Chapter 56: Infusion
A large hand was placed on top of the soft, fragrant hair of a young woman. It was warm and sweet, the sudden sensation immediately reminding her of her father’s palm. It was almost as comforting as her father’s hand too for a brief moment, but in the next moment her face flushed red and she awkwardly distanced herself from the kind gesture.
The red haired youth did not know if he did the right thing. To be honest, he simply replicated the same head-patting gestures he did with his sisters when they were upset. Which, was something he learned from his father. It seemed to have worked for a moment but maybe not? Or maybe the sudden touch with someone she just came to know made her uncomfortable.
A moment of silence blossomed between the two before the boy broke the ice. Zan seemed to have learned and was more adept at these kinds of situations, so in that silence his mind quickly raced with topics that he could bring forth.
The boy chose the first interesting thing that popped up in his head.
“What’s a world soul? And what’s that ‘Will Of The Forests’ thing?”
The girl’s previously gloomy eyes turned bright and shining, the shadows that previously darkened her face were swept away by her eager joy.
“Well I’m glad you asked!” she said with an excited smile on her face.
‘Whew’
Within his mind, Zan sighed a breath of relief. He cheered her up while also getting to know more about the world, this was a double win for the inexperienced youth.
“The World Soul. It’s exactly what it sounds like, it’s Eok’s soul.”
“Wait. You know what a soul is, right?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Do you believe in souls?”
“I’m asking you because some people don’t. It’s crazy to not think so in my eyes, but I don’t know, people have different ways of thinking.”
Towards the existential question, the youth answered as honestly as he could.
“I’ve gone through things to make me believe that souls exist, so I do.”
The girl smiled.
Now that Zan looked at her…she was quite pretty…
“Great.”
“The belief of a World Soul is something that’s more prevalent within the culture of the Greatforests.”
“I think it’s because our intimacy with nature and the forests grant us a different perspective compared to the other bloodlines, but with recent times even the brash fire people near our Greenfire colonies have started to adopt the ideology.”
“If I could go more in depth…”
The girl gave a look to the red haired youth.
“Yeah, tell me more.”
“The idea of the World Soul is that the whistling winds, the passing clouds, the tumultuous oceans and blazing deserts, all contain the all-abiding, passive soul of Eok.”
“I think to really explain I’d have to first get you to understand what the will of the forests is.”
“But am I with you so far? I’m not losing you?”
“Fine so far, yeah.”
“Okay…”
“The will of the forests is kind of like the World Soul but on a smaller level.”
“What me, my mother, and my culture believe, is that each and every forest has a soul and therefore a will. The will of the forests then, is the united, merged soul of each and every forest manifesting a single will or intention towards something.”
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
“Only high level shamans within the Greatforests are able to communicate with the Will Of The Forests, so you already know how rare it is for a warrior to commune with one. That’s how you know my mother is amazing.”
“Yeah, she seems like it,” the youth said passingly.
Gayle’s eyes lit up however at the praise.
“Yeah, she’s the best.”
“But anyway…do you have any questions?”
“Not yet.”
“Alright…”
“So now that you know what the will of the forests is…the way I can explain the World Soul is that it's basically the combined soul of the oceans, the winds, the volcanoes and deserts, all joined into one in a perfect semblance of unity.”
“Well…kind of.”
“As you can tell the combined soul of something with so many different properties finds it hard to truly meet as one.”
“It's not that the souls of each unique umm…thing? For lack of a better word…”
“It’s not that they fight each other, it's that they don’t really desire or have intentions towards one thing that they all can pool towards.”
“In fact, we don’t really discuss the ‘Will Of The World’ because rarely is the world so united that the World Soul manifests a single will, or a single action towards something.”
“Or atleast, that’s what the Greatforests’ beliefs are.”
“Is this making any sense?”
“Umm. Yeah…kind of.”
Zan’s head hurt as he tried to navigate around all the things Gayle just said.
“You’re saying that places and elements can have souls?”
“Well…yes.”
“Don’t things need to be living for that to happen?”
“What makes you think that the oceans and winds aren’t as alive as we are?”
“Uhh…well…”
“What about the forests then?”
“Each and every tree, plant and every blade of grass is alive.”
“Those things are living, aren’t they?”
“You don’t think they have souls like we do?”
“Uhh…I never thought about it like that I guess…”
‘Sounds crazy to be honest…’
“But they don’t think like we do, do they?”
“No, they don’t.”
“But you know, maybe they think differently.”
“Yeah…I think I lost you.”
“Okay…”
“How we in the Greatforests like to think about it, is that everything is alive.”
“Everything. Everything everything?”
“Like this stone floor is alive?”
“Well…yeah on some level it is.”
“You’re definitely losing me owl gir— I mean, Gayle.”
The girl stared at him unamused.
“Maybe everything might not be able to think, but on some level, they are alive.”
“Take it this way…”
“In the same way that the trees breathe, that the birds fly, or that humans go about doing whatever they do…”
“Things that we don’t usually perceive to have life, simply be, they simply exist the way that they are, and in that sense they are alive.”
“The fire burns, the winds flow, and stone simply sits there, vibrating in the identity of a tough, stubborn and inflexible kind of matter.”
“In that way that they simply exist in the physical, the same metaphysical identities reside in the spirit world. In that world, more than ever, things there don’t do, they simply are.”
‘Sorry Gayle, you definitely lost me…’
“Don’t you notice that the golem people are just as inflexible and stubborn as the metal properties that they’re made of?”
“...I’ve never met the golem people.”
“Oh…”
“Well— Umm! Anyway…”
“The sun’s rising.”
“Already!?”
“Were we talking for that long?”
“Yeah. I guess so.”
“I mean it was mostly you bu—”
Gayle gave him a mean glare.
“....but I had a lot of fun and it was really interesting,” the boy smiled.
The girl heard the rest of the sentence and similarly began to smile.
“Hmph. You didn’t save yourself with that one but I’ll let you off.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow night then? Again?”
“Umm! Ye— Yeah!”
“Okay. See ya.”
“Yeah…see you! Bye!”
“Wait!”
“Huh!? Wh– What? What is it?”
“Why are you so squeamish and startled lately?”
“Uhh no reason…”
“I just wanted to ask you where you guys are going now.”
“Oh.”
“Well when that idiot wakes up again we’re going to head south again, towards the slave city.”
Zan thought in silence for a moment and the girl took that moment to glance at him, observing him in detail.
“Alright, I’ll see you tonight.”
“Yeah, tonight!”
“Okay, bye!”
The girl quickly left the tent and speed walked to her quarters.
Zan meanwhile took this moment to stand up and stretch his limbs.
‘Should I head to sleep now?’
‘Maybe I’ll memorize a few more pathways…get towards six hundred sixty-six and call it a day…’
Zan looked towards his tent.
‘Not here though, I’ve been in here all day.’
‘I wonder how some people could stay in a room all day without ever going out?’
‘...Couldn’t be me.’
The youth exited his tent and coincidentally walked towards the same tree that Gayle slept in.
‘Everyone should still be sleeping within these early hours, so I don’t have to worry about getting weird looks about putting my eyeballs towards my humongous muscles…’
Zan breathed in deeply and once again started the process of memorizing each and every pathway. First however, he had to manifest the power of will so he could even command his energy to perform such deft and minute actions.
In his mind’s eye, Zan once again created an image of himself sitting down. This time, he even imagined the tall tree that he was sitting on. The same process took place and he imagined a red limitless force expanding until it permeated every inch of his mind.
Yet…something amazing transpired. Out of nowhere a green limitless energy intertwined with his red will. Zan quickly zoomed out, thinking that something must have gone wrong. When he did however, he found that the green tree was enveloped in a powerful green energy, and that same energy was synthesizing with his red infused body.
‘What the hell…’