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~~((National Yo-Yo Day - page 14 of 20))~~
Hector's jaw clenched, but he didn't stop walking. Waiting around wasn't going to resolve anything.

Pauline hopped up and glided to keep pace with him. 'Are you alright, by the way? Your aura has changed.'

He wasn't much in the mood for questions--asking or answering them--but he felt like he'd regret it later if he didn't inquire further on that point. "My aura?"

'Auras are sometimes reflective of one's emotional state, though it's not a direct link. Your soul and your will are more likely to have an effect on it.'

His will, huh? "I'm still not even sure what an 'aura' is."

'Hmm. How to explain? It's like your 'presence,' I suppose. It can't normally be felt with purely physical senses--though there are certainly exceptions.'

"Are you talking about the field density of my soul?"

'Ah. Servant terminology. I'm less familiar with how your reapers describe things, but I believe a soul's field density is only one aspect of an aura. It's the aspect that links souls and auras together, I believe.'

"Then I still don't understand."

'Agh. It's difficult to explain to someone who lacks strong psychic abilities.'

Hector climbed through a gaping hole in the terminal's southern wall. He touched it as he passed, and more of it came crumbling down, prompting him to remake his iron armor. Nothing fell on him, though.

Pauline flew up above the building and began circling. 'An aura is like your own little... energy space. It goes wherever you go. It shifts and changes as you do, growing more powerful or more weak as you do.'

Hector had to push a few boulders aside. "You mentioned 'profound effects' before, didn't you?"

'Yes. A powerful aura can make a soul... more resilient in certain ways, though not all. And the opposite is true, as well. A powerful soul will almost inevitably emit a stronger aura.'

This sounded vaguely familiar, Hector thought.