In a room at the top level of the magic tower on the mountain range, there were Totto, Zatiel, and Martin, whose body was no longer covered by the killing aura.
The Angelic Paragon was in the center of the room above a rune formation that was releasing a green glow all over his body, and this was not the only rune working on him since he also had one on his forehead.
Unlike with Nimir, where Zatiel could take advantage of the Magus still being a purely biological being and use the physiology of his brain to obtain the information he wanted, Martin's soul was too strong and could resist that type of interrogation.
There was the option of doing an aggressive interrogation and making Totto extract his memories, but those at Rank 4 and above had all types of spells that protect them against soul invasion.
Of course, in his current condition, Martin could not really resist, but there was a chance that the trauma could allow him to awake, at least partially.
With how proud they are, if the Angelic Paragon found himself with no chance other than being a prisoner of his enemies, he may choose to self destruct, and there was little they could do in that scenario.
Zatiel's plan was to use his Animus abilities, more specifically the Telepathic discipline to create a Mind Link and search through his memories in a manner that will not enter in direct contact with his soul.
He was just a Rank 1 Animus and even though he had made a significant improvement by absorbing the energy and vitality in the brains of those demons, he was nowhere near able to do this type of information gathering in a Rank 4 life form on his own.
That is the reason why he made the two runes affect Martin and asked for the help of Totto.
The rune that was on the ground was named Healing Stasis and the one on his head was Mind Gate.
Mind Gate's use was to help the creation of the Mind Link and as for Healing Stasis, it works by putting the target in a state of deep unconsciousness and sending a signal to his body so it will focus completely on healing itself.
In this state, any sort of magical defense is weakened, and since his body is improving, the chance of him awakening due to him feeling danger or threatened is less likely.
But even with the help of these runes, a Soul Forging existence's natural defenses are too great. This is where Totto enters.
"Are you ready?" Zatiel's face was serious as he spoke to the Magus.
This is the only part that he will not be performing himself and if Totto were to make a mistake, the consequences will be dire.
Totto did not speak and just limited himself to a nod before making a mantle of negative energy cover his hand.
When it first appeared, this negative energy was displaying his inherent deadly power, but slowly it started to change and adopted a more neutral property. If before it would have destroyed the life in someone's body, now it will put it in an inactive state.
When Zatiel saw the level of control that Totto managed to obtain over the negative energy running through his body, he was impressed. The amount of experimentation and research needed to reach this level was very extensive and takes a great amount of time.
For life forms that could be considered gods in the eyes of mortals, recusing themselves inside a laboratory for hundreds of years, making one test after another takes great determination.
Totto put his hand over Martin's chest and once he saw that there was no adverse reaction, he proceeded to fill Martin's body with his energy.
The negative energy started to act, weakening the Angelic Paragon defenses even further, but he will need a couple of hours before weakening Martin enough for Zatiel to be able to enter his mind.
"Why did you go through the process to achieve lichdom?"
When Totto heard this, he turns to Zatiel. There was no clear emotion or goal in his voice, but the man feels he was curious.
With what he has seen, Totto was not surprised that Zatiel could track the effect of his Path Technique.
Normally the individuals that transform into Liches are evil individuals with a twisted mind. After all, in this state, they are no longer able to experience any sort of body placer, and it not only applies to sexual ambition but also food and drink are no longer able to bring satisfaction.
Despite those drawbacks, there are a great number of Magi that go through this transformation, since they obtain a great talent regarding necromancy and the use of negative energy and they also obtain a very large life span.
A dejected smile appeared on Totto's face at first, but the next moment it was replaced by pride. He looked at Zatiel for a long time and in the end, he spoke.
"Unlike you, my talent was always mediocre but there is something special about me, and that is my endless curiosity! I have always wanted to know why things happened, get an answer to the questions that clouded my mind, and understand what makes this universe work. I was in Rank 2 when I obtained the Path Technique I am currently using, I knew that it carries severe repercussions, but I was not willing to just die of old age," There was a great sense of purpose in Totto's eyes as he spoke.
Zatiel could see the determination in the eyes filled with blue flames of the man. Even though he did not share the drive of the old man towards knowledge, Totto's wishes could compare to his own, of being a peak existence that could not be bound by anything.
He closed his eyes for a moment and focused on the picture of Totto's Law Avatar he was able to see thanks to his Eye of Life and Creation. Since the old man was helping him he was going to return the favor and after going through his memories to understand better the laws that were related to it, he started to speak.
"Fear and its origin are connected, trying to use them as separate entities is a mistake. Using fear as a simple attack is a waste, it should be something that can contaminate someone's mind and will."
When Totto heard Zatiel words his eyes widened, and after making sure that the negative energy going to Martin was regulated, he focused on his words.
"Some say that the birth of the greater fear is death, but I have always thought that seeing your body decay and rot slowly without you being able to do anything can cause fear so deep and potent that can twist your thoughts and emotions."
Zatiel's words would not be able of much help to any other Rank 4 life form but to someone like Totto who was comprehending the Law of Withering and the Law of Fear, they were important revelations.
"Fear creates uncertainty and fills you with insecurity, and they will, in turn, nurture and make that fear grow, creating a cycle of constant strengthening. If it reaches the point that the fear becomes powerful enough, it can evolve and give birth to despair, the ultimate state of hopelessness, something capable of breaking your will and parasitizing your soul."
Totto could not help but develop a smile on his face as he heard him. What Zatiel just described to him was a path that could strengthen his laws and gave birth to even more powerful ones.
As he stares at Zatiel all sorts of questions appear in his mind. This level of wisdom and knowledge was not something a Rank 2 life form could have obtained on his own.
Despite his curious nature as someone who has lived hundreds of years and has tempered his will through all sorts of trials, he knew that some questions were better not made.
But still, there was something he could ask since it did not involve any sort of secret and was just an opinion.
"Don't you think that these laws will make me a scourge in the mind of every sentient being?"
Totto has always enjoyed behaving like a scholar, and one of the few enjoyments he had was teaching others. Unfortunately, his laws will practically make him a monster.
But despite that, his thirst for knowledge did not allow him to give up, and no matter what he will continue becoming stronger and search for the answer to the mysteries of the universe.
When Zatiel hears his question, he looks at Totto's eyes for a long time, and when he sees the determination to strive despite the cost he nodded.
"We don't follow the Path of Gods, and we are not slaves of the laws. We dominate the laws and bend them to our will! They are tools that will work as we see fit. Who says that you must use your laws to harm others, you could very well focus on removing the despair from their hearts and consume them to increase your power. I have said more than enough to pay my debt, finish your task." Zatiel closes his eyes and no longer interacts with the Magus.
If someone were to hear that a Rank 2 life form ordered someone at Rank 4, they would think he was crazy, but it just happened and when Totto heard him, he instinctively obeyed and focused on the job.
