Vhalla nodded, willing to let his confidence in her give life to her attempt. She closed her eyes, thinking back to the process she had used long ago. Visualize, she instructed to herself. In her mind’s eye the room began to rebuild with a magically sharp clarity.

Vhalla allowed the world to slow and still. Farther, she needed to stretch farther. Now able to maintain an open Channel, Vhalla found it easier to construct a magical world for her to walk within. She was the air; it beckoned endlessly to Vhalla, asking for her to fill the space. Soon sound disappeared, and she stood.

Her senses rushed back to her, but they were different than before. She heard by feeling the air move; she saw by how the shimmering currents of air circled around objects. Vhalla watched her body slump limply.

Aldrik caught her physical form and shifted it to rest in his arm. A smile curled his lips at the sight of her.

“Excellent,” he enthused.

Can you see me? she asked.

He nodded. “Try walking.”

She turned in place. It was easy to cross the room, and his eyes followed her the whole time. She walked over to his armor and reached out a hand. Vhalla studied it uncertainly.

What do I look like? she asked, wondering if the ghost-like appearance of her hand was the same for him.

“Fuzzy, as though you are in a fog. How a mirage looks in the desert,” Aldrik replied.

Vhalla tried to touch the plate and found her hand passed right through it. I can’t touch things, she observed.

“Try to use your magic,” he suggested.

Vhalla held out her hand, attempting to manipulate the wind around her. It was suddenly slippery and formless, like a vat of snakes and oil. Vhalla demanded it oblige her, focusing harder.

“Vhalla, stop,” Aldrik warned.

She didn’t even look back at him. Vhalla tried to take a deep breath, to feel the air, but found she couldn’t in this form. She would just have to force it. Immersing herself in her Channel, she insisted the armor move. Her vision shifted, the world phased between light and dark.

Aldrik? she called.

“Vhalla, stop!” He sounded distant and far.

Aldrik! she cried. Vhalla stood in a world of blinding light.

“Vhalla.” Aldrik’s voice was faint. “Come back to me.” She turned in the white emptiness but couldn’t find where he was. “Listen, find your heartbeat. Find mine. Come back.” He sounded strung out, which only caused her to feel more distraught.

Aldrik? she asked into the emptiness. There was no reply. Vhalla closed her eyes, only to find more light. She listened, there was nothing. Vhalla walked for a bit, but couldn’t make anything appear before her. Time seemed to have stopped, and she wasn’t sure how long she wandered. Finally, she sat and simply listened.