“So… What now?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, how do we fight together, or do we even fight together at all?”

“Do you want to fight with me? I’m sure we could find a way for you to cast mid-battle, but that all hinges on if you want to fight.”

“Huh? Don’t I have to? What if you’re in trouble?”

“Sure, you’ll probably have to save me a few times, so we should practice switching control at least, but most of the time that won’t be necessary. You can just focus on doing what you want, and if that is fighting that would be great, but it doesn’t have to be.”

“That… doesn’t sound so bad. I was worried I’d have to go ‘destructo-wizard’ all the time now. I didn’t really enjoy turning those Orcs to dust. My Path isn’t about fighting.”

“Did you hate it?”

“What?”

“Using your spells for combat.”

“No. I just didn’t like it. It felt like a waste of Mana and time. I didn't gain a proportional amount of data for the sheer amount of Mana I expended. Sure, it was nice to see my current limits, but my Path isn’t about combat. It’s about Discovery, Learning, and the Arcane. Some of those can be helpful while fighting, but none of it is combat-focused.”

“Well, then you have your answer, don’t you?”

“I guess I do. Still, it would be a waste to not help you at all. We need to figure out a few things, but I’m pretty sure I can set up a few effects to support you. Not to mention, I’ll still need to test my spells on something, and what better subject than a couple monsters? It’s not a waste if I’m furthering my research. Plus, I haven’t been able to test out my avatar skill… That may be a solution in and of itself.”

— — —

The first thing they tried was simple.

Testing if he could cast from their Soulscape, the dark void each resided in when they weren’t in control.

Vorn already assumed that it wouldn’t work, so he wasn’t surprised when their mana simply didn’t respond.

If he couldn’t cast from their spirit that meant that he had to have some form of control over their actual body.

First, they just tried switching really quickly, but that was doomed to failure. It was too disorienting going from standing on a platform made of mental energy to being in a moving body.

They learned that the whole ‘shutting down’ thing that their body did was actually a defense mechanism. They could completely bypass the short delay that belied switching control, but doing so meant a couple things.

First, they both had to agree on the switch and initiate it at the same time. That was disconcerting, up to that point, they had never tried forcefully relinquishing control, but that was a key step.

Second, it was somehow even more disorienting.

When switched normally, taking control felt like waking up. A gentle pull into consciousness that you couldn’t quite remember.

The instant switch was like being splashed with ice water, except you were somehow in the middle of sprinting and now you didn’t know where your limbs were.

Difficult. To say the least.

Still, with enough practice, it could work.

That was exactly what Rowan intended to try. Just keep switching control until they get good enough at it to do it mid-battle.

That, however, is what Vorn would call ‘working harder not smarter’, and Vorn intended to work smart.

So their third try was something they had never attempted.

Partial control.

“I just don’t understand how that would work.”

“I don’t either, but I don’t see why it shouldn’t be possible! Switching control is jumping into the void of our spirit for you too, right?”

“Yes. That is why I'm so confused. How do you partially throw yourself into oblivion?”

“Good question, and one I intend to figure out.”

— — —

‘The platform is just a structure of mental energy, so that means it was created by our subconscious mind, probably as a safety net. Now, why wouldn’t it just allow us to fall freely? Why does leaving the platform matter? Is it symbolic?’ Vorn rambled on in his mind.

Then it hit him.

The platform didn’t matter at all, or it only mattered tangentially. [Discovery] started to vibrate. He was on the right track.

It was originally only meant as a prison for the other consciousness in their spirit.

They broke the chains, but they never even questioned if the foundation of the chains was necessary. They had to go somewhere when the other was in control, so they just assumed that the platform was the only other place they could go. That it had to stay the same.

But why? Why would it have to be?

There was no rule book for this. They were a Unique Being, and so long as they were careful and thought it out, the System would help them work it out. It was a little more lenient when it came to Unique Beings due to how rare they were.

The System always at least attempted fairness, so Unique Beings got a lot of advantages. They simply didn’t have the advantage of being able to rely on thousands of generations of knowledge about their species, and that was a very significant advantage in the eyes of the System.

Think for a second that you were a completely new being. You don’t understand your biology, your soul, or your racial advantages if you even have any, to begin with.

Sure, Voran may be basically human on the outside, but you didn’t just become a Unique Being with no changes. Vorn would bet his bottom bright that their biology was fundamentally different from any other human at this point. That meant things like healing potions and medical skills would be less effective, along with Skill and Evolution guides.

So the System helped by not letting a Unique Being kill themselves by accident. Sure, it could happen, but the System tried to prevent it. Why? Why did the System at least play at fairness?

No one knew. Maybe it was for entertainment or some sense of justice, but the bottom line was, the more you struggled, the more it would try to help.

Still, the thought of receiving help from the System irked Vorn slightly. The stigma against using any System assistance, even in the form of Skills, was deeply ingrained in magecraft. To start with, even picking the Mage Class was considered ‘lesser’. You could follow the Path of a Mage without the System, and doing so was considered the more 'noble' and superior path.

However, Vorn had already abandoned becoming a Mage. He didn’t need to hold on to their biases. Getting assistance from the magical being/construct that partially governed their reality didn’t make him lesser.

With that in mind, he attempted simply altering the platform beneath his feat, intending to abuse [Discovery] by doing basic changes until it pointed him in the right direction. Sure, he could use [Discovery] as a scalpel, finely tuning projects that he already had mostly figured out, but it was also an excellent tool for brute force. A hammer to swing around until he found the right path to at least start on.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

And he found out something very quickly. He was not the one who summoned this platform.

“Rowan, what does the platform look like to you?”

“Hmm? Oh, it appears to be a matte silver material. Made from the same metal that the chains were.”

“Ah.” Vorn understood now.

“Have you figured something out?”

“Maybe. I’ll let you know when I’ve confirmed my theory.”

‘Okay, so that’s very good to know.’ For Vorn, the platform appeared to be made of a light gray, oddly porous, stone. It did always seem strange how uniform it was, but if it was from Rowan’s advanced world, then it would make sense.

The platforms really were a part of the prisons they had made for each other.

Vorn knew he could influence objects made of mental energy with his, but that was relegated to just breaking it. So just manipulating it without Rowan's help wouldn't be possible.

He should probably just tell Rowan.

It would be so simple.

He was holding back for no real reason.

Just baseless paranoia.

The knowledge of mental energy and how to manipulate it wasn't some great secret or anything.

But it was a comfort for Vorn. He knew that, if it came to it, he could cage Rowan. He could be in absolute control. His mental energy, even before his Class, had been more potent than his Soulmate’s. The chains his subconscious made were weak and brittle. Easily broken by a rageful warrior.

But if he actually focused on their strength? On reinforcing the chains? They would be basically unbreakable.

By telling Rowan how to manipulate his mental energy, Vorn would be giving up his safety net. Rowan could just summon a bomb or something to blow up his contraptions. He would have the tools to fight back.

But…

Vorn had already decided to trust Rowan. His anxiety was just bringing out a cowardly part of him, honestly, he should have brought it up ages ago. What if there was an attack on their spirit? Rowan would be defenseless!

“Rowan… I haven’t been completely honest with you.” Vorn said nervously.

“What?” Rowan asked, concerned.

“About how I broke through the chains. I said I used my brain, but I actually know how the chains were made. How to make them again. They are made of mental energy, and I know how to manipulate it and I could’ve taught you how to use it. I should’ve taught you, but I was being… cowardly. Keeping a trump card to use. It was stupid and-” Vorn’s rambling speech was interrupted.

“Oh, just that? I knew you were hiding something from me, and honestly, I figured it would be something like this. Granted, I just assumed you knew something about magic that you weren’t telling me, but I guess I wasn’t far off. I thought that you needed some time to warm up to me, and I was right. Thank you for telling me.”

“Really? You’re not mad?”

“I’m a little hurt, I won't lie, but we’ve not known each other long, so I can’t be that angry. I’m glad you decided to tell me, though. After our little near-death experience, I’ve come to realize that I really do enjoy your company.”

“Even if I’m not funny?”

“Even if you're not funny. Honestly, it’s refreshing. Back home, everyone was either terrified of me or they revered me as a god. Having someone crack bad jokes and poke fun at me is nice.”

“A god? That sounds extreme.”

“I was not a normal human. After I signed up at a young age…” He trailed off, lost in memories.

“Rowan?”

“Sorry. After I signed up, I was brought up in an experimental environment. A large war had just ended, a new one was on the horizon, and my nation had lost… badly. Robots and Wartime AI were our main weapons, but they lacked a certain... Determination that only humans have. Sure, most of the time, their strategies were sound. Genius even. They consistently overlooked one thing, however.”

“What?”

“Human stupidity. Or perhaps I should call it bravery. When you're fighting people who care more about winning than living, usual strategies go out of the window. If you bomb them, they’ll sacrifice a pawn to protect the rest of their forces. If you starve them, they’ll just eat each other.”

“That’s horrific! Why would they go so far?”

“It was. And… I don’t think we were the ‘good guys’. I grew up rough, but that was after we had already lost the previous war, the stories I’ve heard from before… They’re not pretty. I love fighting, but I thank whatever higher power is out there that I didn’t experience that War. Hell, that entire period was a dark one. Our enemies were feverishly determined. They would have ended the world if it meant taking out the NIAF. Thankfully, nuclear weapons had all been either used or decommissioned a long time ago.”

“Nuclear?”

“Don’t worry about it. You can create any spell now, right? Then I don’t want you to know a single thing about those weapons. Not with how fast we grow.”

“That bad, huh? Honestly? I don’t want to know.” Vorn lied. He didn’t care about the destructive power, he was just desperately curious. He continued, "What does NIAF stand for, anyway? I assume it's an acronym?"

"You would be correct, it stood for 'New Intelligence Allied Forces. The AI insisted that they were just a new form of intelligence, so they discarded the 'Artificial' in their designation"

“So... Did it get better?” Vorn hesitantly asked.

“It had too, there was no way for it to get worse!" Rowan laughed bitterly inside their mind. "But yes, there was a regime change. The previous leaders ruled with brutal efficiency, convinced that a program could determine how to rule a nation of people. Clearly, they were wrong, but it took a lot of blood to convince them of that fact. The new rulers weren’t perfect, and they still kept an “Artificial Advisor” on hand, but they were a lot fairer, inefficiencies be damned.”

“That’s good at least… But why go to war again? Why were you viewed as a god?”

“Thankfully, it was for normal reasons. Resources, tension, and animosity. It was as standard of a war that you could ask for. Now the reason they viewed me so highly, that’s a different story. Wartime AI was out of the question, I’m sure you understand, and with them gone, robots could no longer be controlled effectively. They needed new soldiers, and the grunts they already had weren’t cutting it, so they made something better. I was only one of these new enhanced soldiers.”

“Only one? So were they all viewed so highly.”

“Not so much as me, no. They raised us all from varying ages, with me being towards the middle of the pack at fifteen. They used experimental techniques to both suppress our immune system and enhance our cognition and bodies. A tough thing to balance.”

“Why suppress your immune system? That seems counter intuitive.”

“Simple, the human body rejects biological implants. Metal ones are a little more touch and go, but if they interact with your body in a meaningful way, they would also be in danger. It was possible to make it so they didn’t, but it was incredibly expensive when they could just stick us in a suit to protect us from sickness, or treat us when we inevitably did get sick anyway.”

“That’s horrible!”

“That’s the military. In all fairness, though, it was voluntary-”

“Bullshit, you said you were middle of the pack in age, right? How old was the youngest?”

“Thirteen, but-”

“Bullshit!”

“Okay, I get your anger, but you have to understand, there was nowhere else for us to go. Without them taking us in, we would have just rotted in the streets.”

“Gee, I wonder who put you in that position, who was supposed to fix that, maybe the government you were working for?”

“That’s… Fair. Okay, so maybe it was a tad more immoral than I thought.”

“A tad.”

“Do you want to hear the rest of the story?”

“Sure, if only to give you more perspective on how fucked up everything was.”

“Again, fair. Okay, so where was I?”

“The part where they experimented on a bunch of young teenagers.”

“Right. We were enhanced biologically and cybernetically, but even with the immunosuppressants, there was a limit of what the human body could take. A limit to the enhancements. A limit that I didn’t seem to possess.”

“I see where this is going.”

“Everyone else was strong, don’t get me wrong, and I respected them greatly, but they didn’t have the sheer combat capability that I did. They knew, I knew it, and the military knew it. They also knew that no matter how strong I was that a plasma burster from enemy artillery would annihilate me just the same as everyone else.”

“So they sent you on smaller individual missions where you wouldn’t be at risk of larger weapons.”

“Exactly. I was sent behind enemy lines where most only had small arms. Sabotage, taking prisoners, hell, sometimes I even captured entire enemy fortifications. I became something of a legend to the rest of the troops. Granted, they seemed to ignore that I had an entire team behind me making sure I didn’t kill myself with my recklessness.”

“That’s… That’s fine I guess. Of all the things you’ve told me, that’s at least just standard practice in war.”

“Hah, I guess you would already be familiar with having people that strong in the military.”

“True, Hyal’heim is known for its elites. But what I’m more curious about is… What are implants?”

“Ah, I see how you keep forgetting to tell me things now. It just feels like it should be basic information.”

“Trust me, I get it.”

“Anyway, implants were mechanical or biological devices that could replace or add to your body. By the time of my demise, I was mostly metal and what wasn't metal was enhanced.”

“What did the implants do?”

“Oh, a little bit of everything. Enhanced senses, strength, durability, and such. They basically just replaced any part that could be even mildly improved.”

“Wait... implants... Replacement parts… Replace just a part? How would I…”

“Hmm?”

“[Discovery] is pinging me. But why? Wait…”

“Did you figure something out?”

“Maybe. I need you to try something for me. Damn, I still haven't taught you mental energy manipulation. Well, no time like the present. It's actually very easy, the hardest part is just noticing that it's there-”

— — —

In front of Vorn, there it was. A large staircase to the window of their spirit. The staircase itself terminated into a large flat platform that was nestled right against the ‘window’. He slowly walked until he reached the glass-like barrier that allowed him to see out of their eyes.

From the idea of implants, he realized something. He didn't have to take over an entire limb or organ. It was a leap in logic, he knew, but that was the entire point of [Discovery]. It let him make those leaps. As to how he guessed the window would be necessary? He still didn’t know. This would be the first test.

So, he stuck his hand out of the window. The clear membrane that he had mistaken for glass was actually cool and gel-like. It took only a slight effort to push through the surface tension.

Instantly, he could feel that he was controlling their body's right hand. Their entire hand.

That was unnecessary.

He removed his hand and held a single fingertip through the window.

It was strange. In their spirit, he felt completely normal, but the contrast of actually controlling a part of their body meant he could truly feel how strange his situation was. He wasn't actually made of flesh and blood while inhabiting their Soulscape-- obviously, how could he be? -- but now he could actually experience what that meant.

His fingertip felt like warmth and life. Even through the membrane, he could feel the Vitality coursing through it.

Compared to that, his body felt cold and numb.

What was his body made of anyway? Was it just his soul? That didn't make sense, did it? Did the soul really mimic the body to such an extent?

[Discovery] buzzed at him. He wasn't on the right track.

Whatever, they were doing something else right now. He could figure it out later.

Vorn attempted to cast a spell through his fingertip. A simple cantrip, or level zero spell, that even an Unclassed could cast with enough practice. Spark.

A little flash popped out of their fingertip in real space.

It worked.

It worked!

They did it!

“Well, that was surprising. I can't say I was expecting my fingertip to ignite suddenly.”

“Yeah, we'll have to be careful to coordinate that, but just think of the possibilities! Shielding, crowd control, all manner of support, and utility spells at our disposal!”

“I thought you weren't excited about the whole combat thing?”

“Were you not listening? I said it felt like a waste of time and Mana, but I'm not wasting anything if I'm actually improving, so hells the fuck yeah I'm excited! Also, I can help us not fucking die! That's probably an important part you're overlooking.”

“Well, I can't say I'm disappointed. I look forward to fighting with you, if you so choose.”

“Same!”

Ark burst down the door and shouted, "Are you guys done yet? You've been in here for like fourteen hours! How long can that bastard sleep, Rowan?"

Rowan shrugged, but his finger pointed up and fired a gust of wind at her.

"Oh you little bastard!" Ark yelled and then lunged at them playfully. At least, they hoped it was playful. Why was her hand glowing?

“Oh fuck.”