Knock knock.
Ethan knocked twice and immediately got a response. "You can come in... I've been waiting for you." Kaelen's voice rang out from within."Hmnn.. I expected him to be busy," Ethan thought, stepping inside after pushing the door open.
He was met by a strange sight. His master stood before a jellyfish-like creature that pulsed with gray light. Kaelen's hands were weaving a complex spell, but spatial energy kept fracturing, becoming volatile. Each time he drew the spell pattern to a particular point, it collapsed in on itself. Yet, unlike Ethan's own explosive failures, these implosions were perfectly contained, allowing Kaelen to restart with a new pattern without a single hair out of place.
Subconsciously, driven by sheer curiosity, Ethan opened his soul eye to watch.
Immediately, Kaelen stilled. He felt the distinct wave of soul energy from behind him. He turned, his gaze sharp and questioning.
Ahem.
Ethan fake-coughed, realizing his transgression had been noticed. "I'm sorry, master...."
Kaelen studied him for a moment longer, then walked away from his station. He tapped his soul band—the first time Ethan had ever seen him use it. A shimmer passed through the air, and the entire workstation, the glowing creature, and the volatile spatial energy vanished. It was replaced by a blank, seamless wall, as if it had never been there.
"It's okay," Kaelen said, his tone neutral. "What caused the wave of soul energy I just felt?"
Ethan scratched his head, a nervous habit. "It's my soul body, master. Or... I think it is..."
Kaelen's expression grew more intent. He picked up a huge, leather-bound tome from a nearby shelf and walked back, placing it firmly in Ethan's hands. He then moved to a simple table, took a seat, and pointed to the chair beside him.
"You think you can show me?" Kaelen asked. "That is a compendium of all the soul bodies that exist."
Ethan quickly walked to the seat and sat down. "About that, master..... I already got a copy of this from the library and went through them."
Kaelen's eyebrow raised. "Okay? Is there a problem? Or is there a problem recognizing which one it is? The record is quite accurate. It's an official record from the Specter race; I don't think there should be any problems with the descriptions in it."
Ethan shook his head. "Actually, sir, I couldn't find mine in here."
Kaelen's eyes took a questioning light. "But that's almost impossible... There's been no case in the past where a recorded soul body was not recognized." He took the book back from Ethan's hands, flipping it open with a practiced ease as he listened. "Tell me. What form did it take?"
Ethan took a breath. "The form? Uhh... it's an eye... a single eye."
The rustling pages in Kaelen's hands stopped dead. He looked up from the book, his full attention locked onto his disciple. Infact, he didn't need the book to recall the information contained in the book, he only took it out to show Ethan what he needed to know about his soul body, but there was no record of a single eye as a soul body "An eye? Describe it."
"It's like a normal eye, I think," Ethan clarified, the words feeling both heavy and relieving to say aloud. "Oh, it's silver in color too.. the entire eye."
The sharp thud of the tome snapping shut echoed in the now-silent room. Kaelen's gaze was intense, boring into Ethan with grave concern.
"Hmnnnnnn... silver. A single, silver eye." Kaelen repeated the words slowly. "This is a first of it's kind Ethan. There's never been a soul body that wasn't already known by the Specter race.
He set the heavy book aside, breathing easy as he dropped the subject of Ethan's soul body. "I never expected you to tell me about your soul body so readily," he admitted, a note of respect in his voice. "I was prepared to exchange some resources in return for that knowledge."
Ethan twitched at the word "resources." From Mystic Kaelen, even the smallest gesture could be a treasure. A single piece of advice, an old manuscript—any of it would be incredibly beneficial to a Rank 2 ascendant like him. For a moment, a feeling of regret passed through him.
Kaelen's sharp eyes caught it, and a small, knowing smile touched his lips. He stood, moved to a different shelf, and selected a slimmer book in what looked like black leather. He walked back and placed it firmly on the table before Ethan.
Kaelen gave a slow, deliberate nod. "I'd ask what your silver eye's ability is, but that would be a little too invasive," he said, placing the leather book down in front of Ethan with a finality that marked the end of his initial conversation.
He was still curious about the nature of his student's soul body, but that information would be considered secret to most ascendants who had soul bodies.
He spoke while settling back into his chair. "I'm sure you noticed that on the day of your awakening, nothing about identifying a soul body was mentioned."
Ethan nodded. "I've always wondered why. If individuals with soul bodies are as powerful as you mention, why aren't all ascendants examined for one?"
"Precisely the right question," Kaelen said, his eyes glinting. "That's because, unlike humans, *every* member of the Specter race possesses a soul body. It is their birthright. Now, tell me, why would a method for identifying the *existence* of a soul body be so crucial to a race like that?"
Ethan perked up, the gears in his mind turning. It was a puzzle with dangerous implications.
"The knowledge on the soul that we as humans were able to obtain," Kaelen explained, "was as basic as it gets, with a few techniques and essential principles about the soul's nature.
Thinking for a moment, Kaelen looked up at the empty air. "Tower Spirit, bring Alan to this floor."
"Yes, Tower Master," the neutral voice responded.
A few seconds later, a flash of white light revealed Alan in the room. He stumbled slightly, clearly not ready for the sudden teleportation. Luckily, he'd only been reading a book; if it were up to him, he'd have preferred to be in the Battle Realm, trading blows with other ascendants. That environment was more his pace.
"Master?" Alan recovered quickly, offering a short, sharp bow.
Kaelen gestured, and the floor itself rose up, twisting and solidifying into a third seat beside Ethan's. Alan took it, his gaze flicking between his master and Ethan, who was holding a strange, grey-bound book.
"I apologize for calling you here so suddenly," Kaelen began. "I have decided that I may not be seeing either of you for some time. I'll be going into seclusion, unless the Tower is in danger or I have specific business to attend to."
He looked at them both, his expression softening from that of a researcher to that of a teacher. "I initially had Ethan here to confirm his successful awakening, just as I did with yours. There were... abnormalities during his process, but I am glad to see both of you in good health."
Ethan felt a surge of gratitude. "This is all due to your help, Master."
Alan chimed in, his voice earnest. "Yes, Master. Without you, gathering the materials for our awakening would have been close to impossible with our current strength. Thank you."
They both bowed their heads from their seats, drawing a rare, genuine smile from Kaelen, who gave a soft cough to mask his moment of sentiment.
"Of course. You are my students. And I don't remember giving you any gifts except those suppression rings." His tone turned serious again.
"Make sure you keep them on. Flaunting the fact that you possess a soul body or an elemental body never ends well. Especially you, Alan." Kaelen's gaze pinned him. "I'm pretty sure your opponents in the Battle Realm have already begun to suspect. I hope you know what you're doing?"
Alan couldn't meet his master's eyes, a flush of embarrassment creeping up his neck. He hadn't realized his master was keeping such close tabs on him after granting them independence in the Outer Order.
"And you, Ethan," Kaelen said, turning the weight of his attention. "I hope you know that no matter how much you prepare, you can never be truly ready for all the dangers in the world. Caution is good; it won't get you killed. But on this path, without taking risks, 'average' is your only destination."
Ethan lowered his head as well, a humbling realization washing over him. Their master had been keeping tabs on them the entire time they thought they were alone. He'd almost forgotten he had a master in the short, frantic span of time he'd spent forging his dual elemental cores. The oversight felt foolish now.