Keon sighed, leaning back. "Alright, I'll go with the first option. Tell me the theory about my System."
Aban nodded. "Understood. But that means I won't be revealing the identity of the person like you."
Keon squinted. "Wait, why not?"
Mike stretched lazily on Keon's shoulder, his tail flicking. "Because we can't tell you."
Keon frowned. "What do you mean you can't?"
Mike grinned. "There's a contract. One of the Outsiders made a deal with our world—we aren't allowed to reveal Outsiders' private information unless they willingly allow it."
Keon groaned. "Oh, come on! So you do know who they are, but you just can't tell me?"
Aban nodded. "That's correct."
Keon threw up his hands. "Great. Fantastic. Love that for me."
Aban tapped his quill against the open book, staring at Keon with an almost unreadable expression. "Alright, Keon. Listen carefully, because what I'm about to tell you might make you rethink your entire existence."
Keon raised an eyebrow. "Oh great, existential dread. My favorite."
Aban ignored the sarcasm. "Your presence in this world isn't just 'hard to detect.' It's false. A mirage. A presence that shouldn't exist but does, yet the world itself refuses to acknowledge you. That's why most people, even divine beings, cannot sense you through normal means."
Keon frowned. "You're telling me I'm basically a ghost?"
Aban shook his head. "No, ghosts leave traces—energy, echoes, some kind of imprint. You don't. That's what makes your case unique. You don't just avoid detection—you don't even register as something that should be detected. This is what I call the Eclipse State—a state of false existence."
Mike's tail twitched excitedly. "Ohhh, that sounds so cool! It's like—like you're there but not there! A living paradox!"
Aban continued. "Because of this state, there are a few implications about how you function in this world." He raised a finger.
First: "You're completely undetectable by magic and senses. No matter how powerful a detection spell is, or how refined someone's aura perception might be, you simply do not exist to them. It's not invisibility—it's erasure."
Second: "You leave no physical traces. No scent, no heat signature, no breathing, no footprints. If someone tried tracking you, they'd find nothing. It's like you never stepped foot anywhere."
Keon crossed his arms. "Well, that explains why I never got caught sneaking around, but that also sounds kinda depressing."
Mike tilted his head. "Wait, so if we weren't paying attention to him, would we just… forget he was even here?"
Aban nodded. "That's a real possibility. If you remain in this state for too long, people might start forgetting you existed—like an eclipse that fades, leaving nothing behind."
Keon's eyes widened. "Wait, hold on. That's actually terrifying. You're telling me I could just—disappear from people's memories?"
Aban flipped a page in his book. "Possibly. But there's something else to consider."
Third: "Because the world doesn't recognize you as a true existence, certain restrictions might not apply to you. Magical barriers that block people? They might not even acknowledge your presence, meaning you could walk right through them."
Keon blinked. "Wait, what?"
Adan gave him a sharp look. "Yes. If a barrier is designed to stop 'people,' but you're not being registered as a person, then… well."
Keon grinned. "That's gotta be exploitable."
Mike, now standing on Keon's shoulder, swished his tail. "But doesn't that also mean certain things won't protect him either? Like if a spell is meant to 'guard all allies'—what if the spell doesn't even realize Keon is an ally?"
Keon's grin faded. "Oh. Crap."
Aban sighed. "Yes, exactly. Your Eclipse State makes you untouchable in some ways, but it might also exclude you from protections and effects that rely on the world recognizing your presence."
Keon rubbed his temples. "Okay, so I'm a living glitch. Great. Is there a potential downside I should be extra worried about?"
Aban hesitated, then nodded. "If your Eclipse State were to suddenly end, your body might become fully vulnerable all at once. If that happened in the middle of an attack or a dangerous situation, you might not survive."
Keon groaned. "Fantastic. So, what I'm getting from all this is that I'm simultaneously the safest and most vulnerable person alive."
Mike purred. "It does make you special though~."
Aban closed his book with a thump. "One more thing. There may be some beings—ancient ones, divine entities—who can sense the absence of presence. That means they won't see you exactly, but they'll notice that something isn't right."
Keon exhaled. "Well, that's just what I needed. Some eldritch horror figuring out I exist because I don't exist."
Aban shrugged. "You wanted answers."
Keon ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, and now I kinda regret asking."
Mike jumped onto the desk, eyes shining. "But hey! At least you're unique! Not just another reincarnator or summoned hero. You're something else entirely!"
Keon gave him a dry look. "Yeah. Lucky me."
Mike, still perched on the desk, flicked his tail thoughtfully. "You know, now that I think about it... Keon, you're like a shadow."
Keon, still processing everything, gave him a deadpan look. "Gee, thanks. That makes me feel so much better."
Mike ignored him. "No, listen! You're an Eclipse, right? A false presence, something that exists but isn't fully recognized. What if that means… you're just a shadow of something real?"
Adan raised an eyebrow. "Go on."
Mike's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Think about it! A shadow only exists because there's a real object blocking the light. The eclipse hides the sun, but the sun is still there. If Keon is an Eclipse in this world, maybe that means his true existence—his real body—is somewhere else."
Silence fell between them.
Keon blinked. "Wait. Hold on. Are you saying that I'm not even fully here?"
Mike grinned. "Maybe! Maybe you're just a shadow in this world, and the real you—the sun—is somewhere else."
Keon opened his mouth, closed it, then stared at Adan. "Is that even possible?"
Aban tapped his quill against his chin, deep in thought. "It's not an impossible theory. If your true form exists elsewhere, then what we're seeing here might just be a fragment, a projection—something only partially bound to this world's rules."
Keon crossed his arms. "So, what you're telling me is… I might not actually be here-here?"
Mike purred. "Oooor maybe you're both! A shadow and a sun, existing in two places at once."
Keon groaned. "Great. So not only am I an enigma, but now I might be some weird cosmic dual-existence paradox. Love that for me."
Aban scribbled something in his book. "If that's the case, it raises another question."
Keon sighed. "Of course it does."
Aban looked up, eyes sharp. "If you're just a shadow in this world… where is the real you?"