The air was still and cold, making it a little difficult to breathe. Snow fell at a steady pace, turning sidewalks, rooftops, cars, and lawns a powdery white, the sun causing each flake to flicker and shimmer like a diamond.
I took a deep breath, the cold sending a slight sting of pain to my lungs. But I was used to that. Seriously, you learn to deal with the freezing temperatures and snow at a young age. Alaska isn't the kindest to the weak.
Taking another deep breath, I closed my eyes and began to focus, channeling my energy and strength. It wasn't nearly as hard to do now. I'd tried it for the first time when I was 10. When I first discovered my... abilities. I'd managed to successfully project myself for a couple seconds before passing out from exhaustion. Believe it or not, projecting yourself into the spirit world takes a bit out of you.
Most people say that it's the same as astral projection, but it really isn't. I doubt you would find a demon devouring some corpse's heart while astral projecting, or find a lonesome entity in need of company. But, the majority of those people are also the people who call us crazy, devil worshipers, and, of course, dangerous. Thank God my parents aren't like this.
I felt a slight twitch in my hands, a buzzing in my ears. It was working. I wanted to open my eyes and peek, but I knew better. Not yet. If I opened my eyes now, my soul would be shredded from the strain.
The spirit realm isn't a black abyss like common beliefs. For one thing, the moon is always so much brighter. Then again, that might be because it's always midnight. It also depends on where you are when you enter the realm, since it isn't the same as ours. You could enter, be in one place, take a couple steps in the real world, enter again, and be in an entirely different place than last time. And if you know what places to avoid, it's pretty damn peaceful for the most part.
Don't get me wrong, it's still insanely dangerous to travel between the realms. Malevolent spirits, demons, and all sorts of other nasties still exist. In fact, there are places I avoid entirely when wandering the plains of the spirit realm. Mainly because they can be infested by demonic entities. Especially churches, for some reason. I stay far, far away from churches. If you had the unfortunate and idiotic idea to walk into a church in the spirit realm, you would most likely find the windows smashed, every cross broken into pieces. And then you'd see the priest or minister, strung up by his muscles and tendons, eyes black, skin and flesh ripped and clawed and torn from his broken, limp body, teeth yanked from his mouth and at his feet, his tongue mostly ripped out, hanging out by a thread, bones sticking out everywhere, ribs exposed, heart laying at his feet and shredded, the stench of decaying flesh, his head smashed open, brains spilling over, blood gushing onto the floor, pretty much a gory mess.
And then the demons, malevolent entities, and anything else lurking about make sure you fall victim to the same brutal fate, stringing your grotesque body up as a trophy.
The point is, entering the spirit realm, or, as we call it, realm jumping, is not only dangerous because of the immense strength required to pull it off. In order to successfully realm jump, you have to forcefully pull your soul out of your body and transfer it into another world. Your body is simply a shell to keep your soul safe. Once that body is destroyed, or simply unable to protect you anymore, your soul is removed. No one knows what happens after that, though.
The thing is, your soul is just as fragile as your body. If your soul is destroyed, or you "die" in another realm...
I'll let you work out what happens on your own.
The buzzing in my ears grew louder. It almost felt like I was vibrating, spinning. My eyes began to water.
And then it stopped.
