The Question of Soul Projection

After suddenly wondering whether his Soul Projection was a submarine, Qin Xa decided that was unlikely.

He could sense that his physical body still existed in the real universe; only his consciousness had somehow entered the Immaterium. If this Immaterium was not a world created by his imagination, but the actual Immaterium, then he should have been able to directly sense the existence of his Soul Projection.

But Qin Xa could sense nothing. If he had no eyes, he would not even know that the thing carrying him was a submarine.

Qin Xa could not think of an answer.

From the very beginning, everything had been completely different from what he knew—different from the knowledge of any Psyker he knew, and different from how those Psykers behaved when attempting to venture into the Immaterium.

In the end, Qin Xa came up with another guess: perhaps the submarine he was in was merely a self-preservation mechanism projected into the Immaterium by his mind.

When Qin Xa tested it, the submarine changed into all kinds of forms.

Whether it became a sword, a gun, even a shield, or a box, it could carry Qin Xa and isolate him from Warp Creatures.

In a spiritual realm like the Immaterium, making things happen by willing them was not difficult.

Qin Xa became completely certain that this was the manifestation of his instinct for self-preservation, not some Soul Projection, much less his soul itself.

"You can use any method to sense the part of you that exists in the Immaterium."

Qin Xa recalled the time when he had studied under the Librarian.

"No matter what method I use, I can't sense anything in the Immaterium that is bound to me."

That had been Qin Xa's answer.

"Impossible. Every Psyker has a Soul Projection. That is inevitable," the Librarian had said. "Do you think you're a Blank capable of suppressing psychic power? Even Blanks have something similar to a projection. I've seen it myself—a Blank looks like a black hole under Psychic Sight."

"I really can't sense it," Qin Xa had said.

"It's fine. In the future, others and I will help you sense it. Only then can we understand your abilities," the Librarian had said.

"..."

Qin Xa focused his attention on everything around him. Now, he was inside the Immaterium, sensing everything.

Sensing everything while in negative-distance contact with the Immaterium.

Yet he still could not sense anything of himself existing within the Immaterium. Qin Xa could not even sense his own soul, whether in the real universe or here.

In the end, Qin Xa could only make a tentative judgment. "I actually don't have a Soul Projection..."

That conclusion was far too shocking. Qin Xa could only remain skeptical for now and consider how to find more evidence for it, rather than judging solely by his senses.

He remembered that when Psykers used psychic power, their Soul Projections shone brightly in the Immaterium, so he gave it a try.

Just as he had used psychic power every time before Caesar's head exploded all over him—every time he had thought he would not be the unlucky one—Qin Xa used psychic power.

Then Qin Xa realized that he had actually been using psychic power the entire time. There had never been an interruption. The submarine-like protective mechanism surrounding him was proof that his psychic power was active.

Looking out through the porthole, he saw countless shining lights in the Immaterium—countless Soul Projections.

But with a single glance, Qin Xa knew none of them belonged to him.

"So there really isn't one." Qin Xa could only reach that final conclusion.

The fact that a Psyker had no Soul Projection was simply too unbelievable. Qin Xa instinctively began to think and investigate.

Soon, something happened that forced him to stop thinking.

The submarine-like protective mechanism, which had been sustained by psychic power all along, suddenly flickered a few times before vanishing completely.

Qin Xa felt as though something had been used up. Before he could properly examine that feeling, countless evil Warp Creatures appeared at just the right moment, surging toward the now-unprotected Qin Xa.

But something arrived before the attacks of those Warp Creatures: the sensation of something pouring in.

More precisely, being drawn in.

Qin Xa felt himself drawing in the Immaterium. Soon, he felt as though something had been filled again, and then the vanished protective mechanism reappeared. The submarine reappeared as well.

An enormous number of rushing Warp Creatures slammed into the protective mechanism, causing damage.

Once manifested, that damage to the protective mechanism took the form of banging sounds from the submarine's hull and extremely faint cracks in its armored shell.

But even the full-force assault launched by the vast number of Warp Creatures while the protection had vanished only created a tiny crack. In the end, they gave up.

Qin Xa, meanwhile, decided to end this venture deeper into the Immaterium. He had already obtained information that needed careful thought and digestion.

The submarine began to rise.

Slowly, it entered The Veil.

Finally, when Qin Xa felt as though he had returned, he abruptly opened his eyes. What he saw was no longer the horrifying Immaterium, but the cave within the Arena.

"You're back to normal?" Oeno leaned closer and asked with concern written across his face.

"What do you mean, back to normal?" Qin Xa asked, baffled.

Oeno did not explain immediately, instead looking toward Angron.

Angron looked at Qin Xa with a complicated expression, then gently shook his head. "It's nothing..."

Qin Xa frowned, confusion showing in his eyes.

The expressions and gazes of both Angron and Oeno were complicated. They did not seem to be deliberately hiding anything; it seemed more like concern.

Having just learned so much weighty information, Qin Xa truly had no desire to play guessing games. He did not dwell on their reactions and instead sank into his own thoughts.

First, although the matter of having no Soul Projection was astonishing, it was most likely true.

As for the protective mechanism in the Immaterium suddenly disappearing and reappearing, along with the feelings of emptiness and fullness, and the sensation of drawing something in...

Qin Xa recalled how he had felt every time he used psychic power.

He could always feel something leaving him, but he had assumed that was normal. After all, in everything he had read about Psykers, none of them had described in exact detail what they felt every time they used psychic power.

Now, it seemed that had been the sensation of psychic power flowing out of his body.

Psychic power, which should have existed in the Immaterium and merely been called upon by Psykers, was flowing out from within his body.

And that sensation of drawing something in within the Immaterium had been like recharging himself with psychic power.

Now Qin Xa understood why his psychic talent was so stable.

Because he was not directly drawing it from the Immaterium at all. It was being routed through his body first.

It was like the difference between touching an electrical outlet while wearing rubber gloves and touching high-voltage electricity with bare hands.

And on top of that, he had no Soul Projection.

If he truly had no Soul Projection, rather than merely being unable to sense or find it despite being its owner.

At that point, Qin Xa realized that most of everything he had previously known about Psykers no longer had any reference value for him.

Because he was different from them.