Chapter 48: Acute Deduction Finn flinched under the intense scrutiny of the figure, almost taking a step back subconsciously. The truth of the matter was that even he had no idea why or how he had done it in the first place. So how the hell was he supposed to explain something he had no idea of? "I—I don’t... know," he whispered nervously, meeting the figure’s gaze with clear eyes, trying to convey his sincerity as much as he could. The figure frowned slightly and leaned back to observe Finn more carefully. "Your words hold no lie," He stated with a hint of confusion in his voice. He paused for a second, looking as though he was in deep thought, before his face brightened all of a sudden, and he stared at Finn intently with glowing green eyes. Immediately, a sense of nakedness engulfed Finn wholly. He felt like all his secrets were laid bare before the figure’s eyes, open for him to see. "Interesting. Truly and utterly interesting," The figure guffawed as if he had just seen the greatest spectacle he had ever witnessed in ages. So much so, that he stood up from his plush, pillowed throne and walked down the steps slowly, coming up close to Finn, who consciously reminded himself to breathe, stifled by the pressure emanating from the boy-like form of the figure. But though the figure’s form was that of a young boy and Finn had to stare down at him, it did nothing to diminish the overwhelming presence he had. "The level of cunning and machination to achieve this..." the figure chuckled excitedly, "it makes me extremely curious about who it may be..." he rubbed his chin, musing, before he then held out two fingers and pinched the air like he was deducing a truth, trying to pry into some secret. But just as he started, Althea suddenly asked a question. "You. You’re a vessel, aren’t you?" The figure stopped mid-action, then released a weary sigh, as if chastising himself for getting overly excited. He turned purposefully to face Althea, before responding. "No matter the era, you Ossuarists are always a pain to deal with. One cannot even enjoy a moment of excitement without getting called out," he huffed exasperatedly. ’...you Ossuarists?’ Finn’s eyes narrowed at the figure’s choice of words. Did that mean he wasn’t an Ossuarist himself? What was he then? An Arcanist? Finn couldn’t fathom an Arcanist that could possibly be this powerful. He had never met any Archon rank Arcanist in person, but he reckoned even they weren’t as strong as this figure was. Which meant... Is he truly a god? "Why do you bother with these petty thoughts?" The figure waved a hand dismissively in Finn’s direction, as if swatting away a noisy insect. "To you, I am a god. That is all that matters," he turned and climbed back up the stairs to his plush throne. "Finn, strengthen and converge your soul silently with your Soul Edict," Althea ordered. "Ho?" The figure grinned and observed Althea more closely with humor in his eyes. "It seems you really know your stuff." Finn quickly did as Althea ordered. He softly chanted the first five words of his thirteen-word Soul Edict — the part that served to stabilize the mind and converge soul essence at the start of a purge. And immediately he did, he felt his shoulders lighten. The weight of the figure’s overwhelming presence lessened on his mind, to the point where he could finally breathe easily and think more clearly. What the hell? So the oppressive compulsion was not real?! Finn thought indignantly. He half-expected a response from the figure to his mental question, but when nothing was said even after a silent few seconds, Finn’s eyes widened even further. The figure saw the look in Finn’s eyes and shrugged non-committally, settling deeper into his plush throne, "Yes. I can’t hear your thoughts or compel you with my dominion any longer. But so what? Don’t make the mistake to think it isn’t real just because your soul is powerful enough to tune it out. I can end your lives at any moment." "From the way you talk, can I safely assume that you were an Arcanist?" Althea continued as if she didn’t hear the threat. "Whose body is this that you’ve taken over? Who are you? No. Who were you? And where and what exactly is this place?" She fired off a barrage of questions. An Arcanist?! Finn reassessed the figure again. For Althea to come to this conclusion despite feeling the overwhelming might they both had earlier, she must’ve deciphered some things that Finn couldn’t see. "Why don’t we play a little game," the figure switched pace playfully, refusing to answer the questions that were asked. "I ask a question, you answer. You ask a question, I maybe answer. How about it?" "We decline," Both Finn and Althea said simultaneously. "Ugh," the figure huffed. "Okay, I will also answer your questions in turn." "Truthfully," Althea emphasized, causing the figure to narrow his eyes dangerously. Even Finn sucked in a breath through his teeth at Althea’s sudden audacity. Regardless of whether they had tuned out the pressure and compulsion of the figure, the fact remained that he was still unfathomably more powerful than they were. What did Althea know that gave her such confidence to negotiate so blatantly? Finn swallowed a gulp, expecting something to happen. But again... nothing did. The figure conceded with a sigh, "I would agree to, but there isn’t a sure way to ascertain the truth of any party’s words," he shrugged. "Oh, but there is... We just need to enter into a Soul Pact," Althea deadpanned. Silence reigned immediately, as the figure stared at Althea with evident disbelief in his eyes. Until, slowly, an uncanny grin — one that the figure visibly struggled not to show — spread across his face until he stopped trying to restrain it. He burst out into hysterical laughter, sending echoes throughout the temple at the absurdity of her suggestion. Althea simply watched in silence, waiting for him to settle. While Finn, who hadn’t the slightest clue what was happening, tacitly also remained quiet and observed. "Of course, Ossuarist. I will gladly enter into a Soul Pact with you," he said amidst deep chuckles. "Who ever said anything about me?" she raised a thumb in Finn’s direction, "Him. He’s the one you’re entering a Soul Pact with." In the blink of an eye, the figure’s laughter died out, and his expression shifted from surprise, to realization, before settling finally on fury. "Tread very carefully, little girl. Playing a game of wit against me would not turn out well for you," his voice took on a very dangerous tilt. "Hmm... So you’re indeed afraid of Finn," Althea muttered with a smirk, before responding. "I don’t need to play any game of wit... because I already have my answers." "Hair as white as snow. A beautiful face unrivaled by any human. Pointed ears that are prominent enough to draw attention. And lastly, that young, almost unaging body. I disregarded the idea as impossible before, but now I am certain of who exactly you are... or rather, whose body you inhabit," Althea slowly raised a finger and pointed at the figure on the throne, who watched her with a look that grew colder by the second. "From the Ossuarist records of the Callahan family — Of the single most baffling and unexplainable disappearance of a Sepulchre level talent in the early ages..." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞 "Egon Callahan." "You have made his body your vessel, but in the process, because of his powerful soul, you got the short end of the stick while wrestling for the specifics of the soul debt you required," Althea continued her analysis. "If I had to guess, while you have control over his body, there are clauses that he forced upon you that binds you to the confines of this space, and even limits your power... and breaking this clause would give him control once again..." Althea smirked. But the figure didn’t seem to share her humor. He stared at her with a frigid coldness in his eyes, as if she had just revealed a sore wound to his pride. Finn watched with bated breath, shocked at the revelation and acute deduction of Althea despite not having the full context of what most of her words meant. The figure took a deep, deliberate breath, before sighing and schooling his cold expression. "Well, what good is your knowledge when you’re going to die anyway." He stretched a hand out and pointed at Althea with a finger. [Spatial Dissolution].