The Bright Eyes (The Soulless Ones Book 1)

by Leo E. Ndelle

  “I am looking forward to it!” Shi’mon added, smiling wickedly behind his beard.

  “I trust you are, brother!” Yehuda intentionally sneered at the word ‘brother.’

  The other apprentices looked at both men as if they had both lost their minds.

  “The one who will betray me,” Yeshua jumped in to defuse the situation, “will dip his bread in the bowl at the same time with me. Please, brothers, let us finish this food. Tonight, we celebrate the Passover, no?”

  His attempt was feeble, but everyone obliged.

  They dined sluggishly and conversed in whispers. The bread on Yehuda’s side of the table was finished, and so he walked over to the center to get some more. He broke off a piece and remembered he forgot his soup bowl on his side of the table. He decided to get a dip before heading back to get his bowl. And, distracted by his empty spot at the table, he reached out to dip his bread in the soup bowl in front of him. His hand collided with another hand. He turned around and realized his hand was in the same soup bowl as Yeshua’s. Yeshua smiled weakly, and Yehuda’s heart broke. Only Miryam, Yochanan, and Shi’mon noticed what just happened. Miryam and Yochanan were too shocked to say anything, and Shi’mon swore silently to kill Yehuda, no matter what it took.

  “It is okay, brother,” Yeshua reassured Yehuda. “Fulfill your purpose! Do what you must!”

  And without saying a word, Yehuda walked out of the room and into the night to meet with High Priest Nefiki and his crew to finalize his betrayal of the master.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: EGYPT, 25 - 30 C. E.

  Yeshua roused from slumber and instantly realized he was no longer in Heliopolis. He stretched his muscles. Salem and the other priests must be tending to my physical form, he thought. This was the final phase of his preparation; conscious death. Being in this realm meant his one-week period of non-stop meditation had successfully jettisoned his soul here.

  ***

  His first week at the Temple of Melchizedek was accommodating, to say the least. The temple was his home. On the second week, though, Yeshua had received an unconscious telepathic message from his mother that his father, Yosef, had passed away from an illness. The message was born out of deep pain, sorrow and grief at the time of Yosef’s death and a strong connection between mother and son. Miryam was not even aware that she had sent her son a message. Yeshua was deeply heartbroken and wrought with grief and guilt; guilt because he wrestled with the fact that he would easily have saved his father if he were around to tend to his father’s health. In his sorrow, he lost all desire for everything. He mourned and contemplated on pain, sorrow, death, life, and rebirth. He later found some peace and gained understanding regarding the reason behind such a tragic event in his life.

  Yeshua teleported to his father’s house and attended the funeral in non-corporeal form. He increased the vibrations of his body to levels that rendered him invisible to everyone at the funeral. He wept and grieved. He saw his mother lying on the floor in a sad and mourning heap. His siblings did their best to comfort their mother. They were a grieving mess. He glided amidst the sympathizers and mourners until he was close to his siblings. They had grown so big! His brothers looked strong and took after their mother’s semblance. His sister was, however, the spitting image of their father! Seeing his siblings looking healthy and strong made him smile. He desperately wanted to hold them and hug them, but he could not; and he dared not. It was not the appropriate time and situation yet.

  He missed them so much! Was it selfish of him to have been so preoccupied with training that he had not thought much about his family? He sighed and turned his attention towards the mourning beauty on the floor that was his mother. In her pain and sorrow, Miryam had called out to her son, Yeshua. His heart sank even further and as if by an unseen bond between mother and son, she suddenly sat upright and turned her head in his direction. For a moment, Yeshua thought she could see him, and he reached out for her. But then her eyes darted around the room as if she was searching for him. Then she burst into more tears and collapsed on the floor. Her sobs were louder, and so were her muffled words.

  “Where are you, Yeshua?” she sobbed. “Your father is dead! Where are you to bury your father?”

  And Yeshua wept! He glided towards his mother. He lay next to her on the floor and put his left hand on her shoulder.

  “Right here, mother,” he whispered in her ear. “Right here!”

  Even though she could not hear him, and he knew she could not, she reached over with her right hand and placed it on her left shoulder, exactly where his invisible hand lay. The bond between mother and son was too strong to ignore at any level of existence. She seemed to calm down for a few moments. Her sobs subsided, and she closed her eyes.

  “I know you are here, my son,” she said, “I can feel your presence, and it gives me great comfort to know that you are here and doing well. Thank you, and I love you so much.”

  “I love you too, mother,” Yeshua said as tears of sorrow, joy and pain raced down his cheeks and left wet marks on the floor, behind his mother’s occiput.

  ***

  Yehuda took a moment to appreciate his new chambers in this strange realm. The floors, walls, and ceilings seemed to be forged from a seamless and flawless piece of white marble. Even the bed seemed to be a part of this single structure. He examined his garments. They were made of the most exquisite, purest white linen he had ever seen. Yeshua then dug his fingers three times into the mattress. So plush and comfortable! He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of unimaginable luxury as he free-fell backward on the bed once again. He let his body savor the sweet caress of the bed and mattress.

  “Pleased to see you are making yourself comfortable, Yeshua,” said a voice that sliced through his reverie.

  If Yeshua was startled, he showed no sign of it.

  “I am pleased as well,” he replied, still lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling.

  “Do you know where you are?” the voice asked.

  It was a beautiful, seductive female’s voice.

  “No, I do not,” he replied and propped himself on his elbows. “But I have a feeling you will be telling me very soon.”

  He felt a presence and sat upright. The silhouette of a woman began manifesting and walking slowly towards him. Yeshua appreciated perfection in the flesh, from her toes, up to her knees, hips, core, bosom, neck and finally her face. Her hair was the blackest of black and draped over her shoulders. Yeshua instantly recognized his hostess.

  “Priya!” he uttered.

  “You remember,” Priya smiled and walked closer.

  Her white gown accentuated her curves as she walked towards him. She truly was a sight to behold, and Yeshua felt a sudden dryness in his throat like he had never felt before.

  “I am actually glad you do,” she added.

  Her dimples deepened, her cheeks became elevated as a soft smile formed on her face. Priya’s big, black eyes seemed to light up as well. Yeshua cleared his throat and tried to speak but failed. He could be wrong, but it seemed as if she was morphing into his idea of a perfect woman with every step she took.

  “You have grown into quite the man yourself, Yeshua,” she added as she stopped walking and turned around.

  Her gown accentuated the crease in her lower back and buttocks. She wore no undergarments, and her gown suddenly became transparent. Yeshua swallowed and then unconsciously uncrossed and crossed his legs. A table emerged from the floor in front of Priya. A pitcher of water and cup formed from the tabletop. Priya poured some water into the cup, turned back around and slowly walked towards Yeshua. When she was at about four feet from him, she stopped walking.

  He was still sitting on the bed, and his eyes were level with her pelvic region. Slowly, she placed the cup of water between his face and his line of sight to her pelvis. Yeshua, realizing how much he had been caught in the moment, angrily jerked his eyes towards her face. His face was flushed, and his heart beat faster. He had been in the presence of beautif
ul women before. But none aroused such carnality in him.

  “I heard you clear your throat and thought you might be thirsty,” she said and pushed the cup a little closer to his face.

  His right hand felt like a mountain was chained to it as he reached to take the cup from Priya. He took a sip, then a gulp before emptying the contents of the cup. He wiped his lips with his left sleeve and handed the cup back to Priya.

  “Thank you, Priya,’ he finally said.

  “Oh, you are very welcome,” she replied spinning on her heels to return the cup to the table. “It is great to see you have your voice back.”

  Yeshua cleared his throat again.

  “Yes, it is great to have my voice back,” he agreed, not knowing what else to say.

  “So,” she said.

  A chair formed from the floor to accommodate her, while the table and its contents disappeared into the floor.

  “You have not answered my question,” Priya said.

  “Which one?” Yeshua asked, a little confused.

  “I asked you if you know where you are,” she replied.

  “Oh, that question!” he said, returning to what seemed like reality finally. “No, I do not.”

  “Then let me enlighten you, my very confused friend,” she said as she relaxed in her chair and crossed her legs.

  Her gown seemed to have grown shorter than Yeshua remembered and more of her toned legs and flawless skin was exposed. Yeshua leaned forward and clasped his hands in front of him, resting his elbows on both his thighs. It was more an attempt to hide his bulging phallus than for any other reason.

  “You have my complete attention,” he said, trying as hard as he could to concentrate.

  “I know that already, Yeshua,” she grinned and winked mischievously, causing Yeshua to feel both embarrassed and more helpless.

  “You are in the Realm-Dimension of Akasha,” Priya continued. “But, this is the part of Akasha that you have not yet accessed in your current existence. It looks different from what you are used to, does it not?”

  “It is different,” Yeshua agreed. “It does not even feel like Akasha.”

  “Actually,” Priya continued, “this part of Akasha is not alien to you. You have just been avoiding this place, without realizing you have been doing so. And in case you did not know already, Akasha is neither a realm nor a dimension. It exists on its own for various reasons. As the keeper of the records of all Creation, it must remain objective and non-polarized. As such, Akasha is the truest reflection of both the illusionary and truthful aspect of Creation, and ultimately you.”

  “I see,” Yeshua said. “But what exactly is this part of Akasha then?” he asked.

  “Welcome, Yeshua,” she replied as she uncrossed her legs and crossed them again, “to the Shadow of the Soul. Here, you will face your worse fears, your greatest weaknesses, your strongest desires and, most of all, you will face true death. So far, you have not yet experienced your polarity on Earth Realm at the subconscious level. But here, in the Shadow of the Soul, you will experience your polarity at its purest, unadulterated and unhindered form!”

  “That explains the insanely strong urges I have been feeling ever since I awoke here,” Yeshua said to himself.

  Priya burst out laughing, and Yeshua felt very insulted by her outburst. His embarrassment morphed into fury.

  “Urges?” Priya said in between fits of laughter. “My dear Yeshua, you have not even yet begun to experience these so-called ‘urges’ of which you speak. Everything you think you are experiencing right now will multiply a thousand-fold.”

  She kept laughing as Yeshua dove deeper into fury.

  “But why?” he asked as he glared at Priya. “Why do I have to go through this?”

  “What you call ‘this,’” Priya explained in a stern tone, “is YOU. These are YOUR urges, YOUR feelings, YOUR emotions, YOUR everything. This is the shadow of YOUR soul! And thus, it is YOUR problem. So, YOU figure it out!”

  She rose from the chair, which disappeared into the floor and her short gown also regained its full length and trained over her ankles. Yeshua lowered his eyes to the floor. He was already feeling extremely exhausted and weak. Then, he raised his eyes until Priya’s feet came into view. He continued raising his eyes upwards, and Priya’s gown was disappearing with his rising line of vision. Her ankles became exposed, followed by her calves, knees, thighs, and then, her pelvis. His gaze rested on her exposed womanhood and lingered there for a moment. His breathing was erratic, his heart raced, and his blood boiled in anticipation of what was to come. But Yeshua did not stop.

  Yeshua’s eyes continued their slow ascent upwards. Her tummy, ribs, perfect breasts were all exposed, and finally, she was completely naked in front of him. Priya took a step towards him and stopped. Yeshua stood up from the bed and walked towards her. His gown evaporated from his body when he was about two feet from her. He stopped and looked in her eyes as hers bored into his. And then, with bestial savagery, he snatched Priya off the ground and threw her on the bed. When he was on top of her, she put her right hand on his chest and looked at him dead in the eyes. He stopped, but his patience was wearing very thin.

  “What do you want, Yeshua?” she asked, her voice ever so seductive.

  “Just stop talking, will you!” he yelled at her and slapped her hand away.

  Priya used the momentum of his slap to roll his body in the opposite direction. In a smooth motion, Priya flipped him on to his back and straddled him. She placed her right hand on his chest and her left hand on the bed beside his right temple. She leaned forward, close enough for him to feel her breasts press against his chest and whispered in his right ear.

  “What do you want?” she asked again.

  “You,” he replied with desperation and helplessness.

  “I want you, Priya! I want you so badly!” he pleaded.

  “Patience, Yeshua,” she said and slowly disappeared into thin air.

  Yeshua was left alone on the bed, all naked, extremely confused and unthinkably horny. He propped himself on his elbows and looked around the room like a caged, frantic animal.

  “Oh, I forgot to tell you,” the voice of Priya tore through air, as if coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time, “on Earth Realm, you are very dead. So, unless you find your way out of here, you would have failed! And not just yourself, but all of humanity!”

  Yeshua closed his eyes and took in a few deep breaths to calm himself. It seemed to work. He sat at the edge of the bed, rubbed his temples and eye brows and heaved a heavy sigh.

  “Welcome once again,” Priya’s voice continued, “to the Shadow of the Soul!”

  ***

  Back in Egypt, Salemwalek stepped into the chamber that was once his but was now occupied by his ancestor-in-the-flesh. Yeshua’s lifeless body lay on the bed and was tended to by Brother Muzek. Other priests came in and left; most of them doing the same thing; staring and wondering what was going on with the master.

  “He has been like this for a month now, Master,” Brother Muzek said.

  “Yes, brother,” Salemwalek said. “He is experiencing true death.”

  “True death?” Brother Muzek asked, mopping the Yeshua’s forehead, more so out of habit than out of necessity.

  It was the first time he had ever heard of such a term.

  “Yes, brother,” Salem replied. “True death is a state through which one must pass to conquer death itself, because death is the last enemy of the physical man.”

  Salemwalek pulled up a chair and sat near his ancestor’s body. He stared blankly.

  “So, when we die,” Brother Muzek asked, “is it a false death?”

  “It is an illusion,” Salem replied. “So yes, it is false; false because during death, we merely abandon the flesh to the earth and move on to the next phase of existence. But true death is different. If you crush a seed, it is simply destroyed, right?”

  “Agreed, master,” Muzek said.

  Other priests gathered to list
en to Salemwalek teach.

  “But what happens when you plant a seed?” Salem continued. “It grows to become a plant, obviously. But what happens before it grows to become a plant?”

  “It dies?” Muzek answered hesitantly.

  “Exactly! It dies,” Salem agreed. “Before that seed can grow into a plant, it must first die. Only in death can it unleash its potential to become a plant. It is the same with us. Only in death, from a shift in consciousness, can we be reborn.

  “True death is death of both the body and soul. That is, your physical body dies,” he gestured towards Yeshua lying on the bed, “as you all can see, and the soul also dies. And with that, you are simply erased from Creation because all that is left is the spirit and it returns to the Source. You can die a true death by entering a realm of existence which holds the darkest aspects of your being; your worst fears, nightmares, even your greatest desires and most of all death. However, entering this state must be a conscious decision; it is virtually impossible to get into this state by accident. Some people also call it conscious death but mistake it for the ability to simulate illusionary death. Anyone, with sufficient practice, can simulate illusionary death. I am yet to meet in the flesh, other than the master, anyone who has ever experienced true death.”

  “So, there are no rumors of anyone who attempted true death, master?” one priest asked.

  “I am confident there may have been attempts,” Salem replied. “But this requires a very high level of self-awareness. Only a few have tried, and even fewer have succeeded.”

  “His body is still perfectly preserved after all this time,” Muzek remarked. “This is remarkable! Master, do you know how long it could take to return from this state?”

  “The only person I know of was in this state for six years,” Salemwalek replied. “As for those who failed, their decaying lifeless bodies indicated they had failed.”

  “And the one who experienced true death and lived, who was he?” asked another priest.

  “It was him,” Salem replied, gesturing towards Yeshua. “At that time, he walked Earth Realm as Melchizedek, the founder of our monastery!”