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Borg said:
We can still play Twenty Questions to narrow down where outside Equestria such a spell can be learned (assuming the shadow knows, which should of course be the first question). Trying to pin down a location in the world with yes/no questions won’t be quick, but if we can open up a better two-way means of communication it’ll be well worth it.
You decide to try asking the ghost if it knows where you can find the magic you seek. Alas, its response is uncertain, and carries a nostalgic undertone. You think you understand.
Even if it once did, you surmise, that knowledge may be outdated. After all, much has changed since the time of the Paladins of Dawn, and both the Light that Solar Flare wielded and the Darkness that drove Empyrius mad are long gone from the spellbooks and scrolls of Equestria.
Speaking of which, you realize that while it came to you intuitively, you never did confirm the ghost’s identity. And so, just to be sure, you figure that you should ask if it is indeed Empyrius of Hollow Shades.
Strangely enough, the response you feel is not as straightforward as you expected. It is affirmative, yet conflicted. You try asking about it — whether it was part of him, or he was part of something else —, but there is no further answer; only the droning echo of a still storm, and a lingering sense of failure.
Not knowing where to go from there, you decide to flip the conversation, and ask the ghost if it knows who you are. Once again, you feel recognized, but the feeling is shallow. It likely remembers you as much as you remember the cold, brief memory you shared in the ruins of this very room some few weeks past.
You ask if it knows why you are the only one seemingly able to visit here. Surprisingly, you feel affirmation once again, this time clearly, though you also get the distinct feeling that you won’t be able to learn much more about that just yet.
Still, you decide to tell the ghost a little about yourself — to gauge its interest, if anything. You introduce yourself as an adventurer, and recount that you are about to leave on a journey to the Kirin Empire. Curious, you ask if it knows about the Kirin. It does not. In hindsight, their island was but only recently discovered, you were told.
You admit that you don’t know much about them either. But you tell the ghost that from what you’ve read, the Kirin seem to delve into subjects and magics otherwise unknown to the ponies of Equestria. Just this afternoon, you were reading a book about souls, and—
Suddenly, an overwhelming surge of emotions breaks your train of thought — enthusiasm, interest… hope! Was it something you said? Book…? No. Souls…? Yes, it responds to souls! But what about them…?
You try to remember what you read, but it all seems like a dream away. Still, you hazily recall thinking about Empyrius while reading that book. Why was that? Something about black souls…?
As you look back at the dark figure of the ghost, it all becomes clearer in your mind. You wonder, could it be no simple ghost, but the soul of Empyrius that is trapped here? A grand feeling of understanding washes over you. That’s it: the spell you seek is a means to communicate with souls!
Moonflower: “… Blazer! I think we’re almost outta time for tonight.”
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