Magical Soul Parade - Chapter 225: The Fog of No Return, returns

Chapter 225: The Fog of No Return, returns

The familiar name should have shocked Finn. This was the same name as one he’d heard mentioned from his own timeline. Even more, it was also the name of a place within his own world — the world of Ossuarists and Arcanists — not some foreign world or exotic plane, but the world and time Finn originally lived.

Which meant that either this Fog of No Return had a duplicate in his own world and time, or more likely, this was the exact Fog of No Return that covered the islands of Scoria from his own time.

Both possibilities brought entirely different questions of their own. Questions about the nature of the Fog of No Return, about how it was also able to exist in his world when it was here in a different world entirely, about the time paradox of it all. Was his existence here the catalyst for the future he had experienced, or was this going to change the course of history.

These were the thoughts that should have plagued Finn. Yet there wasn’t the slightest flicker of surprise on Finn’s face. Not even a change in expression, like all of this was within his calculations…

And that was because he’d known of this fact the whole time. The three weeks he spent “secluded” inside his compound had not actually been in total seclusion.

Besides being tutored on sword skills by Thalia, he had also extensively surveyed the city of Hoshin with [Null Perception] fully active, weaving through the city, imperceptible to anyone at all. He’d walked through crowds at midday, stood in the Shadow Temple during evening prayers, lingered in merchant halls during closed-door negotiations… like a ghost observing the living.

His observation of the city’s inner workings and its main figures of interest — like Priests and secret Paladins of the Shadow Temple — was only the start. He had gone even deeper, silently watching and learning some frankly surprising secrets that made him cook up this brand new plan he was attempting.

He’d discovered connections between the Merchant Union and certain foreign powers. He’d witnessed the Shadow Temple’s enforcers making arrests in the dead of night. He’d observed Vara herself, standing on this very deck in the early morning hours, hands pressed against the ship’s mast like she was feeling for a heartbeat.

Meeting Jon, working at the docks, and now being seated in front of Vara, talking about forbidden secrets that would cost them their lives if the Church of Shadows or any other pantheon simply caught a whisper of it, was not by mistake at all.

Every step had been calculated. Every seemingly random decision had been planned weeks in advance.

He leveled a gaze at Vara as she laid everything bare. Her lips were tilted up in a satisfied smile, as if talking about this so openly with someone else, someone that had this “Soul Sight” and truly understood her, had lifted a weight off her shoulders.

“My father thinks my adamance on sailing with this ship is unfounded,” she continued, her voice taking on a more personal quality. “But if he could see what I can see… if he was born with this… gift.” She clenched and unclenched her fist, staring at her palm as if she could see something deeper within the lines. “Then he would also feel the same way.”

“Your great-grandfather would approve,” Finn said softly, causing Vara to break out of the trance she seemed to have fallen into.

She looked up at him blankly for a second, then chuckled. “Of course he will. I’m restoring my family’s glory after all. Bringing the name of our true God to the limelight again.”

“And that’s why I need your help.” Her gaze turned sharper, more focused. “You and I are different, Arros. We are a rarer breed, superior even to the so-called Paladins who rely on borrowed divine power.” She gestured between them. “Our path should reflect that superiority.”

She leaned forward in her seat then paused for a few seconds, staring at Finn intently. The silence stretched, weighted with significance.

“I want you to become my ally.”

Finn raised a brow in surprise, the first genuine reaction he’d shown since entering the cabin.

But Vara continued before he could speak. “I knew you were different from the onset. But I couldn’t place my finger on what exactly it was about you that was different.” Her words came faster now, more passionate. “But now that I do. Now that I know you for what you are… I want you to become my ally.”

Finn still had his brow raised, as if unconvinced. This seemed rushed. Even if Vara was excited to find someone who had the natural ability to sense things deeper than the mundane, asking someone she didn’t really know to be her ally was… suspicious to say the least.

Either that, or she was simply reckless. Perhaps both. But regardless of which it was, Finn still felt on edge. The offer was too convenient, too perfectly aligned with his goals.

Vara seemed to sense his hesitation and redoubled her effort, leaning further across the desk.

“You wish to reawaken your Errant God, and I wish to do the same for my God. The God of Seas.” Her voice dropped to something more conspiratorial. “We’re in the same boat, Arros. Literally and figuratively. We both pursue goals that the reigning pantheons have deemed heretical. By their laws, the penalty for what we’re attempting is death.”

She gestured between them. “The fact that we’ve both shared this knowledge, these secrets that could see us executed, is binding in itself. We’re already complicit in each other’s fates.”

Finn remained silent, watching her carefully.

“I need someone who can see beyond the mundane like I can,” Vara continued. “Slick Jones is the only one who knows about the true purpose of refurbishing this ship. In fact, he’s sworn a blood oath to keep it secret. He is my sword and shadow, loyal until death.” She paused. “But he is still a simple mortal. He has no Soul Sight.”

Her expression grew more serious. “For the things we’ll encounter in the Fog of No Return, I shouldn’t be the only one who can see the unseen. I need another pair of eyes. Someone who can perceive threats that would be invisible to normal crew members.” She spread her hands. “Someone like you.”

Then she stopped, leaned back in her seat and stared at Finn, waiting for his response. The cabin fell silent except for the gentle creaking of the ship and the distant sounds of the harbor outside.

Finn considered her words carefully, or at least appeared to. His mind worked through multiple angles simultaneously.

The ball was in his court now and he needed to respond.

On the surface, her reasoning made sense. Soul Sight was rare enough that finding even one person with the ability was remarkable. Having two on a voyage into dangerous, unknown waters? That dramatically increased their chances of survival.

But there was also the question of why she trusted him so quickly. They’d known each other for days at most. Yes, they’d shared a dangerous secret, but that could just as easily make them threats to each other rather than allies.