Bandit shifts to his astral perceptions and looks across the astral terrain at Phalen, and finds Phalen looking back at him. In that instant, Bandit sees through the veil and assenses an aura unlike any he’s ever encountered. It’s brilliant with power, more power than one man should be capable of possessing, and almost wholly devoid of emotion, like a chair or a rock or some other inanimate object. So great is Bandit’s surprise that he hesitates, captivated, before catching himself and casting a deliberate mask about his own aura.