Lorn gracefully poured the vibrant red drink into the two cups he held, then extended one to Clada, who accepted it without hesitation.
As Clada stood, he found himself waiting somewhat uncomfortably for Lorn to finish savoring his drink, the man's evident pleasure making the wait seem longer. Catching Clada's hesitant look, Lorn gestured for him to take a sip as well.
The drink had the sweet scent of fruits, but as Clada tasted it, its potent flavor almost overwhelmed him. He fought the urge to spit it out, instead placing the cup to one side. Clearing his throat, he inquired, "So, Lorn, this 'twin souls' thing you guys keep talking about, what is that?"
Lorn merely shrugged at Clada's casual form of address. If this were the outside world, such informality might have meant a death sentence in the eyes of others. He regarded Clada for a moment before posing a question, "Let's begin with what you understand. You're aware that every living thing possesses a soul, right?"
"Before today, I didn't even know souls were a thing. Start from the beginning, please," Clada responded, his tone matter-of-fact.
Lorn exhaled a resigned sigh, thinking, 'Considering these kids grew up on an isolated island, they're adapting better than expected.' Gathering his thoughts, he began, "The origin and culmination of everything in our world is Nexa. While some refer to it as world energy, aura, or holy energy, we Animists know it as Nexa."
Clada took a seat, focusing intently on Lorn's words.
Lorn glanced to the side, picking up a bone dagger from the adjacent table. "If you were to revert this dagger to its original state, it would be Nexa. Everything around you, from the objects to your very body and soul, is the same."
Clada rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then queried, "How do you transform something back into its original state, this... Nexa?"
"I can't," Lorn began, "and if anyone claims they can, they're bullshitting you. Reverting something back to Nexa is a process so intricate and prolonged that only the natural course of the world can accomplish it. The world remains the sole constant–everything else is born, created, dies, and eventually fades away." He finished his statement by emptying the contents of his cup.
"So, there's no Nexa in the world until everything reverts to its origin?" Clada asked.
"Well, not exactly," Lorn began. "Nexa is everywhere, abundant in every nook and cranny. This world will never deplete its reserves. The transition from Nexa into another form, or vice versa, is an ongoing process. Everything draws from and uses Nexa."
"But I've never observed anything using it," Clada interjected.
"In simple cases, yes it's not something easily detectable. Consider living beings, for instance; they rely on their souls for existence, and souls are just a unique form of Nexa. However, you did witness direct usage of Nexa." Lorn paused, pointing to himself as he continued, "When I killed that tiger, melted the dagger, and when I burned away your skin..."
Hearing that, Clada felt the urge to hide his hands. "I see," he responded.
"And you've actually used Nexa yourself too, I mean directly used it," Lorn commented, pouring himself another cup.
Clada looked puzzled. "I only found out about Nexa today. I'm sure using it isn't a simple thing. and there must be a compacted way to use it?"
"You're right, there's a specific way to use it, and it isn't simple. But you did use it. Remember when you took down that black-haired kid? Or how you managed to escape from Liora? That was you using Nexa to boost your body's strength."
At those times, Clada had pushed his body beyond its usual limits, giving him the advantage against Jaevin and the speed to get away from Liora, who clearly had a stronger build.
"But I don't remember using anything like that," Clada countered.
"I'll explain how you managed that shortly. But first, let's discuss what souls are." With a gesture, a sheet of paper and a pencil materialized in Lorn's free hand. Setting his cup on the table beside him, he began to sketch.
He drew a circle and, within it, a simple stick figure. Pointing to the circle, he said, "This is a pregnant mama's belly." He then gestured to the stick figure inside the circle, "And this depicts a fetus, not yet alive. That is, until…" He added radiating lines around the stick figure, centering on it. "...a soul forms and merges with the fetus."
Lorn set the pencil down and leaned back in his chair. "The origins of souls remain a mystery. What we do know is that a soul can't endure without a functioning body, and a body can't live without its soul. The soul dictates who you are, and this isn't exclusive to humans. Beasts, animals, insects, even plants — all have souls."
Ren's eyes narrowed as he pondered. [Can a soul be limited to just one body, or can it merge with any available body?] Clada, grasping Ren's implication, voiced the question aloud to Lorn.
Upon hearing the question, Lorn let out a short laugh. "You guys are diving deep, considering you just found out about souls today. I bet you'll make great animists." He refilled his cup before continuing, "From what I know, yeah, a soul is usually limited to the body it starts in." The twins' faces dropped a touch, but Lorn quickly added, "But hey, there's a way for both of you to have your own bodies. It's just super hard with where you're at right now."
The twins' smiles returned at this bit of hope.
Lorn gestured to the drawing again, saying, "Alright, let's talk about twin souls, so it's simply when a body has two souls. like, you guys."
The twins closely watched his movements as he continued, "Usually, the energy meant to form the soul will merge with the fetus, giving us your normal, living baby. But every now and then, so much of that soul energy piles up that instead of just one soul, it splits into two." As he explained, he added more lines around the circle in the drawing.
Lorn continued, "Usually, what happens next is that the two souls fight it out, trying to claim the body for themselves. This struggle continues until one soul obliterates the other and absorbs it, leaving behind a single, but much stronger soul. That's what you'd call a 'happy ending' for the unborn child."
Taking another sip from his cup, Lorn's gaze turned somber. "But for every happy ending, there's a sad one waiting around the corner. Sometimes, the two souls keep battling for dominance but end up in a stalemate. This balance, though rare, continues until the baby is born."
Ren and Clada looked a bit baffled, asking Lorn, "But why's that bad? Both souls are still there, right? Sounds like a good outcome to me."
Lorn scratched his head, "Yeah, but the thing is, their little tussle doesn't stop once the baby's out. Even if one soul kinda gets the upper hand, the other one doesn't just give up. It's still there, always picking fights."
Standing up, Lorn stared directly at the twins, "All that back and forth between them? It does a number on both souls. And most times, it leaves you with someone who's, you know, not all there in the head."
The twins furrowed their brows. "But why? Why would they keep clashing?"
Lorn leaned back, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Okay, picture this: you've got two people stuck in a cramped, pitch-black room. One's allowed to step out, bask in freedom, while the other's gotta stay locked up. Sure, they can swap places whenever they like, but here's the kicker: the one inside can't force the free person to come back in. Now, would you trust the other guy to give you a turn outside if they go first? And if you're the one on the outside, would you willingly go back in, believing he'd do the same for you? Would you two trust each other that much?"
"yes," [yes,] both twins responded in unison. They would trust each other implicitly, as they did every time they let go of control of the body. Lorn grinned, his eyes shining with amusement.
"Most people I know would hesitate, even if it was someone they'd swear they trusted. That's why I'm curious. Why do you have so much trust between you two?"