Lurona city [southern shores of Fuminao Legacy Kingdom], local time [1794.01.27]
Hearing this declaration, Alex sighed heavily. “Do you even have people who can work with you without being prejudged? Or are you planning to join us?” he asked skeptically. “Because it will take years of dedicated study if you plan to work alone. Exchanging raw knowledge and working in hiding may not be enough without our constant input.”
“Yes, I have a few,” Zeph said with confidence. “Even Aisha Zora would work with you if what you are telling me is true.”
They both send him ridiculing gazes.
“You mean the Mad Dog?” Alana asked, smirking. “There is no way…” she shook her head.
“She’s one of the most fanatic followers of Leilucia, isn’t she?” Alex asked, his tone failing to stay neutral. “You would risk that? With us?”
Zeph tilted his head, failing to understand their worries. In the first place, Aisha’s faction had split off from the main administration of the Temple. And—in his mind at least—she was one of the most reasonable people around.
“Okay, clearly there is some misinformation happening here. You call her a fanatic?” he addressed the most jarring part. “Do you even know how the social structure of her Temple looks like? The hierarchy and their goals?”
His serious tone took them aback.
“Well, her Temple is all about crisis management, right? Eliminating anything that can cause an imbalance or something?” Alana spilled.
Seeing Alex keeping quiet, he turned to him, giving him a meaningful glance.
The man grimaced but complied. “Leilucia’s Temple is keeping their internal structures hidden. We know little besides the facts. And those show that their goal is to eliminate dangerous elements from the society… People like Zora aren’t feared without a reason.”
Zeph rolled his eyes. It wasn’t his place to divulge the workings of Leilucia Temple, though. “Would you, at least, try to meet her? Our cooperation would be a win-win for both sides.” He sat straighter, changing his posture to a more proper one. “If I understand you correctly, you have an issue with the Temple of Pure Souls. Correct me if I’m wrong, but for the last few years you were hunting down the ‘corrupted’ individuals from that faction, right?” They nodded reluctantly. He scowled at their hesitation. This city owed them a favor for keeping the unwanted elements out, but they didn’t seem keen to acknowledge that. Which meant they had a reason for being cautious like that. “What else?” he asked harshly.
“Monsters and sources connected to the Nether,” Alex added immediately, almost with a relief that he could understand there was more to it. “But our methods aren’t foolproof. We have killed an unhealthy number of innocent people along the way. I hope you understand…”
Zeph shrugged indifferently, mentally distancing himself from that problem. “That’s the reason I don’t want to get involved with your crusade. It’s all on you, those unnecessary deaths. I won’t take a part in that.”
That comment seemed to land hard on both of them. Alana bit her lower lip while Alex turned his gaze away.
“That doesn’t mean I can’t help you with that issue, though. I won’t be trying to force my morals on you, but unnecessary deaths all just that – unnecessary,” he explained, a little disappointed that they have chosen this path. But forcing his way would change nothing, he was well aware of that fact. In the past, both of them were just as stubborn in their beliefs as he was. And now, after they all restored their connections to their Souls and freed their Will, their opinions would be even harder to change or influence.
“We can cooperate,” he continued. “My Department hopes to develop methods to restore bodies in a quick manner. And the people in my Guild are open-minded. We have gathered people from all walks of life. You should be aware of that fact, to some degree at least. Most of them are very talented, yet socially or economically indisposed because of how the actual social system had treated them,” He made a pause to let that sink in. “That doesn’t mean the individuals in my Guild will help you out unconditionally. But an equal exchange of information and insights should help both of us. Especially because the city is now wary of the Nether and the Temple, from what I know. It places you in a favorable position. Aisha and Kwan are on the warpath with groups of people led by the Temple of Pure Souls. They are a common enemy.”
He hated to play political games, but he didn’t see any other way to make them cooperate. Not at this stage, at least.
“I have hoped—“ Alex started in a small voice, still looking away from him.
“And you have miscalculated horrendously,” Zeph interjected, shaking his head. “I may understand, intellectually, what emotions and motivations your Onjis have burdened you with. But the more I understand it, the more I don’t want to have anything to do with it. You have chosen your war, fight it without involving bystanders at least, please. And try to do some good along the way. It’s all I am going to request from you,” he explained in a bitter tone, pushing down the resurfacing memories from their time on Earth. “Maybe in the future we can find more common ground, but… you have steered too far from our old, joined ideas…”
He was ready to fight for his freedom, his rights, and his convictions. His place in the world, even. But he wasn’t ready to take part in another war just to support his comrades’ case. Not yet. The situation on Earth back then was different from the old definition of a typical war, but the prevailing chaos and anarchy only made the memories worse. They didn’t even have a clear case to fight for at the beginning, only the desire to survive by gathering enough resources and backing.
Looking at them in the eyes, he knew that they understood. They have chosen a difficult path in this new world and wanted their ‘dreams’ to come true, but they all shared the same history to some point. That’s why they knew it would be unreasonable to force him to support them after he found his own path to follow.
Or, at least, that was what Zeph wanted to believe in.
One thing was for sure – if they were to turn their backs on him over their newfound resolution, he wasn’t going to simply ignore that fact. He wouldn’t plead or look for a reason to forgive them. The betrayal wouldn’t go unpunished. Also, he wouldn’t just blindly believe them in the future. He was forging a new life and he was going to protect it.
The awkward silence was stretching.
Heaving a sigh, Zeph decided to break it – there was much more to discuss yet.
“That doesn’t explain how you had traced Jaekandu?”
“Ah, right.” Alex composed himself. “You want information about the artifact, so I guess we shouldn’t kill him outright?”
The lightness with which he spoke those words was worrying, but it wasn’t Zeph’s right to condemn them anymore. “Yes. Also, did the Temple have anything to do with it?”
“The Temple is absent in the city for the most part,” Alana started. “We have made sure of that. But people corrupted by power tend to make the same mistakes…”
“In other words – no, the Temple of Pure Souls wasn’t involved. Only people who had dealt with them in the past. We have found the trail thanks to them, as we were keeping an eye on those individuals. But the people who brought the artifact are long gone… They all left the city or have gone missing. We have confirmed it. However, Jaekandu, along with his closest aides, is a little too proficient with Soul Arts. And I’m speaking about the more dangerous spectrum – they found a way to force metal illusions through Soul links. And that almost confirms that he was, at some point, working with or for that Temple. The emergence of the artifact only sealed his fate.”
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Zeph frowned. “A stunningly clean operation… Can you get more information from the man? I don’t really care if he dies. In the first place, he was one of the greedy ones. He had challenged us. And he should have died during the Duel.”
Alex relaxed somehow, his shoulders dropping almost imperceptibly. “I can try, but it will take a few days… and your cooperation.”
Zeph recognized why he was hesitating by simply looking at his face. It seemed that Alex wasn’t excited about reading Zeph’s Soul, which made his decision easier.
Dealing with Souls – Alex’s self-proclaimed specialization – required a healthy dose of contextual information. Alex wouldn’t be able to read much from the man if he didn’t know what he was looking for. As so, Zeph himself was a necessary piece of the puzzle.
“You can check my Soul scarring and memories, if you know how,” he declared. “Just be informed that any direct action on my Soul will backfire on you. I no longer am protected by my Will only.” His full-body enhancement would wreak havoc if someone tried that without precautions.
Alex nodded. “Thank you for sharing that. I just want to see, not to operate, so you should feel nothing.” He stood up and started walking to the other side of the room where a few more pieces of furniture were gathered.
Zeph hesitated for a moment, but stood up to follow him in the end. It seemed that Alex was prepared for a Soul scan from the very beginning. It was a little worrying, but noting he would put past the old Alex – preparations were important in every situation, after all.
He would prefer a more controlled environment, but taking into account how long it could take them to find common ground with his Guild, this was the best occasion. The number of reasons to doubt them was small and overshadowed by the opportunity to find more information right away.
Also, he would be more cautious if his full-body enhancement couldn’t restore his body and brain, but as things were standing now, something like manipulating him or his memories shouldn’t be possible. Not without serious effort and time.
If Alex was able to assess his memories, there was a risk he would find something that could concern him, like Gru’s nature. But Zeph was sure they wouldn’t try to kill him outright without speaking to him first, not after their prior discussion.
In an old closet, a folded carpet and a small parcel were stored. Alex unfurled the material in one move, guiding it to land flat on the floor. After moving and stretching it around a little, he finally sat in a meditative pose near one end, in the center of a fractal-like pattern, gesturing for Zeph to sit before him. There, a similar pattern was inwrought into the fabric.
“My method of assessing Soul damage is quite different from normal practice,” he started explaining as Zeph sat before him. “I will not touch your Soul directly. I will stimulate your mind with an injection of neutral Mana to make you relax, then spread Soul fragments all around your Soul. Please don’t shy away from them. As for memories, please try to recall the fight and I will do my best to follow.”
Zeph’s eyebrow raised. “You better don’t try the first step. I believe it would be just a waste of resources for both of us. Just describe the state of mind you want me in, and I will try to imitate it?”
Even though he seemed taken aback a little, Alex was prepared for that eventuality. He knew that Zeph was way more knowledgeable in regards to the mundane workings of the body than he himself ever was in the past, so he didn’t even try to persuade him otherwise. “Sure. Then, can you simulate a dopamine injection along with numbing of the input from neurons around your body?” he asked even as he turned back and reached to retrieve the parcel. “We also have a relaxing agent if you would prefer that instead,” he added, showing him the package.
Zeph nodded. “That would help. I can take care of numbing if you wait for a few minutes, though, so I would rather use something lighter. Also, don’t try to check the overall state of my brain or body.”
Alex smiled wryly. “Because of your… upgrades?”
Zeph smiled good-naturedly. “Something like that. You can do a lot of harm to both of us.” Flesh manipulation and sleeping Gru sounds like a recipe for disaster…
“Understood,” Alex nodded, taking out a vial from the small box. “I will wait for five minutes then.”
Alana moved her chair closer, too. Her body language betrayed her intent – she looked ready to intervene and move Zeph’s body away if something was to go wrong.
Without another word, Zeph took the vial and sat opposite Alex. He downed the liquid in one gulp, put the small bottle on the boards of the floor, and closed his eyes.
If he could, he would sough the required state of mind himself, but that was beyond his current abilities. Aisha was using many relaxing agents when she wanted to enhance her ethereal senses, so he wasn’t averse to the practice.
The numbing of his body was another story, though. That should, theoretically, be possible with his Neural Implant. The thing was made from Planaria Fullerene and was following all of his neural pathways. That gave him a framework to work with. The simplest methods worked best, so he pulled all Mana from the traces of his implant, moving it directly to his brain. The oversaturation of Fullerene Magicules should force his brain into a state of overflow while causing the rest of his neural system to slow down. The Implant was enforcing almost a 5-time increase in efficiency—or, as the System had described, ‘functionality’—of his neurons.
In simpler terms – that would theoretically mean he would be overclocking his mind while downclocking all neural receptors and signals in his body, leaving him numb.
As his body slumped forward involuntarily, he learned just how efficient that method was.
With his seriously handicapped internal Mana Manipulation, he couldn’t use that method in a fight – to numb his pain, for example – but the possibility was confirmed. At the moment, he could only move the whole stack of Magicules up to his brain, but that should change when he found some Makrun to replace the old, Earth’s alloy in his implants.
It took a minute for the stimulant to start working. Truthfully, it would be a trivial matter if Gru was awake. The guy could easily stimulate his body in a way that would force a cascading dopamine reaction. Filing his stomach with sugars would be enough as the most primitive method, and Zeph knew of many other ways to cause or enhance the effect.
It actually hit a little too hard because of the Magicule oversaturation. A few mental exercises enhanced by forced mind stabilization quickly put him back in the sweet spot, though.
As he was blissfully exploring and guiding his randomly surfacing thoughts. The memories of the fight slowly started surfacing - the fragments accumulating to form a lucid dream as he was recalling more and more details. Initially, the chronology was all over the place, but Zeph was aware enough to smooth it out.
He was halfway there when something started irritating his other senses.
With no time at all—at least to his current senses—he moved his focus to his Soul. There, he ‘saw’ a very peculiar image. His constantly shifting Soul was lying superimposed over another form. Or maybe, it was enveloped in it?
It was hard to say.
But even in his blissful state, he remembered Alex’s words – to not oppose Soul fragments surrounding him. As so, he allowed them to come closer…
After a moment he understood why Alex was putting people in a relaxed state before starting this… infuriatingly slow process. If Zeph wasn’t as relaxed as he was right now, he knew for a fact that his whole being would try to shake off those irritating conglomerations of Soul powder – like a wet dog would with water.
Thankfully, he understood that ahead of time and forced this instinctual reaction down. It seemed that Alex never used this method on other Terriens. The method wouldn’t work on any of them, he was almost sure.
The Soul fragments started shuffling towards one place – the scarring left by the attack during the Tournament. It seemed that his actual memories playing out again and again in his mind were enough to guide them. Yet, it was unpleasant, to say the least – like bugs scurrying along your skin. He did his best to endure.
After some time, Zeph started to question if this was just a natural reaction, or if it was a consequence of his Gru-provided training in Soul Arts. He had to actively fight back a ‘gag reaction’, while Alex was sure he wouldn’t feel a thing.
Thankfully, when enough of the fragments gathered around the damaged ‘part’ of his Soul, the movement stopped. Instead, something more complicated was being formed at the site, but he decided to leave it be. He was very close to losing it and striking back.
Instead, he refocused on falling back into the blissful meditation he was in just moments ago. However, no matter how much he tried, the feeling of total detachment from his body and Soul has never returned. Maybe it was his awareness of what Alex was doing, maybe it was because he didn’t trust him entirely. Or maybe it was because of the unpleasant feeling he felt before… it was hard to tell.
As so, he greeted the signal to resurface with great relief. The signal was simple – a strong pat on the shoulder accompanied by a much stronger feeling of something removing itself from his Soul’s vicinity.
Zeph opened his eyes groggily. A quick adjustment to the spread of the Fullerene Magicules across his body helped with that almost instantly, though.
For some reason, his body screamed in pain, making him groan. All his muscles started flexing haphazardly – as if his brain was trying to make sure they were there.
Alex was taken aback as he fell to his side, spasming almost.
“Umm, whatever you did, I think you overdid it…” Alex said.
He smirked despite the pain. Excellent observation, Sherlock!