When I returned to my dorm, I found myself restless and unable to sleep, consumed by thoughts of the case that seemed to elude me at every turn. To distract myself, I decided to test out a new skill I had recently acquired: Mind Sanctum. Sitting up in my bed, I crossed my legs and activated the skill, feeling as though I was being transported to a different dimension.
As I emerged in the strange new world around me, I saw towering bookshelves lining the walls, their tops disappearing into the distance. Curving staircases wound their way up and down the room, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at the sheer size of the space. My attention was drawn to a single bookshelf in front of me, holding six familiar-looking books. To my surprise, they were the very same books that I had read since my arrival in this world.
As I reached out to take one of the books, I heard a deep voice behind me. Spinning around, I saw a figure standing in the shadows, his features obscured. "Finally!" he exclaimed. "How long were you planning on waiting to use that skill?"
I tensed up, recognizing the voice as the same one that had spoken to me during my encounter with Warren. "Who are you?" I demanded.
The figure stepped forward, revealing himself to be a tall, broad-shouldered man with piercing blue eyes. "My name is Alexander Gramble," he said, extending a hand in greeting. "I'm the last person who reincarnated here."
As I opened my mouth to introduce myself, he cut me off abruptly, "I know who you are, and I know you're not making progress as fast as you should be," he said with a hint of frustration in his voice.
“Excuse me!” I exclaimed, “I have advanced a tier in two schools in less than a week! In this world I would be considered a genius,”
“By the Director!” He exclaimed though I had no clue what he meant, “I didn’t think you’d get all defensive about it. I was just saying that your method isn’t very efficient,”
“Oh alright Mr. Genius,” I said, “How would you recommend advancing?”
“If you perform a Soul Bond you can advance a days worth in ten minutes,”
“A Soul Bond?”
“Just like how I helped you with Warren, by temporarily fusing our souls you can gain access to the memories that I want to give you,”
“This is incredible, Alexander!” I exclaimed, my mood doing a complete one-eighty. “If I can constantly perform a soul bond for about 60 hours, I could progress a year just like that!”
“Slow down there,” Alexander warned, “It’s very dangerous to do it for that long, especially at the beginning.”
I nodded, beginning to calm down. “So what can you teach me?”
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“Well, I didn’t study any of the subjects you're interested in, but I learned Evocation and Enhancement magic. I could also teach you how to use a sword.”
I pondered my options for a moment. “I think I’ll learn evocation. It should help me in the dueling arena.”
Alexander nodded and gestured for me to sit down. “So, how do we do this soul bond thing, anyway?” I asked.
Alexander sat down in front of me, closed his eyes, and reached out towards me, pressing his thumbs into my temples. His eyes jerked open, glowing faintly red as he muttered the words, “Soul Bond.”
I found myself in a small, dimly lit room surrounded by candles. With two books in front of me, a tier 1 and a tier 2 evocation book, I read intently with my right hand while practicing the spells with my left. I made quick progress, only two spells away from reaching tier 2 in just 8 hours. But suddenly, I noticed the room started to crack and crumble. In a few moments, the cracks grew into gaping holes in the floor and I fell through them.
The next thing I knew, I was a young boy standing before my father, Wright Gramble. We both held steel longswords and it was the day he was to test my swordsmanship. As we clashed swords, I realized that even though he was holding back, I was still able to match him. But then the cracks reappeared and widened even faster than before, and I found myself falling again.
In the next vision, I stood over a criminal, my sword covered in his blood. I winced at my wounds, knowing I was lucky to have survived the battle. Suddenly, I felt something soft press against my back, and I turned around to see a girl with tears in her eyes.
"Alexander, please tell me you're okay," she cried, her arms wrapped tightly around my neck.
I reassured her that I was fine and that it would take a lot more than that to kill me. She laughed and moved closer to me, dangerously close to my face. I wanted to whisper something to her, to tell her how much I loved her, but before I could, the vision ended abruptly.
I was gasping for air when I returned to the library, but my concern for Alexander quickly took over. He was sweating profusely and clutching his head, muttering a name repeatedly under his breath. I reached out to him, but he slapped my hand away, tears welling up in his eyes. After a moment, he regained his composure and apologized, admitting that he had lost control and shown me things that were not meant for my eyes.
"I think it would be best if we refrain from Soul Bonding until I can control my emotions better," he said, standing up and dusting himself off.
Curiosity gnawed at me, and I couldn't resist asking about the girl I had seen in his memories. "Alexander, who was she?" I asked, hoping to ease the tension.
But his response was cold and defensive. "I don't go around asking about your first life, so don't ask about mine," he growled before walking off, leaving me to contemplate the secrets he held tightly to his chest.
As I slowly came back to reality, I was amazed that the entire Soul Bonding experience had only taken ten minutes. I sat down and tried to recall everything that had happened, knowing that it might be a while before I had the opportunity to try it again. It was crucial to review what I had learned. I had made significant progress as a Tier 1 Evocationist and was only two spells away from becoming a Tier 2.
I was surprised to find that I had also gained some knowledge of sword fighting. Although it was just a brief encounter in the vision, I felt that I could recreate some of the moves I had used in the battle. It was a promising development, and I looked forward to exploring it further in the future.
Finally, I couldn't help but wonder about Alexander's origin. His experiences and memories seemed to be from a completely different world than mine. This revelation suggested the existence of at least three separate universes, each with its unique history and inhabitants.