Tasting the Soul

Shane had just raised his hand to explain that he wasn't some subordinate of that Trigon, when Raven, after studying him a few more moments, decisively rejected her earlier notion.

"No, even though your soul reeks of blood, you don't know even a shred of magic."

"Uh... your observation is quite sharp."

Seeing that Raven seemed willing to talk, Shane lowered his hand again.

The Girl's brow furrowed slightly, and purple light abruptly flickered at her feet once more.

Shane sighed and shook his head.

"If your escape magic only has that one trick, then you should know you can't shake me off."

Raven stared coldly at Shane, a hint of annoyance creeping into her gaze.

After two seconds of careful thought, the Girl reluctantly dispelled the magic at her feet.

She had to admit he was right—with that inhuman speed and his inexplicable ability to lock onto her, if this guy insisted on pestering her, she really had no good way to get away.

Raven's expression grew irritated.

"How did you find me? What do you want?"

"I got help from someone, and now I need yours."

"Hm?"

Seeing the Girl finally stop trying to flee, Shane quickly pulled the Golden Apple from his pocket.

"It's a long story. A few days ago, I got targeted by some Greek pantheon deity, had a clash with her, destroyed her divine body, and ended up with this apple."

Raven glanced over the Golden Apple a few times, frowning in thought for a few seconds.

"This carries divine power, and its magical composition is very complex. Sorry, but my level probably can't handle that so-called deity."

Raven expected this strange young man to get dejected at her confession, but to her surprise, Shane's expression didn't change at all.

He just casually stuffed the apple back into his pocket.

"I wasn't asking for anything that demanding. I mainly wanted to find a reliable mage to consult."

Shane scratched his arm as he spoke—over the past three days, the strange itch inside his body had been fading, but he still had some lingering discomfort.

"Is there something special about my soul? Those deities, master mages—including your reaction just now."

Shane took a second to find the right words.

"It's like, in your eyes, I'm particularly conspicuous?"

Raven's originally cold expression shifted subtly as she finished listening to Shane's question.

She sized him up again, a mix of mockery and confusion in her eyes.

"You don't know what's going on with yourself?"

Shane opened his mouth, a bit stumped by the question.

Of course he knew why—every magic user these days could see his soul reeked of blood. A past he hadn't planned on mentioning was practically transparent to certain people.

But how could he describe that to the Girl in front of him?

Compared to this Earth, the Viltrumite side was a completely different environment.

Even during their civil war, the Viltrumites had already conquered hundreds of planets within a certain light-year radius.

Yet no righteous mage ever jumped out to rail against the Viltrumites.

No talk of human demons, or how their sins of slaughter were too heavy.

Shane even had a vague suspicion.

He must have encountered something during his drift through space that dragged him into the DC universe.

Though that guess let him temporarily set aside his biggest worries.

But everywhere here was full of mages, and they all looked at him with vigilance and rejection.

Doctor Fate had nearly thrown down with him.

It was predictable that if he couldn't find a way to solve this problem, all sorts of freaks would keep popping up in the future because of his soul's peculiarity, messing with his life.

"I... was born in a place without magic."

Shane spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully. The Girl still looked impatient, her slender, pale fingers clutching the stolen bread and milk tightly as she listened coldly.

"Where I'm from—or rather, my people—they're all like me. That's just our culture, full of killing and bloodshed."

Raven's gaze visibly turned even colder.

If Shane hadn't shown the slightest hostility from start to finish, she would have already used more dangerous offensive magic on him.

But Shane's next words made her expression shift.

"So I escaped. I wanted to live a peaceful, normal life on this planet."

"But as you can see, and as I just said, on this place called Earth, my past makes me stand out in the eyes of the magical side."

Shane's account came to an abrupt halt.

Raven no longer had that distant, keep-away-from-me aura about her.

Even her eyes seemed to carry a certain—

sense of empathy.

She carefully tucked the bread and milk closer to her chest, then, while staring at Shane who stood with his hands at his sides, she bit her lip.

"You want to conceal your soul?"

Shane's heart stirred, and he couldn't help but feel hopeful.

"If that can solve my problem, then yes, I think so."

"But why should I help you? We have nothing to do with each other."

Ah, well—whether it was Shane's imagination or not, he thought he saw the corners of Raven's mouth curl into a sly, mischievous smile as she said that.

Shane's mind raced as he considered what kind of fair exchange he could propose.

Or, alternatively, should he pull out the Golden Apple again, describe the danger of that artifact, and morally blackmail the girl?

Since she was destined to become a superhero in the future, even if she was currently homeless and stealing food, she still felt sympathy for beggars.

Her empathy should be fairly strong, then.

He couldn't just keep clinging to her like a sticky piece of taffy, annoying her until she couldn't stand him anymore.

Wishing he would leave, and then reluctantly helping him out of frustration?

"Do you know Superman?"

Shane asked cautiously.

Raven was taken aback, as if she didn't understand the meaning behind Shane's question.

"Of course I do. Newspapers, the TVs in roadside shops—Superman is everywhere."

Shane felt reassured. He rolled up his sleeve and made a display gesture.

"My race is called Viltrum. My superpowers are very similar to Superman's. In the future, I could even become like him—maybe even stronger than him."

"But I don't need a bodyguard."

Raven cut off Shane's words and the intention behind them without mercy.

Shane awkwardly lowered his arm. At this point, it seemed moral blackmail was the only path left...

"I'm interested in your soul and your memories."

"What?"

Raven's sudden words made Shane's expression tighten, and his mind instinctively wanted to refuse.

His superpowers could only handle purely physical situations for now. The soul was indeed a significant weakness in this world full of magic and sorcery.

But then Raven's attitude shifted, becoming somewhat unusual.

"Setting aside my personal reasons, I have to tell you first that your soul currently has problems. Without a deep understanding, I still can't help you."

Shane blinked. For some reason, he felt that whenever the topic of souls came up, Raven seemed to become more talkative.

"And if we don't set that aside?"

"...My personal hobby."

Raven's voice became very quiet, as if she was somewhat embarrassed to say it.

Then the girl raised her hand and made a promise.

"Don't worry, I won't pry into your secrets. This magic isn't a one-way malicious spell. If there's anything you don't want to show, you can refuse me with your will, or skip over the places hiding secrets. I'm just curious about your soul."

"You look about the same age as me, but your soul is different."

Raven discreetly swallowed her saliva, though it didn't escape Shane's perception, which made his expression turn strange.

"Your soul has decades of fra—thickness. If you let me use Soul Magic to, just slightly, touch it."

Raven made a very small gesture, her eyes filled with undisguised anticipation.

"Then I'll be willing to help you solve your problem."

Shane couldn't shake the feeling that the way this girl was looking at him now was like those junkies in the corners of Gotham, staring at a little white pill.

What kind of strange hobby was this?