Zeke was back in his room. He was curled up in his bed, the covers draped over him. Even though the incident had happened over an hour ago, he couldn't get his hands to stop shaking. It wasn't even the fact that he killed the man that bothered him. No, he had been prepared to do so.
What had really impacted him was how intimately connected they had been. This was not like Mind reading. It was not like anything he had ever heard about. It was almost as if he had lived the man's life himself. Every time he closed his eyes, flashes of memories would appear, memories of a past that was not his own.
Zeke felt like he had killed a lifelong friend, somebody he knew almost as well as he knew himself. Their Souls and minds had been connected, melded, and shared. And the most sickening part? Zeke was certain that his own Soul, his essence, had grown stronger from this experience.
Was this what the emperor was doing? Was this how he had reached the Exarch level? Zeke didn't know. In fact, he had no idea what the benefits of this were. However, there was one thing he knew with utmost certainty. He wanted nothing to do with this vile practice. At this moment, he was so disgusted with the very concept of Mind Magic that he was thinking of giving it up for good.
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Zeke didn't move. He had instructed his guards to tell anybody who asked that he didn't want to be disturbed. After a moment of silence, there was another round of knocking. Whoever this was, was persistent.
After he didn't respond again, a soft voice called out, "Zeke? Are you okay?"
It was Maya. Of course, it was Maya. Who else would so blatantly ignore the guard's orders? In this house, not many would dare to do so, but she was one of them. Zeke thought about what he should do now. He didn't want to see his sister in his current condition.
Zeke swallowed. He had to make sure that his voice would be firm and confident as he replied. When he finally spoke, his tone was still much weaker than he had intended. "Don't worry, I'm fine."
There was no reply. Zeke was worried that his voice might have given something away. But after a few more beats, Maya responded, "Are you telling the truth? I am really worried…"
It took all of Zeke's willpower to get up. But he needed to gather strength, needed to be convincing. After slowly getting to his feet, he took a deep breath, filling his lungs and puffing out his chest. When he spoke this time, his voice had regained its usual deep, confident note. "Don't worry, sunshine. I am just dealing with some personal stuff. I'll play with you later, okay?"
"That's a promise!" Maya exclaimed in a much happier tone. "I'll hold you to it. By the way, Lue is also here. Say something, Lue!"
After a moment, an even softer voice spoke, "I hope you're fine, Zeke. I-I was really worried."
Despite everything, a small smile formed on Zeke's face. "It's alright, you two. I just had a minor accident. I'll be back to normal in no time."
"I'll see you later, big brother," Maya called before storming off.
"I'll see you later as well, b-brother," Lue repeated a moment later in a much quieter tone before also fleeing.
Zeke remained standing, rooted to the same spot. For Maya's sake, he had forced himself to put on a performance. However, now that he had snapped himself out of his funk, a bit of clarity had returned to him.
All of this was just the Soul Magic muddling his feelings and thoughts. He had to get a grip. He had to remind himself of the truth. The spy had not been a close friend, he had not been family. As a matter of fact, the man had tried to hurt his real family. Over and over, Zeke repeated the names.
Maximilian and Leo.
Maya, Mia, and Geralt.
Lue, and Jettero.
Margret, David, and Kerim.
Markus, Viola, and… Sophia.
With every repetition, Zeke's anger rose. Those were his real friends, his real family. Not some nameless bastard who had spent half his life assassinating innocents for profit! The growing intensity of his rage managed to drive away the last vestiges of the Magic muddling his mind. He still felt awful, but at least his thoughts were clear.
Zeke exhaled slowly. He was still disturbed by the scene from earlier, by what he had done, but hearing his sister's voice had helped him sort out his feelings. He had not intended to kill the man in such a gruesome fashion, but he remembered why he had risked it in the first place. Zeke needed to know who had sent the man. He had done it to protect himself and the people he cared for.
For as long as Maximilian was gone, it was his responsibility to keep the family safe. No matter how sickening the experience, Zeke would do it again if it meant keeping his family safe. With his convictions reaffirmed Zeke made his way to the door.
He opened it a crack and called to the guard outside, "Send someone to find David. I want to talk to him." The man saluted and relayed the instructions.
Zeke began to pace. He had learned a couple of things from this experience. First and foremost was how lucky he had been so far. Only now did he realize that his so-called Puppet Mode made him incredibly vulnerable as well. He would voluntarily leave the protection of his body, exposing his Soul. Nobody had caught him in that state, but Zeke had no idea if more powerful Mind Mages wouldn't be able to sense it. This was not something he could continue to do in his everyday life.
The second thing Zeke learned was how wretched Mind Magic made him feel. He knew with absolute certainty that this practice would change him as a person if he continued to use it. No matter how powerful a secret, he would not invade somebody's Soul again… unless it was life or death.
After a crisp knock, David entered the room. Zeke had expected him to be furious, but instead, the man looked apprehensive. "You asked for me?"
Zeke had never seen David behave like this. Instinctively, he felt that it was of utmost importance that he cleared the air right away.
"Before anything else, I think I owe you an explanation," he said, studying David's face. "What happened down there… I had no idea it would turn out like this…" Even to Zeke, the explanation sounded weak. David didn't react, but his attentive posture showed that he was listening. "Look. I knew it would be my last chance, and thought of something new to try. It seemed to work, and in my exuberance, I pushed on, ignorant of the consequences." David nodded slightly, encouraging Zeke to go on. "Honestly, the entire experience made me feel nauseous."
They both remained silent, each lost in their own thoughts. However, not long after, a horrifying realization dawned on Zeke. "Say, David…" The man looked at him, curious as to what Zeke wanted to know. "This… this isn't what the Geistreichs are doing to Maximilian, is it?"
David didn't immediately respond. He seemed to consider his words carefully. "I believe it is something similar, young lord. From what I've heard, it can be a physically painful experience to have one's Mind forcefully invaded."
"How can that be?" Zeke asked in shock. "The prisoner died after only minutes."
"It was not your Magic that killed him," David explained. "Despite his condition, the man could have lived, especially with a healer. No, what actually killed him was the Sealing Ritual. That was also the reason you were unable to learn something, despite your… success."
Zeke was confused. This wasn't right. "I did manage to learn some things, more than just a bit, actually. I saw the man's entire life, David, from when he was a little kid to when he was sent on this mission — everything."
"This is impossible," David said immediately. "The Ritual would have killed him the moment you touched anything sensitive."
"I-I think it did," Zeke said as he slowly pieced the puzzle together. "Apparently, the method I used doesn't need the body to be alive."
David's face looked horrified. "Where could you have possibly learned something so vile?"
"The Giger ruins," Zeke said. "I'm not sure how much Maximilian told you, but they were very advanced. That's the reason I flooded that place. I couldn't risk for this Magic to fall into the wrong hands."
David nodded appreciatively. "A wise choice, young lord. As we have seen today, the damage even an inexperienced Mind Mage can do with this is substantial. We have to make sure that it is never known that you can somehow circumvent the Sealing Ritual. I don't think I have to tell you what would happen if word got out?"
Zeke nodded. The Sealing Ritual appeared to be a tool of oppression at first glance, but what it actually did was protect people from getting kidnapped and tortured. If it became known that the Ritual could be circumvented, nobody would be safe anymore.
"What did you learn, young lord?" David finally asked.
"I saw the face of the person who sent the spy after us. It was somebody I recognized."
"Feuerkranz?" David guessed.
Zeke shook his head. "Remember the four Arch Mages who came to arrest Maximilian? It was her!"
"Sabrina Wellenrufer?" David asked incredulously. "Why would she do this? The Wellenrufers hold no grudge against the von Hohenheim household."
"I don't think it has anything to do with that," Zeke said in a resigned tone. He had a theory he hoped wouldn't turn out to be true. David just stared at him. He clearly had no idea what Zeke was getting at.
"What would you say is the most dominant trait of Water Mages, David?"
"Adaptability," he answered immediately.
Zeke nodded. "The Geistreichs probably seized all of Maximilian's assets in the empire, but what about the ones here? Who do you think would make the first move?"
"No way! The von Hohenheim family might be small, but we have a lot of prestige and—"
"So what?" Zeke interrupted. "Without Maximilian, they see us as nothing but a bunch of dancing clowns. They think we don't have the strength to defend ourselves. And you know what? They are right to think so. A single man was almost able to bring us down."
David clenched his fists, his face furious. In response, the shadows in the room lengthened, twitching in agitation. It looked like an infinite number of hands were reaching out. Despite the frightening display, Zeke wasn't fazed at all. The man's anger wasn't directed at him. It was most likely directed at himself.
Zeke understood David's vexation very well. He knew what it meant to feel powerless. With confident steps, he approached his bodyguard. Zeke laid both of his hands on the slightly taller man's shoulder and looked deep into his eyes. "…But this was the last chance we will allow them."
He waited for David to focus on his gaze before speaking further. "They swung, and they missed. Now, we know who they are, where they are, and what they want. First, we will gather money, prestige, and finally strength. Never forget this: our weakness is temporary, but our vengeance eternal."
Zeke could see the resolve strengthen in David's eyes, his fury transforming into conviction. "…And when we swing, we will not miss," Zeke continued, getting swept up in his own momentum. "It will be devastating. We will salt the very earth, for them to never rise again. glory or death!"
"GLORY OR DEATH!" David yelled immediately, surprising even Zeke with his zeal. But a smile bloomed on his face right after. It wasn't a happy smile, but one full of suppressed anger and bloodthirst.
"Excellent," Zeke exclaimed. "We will both remember this grudge, carve it into our hearts. And when the time comes, we will show no mercy." After saying that, his demeanor relaxed. "But for now, we will have to bide our time and gather our strength. Our first goal is to solve the issue of money. I have plans to make our name resound throughout the city soon after. But this first step is still crucial."
David nodded slowly. After a moment of silence, he turned and left without saying another word. Zeke was alone once more. Even though he wanted nothing more than take his revenge right away, he knew that he couldn't. He needed to think rationally, not emotionally right now. His short-term objectives remained the same. He needed his Gondola project to succeed. All his subsequent plans relied upon it.
It was time to get to work.