A Bird Ally

Hoo hoo hoo. Don't look at me like that child, it was just a joke," the owl laughed as it told Kies. "I don't actually want your soul."

"What?" Kies felt a powerful murderous intent come from the owl for a split second and it was now saying that it was apparently a joke.

"You see, I owe the Stormcaller a favor," the owl explained. "The Stormcaller saved me before and I'm not the kind to leave my debts unrepaid."

"... How do you know I'm an Aeos?" Kies asked. He was even more suspicious of the owl now. How did it know his identity?

"I can see the magic gathering in a single spot for you." Earlier when you used magic, I saw it flow from your chest to your hand, and I only know of one race that does that."

"And how do I know that you're actually going to help me and that you're not lying to me?" Kies still didn't trust the owl.

"Well, for one, you Aeos don't have souls. So if I really wanted your soul, there wouldn't even be one for me to take," the owl told Kies. "And, I don't feed on souls. I mean I could but I find fruits and small critters much more appetizing."

"Fruits and animals in a place like this?" Kies found that hard to believe since this place didn't exactly look lively at him. Everything here looked like it was dead. Well, excluding the owl. "And what do you mean by we Aeos don't have souls?"

"Of course," the owl said. "You just need to know where to look. There are a few places in this forest that have life. As for why you Aeos don't have souls, I don't know. You're an Aeos yourself and you should know more than me," the owl reasoned.

"I'm not really familiar with my race," Kies confessed. He was still on his guard against the owl but asked anyway, "So, are you really going to help me?"

"Of course I am," the owl assured Kies. "But the only problem is that because Aeos don't have souls, it will be quite difficult for you to enter the banshee's mind."

"Are you able to do something about that?"

"No, but if I recall, the Aeos can switch between physical and spirit form at will," the owl said. "Since I'm not sure how that works, you will have to figure that out yourself."

"Does it have something to do with me swapping bodies?" Kies asked.

"As I said, I'm not sure. You will have to find someone else that is more knowledgeable about your race," the owl said. "Why not ask another Aeos?" the owl suggested.

"That's not possible," Kies told the owl. "I'm the last one."

"Last?" the owl hooted.

"I'm the last surviving Aeos," Kies clarified.

The owl stared at Kies for a moment before saying, "I see. In that case, we have a problem."

"Actually, I still might be able to figure out how to change into spirit form."

"And how exactly so?" the owl asked curiously.

Kies tapped on his bracelet and called for Arc. He had almost forgotten about Arc since it had been staying quiet the entire time. "Arc, are you there?"

The owl watched intriguingly as the bracelet flared up and a voice came out from it. "What is it that you require from me?" Arc asked.

"How do I switch into... What was it again? Spirit form?" Kies looked at the owl for confirmation.

"Yes," the owl replied. "And may I as to inquire about what that strange being on your wrist is?"

"I am an-" Arc started to explain to the owl what it was but the owl stopped it and thought for a moment before taking back its question.

"Actually nevermind, we don't have the time for that. Please just explain to that child how to change forms."

"Going back to the original question, it is not possible with the body you possess right now," Arc told the two.

"Is there something wrong with my body?" Kies asked. The only unusual thing he knew about his body is that it didn't have blood. He didn't know how different it was compared to the other Aeos.

"It is a special kind of body made for you to blend in with the humans," Arc explained. "It was made with that goal in mind and lacks most functions that a normal Aeos' body has."

"I see..." As it turned out, Kies's entire body was unusual. "Is there nothing I can do about that?"

"No," answered Arc. "You would need to return to the archive for either readjustments or a change of bodies."

The owl hooted and said, "It looks like we're going to have to do this the hard way."

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