- Some time ago -

Three days after their arrival, Josh, Diana, and Robert were ushered into a small office to meet Clive once again. Clive sat in a small but luxurious chair at a large desk filled with paperwork, while the three ex-students stood by the door.

By now Diana and Robert had calmed somewhat, but Josh felt more anxious than ever. He'd tried using his astral projection to scout his surroundings the first night and found the walls somehow blocked his ability.

“I hope you've found the last few days restful” Clive greeted them. “I'm sure you have many questions, and I've set aside some time to answer them.”

“Why'd you kidnap us?” Diana blurted out, before anyone else could say anything, causing Josh to want to facepalm. Fortunately, Clive seemed genuine in his offer to answer questions as he merely smiled.

“We didn't kidnap you” he rebutted “We purchased you fair and square. If you have a problem with that, you should take it up with the ones who sold you to us. We have every intention of treating you well.”

Josh thought that made sense, not that he planned to trust the Empire any time soon, but the other two appeared affronted by the very idea.

“Then why'd you throw us in rooms that block our abilities?” Robert demanded, asking the question Josh himself had been wanting to know. Though Josh was more interested in the how, than the why. The why was obviously because they were captives.

“That was for your own safety” Clive calmly replied.

At the three skeptical looks thrown his way, even Josh failing to hide his doubts, he continued “As you may have noticed, you have yet to meet any wizards. Your escorts were warriors. I, myself, am also a warrior, and have been entrusted with your care. Those mana barriers around your rooms were intended to keep you from wandering into any nearby wizards. That is intentional on our part, for your own safety.”

“Are wizards that dangerous?” asked Diana fearfully.

“For you, yes. You see, magic is the realm of the soul. A wizard can touch the world with their soul and bend it to their will. You Astrals are practically half a wizard yourselves. You can touch the world, but bending it is beyond your powers” Clive responded.

“Are you saying it's impossible for us to become wizards?” Robert asked, looking disappointed.

“Actually, your kind can become quite powerful wizards” Clive replied mirthfully.

Josh could tell that Clive was intentionally riling them up, but Robert took the bait and exclaimed “What!? So you're purposely keeping us away from other wizards so that we can't become strong?”

“No, no, you misunderstand me” Clive chuckled “It is indeed for your own safety that we keep you away from other wizards. Your souls can create truly powerful wizards, but that's not limited only to yourselves. Your souls also make the best supplements for other wizards to increase their own power.”

“Did you know? We used to hire wizards to visit new worlds and bring back new talents, including Astrals.” Clive nodded sagely. “But we stopped hiring wizards for that task centuries ago. That's why the mercenaries sent to retrieve you were warriors. The death rate among newly acquired Astrals has more than halved since we made that change.”

All three teens paused at the subtle threat, before Robert continued hopefully “But that means we can become wizards, right?”

“I'm afraid not” Clive shook his head. “I mentioned before that you are something like half a wizard as you are now. Your true value doesn't come from your potential, but from what you can do now, without tying yourself to one of the paths of power.” Clive

“Paths of power?” Robert asked innocently, clearly trying to wheedle more details out of Clive.

To Josh's surprise, Clive didn't hesitate to explain further.

“Indeed, the Path of the Wizard and the Path of the Warrior. The soul provides the essence of magic, and the core contains it. By merging your soul with a magic core, you take your fate into your own hands, no longer at the mercy of the world around you. That is to say, that you can begin to generate your own mana, and you can also begin to strengthen your core. This is the first step on the road to immortality. The warrior focuses inward, circulating their mana throughout their body, increasing their speed, strength, durability, and reactions greatly. The wizard focuses outward, allowing them to affect the world with their mana and enhance their senses.”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“So somebody can just go pick up a goblin's magical core, merge with it, and become immortal?” Robert asked nonchalantly, hoping to learn how.

Josh began to suspect Clive's motivations when he once again offered exactly what Robert was after.

“Indeed, all you have to do to embark on a path is embed the magical core within your body, and merge it with your soul. Even a child could figure it out. Some do settle for goblin cores, but most don't. The quality of the core determines how much mana it can hold, while the soul determines your mana generation.

While it's true that any core can be strengthened with enough effort, it's almost always better to start on a higher step. This is why the royal family always buys up the strongest magical cores on the market, and most mercenaries and adventurers will set out to slay the strongest monsters they can find for their children, should they choose to follow that path.

Of course there are some madmen who will prioritize other qualities. Egotistical fools who choose the largest core they can find, believing bigger is always better. Overconfident pragmatists who purposely choose the smallest magical core no matter its quality, to make their weak point more difficult to strike. Crazy wizards who seek out cores specifically attuned to the elements they're obsessed with.”

Robert looked thrilled, clearly planning on trying out the first chance he got, permission or not.

“You've been quite forthcoming with answers” Josh pointed out.

“Of course” Clive grinned wickedly “After all, you're already under oath to support the Eden Empire. Soul contracts like the one we use are tied to intentions. It's better that I explain exactly what is expected of you so that you can't accidentally break those expectations.”

“But why can't we follow one of those paths?” Robert asked petulantly. “It's not like that would stop us from serving this empire of yours.”

“Oh, but it would” Clive replied. “Don't you see? Your astral projection is your most valuable skill, and that is a manifestation of your soul. When you merge your soul with a magical core, your soul and the physical core become one. It can never be undone. You would then lose your ability to project your astral form, and that would be truly wasteful.”

“Wait, then you want us to work as spies?” Josh asked dubiously. After the way his last “spy mission” had turned out, he wasn't keen on repeating it.

“Oh no, nothing so crude.” Clive denied. “Although I can see why someone from a primitive world without magic would come to that conclusion. No, where you are most valuable is working as guards, or perhaps it would be more accurate to call you canaries?”

Josh hoped that last part was a translation error on the part of the artifact.

Throwing up his hands Clive exclaimed “Grand parties, official meetings, the royal palace, they all need protection! Might is only half the equation. You are the other half. You and your fellows will watch for any intruders, assassins, or suspicious activity and report it to those who can defend against them.”

Then, with a cold glint in his eyes, Clive threatened “And should anyone be foolhardy enough to harm you while you're guarding the most important members of our Eden Empire? Well, I assure you they will soon wish they were dead. I can guarantee that working for the Empire is the safest place an Astral could be.”

“But isn't that still pretty dangerous?” Diana whimpered.

“Do you think this is a safe world?” Clive questioned rhetorically. “Every Pathed risks the destruction of their very soul when they step onto their path. Should their core ever be destroyed, their soul will also shatter. At least you won't have to worry about that.”

“W-what happens if your soul gets destroyed?” Robert stuttered.

Clive shrugged “You cease to exist, probably. Nobody really knows what happens after death. Although there have been enough tests done on mortals to prove that a normal soul does not shatter upon death the same way a Pathed soul does.”

“But if a wizard steals our soul, wouldn't our soul get destroyed anyways?” Josh questioned.

Clive glanced around for a moment, trying to think of a way to spin the answer in a way that benefited him. “Well, yes, but as I said, only a truly foolish individual would risk the wrath of the Empire over a bit of extra mana generation! It almost never happens. Astrals in general are very rare, and most of ours have to be acquired from newly integrated worlds, due to wizards picking them off in the wild before we can find them. If we didn't protect you fiercely, we wouldn't have enough of you to go around!”

“But we'll still die eventually, right?” Diana whispered.

“No, no” Clive denied “Did I not mention the rewards? We may not be able to justify spending the resources to extend the lives of the average mortal, but we have the means to keep you alive and well for as long as you do your job.”

“You said we couldn't follow these 'Paths of power' because they would interfere with our ability to do the jobs you expect from us” Josh stated, deciding that the information Clive could provide slightly outweighed the advantages ignorance provided against the terms of his soul contract. “But why can't we seek power in other ways? Do we really need a core to strengthen our physical body with mana? Couldn't we use a magical core without actually tying our soul to it?”

“You can if you want” Clive easily admitted. “Strengthen your body without a core? Possible, but expensive, painful, and tiresome, for incredibly minor results. Using standalone magical cores? Also possible, easy even, although they are considered a consumable resources for a reason. They can't be refilled, they can't be strengthened, and you won't be able to generate your own mana. Feel free to experiment, just remember not to tie your soul to anything physical, or we will have no more use for you.”

“Huh, then what about possessions?” Robert asked abruptly.

“Hmm?” Clive glared suspiciously at Robert.

Josh felt like smacking him over the head right then and there. 'What kind of dangerous question is that, you fool?' he groaned.

“I wonder where you heard about that” Clive squinted. “Don't tell me, those friends of yours the mercenaries killed? No wonder only two of them showed up.”

“It seems you'll get to meet a wizard after all.” Clive deadpanned.

After a long moment where Josh feared they may have just been designated as magical soul food for some wizard, Clive clarified “Don't worry, they'll be properly vetted by the Empire.”

“To answer your question” he continued “I've heard that all Astrals are capable of possession once they become more familiar with their powers. Please keep in mind that even if you do possess somebody else, the oath you've signed will remain attached to your soul. Not only that, possession will merely suppress your target's soul, which means any competent wizard who looks closely will notice that you have two souls in one body.”

“Which is why I will have to bring in a wizard to check you all. Just to be safe. And then I will have him check in with those mercenaries” Clive stated grimly, in a tone that suggested the mercenaries wouldn't be checking out.

“Now, let me escort you back to your rooms” he finished, no longer willing to trust that job to the maids after that last revelation.