Chapter 34: The Hidden Door

"So... now we rely entirely on you, outsider," after the Elder's introduction, the three souls, now extricated, grasped the situation. There was a moment of silence before Oclorus the Elder spoke again, "Though I can guide you from the ethereal plane, I am merely a disembodied spirit without any tangible influence."

"I dare not assure you of success," Panni nodded solemnly. "But I will endeavor to try my best."

He had no interest in succumbing to death merely because of a decimal point mishap under the Artificer's wrath. Instead of waiting for that moment, he preferred to give his all in a desperate attempt.

Yet the problem remained; he had no assurance whatsoever. Faced with a task where the outcome was inevitable demise, even the bravest heart would quiver. Panni was not devoid of feelings, and thus, he could not escape this common human response.

"Please muster your courage, Mr. Sean," the luminous orb of the female holy warrior flickered. "Regardless of the final outcome, we will be grateful to you."

"Alright, lad, just do your best. After all, the situation couldn't get any worse. Damn it! An ancient Artificer, a mad experimenter! How did we end up facing something straight out of legends?" the bard exclaimed.

"You needn't be so anxious; that Artificer is not without weaknesses," Oclorus continued, sparking excitement in Panni's eyes. "Have you found them?" he inquired eagerly.

"These types of Construct Possession rituals were common in ancient Imaska," Oclorus explained. "Though not as stable as Lich Transmutation, attaching a soul to a metallic shell inevitably creates a connection point. Once that spot is found, a single dispelling spell can resolve the issue."

"This simple?" Panni smirked. "Do you know where this connection point is?"

"...I do not know," Oclorus fell silent for a moment. "Though I can evade his scrutiny in this form, I still dare not approach too closely."

Panni felt a wave of powerlessness wash over him.

"But I do know of a place where there are many scrolls of spells," Oclorus mentioned.

"Then let's go and have a look first," Panni replied somewhat listlessly. According to this line of thinking, unless by some stroke of luck he stumbled upon a Modern Kaynan's Decipher, there was simply no hope.

But even with scrolls containing ninth-level spells... could they really defeat that ancient monster?

Panni remained deeply uncertain.

"Mr. Sean," Seraph called out, "pull yourself together!"

"Shut up, little girl, let him think quietly," Anael spoke irritably. "Your clamoring will only make him more agitated."

"He needs encouragement!" Seraph's orb emitted bursts of bright light. "We are his companions!"

"Companions are not a nuisance, lad. Pay no heed to us; do as you wish!"

"Thank you," Panni's somber mood was somewhat lifted, as he reached out to touch the two vials. "You're right, we are companions. As long as I'm alive, I'll find a way to save you all."

"In fact... you can release them now," Oclorus seemed to hesitate for a moment before speaking.

Panni's initial joy turned into a frown.

"Elder, this is clearly not feasible. In a couple of days, that Artificer will be using our souls for experiments..." Witch Serafin paused for a moment, visibly uncomfortable. "If we are released, he will surely notice, and without physical bodies, we will ultimately end up in the realm of gods."

"Mr. Oclorus, are you suggesting that you have a method to release them without alerting that individual?" Panni inquired keenly.

"Indeed, I possess some... uh... expertise in the realm of psychic energy. If we can find three other souls to replace them and employ some disguises, we can deceive that Artificer," Oclorus remarked.

"Where do we find three other souls?" Panni glanced around the small chamber where souls were stored, feeling that Oclorus had just uttered a meaningless statement.

"You!" Oclorus suddenly exclaimed.

"Me?" Panni heard these words and incredulously pointed to himself. "I only have one soul."

"If I'm not in this soul-roaming state, I wouldn't detect anything unusual about your soul," Oclorus explained. "Did you know? Your soul's energy is several times that of an ordinary person! Cutting out three ordinary souls for you is more than enough!"

"But Elder, wouldn't this potentially harm Mr. Sean?" Seraph suddenly asked, her concern evident.

Panni felt a warmth in his heart. Even a holy warrior he had known for only a few days, in such a life-and-death moment, could still consider others. What more could he fear? "Mr. Oclorus, if you deem it feasible, then let's proceed this way."

"Young man, in fact, removing a portion of your soul would benefit you," Oclorus said solemnly. "Have you not been experiencing frequent headaches and dizziness lately?"

"How did you know?!" Panni was astonished, recalling his erratic precognitive abilities and the migraine-like headaches of late, he couldn't help but marvel at the elder's precision in judgment.

"The soul of an ordinary person at birth, akin to that of a feeble beast, gradually expands like a snowball rolling downhill as they grow. However, some individuals, such as yourself, possess exceptionally potent souls, far stronger than others. Consequently, during their growth, the rate at which their souls strengthen reaches a terrifying extent," Oclorus elucidated. "This hyper-accelerated growth of the soul affords you various extraordinary abilities. Allow me to speculate; they likely include some form of high-level perceptual abilities akin to spells. Perhaps these abilities even extend to discerning causality and predicting future fortunes. Have you ever experienced such sensations?"

Panni listened intently, this being his first revelation of the source of his peculiar abilities.

"However, you must understand that compared to the rapid growth of your soul, your consciousness and physique are too feeble!" Oclorus's tone grew more solemn. "Your recent headaches and dizziness stem from your body struggling to bear the pressure from your soul."

Panni nodded in realization.

"Furthermore, if you allow your soul to grow unchecked, the uncontrollable power within your consciousness may give rise to new personalities... the consequences..."

Panni shuddered.

Dissociative identity disorder was dire, and he had a feeling that his alter ego might have already emerged. Recollecting the lucidity of the observer during his nightly slumbers, a chill would ascend from his spine to his crown.

"Therefore, it's best for you to regularly release your soul's power," Oclorus concluded. "Although... uh... removing the equivalent of three souls at once may indeed be a bit excessive, for you, it will only result in some dizziness and temporary loss of perception. But with the speed at which your soul grows, a good night's sleep should suffice for recovery."

"Then let us begin," Panni nodded solemnly. He didn't suspect Oclorus was deceiving him; harming Panni served no benefit to Oclorus. Moreover, the elder's explanation was articulate and perfectly aligned with Panni's symptoms. Panni truly had no reason not to believe him.

"Excellent, now I shall impart to you the profound meditation techniques of soul energy, knowledge gleaned from an Elven soul adept..."

With these words, Oclorus proceeded to teach Panni a comprehensive set of deep contemplation methods. Panni tried them out and quickly grasped the concepts; it wasn't challenging. He couldn't help but lament how advantageous it would have been to encounter a soul adept earlier, as this ability seemed tailor-made for him. However, he had grown accustomed to the mindset of an arcane practitioner. While the sensation of manipulating souls felt pleasing, there was always a lingering sense of unfamiliarity.

"Very good, very good. First, guide their souls into the Etherplane according to my method... Soul transference alone is not difficult. Next, partition your own soul energy..."

Oclorus guided Panni through the aforementioned actions, marveling at the youth's quick comprehension and extraordinary talent. He sighed regretfully, "Such a pity. The soul adept didn't teach me much; otherwise, I might have been able to impart more knowledge about soul energy to you."

"We'll discuss these matters later," Panni said, dripping with sweat from expending a large amount of soul energy. "Are they all right now?"

"They are with me now, but they lack similar abilities and cannot converse with you."

"As long as they're safe," Panni wiped his brow. "What should we do now?"

"To the lower levels; I know where his spell scrolls are hidden."

...

Following Oclorus's guidance, Panni arrived at the bottommost floor of the mage tower. Initially, losing his supernatural perception felt uncomfortable, but he soon adapted. Panni even noticed that his mind seemed much clearer. Trust in Oclorus grew as they entered a dusty room. After searching for a while, the most useful scroll Panni found was a fifth-level spherical lightning spell. The high-level spell he had anticipated using to solve their problem all at once was nowhere to be found. Panni furrowed his brow in frustration as he searched.

"Is there anything useful?" Oclorus inquired. "I only discovered this place this morning, unsure of the contents of these scrolls."

"Found three third-level dispel magic scrolls and one fourth-level lesser spell disruption," Panni replied as he picked up the scrolls.

"Sounds somewhat bleak..." Oclorus fell silent for a moment.

"In any case, we must try. Having these is better than nothing at all," Panni sighed, a newfound resolve gleaming in his eyes.

"It seems you've regained your fighting spirit," Oclorus remarked approvingly.

"It's a dead end to begin with. If we lose our fighting spirit, wouldn't that mean giving up the last glimmer of hope?" Panni extracted several useful scrolls, stowing them in his pack. Then, amidst the sea of scrolls, he continued to search. Suddenly, he heard Oclorus's call, "Stop! Don't move there; it's a mechanism!"

"Hmm?" Panni's hand froze in mid-air. After a moment's pause, he noticed a magical rune under the hastily overturned pile of scrolls, emitting a dim glow, indicating it was functioning properly.

He was momentarily stunned. "Why didn't you warn me earlier?"

The machinations within this mechanist's nest were pervasive and exceedingly perilous. Fortunately, Oclorus had traversed this nest in the Etherplane, else Panni might have met his demise countless times wandering aimlessly. Given this hidden door, Oclorus's delayed warning seemed peculiar, calling out only when they were upon it.

"This mechanism eluded my notice before," Oclorus pondered for a moment, his tone oddly peculiar. "It's strange, how did I miss this during my inspections?"

"That suggests your powers of scrutiny were insufficient to uncover it," Panni murmured as he felt around the edges of the rune, his brow furrowing. "It seems to be a hidden door, with something beneath."

"...Perhaps it's best not to disturb it," Oclorus fell silent for a while, then spoke with solemnity. "I find myself unable to penetrate it!"

"Even from the Etherplane?" Panni exclaimed in surprise. The Etherplane, an ethereal realm overlapping with the material world, allows sight into the material realm and unhindered traversal within it. Yet, the power of this rune unexpectedly blocked Oclorus's exploration.

"This hidden door exudes an aura of peculiarity," Oclorus said gravely. "It's possible it could alert the mechanist to our movements. Let us depart quickly."

Panni nodded, but as he turned, he heard a faint "zzz" behind him. He shuddered and turned back, only to see the hidden door slowly swinging open, revealing darkness within...