Hal was riding in a carriage that was returning him to the Harleyclover mansion. He was excited to finally be back there, but now that what awaited them in just a week, he could not help but worry, even with this new upgrade.
The Owl had taught Hal how to wield the eyes he was gifted with; they could read the soul just like Elizabeth's spirit eyes, but they could also read the world, allowing him to see what he normally couldn't, like entrances to the domains of higher beings.
He was also taught that he could turn them off, but that they would turn on with the activation of his ability.
But having these eyes did not mean he could easily find the cult, according to the duke; if his soul is weaker than the soul of the being he is trying to perceive, then he won't be able to see them unless they want him to
"What a good way to limit someone. I have not undergone channelling in a while, so my soul is generally weak, plus I also have to be careful what I look at or risk madness"
He activated the Owl's eyes, looked around, and found himself able to see the flow of soul flame around him.
The stars also appeared different; it appeared as if they had silver paths flowing from one to the other, making beautiful images in the sky.
He also found himself able to see the traces of weird spectral beings from time to time, but chose to ignore them as he remembered the Duke's words.
"You see, these owls are known as spectres, and they are manifestations of the Primordial Owl's will. They act like extensions of it, allowing it to exert its authority anywhere, but beware, noticing these beings and acknowledging their presence is the same as inviting whichever being they belong to look at you, and they won't always be nice"
According to what the owl told him, spectres were only used by monsters of the dominant level and above, but for people, anyone who can shatter their soul can form an incomplete spectre, and all higher beings have access to them as well.
The Owl did not mention if a human could have a complete spectre, but according to him, one formed by shattering your soul is negligible at best and can't do as much as those of higher beings and dominant monsters.
A sigh escaped his lips as he turned off his eyes to avoid gazing at any spectres wishing to cause him trouble, as he realised that the Harleyclover mansion had finally come into view with the appearance of the first rays.
The place had not changed in the time he was away, and the sight of it made him feel nostalgic. He stepped through the gate only to suddenly dodge a familiar silver spear with blue designs.
"This belongs to Elizabeth"
He turned his eyes only to realise that Elizabeth now held her sword right upon his neck.
"You sure have changed the soul flame pouring off you, your eyes and your physique. I like what the duke has done with you; he has strengthened your soul but also made it harder to ignite"
She retracted her sword and made it vanish back into her bracelet
"Come with me, we can continue from where we left off"
Hal's jaw almost dropped
"What do you mean by training? I just got back, and the Duke he…"
Elizabeth gave him a fierce glare that rendered him speechless as he slowly weakened under her gaze.
"You mean how the duke will be the next to disappear? Don't worry, we already know and are beginning preparations, and for your training, I'm not talking about sparring, but your soul, you have ignored it for too long"
***
Hal was quickly subjected to channelling as he reached a point when he could no longer fit any more flame into his soul, his soul was flaring as the flame roaring within was violent, threatening it burn it from within.
"I can't force any more soul flame into my soul; it feels like my soul is burning me whenever I try to go beyond this point"
Elizabeth let out a sigh and gestured for him to stand
"It seems now you have to ignite and calm your soul; it is now saturated and craves evolution, something that can only be achieved by you finding out the essence of your soul"
Hal became confused; her words sounded similar to those of the dukes, but he decided it was best not to tell anything about his becoming a student to the Primordial Owl
"What do you mean by that?"
"The soul has hidden attributes to it, and whenever we evolve, we are revealing those attributes, so in order to evolve, you must uncover an attribute of your soul and activate it"
That explanation made sense to Hal, but it did not tell him how he was supposed to pull off such a feat in the first place.
"Still, how I'm I supposed to do that?"
Elizabeth chuckled and shrugged.
"I'm not sure, it tends to happen in random moments, whether in a dream or dire moments, and it can take from a day to years"
Years, years, they only had a week for him to get powerful enough for the attack on the mansion. In a week, they did not have that much time, but before he could complain further, she continued.
"But the process can be sped up with meditation, by looking into your soul like you do with channelling, but this time going deeper into it, other than forcing soul flame into it"
Hal thought about the process; even his soul now hid secrets from him, couldn't he trust someone to actually trust him enough to tell him all their deepest secrets?
"Here, take this back. I'm done investigating it"
Hal was forced to abruptly grab his old dagger that came flying towards him from Elizabeth. He looked at her eyes wide, only for her to scoff.
"That duke made your reflexes dull; you should have stayed and trained with me"
Hal developed a smile on his face, so the battle-loving Elizabeth actually feels jealous of him training with the duke.
"Keep smiling like that, and you might actually lose your head. How long has it been since I killed you?"
His smile quickly turned to a nervous one, his eyes closing as a result
"Any way that dagger is pretty good actually, it's known as the King's Edge and it has two abilities, the first one known as fueled blade lets it become sharper with how much soul flame is put into it and the second one is called King's talent, it gives the blade a special effect according to their master's soul and how skilled they are at using it"
Hal activated the owl eyes and stared at the blade. It appeared to have a dim flame burning within it, and as he looked closer, he heard whispers that told him all about the blade
They sounded weird and gave him a cold feeling, but they were also hypnotic, making Hal unable to look away until the whispers went silent again
"Now that that is out of the way, I think you should go and speak to Tai, he is the one who has mostly awaited your arrival, and besides, I'm sure you will be astonished by how much he has grown"
"Where is he?"
Elizabeth turned and looked at the window where Lyrrah was sleeping soundly, and that told Hal all he needed to know.
He wasted no time bolting to Lyrrah's room, where he opened the door to find Tai covering her with a brown blanket.
"Hal, I see you are back. It's been a few weeks, hasn't it? And I see you have grown quite strong, there aren't that many points of weakness in your stance"
Ha was surprised by his friend's choice of words. Tai's eyes burned with determination, one that Hal had not yet seen shining in his eyes.
Tai's eyes had also changed; they now had several red circles that grew smaller the closer to his iris they got, and in the centre of that iris was a red spot.
'Could it be'
Hal activated the owl eyes once again and saw Tai's soul; it was not the same anymore. In fact, it seemed to appear as if it was lying in the cracks of the world, in the world's weakness.
Hal knew he could not read a living person's soul just yet, but that image gave him a brief idea, especially considering how traits worked.
[A person receives a trait according to their current mental state when they first ignite their souls]
"I see you have become strong as well, Tai. We have a lot to talk about"
"You mean about how Lyrrah is the niece of the Owl? No need, if she ran away from him, then she must have had a reason, and I want to hear it, but to do so, we must be strong enough to avoid the duke's kidnapping"
Hal felt his heart skip a beat. What was Tai suggesting
Tai flicked his wrist to reveal the map given to them by the duke. It glowed within his grasp
"What lies in the caverns is not money or infinite wealth but power; it may not be infinite, but it will be something. This map in my hand speaks to me and begs me to raid the cave. All I want to know, you are with me"
Hal stepped forward. Tai was his friend for crying out loud, but curiosity also drove his decision. He raised his hand to Tai and offered it to Tai
"Of course, partner, let's raid that cave"
Tai raised his own hand and gave a fist bump to Hal, a smile lining his lips, for today they would liege to the Juzo Glowing Caverns.