Lucin also looked at Shang after Queen Primordium asked that question.
He was also interested in the answer, but he wanted to wait with the question until they were more familiar with each other.
"I can't," Shang answered.
"Curious," Queen Primordium added, "why not?"
"The power of the Abominations took it from me," Shang said.
Shang tried his best not to let it show, but he was extremely nervous right now.
This was the most dangerous moment.
"I've heard of that," Queen Primordium said. "Don't resist. I need to confirm something."
Then, Shang felt a smooth finger touch the side of his head.
Shang did his absolute best not to act suspicious, and he didn't resist.
He trusted in the Lightning Manor's philosophy that the mind of every individual was a sacred place that wasn't allowed to be looked into or manipulated.
As long as she didn't read his mind, everything should be fine.
Lucius, the Mage Emperor, had told Shang that his Spell, Humanity, couldn't even be seen by an Emperor.
After some seconds, the finger retreated from Shang's head.
"Indeed, your soul has been altered in more ways than one," she said.
"Could you please explain?" Shang asked. "I would also like to know more about this."
At this moment, Shang felt a mountain of relief.
"There are two things wrong with your soul, and one of them is more troublesome to solve than the other," she said.
'Two things?' Shang thought in confusion.
Sure, he had two eyes, but that would only be counted as one thing.
"When the Abominations blow up, they are using a very peculiar ability. They are using their own essence to fuse with the Mana in the world. The two forces cancel each other out and transform into pure destruction. This is how the Abominations are able to threaten beings several levels above them."
"If you come into contact with the explosion, you will be blown apart. However, if you come into contact with the essence of the Abominations, you will not be blown up but used as fuel."
"In some cases, that can be worse than being blown up."
"How so?" Shang asked.
"Injuring someone's soul is difficult since it resides in a different space than the one everyone resides in. Don't try to fully grasp this concept just yet. It is very complicated, even for someone like me."
Shang wordlessly nodded.
"For now, just imagine that your soul exists in a parallel reality that overlaps our own. Imagine your soul as a cloud and your body as an anchor."
"If the anchor gets damaged, the cloud can repair it."
"If the anchor gets completely destroyed, the cloud will float away and disperse. That is death."
"However, nothing can touch the cloud. It is virtually invulnerable."
"When an Abomination explodes, it also just destroys the anchor."
"However, if an Abomination wants to explode, it pulls in all kinds of Mana around it, including Space, Time, Gravity, and the very Concepts that dictate life itself, Life Mana."
"Your soul is made of Life Mana, and Life Mana can't be touched easily."
"But Life Mana is also Mana."
"When an Abomination extends its essence to fuse with Mana, it does so on a fundamental level, which includes all forms of Mana, including Life Mana."
"Life Mana dictates the very concept of existence. If you lose Life Mana, your concept of existence gets altered."
"In your case, the part of your soul that represents your eyes no longer exists. In a sense, this couldn't even be called an injury since there is nothing to heal."
"You are you. You are complete. Having eyes would be just as abnormal for you as for another human to have wings growing out of their back."
"Do you understand?" Queen Primordium asked.
Shang nodded. "Thank you."
"As for your other problem," Queen Primordium continued. "The part of your soul that is responsible for the priority connection between your soul-center and your soul-core has been altered, but compared to your eyes, this problem can be fixed."
"I don't understand," Shang said.
"It means that it is very difficult for your body to transfer Mana to your mind to strengthen it," Queen Primordium explained.
Shang became nervous again, but this time for different reasons.
"You can get rid of my warrior's body?" Shang asked.
"Not me personally, no," she said. "To fix this change, you need someone that knows the level two Concept of Life, Change. I only know the level one Concept."
"The Custodian might be able to help you," she said.
Shang took a deep breath. "How would that alter my body?"
"I am uncertain," Queen Primordium said. "You would need to speak to the Custodian."
"Is there a way for me to meet him?" Shang asked.
"You will meet him in a couple of seconds," Queen Primordium said.
Shang became surprised, and Lucin also looked at Queen Primordium in shock.
"I have verified that you truly have a fivefold Spirit Sense, but your identity as a warrior is troublesome," she explained. "It is within my authority to support you until you become powerful enough to join the tournament. I could do that without any issues."
"However, if you actually manage to win, my authority won't be enough to secure the spot of King. That is up to the Emperors."
"My duty is to strengthen the younger generation and give them the best chance at winning the grand tournament, but it is also my duty to make sure that the resources we give to the new generation actually find use and don't get wasted."
"Investing resources befit of a King Contender into someone that can't become a King, no matter how powerful they become, would be a waste of these resources."
"That's why we have to resolve this issue first, and I can't solve it."
"Lucin, you remain here. I am going to take him to the Custodian."
"Yes, my Queen," Lucin said with a respectful tone.
"Follow me," Queen Primordium told Shang.
Shang felt the wall of nothing walk out of the door that represented the edge of the world and move towards the left.
Shang simply followed the wall of nothingness as they left Lucin behind.
They didn't say anything on their way and arrived in front of a smaller door beside a big gate.
Queen Primordium politely knocked on the door, and a couple of seconds later, the doors opened.
This time, Shang could see who he was talking to.
He looked like an adult man with grey hair, and he wore a very clean suit, surprisingly.
He almost looked like a butler to Shang.
"Nice to see you, Vana," Wester, the Custodian, spoke politely.
Naturally, Wester also threw an interested glance at Shang.
