"I did use it," Felix said.
She held up her sniper rifle for Neo to see.
She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and spoke in her mind.
'Venyth, change your shape to a handgun.'
'Okay~,' responded the snake-shaped Spirit resting lazily around her neck and shoulders.
Only Felix could see the snake-shaped Spirit.
It was the spiritual manifestation of Venyth, the youngest spirit among the four sister spirits used to create the four True Soul Weapons.
The sniper rifle began to shift.
Its form morphed and transformed into a sleek handgun that fit snugly in Felix's hand.
"The bullets are formed from my Divine Energy, and Venyth can change its shape depending on—"
"Is that how you told her to use you?" Neo asked the spiritual manifestation of Venyth.
The snake spirit emerald eyes widened in surprise.
'You can see me?' it asked with its tongue flicking nervously.
"I can," Neo replied.
The snake's tongue flickered again, and its face contorted into an expression of wonder.
"Y-you can see my spirit?" Felix asked.
"I can see it. Maybe I can do it's as our spirits are sisters," Neo explained.
"But I can't see your spirit," Felix said.
"Mine doesn't like to stay in a spiritual form," Neo replied.
A flood of foreign emotions surged within Neo's mind.
Refusal, shyness, doubt.
Neo froze, his thoughts interrupted by the sudden intrusion.
'Do you mean you didn't manifest until now because you were too shy, worried if I would like your appearance or not?'
Yes, came the hesitant reply.
Neo didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
'Don't worry about those little things,' he said gently. 'I will like you no matter how you look.'
More emotions surged through him, carrying a sense of bashfulness.
Before Neo could say anything further, Venyth let out an audible click of her tongue.
"What?" Neo asked, turning his attention back to the snake spirit.
For a brief moment, the spirit regarded him with a look of pure disgust before quickly masking it with a forced smile.
'I was just wondering what you meant by saying my master was not utilizing me perfectly,' Venyth asked.
The others were unable to hear the spirit.
They exchanged confused glances but chose to remain silent.
"I will explain it now. First you need to return to your original shape," Neo said.
The spirit stared at him.
Felix sighed, shaking her head slightly.
"Just do as he says, Venyth," Felix said.
'Understood, master,' the snake spirit replied obediently.
Neo frowned as he observed Venyth's compliance.
'Look at this fucker.'
'It didn't even tell Felix how to use itself properly, and it's acting submissive like that,' he thought.
The gun in Felix's hand transformed smoothly into a bullet.
Neo stepped forward and grabbed it.
"Felix, every True Soul Weapon has a 'unique' ability."
"So my weapon's unique ability is shape-shifting?"
"No," Neo shook his head. "Shape-shifting and infinite growth are abilities common to all True Soul Weapons.
"What I'm saying is every True Soul Weapon has its own unique ability."
He threw the bullet towards Mars, who stood a few feet away.
"Mars, drop your blood droplet on it," Neo instructed.
"Okay?" Mars replied, confused.
Blood already trickled from his lips, thanks to Neo's presence pressing down on his shoulders.
He wiped his thumb against the blood stream and rubbed it onto the bullet.
Venyth's expression twisted.
It clearly didn't want to reveal its ability.
However, Neo's piercing gaze suggested he already knew the secret, leaving Venyth with no choice but to comply.
The bullet—Venyth's physical manifestation—began absorbing the blood.
The crimson liquid disappeared into its surface like water into dry sand.
"Is it absorbing my blood?" Mars asked, surprised.
"Yes. Now give it back to me," Neo said, extending his hand.
Mars complied, handing the now blood-infused bullet to Neo.
"Y-yeah," Felix stammered.
She carefully loaded the bullet into the chamber of her handgun.
"Shoot it at that tree," Neo said, pointing at a massive tree standing far from their location.
Its trunk was thick and gnarled.
She had an inkling to as what the Venyth's unique ability and it excited her.
The gunshot shattered the silence.
The bullet shot through the air in a blur of motion before slamming into the tree.
A split second later, it exploded into a burst of flames, engulfing the tree.
"Flames?" Felix muttered as she struggled to suppress her excitement.
"Venyth's unique ability is to copy a power of anyone whose blood it absorbs.
"The power it can copy depends on Venyth's current level of strength. Since Venyth is weak right now, it could copy only flames of Mars," Neo explained.
Felix's eyes were shining with fascination.
Her brows furrowed suddenly as a thought struck her.
"But I shot the bullet already. Do I have to go and pick it up before using it again?" she asked. "That would be a problem during the fight."
"…. Haven't you been training with Venyth for weeks? You should know by now it will return to you if you will for it to return," Neo replied.
"O-oh, I didn't know that," Felix admitted sheepishly. "So how do I do it?"
Neo looked at her with a weird expression.
He clicked his tongue before answering.
"Just close your eyes and think of calling it back."
Felix nodded and did as she was told, closing her eyes.
A beat later, she felt a sudden weight in her hand.
She opened her eyes to see the bullet – Venyth's physical manifestation – resting in her palm.
"Wow. True Soul Weapons are awesome," Felix muttered in awe.
"Is the ability it gains from blood permanent?"
"It's one-time use," Neo answered.
Despite his response, Felix was almost bouncing with excitement.
She believed the reason why Venyth hadn't told her about its unique ability was due to the fact Venyth was a young spirit, and it was unaware of its own unique ability.
"It's good, right?" Neo asked.
"Yup, it's the best!" Felix replied, not noticing the subtle shift in Neo's expression.