The room was quiet, a hallowed space where the echoes of Aulus's words seemed to resonate with the ancient stones. Finn felt the weight of his new existence, not as a burden, but as a mantle of possibility.
It was a beginning marked not by fanfare, but by a profound realization of the journey he had undertaken—a journey into the depths of the unseen and the realms of the unlearned.
"Spirit Vision is not merely a skill; it is a doorway," he elucidated, voice taking on the quality of a chant. "It allows you to perceive the life force of beings, to witness the auras that dance around all things. But beware, for not all spirits wish to be seen, and not all auras tell a welcoming tale. With this sight, you may gaze upon realms forbidden to the mundane eyes, but you must tread with caution, for knowledge, once gleaned, cannot be unlearned."
Aulus spent more than the time it took to boil tea explaining more about spirit vision.
"Every time you advance, if you advance at all. there is seepage of the potion's energy. it takes from two weeks to one month to be able to control it"
"As for what you do now," Aulus concluded, "you live as you have lived before. You are an Apprentice, and the world is now your teacher."
"You will learn to observe without disturbing, to witness without becoming a spectacle yourself,"
Aulus said, his eyes narrowing to emphasize the importance of discretion. "The Spirit Vision is a tool, not a toy. It can show you wonders and horrors alike. Discernment must be your ally, and caution your guide."
The words of warning hung in the air as Finn listened intently, absorbing the gravity of his newfound abilities.
Aulus's admonition, "Don't go looking for trouble," echoed as a stark reminder that some doors, once opened, cannot be closed.
Marcellus, his presence akin to a silent sentinel during the exchange, felt a stirring within him.
The yearning for power, the allure of the arcane—it was not just Finn's journey; it was a call that resonated with his own desires. His thoughts flickered back to the trials that had led him from Wisbech to Mythralis and the sense of 'destiny' that now seemed to envelop him.
His curiosity, now a sharp blade of need, urged him to speak, to demand his share of the Aspirant potion.
Yet, he held back, his strategic mind understanding that there was a time for revealing one's hand and a time for keeping it close. Negotiation requires privacy, subtlety, and the right leverage.
Once Finn was out of earshot, he would make his move, and approach Aulus with the intent of a seeker ready to embark on his path of discovery.
The moment was ripe with potential, the air thick with the power of unspoken promises. For now, Marcellus would wait, his eyes on Aulus, his mind tracing the contours of possibilities yet to unfold.
Soon, he would speak, and in doing so, he would step into a world that he, like Finn, had never known but was now eager to explore. The room, with its whispers of ancient wisdom, held their secrets, their desires, and the nascent steps of two journeys about to begin.
"Congratulations, our new Aspirant, our Apprentice," Aulus said.
"Thank you." Finn reached out his hand and shook it.
Finn shifted his gaze and carefully sized up the Old man Aulus when suddenly he saw a translucent ghost describe five ghosts slithering!
And there they were—five ghosts, slithering in the air with an elegance that belied their chilling presence. These spectres, a quintet of translucent entities, possessed an almost hypnotic grace.
Their nearly illusory gazes were staring at Blackeye intently, as well as him!
Through the Spirit Vision that now claimed his sight, the room felt peopled by more than just the trio present.
Finn's gaze, shifting beyond the normal spectrum, caught the ethereal figures that loomed just beyond the veil of the ordinary, figures that went unnoticed by those unequipped with the gift he had just imbibed.
Finn's reaction was visceral, a shudder that ran through his frame, as the words burst from him in a gasp,
"You have a bunch of ghosts behind you!" It was an exclamation laced with the awe and fear of a neophyte beholding the unknown.
Aulus, undisturbed by the reveal, offered only a calm smile in return. There was no hint of surprise, no change in demeanour; it was the reaction of a man for whom the presence of ghosts was as mundane as the company of the living. His advice was simple, a gentle instruction.
Old man Aulus had a calm smile.
"Ignore them."
The moment Old Aulus finished his sentence, the illusory gazes that lurked in the darkness behind him vanished.
Even in his Spirit Vision state, Finn was no longer able to identify traces of its existence.
"This is a trait of my sequence," explained Old Man Aulus with a chuckle.
so his sequence has something to do with ghosts? impressive... but also disgusting. Marcellus thought enlightened.
Fascinating... Is Spirit Vision an enhanced version of regular eyes? Finn felt like a child who had received a new plaything.
In excitement, he turned his gaze away and began observing every corner of the room. He wanted to see the differences of the alchemy room with and without the Spirit Vision.
The outlines of the objects in the dark such as the tables, tubes, scales, cups, and flasks did not look different from how they looked without Spirit Vision.
They did not emit any lights or colours.
Objects without life do not have any spirituality. Finn mumbled to himself as he swept his gaze toward an extra Key Flower Petal.
Suddenly, he saw a vibrancy of colours. The colours were as blue as the sky, as resplendent as the stars, or as crimson red as burning flames!
'Materials from extraordinary beings still have some life in them, and uh... are still active? Even if the source is already dead?' Finn deliberated on his words as he sought Old Man Aulus's help.
"A precise description is that they have remnant spiritualities. It is one of the crucial points of a successful potion concoction," explained Old Man Aulus frankly.
He did not echo Old Man Aulus's words and turned his gaze to a dark area. However, there were no spiritual bodies or ghosts that he looked forward to seeing.
Thus, the apprenticeship began—not with a bang, but with a quiet, resolute step into the unknown.