"Ran, there's something going on with you. Your entire existence is a mystery," Haru said, biting his lip.
Looking at him Ran saw that he looked like someone who was reluctant to reveal a secret.
'How ironic,' he thought, 'here I am trying to hide a secret and my only friend in the universe is worried about revealing some secret to me.'
He wanted to ask Haru what he meant by saying his entire existence was a mystery, but a gut feeling told him to remain quiet.
He felt as though speaking would dissuade Haru from telling him whatever it was he intended to.
Fortunately, it did not take long for his friend to make up his mind.
"Ran, have you read about the Eternal Sight of Seven Elements?"
Ran paused. The name sounded familiar. He may have come across it but couldn't remember actually doing any in-depth reading about it.
"I think I may have come across it in the Book of Calidation, but I don't really know anything about it," he responded.
Haru nodded. "Mortals, pure or not, who don't possess kin capabilities, cannot see the supernatural. A demon could be standing before them and they wouldn't see it. There are exceptions of course, people the Celestial Realm has blessed with the Eternal Sight of Seven Elements. They are the only mortals without kin who can see the supernatural and spiritual. Some seers, psychics, and prophets are blessed with the Sight."
Ran felt something tighten in his chest as his friend talked. He didn't know where he was headed but he had an eerie suspicion.
If he was just blessed with this Sight Haru would just point it out instead of beating around the bush like this.
"Ran." Haru paused and looked up to gaze directly into his eyes. "You were not supposed to see the Genie."
Ran felt his whole world shatter at that very moment. He clenched his hands into fists and grounded his teeth.
He couldn't believe this. He was not going to even think of it. No, no chance that this could have happened.
He wouldn't have been on this path now? Wouldn't have ever known how his father was taken?
Would he have just sat there—weeping in sorrow—thinking his father had died naturally.
Even if his father had actually died a natural death, his soul did not belong to Naraku. He should have gone to the Celestial Realm instead.
"I used to think you have the Sight," Haru continued, "but I wondered if I was right when I overheard the Supreme Spiritualist refusing to aid you. Normally, the Monastery values people with the sight a lot. At least, he was supposed to have cajoled you into joining our holy order, but he did nothing of such. The next thing that made me wonder if you indeed possess the sight was our arrival in hell."
This one, Ran knew about, having seen it in the Book of Calidation a some time before the Lagarakei's attack.
"You are talking about the Berserkaze," He said.
Haru nodded. "You were supposed to have been driven mad by seeing Naraku, even the little glimpse you claim to have seen when the genie came for your father should have pushed you off the cliff into insanity. But you didn't. Sight or no sight, every mortal needs protection of some kind just to exist here in hell in mortal form. I have one which my mother helped me gain. You never had one until some time after our arrival when Mukoku decided to bestow you with her aura."
Ran nodded. This was also a puzzle for him. But he was curious to see where Haru was headed and if it matched his suspicion. "What else?"
"Your soul after having been contaminated with demon's blood was not supposed to have been pure enough for you to be able to touch the Holy Book of Light," his friend said, pointing out another mystery. "And then there was your visit to limbo."
Ran flinched at that, making Haru narrow his eyes at him in confusion. He refused to look away, he steadfastly kept his eyes on his friend's.
Haru sighed and reclined his back against the invisible barrier of the Blazeholde.
"Ran, you were not supposed to have been able to access limbo. Yes it is the source of dreams, but it's impossible for any mortal to actually go inside it. You did and this being Naraku, your entrance left a breach like a blackhole that sucked everyone in the city right in," Haru explained, sounding as wary as he was curious. "Mukoku and I had some words about that before you woke up. She had no idea what to make of it, but had some suspicions. Finally, there was what occurred just now."
Ran stiffened, waiting to see if Haru had seen it—had seen his skin become metallic yet flexible. If he has seen the tendrils corded around him like muscles.
"Your soul was not consumed by the Blaze," his friend said, and Ran had to hold back from sighing in relief.
It seemed like he didn't need to keep this a secret, Haru had seen nothing.
"What were Mukoku's suspicions?" He asked, wanting to keep the conversation on this track. He was also curious about what was wrong with his soul, why he was an exception to every mortal out there in Kurana.
"She felt that you might have caught the interest of an Elder god for some reason and may have been turned into a plaything to keep them entertained. It's a wild idea, but not impossible. It could be something your parents or an ancestor did that get you such attention, but it's very possible," he said, making Ran look away from him.
Ran did feel like he had the attention of someone, but it was not an elder god. He could still vividly see the black wings even when he closed his eyes.
He had the attention of someone bound by the great powers of Naraku, and from time to time he'd feel like he was being watched.
"That can't be the only thing she must have thought about?" He said to Haru, who nodded in confirmation.
"Yes, it was not. Another theory she had was that perhaps you are a god yourself who descended either for entertainment or as a punishment."
Ran chuckled sadistically. "Do I look like a god?"
Haru stared at him seriously. "Who would know. Even you wouldn't know. Your memories would have been locked, but your soul would remember. Which could explain all of the mysteries about it."
Ran shook his head. He felt that if he was indeed a god there would have been a more obvious telltale hint of it.
No, this had to be something else. "What else?"
Haru smiled this time and Ran just felt he was going to say something stupid.
"This one is mine."
The feeling grew stronger.
Haru grinning, continued, "you might just be a Finite."
Ran looked at him and glared. He took a very deep breath—shook his head and tried to calm down.
This was an acolyte in training, one who had seemed intelligent just moments ago.
"Why, Haru? Just…why?" He asked, causing his friend to double over in laughter.
He shook his head once more, feeling like the acolyte deserved an extra for emphasis.
How could Haru suggest that his soul behaved abnormally because he was a creature with no soul?
That was exactly what Finites were—wandering spirits of such a low consciousness level that they possessed no soul.
"Do I look like a Spectre to you? Or an Eidolon? How could you even think I'm a Finite?" He asked, incredulous.
Haru held up a hand to appease him as he regained himself. "Listen to my reason first," he said. "A good way to explain why your soul doesn't behave as it should for a mortal's soul is that you have no soul actually. As for you not looking like a natural Finite, well kin can be used to create bodies for spirits. You can relax though, Mukoku disproved my theory. She said there was no way you could be a Finite as you had her aura. She wouldn't have been able to anchor it to someone without a soul."
Ran felt that for that to have been what convinced Haru of how outrageously wrong his theory was, then his friend clearly needed help.
"Any other wild ideas?" He asked, with not a little sarcasm bleeding into his tone.
Haru suddenly became shifty. Ran gave him a sidelong look, wondering what was suddenly wrong with him.
"There's one more actually." Haru cleared his throat after speaking, looking really nervous now. "Ran, I need to ask you a question."
Ran furrowed his brows. It must be quite the question to have his friend this nervous.
"What question?"
Haru glanced up at him.
"Who was your mother?"