The laboratory was a unique blend of futuristic design and ancient mysticism, meticulously arranged by Norris to suit his research needs.
Drawing inspiration from the modern labs he had seen in sci-fi movies, Norris had crafted a space that balanced cutting-edge orderliness with mystical elements.
The stone walls were lined with sleek, metallic shelves holding various mystical components and tools, each meticulously arranged.
Crystals, enchanted inks, and ancient quills glowed faintly, reacting to the magical energies in the air. The central workbench was made of polished steel, clutter-free, with everything Norris needed often within arm's reach.
It also featured touch-screen interfaces that projected holographic displays, showing complex diagrams and arrays.
Flickering candles provided a soft, eerie light, casting shadows that danced across the room. Spectral lanterns hung from the vaulted ceiling, emitting a dim, otherworldly glow. The air was thick with the scent of old parchment, burning incense, and the faint tang of magical energies.
Before researching, Norris would take his time to arrange his laboratory in this style. The current laboratory might be the most ghostly one yet.
The combination of modern scientific order and mystical properties created an atmosphere that he believed would help him experiment better. And even if the effects were just psychological, a better state of mind was not bad, either.
The Arcane Projection Display, a masterpiece Norris had devised even before becoming a sublimation mage—and now even better—utilized the Major Image (3rd Level) and Hallucinatory Terrain (4th Level) spells engraved on a magical artifact to create detailed and dynamic holograms for research visualization and analysis. A must for his laboratory, the display allowed him to interact with the holograms, adjust visuals, and project data for comprehensive and collaborative research sessions.
Norris sat hunched over the wooden workbench, surrounded by scattered parchments, flickering candles, and the worn, leather-bound tome the Noble Death Knight had given him. His skeletal hands flipped the book slowly as he began to comprehend—The Mysteries Of The Soul Tool
As he delved further, the words on the pages seemed to come alive, begging him to quickly learn their secrets.
He was in no hurry, though. The noble could wait. He would wait.
Norris's eyes scanned the text, drinking in the knowledge contained within like a parched traveler quenching his thirst at an oasis.
°°°The soul is a tripartite entity, comprising three sacred aspects: the Chronicle of Information, born from the whispers of experience and the rhythms of daily life; the Luminari of Thought, forged from the crucible of emotions, desires stripped of fake masks, delusions, and self-deception; and the Auric Body, a shimmering vessel of energy that cradles and sustains the soul's essence.°°°
He considered the implications, his mind racing with the connections between the soul and the physical world.
"Think of the soul as a complex system, comprising three interconnected components," Norris thought, his analytical mind translating the mystical concepts into modern scientific terms. "The information aspect is like a database, storing our memories and experiences. The thoughts aspect is like a software program, processing our emotions and desires. And the energy aspect... the energy aspect is like a bio-energy field, interacting with the physical world around us.
….
As Norris continued to study, he discovered a process called soul regulation. An array needed to be engraved on his soul to aid the soul's regulation, specifically on the Auric Body. Seeing this, he felt a surge of confidence.
Arrays were his forte, the most scientific aspect of the mage profession, and he had always excelled in this area. Creating an array on his soul was daunting but not impossible. It was akin to programming and scripting, and Norris's analytical mind had always been well-suited to this type of work.
As he read further, he came across a warning about the dangers of self-regulation.
"Self-regulation is a double-edged sword," the text read.
Norris pondered the mystical interpretation of the disruptions to the soul's self-regulation.
°°°When the soul faces traumatic experiences, prolonged negative emotions, spiritual disconnect, external negative influences, energy drain, or unresolved conflicts, it becomes akin to a symphony suddenly disrupted by a discordant note.
The once harmonious melody of the soul's energy becomes fractured and chaotic. The Auric Body, the vessel that cradles and sustains the soul's essence, finds itself out of tune. The Chronicle of Information, the reservoir of memories and experiences, becomes clouded with shadows and echoes of discord. The addition of another body plays an act of doom. Calmness like still water shall be advised, the soul fragile as its balance sways.°°°
In his analytical mind, Norris translated this mystical concept into scientific terms. "Disruptions to the soul's self-regulation can occur due to traumatic experiences, prolonged negative emotions, spiritual disconnect, external negative influences, energy drain, or unresolved conflicts. The soul can regulate itself instinctually, but with the addition of an external body, it loses its sense of balance. This soul tool is meant to help the user manually self-regulate."
Norris realized that self-regulation was an instinctual process that allowed the soul to maintain balance and harmony within itself. However, when an external body was added to the soul, it disrupted this instinctual process.
The secondary array, engraved on the soul, was a crucial tool helpful in this process. It allowed the soul to adapt to the new body and re-establish its instinctual self-regulation. However, Norris knew that self-regulation encompassed not only the physical state (the Auric Body) but also the mental state (the Chronicle of Information). While the array could adjust the Auric Body, it couldn't do anything to his memory.
"This process only lasts until the soul has adapted," Norris thought. "During this period, it's advised not to experience any drastic changes in situation and to remain calm-minded. Once the soul gets used to its new external body, you can go back to your chaotic life."
Norris understood that the process of engraving the array was impossible for the Noble, a warrior, and somewhat dangerous for him as well. He needed a tool to help draw the array. He went over to the holographic table to plan it out. He was going to use what he knew best to do this—Array Magic.
By creating an array he named the primary array, Norris aimed to aid in engraving the array that helps self-regulation, which he named the secondary array. The primary array projected what happened in real time to the user when they were engraving the secondary array, correcting them in time and giving instructions on how to continue. Though he didn't need something this complex for himself, he had a client to aid who was a warrior.
"The primary array projects real-time feedback to the user while they engrave the secondary array, correcting them on the spot and providing instructions on how to proceed," Norris thought, his mind racing with the implications. "This way, even a warrior like the Noble can safely navigate the complex process."
"The secondary array must be engraved on the energy body of my soul, the tangible part of the soul," Norris thought, his heart racing with anticipation. "It's a delicate process, one that requires precision, control."
The primary array would aid him in carving the secondary array, guiding him through the complex process of self-regulation and soul manipulation.
After getting a hypothetical design for the array he was going to use on his holographic screen, Norris continued reading. He discovered that the next step was a process of self-reflection.
That was intriguing.
Norris read that the process of self-reflection was not simple for everyone. For some people, it was a natural and effortless process, a journey of discovery that led to greater understanding and insight. But for others, it was a perilous and treacherous path, fraught with danger and uncertainty.
The reason for this disparity lay in the nature of the soul itself. The soul was a complex and delicate entity, comprising information, thoughts, and energy.
At its core, the soul was a reflection of one's own self-image, a manifestation of one's deepest thoughts, emotions, and desires stripped of fake masks, delusions, and self-deception. Many people go about wearing different kinds of masks for the evolving situations they may face in their lives.
Some people, though, are unfortunate enough to wear a mask until it becomes part of them, and they remain oblivious, thinking they are still in control of the mask and can remove it at anytime.
Any self-denial or doubt about oneself could lead to a collapse of the soul, a catastrophic failure of the entire system. Any dislike or hatred of oneself could create a rift in the soul, a tear in the fabric of one's own being.
This was why self-reflection was so crucial, yet so dangerous. It required a deep understanding of oneself, a willingness to confront one's own flaws and weaknesses. It required a delicate touch, a precise calibration of one's own thoughts and emotions.
Norris paused. Norris was always and would always be Norris, right? This didn't take much of his time, though. That's for future Norris to worry about
He knew that the reward was worth the risk, that the soul tool was waiting for him at the end of this perilous journey.
Norris wondered why the concept of the soul tool had not become popularized. He reflected on the examples he had read about in this book: a conspirator received a chessboard that could receive information from the warp and be used to make the world a chessboard, subtly influencing fate; a mage who defied death created a lich box where the soul could escape to from anywhere, preventing death; a fire mage with an obsession for controlling flames had a tool that granted unparalleled control over fire. Each soul tool embodied an obsession and created a solution, helping their users achieve their goals. It was truly the alchemy of the soul.
However, there was one part that Norris didn't understand—the part that transformed obsession into strength. He knew this was the core of the soul tool creation, and his current level wasn't enough to comprehend it fully. The way it was done was by using a ritual.
Then it clicked. No wonder it hadn't spread.
Rituals weren't his thing; attempting to try it on himself was too risky. Rituals involving unknown concepts and entities were extremely dangerous, so the noble was to test first.
It was the noble's decision to create a soul tool. This couldn't be considered a breach of the contract. Thinking of this, he relaxed and decided to continue with peace of mind.