Chapter: 553 – Talking about Solid Concepts

Tala turned more fully to regard Eskau Meallain, Alat ensuring that the iron body that they’d created didn’t degrade or start to break apart due to lack of attention. “So, do you know how to make a spirit?”

The elf regarded her in turn for a moment before snorting a laugh. “No, not in the slightest, but I don’t think you’re supposed to make a new one. I imagine you’re just meant to anchor yours to the new body after reworking it.”

“But mine is woven through this one. Does that mean I have to destroy my own Fusing before I can Reforge?”

Eskau Meallain gave her a funny look, then arched one eyebrow. “You’ve already worked with your own spirit directly, and you don’t know its nature?”

It was Tala’s turn to frown. “What do you mean?”

“My dear girl, it is what makes you, you. Your soul is tied to your sword. Why isn’t your sword you?”

“You mean aside from my mind?”

The other woman rolled her eyes. “Yes, Eskau. I’m talking about solid concepts, not memories that can be changed from one day to another.”

Alat took a moment to comment, despite spending most of her focus elsewhere. -I think association with mind-mages has messed with her definitions of things.-

Or maybe clarified them? I was still ‘me,’ body and soul, even after Be-thric stole my memories. She has a point.

-…Huh… you’re right. That might actually be an insight many struggle with.-

Exactly. So, what is it? I feel like we should know.

-Agreed. We also just witnessed the death of a Refined first hand and with great scrutiny.-

Tala grimaced but called up the memory of Master Girt’s passing, taking comfort in the feeling of joy coming from the man’s soul as he reunited with his wife. Remind me to give this memory to the Librarians for the—

-Already done. You asked me to give all the memories around him and his death, and I made sure to highlight this one.-

Right. Thank you. My apologies for stealing your focus.

That dealt with, she turned her attention to those final moments. The soul had passed on and…

Her eyes widened. The reality node.

Master Girt’s reality node had vanished as he’d died, leaving his body a simple collection of parts.

She checked around herself and saw her own node and how it both was distinct and somehow blended with that underlying her sanctum.

The whole sanctum could be considered a collection of nodes—alongside the distinct collection that was Ironhold—within the node that was Kit, and it was to that greater node that Tala was so intrinsically tied.

She and Kit weren’t one, but they were… interwoven.

Then, she decided to do something that she’d never really considered in quite a long time. She dove inward with her perspective.

Her threefold sight—leaning heavily on voidsight—examined her self as she hadn’t bothered to do since she’d Fused.

There it was. At the core of her being—in the sense of being at the heart of all parts of it rather than simply being at the center—was the blanket that she’d woven of her body, spirit, and soul, magic being the thread that connected all parts and Fused them into a holistic unit…

She frowned.

That didn’t actually make sense. She wasn’t powering it, and even if she were, the ‘hammer blow’ of Reality would have destroyed her Fusing if magic was all that held her together.

She looked closer.

It wasn’t actually magic that held it all together. Magical power had been the catalyst, but what she’d actually done was weave her very soul—specifically, the reality node through which her gate drew power—through her entire body.

As to what she’d woven it to? Well, the first and more obvious part was the soul itself, which acted as anchor and cabling in one. It was that base part that allowed the power through, rather than the whole thing.

I wonder if I can… No, focus, Tala. Think on that later.

Second was her body, but really, her body wasn’t a single thing…except when seen as a whole, when seen as the reality node renders it.

-So, Fusing is the interconnection of the reality nodes of your body, your soul, and that which is your presence here on Zeme.-

Yeah… I don’t really understand how it’s different than the soul… or my body, even though I saw that it is. Is that because I’ve Fused?

-It’s what makes it you. Is your soul in your hand? No. Your soul acts through your hand, and the hand is tied to your soul, but your soul isn’t in the hand.-

Your point?

-If you slap someone, you did it.-

But if I use power or authority to move a rock to hit someone I did that too.

-So, are you trying to imply that your aura and authority shouldn’t be considered as a part of you?-

Tala’s eyes widened again. “Aura is just an extension of the reality node, the spirit, the self.”

So, so many implications clicked into place, and Eskau Meallain simply smiled.

Tala had dozens of questions flash through her mind, each answered by this new understanding. Where were her natural magics?

In reality, of course, but why would they move around with her? What medium were they actually in?

Her spirit. Her aura. Her self here on Zeme.

It was so obvious—Master Grediv had essentially told her as much years earlier—but she’d never actually considered the topic fully.

A broad grin washed across her features.

That’s how Master Xeel does it.

-Oh… Oh! Yeah, that makes so much sense. He has no need for inscriptions—though I’m sure they’d still help—because he made his magics an intrinsic part of his spirit.-

And we can do the same. We have been doing the same to an extent, but we’ve been doing so with slow steps, allowing it to form as it would, rather than controlling the results.

She could work to impose her inscriptions on her natural magics more fully… but they’d want to incorporate her soulbonds too. She hesitated, almost slapping herself in the face. -Oh, yeah, that’s really obvious. This is how Master Jevin messed up when he Bound himself with an Archon Star made from the ancient tree. He ended up Fusing with the tree as much as with his own body—if not more so—and even when he corrected that by Fusing with his body as well, he was still as much the tree as his humanoid form.-

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Thus, the issue.

-Thus, the issue.-

Tala grunted, remembering a much more recently encountered example. Mistress Cae and her astral cat.

-That’s right… Yeah, we’re not doing that with Terry…- Then, somehow, Alat’s eyes widened.

How? I mean, I want to know what you realized, but HOW? You don’t have eyes to widen!

Alat chuckled. -Well, you were able to hit me, so…-

Fine, fine. So? What did you realize?