Soul Retrieval 3
Translator: Cinder Translations
...
Derson Plant continued to provide examples to Andy.
"A king, or the head of a powerful family, has access to information from all over the country. He may know some secrets that, if exposed, would cause a national uproar—such information has a tremendous impact on the caster. Although he may appear kind and friendly, he could secretly be a butcher with blood on his hands. This contrast in appearance can also be a huge shock. Their sea of consciousness is a true ocean, sometimes tumultuous, sometimes calm, but always with undercurrents swirling beneath."
"A scholar, whose mind is active and imagination rich, dedicates his life to exploring and verifying the truth. His explorations are difficult for ordinary people to comprehend. However, if he discovers something about the nature of the world that completely overturns our daily understanding, the impact on the caster will be terrifying and deadly. For instance, if a caster has been told their whole life that the ground is flat, but during a soul retrieval, they receive undeniable information that the Earth is actually round, yet cannot comprehend why it is round, that creates a revolutionary shock. Such a person's sea of consciousness is a violent ocean, filled with surging waves at every moment." (Author's Note: Refer to SAN value in Lovecraftian lore)
At this moment, the young mage Andy asked, "But, Mr. Plant, why is it considered undeniable? Wouldn't the caster also blindly believe baseless guesses and conjectures from the subject's mind?"
Derson shook his head. "What I mean by undeniable is that the subject has a complete logical framework in their mind, a process of derivation and verification from simple to complex based on their convictions. Their soul's essence firmly believes in its truth, just like a person is sure whether they are lying. At the moment of retrieval, because the caster and the subject's souls can be described as being in a state of 'high fusion,' the caster's soul essence simultaneously acquires the ability to verify the truth of the subject's beliefs. Even if they do not know the complete proof process at that moment, if it is merely conjecture, the subject's belief may waver to some degree, and the caster can sense that wavering."
Andy remained puzzled, "But… why does the caster experience such a significant shock? If someone were to tell me knowledge that vastly differs from popular belief, I would certainly be shocked, but not to the extent of jeopardizing my sanity."
Derson explained, "The material world provides us with a natural dam. When our ears hear these things and transmit them to the brain, we have our mental barriers as a second line of defense. However, when two souls draw near, the dam of the material world disappears. When the two souls fuse, the mental barrier also vanishes. Without these two defenses, the information in the subject's mind—a vast, heavy tide—rushes into the caster's soul in an instant. Imagine standing beside a dam ready to burst; can you understand that feeling?"
Andy gulped nervously, "I can probably imagine it."
Derson glanced at the magic array and said, "Alright, Master Odanel is about to start."
Andy also focused his attention on the array.
Before him unfolded a strange spectacle.
The runes that composed the magic array began to change, seemingly emitting some kind of eerie light. The color was hard to describe, neither red nor yellow, or perhaps a blend of both creating an orange hue.
The runes lit up in sequence from the outer to the inner layers of the array, and from a distance, it appeared as though two concentric rectangular light rings were converging at the center.
Eventually, the glowing runes formed two light rings that enveloped Master Odanel, the caster, and Lord Somolet, the subject.
The runes… the runes of the array were actually moving.
Andy widened his eyes; it was the first time he had witnessed such a phenomenon.
The speed of the runes' movement increased, and the two people within began to spin rapidly around the array.
Since being thrown into the array, Somolet had remained motionless, but now he began to exhibit changes.
Somolet's body started to tremble slightly, continuously shaking his head.
"Uh…" he groaned, then clenched his jaw tightly, the force making his cheeks bulge.
His hands, bound behind his back, strained against the ropes, trying to break free.
The ropes dug painfully into Somolet's flesh, yet he refused to stop struggling.
Although it was futile, the bindings were very secure.
Somolet's movements became more frantic until his whole body was writhing, but strangely, no matter how he struggled, he could not escape the light rings that confined him.
"Ah! Ah!" He began to howl in agony.
"He must be experiencing a splitting headache right now," Derson remarked to Andy.
"Of course, the current caster—my mentor—isn't having an easy time either."
At Derson's prompt, Andy turned his gaze to Master Odanel.
Unlike Somolet, who was writhing and struggling, Odanel remained seated in a cross-legged position.
His arms were no longer changing positions like before but were now extended, fingers interlaced across his chest.
However, unlike his calm demeanor before casting, his face now twisted in a grimace.
That grimace expressed a suffering endured.
His temples bulged, veins protruded, and large beads of sweat dripped from his forehead.
Andy thought, according to Plant's description, Master Odanel's soul was currently withstanding the impact from Somolet's sea of consciousness, and it must be a truly uncomfortable experience.
Standing beside him, Derson Plant said, "If it were me, I absolutely wouldn't dare to cast such a spell on Somolet. A killer nurtured by the D'Arshi family for decades, carrying untold darkness and knowing unimaginable secrets—who can say for sure? Only my mentor would have the courage to do so; his sea of consciousness is vast and profound enough to contain a torrent of information made up of countless secrets."
"Ah! It's over."
The soul-level confrontation did not take long, lasting just over a minute.
At this point, Somolet lay collapsed on the ground, his face turning a purplish hue, gasping for air, his wrists bloodied and mangled from the intense struggle.
Derson teased, "Hmm, it seems that Lord Somolet is no ordinary person. As expected of a rigorously trained assassin; an ordinary person undergoing soul retrieval could end up as a moron or faint for days, but this lord just seems like he has gone through intense exercise."
On the other side of the array, Master Odanel slowly took a few deep breaths and then gradually opened his eyes.
"I know the whereabouts of that child now."
(End of the Chapter)
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