"It's about time we begin," Zeke announced. "Don't worry, this is not gonna take very long, and I don't need you to do anything either — just sit tight for a while."
Without any further words, Zeke entered his new and improved puppet mode. Instead of completely leaving his body, he only extended a small piece of his Soul. To Zeke, this conjured the image of a shy deer peeking around a tree.
His new approach was markedly different from leaving his body completely. For one, he still had partial access to his senses — touch, sight, and smell. This led to a disorienting overlap when combined with his Soul Sight. Instead of seeing only one at a time, the material and spectral were layered atop each other.
Initially, Zeke had been more than a little annoyed by this phenomenon. But after considering the full ramifications, he had grown to appreciate this unity more and more. After all, the physical was not completely separate from the spectral, and vice versa. To be able to see this connection might actually turn out to be an amazing boon. Just as it was the case right now. The moment he entered his Soul Sight, he was stunned by the scene in front of him.
Of the two youths, only vague outlines were visible. This was somewhat comparable to that one time Zeke had put on the glasses of one of the village elders. It was as if most of the detail had been washed out. Still, he could clearly distinguish the outlines of Leo and Milo.
Compared to his blurry vision, his Soul Sight was as sharp as ever, at least, for the spot he focused on. He could already make out the spectral shapes inside his peers.
This was another point Zeke appreciated about his merged vision. Now that he was seeing the physical world at the same time, it was much easier to determine where to direct his Soul Sight. With his new approach to Soul Magic, his effective field of view had been reduced even further. This made it even more important to focus precisely on what he wanted to observe.
He first directed his attention toward Milo. His gaze locked onto the Soul that was situated inside the boy's head. It was about the size of a grape, and Zeke had to concentrate quite a bit to make out its exact shape. The pinkish speck of color had the shape of a flower. No, this wasn't just any flower, it was a lotus flower. Zeke had seen pictures of this very plant before. With a thought, he recalled the passage from the book: 'Majestic Bloom; Flowers and their meaning'.
"The lotus flower is a powerful symbol of purity and spiritual awakening. In many cultures, the lotus grows in muddy waters but emerges as a beautiful and untainted flower."
Grows in muddy water, but emerges untainted? Was this representative of Milo? Or was he reading too much into it? Zeke couldn't say, but the boy had developed a Life affinity despite not being from a Mage family. This probably meant that his character aligned with it naturally.
Whatever the case, Zeke hoped that his own Soul was shaped like something good as well. Maybe a book? Representing knowledge? Or a Spiral? Representing progress?
To his dismay, Zeke once again heard an amused chuckle in the back of his head. Of course, the Dragon would not miss this chance to mock him…
Zeke ignored the ridicule and focused on his experiment. This was not about the meaning of shapes, or colors. No, Zeke had selected Leo and Milo for a different reason. Despite not knowing what shape his own Soul took, Zeke could easily tell its size. Compared to Milo's minuscule Soul, his own was larger: Instead of a grape, it was about the size of a fist.
He had also noticed that Milo's Soul was translucent, to the point of almost appearing see-through. From what Zeke remembered of the spy's Soul, it had been much more opaque. This got Zeke wondering about the meaning of a Soul's "density", so to speak.
Was it just another manifestation of its development, where it grew in density rather than size? Or did it signify something else entirely? Zeke had felt sick just from observing the Spy's Soul. Compared to that, Milo's Soul gave him a gentle and peaceful feeling. He could keep looking at this forever and never find himself getting bored, fascinated by the subtle color variations in the elegantly shaped petals. However, after taking every measurement he had planned on, Zeke moved on. It was time to take a look at Leo's Soul.
Compared to the sheltered Milo, Leo had led a vastly different life. In fact, Zeke didn't know anybody his age with a harder past than Leo. His brother had lost both his parents as a young kid and was forced to live on the streets of Magusburg. Afterward, he had been picked up by a shady orphanage, and found himself forced to fight monsters to feed himself…
Zeke could only guess at how all that would manifest itself in the Soul. With a growing sense of excitement, he focused his Sight on him. For Leo, the Soul didn't reside in his head, but instead near his heart. Zeke wasn't disappointed by what he found. Leo's Soul was huge, not only compared to Milo's but also compared to his own.
It was approximately twice the size of Zeke's soul and took the shape of a golden lion's head. Its mane wasn't like that of any animal Zeke had ever seen. The golden hair ended in a myriad of different weapons, from spears to swords, from claws and talons.
However, none of that was what surprised Zeke the most. Instead, it was the density of the Soul. This didn't look like a spectral mirage at all. Zeke almost wanted to stretch out his hand and touch it, so real did it appear. He could make out even the smallest details in the lion's mane, down to every single strand of hair. Its bestial eyes were so sharp and focused that Zeke got the feeling it was glaring back at him.
For several minutes, he was spellbound by the sight. Looking at this Soul gave him a mesmerizing sensation — he felt proud, strong, and dangerous. Compared to any Soul Zeke had observed before, this feeling was far stronger. He was only broken out of his reverie when the Soul shifted. Its many weapons started to flail about as if fighting off a horde of invisible enemies.
At first, Zeke suspected he might have triggered some kind of defense mechanism of the Soul. But, after careful consideration, that seemed highly unlikely. Zeke had a theory that made a lot more sense.
"What are you thinking about, Leo?"
"Nothing," Leo replied.
"Really?" Zeke probed. "It's important."
Leo sighed. "Fine, you caught me! I was thinking about sparring. Are you happy now?"
Zeke smirked. Of course, Leo wouldn't be able to go a few minutes without thinking about fighting. Still, this was an important discovery. "Can you think about something else for a bit?"
"Like what?"
Zeke considered the question for a moment. What would be a good choice? "How about Magic Theory."
"…"
"Leo?"
"Fine, I'll try," Leo replied.
With bated breath, Zeke observed Leo's Soul. It didn't take long for a change to occur. Mere moments later, it lowered its weapons, and to Zeke's utter shock, the lion actually yawned and closed its eyes. Zeke checked on Leo's physical form. His face was scrunched up, but his eyes were still open.
This was unbelievable!
The moment Leo started to think about Magic theory, his Soul had literally shut down. It seemed his brother had not been exaggerating his dislike for studying. Apparently, he was predisposed that way… Or had his Soul adapted to his likes and dislikes? It was hard to say which had caused which, without long-term observation.
This was fascinating. How much would he be able to find out about any human being just by observing their Soul? Habits? Views? Character? …Affinity?
This gave Zeke pause. If he was actually able to tell a person's affinity by the shape of their Soul, then he would be able to predict what affinities the kids in his Meditation class would end up with. He would be able to predict what Maya would develop. This was definitely worth looking into!
With everything taken care of, Zeke retracted his Soul. The moment he returned to normal, a sense of vertigo assailed him. This wasn't something out of the ordinary though. He was always feeling a bit woozy after doing this, but with nothing more than a few shakes of his head, his mind returned to clarity.
"So?" Leo questioned. "What did you find out?"
Zeke glanced at Milo, who was also curiously looking at him, before returning his attention to Leo. "I was trying to use my Mind Magic to figure out more about your personalities," Zeke lied.
"Ohh? Why ask for me then? You know me pretty well already."
Zeke inwardly cursed at Leo's perceptiveness. Couldn't he just let this slide? Still, he had become pretty good at making stuff up on the spot. "That's exactly why," he said without missing a beat. "I needed to make sure my method actually works. Who would be better for this than somebody I know well?"
Leo considered those words for a moment before shrugging. "I guess you would know best. Find out anything interesting?"
"Well, if I had to describe you, then I'd say your personality is like that of a lion."
"I've never met a lion. What are they like?"
"Proud, strong, and dangerous." Zeke had also never seen a lion in real life but merely described how looking at Leo's Soul had made him feel.
Leo nodded emphatically and clapped him on the back. "I like it! You are pretty good at this Mind Magic stuff."
Meanwhile, Milo had started to fidget. Eventually, he decided to ask as well. "W-what did you find out about me, young lord?"
Zeke considered what to tell him. His first instinct had been to lie, he didn't want to risk exposing himself, after all. But now that he thought about it... He might find out more about the meaning behind Milo's Soul shape by telling him the truth.
"You are like a lotus," Zeke said, watching Milo's expression carefully.
"Is that a flower?"
"Yes, it is." And he added the explanation, "It grows in muddy water, but has stunning pink petals. It is usually associated with purity and tranquility."
There it was! The moment Zeke had spoken of muddy waters, Milo had flinched almost imperceptibly. However, his expression transformed into a shy yet radiant smile as soon as he mentioned the part about tranquility.
There was more to this boy than expected. Zeke had to remind himself that people were not that simple. He had picked Milo because, on paper, it had seemed like he had led a perfectly sheltered life, without any problems. But this didn't seem to be entirely true.
Still, the experiment confirmed a lot of Zeke's assumptions about the Soul… and more.
These results also confirmed his earlier theory. If he wanted his Soul to be more like Leo's, then it wouldn't do for him to just hide away in his workshop. So much for his plans to spend most of his time doing research with only a few occasional spars.
Now that he was confronted with the results of his experiment, Zeke wondered how he could have ever believed that this was a good idea. When had he ever met an impressive person that had led a life of peace and quiet?
Maximilian Bombastus, his mentor, had spent his first century climbing the ranks of the military and his second one as commander of the Western front.
Lara Aurora had spent her entire life on the battlefield. Ever since the day her sister died in that plot, she had not known peace. Her life had been nothing but danger and bloodshed.
The same was true for the Berserker, Tristan Bloodsword, as well as the other Valorians he had met that day. And, from what he had heard, Irroch, the home country of the druids, was a lawless place where only the strong survived. Odir probably had not led a peaceful life there either.
Not to forget the woman he was going to meet tomorrow: Aurelia Eternexus Thorsten, the eternal witch, the mad crow, the cursed saint. The woman who was known to be the oldest Mage alive. She had led a life so colorful and long that nobody could tell which of the countless tales about her were true anymore. Zeke could not even conjure a guess at what her Soul would look like.
"Hey, Zeke!"
Zeke was brought back from his thoughts by an irritated-looking Leo. A cursory glance around revealed that Milo had already left. "What's up?"
"I asked if you wanted to go for a spar?"
"A Spar? You won't be able to use your Mana for the next few hours, did you forget?"
"So?" Leo questioned. "Let's fight without mana then. You know, like we did during the finals back then. But this time, we'll see if you can win without the Dragon's help!"
Zeke was just about to turn Leo down instinctively, he had stuff to do after all. But then he remembered his resolution from just a moment ago. Hadn't he just promised himself to not hide away in his workshop all the time and actually try to experience life? When would he start if not now?
"I don't need no Dragon to kick your ass. Let's go!"