me the first time we met."
"Well, that could be because you unknowingly showed yourself to me, or maybe it was the will of the heavens to let us know of your presence. One thing to note is that when projecting, no one can see you unless you want to be seen, except some powerful people with the same gift might. Well, there's also the exception of the spirits of the dead."
Lyla sat up, her eyes wide as saucers, "What?"
"Remember when I said your conscious embodies a spirit, don't you think it would make sense that spirits can see you?"
"So you're telling me I could come across spirits when projecting." Just the mere thought sent a shiver down her spine
"Not necessarily, the dead are in the world beyond, but sometimes you might come across that world or near it. Nothing to worry about, it rarely happens, especially when you are well-skilled."
"Right," That did nothing to ease her.
"Lie down and try to relax your mind."
"You're trying too hard," the woman said above her, "clear your mind, stop thinking about what I told you."
"You're still trying too hard," she sighed. "Okay, let's start with your breathing. I want you to take slow breaths, in…out."
Lyla did as instructed.
"Now I want you to count to a hundred."
When she was done, the Keeper instructed her to count the same way but backwards. She did that three times before she was able to do it smoothly. Her body and mind had finally relaxed.
Lyla listened to the breeze that entered the room and caressed her skin, listened to her breaths intermingle with the space she was in, and listened to the slow rhythm of her heart beating against her chest. Even time seemed to have slowed down.
Her body was light, so light it felt like she never had one to begin with. She was nothing but air and wind, nothing but a high cloud in the sky. She felt an elevated sense of self, a hyper kind of awareness that she couldn't explain.
She had finally entered the state of projection.
Lyla stayed in this state for a while, part of her could hear the Keeper calling, but the other part was in a place that was empty and filled with nothing but air; she was floating. Higher and higher she went, to a place with no end. Fear ran through her, but the feeling of ecstasy overwhelmed everything else. Was this how it felt to get high? Was this what she had heard in those hushed conversations about all kinds of drugs?
Far, far away, she heard her name. Someone else was calling her, and whoever it was seemed angry. Frustrated? Panicked? Desperate? She couldn't decipher which one exactly, or perhaps it was all.
Suddenly, she was dropping.
Wind assaulted her body, scratching and slapping. She couldn't breathe; the very air seemed to choke her. Her arms and legs flapped around, trying to find a way to stop, but down she kept going. Her eyes watered at the force and the fear that had been overshadowed seconds ago had come back with a mighty vengeance, setting her into reckless panic.
She had to do something.
Lyla closed her eyes and envisioned herself back in her body, together as one again. She envisioned the Keeper's house, the room they had been in, and where her body now lay, thought of what she looked like, and what it felt like to be complete.
The room was spacious, with a piano and other instruments. The floor was a rich brown, the chandelier was magnificent, and the glass doors led to the garden. The chaise was a pale shade of pink…
One by one, she reminded herself.
And
There she was lying in that pretty chaise, the Keeper calling to her, and she was…she was having a seizure. She moved to stand beside her body. The Keeper had placed her head between her hands, and she could see a pale blue light there. The Keeper was using her magic.
"Lyla?" she called, "Lyla?" The shaking stopped
The Keeper slowly released her head, and Lyla couldn't help but notice how weird it was to see that, to see herself from this point of view.
"Are you here?" the woman asked
Lyla attempted to respond, but she couldn't speak
"If you're here, run your hand on my palm. You might not be able to talk, but I can feel your touch," the woman stated, stretching her palm out.
Lyla ignored her but moved closer, trying to test if the woman truly couldn't see her. The Keeper's pale blue eyes scanned around the room, her starlight silver hair swaying with every turn of her head.
"Little one, if you're here, you better not be playing with me." Lyla giggled and moved around the room. She attempted to touch things, but her hands went through. Fascinating
She wanted to explore more, see what she could and couldn't do, but suddenly she felt a weird sensation ripple through her body. She couldn't quite explain it; it felt as though she was fading away.
Suddenly, she was gasping, attempting to steady her breaths. The Keeper was standing beside her, brows furrowed.
She looked around, then at her body. She was back in her body, and she felt complete but strange.
"It will wear off," the keeper said, moving to sit on her chair. "What happened?"
Taking sips from the water a servant had just brought in, Lyla first calmed herself before narrating to her what had occurred, of course, she left out the part where she had been ignoring her.
"You said you heard someone calling you." She nodded, "Did you recognize the voice?"
"No"
"Hmmmm…it could be your imagination, think of it as your consciousness trying to alert you of impending danger. As for where you were, it's called the in-between, a place of nothing. It's common for projectors to end up there while still training or when they don't know how to project. It's a place between realms, it's not dangerous, although too much or prolonged exposure can be risky."
"How do you mean?"
"If you stayed there for too long, you might have been lost forever without a way back. It's part of the danger of holding such power."
"And there would be nothing that could be done."
"Another projector could try to infuse their power into you to help guide you back, but sometimes one is too lost to be retrieved."
"Does one die when that happens?"
"Not really, you'll be stuck between life and death…It happens rarely, but when it does, we opt to burn their bodies after some time with a sacred fire as a way to give them rest and allow their conscious freedom."
"You mentioned a sacred fire? Is it the same as the one we used on the Wendigo, the one that made sure it would not reanimate?"
"Something like that, but this one is purer, in its essence and the way it's used."
The woman stood, "I'd say our first lesson wasn't bad, we still have much to do, though, but the Paisios is expecting you, so we shall proceed tomorrow."
The Keeper led her through the tunnels to the Solara, where the old man was waiting