"So, you can sense lifeforms? What's that all about?" I asked Ken, but he didn't answer straight up at first.
"Well... you see... uh... it's an Ocular Ability. Like you have your spells, I have spells for my eyes as well. It's a Pretorian thing. You see, with my Ocular Ability, I can sense lifeforms. Zeus can move between bodies and whatnot, so if I use my ability, I can sense where he was at. That's why I knew he was in Soul, but I'm surprised you caught on." Ken told me.
"It was a gut feeling... but if you ask me, I shouldn't have caught on. Well, no point in doubting myself. You need to tell me more about those abilities. What can they do? Does Zeus have one? Can I get one? Fill me in." I demanded from Ken.
"Well, there's not much to fill you in on. Basically, all Pretorians are born from the high-mana concentration in the continent and it slowly adapts through prolonged exposure. I'm sure if enough mana was sent through your veins you'd receive one, but you'd most likely die first. And... does Zeus have one? It's a good question. His Ocular ability could affect his transportation and how fast he does it, but I'm not entirely sure. There would be no way to tell where he was born." Ken told me.
"Oh, and why did you ask Soul those questions? Were you trying to see if Zeus fully took over her body?" Ken asked me again, everybody was just watching the two of us go back and forth now.
"Well... sort of. While chasing Zeus and Ono, I realized that both people were still in there, but it was hard to tell. I only had subtle context clues, like the use of my name, so I didn't know if Zeus and his possession wiped his memory, or if a spell did it. I wanted to see if it was the possession, so I asked questions that only Soul would know, then tried to embarrass her to see if Zeus was at all still in her body. Turns out we got lucky, but I don't think I'd be able to pull off something like that again. Anyway, more on that Ocular Ability. What kinds of things can they do?" Ken nodded in response to all of my small points, then continued his explanation.
"Well, Ocular Abilities can only affect perceivable things, in a way. I can sense lifeforms because they're already there... Zeus might be able to move bodies because they're already there. For example, if I looked at that sword leaning against that wall over there and used an Ocular Ability, I could change its location, or even swap it with my own." Ken explained.
Oh... so it was like the Rinne... no, I probably shouldn't say that.
"So, what kind of hard challenges will I have to do to get myself a Rinne... an Ocular Ability like you have?" I asked Ken. He shrugged.
"It's up in the air really. You have to be exposed to a ton of mana." He said. I then asked him if I increased my mana capacity if I could use the Ocular Abilities, but he shook his head again, explaining that I need to be covered in mana for about two weeks with constant exposure to a large amount of mana. It would effectively be impossible unless Pretorians themselves gathered around me and caked me in mana for the two-week period.
"As long as the possibility is there, I'll find a way. Hey, now what? Is this barrier breakable? Can we escape?" I asked everybody around.
We walked out of the barrier without a problem, but there was still something off about our surroundings. It was quiet...
TOO QUIET!
I had to say that in my head and even made myself giggle a little, but I couldn't act leisurely now, not with danger on the horizon.
"What is this... why is he attacking like this? What is his true motive? I don't get it..." I said, looking back at the building he was standing on top of.
I tried to analyze the details about it. Over time, especially since these past two weeks where I've been in New Olympia, I've come to understand that Zeus never does anything without a reason. He had a reason for that mark on his shoulder, he had a reason for disappearing as he did before to get into Soul's body... would it be stupid to assume that building was important for some reason?
No, I was just being paranoid. Let's see... I don't know where Zeus actually went, however, Ken might have a clue. Do we attack Zeus? Do we defend? What's the right move...?
"Hey, Jane and Janice are at the village where all of the people evacuated, right?" I turned to Ruby and Ipa and they confirmed. With that, I at least had an idea of an area I would have to defend...
"Alright, then we'll watch out there. Ken, can you use that Lifeform Ability to sense where Zeus is now?" I asked him.
"Well, I could, but I lost track of him and it would be hard to find him again. It's like following a string in a pile of yarn. I could do it, but it would take a while." He said.
"Then, start. I'll keep watch... Ipa, do your assassin thing. Ruby, Tama, Soul, keep watch with me. Am I missing anything?" I asked everybody, but they were clueless, so I was pretty sure I was covering all ground now. Ken would track Zeus and we would end this as soon as possible.
"So we're just going to sit here until Ken finds him? That seems like something I can do! Leave it to me!" Ruby shouted out in her normal happy tone. Soul and Tama both stuck together and were lost in their own conversation as I sat quietly facing the ocean beside us.
I made more Health Potions with nearby flowers and the knife I usually use and shoved them into my pocket, watching closely as the waves crashed onto the shoreline.