“I tire of waiting Shamla. If you intend to have me wait much longer…” Jiyei’s shrouded form addressed Shamla from atop his stone throne.
“My Lord, your patience will be rewarded tenfold I assure you. We need his soul in order to unseal your blade completely. Unfortunately, it is split across many worlds. My power alone is simply not enough to track down all the fragments. If we follow my strategy, the key fragments will come to us instead,” Shamla, who stood to the side of the throne, calmly explained.
With a tap of his staff, an image appeared in front of him. He studied it carefully before tapping his staff once more, causing it to vanish.
“Besides…” Shamla continued, “There is a dangerous being hidden deep within the boy and if I am not provided the time to prepare for it…hundreds of years of our work will have been wasted.”
“Fine, I will wait a while longer,” Jiyei acknowledged simply.
“On that matter, Ruari, how long do you intend to skulk around?” Shamla asked, as Ruari seemed to almost slither out of the darkness and into view.
Ruari was a tall man, garbed in black robes with gold accents, an odd red book strapped to his hip. He was a regal man, his face bearing fine features and his scarlet hair braided into a knot at the back.
“I apologize. I simply did not wish to interrupt,” he stated as he came forward to kneel before Jiyei and Shamla.
“Your report?” Shamla asked, his tone emphasizing a lack of patience.
“Erhm, yes, of course. Lord Aion and I have been working diligently with the subject but his personality has…flaws. He’s incredibly unstable but follows orders well enough,” Ruari stated.
“Use this. It should help stabilize him, although it will take some time to take effect,” Shamla said, as a yellow crystal appeared in his hand and he slowly floated it over to Ruari.
Ruari snatched it without hesitation, his eyes lighting up in amazement as he looked it over carefully.
“This…This will do wonderfully,” Ruari said, a wide grin stretching across his face.
“Will he be able to retrieve the second book?” Shamla questioned skeptically.
“Without fail my Lord,” Ruari affirmed.
“Excellent. Get it done,” Shamla commanded, motioning Ruari to leave.
-----------
Rian sat the four of us down to discuss our strategy for investigating the Sundals and Graff but determined it would be best to re-discuss once Zypher and Nicole could utilize soul sense effectively. In the meantime, we discussed our future plans in regards to education and any self development goals we may have. Alden and I had decided that mechanical engineering meshed well with our skillset and strived for that while Nicole decided that biomedical science was more her thing. Zypher was already in university so Rian decided to focus on building specific goals and timelines with him instead. Rian agreed that it would be safer for us to stay at his residence and made proper arrangements as well as adeptly smoothing over relations with Nicole’s parents. Her parents had started to come around after she stormed out, but with a healthy donation to their Home Owners Association, they were slightly more convinced to be more receptive to the whole debacle. Having solved our living situations, it was time to move on to teaching Nicole and Zypher soul sense.
The sun was shining brightly, not a shred of snow remained, so we figured that Alden’s backyard would be the best place to start the training. While we called it his backyard it was nothing less than an elegant royal garden. The garden had meticulously groomed hedges, a lush green carpet of grass, and walkways of an enigmatic obsidian black stone, the likes of which I’d never seen anywhere before. Alden had decided to step out at his father’s request to further research the churches and procure supplies with the funds he had allocated. While I would have appreciated Alden’s assistance with the initial training, I figured I could get us started and he could pick up where I left off when he returned.
“I can feel an increasing sense of dread creeping up my body, it's suffocating,” Zypher said, sweating.
He was sitting on the ground next to Nicole while I utilized my aura to press down on them. It was going quite well, they were catching on quickly and were able to perceive a bit more of the energy. The only real way to teach them, from what I understood, was to crush them with soul energy until they acclimated to its presence enough to perceive it as something more tangible. Once that step was complete, they needed to be able to utilize their own soul energy to ward off the pressure exerted on them.
“Remember, auras are a reflection of your soul, an almost physical manifestation of it that can affect the world around you. It’s quite similar to quanum, but not as flexible. Balfrus said that once you can properly control your aura, it can become possible to utilize quanum consciously without a Dratmana, but so far only Alden’s been able to do that,” I stated, maintaining my steady pressure on them.
Slowly, I felt them pushing back until I could no longer grasp them without a strong intention to do so.
“Well done,” I applauded, honestly pleased at the progress they were making. “We’ll work on this for a bit longer and then Alden will take over to teach some of what he’s learned about quanum control. Once he gets back that is.”
“This is agonizing. I feel as if I’m a candle and you’re a fire snuffer and I’m trying to push you back with the lingering dregs of smoke so I can reignite myself,” Nicole whined.
“Well, that’s certainly an apt description,” Zypher agreed.
“There may be a better method, but this is the only one Alden and I could think of,” I said, scratching my head in thought.
“Well, we could always ask your father?” Zypher added questioningly.
“Damn…you’re right, we could,” I agreed after a thoughtful pause. “Let's take a break and I’ll give him a call.”
“Wonderful, because I need to stretch,” Nicole said, falling backwards and sprawling her limbs out across the ground.
I turned away from them and pulled out my phone from my pocket and started the call. As per usual, the phone rang until just before the voicemail would kick in.
“What do you need, Cian?” My father asked curiously, his voicing came through the phone.
“I was wondering if maybe you could help us with soul sense?” I asked sheepishly.
My father remained quiet for an uncomfortably long time before responding.
“Alright…I can do that for you…Just…don’t tell your mother. Where are you?” My father asked, breaking up his agreement with a series of contemplating pauses.
“I’m at Alden’s, we’ll be here all day,” I said, trying to sound welcoming and not too excited.
My father and I really didn’t talk much so it was a nice change of pace to finally have something in common.
“I’ll be there in a half hour,” my father said simply before hanging up.
“Well, he’s on his way I guess,” I said, turning around to Zypher and Nicole still sprawled on their backs.
I could sense them relaxing a little bit at the news.
“Until then, we’ll continue using my method,” I said, chuckling as they both groaned in synchronization.
“Come on, let's go,” I said in an exasperated tone, directing them to sit up.
Almost exactly thirty minutes later, my father showed up, calmly strolling up to us from the back door.
“Hey father,” I said sheepishly. “Sherry let you through? I forgot to even tell her you were coming…” I asked, concerned by his lack of expression.
“Hey, Cian. It’s fine, we’re acquainted, she’s stopped by the shop on occasion,” he explained, stopping in front of us and staring appraisingly.
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“I’ll be frank, Cian’s method is really the only method to truly develop soul sense but I can see he’s actually been too soft on you. To truly develop your soul sense, you have to shock your body into it. Doing it slowly over time works initially but it won’t get stronger that way. Cian, sit down with them, your soul sense is good but it's not nearly enough to truly apply the right kind of pressure,” my father lectured as I took a seat on the grass next to Nicole.
“I’m going to hit you with about forty percent pressure. Cian, I assume you were doing about fifteen percent of yours?” He asked to my surprise—how did he discern that?
“Y-Yeah, how did you know?” I asked, bewildered.
“That’s just how much further you have to grow. Your fifteen percent is akin to my five percent so this is going to hurt all of you, a lot. Are you ready? And a word of caution, once we start, there is no stopping, otherwise your soul will break. You have to learn it now or never. Walk away if you’re not prepared,” he said sternly but was met with eyes burning with eagerness.
“Alright then, here you go,” no sooner did his last syllable sound, were we enveloped in his aura.
I had been trying to slowly press down on Nicole and Zypher with my aura but I lacked the control. His aura wrapped around us, I felt it strangling every fiber of my being. Just as I started getting used to it, the pressure grew twice as strong. I tried looking over at how Nicole and Zypher were doing but I could barely nudge my instincts away from turning to self preservation. I wanted to run, find the deepest hole in the earth, and never come out again. Time seemed to stretch on and on until I could no longer feel anything except a sudden and distinct snap deep inside my soul.
“There it is,” I heard my father say as I noticed he had stopped pressuring Nicole and Zypher.
Their auras had grown significantly stronger in the few minutes that we had been practicing. I slowly realized that these senses didn’t belong to me though. The details I was now gleaming from the world around me, this calmness as if I was floating in a pool of water observing the world around me, none of it belonged to me.
“Impressive, no one has ever managed to stir my fragment in such a way. What is this technique?” A smooth voice came from my mouth, but it wasn’t my own, it wasn’t anything I had ever heard before.
“Who are you?” My father demanded whilst maintaining pressure.
“As the first one to force me to surface from this vessel I will reward you. I am Yuumiir, the first Successor. Unfortunately, that is all I can share, this little girl will not allow me to say more,” Yuumiir stated simply.
“Little girl?” my father asked curiously but received no response.
Suddenly my senses became my own again. The transition was harrowing, like being torn from the calm embrace of a pool to be hurled off a waterfall and pummeled at the rocky base. My soul writhed uncontrollably, my instincts once again in turmoil. With a determined plunge into the depths of my soul, I forcibly acclimated to his aura forcing it back. The sheer force with which I rebuffed his aura made his eyes widen in astonishment. As our auras collided in a fierce battle of wills, the atmosphere around us ignited with dazzling, iridescent flames, painting the scene with a surreal glow.
“Alright Cian, that’s enough,” my father said soothingly, as he tried to contain my aura from harming anything, or anyone else.
Carefully, I retracted my aura and watched as the flames slowly died out.
“Well that was…interesting…” I grimaced, exhaustion painting my voice.
“Don’t worry about it for now. We were already aware that something was wrong. I just decided to do some poking, I’m sorry for getting carried away,” my father said apologetically.
“It’s fine, I’m not hurt, and it gave me something to think about,” I said, glancing over at Nicole and Zypher who had just started to unclench their stiffened bodies.
While uncomfortable with the situation, Nicole and Zypher remained silent as now didn’t seem the time to push the issue—or at least it was until Cadeyrn interrupted with an unwelcome observation.
“Cian, your quanum is dangerously unbalanced again. Shall I summon Alden?” Cadeyrn suddenly questioned, oblivious to the current mood.
“Uhh…not now, Cadeyrn,” I replied plainly.
“Understood.”
“Uhm, no. I’m going to need an explanation on that one,” Nicole said, scooting over to me.
My father just stared at me with an eyebrow raised while Zypher, facing the opposite direction, silently listened in.
“Fine, for some reason my quanum has been…fluctuating,” I stated awkwardly. “As you're all aware, Dratmana serve a dual purpose. Not only do they channel excess quanum into the 4th World, but they also play a crucial role in maintaining the equilibrium of our own quanum. This balance is vital to prevent us from transforming into the very monsters we fight against,” I stated matter-of-factly.
“No, actually, I wasn’t really aware of that last part at all. Where did you learn that?” Zypher asked, doing a full turn around, staring directly at me.
“My mother told me. If they don’t balance it, we’ll turn into monsters, like the ones we fight, but far worse. It's exceptionally rare but it does happen, or at least I'm told. Cadeyrn can’t completely balance mine because there are too many ‘things’ in the way. For some reason Alden can balance it though, so occasionally when it gets like this I call him,” I continued.
“Then call him right now,” Nicole said, with a firm grip on my arm.
“I’m fine, it's ju-” I started, but she didn’t let me finish.
“You call him, RIGHT NOW!” She shouted furiously, everyone’s eyes shooting wide in surprise—perhaps she could sense just how chaotic my quanum was?
As I clumsily fumbled my phone out of my pocket, I caught a glimpse of my father chuckling out of the corner of my eye. Shooting him a glare, I focused on dialing Alden's number.
“Well, while he’s making his call, why don’t we discuss what you’ve learned about soul sense,” my father continued without me.
“I don’t understand how soul sense hasn’t become more widespread. I would think that it would be at the forefront of human development today,” Zypher stated, perplexed.
"You're on the right track with that thinking. Soul sense is an inherent aspect of our human experience, it’s constantly in use. Those moments when you intuitively sense danger, anticipate a change, or have a premonition that events will unfold favorably? That's all the work of soul sense. The challenge lies in molding your soul into an aura, and beyond that, shaping it into a form capable of interacting with the physical world," my father explained. “Unless someone with a strong aura pressures you, your soul simply won't develop any further than soul sense. Even with that, without proper training you will, at best, be able to move a sheet of paper. But it's more likely your aura will go wild and corrupt yourself and those around you,” he continued.
“But that only reinforces the idea that it really should be at the forefront of human development,” Zypher said, confusion plaguing his expression.
“Unfortunately that’s a far more complicated question than you might think. A simple answer would be that it would take too long to indoctrinate humanity in the use of their souls and would also increase the risk to our continued survival. Consider how little resources are currently allocated to mental health, and then consider the same thing but now with soul manipulation. If the world transitioned that way now it would devastate humanity for hundreds of years before we saw the real benefits,” Tavarian said, with an oddly melancholy expression.
“In that case…how did the first person achieve it?” Nicole finally spoke.
“Ahh, yes, that’s a good question. It ties into the next part of my explanation. Originally we were taught by the gods themselves, or at the very least, that’s what the scriptures of the church say. Judging from the imprint on Cian’s soul, he’s already experienced something to that extent. I assume that’s how you figured out soul sense in the first place?” Tavarian asked, a knowing smile plastered on his face.
“I uh…that’s an interesting amount of information you were able to gather…” Zypher acknowledged.
“Most of it I could read in his aura but Rian did let a few things slip here and there,” Tavarian chuckled. “But let me continue. The obvious question on your mind is why didn’t we form humanity under the knowledge of soul sense. The reality is that it’s not something we were ever supposed to learn. For some reason, should its use become widespread amongst the 3rd World, the gods may descend once more. Some factions in the church wish to bring about that outcome which is part of the reason I left. There’s a reason the god’s do not descend here and nor should they, it would disrupt the balance of our world and plunge us into war. But, I’m rambling a bit, I shouldn’t say anything more. There’s much you’ll need to learn on your own as I’ve never personally met a god, I’ve only read the scriptures provided by the church,” he said, scratching his head in thought. “Though, they do seem credible enough,” he added admittedly.
“Well, Alden’s on his way now,” I said, interrupting. “He’s just finishing up his investigation.”
“Why doesn’t he just teleport here? It’s not like he doesn’t know how,” Nicole said, impatiently.
“Nero lacks the ability to triangulate the coordinates effectively. Teleportation is possible without a teleportation platform due to Alden and Cian’s quanum abilities working together, as well as my ability to triangulate,” Cadeyrn helpfully interjected. “Although, through our continued connection Cian will need Alden less and less,” Cadeyrn added proudly.
“T-teleportation?” my father stammered.
“Oh… Uh.. Yeah, we figured that out I guess,” I said, embarrassed at his reaction.
“Alright, I think I’m done here. Cian should be able to help you with the rest. I’m going home,” my father said abruptly, waving at us as he trotted back across the grass and inside Alden’s house.
“Is he alright?” Zypher inquired.
“That’s just his weird sense of humor, and he probably had something else he needed to get done today. He’s a bit weird in general though,” I said with a chuckle, but Zypher and Nicole just stared at me blankly. “What?” I stared curiously.
“Oh…Nothing,” they replied in unison.
“Whatever… Anyways, it looks like it's about to rain so let's head inside and wait for Alden. We can also review your auras while we wait,” I stated, with a joking tinge of malice.
“Aww man…” Zypher whined.
“How can you be so cruel to your own girlfriend?” Nicole moped.
“Oh, I’m sure you’ll both manage, because if you don’t I’ll have my father come back,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“Enough said,” Zypher stated as both he and Nicole rushed inside. “And…Girlfriend? You’re actually dating now? I suppose it was the natural course of action given your incessant flirting,” Zypher chided.
“Hey!” I said defensively, “it was complicated.”
“Riiight…” Zypher said, sarcastically, while Nicole ignored us entirely.