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Chapter 14: The Halves of a Whole
🕑 Added 2025-10-09 14:38:23 +0000 UTCMorning in Kamar-Taj was serene. Sunlight streamed through the intricate latticework of the ancient architecture, painting the training grounds in dappled light and shadow. As was his new routine, Leo was there early.
In the weeks since their arrival, he had devoured the Ancient One’s lessons. Ever since that first breakthrough in the Mirror Dimension, it was as if a dam had broken in his mind. He seemed to have an innate, almost instinctual grasp of dimensional magic. He would watch a demonstration, ponder it for a moment, and after only a few attempts, grasp its very essence.
He stood in the center of the courtyard now, the Sling Ring on his hand a familiar weight. With a gesture, complex circles of fiery light bloomed in the air before him. He could manifest shields that crackled like solar flares and launch bolts of energy that seared the air. Every spell he cast was imbued with the unique, golden energy of his sun crystal, making it hotter, brighter, and exponentially more powerful. He didn't even need the ring for portals anymore; combining his innate ability with his new training, he could now tear open a gateway with a simple thought.
Ashem, meanwhile, was in a secluded chamber across the courtyard, meditating with a massive, two-handed greatsword resting across her knees.
Their training had started in lockstep. Ashem, not to be outdone, had matched his pace, mastering the basics with her usual effortless grace. But as the days turned into weeks, a strange pattern began to emerge. A pattern that was impossible to ignore.
Leo would learn a new spell, and in the very next second, Ashem would master it perfectly.
At first, the Ancient One had dismissed it as a coincidence. But as the magic grew more complex, the phenomenon only became more pronounced. It was as if Leo was the key, and Ashem was the echo.
Intrigued, the Ancient One had decided to conduct a thorough examination of them both, delving into the very fabric of their physical and spiritual selves. The physical exam had revealed nothing remarkable, aside from the exotic biology of a Miqo'te from another world.
But when she peered into their souls, her placid expression had cracked with genuine surprise. "Are you two aware," she had asked, her voice laced with wonder, "of your condition?"
"We know we're probably alternate selves," Ashem said, a faint blush dusting her cheeks. "And we know there's a… shared connection. It can be a little inconvenient at times."
Leo felt his own face flush. Being of different genders, the sudden, unsolicited synchronization of certain… biological impulses… was still profoundly awkward. He pinched the bridge of his nose and added, "The Crystal Exarch also said our souls are identical. That without looking at our bodies, he couldn't tell us apart."
"Indeed," the Ancient One had said, her expression grave. "Normally, even identical alternate selves will possess subtle, unique signatures in their souls. A different life experience, a different choice, always leaves a mark. But you two… your situation is the very opposite."
With that, she had placed a palm on each of their chests. In an instant, their souls were untethered, pulled free from the confines of their bodies in a rush of light.
In their soul-states, they both felt it—an overwhelming, magnetic pull towards each other, a profound and instinctual need to be close. It explained everything: the immediate, unguarded familiarity they’d felt upon meeting, the ease with which they trusted each other. It was their very souls, recognizing each other and crying out for reunion.
"Wait, Ashem, your face—" Leo exclaimed. In her soul form, her distinct Miqo'te features were blurring, her face softening into a new, yet familiar, shape.
"Leo, look at you!" she gasped. His own hair was lightening to a stark white, his jawline and features shifting.
If there had been a mirror, they would have seen that their souls were not just converging towards each other; they were both converging towards a single, third image: the serene, white-haired woman in the red mask from their shared visions.
The Ancient One, seeing the change, acted swiftly, returning their souls to their bodies with a gentle push.
"Master," Leo asked, his voice urgent as sensation flooded back into his limbs, "what was that? What's happening to us?"
Ashem’s tail was twitching with excitement and anxiety. "When I first met him, I felt this… urge to merge with him. I thought it was just a crush or something, but that feeling just now was a thousand times stronger!"
The Ancient One was silent for a long moment, lost in thought. As a master of soul magic, she understood what she had just witnessed. "The instinctive merging of the soul," she said finally, her voice serious and quiet. "It means you were originally one single entity, split apart by some powerful, external force."
She looked at them both, her ancient eyes filled with a new understanding. "And judging by the distinct appearances your souls have taken on, I would say you were split apart a very, very long time ago."
"But how is that possible?" she murmured, a genuine puzzle on her face. "Your souls are both perfectly complete. Intact. And their strength, individually, far exceeds that of any normal person."
"So… is this a bad thing?" Leo asked, his voice laced with a nervous apprehension. He instinctively reached out and took Ashem’s hand, his fingers lacing through hers.
"Quite the contrary," the Ancient One explained. "Since you are two halves of a whole, and not in opposition, there are no negative effects. It is all beneficial. The most direct result is something you have already discovered: any ability one of you masters, the other can instantly access and utilize without restriction."
Ashem raised her free hand. "And the feeling of wanting to merge?"
"That is your souls' instinct to become whole once more," she said. "But you have been separated for too long. You have grown into two complete, independent individuals." She gave them a small, enigmatic smile. "Of course, without the constraints of your physical bodies, you could merge to attain a level of power I can scarcely imagine. And you could separate again at any time."
Leo and Ashem exchanged another look, their hearts filled with a complex storm of emotions. They weren't just alternate selves. They were two halves of the same soul.
"Interesting," the Ancient One mused. "It seems I will have much to discuss with your Crystal Exarch. However," she added, her tone shifting back to that of a teacher, "this changes things. Your training plan must be revised."
Considering Leo’s explosive and innate talent for her own school of dimensional magic, the path forward became clear. Under the Ancient One’s new arrangement, Leo would dedicate himself entirely to mastering the mystic arts of Kamar-Taj.
Ashem, on the other hand, would take a different path. At the Ancient One’s suggestion, she would cease learning new magic and instead focus on refining an art she already possessed—the power of the Dark Knight. To fight a Flood of Light, they would need a champion who could wield the very darkness it sought to destroy.
Comments
Draco Rivendare
doesnt that also mean he can instantly learn the techniques from FF14? at least the ones she has learnt?
