“Artificial spirits?” the man said, slightly taken aback. “Where did that come from?”

  “Do not play dumb with me," Ethan replied, seriousness dripping from his words. "Surely, you must have heard something. I don't doubt your family was involved in that research. Forgive me for saying so, but the Thorntons aren't really known for their adherence to general morality."

  "The same could be said for your family, the Lancasters. In fact, any families worth their salt have done some things they'd rather not share."

  “Gilbert,” Ethan interrupted. “Please, it’s important. I need to know.”

  Gilbert remained silent, watching Ethan closely. His bored expression faded, replaced with a seriousness Ethan had rarely seen in the man. In fact, he had only seen him so serious when he interacted with his older sister.

  The atmosphere between them was tense. Even the green spirit, who revelled in playing pranks, was strangely quiet, watching from the side.

  “It’s not something you are cleared to know,” Gilbert finally said, breaking the silence.

  "So there was research done on the subject," Ethan said, more for himself than others. "Judging by the fact that I never saw any books on this subject in the Library, it is either still ongoing or has become taboo. Why is it?"

  “That’s all I can tell you. Even I don’t know much about it.”

  Taboo seems more likely, Ethan thought. As the firstborn heir to one of the few Magisters, there's no way Gilbert wouldn't have access to ongoing research... Unless the Archon was involved.

  “Why even ask me about this?” Gilbert asked, perplexed. “Does this relate to your attempts to increase your mana capacity?”

  Ethan’s pupil grew much wider, his gaze shifting to the side, resting upon the green outline passively hovering in the air. Somehow, he could see a slight smile beneath its undefined features, almost as if it was mocking him.

  “Ethan, you... you can see her?” Gilbert blurted out, taken aback.

  Ethan’s mouth hung slightly open, only now just realizing his mistake.

  Damn! How can I fix this?

  Ethan's mind spun at high speed. He considered telling the truth but discarded it almost instantly. No one—especially those related to him—could ever know what had transpired. He would take his secrets to his grave if he must.

  "Isn't it always close to you?" Ethan said confidently. "There's no such thing as atmospheric changes within the Endless Library, and since I felt a slight wind in this direction, I simply assumed that's where it was."

  The man remained silent, observing Ethan, yet Ethan couldn't tell if the man had bought this explanation. He could only rely on the fact that no one who was once sundered from the appeal of mana had ever overturned his fate. If not for that, not even Ethan would believe this far-fetched explanation, not when that spirit was fully aware that Ethan could see it. But surprisingly, it worked.

  “Is that so?”

  Gilbert turned to face the green spirit, only to see her remain completely still, her gaze fixed on Ethan. Yet after a while, Gilbert merely shrugged; the green stone on his ear pulsed slightly before becoming completely inert again. As for what they discussed, Ethan could never know.

  "Can you stop calling her 'It.' She finds it rather offensive," Gilbert added, looking rather helpless.

  "And how am I supposed to know a spirit's gender, exactly?" Ethan replied, feeling relief wash over his heart. "Besides, as far as I know, spirits are merely concepts given form. Can they even have gender to begin with?"

  "What's to stop them?" Gilbert shrugged. "The concept of genders exists, doesn't it?"

  "Are they inherently one? Is it decided at birth, or do they possess the capacity to choose? Can they switch between them as they wish?" Ethan asked, slightly excited.

  While he resented that he would probably never form a contract with a spirit, it wouldn't stop his enthusiasm for learning. After all, spirits were so estranged from what any humans would consider normal that Ethan couldn't help but be fascinated.

  However, the green outline seemed less than pleased with Ethan's unbridled fascination or being the subject of it all. It seemed to grow slightly brighter, as did Gilbert's green earring.

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  A fierce wind began to blow from her body, crashing straight onto Ethan, threatening to lift him off the ground and crash onto the bookcase at his back. Fortunately, Gilbert reacted swiftly, restricting the flow of his mana and greatly diminishing her powers.

  The green earring became dull, the green colour turning almost grey. Nothing but a feeble breeze blew past Ethan, merely rustling the edge of his clothes. He carefully gazed at the origin of this wind, yet only slightly to the side, avoiding looking directly at the green outline.

  Its colour had grown much duller, and it seemed much more subdued. But surprisingly, the outline became much more defined as if it had lost most of its identity as the wind itself. The green colour felt more like a woman's long dress, softly flying in the wind. While its facial features were still obscured, Ethan now knew just how close to a human this spirit was.

  This was the most human-like of all the spirits he had seen up until now, even more than his former fiancee. Compared to the green woman hidden in the wind before him, Elizabeth's spirit was but a mere doll made of ice, while all other spirits weren't even worth considering.

  The books told of a hierarchy between spirits, but they only ever spoke of it from the perspective of the spirit world. It seems things are much different over here. Is it that the more human they become, the higher their ranking, or is it that the higher their ranking, the more human-like they become? If Gilbert's spirit already acts so much like a human, I wonder what my sister's spirit is like...

  “Sylph, don’t be rude,” Gilbert said, yet his tone was soft and warm, almost as if he was talking to a lover instead of a spirit. In fact, Ethan had yet to see this man use such a tone even when he addressed his wife, Ethan’s sister.

  “Ethan has never interacted with spirits,” Gilbert added. “It is normal that there are things he is curious about. Why not humour him?”

  Another wind blew, yet this one wasn’t laced with violent urges, but with reluctance. Gilbert didn’t push further, as did Ethan, only watching as the spirit finally left after uttering what seemed like a small, almost inaudible “Hmph!”

  “Forgive her," Gilbert finally said, turning to face Ethan. "She's still just a child. Was there something else you needed?"

  Just a child?

  Ethan wasn’t convinced. His eyes told him she was fully grown, but her attitude betrayed her age. Her actions were childlike, but sometimes, Ethan felt almost as if everything she did was strictly calculated to make him believe there was no deeper thought. Despite how outrageous it all sounded, Ethan still couldn't shake the feeling.

  "Actually, there is something else," Ethan replied. "I had questions about what happens to a spirit once it dies."

  "Shouldn't you know this already?" Gilbert replied, slightly perplexed. "Spirits aren't alive in the same way we are. As long as their concept still exists, so will they. Take the wind, for example. It is everywhere, all at once. No matter your gender, status or nationality, everyone has experienced the wind in some way or another. Its concept is universal. Spirits are but the embodiment of those concepts and are thus eternal."

  "I know that's the case when beyond the Veil, but what about in this world?" Ethan asked. "Here, they possess physical form and are therefore subjected to superior concepts, such as aging and death. Even if they aren't, their physical medium isn't eternal." Ethan pointed to the green stone dangling from Gilbert's ear. "What would happen to the spirit if the stone were to break?"

  Gilbert's smile grew slightly, almost pleased with Ethan's question.

  "Contract stones aren't a spirit's body," Gilbert replied. "They are more like a shelter from the harsh environment. You must know that spirits are extremely sensitive to mana, but did you know that the mana surrounding us is poison to them?"

  Ethan couldn’t hide his shock. While he had delved deep into the study of spirits, there was only so much he could learn without first-hand interaction. Books would never be able to replace actual experience.

  "Then, how can... she be able to not be confined to the stone if the world is poison to them," Ethan asked, perplexed.

  "While they might exist physically in this realm, the source of their concept never changes. It always remains within the spirit world, forever unable to breach the Veil. Only a small part of it breaks away during the awakening ceremony. Think about it. These various concepts sustain our world. What do you think would happen if one were to go missing?"

  “It would collapse,” Ethan replied, finally catching on to the logic. “You mean to say spirits in our world possess a link to their original concept, and it is housed in the contract stone. If the stone is broken, the link would be severed, and the spirit would cease to exist."

  "It's more complicated than that, but that's about it. We call that link a spirit's essence. As long as it remains, a spirit will never die, even if it were to lose its physical form. Still, restoring a spirit takes a massive amount of mana. It's just not worth it. Most are only left to rot."

  “What if the contractor was the one to die?”

  Gilbert sighed, looking slightly sad.

  “In that case, cut off from the mana sustaining it, it will become dormant, silently awaiting for its contractor to return, except that it never will. Given time, the spirit will starve, never to awaken again. It’s quite a sad fate, really.”

  “What happens to the contract stones, in that case?”

  “Nothing really...”

  This time, Ethan noticed a slight hint of anger on Gilbert's face—something that didn't happen often. Still, he pressed him further for answers, as this information could hopefully unlock his path forward.

  “Most families just keep them as heirlooms. After all, they make for some rather peculiar jewels. Still, these really aren’t to my taste. Imagine wearing someone’s grave as an ornament. It is simply repulsive.”

  Contrary to Gilbert's disgusted look, Ethan's eyes couldn't help but light up. There was one single thought in his mind and a hypothesis he needed to confirm. However, he would need to get his hands on such a stone, yet he knew he wouldn't have access to those of his family. He may be able to ask his sister for one, yet she would undoubtedly ask for his reasons. Asking his father was even more inconceivable. He doubted his father would ever entertain the thought, much less hear him out. He was at an impasse, and his expression couldn't help but reflect as much.

  Feeling the shift, Gilbert snapped his fingers, only for a subtle wind to blow. A few moments later, Ethan felt a strong gale pass overhead, only for something to fall from the sky straight onto Ethan’s head.

  At the very last moment, Ethan raised his gaze, only to see something akin to a peddle fall quickly. As if on instinct, Ethan raised his hand and caught the object within, only to open his palm and gasp.

  Inside was a dull grey stone eerily similar to a contract stone. However, it was much smaller, but also rugged, almost as if it had shrunk slightly, strangely resembling a corpse.

  “Is this...” Ethan began, only to become convinced when Gilbert replied with a slight smile.

  “I don’t know what you need it for, but think of it as a gift. However, don't you dare tell your sister. She may very well kill me for this."

  Ethan was taken aback. Ha hadn't expected to find one so quickly. Still, he didn't know what to say except for two simple words, "Thank you."

  "Think nothing of it, though there is one more thing I should tell you: you should get some sleep; you look dreadful," Gilbert said as he smiled before walking away, yawning as if he had just woken up, followed by the graceful green outline now clinging to his neck.

  "I probably should," Ethan muttered, feeling intense fatigue assaulting him. Days of repressed urges to close his eyes crashing onto him at the same time almost made him lose his balance. And yet, he held tight to the small stone in the crux of his hand before rushing back to the room hidden inside the black tome.