21: Oh That Nightmare Realm

"Hey!" Vo shouted to stir a jarring impact in Zen. The man snapped out of his moment of delirium.

He saw an irregular impact scar on Zen's arm. It was almost faded and small, one an arrow would make. "When did you get that?"

Zen stared at Vo and saw his eyes lingering on his childhood scar. "Gutting fish. Apparently those fish buggers in lakes can fly and have nasty bites."

"A bite?" Vo sounded doubtful.

Zen wasn't in the mood to explain: he was barely retaining his focus.

Vo sighed as his mind wandered into his own memories and among them was the graceful and smiling face of the woman he loved.

"Vo? Can you hear me?" Shane's voice surfaced to clear the fuzziness from Vo's mind.

"Shane, where did they take you?"

"Not far. I'm in another sword before I could be sealed."

"You jumped?! Shane, you can lose your spiritual consciousness."

"If you have an alternative, be my guest. Besides, the sword's iron is keeping me intact for the time being. But it's common so it won't last long until I need to jump again."

Vo groaned. "Fine, can you disrupt the binding array?"

"Give me a moment, while I... get... off this.. BELT!" Shane moved the sword out of the patrol guard's scabbard to stab it into the array. His spirit energy moved the blade to knock some fingers out of place and disrupt the rune pattern.

A blast of magical light went up around the floor like a column of red-white light. The sentry guards in the chamber were burned to ash in the process.

"Wait, what did that stupid sword do?!" Zen gasped when he glanced at Vo's eyes and felt his mind being sucked into them.

The array was no longer siphoning energy from them, but Shane's disruption had created a dreamscape anomaly.

"Well that worked." Shane nervously laughed.

"Seriously?!" Zen snapped at Shane. He cursed and pouted when he faced another pretty boy, equally as attractive as him.

Shane, in his human spirit form, was tall and slender with elegant poise in fine white layered robes trimmed in rich silver. They were well fitted to his lean and toned body. The man's fine and flowing silver hair played around his gentleman attractiveness of oval jawline, almond amber eyes and soft lips. He was also in his twenties of similar age to Vo and Zen. The spirit sword man looked like a prince of extreme wealth and majesty.

"Good to see you Shane." Vo smiled, warmly greeting his spirit sword brother in arms. "This is Zen, as you know. Zen my spirit sword."

"Me too. I finally get to run my hands over your well conditioned man chest." Shane's eyes relaxed as he approached Vo and lightly touched his muscles, like he was converting the feel to memory.

Vo didn't mind, because it was the least he could do for his spirit sword who was always by his side.

"Oh, come on! Are you both not aware of how awkward this is?" Zen blurted with a cringe.

Shane dropped his hands and expression. "I think it's some kid's bed time."

"So you feeling up your master is some kind of spirit sword quirk?"

"Something like that."

"Hey, I just realized when you're a sword at his hip near his prime..." Zen figured something out, which made him laugh.

"Wang? It's the perk of the trade." Shane chuckled and changed the subject. "We're in the between realm of the array."

"A dreamscape?" Zen scratched his head and cursed when his chest was still naked to show off his skinny torso. "Can't we conjure some shirts at least?"

"Why so defensive, does showing your runtish chest make you so insecure?" Shane teased him.

"I have you know slender is the new manly image. Women love the pretty boy," Zen snarkily answered back.

"Fine." Shane chuckled. He waved his hand to form full armor around the men. "While we're in this realm, I have some of my conjuring abilities."

"Well okay. I guess we can be friends." Zen looked impressed.

Vo nodded. "When Shane was in his body, he was a ranking minstrel for the Histrionics Conservatory of Hartland. A lot in the empire are apt conjurers and summoners."

"That's handy. I guess that's why you can be a spirit sword." Zen nodded, connecting likely dots to the rest of Shane's backstory. Even if they were wrong, he didn't care enough to ask.

"So how do we get back to our bodies and reality?"

"Easy." Shane flashed the men a knowing grin. "We fight our way out."

"Say what insane spiritsword?" Zen gulped.

Among the clearing mist, they saw many people sluggishly gathering toward them: all were missing a finger, hand, foot and even full arms and legs.

"So that body art array..."

"We have to set them free to break the array and return to reality." Vo nodded with understanding.

"Can these clothes also conjure..." Zen was about to say his staff but he was staring at it in his hands.

"I'm a conjurer, remember? Well, I'm one in this state at least." Shane smugly added.

"Bestest buddies!" Zen slung his arm around the man and beamed with a wide grin. "Now, can you conjure a pony?"

"You want a pony?"

"Not really. "

Shane laughed. "You're an interesting man, Zen. Use that thing to fight alright?"

"Got it, Swordman." Zen gave him a salute and stood next to Vo whose attention was surveying the oncoming mob.

"Farmers, fishermen, commoners... none are warriors." Vo's heart sank, feeling the weight of the injustice done to the people.

"Guess we need to put them out of their misery." Zen twirled his staff to cause lightning sparks and crackling noises from it.

"With respect. These people's souls have suffered enough." Vo gripped his sword, feeling a resolve to release them from their torment.

"Fair enough." Zen sighed.

"Just remember, they're already dead. Killing them here is giving them salvation." Shane advised.

"I can live with that."

The men raised their weapons to give final mercy.