'…Thanks?' Arin shifted in his chair.
The white-haired man stood up. With graceful steps, he walked over to one of the shelves lining the room's curved walls. Long fingers traced the spines of some books, danced over some stone jars, and finally stopped to rest on what looked like a small crystal ball.
'Do you recognize this, Arin?' the man asked, pulling it out and holding it up in front of him.
The ball's smooth surface caught the golden light of the ceiling lanterns, glinting softly. It was pretty, sure, but there was nothing special about it. It looked every bit like a prop one might see inside some fortune-telling kiosk at a summer fair.
But that's probably not what it was. Not unless the white-haired man moonlighted as a clairvoyant when he wasn't busy redecorating his quarters, or whatever he did.
'Sorry,' Arin shook his head. 'I've got no idea.'
'Of course.' The man glided back to his chair. 'It's a common tool in our world, called a soulglass. In the ordinary household, you might encounter one displayed on a shelf, or atop the common table. However, it has no use beyond testing a newborn's soul talent; it helps to gain early insights into the direction their magic will take. It is only ever held on to as a keepsake thereafter. Perhaps a paperweight…'
'In any case, it stands to reason that such an object would have no use in a world such as yours, with no knowledge of souls.'
??
Then why even ask, weirdo?
'Here.' The man handed over the crystal ball. Arin took the cold sphere, bouncing it lightly in his palm a couple of times. Nothing about it had changed.
'So, what do I do with this thing?' he asked, looking up at the man.
'Hold it up to your forehead, right in the middle. That's it.'
Arin followed the man's directions. Feeling the cool surface against his forehead, he couldn't help but feel an eager sort of curiosity take root in his heart.
This world had magic – actual magic!
And although his heart was set on leaving as soon as he possibly could, it didn't hurt to see what his soul was capable of.
Even if the soul in question was destined to return to a life where his most significant contribution would be paying his taxes correctly.
'It would help, of course, if your talent is similar to Rin's,' the white-haired man was saying. 'That way, keeping up pretenses would require only a small amount of training.'
'What is Rin's, uh... talent?' Arin asked, still waiting with the ball held against his forehead.
'Beast-bonding; commanding beings, bonding with a powerful familiar, and other such things. That is what Rin's talent is widely known to be, in any case. Regardless, that is what your façade should be concerned with.'
'Right. Makes sense. He's got Tarra, after all.'
Arin briefly wondered why Rin's real talent, whatever it was, was kept hidden.
Not that it mattered much to him either way.
He waited in silence for a few more seconds. He was starting to feel a bit stupid now. It felt like he was going cross-eyed, looking at the ball touching his forehead. Nothing about its appearance had changed.
After another few seconds, he finally asked, 'Is this going to take a while? Am I even doing it correctly? ...Nothing seems to be happening.'
'Indeed,' the white-haired man nodded calmly.
Arin straightened up, putting the crystal ball down. Scrunching up his brows, he asked, 'What's wrong?'
The man smiled broadly.
Oh no.
'The tool is not responding to you, Arin. And since there are no external forces presently interacting with its functioning, this simply means that the soulglass is unable to detect your soul.'
…
Arin blinked.
'I don't… Does that mean I don't have a soul?'
The man before him shook his head. 'You'll notice that is not what I said. You most certainly do have a soul. That you are alive and present should be evidence enough of this.'
'Earlier in our conversation, you expressed an awareness of souls. Even though they are not truly known where you come from, the concept does exist. But what if the absence of knowledge in your world comes not from a lack of interest, but because your souls are… different.'
'Perhaps the reason your people do not use any magic, and why this tool cannot detect your soul, is that… the souls we know of are entirely different from that which you possess. I must say, Arin, your world continues to become more fascinating by the minute.'
'Well, what can I say,' Arin shrugged. 'I'm glad my presence is giving you something fun to think about. It probably gets pretty boring sitting around under house-arrest. But sorry, I don't really get why this is such news to you?'
The white-haired man arched a brow. 'What do you mean?' he asked.
Arin pursed his lips. 'I remember when we first spoke, yesterday, you said my situation was not unheard of. It has happened before. People have been found inhabiting bodies that don't belong to them, haven't they? How is it that no one has made this discovery sooner?'