The white-haired man laughed pleasantly.
'That is true. There have been similar cases,' he said. 'They are incredibly rare, however, and hastily covered-up following the execution of whoever was found to be in such a situation.'
'I've been wondering about that, too,' Arin interrupted. 'Why are those people executed? Seems a bit harsh to punish someone with no control over what's happening.'
'Ah, but in those cases, the souls did belong to individuals who were in control of their situations. Hence, similar cases, but not quite the same. You see, Arin, every soul in our world resonates with a different facet of magic. Beast-bonding, as I mentioned earlier, is one of them.'
Arin nodded.
'Another category is elemental magic; that is what the souls of Layla, or Sir Garan, had possessed. My own talent falls under shadow, or illusory magic – the manipulation of light, darkness, and sometimes even the tangible aspects of perception, depending on the soul. You need not worry about these classifications for now,' the man added, taking in Arin's focused frown. 'It will be easier to follow once you have learned them all.'
'Well, a particularly rare class is that of spirit magic. Necromancy, soulcraft, binding, and… possession. Imagine a wealthy old lord, at the end of his lifespan, seeking aid from an individual with such a talent. He may oust the rightful soul of a younger, healthier body, possessing it to expand his own lifespan at the cost of another's.'
'Similarly, a jilted lover forcefully taking over the body of their sweetheart's true love. Rivals, infiltrating groups to gain an upper hand. Ruining reputations. Covering up cruel murders. Sabotaging war efforts. Farming children, for the sole purpose of wearing their bodies.'
'All of these are things that have happened, Arin. Rare, in the grand scheme of things, but part of our reality nonetheless. Events of a larger-scale have had to be forcefully buried in order to prevent widespread panic. At the same time, a point of contention is how certain influential individuals might still be engaging in such practices, but are much too powerful and well-connected to be pinned down. As a result, anything to do with soul-transfers or possession is looked upon with suspicion and disgust.'
'In your case, for instance, you would be seen as some sinister entity perpetrating the theft of an innocent man's life. You have no backing, nor any connections. At the faintest hint of suspicion, you would have already lost any chance to explain yourself. Rin's soul would be considered lost – destroyed somewhere along your wicked schemes, no doubt.'
'And rather than risking provoking fear and anger amongst the masses, your case would be silently covered up with a swift execution. You may be tortured and interrogated first, of course, but only in utter secrecy. Ultimately, your end would be one where both body and soul are thoroughly destroyed.'
Oh…
Damn.
…
Well, that was definitely on the same level of – 'Hell no, no thanks.' – as being crushed by a bedroom ceiling. That, he could be sure of.
Arin felt a bead of cold sweat trickle down his spine. He swallowed, hard. His mouth still felt dry, and he reached for his cup. It was only after taking a few sips of tea that he felt well enough to speak again.
'You should tell me more about Rin,' he said, clearing his throat. 'The way that guy speaks, the way he acts, the foods he likes eating – even his hair-care routine. Everything. …Thanks.'
The man before him smiled. 'We will be getting to that soon enough, I assure you. But let us first return to what we were discussing.'
'Uh…'
Arin felt like his brain had been wiped blank by all that talk of execution. It took him a moment to get his thoughts back on track.
'Right, so… you were telling me what happened in those other cases you'd spoken of. Oh, wait, but that means,' he looked up sharply at the other man, 'You've never had any cases with people from my – from another – world? I'm the first?'
'The first that I know of, in any case,' the man nodded. 'In all my years, I have never even heard of anyone encountering evidence that points towards the possibility of other realities. That, precisely, is what makes you so fascinating, Arin.'
'But…' Arin frowned. 'You said you might be able to help me return. You said you'd recover your student's soul. How does any of that work when there's no precedent – no prior knowledge or guarantee of any kind.'
'Simple reasoning,' the white-haired man tilted his elegant head, red eyes crinkling with his smile. 'That you are here means that there was some passage or portal connecting your world to ours. It stands to reason that if such a thing has happened once, it may reoccur as long as some specific conditions are met. Your soul has arrived intact, giving me no reason to believe with certainty that Rin's soul has been destroyed. And even if your true body is broken, it may yet be repaired with healing talent, so long as a breath of life remains.'
'So… you're mostly guessing.' Arin sighed.
'Naturally, within reason,' the man gave a relaxed shrug.
'Now, Arin,' he continued. 'You must excuse me for a few minutes. Rin's... well, your senior sister will be arriving shortly, with a report meant for me. In the meantime, make yourself comfortable. I shall be returning to continue our discussion before too long.'
And before Arin could respond, or even fully register what the man had said, he heard thudding footsteps fast approaching from outside the entrance to the room. There was a loud rap on the heavy wood. Then, without leaving time enough for any response, the doors were thrown open with force.
'Master. I've returned with news.'
As the clear, confident voice rang out, he sat in stunned silence, looking up at the striking face of the tall woman who had just entered the room.