Chapter Fifty-One: The Illusory Realm of Souls

Night had already fallen deeply. Captain Barton and Allen left Bill’s house one after the other. As they walked, Allen grumbled, “Damn it, what kind of mess is this? Do they take our Divine Wind Knights for babysitters?”

Barton said nothing.

Allen went on, “Boss, it was a stroke of genius sending that brat off to the outer court of Grim Academy. If he’d stayed here, sooner or later, he’d have torn Dallas City down to its foundations.”

Then, as if he’d just remembered something, he let out a sly chuckle. “I’d like to see whether he can keep acting so cocky in the capital, Prondra. Say, why didn’t we give him a lesson tonight? Even if Bill’s joined our order, he still deserves a taste of discipline.”

“Can you beat him?” Barton interjected coldly.

“Er…” Allen choked on his words like a goose caught by the neck. After a long pause, he muttered under his breath, “Actually, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve…”

Remembering the struggle they’d gone through earlier that night just to restrain the rampaging Andy, Allen shivered. He quickened his pace, as if putting distance between himself and that madman might keep him safer.

Earlier that night, Andy had returned to his room to find Catherine collapsed on the floor, unconscious. Recognizing the shattered device beside her as one of Bill’s sound receivers, he realized she might have overheard his conversation with Jera.

Feeling Catherine’s body grow colder by the moment, Andy was frantic with worry. He scooped her up and rushed out in search of a doctor.

It was late; most clinics in the inner city had closed their doors, and it didn’t help that Andy arrived carrying a cat. In his desperation, he ended up setting fire to three clinics and two veterinary stations. Even then, he found no way to save Catherine.

Eventually, the beleaguered doctors reported the trouble to the city guards. When the guards arrived and saw Andy’s face, they turned and left without a word.

By now, Andy was widely known among the Dallas guards. After all, this was the man who had taken down the formidable Knight Grandmaster Cromwell—who among them would dare provoke him?

With no options, they reported the incident to the Divine Wind Knights still stationed in the city. Andy nearly clashed with them as well, until Barton sent word to Bill. Only when Bill and Jera arrived did they manage to calm Andy down before he completely lost control.

…

“You really have a way to save her?” As soon as Barton and Allen departed, Andy fixed Bill with a piercing glare, his tone less than friendly.

Catherine’s current state was, after all, largely this boy’s fault.

“I do,” Bill replied with certainty.

“Why didn’t you say so sooner?” Andy blurted out, then realized his own mistake. When he’d seen Catherine lying lifeless, he’d rushed her out without giving Bill or Jera a chance to speak.

Bill didn’t bother to defend himself. Time was short. He quickly explained, following Diga’s guidance, “Catherine is still alive, which means she hasn’t suffered a cognitive breakdown from learning the truth. Judging from her condition, it seems she’s in the process of advancing to a Bronze Witch.”

“But her body’s getting colder, and I can feel her life slipping away,” Andy said with a deep frown.

“That’s why her state isn’t good right now.” Bill glanced at Andy. “This brings us to the key to an apprentice witch’s advancement to Bronze.”

“Advancing from high apprentice to witch isn’t like the earlier stages, where you just learn a higher-level spell and ascend automatically. After mastering a third-level spell, you must undergo a complete soul sublimation.”

Seeing Andy didn’t interrupt, Bill continued, “Soul sublimation depends on the practitioner’s spirit, conviction, awareness, and aspiration.”

“In short, only by fully comprehending oneself during the soul illusion can one break through and become a true Bronze Witch.”

“It’s not just the transition to Bronze that involves a soul illusion. When a Golden Witch advances to Dawn, they face the same trial.”

Bill’s explanation was so dense that Andy barely grasped it. He had no time to wonder how Bill knew so much—he just wanted to know how to save Catherine.

Seeing Andy’s anxious face, Bill skipped the detailed principles of the soul illusion and directly explained that Catherine was already trapped within her advancement trial.

Bill’s words reminded Andy of Catherine’s extraordinary talent; her spiritual power must have reached true witch level by now. Mastering a third-level spell wouldn’t be difficult for her. Perhaps she really was on the verge of advancement.

“And that’s the trouble—every person’s soul illusion is unique, intimately tied to their experiences and perceptions.”

“So, the difficulty of crossing the illusion varies. Some pass through as easily as eating or drinking; others may struggle for years before breaking free.”

“Right now, Catherine is at the stage of cognitive collapse after learning the truth, and that will be reflected directly in her soul illusion.”

“In other words, the trial she’s facing this time is hellish in difficulty.”

Bill relayed Diga’s instructions word for word to Andy and Jera. Even though some details were vague, the two of them understood the gist.

To Andy, what Bill described as a ‘soul illusion’ sounded much like the ‘inner demon tribulations’ from the fantasy novels of his previous life. Catherine’s danger was beginning such a trial precisely when her heart was riddled with vulnerabilities.

“What happens if she fails to pass the soul illusion?” Andy asked, now more composed.

“Some die, some go mad. Some suffer mental collapse and become idiots, but most leave the illusion with incurable spiritual scars, losing any hope of further advancement.”

“So, the chance of Catherine dying isn’t high?” Andy asked, hopeful.

“No, because the soul illusion ultimately interrogates one’s inner self. If she makes it through, she’ll gain a new understanding of herself. For Catherine, that also means coming to terms with her own life and death.”

“If, in the illusion, she comes to believe she’s truly dead, then she may never wake up.”

“So as long as she doesn’t believe she’s dead in the illusion, she’ll be fine?” Andy pressed.

“It’s not that simple. The soul illusion is so revealing because it reflects reality to a great extent.”

“And the fact is, the real Catherine is already dead.”

“Which means that preventing her from recognizing her own death in the illusion is nearly impossible.”