Soul Probe

Looking at Yaxi's soul, which had fallen silent, Green took a deep breath. Yaxi seemed to have ventured deep into the Experimental Area and learned the truth about the ruins. If Green wanted to find a way forward, Yaxi was his only lead.

"Ordinary methods won't work. Looks like I'll need something unconventional!" Green drew a deep breath and made up his mind.

Normal Sorcery was useless in this situation. Yaxi's soul was too badly damaged. To see the memories within it, Green needed a special method.

At the edge of the ruins, Green sat on the ground beside three or four potion bottles. Traces of blue liquid showed that they had held precious energy potions.

Green's eyes were tightly shut, and his furrowed brow showed how much the effort was costing him. Black-and-red motes of light circled him, trailing long streaks behind them.

As the motes continued to circle, they formed rune after rune. The black-and-red symbols multiplied around Green until a huge Formation appeared.

Twisted, strange black-and-red symbols moved crookedly through the Formation.

Space rippled, and three potions appeared within the Formation, floating directly above Green's head.

The three potions were red, blue, and black.

Pop!

The stoppers sprang from all three bottles. Their contents flew out and fell onto the Formation on the ground, each potion soaking a third of it. The Formation glowed red, blue, and black, radiating waves of sinister light.

Invisible energy rippled from the Formation. A Crystal Orb appeared, holding a blurred human face: the remnant of Yaxi's soul.

The instant the Crystal Orb appeared, red, blue, and black light rose from the Formation and revolved around it.

The three lights spun faster and faster until they wrapped the Crystal Orb in a black sphere. An invisible pulse spread out. Where Yaxi