There was a single question boung around in my mind…Where am I?What was greatly w was the fact I was uo even move my lips, let anything else, making that question even more imperative. I thankfully could still see however that helped little when I couldn’t reise anything around me. Not for there not being anything of hough. If anything there was no way I would be able tet the appearance of this pce for the rest of my (hopefully) immortal life.There was a gentle rumbling from below, along with an ever so soft rattling, which revealed that I was likely in motion on some kind of vehicle and it reminded me strongly of a memory from my past life. In order to travel across borders with “illicit merdise” we would jump onto moving trains before hanging on till we were approag a station to avoid getting caught. If we were lucky we’d be able to get in, there e of carriage that had locks which were easy to break into with minimal traces, else we would o hang onto the side for miles in the p rain. A task which was difficult for a healthy ma alone a malnourished ur…Maybe I use information like that to my advantage iure; it would certainly make me seem like a saint if I were to help bust that operation as it tirong even after LHO.Thoughts for aime.The walls themselves were a dark yet lustrous bckish-purple that veyed wealth - especially when bined with the tless gears propped across those walls. With a rhythmic *tick* *tick* *tick*. Those gears tinually turned; not all the gears were equal. Creating quite a curious se as they all seemed to turn on their own. Each of the gears appeared to be the same colour at first however with a careful look one could tell they shifted between white & gold at just a small enough degree to not be obvious to the naked eye.Despite the seeming disorder, all the gears worked together at the end of the day, somehow bined with the measured beats to make for a wonderfully calming se. One which was greatly helped to the masterpiece of all those gears, a rge set of clock hands that seemed to move without cause or reason, but moved on heless.Something about the eructure just brought a new level of calm to me - although I quickly noticed that this room wasn’t ohat was unlived in.Upon some of the gears - somehow unmoving - there were pictures pristinely pced within wonderfully ornate frames. Although those pictures would hardly be what one sidered fi; looking more often than not like something a child would draw. With many of them seemingly either being doh finger painting or literal crayons. It clearly wasn’t as if the owner of the room had no artistic taste. At the back wall (or rather the one I was made to look at) there was a dark oaken drawer with some metallilining in a fantastical border - in front was a desk with a winsome cloth atop the surface. Seemingly, it was a rger escritoire yet I could hardly see the other end to make sure that there were truly partments there.Atop those were actually several different dispys whicluded orone sundials, hsses utilising different grains and smaller hahings I had no clue about. From big to small - they were all beautiful works to look at - even those I had no clue about were set upon a special aform to help me take in their appearance. Didn’t take a genius like myself to figure out they all likely shared a simir fun. There was even a stra of devices - made up of two por bowls - which seemed to use a steady flow of liquid to raise the level resulting in a metallic fluid. Flowing through a tiny hole at the top & into the lower bowl which had several markings upon it.Holy it seems like most of this stuff belongs in a museum rather than an office (inside of what may be a train in motion); an engaged break would be akin to hundreds of years of human innovation gohere was no sign of worry, though, as I saw no guards wandering in. Leavio just silently stare toward the stink of ‘inse’ (I think that’s what it is) slowly being ash. Evee staring at so many time keeping devices - I had no clue how much time assing… Although, I also couldn’t read most of them, so that likely had something to do with it.While staring at one of the sundials (in an attempt to decipher the otations of the different gauges) I mao notice those metallic gears glimmering with bright lights. They weren’t blinding, nor were they outstandingly rge, yet they appeared as if dozens of little vibrant lights of different colours abruptly ehe room I was in.Or, at least, I thought that was a det metaphor until I literally saw dozens of little vibrant orbs of colour buzz around in front of me with glee. Leaving me quite disbobuted. I don’t recall any such creatures in exis-Spirits?“Ihese young ones are the lowest evolution of the spirits called a sprite, the most basi that makes the foundation and majority of all life within the {Spirit World}. They are little balls of energy aion formed with the souls of poor children who never got a single choice within their life.” A cultured androgynous voice came from behind following the noise of a door sliding open following a steady and paced sauill it wasn’t as if I could turn around to look at them - them speaking up once more as they approached me from behind. “Hahaha you will get used to moving your body with experience; so don’t worry about it.” … Excuse me, what?Did I actally speak out loud or something?Just when p this, my thoughts got interrupted as the soury fusion strolled in front to sit upon the desk in front of me, letting me fully take in their appearance. Surprisingly their appearance was far more tame (very much fitting the voice) than I would have expected for someone owning this crazy train I was on.Their actual face was just as androgynous as their voice - with sharp features that almost seemed to hide behind a pair e circur lensed gsses & a warm smile that would usually seem deceiving. Despite those gsses appearing rather normal, there seemed to be a stant gre across them to hide the appearance of their eyes, lenses appearing to glow.What helped keep their vibe was shoulder length straight hair. ing with a curtaiyle frihat hid most of their forehead, before seemingly using those gsses to help keep the hair from the froly tucked away. Straheir roots appeared to be pure white with the rest being dyed a nice hazel. All except for their two tre most hairs which weren’t swept to the side; letting them cascade down their own face with the hair strangely not ending up in their mouth as they spoke.Eveheir tan coloured bzer was pletely unbuttohey somehow mao keep their suave aspect. Although a part of that may have been thanks to them also having a tan & white-lined paisley print waistcoat that was fully buttoned up. But that was also where the person’s outfit began being stranger. A pair of leather belts travelled up from their waist to their shoulder in a diangle - with them taining tless flintlock pistols that had bee partly hidden uheir coat. Each pistol looked exactly the same; an intricate pattern of matte bck wood base with silverish-gold detailing & innerws making for a very beautiful set of firearms.“Why thank you. They were fashioned by an ally as well as a friend who is surprisingly sweet despite his rather… Disorderly duct most of the time.” Once more they replied to my thoughts, at this point I was fairly sure that I was not actively speaking out loud, which raised a question of how they were aplishing it. If it were the ability to read minds - this could be a huge weakness iure…Although I read a lot about the powers people were able to achieve thanks to LHO; it would be foolish to believe that even the rgest guilds knew everything possible. The game covered a good dozen sor systems even at the start of the game, not all of them being a fantasy setting as many were sci-fi or cultivatio many somewhat ended up coalesg. This artly thanks to a uniting figure. The {Grand Pharaoh - Tyrant Dealmaker}. A mythical entity that was thought to be a mere legend in my past life - it was a crazy notion that someone could rule over those powerful npcs with enough fear to gee a steady flow of s from them with no rebellion in sight. Until some mao gain information from the nobles oro meet their servants.They were very much real; makes me now realise they must truly be real which also means father likely has a deal with them in order to set up the game in the first pce.Either way, that gactic ruler was rumoured to have the ability to read all your past lives with a g wouldn’t be unreasohat someone else had managed yet gotten arouion. Wouldn’t be hard to do if you could literally read people's minds - apparently doppelgangers were rumoured to have the ability to read surface level thoughts just from ception which proves its effectiveness.Wait surface level thoughts… “You are quite incorrect there - I am more simir to a colle of sprites than anything simir to a monster created by the scaleless dragon. Ah, where are my manners? I haven't introduced myself, have I?”Such a response certainly got my eyes to widen (especially when they debonairly slid themselves onto the desk in front of me) and thankfully they didn’t keep me waiting. “I’ve been given quite a few names. A lot of those from people in simir positions to me. Yet, uhem, I do not have a ‘True Name’ if you would…”“I suppose you sider me something like a representation of a crossroad that everyone should be able to approach yet many, like these little friends, are uo…” That warm smile of theirs suddenly turned a bit mencholic as they slowly moved one hand not resting on their ko instead reach up to py with those floating sprites. Iurn those little lights happily buzzed around.“And that is also what we’ll be discussing a lot; choices.” It was at that moment that they stood up once more to walk behind me once more - thankfully a crag from my rear was soon joined by a rather peaceful melody that suited them well. “See we ofte our past choices as a boolean situation, there was a right answer and then there is the answer we ended up foolishly going along with, though that is a short sighted interpretation.”Once more they strolled in front of me yet this time they seemed to have some kind of eleic cigarette in their hand which they slowly took a dab on. Chug as they appeared to be ughing at their own ent on choices earlier. Soon sitting down to look directly at me. That smile had mao expunge any glumness now.“It is a truly dangerous mi, it isn’t bad to show introspe iher the past or future, however being obsessed with it is different. Like all things in life; introspeust be doh moderation as well as a realisation that we ot know everything that could have been. For all we know the other choices could have been worse.”This… Certainly answers none of the questions I actually have; like why am I here…However, seeing as they were shaking their head, I expected I would soon filled in. “Suppose that would have been a good pce to start hahaha. Our purpose here today is to help explore ourselves - which will usually start with how we perceive the world and any falcies we may be able to spot then stop.”Don’t uand how that would help me, however.“It is a rather foolish assumptio you are young so it’s uandable. You, yourself, should know that a spirit's power is derived from uanding. To set up a good foundation - for the time of assion of your world - we must first allow ourselves to know about ‘you’.” Despite their rather harsh reprimand they somehow didn’t give the appearance as if they were looking down on me; ihey leaned forward with their hands csped and elbows upon the desk.For a while they just (appeared to) match my eyes as I let what they said sink in and… Well what they said actually made a lot of sense - from what I tell - spirits power does rely on their own uanding so a good pce to start would indeed be introspe into myself. “That is a very good mio have for one as young as you, many would stubbornly hold onto pride, yet I suppose this is something you may have ied from your ‘mommy’. Which means we’ll also have to be careful of the fws that e with that.”After saying such, they leaned ba their arm chair. Using their arm rests as intended, however, leaning toward the left so that they could stroke their as they thought what to say . “Your matriarchal family is known for bouts of… Well I suppose, to put it lightly, they are occasionally what many would refer to as rather ‘selfish’ when it es to certain matters. The other half of your bloodline even is said to have selfishness only beaten by their greed - their ‘boss’ even refers to them by that trait. Not that that is bad.”Based on the flicted face it was clear, whatever they meant by that, they were trying their best to put it in a polite fashion and struggling.“Ah I must tell you that I happen to be quite a busy persoe having you as my responsibility for the unforeseen future. So I am very sorry to tell you these sessions will likely be quite sparse.” A bitter smile was added to help vey that they didn’t feel good about not being able turly help me. However, I had no idea who they even were so it didn’t seem to be wetting bothered about.*ding**ding**ding**dong*The clocks and such from behind all rang out at the same time. Causing ripples that shook my vision like I was staring at the surface of a oill ke - only for raindrops to awaken disorder.“Unfortunately it appears we’re out of time; I look forward to seeing you again wheh have some free time. Though before I go, allow me to remind you that your decision not to kill is wise. It would be quite the ironic turn of events if your enemies ended up being your subjects.” Shaking their head as reality itself seemed to bee oh the sweet abyssal embrace of sleep - which soon took me into itself.

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  << Gained {skill}.[Grasp Soul (Active)] >>

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  What?Waking up, I found myself back at our home (or rather one of them), inside my bed as the streaks of m light pierced through the blinds. There was no sign of… Well, anything that just happe night, heless it would be foolish to sider that a dream. Especially when I apparently earned a skill just from hearing some philological analysis from that suspiciously unsuspicious person surrounded by what I only call baby spirits.Big B; what just happened?

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  << Ao {query}.[“what just happened”] From {user}.[Armor-Cordis Mantis] >>

  << {software}.[BITCH] Has No Valid Data Sets To Expin The Prior Event Nor Oity Which We Had Just Witnessed >>

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  That isly good - at least I’m slowly finding out more and more the limitations of this personalised system of mine.