When he had first signed the Symbiotic Pact with the Banshees, Theus had gained an ability that allowed him to sense the composition of matter through physical contact.
This ability had helped him many times. For instance, when he first came into contact with Moth Chasing Flame, he had discovered Brother Kaeschi's identity.
But the ability was not that useful, because its results consisted of only a single word. If he did not know what that word meant, there was little he could do.
Like the [Named One] that had now surfaced in his mind.
Theus had no idea what a [Named One] was. He had previously come into contact with other Transcendents, such as Moth Chasing Flame's [Nymph] or Buriers like Nora, but this strange ability had given him no indication at all, as though he had touched nothing more than ordinary mortals.
Even the Banshees were no different from ordinary people.
The only somewhat unusual one was probably the person lying inside the Stellar Furnace. When Theus touched Them, the prompt he received was [Pollution]—which was only natural. Their body was full of Pollution, and They had long since lost Their sense of self.
This was the first time he had sensed an entry on a living person.
Brother Kaeschi did not count. Though Theus had never asked in detail, he should have been some sort of nonhuman construct, and what Theus had sensed then had been a whole list of materials.
The little girl before him was probably no ordinary person.
And Gwen?
He immediately recalled the Gwen in the Worker Theus connection: a Northern Territory native, a refugee, and the age matched too. She should be the girl before him.
But wasn't Gwen supposed to be an ordinary mortal? She had nearly starved to death before.