Or rather, his lack of environment was filled in by a new reality.
From nothingness he found himself regaining his senses again. First he could feel himself floating and then he could hear, then smell, and finally he could see.
The first sight he saw clued him on the fact that this was not reality. Everything was too enhanced, even the very fabric of space shone so much that it blurrily reflected his figure.
"Where is this?"
The creature quelled his curiosity with a prompt response. "This is the realm of the mind. The eldritch force realm between the spiritual and reality."
"And this is not limbo?" Ran asked. It didn't feel like it to him but he felt the need to confirm.
It was understandable, especially considering his last experience with the spiritual realm of Fey powers.
The last thing he wanted was to face such an ordeal again, or anything similar to it.
To him it was worse than the Lagarakei attack, worse even than the Hakokage flame. With the former he'd die in battle, probably be smashed or crushed.
With the latter he'd become ash faster than a person could blink in shock.
Both were quick deaths, but the limbo incident—
That would have seen to it that his identity was eroded, that he became a non-entity in the literal sense, an empty shell made ready to become the vessel for an ancient spirit.
He'd have lost his identity. Death was better, at least there was an afterlife. By the way of limbo he'd have stopped being Ran, probably stopped being human.
Everything that made him, him, everything that was situated upon the foundation of the identity of Kaito Ran would have been washed away like waves rushing over a sandcastle by the beach.
No, he sincerely hoped this place was nothing like limbo.
"No, this is not limbo. This is your mind working in concert with the spiritual realm to generate a space that simulates reality. Anyone can do it with the ability and the right training, it's how eldritch forces are used, how spiritual powers are tapped into."
That comforted Ran greatly. He wondered a bit if this was how the Supreme Spiritualist started until he became so great as to earn the title.
"Now, request for a genie and you shall get one," the Lagarakei instructed.
Ran did just that and s blinding light descended from the heavens, making him shield his eyes with his arms.
When it faded away, he parted his arms to see a genie had appeared, lit by a bright silhouette, an aura of gold.
Its feminine figure hovered over him, bright and evil.
"What do you seek?"
Ran shook from the voice, he felt his psyche echo like a gong struck. It wasn't as bad as the first time he'd heard of her kind speak, he'd come a long way since then. Still the feeling was not pleasant.
He decided to round up this conversation as quickly as he could.
"A path to Naraku, to my Mistress's side."
The genie nodded. "So be it."
It was like it spoke to the universe because the next moment Ran found himself floating as a mountainous creature over the air space of Naraku.
He was shocked by the sight he was met with. Half of the realm of souls had become nothing.
There was no way to describe it. It was like an abyss within a void, a gap between life and death, a tear in space and time.
It couldn't even be seen, only felt through the spiritual.
Ran realized that he must have been inside it, regardless of how confusing something being inside nothing was to him.
Floating next to it were Mukoku and the black demon who now held a resealed Hakokage Box.
Ran wondered how that had come to pass but didn't have enough time to wonder much as he saw both demons flying fast towards him.
They reached him faster than it took him to realize that they looked dangerously tense.
"Mu…"
Before he could say her name, Mukoku reached forward and tapped him on the head and suddenly he felt himself begin to shrink.
He felt joy as the monster within him let out a mournful outburst in resigned rage.
Once he shrunk back to his size he looked down upon his naked self. He had fingers once more and not red claws. His skin was back to being fair, not grey.
"What did you do?" He asked Mukoku, staring at her in adoration.
"I severed its connection to you," she said, laying a gentle hand on his head.
"So I'm free of it?"
She shook her head. "No, it can't reach out to you anymore but you can reach out to it. I'm afraid I can't fully separate it from you. When you channelled the kin of my Hell Lords and spoke the word of destruction, you had no idea what you did."
"What did I do?" Ran asked, feeling helplessly scared.
"The word of destruction is a kin power. It destroys nature, annihilates the physical with the wave of its force. But it does nothing to the eldritch, to the spiritual. It was why the Lagarakei's flesh was nowhere to be found after you killed it. You see, Kaito Ran, some of us immortals, especially the ones with great power, when we are killed, can either wait to respawn or possess another vessel."
"What do you mean?"
"That Lagarakei is within you because it's what it wanted. It possessed the essences of my Lords of Hell, absorbed their souls into itself to stop them from returning and then it wormed its way into your soul."
Ran took a violent step toward her in agitation, his eyes wide beyond expression.
No, this was nonsense. Or was it? He remembered the words of the Lagarakei 'Even when I faced defeat, I made the choice that wouldn't see me die'.
Was it all planned?
He looked at Mukoku. Only she had the answers he needed. "What do you mean?!" He yelled at her, not believing what he was hearing right now.
Mukoku favored him with a look of sadness. "You are not just possessed by it, Kaito Ran, you are the Lagarakei's reincarnation."