One-Eyed Monster

”My children, although my heart is filled with disappointment at this moment, you are still my Summoners. As per tradition, I should provide you with some necessary answers.”

Lord Soron, with great reluctance, forced himself to utter these words.

He had anticipated being surrounded by admirers upon awakening, to be worshipped. He wouldn’t even need to mention it; those who summoned him would orbit him ceaselessly, and all he would need to do was answer their questions one by one.

Unfortunately, of the two individuals who had summoned him, one had a dull, frosty expression, while the other blinked one eye non-stop, remaining utterly silent. Sigh... neither of these two shows any sign of intelligence whatsoever.

Lord Soron felt as if he had stepped into a swamp. He was devoid of strength, with no straw to clutch at, watching himself sink deeper and deeper into the mire...

Time trickled by, but Igor and Kadi still made no move. Kadi didn’t know what to do, while Igor was lost in his own thoughts.

Faced with Igor and Kadi’s continued silence, Lord Soron felt as if he had swallowed countless flies; an unbearable revulsion crept through his entire being.

This was blasphemy against the very word ’great’! This was contempt for all Wizards! This was a naked insult to my name! This was... this was utter disregard for the order of the entire world!

Lord Soron’s heart suddenly surged like a pot of boiling water; GURU GURU, it seethed, roiling with a kaleidoscope of emotions, on the verge of erupting.

What terrible misdeeds had he committed in his life to deserve encountering two such wooden-headed fools at this, his glorious moment of awakening? He had even prompted them that they could ask questions, yet these two remained indifferent—truly the most rotten of wood, the densest of stones!

Igor, however, seemed oblivious to Lord Soron’s resentment. The light in his eyes had dimmed somewhat from hunger, yet he remained fascinated by this Spirit Form. His mind was consumed with wanting to see exactly what this Spirit Form looked like, but alas, his own insufficient Spirit Power reserves left him to worry helplessly.

”I recall there’s a method in Alchemy, some kind of ’bridging’ or something similar, that can link the Spirit Powers of two people, allowing for a Shared Perspective. My individual Spirit Power might not be enough, but then I realized Kadi is right here! Perhaps if we two bridge our powers, we’ll be able to see you,” Igor finally said after a long silence, this being the first thing he uttered.

This boy... he’s different. If only he were a little more enthusiastic, perhaps I would have seen him in a new light. Unfortunately, the expression on his face is like a block of ice from the Deep Winter Season, so cold it seems to steam, utterly devoid of any warmth.

And he’s still concocting all sorts of plans? What a joke...

Lord Soron could not control time, nor could he control Igor and Kadi. His heart was utterly desolate now, as if he were about to sink to the bottom of that swamp.

Why aren’t these two fools hurrying up and asking questions?!

”I remember that ’bridging’ skill... it doesn’t seem very complicated...” Igor was still fixated on that Spirit Sensing skill of the Alchemists.

This is unbearable! Such utter foolishness! Lord Soron was suddenly seized with the impulse to teach them a lesson. In his entire life, he had never encountered such imbeciles! And never before had he been treated with such cold indifference!

”That skill is called the Ant Connection Spell. It’s a method for transferring and linking mutual Spirit Power. It’s not exclusive to Alchemists; any High Rank Spirit Sensor should be able to use it freely...” Lord Soron’s voice was rich and deep, yet sounded kindly, like a grandfather who doted on children, gently stroking the heads of his mischievous little ones.

”Ant Connection Spell?” Igor seemed to have an epiphany upon hearing Lord Soron’s hint. He immediately went behind Kadi and placed a hand on his shoulder, transmitting his Spirit Power into Kadi using the methods he had learned at the academy to perceive Spirit Power.

”Hmm? Why is it so warm? What method are you using?” Kadi felt a warmth spread from his shoulder, suffusing his heart.

Hmm, this child has a high aptitude for comprehension! Lord Soron was quite surprised by Igor’s action; after all, for a dull-witted fool to grasp and master a skill like the Ant Connection Spell in such a short time was no easy feat.

”Not bad, not bad at all. It seems the sky isn’t entirely dark; a little glimmer of light has been left for me after all. Child, listen to me...”

Before Lord Soron could complete his sentence, Igor spoke again, ”Kadi, see if you can perceive the old man who’s speaking. I’ll lend you my Spirit Power; help me see what this person in a Spirit Power State actually looks like.”

Disappointment. Utter disappointment! His attempt at guidance had been completely ignored by this dullard! What on earth was going through this fellow’s mind? How could he possibly think that the appearance of a Spirit Power State was more important than the name ’Soron’? Incredible! Lord Soron finally understood why the Spirit Book he had created remained dormant most of the time with this boy—he was simply too insipid, utterly lacking any common ground...

”Mhm, mhm! I think I can see him! Not just an outline, but his nose, eyes, and beard too!” Kadi exclaimed, his excitement palpable as he perceived the Spirit Form.

Kadi didn’t think Igor was a boring dullard with whom he had no common ground. On the contrary, he found Igor to be quite an interesting fellow. Igor’s arrival, though he’d only been there a short time, had sent Kadi’s emotions on a rollercoaster—though mostly up, with few downs. For example, right now, he could see a translucent, white shadow hovering over the long-extinguished bonfire, looking much like the ghosts often mentioned in stories.

”Hmm, it seems our combined Spirit Power is enough! Kadi, try to output that warmth you just felt, just like how you exert force when you punch a tree trunk...” Igor patiently instructed, clearly intending to teach Kadi the Ant Connection Spell technique. He wanted to see for himself what that Spirit Form opposite them truly looked like.

”Let me try! You absolutely have to see this Spirit Form! It’s even shimmering with light around the edges! It looks amazing!” Kadi said, waving his arms about, thoroughly excited now that he could see the Spirit Form.

This... Lord Soron was speechless. Are they treating me like some kind of museum exhibit? Or have they wandered into a zoo? This is truly a disgrace, an unspeakable humiliation!

He was the magnificent Lord Soron, yet he was being utterly ignored, left hanging here! What was even more infuriating was that once they knew he existed in a Spirit Power State, they completely disregarded his renowned name and started gawking at him as if he were a sideshow spectacle!

This truly enraged Lord Soron!

”AHEM! Have you two quite finished your little spectacle?!” Lord Soron’s voice rose, instantly filled with authority.

Igor and Kadi were both subdued by his powerful voice.

”Since you refuse to ask, then I shall ask you! You, the boy with two eyes, it is time you gave me your answer,” Lord Soron stated, his voice brimming with indignation.