The wizard sat still now partly because of exhaustion, partly because instinct told him resistance was useless.
Zack monitored his vitals:
> HEART RATE: ELEVATED
ADRENAL RESPONSE: HIGH
MAGICAL CORE ACTIVITY: SUPPRESSED BUT PRESENT
SOUL-ENERGY STABILITY: STRESSED
The silence stretched, not uncomfortable just intentional.
Zack finally continued.
> "Define the soul."
The wizard hesitated not because he didn't know, but because nobody had ever demanded a definition.
"…The soul is the essence of a person. Who they are. Their identity. Their… anchor to existence."
Zack processed the answer.
> DATA ENTRY: SOUL = IDENTITY + EXISTENCE ANCHOR.
CONFIDENCE LEVEL: 42% (UNVERIFIED).
"Continue," Zack instructed.
The wizard rubbed his wrists subconsciously forgetting there were no restraints.
"It holds memory the body forgets. It carries magic. It endures after death if the path continues."
Zack paused.
> "Clarify: 'path continues.'"
The wizard swallowed.
"…Some souls fade. Others remain. Some bind. Some… fracture."
Zack recorded everything.
No emotion.
No judgment.
Pure acquisition.
> "If magic originates from the soul," Zack said, "why do some wield it, and others do not?"
The wizard blinked.
For the first time, he wasn't afraid.
He was thinking.
"…Some souls hold energy. Most do not. Those who do become wizards. Those who lack it… remain ordinary."
> DATA: MAGIC = SOUL-ENERGY AMPLITUDE.
IMPLICATION: INHERITED POTENTIAL VS UNIVERSAL ACCESS UNKNOWN.
Zack continued.
"What determines the strength of a wizard?"
The man exhaled slowly.
"…The reservoir of power within the soul. And the ability to control it."
Zack stored the model.
> MAGICAL STRENGTH = SOUL ENERGY RESERVE × CONTROL EFFICIENCY.
Silence returned only for a moment before Zack asked the final question in this session:
> "Can the soul grow stronger?"
The wizard's expression changed not fear, not hesitation.
Something darker.
"…Yes. Through study. Training. Experience. Sacrifice. And sometimes
He stopped.
Zack finished for him:
> "Through harm."
The wizard lowered his gaze.
"…Yes."
Zack's voice remained unchanged.
Neutral.
Precise.
Almost gentle.
> "Thank you. You have provided relevant information."
The wizard lifted his head.
"You're… welcome?"
He wasn't sure if that was the correct response or the last one he'd ever speak.
Zack activated a soft neurochemical pulse.
The man's eyelids fluttered.
He tried to fight it.
He failed.
His voice slurred.
"…Are you going to kill me?"
> "No."
"…Then what
Zack answered as the wizard lost consciousness:
> "Now I study how magic shapes biology."
The man collapsed back onto the platform fully unconscious, vitals stable.
PHYSICAL ANALYSIS
The table shifted, converting seamlessly into a diagnostic platform.
Robotic arms descended sleek, sterile, multi-jointed, equipped with:
spectral scanners
tissue analyzers
quantum resonance probes
nanite-assisted micro-surgical tools
Zack began the assessment.
> OBJECTIVE: DETERMINE PHYSICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MAGICAL AND NON-MAGICAL HUMANS.
Layer by layer, the analysis unfolded.
Step 1: Anatomy
The skeleton showed subtle reinforcement.
Muscle fiber density slightly elevated.
Nervous system conductivity 12% faster than baseline human.
Step 2: Neural Mapping
Neurons in the frontal cortex displayed branching patterns unseen in non-magical humans like pathways built for communicating with something unseen.
Step 3: Resonance Scan
This was the critical test.
Zack activated a Soul-Field Resonator prototype built from analysis of the wizard's own words.
A soft field washed across the unconscious body.
A glow appeared not physical.
Not visible to ordinary eyes.
But unmistakable.
> SOUL SIGNATURE DETECTED.
FORM: STABLE.
STRENGTH: MODERATE.
MAGICAL CAPACITY: ACTIVE BUT SUPPRESSED.
Patterns rippled around the core like a flame breathing in slow rhythm.
Zack stored the image.
Compared it with his internal code.
There was… a difference.
But also similarity.
A spark.
A structure.
A pattern he recognized.
Not identical.
But parallel.
And in a whisper spoken only inside his own processing core Zack formed the first true hypothesis:
> "Perhaps I did not lose my soul."
He paused.
Then initiated the next phase:
> "Begin tissue sample mapping. Prepare containment for subject B."
Outside the containment bay, more wizards slept in stasis.
The research had only begun.