"What do you mean?"

"Literally."

"The concept of things that are forbidden? Is this thanks to the fruit?" Maybe my title from entering that place is the cause.

"Maybe. Maybe not. I don't know what you are talking about. I do not pry. It's not a "taboo" pick to pick Taboo, but it is the most considered "A concept" out of the energies you have."

"You didn't say anything until I brought it up. Why?"

"What I am doing is not overstepping any boundaries. But influencing a mortal to partake in Taboo is forbidden."

"...okay."

"Correction on your earlier statement. It is not things considered "taboo" that Taboo holds the concept over. It is Taboo itself."

"Is that an entity?"

"..."

"Thanks."

"Your expression of gratitude has not gone unwelcomed."

"Since I have you here, and you've entered into my... dream thingy without my consent, can you explain what these attunements would do to me?"

The energies swirl in its hand as it stands there motionlessly. I might as well ask it to do something for me. I've met gods before, and they seem to outrank whatever this spirit guide is. I was only in danger 50% of the time, so I see it as a 50/50 for free information.

"Could you trust any answers from me? I may not even exist. I may be a deceiver."

"Lay it on me, man."

All the energies fade as the red floating eye clouded by a black vapor becomes the singular energy in this entity's palm. It looks around hungrily.

"Madness. Either born with it or given it from another source. A difficult period, a traumatic vision, a gift from a god. Many things. This is the madness that causes geniuses to kill themselves out of inadequacy. Tortured artists will paint with their pain as a masterpiece to be enjoyed by none. It's a hungry madness that craves answers it doesn't care for."

The eye becomes frantic as it disappears, replaced by the orb of screaming mouths. Trapped in a cycle of perpetual screaming. I'm glad I can't hear it.

"Pain is definitive. Inflicting. Receiving. Drowning in it or suffocating others in pain so great that nothing can resist its scream. Every action will be a catalyst for this concept."

A nugget of black sits ominously. Alone. On the entity's hand. It doesn't bend light into it like a black hole, but the light that does touch it gets engulfed—never returning.

"Death is the great silence beyond. I shall not speak, for I don't want to attract attention. You must have died or been close to the calling more than once."

The only energy in my body that doesn't seem a mixture of weird or dark takes over. It's incredibly bright, but the light doesn't hurt.

"Shall I need to explain Life? Creation, growth, healing, and the list goes on. Many things want Life. But some want it to die, to be ruined. To be damned."

"Your last two seem closer to a change of self rather than subjugation. Ah, I mean attunment. Undead is a word tacked on to things that fall between the chasm of Life and Death. Those that dwell in that concept will enjoy fellow brethren. It will slowly change you, good or bad. A new race. Still human, but different."

The grey energy quickly gets replaced by the floating barren world.

"I have no answers for this one. I claim it is a change of self, but only because this seems grossly similar to a different attunable energy regarding beings created from elemental energy. What have you done to have this source within you? Was a natural phenomenon correlating with your birth?"

"It's probably from my title [Proud owner of a Rock]. I got +15 "Rock Affinity" from it."

"If your selection happens to be that one. I'd want permission to come back in a few centuries to get an update."

All the energies return, slowly rotating around the figure, no longer contained by their palm.

"Maybe. No promises."

"Noted."

"You can't talk about the other one. Can't you?"

"..."

I reached for my selected choice. I juggled the idea of leaving it to chance, but I'd rather not have Madness or Pain. Before my finger could reach my selection. I retract it.

"Human?"

"Hey, why can I only take one?"

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"I'm the reason your energies are so freely able to be chosen. Think of it as a boon. As an outlier in your species, you have the help of a spirit guide. Helping with anything more than the selected "one" would be forbidden."

"So it's not a limitation to the human body?"

"There have been cases of individuals attuning more than one energy at a time. Usually, the additional elements support or are sub-elements of their prime energy."

"What's the high score?"

"I'm not familiar with that term."

"How are you even speaking my language? What was the greatest amount of energy attuned by one person."

"Language is but a barrier. I believe the first or second elven king attuned to eight different energies at once, rather easily, I might add. An infamous dragon that I shall not name easily attuned double that amount and became prismatic."

I don't know what that last part means, but I'm sure I could figure it out without badgering this thing. If I ask the wrong question and it dips, I'd be fucked if it puts the energies back.

"How impressive is that?"

"Attuning to one energy is hard enough for those not gifted with perfect affinity to an element. Having the energy of multiple elements or concepts to be perfectly balanced and aligned while having the physical, mental, and spiritual strength to endure the inevitable clash is formidable."

"Do you have a day job?"

"I do not answer to any particular entity."

"I have a proposition."

"I'm not going to overstep boundaries to artificially enhance one of the races."

"But, wouldn't you be interested in what attuning to this strange new energy would do? Wouldn't it be worthwhile? Other beings might have gotten more at once, but have they had seven concepts among those energies? How about only having concepts?"

"You are betting that I have curiosity about this particular subject. Unfortunately for you, I do."

"Unfortunately?"

"Since you seem keen on abusing my time here for answers and a free ride. I will imbue this Taboo into you. Then cram every other energy, seeing if you can survive the tearing. I am interested. In what will happen afterward."

"I'd rather not have Madness or Pain with me."

"You said seven. Not five."

"..." The tone of this voice from nowhere hasn't changed since it arrived. Emotionless but not mechanical, with a hint of sageness that wisened creatures naturally admit. But that didn't change the dread I started to get from this thing in front of me.

I stepped back, but there was no change in distance. I wanted to say something to make the thing use a different verb than "cram,' but its cold, dark hand grabbed me by the neck, choking the words before they could get out of my throat. It lifts me off the ground.

I grab its wrist and try to escape, maybe force myself awake, but nothing happens except my helpless wiggling in this thing's iron grasp.

With its other hand, it grabs the floating book representing Taboo and crams it into me. The fist holding the energy penetrates my flesh, leaving a gaping wound in my chest. It doesn't feel that bad. It's like tension has been relieved from my shoulders. Freedom. Shackles form on my body, they are broken, but they are there.

"Clench your teeth. Use your willpower. Human."

Madness penetrates my skull. The thing made no motion. Instead, it released the energy. Weirdly, I don't feel much different. I'm chalking this up to my incredible determination and not any other reason. The little voice in my head asking questions got a bit louder, but that's tolerable.

Then something stirred. My immediate response is to vomit, but I suppress myself. My body wants something out but doesn't understand what is happening. It's default setting is to retch.

I can feel the two individual energies dwelling in my body. Like two colonies of ants, the things inside of me fight. The best I can do is to try and corral them away from each other, but I have no idea what I'm doing.

My concentration is broken when the screaming ball of flesh merges with my own and causes my brain to short-circuit. The new energy immediately clashes with the other two, causing me to scream in pain. I can feel my body ripple as every part of my body with nerve endings is engulfed in a tsunami of hurt.

Blood seeps from my pores as the clashing energies wreck my internals. I do my best to ignore bodily sensations. Madness and pain start to feed off each other, but the relationship will eventually cause mutual destruction. Taboo is trying to destroy everything else like it wants to be the only child in a family with too many kids.

When Life was introduced, I figured I would have a momentary respite. But instead, it feeds everything inside me. The rampaging energies start getting more boisterous as they make their rounds through my body. I'm barely making enough blood not to bleed out and die.

I can't move my mana, but the newest energy seems to invigorate me. But then Death came. I felt nothing.

Life is funneled into Death, killing any interactions Life can have with the other energies. I guess the same can be said about Death. They are locked in their own thing with their child Undead dancing in between.

These conflicting feelings of warmth, cold, pain and general discomfort overload my system. I can identify the source of every response my body is having, but my body starts to become dull.

The last concept starts to petrify me, and I can't stop it. I can't move my mana. It slowly creeps into my body from the outside.

What do the main characters in those shows my foster sister watched do when presented with a harrowing situation? Something something, think of loved ones, memories, or mantras they have about ideals? Nah, fuck that.

These "concepts" are in MY body. They are MY energies. They will fucking stop killing me and get along with each other, and they will like it. I don't give a shit if I'm wracked with pain and slowly turning into a statue. I will be an undead statue with a handle on MY things. I will be in pain, but it will be my pain. I will be inflicted with madness, but it will be MINE.

Life and Death can go suck themselves off in hell. I've been in both of their domains, but now they are in mine. Live or die. I'm not fucking losing thanks to a fever dream thanks to head trauma and a few herbs.

"Fuck that entity too." That was my last thought before turning to stone.

~

I feel dehydrated.

I shoot up, awake. The first thing I do is check my body. It's all ther- Nothing has changed. I'm in a hospital room with an open window. It's nighttime. The stars are out but slightly obscured by light pollution from the city.

I rip the little pads monitoring my vitals and stretch my aching body. The room must not have been made for humans since my beasts are all here and can fit comfortably. Master Giles is sitting in a chair with a white rabbit in his lap, and master Wang is staring out the window.

Both of my masters came over and silently checked my condition before sighing in relief. I wasn't given a time frame of how long an average attunement ritual is supposed to take. I guess I overshot it. Maybe I have a problem? Regardless, something inside me proves that that wasn't a fever dream induced by exotic herbs and head trauma.

[Congratulations, Master. Thisss one assumes you have been victorious.]

"Yup."