Klein looked at the thick, dark blue liquid, which was difficult to describe as either a cupful or a solid lump, swallowed hard, and asked:
"Just drink it like this?"
"Don't I need any other preparations? A ritual, an incantation, or a prayer, for example?"
Old Neil uttered an "Uh," then said:
"Preparations? Of course. First, have a glass of Aurmir wine from Intis, then smoke a Desi cigar. After that, hum a melodious tune and perform a lively court dance. A tap dance will do too, if you prefer. Finally, play a round of Gwent..."
Seeing Klein's expression grow increasingly blank, Old Neil smiled and summed up his earlier description:
"If you feel nervous."
...You're quite the comedian... The corners of Klein's mouth twitched twice, and he resisted the urge to draw his gun.
He set down his cane and reached out with his right hand, lifting the opaque cup as though it held something heavy. The potion's scent was faint, so insubstantial that it seemed almost nonexistent.
"Young man, don't hesitate. The more you hesitate, the more nervous and frightened you'll become, and the more it'll affect your absorption afterward." Old Neil spoke with his back to Klein, seemingly offhandedly.
At some point, he had walked over to the nearby sink, turned on the faucet, and begun washing his hands under the running water.
Klein nodded silently and took a deep breath. Like a child pinching his nose to take medicine, he brought the opaque cup to his lips, tipped his head back, and gulped it down.
A cool, slippery sensation swiftly filled his mouth, then slid down his esophagus and into his stomach.
The thick, dark blue liquid seemed to sprout long, slender tentacles, and an icy, stimulating sensation instantly burrowed into every cell in Klein's body.
He began twitching involuntarily. His vision rapidly blurred, and every color intensified. Reds grew redder, blues bluer, and blacks blacker. Rich patches of color jumbled together like an oil painting splashed onto canvas by an Impressionist master.
Klein had experienced such a scene before, during Spirit Medium Daly's questioning.
At that moment, his vision was blurred, and his thoughts drifted yet remained clear, as though he were a shipwreck survivor floating on the sea.
Gradually, he made out his surroundings. All the colors overlapped while remaining distinct, and a thin, illusory gray mist spread through the air.
Around him were things whose forms defied description, so transparent they seemed not to exist. Farther within were streaks of clear light in different colors. These lights seemed alive, or perhaps they contained endless knowledge.
This is a little like what I saw during the Luck Enhancement Ritual... Klein instinctively looked down and discovered that "he" was still standing where he had been, his body twitching.
Suddenly, understanding dawned on him. His consciousness plunged downward and merged with his body.
Boom!
The mist swiftly dispersed, and the patches of color returned to normal at the same time. The clear lights and seemingly nonexistent objects vanished in an instant.
The scene inside the alchemy room returned to normal, but Klein felt his head swelling, as though it might burst. Everything he looked at had countless overlapping images, while ethereal whispers from some unknown source reached his ears:
"Hornacis... Flegrea... Hornacis... Flegrea... Hornacis... Flegrea..."
A piercing pain shot through Klein's forehead, and his heart quickly filled with the urge to vent, to destroy.
He frowned and shook his head repeatedly.
"Is your vision abnormal? And are you hearing sounds you couldn't hear before?" Old Neil asked with a smile from beside him.
"Yes, Mr. Neil. What should I do?" Klein asked, holding back his intense agitation.
Old Neil chuckled.
"That's because the potion's power is overflowing, and you lack a way to control it. All right, do as I say. Imagine an object in your mind. Something common, simple, and easy."
Klein focused his attention and outlined his black silk half top hat in his mind, thinking of how it felt to stroke it and of its precise shape.
"Focus all your attention on it. Keep repeating it, keep outlining it. Are you feeling a little better?" Old Neil's voice penetrated his mind like a song soothing the soul.
Klein shifted his attention bit by bit onto the silk hat he had imagined. The whispers in his ears gradually faded until they disappeared, and the overlapping images in his vision slowly aligned, no longer blurred.
"Much better." Klein calmed the jumble of emotions within him and exhaled.
He looked down at his body and found nothing unusual.
After moving his arms and legs, Klein asked, half expectant and half puzzled:
"Did I succeed? Am I a Seer now?"
Old Neil took a mercury-backed mirror from nearby and held it in front of him.
"Look at your eyes."
Klein looked closely. His reflection wore a black top hat and had relatively pronounced contours and ordinary features. Apart from the sweat covering his face, he seemed no different from before.
Following Old Neil's instruction, he carefully examined his eyes. Only then did he discover that his originally brown eyes had deepened considerably, as dark as a night without the slightest light, so deep they seemed capable of absorbing other people's souls.
Normally, dark brown eyes could easily be mistaken for black. Without looking carefully, even Klein himself would have struggled to notice.
"This is an outward manifestation of the potion's power. Once you learn to meditate and rein it in, your eyes will return to normal." Old Neil smiled and extended his right hand. "Congratulations, new Beyonder, our Seer."
"Thank you." Klein reached out and shook his hand. "Mr. Neil, when can I learn to meditate?"
"Right now. Basic meditation is quite simple, especially for Beyonders." Old Neil smiled. "Outlining an object in your mind to redirect your attention and rein in the overflowing power was actually the first step of meditation. Do it again."
Klein closed his eyes and once again pictured the black silk half top hat in his mind.
His attention seemed easier to focus than before. Soon, stray thoughts surfaced, then fell away one after another, leaving only the hat he had outlined.
"Let your mind go slightly blank, then replace the object you've outlined with something that doesn't exist in this world, something imagined out of thin air."
"You must follow this rule. Only then can you enter meditation and gradually become one with the transcendent self, the infinite self, and the cosmic self, gaining insight into truth and revelation, obtaining knowledge that only you yourself can comprehend. In mysticism, this is called a 'mystical experience.'" Old Neil spoke soothingly. "For now, you only need to listen to the latter part. What matters most at present is entering meditation."
Something that doesn't exist in this world, imagined out of thin air... Would something from Earth count? Klein tried replacing the black half top hat with the long, thick, drab green intercontinental ballistic missiles he had seen on television.
But no matter how he outlined or imagined them, all he managed was to focus his attention more intensely.
Looks like that won't work... Klein had no choice but to exercise his imagination. He outlined a ball of light, then many similar things, and brought them together.
The balls of light overlapped, filled with a sense of fantasy. Klein's mind gradually emptied, seeming to drift.
His body and mind both grew tranquil. The illusory gray mist, filled with seemingly nonexistent objects and clear lights, reappeared along with the jumbled patches of color, hovering quietly in the air, within reach.
His spirituality extended bit by bit, unfolding inch by inch. Klein quietly looked down at it, sensed it, and reined it in.
"Very good. As expected of a Seer, you entered meditation smoothly. Only a little worse than I did back then. Just a tiny bit." Old Neil chuckled. "In that case, I'll begin teaching you the ability most commonly used in mysticism, the simplest to master, and the one with the greatest potential for further development: Spirit Vision!"
He extinguished the gas lamps one by one, but opened the alchemy room's concealed door, leaving Klein's surroundings exceptionally dim without making it impossible to distinguish the outlines of objects.
"Good. Maintain your current state. Raise your hands in front of your eyes, with your index fingers pointing toward each other, but not touching."
"Open your eyes and let them adjust to the darkness."
Following Old Neil's instructions, Klein completed each step and saw his fingers pointing toward each other, along with the outlines of the surrounding objects.
"Normally, you should lie down and let your body relax completely, but since your meditation is working well, let's continue." Old Neil laughed. "Focus your gaze behind your hands. It must be behind them. Then slowly move your fingers, keeping them pointed toward each other without touching. Don't let them leave your field of vision, either."
Klein listened calmly, fixed his gaze on the empty space behind his palms, and slowly moved his two index fingers within his field of vision, keeping them pointed toward each other without touching.
Once, twice, three times... Suddenly, Klein saw a touch of fiery red appear between his fingers.
"Oh..." He made a sound.
"You've seen a color? Good. This is basic Spirit Vision. The color you're seeing is your own aura." Old Neil chuckled. "Don't rush. Do it a few more times to stabilize it before looking elsewhere. I'll take this opportunity to explain what the different colors mean."
"All right." Klein moved his fingers back and forth, concentrating on that touch of fiery red.
Old Neil thought for a moment, then said:
"Simply put, the mainstream fields of mysticism divide the nonphysical part of each person into four layers. The innermost core is called the Spirit Body, which is each person's most fundamental spirituality. Animists believe that all living things possess spirituality and a Spirit Body."
"I'm not sure about the others, but for Mystery Pryers, both the purpose of meditation and the means of increasing power are directed toward the Spirit Body."
"Outside the Spirit Body is the Astral Body. It is the means by which the former communicates with the Spirit World and the starry sky, an outward manifestation of the former. It is also directly related to your own will and current emotions... What you saw after drinking the potion was what your Astral Body saw while wandering the Spirit World. That place doesn't follow the rules of the material world. It involves the transcendent self, the infinite self, and the cosmic self. Past, present, and future can all overlap. This is the source of divination."
"In the Spirit World, what you see are merely images and symbols. They must be interpreted before their specific meanings can be understood."
"Divination and many other kinds of magic are performed through the Astral Body."
"Be sure not to confuse its relationship with the Spirit Body or the differences between them."
One is the substance, and the other is its function... Klein continued looking at the aura between his fingertips and made a concise summary.
"Farther out is the Mental Body. From this layer onward, there is a connection with the physical body... It involves the mind and is a combined manifestation of your powers of reasoning, thought, insight, and understanding. Some potions primarily enhance this, and quite a few forms of magic target it."
Old Neil explained in considerable detail. "The outermost layer is the Ether Body. It is a manifestation of your vital energy and physical condition."
"The colors of the aura you see are the outward symbols of the Ether Body. In other words, besides directly seeing certain spirits, ghosts, and wraiths-heh, perhaps including certain beings that shouldn't be seen-Spirit Vision also lets you see other people's Ether Bodies, or auras. You can then judge their health and emotional state from differences in thickness, brightness, and color."
"As your Spirit Vision improves and you acquire more knowledge of mysticism, you'll be able to discover finer details and use them to judge how long someone will live."
"Yes, I mentioned emotional states just now, because the Astral Body also has a slight outward manifestation. Once your Sequence becomes higher and your Spirit Vision reaches a sufficiently powerful stage, you can even see another person's Astral Body. Then you'll be able to learn more. That is a level only Beyonders such as Seers and Mystery Pryers can attain."
"Some people even claim that Spirit Vision at its strongest can see anything, anywhere, including the past and future. But I don't really believe that."
That sounds impressive... Klein was almost beginning to yearn for it.
Old Neil coughed and continued:
"Let's return to the colors of the Ether Body, or aura. Areas involved in movement, such as your hands and feet, appear red. The surface of the head and brain appears purple. Areas responsible for excretion and detoxification appear orange. The digestive system's corresponding areas appear yellow. Outside the heart and regulatory systems, it appears green. The throat and parts of the nervous system appear blue. Overall balance envelops the body in white... These are all signs of good health."
"If they grow dim, become thinner, or change color, it means something is wrong with the corresponding part, which is fatigued or ill."
"In addition, the corresponding colors of the inner Astral Body indicate current emotions. Red means passion and excitement; orange, warmth and satisfaction; yellow, happiness and extroversion; green, calm and peace; blue, composure and being in thought; white, brightness and positivity; dark colors, melancholy, sorrow, and silence. Purple indicates that spirituality is dominant, with coldness and detachment..."
Klein silently memorized this as he stabilized his basic Spirit Vision.
"All right, you can look at other things now." Old Neil did not elaborate further and nodded.
Klein slowly turned his head and looked at Old Neil. Sure enough, he discovered an aura of varying colors and thicknesses around him. The purple at his head was brightest, while the red at his hands and feet was relatively dim, and the overall white was somewhat thin.
So he really is getting on in years... Klein silently murmured to himself.
Only at that moment, after seeing all this, did he truly feel that he had become a Beyonder!
I'm a Beyonder now!
He shifted his gaze, examining Old Neil closely. Suddenly, however, he saw a pair of nearly transparent, cold, emotionless eyes without eyelashes in the empty space behind him!
These almost illusory eyes were quietly watching Old Neil, watching him!
This... Klein shivered, opened his mouth, and blurted out:
"There's a pair of eyes behind you!"
Old Neil froze for a moment, then forced a smile.
"Don't mind them."
P.S. Monday is almost here again. I'll continue posting a catch-up update after midnight tonight.
P.P.S. I've noticed that many readers couldn't find the information on the twenty-two starting classes, meaning Sequence 9, on my WeChat public account. So I overcame my laziness and organized the menu. Just tap "Cuttlefish's works-Lord of Mysteries" and look through the messages there to find it. My public account is: wuzei1985