"A species?" It sounds absurd - and not a little concerning - until he remembers what Lahabrea said, putting a hand to his chin. "I suppose, if the original prototype was scattered across worlds just as the Ancients were, the manifestations of these shards may well differ between them. Like a crystal whose heart is pierced through, and all of us but glittering facets of its former splendor, and yet...in some ways, the better for it." This last bit he ends up musing out loud to the shelves, rather than really talking to Rose, but soon enough her words draw him back.
"Familiar, yes, but by the sound of it, your Odin received the better end of that trade. Barnabas absolutely did not."
He nods for her to go on with her questions, and then considers his phrasing. "I have told you that the Eikons are beings of pure aether. Indeed, the land entire and all of its life contained aether, for it was the lifeblood of magic, and magic permeated everything. When great spells are cast or Ultima is near, aether may gather in large quantities in a single place, an 'aetherflood.' Dominants like myself and Barnabas are immune to its effects, as our own bodies are already flooded with aether by virtue of our Eikons. But ordinary people cannot withstand it. Too much exposed to it, they quickly turn akashic - taken over entirely by cold, unfeeling aether, losing everything that makes them human - their minds, their will, their individuality. They become naught but living weapons, glutted upon the magic that made them. But Barnabas..."
Joshua folds his arms and drops his gaze to the table, troubled. "His akashic state was inflicted by Ultima himself. No mere worldly aetherflood, but the wellspring of all magic from its very creator. Even Odin's Dominant could not withstand it entirely. He retains some of who he once was, but...his desires and drives, his ability to think for himself, these were drowned in Ultima's 'greatest gift.'" The last two words practically project from his lips like sparks, his tone becoming sharper than Rose has heard it so far.
But he calms soon enough to answer the second question. "Zantetsuken is a blade fashioned of darkness, and darkness alone. I have seen it perform feats unimaginable, wielded by the king's skilled hand. Precise enough to sever every sinew in a man's body with one strike, yet leave him otherwise perfectly healthy. Powerful enough to split the sea with a shockwave, or slice a building clean in two. But of all the feats it can perform, the ones of which you ask are these: that blade can cut the very strands of time and space. It can freeze a moment in time for all but its wielder, leaving him free to kill or plunder to his heart's content before his foes can grasp what's happened. Even Ultima himself could not defy its power, though by then it was in my brother's hands - and what Barnabas Tharmr lacks in will, Clive possesses a hundred times over."
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"Familiar, yes, but by the sound of it, your Odin received the better end of that trade. Barnabas absolutely did not."
He nods for her to go on with her questions, and then considers his phrasing. "I have told you that the Eikons are beings of pure aether. Indeed, the land entire and all of its life contained aether, for it was the lifeblood of magic, and magic permeated everything. When great spells are cast or Ultima is near, aether may gather in large quantities in a single place, an 'aetherflood.' Dominants like myself and Barnabas are immune to its effects, as our own bodies are already flooded with aether by virtue of our Eikons. But ordinary people cannot withstand it. Too much exposed to it, they quickly turn akashic - taken over entirely by cold, unfeeling aether, losing everything that makes them human - their minds, their will, their individuality. They become naught but living weapons, glutted upon the magic that made them. But Barnabas..."
Joshua folds his arms and drops his gaze to the table, troubled. "His akashic state was inflicted by Ultima himself. No mere worldly aetherflood, but the wellspring of all magic from its very creator. Even Odin's Dominant could not withstand it entirely. He retains some of who he once was, but...his desires and drives, his ability to think for himself, these were drowned in Ultima's 'greatest gift.'" The last two words practically project from his lips like sparks, his tone becoming sharper than Rose has heard it so far.
But he calms soon enough to answer the second question. "Zantetsuken is a blade fashioned of darkness, and darkness alone. I have seen it perform feats unimaginable, wielded by the king's skilled hand. Precise enough to sever every sinew in a man's body with one strike, yet leave him otherwise perfectly healthy. Powerful enough to split the sea with a shockwave, or slice a building clean in two. But of all the feats it can perform, the ones of which you ask are these: that blade can cut the very strands of time and space. It can freeze a moment in time for all but its wielder, leaving him free to kill or plunder to his heart's content before his foes can grasp what's happened. Even Ultima himself could not defy its power, though by then it was in my brother's hands - and what Barnabas Tharmr lacks in will, Clive possesses a hundred times over."