[The Lone Outsider] 10 – A…Civil Discussion with a Lord

"...What?" I asked, confused by their bafflement.

"What did you just say?" Casper, AKA SCP-507, the Reluctant Dimension Hopper, asked.

"Ah, right. Essentially, I can see your soul, and from what I can tell, it's your soul that fuels your 'Jumps' to other Dimensions. It's truly fascinating. I had no idea someone's Soul could do such a thing, especially since there doesn't seem to be any permanent damage. If anything, I wonder why your soul is automatically 'Jumping' every time it is fully healed. Tell me, do you know when you first jumped?" I asked, curious.

"Uh...I think I first 'Jumped' two years ago," Casper answered, sounding unsure.

"Been a while, huh," I commented before asking, "What do you remember on that fateful day?"

Motioning for him to continue, he sighed and leaned back into his chair.

"Well...I guess it started not long after the worst day of my life. My Ma and Pa passed away late at night after a few men broke into their place and tried to rob them while they were asleep. My Ma heard the ruckus and woke my Pa, who grabbed his trusty Betty, ah...his shotgun from the gun safe in the closet. They then went down to confront them, but...the robbers had guns. My..." He choked before continuing, "Pa took down as many as he could, trying to protect Ma...but there were too many of them. I found them a day later and called the police."

After hearing the news...my sister, Clair, rushed over...and was hit by a Semi on the Highway...she died in the crash..." His breath stuttered as he trembled, clearly finding it difficult to talk about.

"And after?" I asked with sympathy and a sad frown.

"Sigh, after...I just...I guess I just wanted to be somewhere else. Somewhere where I didn't remember them, everywhere I looked...and I think that's when I first jumped," He told me after a moment of silence with a sigh.

Contemplating, I could not help but think it was exactly his desire to leave that awoke that strange soul power of his.

I was now intrigued. Was it possible that there existed other 'Soul Powers,' and if so, was there a requirement to awaken them?

Then a stray thought came to me: a little animated show called RWBY, created by a small company named Roosterteeth.

In this animated show, there existed Aura, a manifestation of the Soul, that granted those with Aura enhanced strength and much more, but most importantly, there existed Semblences, a unique power of the soul that everyone would unlock if they had Aura.

In the show, Semblences were shown to be capable of almost anything. Who is to say if Casper's power isn't something similar to that?

"And if you had the choice...would you get rid of this power?" I asked, wanting to know something.

"What?! No!" He shouted, aghast and surprised.

I gave him a friendly smile.

He stuttered, "I...I can't. I don't want to live without it...I can't live without it."

"Makes you feel whole? Complete?" I wondered.

"How did you know?" Casper asked.

"Well, it is an ability of your soul, is it not? So, it only makes sense that it's something that you'd want or can't think of separating from yourself," I explained.

Ultimately, his soul wanted an 'Escape,' so that's what it did, at the cost of having to consume a part of itself for every jump only to return back with time.

What I think he sought was a permanent escape, an escape from the bad memories.

Sighing, "While it's been lovely meeting you, I'm afraid I must say my goodbyes. I would like to meet our other neighbors," I bowed.

"Ah, and before I forget, Wednesday, 6 AM sharp, I want you to be ready; that's when we'll start your training," I told Casper before getting up from the table.

"Oh...okay! Well, it's been nice meeting you!" Casper waved as the Guard and I walked out, closing the door behind us.

"Were you telling the truth? Did you really say it was his Soul that was fueling his...Jumps?" The Guard asked.

"Why, yes. If my theory is correct, it's his desire to escape that unlocked such an ability," I answered.

"Does that mean...other humans can unlock such abilities?" The Guard asked after some hesitation.

"Yes, though it also means other creatures, if they had a soul, could gain such powers as well," I commented, remembering that animals in RWBY, such as a dog, could unlock Aura and gain Semblences, too.

My words seemed to have worried the poor Guard as he turned pale, "Have no fear; I doubt many such beings exist, especially in this world," I told the poor guard, hoping to ease his worries.

He just nodded, looking off into the distance but still lost in thought.

Humming to myself, I began walking down the hall once more until I reached the next cell, reading the random numbers that made up the cell's number.

Knocking a few times, I waited, yet I got no response.

"I hope you do not mind, but I am coming in."

Pulling the sliding door open by force, as I had no keycard to open the door, I found myself standing in a strange room if I could describe it.

Potted plants were everywhere, and so were books, parchments, scrolls, and trash.

Not to mention the ridiculous amount of moisture in the air that made me feel as If I was walking through a cloud with how wet I quickly became.

"Hello?" I called out.

"Ah, I do apologize. I must have gotten distracted. I did not expect to have any visitors today," a gentlemanly voice called out.

Seeing no man or entity that the voice could have come from, I opened my...second eye? The vision allowed me to see the souls around me and lock on to the presence I felt.

Reverting back to my normal vision, I found myself staring at...is that a slug?

...Why does it have a small top hat and a monocle?

"Ah, I do not recognize either of you. Whom do I have the pleasure of meeting today?" The Slug asked.

"You may call me Vale; I just moved into one of the cells farther down into the hall and decided to start meeting some of my neighbors; sorry if I happened to impose something," I apologized, finding the slug to be oddly familiar.

"No need to apologize, young man! I was only doing some light reading. As for my name, I am Lord Theodore Thomas Blackwood, at your service," The Slug bowed.

I deadpanned at the Slug, or SCP-1867, as he was called by the Foundation.

No wonder it took me a second to recognize the SCP; I think he was one of the SCPs that I've read about but didn't find overly interesting compared to the other SCPs available on the Wiki.

"May we sit?" I asked, gesturing toward a nearby table covered in parchment and books.

"Ah yes, dear chap, would you mind fetching us some tea?" The Slug asked, looking over at the Guard.

"Uh..." The Guard looked unsure of what to do.

"Don't worry, I'll be here when you get back, but for now, I think you should go get us some tea while Lord Blackwood and I talk," I told the Guard, gesturing to the Slug, who claims to be previously a man who proved to be quite the supernaturally fast Slug, as he somehow was already on top of the table, waiting for me to sit down.

Pulling out a chair and sitting down, I heard the door behind me slide open and close, signifying that the Guard had left to go get some tea.

"So, Lord Blackwood, if you don't mind me imposing, I'd love to hear some stories about your adventures across the world," I asked the Slug, smiling as I felt him suddenly become bursting with energy as he stood as straight as he could, for a slug.

"Most certainly! I would not mind at all! What story would you like to hear first, young man? Perhaps my journey through the Amazon Rainforest, where I met almost a dozen different tribes, collected hundreds of undocumented specimens, and spent a lovely evening drinking tea and talking with the Hairy Ones? Or, if that doesn't suit your fancy, I could tell you about my trip through Africa, where I wrestled with a Lion?" Lord Blackwood asked.

'For a Sea Slug, he sure does know how to entertain an audience,' I thought in amusement to myself before answering.