Several hours later, Frederick stood in the spacious sanctuary of the community church. Even with all the lights off, the moonlight filtered through the ceiling-high windows and illuminated the rows of wooden pews.

Additionally, lingering trails of colored lights showed where people sat and maneuvered during the Friday night prayer sessions. If Frederick squinted and focused, he spotted his aura hovering over a middle pew closer to the front of the sanctuary.

Visiting the normally lively space at midnight with nobody around brought a surreal atmosphere to the experience. That Frederick had projected his spirit there heightened the bizarre sensation.

Since he didn’t know when Lian Hai would arrive, he sat on the outer edge of a back pew. The spot allowed him to view most of the sanctuary without turning and to gaze out the many windows along the room’s perimeter.

That way, if any intruders approached, he could see them coming.

The thought sent a chill down Frederick’s spine and made him tense. With effort, he took deep breaths and imagined his physical anchor points back home.

After talking with Amara, Frederick had agreed to sleep in the guest bedroom to see if that prevented any further nighttime injuries. The pillow had a few lumps, the comforter was fuzzier, and the digital clock emitted a soft buzz instead of ticking like his usual analog one. Nonetheless, the calm and cool environment had allowed him to drift off and astral project yet again.

This simple thought exercise distracted him from his growing fear, preventing his mental energy from flaring, and reminded him he had an emergency exit route if anything went wrong.

From the sanctuary entrance, a familiar voice said, “So, this is your new chosen spot.”

Frederick turned to the wooden double doors, where Lian Hai stood in front of them. If he focused, he spotted a faint green glow hovering above her. However, it remained dim enough that it blended with the soft moonlight filling the sanctuary when he looked at her normally. For that matter, if not for the time and both of them being in the astral plane, he might’ve thought her a normal visitor.

Regardless of the unusual circumstances, Frederick wanted to make her feel welcome. He stood from the pew and approached her.

“Yep. Welcome to the Saint Luke Community Church,” he said. “It’s a familiar spot that’s close enough to home that I know it well but far enough that it shouldn't attract… unwanted visitors. Plus, hopefully, the setting will deter any otherworldly threats from attacking.”

Lian Hai nodded and gazed around the space. “Interesting. I’ve never tried going to a religious building for astral protection, but there’s a first time for everything.”

“There is indeed.” Frederick gestured out. “Would you like to look around?”

She nodded, and Frederick guided her around the outer perimeter of the sanctuary. At the front, Lian Hai’s eyes widened when they approached the grand piano, and she reached a hand toward the organ while passing it. She also took some interest in the front podium and table, particularly the two candles on the latter. Otherwise, she observed and didn’t comment.

Once they circled back to the entrance, Frederick led her to the pew he’d been sitting in earlier.

“So, that’s the main sanctuary,” Frederick said. “There’s more to the building, but with how large it is, we could spend all night touring the various halls and rooms.”

“I can imagine,” Lian Hai replied. “Thanks for showing me around. I haven’t been to a church in a long time, certainly not in spirit form.”

Frederick recalled her earlier comment about never seeking astral protection in a religious building. “Really? I’m surprised to hear that. With how much you’ve explored the astral plane, I thought you would’ve tried it all.”

“Unfortunately, there aren’t many spots of worship in the wilderness, at least not where I live.” Lian Hai shrugged. “Plus, and this might shock you, there’s a lot about astral projection I still don’t know. I’ve done my fair share of exploring, but just when I think I have a grasp of the concept, another curve ball comes my way.” 

“You can say that again,” Frederick replied. “You certainly know a lot more than me. I didn’t even know what I was doing until you happened to address me that one time. Not to mention the way you took out that one monster.”

“Don't forget that you helped with that, too.” Lian Hai smiled before becoming serious again. “That reminds me. You had questions regarding the physical and spirit form. Now that we’re here, it’s the perfect time to ask.”

“I do indeed. I guess my first question is how did you attack and restrain the monster? You mentioned that it was unable to phase out of this plane when it was bound, but you didn’t give specifics.”

“Kind of hard when I’m restraining a bloodthirsty – or I should say spirit thirsty – monster with my bare hands.” Lian Hai laughed. “Anyways, I can explain now. Remember when I said that monsters like the one from last night strengthened themselves by absorbing people’s aural trails and spirits? As it turns out, they’re not the only ones who can harness that power.”

Frederick didn’t need to think before replying, “I’m guessing we can, too, provided we’re not limited by our physical forms.”

“Bingo.” She pointed a finger gun. “It would be awesome if we could project our spirits out while in the real world, but unfortunately, life isn’t fair. This is a decent second best option, if you ask me.”

“It’s something, alright,” he replied. “Can you explain it?”

“I’ll do you one better.”

Lian Hai inspected the pew in front of them before gesturing to a compartment holding a Bible, notepad, and pen. When she tried grabbing the pen and paper, her hand phased through both, not raising more than an inch before falling back into place.

Frederick questioned if she was messing with him when she stopped and went still. Green light danced on her fingertips, and even with her eyes closed, a similar light emitted from behind her eyelids. With slow movements, she reached for the pen and wrapped her fingers around it.

It lifted from the pew compartment without resistance.

Frederick’s jaw dropped, and he stared in stunned silence as she lifted the pen to her face before placing it back. His more rational side questioned why this rendered him speechless after everything else he’d witnessed, but that didn’t stop him from struggling to form a response.

Lian Hai turned to him. “Shocking, isn’t it?”

“Can you blame me?” Frederick asked. “I struggled to pick up a worm, and you couldn’t pick up a pen earlier. How did you discover this, and can I do it?”

“A lot of trial and error,” Lian Hai replied. “I’ll admit, it takes a lot of focus, and on days where I’m more drained, I cannot even lift a leaf. Nonetheless, it’s a step in the right direction.”

“What exactly are you focusing on?” Frederick asked.

After a long pause, she explained, “You know how when you want to project your spirit out, you need to focus inward? It’s similar to that. Now that you’re not limited by your physical form, you have less separation from your spirit-based powers. However, since you’re not used to detecting it, much less wielding it, it’ll take more concentration to tap into.”

Although he had a few more questions, he understood the gist. Plus, he suspected that wielding spirit-based power would only make sense once he tried it himself. He closed his eyes and emptied his mind of all distractions. Aside from tracking the wooden pew and rough carpet beneath his shoes as anchor points, he honed his focus on what lay within.

At first, nothing changed. Then, a faint pins and needles sensation formed in his fingertips. At the same time, subtle yet persistent warmth filled his chest before seeping outward.

The sensation exhilarated Frederick, and he was about to lean into it more before his rational side kicked in and reminded him to not go in too deep in such a short time. The thought reduced his exhilaration to a calm certainty, and he reached out to the pen Lian Hai had grabbed.

The familiar smooth sensation of plastic met his fingertips. When he grabbed the pen and picked it up, it lifted in his grasp.

“Good job,” Lian Hai said.

Frederick was about to say thanks, but the pen slipped from his grasp and clattered to the floor. He restrained a curse and an eyeroll when Lian Hai snickered. So much for a successful first try.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” she said. “You did okay. You don’t want to know how much stuff I had to fix in my early days of experimenting with astral projection. At least with this pen, nothing broke.”

Despite her reassurance, Frederick didn’t want to settle for an okay first try.

He closed his eyes again and focused inward, this time tapping into his astral-based power in less time. When he picked up the pen, he focused on the smooth plastic between his fingers and ignored all other thoughts, even his own doubts.

As he prepared to put it back into the compartment, a crazy idea hit him. Using his other hand, he felt for the notepad, then clicked the pen and wrote a short message.

“Greetings from beyond. Frederick.”

Lian Hai gasped and said something, but Frederick didn’t pay attention until he returned the pen to the compartment. As such, when he opened his eyes and found the spot next to him empty, his heart stopped, and he whipped around.

Fortunately, he spotted Lian Hai seated at the grand piano. She stretched her fingers, closed her eyes, and started playing a slow yet complex classical song. With how the beautiful melody bounced off the walls and filled the space, Frederick wanted to close his eyes and soak in the music.

Instead, he walked over and waited for her to finish playing. “So, you can play piano, too. Did you learn around the same time you started astral projecting?”

“I’m glad you noticed,” Lian Hai replied with a grin before becoming serious. “I played piano while growing up. It’s been years since I last played, but I have some muscle memory. What about you?”

“Unfortunately, no,” he said. “I can listen to music all day, but I’m not much of a musician.”

“Come on. I’m sure you’re not that bad.”

Despite his doubts, Frederick didn’t want to back down from a challenge. He sat next to Lian Hai and struggled his way through beginner songs, which sounded like they came from a broken record with how his hands phased through the keys every other note. By the time he finished, Lian Hai was cracking up. Even he had to chuckle at his own blunders.

“Unfortunately, it seems computer keyboard skills don’t translate to music keyboards,” Lian Hai said. “But there’s a first time for everything.”

“You should hear my wife play. She used to be the head piano player for worship before working at the hospital.” Frederick was about to say more before realizing they’d gotten off track. “Either way, thanks for showing me how to do this.”

“You’re welcome. Like I said, I want to ensure people don’t make the same beginner mistakes I did." Lian Hai stretched her arms back. "Anything else you want to see?”

Frederick nodded, then considered how to phrase his next question. “This has all been interesting, but so far, we’ve only done things that we can do in our physical bodies. Is there anything really out of the ordinary?”

Lian Hai nodded. “Now, that’s a good question. There are two things I can think of for sure.”

“Okay, and what are they?”

She stood and headed to the front altar. Frederick joined her and watched as she pinched one of the candle wicks. A few minutes passed with no change.

Then, her fingertips and eyes flared with green light, and the candle ignited.

Frederick jumped back with a yelp, only relaxing when he saw the flame was small and didn’t show signs of expanding.

“Admittedly, you can do that with a match, lighter, or two sticks if you’re really persistent,” Lian Hai said. “But I think that counts as something you can’t do normally.”

Frederick grabbed the other candle wick and tried to do the same. Several minutes passed with no change, aside from faint wisps of smoke that might’ve been wishful thinking. He would’ve gone on longer, but a faint pounding in his head convinced him to back down lest he hurt himself from spectral overexertion.

To divert away from his failed attempt, Frederick said, “So, that’s one thing. What is the other one?”

Lian Hai stared at the sanctuary entrance. “You mentioned this is a large building. Is there a second floor?”

“Yes, and even a third floor, though I’ve never been there myself,” he replied. “Why?”

“That’s good. It’ll make the process easier to complete in a controlled way." She headed over while gesturing for him to follow. "I wouldn’t want to suddenly plunge into a different layer, and I doubt you want to relive that so soon, either.”