Unfortunately, one problem still remained.
A very large problem. I looked toward Gerald.
"There’s something else I’ve been meaning to ask."
The old man was already reaching for the bottle again.
"That statement has described this entire conversation."
"How is Verilux finding us?"
The bottle paused halfway to his glass. That got his attention.
I continued.
"We escaped through the Portal Field. Crossed half the Soul Sea. Hid inside the carcass of a creature old enough to distort perception. Yet somehow it still found us. Twice."
Gerald nodded slowly.
"That would be because you’re thinking about it incorrectly."
"What do you mean?"
The old man took a drink before answering.
"Most people assume Verilux is searching."
His gaze shifted toward the horizon.
"It isn’t."
I frowned.
"Then what is it doing?"
"Hunting."
The answer immediately sounded worse. Gerald swirled the amber liquid inside his glass.
"Imagine a hunting dog."
The comparison caught me off guard.
"A hunting dog doesn’t need to know where its prey is. It doesn’t need maps. It doesn’t need scouts. It doesn’t even need intelligence. All it needs is a scent."
I immediately understood what he meant.
"My soul force."
Gerald pointed at me.
"Exactly."
The old man leaned back.
"The moment Verilux encountered you, it learned your soul force signature. Every living thing, every soul, every creature possesses one. Some are weak. Some are powerful. Some are unique enough to stand out from thousands of kilometers away."
His smile widened.
"And yours practically announces itself."
That wasn’t surprising. I had already suspected something similar.
"So it can track me indefinitely?"
"More or less."
The answer wasn’t encouraging. I frowned.
"Is there a way to change it?"
Gerald immediately shook his head.
"No."
"Suppress it?"
"No."
"Seal it?"
"Also no."
I stared at him.
"You’re remarkably good at saying no."
"Years of practice."
The old man chuckled before becoming serious again.
"You cannot hide your soul force signature completely especially inside the null realm because it is part of your existence. It would be like attempting to hide your shadow while standing beneath sunlight."
That made sense. Unfortunately it didn’t solve the problem.
"So what do I do?"
The old man’s smile returned.
"You cheat."
That answer sounded significantly more promising.
"Explain."
"You can’t hide your scent. But you can change it."
"A false signature." I said.
"Exactly."
Gerald seemed pleased.
"Now you’re thinking correctly."
The old man placed his glass aside and sat up properly for the first time since our conversation began.
"What Verilux tracks isn’t your appearance. It isn’t your location. It isn’t your thoughts."
His finger tapped lightly against the cloud beneath us.
"It tracks the unique imprint your soul force leaves upon reality."
His smile widened.
"So we simply make reality lie."
That sounded suspiciously like something Dante would have said. Which probably explained why it made perfect sense.
Gerald continued.
"I can create a secondary seal. A much simpler one than the Verilux binding seal."
"How simple?"
"Simple enough that I can finish it today."
That immediately improved my mood. The old man rose from the cloud and stretched lazily. Then the atmosphere around us changed.
Space moved.
The clouds beneath us folded inward. The distant worlds shifted. Entire horizons rotated. The change happened so naturally that it took me several seconds to realize reality itself was responding to Gerald’s presence.
The old man extended one hand. Silver threads emerged from the surrounding sky. Thousands of them. Each thread seemed connected to something invisible.
Some linked distant worlds. Others connected directly into space itself. The sight reminded me of looking at the inner framework of reality.
Gerald grabbed several strands. Then began weaving. The process looked absurdly casual. As though he were repairing old clothing rather than manipulating laws powerful enough to deceive one of the strongest entities in the Prime Territory.
The silver strands gradually transformed into runic patterns. One seal became three.
Three became seven. Soon dozens of interconnected symbols floated before him.
"Interesting."
I watched closely.
The old man smirked.
"Trying to learn?"
"Trying."
"You won’t."
Minutes later the seals stabilized. The runes no longer looked like spatial constructs. Instead they resembled small silver stars. Each one emitted a unique pulse.
A unique signature.
Gerald pointed toward the nearest one.
"Take it."
I reached forward.
The moment my fingers touched the seal, the construct dissolved into liquid light and entered my body. Immediately I felt something change. The impression my soul left upon the surrounding world.
The sensation was difficult to describe. It felt as though someone had rewritten the name attached to my existence.
Gerald nodded approvingly.
"Good."
The remaining seals shot outward. One entered each of my companions. The process completed within seconds.
I extended my perception experimentally. The difference became obvious immediately.
My soul force still existed. Yet the signature had become entirely different.
Anyone attempting to track me would be hunting someone who didn’t exist.
"How long will it last?" I asked.
"A few months."
That was considerably longer than expected.
Gerald shrugged.
"I know what I’m doing occasionally."
The old man reclaimed his seat atop the cloud and reached for the bottle once more.
"That should keep Verilux occupied for a while. The creature will continue following the false signatures long after you’ve left the area."
That alone removed an enormous burden, I could move without worrying about a seven-headed catastrophe suddenly appearing behind me.
Eventually Gerald glanced toward the distant horizon.
"I’ll need time."
"The binding seal?"
He nodded.
"One week if everything behaves."
His expression became thoughtful.
"Two if reality decides to be annoying."
"Where do we meet?"
"Region Five."
The answer came immediately. The old man pointed toward one of the worlds floating far below.
"I’ll find you."
Finally I asked the last question still lingering in my mind.
"The Ironharts."
Gerald’s expression shifted again.
"What about them?"
"You said they’re in Region Five."
"They are."
"Do you know where?"
The old man laughed.
"Of course I do."
For several moments he simply sat there smiling. Then he reached into his robes. When his hand emerged, he was holding what appeared to be a small compass crafted from silver crystal.
Except there was no needle. Only a floating fragment of light trapped within its center.
Gerald tossed it toward me.
I caught it automatically. The moment it touched my palm, the fragment of light inside rotated and pointed toward a distant direction.
"Follow that."
I studied the strange artifact.
"What is it?"
"A token."
The old man smiled.
"It won’t tell you where the settlement is. It won’t reveal hidden formations. It won’t open any doors."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Then what does it do?"
"It points toward people who are too stubborn to die."
His smile widened.
"Follow it through the Soul Sea."
His eyes gleamed with amusement.
"And eventually you’ll find your family."
For several moments I stared at the token resting in my hand. Then I closed my fingers around it.