Klein stared at the dark blue, viscous liquid—hard to tell if it was more of a drink or a jelly-like lump—and swallowed with difficulty.
"Just... drink it like this?"
"No other preparations needed? Like a ritual, an incantation, or a prayer?"
Old Neil let out a soft "uh" and replied, "Preparations? Sure, here's what you need to do: start with a glass of Ormil wine from Intis, follow it up with a Deisian cigar, hum a catchy tune, maybe throw in a sprightly court dance—you could even do a jig if you like—and top it off with a round of Gwent…"
Seeing Klein's increasingly dazed expression, Old Neil chuckled and summed up his instructions: "If you're feeling nervous."
… Quite the comedian, huh… Klein's mouth twitched, resisting the urge to reach for his revolver.
He set down his cane, extended his right hand as if holding something unbearably heavy, and picked up the opaque glass. The potion's scent was faint, almost ephemeral.
"Young man, don't hesitate. The more you hesitate, the more nervous you get, the more fearful you feel, the harder it'll be to absorb," Old Neil advised, now turned away from Klein, his voice seemingly casual.
Somehow, he had moved over to the sink, where he was turning on the faucet, washing his hands under the running water.
Klein nodded silently, took a deep breath, and, like a child forcing down medicine, brought the opaque glass to his lips and tipped it back, gulping down the contents.
A cool, slick sensation filled his mouth, then slipped down his throat, sliding into his stomach.
The thick, dark blue liquid seemed to grow fine, thread-like tendrils, each icy and piercing, sinking into every cell in Klein's body.
Uncontrollably, he began to shudder. His vision quickly blurred, colors intensified—reds grew redder, blues bluer, blacks darker. The hues thickened, blending haphazardly like an impressionist's erratic strokes on a canvas.
He had experienced a similar sensation before—during Spirit Medium Daly's séance.
At this moment, his vision was hazy, thoughts drifting yet clear, as though he were a shipwrecked soul floating on an endless ocean.
Gradually, he discerned his surroundings; every color overlapped distinctly, shrouded in a faint, grayish mist.
Around him were shapes indescribable in form, nearly invisible, as if they barely existed. In the distance, he saw strands of pure light, each in a different color. They radiated a living brilliance, seemingly filled with boundless knowledge and mysteries.
"Thank you." Klein extended his hand for a handshake. "Mr. Neil, when can I start learning meditation?"
"You can start right now. Basic meditation is quite simple, especially for an extraordinary like you," Old Neil replied with a smile. "Earlier, you focused on sketching an object in your mind to divert attention and contain your overflow of energy—that's actually the first step in meditation. Try doing it again."
Klein closed his eyes and once more visualized the half-height black silk top hat in his mind.
His focus seemed sharper than before. Soon, stray thoughts emerged, only to sink away, leaving only the outline of the hat.
"Empty your mind slightly, and then replace that sketched object with something that doesn't exist in this world, something purely imagined."
"You must follow this rule. Only by doing so can you enter meditation, merge bit by bit with the transcendent 'self,' the infinite 'self,' the cosmic 'self,' gaining insights and revelations into the truth, knowledge that only you can comprehend. In mysticism, this is called a 'mystic experience,'" Old Neil explained in a soothing tone. "For now, just listen to the descriptions. What matters most at the moment is to enter meditation."
Something that doesn't exist in this world, purely imagined… would something from Earth count? Klein tried to replace the black top hat with an intercontinental ballistic missile, long and thick, with an olive-green body like the ones he'd seen on TV.
However, no matter how he sketched or visualized, he found that it only increased his focus.
Seems that's not working… Klein had to tap into his imagination further, visualizing a glowing orb, then a cluster of similar orbs, bringing them closer together.
The glowing spheres overlapped, filled with an air of fantasy, and Klein's mind gradually emptied, as if floating.
Both his body and mind became calm, and once more, he saw the surreal gray mist, filled with faint, dreamlike hues and suspended forms that seemed to not exist, just hanging there in the sky, within reach.
His spirituality began to extend, inch by inch, unfolding gradually. Klein quietly observed, feeling it, gathering it inward.
"Not bad at all, worthy of a Seer. You entered meditation smoothly—just a notch behind me when I first started," Old Neil chuckled. "Since you're doing well, I'll teach you the most common, simple, and promising ability in the mystical field: Spirit Vision!"
One by one, he turned off the gas lamps, but opened the alchemy lab's hidden door, leaving Klein in a place that was dim yet not so dark that he couldn't make out shapes.
"Now, keep your current state, raise your hands in front of you, fingertips pointed at each other, but don't let them touch."
"Open your eyes and adjust to the darkness."
Following Old Neil's instructions, Klein completed each step, soon able to see his fingertips and the outlines of objects around him.
"Normally, you'd lie down to fully relax, but since your meditation went well, let's go on," Old Neil said with a chuckle. "Focus behind your hands, specifically the space beyond them. Now, slowly move your fingers, keeping them aligned but not touching, and don't let them leave your sight."
Klein listened calmly, his gaze fixed on the empty space beyond his hands as he slowly moved his fingertips in his line of sight, keeping them aligned yet not touching.
Once, twice, three times... Suddenly, Klein noticed a small spot of fiery red between his fingers.
"Huh…" he murmured.
"Seeing a color already? Not bad; this is the initial stage of Spirit Vision. The color you're seeing is your own aura," Old Neil chuckled. "Don't rush—keep practicing to stabilize it, then you can try looking elsewhere. Meanwhile, I'll explain the meanings of different colors."
"Alright." Klein continued moving his fingers, focusing on the small red spot.
Old Neil thought for a moment, then began, "To put it simply, in mainstream mysticism, the non-physical part of every person is divided into four layers. The core is called the 'spirit body,' which is the most essential part of a person's spirituality. According to animism, all living beings have spirituality and, therefore, a spirit body."
"I don't know about other pathways, but for Seers, meditation and ways to enhance power all focus on the 'spirit body.'"
"Outside the spirit body is the 'astral body.' This is how the spirit body communicates with the spiritual world and the cosmos. It's the external expression of the spirit body and is directly tied to your own will and current emotions… The visions you saw after taking the potion were what the astral body experiences when wandering the spirit world, a place where the rules of the material world don't apply. It's where the transcendent 'self,' the infinite 'self,' and the cosmic 'self' overlap with past, present, and future—that's the root of divination."
"In the spirit world, everything you see is symbolic and must be interpreted to understand its specific meaning."
"Divination and many other magical arts are performed through the astral body."
"Be sure not to confuse the astral body with the spirit body; one is the core, and the other is its function."
A core and a function… Klein kept observing the aura at his fingertips, summarizing the concept neatly in his mind.
"Outside of that is the 'mental body,' where it begins to merge with the physical body. It's connected to the brain and represents your reasoning, thinking, insight, and comprehension abilities. Some potions mainly enhance this, and several types of magic also target it."
Old Neil explained meticulously, "The outermost layer is the 'ether body,' representing your life energy and physical state."
"The color of the aura you're seeing is an outward reflection of the ether body. In other words, with Spirit Vision, not only can you see certain spiritual entities, ghosts, and wraiths—perhaps even some things better left unseen—you can also see others' ether bodies, or rather, their auras. By observing its thickness, brightness, and color, you can gauge a person's health and emotional state."
"When your Spirit Vision improves and you gain more knowledge in mysticism, you'll even be able to see finer details, like estimating a person's lifespan."
"Yes, I mentioned emotional states earlier because the astral body has a faint external manifestation as well. When your sequence level increases and your Spirit Vision becomes strong enough, you'll even be able to see someone's astral body, allowing you to gain even more insight. This is a level only Seers and Spectators among the extraordinaries can reach."
"Some people even claim that at the highest level of Spirit Vision, one can see anything, anywhere—including events from the past and the future. But I'm rather skeptical about that."
Sounds impressive… Klein could almost feel a sense of longing.
Old Neil cleared his throat and continued, "Let's go back to the colors of the ether body, or aura. Your hands, feet, and other parts involved in movement will appear red; the surface of the head and brain will show purple; areas responsible for excretion and detoxification will show orange; the digestive system corresponds to yellow; areas outside the heart and regulatory systems will show green; the throat and parts of the nervous system will appear blue; and a healthy overall balance will shroud the body in white… These colors signify health."
"When these colors become dim, thin, or change hue, it means the corresponding areas are having issues, such as fatigue or illness."
"Additionally, the inner layer, or astral body, reflects emotions: red represents passion and excitement, orange warmth and satisfaction, yellow joy and extroversion, green calmness and peace, blue indicates cool, contemplative thought, white represents clarity and positivity, dark colors denote melancholy, sadness, silence, and purple shows that spirituality is dominant, often indicating aloofness or detachment."
Klein silently took note, steadying his beginner's Spirit Vision.
"Alright, you can look at other things now," Old Neil nodded, ending his explanation.
Klein slowly turned his head and looked at Old Neil. Sure enough, he noticed a variety of colors in the aura surrounding him, each with varying thickness and brightness. The purple on his head was the most vivid, while the red around his hands and feet was rather faint, and the overall white aura was somewhat thin.
Getting on in years, are we? Klein mused to himself.
Seeing all of this, he finally felt a real sense of becoming an "extraordinary."
"I'm an extraordinary!"
He shifted his gaze, examining Old Neil closely. But suddenly, he noticed a pair of transparent, lashless, indifferent eyes floating in the empty space behind him!
These almost unreal eyes were silently watching Old Neil—and him!
This… Klein shuddered, his mouth opening involuntarily as he blurted out, "There are eyes behind you!"
Old Neil froze for a moment before forcing a smile and saying, "Don't mind them."