Aaron danced in the clearing, going through his martial exercise, marveling at how effortlessly his movements flowed even while wearing his armor. The interlacing plates moved easily, neither hindering his movement nor weighing him down. He was amazed that the wood, though incredibly strong, was light as a feather.

He wasn’t wearing the cape, as it was more for ceremony or traveling. It wasn’t suited for sparing or general training, even if he did enjoy wearing it. After admiring his armor a bit longer, he walked to the center of the training grounds and sat in meditation, entering his soul space.

Aaron moved his projection forward, inspecting the ripples from his feet touching the dark lake as he walked. This was only his mind’s projection but it still affected his surroundings, which always gave him pause. It implied the mind was still a part of the soul, even though they were always at war with one another.

Instinct vs. intellect

A battle of the ages.

Aaron chuckled, as he stood above his soul flame, peering deeply into its depths. He had discovered something while training with his new skill. Using the skill had been his first time combining his soul essence with the mana from his core.

Connecting with his soul, he watched as it rose and began to mirror his movements. Aaron raised his hand with his projection, sending mana arching across his fingertips as his soul mimicked his actions. But as always, no arches of mana graced the tips of his soul's ghostly fingers.

His soul space was as much a place of protection as it was a prison. The soul had no way to leave its prison, nor should it ever, lest it dissipate or become truly exposed to the dangers of the physical world. If the soul left its place of protection, it would be no different from dying.

But with the thought of death came inspiration.

Could he tap into his soul more intimately by truly giving up on his physical self? His numerous failed attempts to connect to his soul on a deeper level had left him baffled, but this time he felt he was on to something. Aaron willed his soul back into a flame as he looked closely at the shimmering Rune in its center.

His name.

But more so an identity than a true name.

Aaron found it laughable that many of the humans believed discovering your true name would give you complete control of your inner self. You would never discover your true name because there was no such thing. That was the beauty of a name or the concept of self.

It was ever-changing.

Ever growing.

Aaron traced the lines of the Runes, making up his name in fascination. He could see how each segment or line wasn’t smooth or straight. There were fluctuations within the flow as if they were painted by a trembling hand. Aaron understood that this one little detail was far more important than it appeared.

It was just like a painting or a drawing. Each brush stroke, however imperfect, told a story, adding depth to the finished work. Peering closer at the Rune, Aaron traced the imperfections, concluding that some of these segments were the skills he had accumulated.

The sum of his parts.

That was what a person would always be.

Ever-changing and growing, never the person you were the day before. There were no true names. A name gave some definition but did not define the person. It was all the little parts and imperfections added by the experiences throughout one's lifetime.

But the name also gave clarity—an identity to bind you to the world. Your name worked as a fulcrum, allowing you to gain bearing in a sea of others. He held onto the idea as he prepared to attempt what so far had been the impossible. Aaron sat cross-legged in meditation, his soul flame burning brightly before him as its ethereal flames danced quietly.

He was able to enter a trance, separating himself from his senses, but this time he would attempt to take it further and relinquish his hold on his body. He would use his sense of identity as a weight to keep from entirely losing himself as he gave up the body to free the soul.

Hoping he didn’t die in the process.

Aaron calmed himself as he relinquished his senses, falling into a deep trance. He couldn’t smell, feel, or even tell if he was breathing. All meaning was washed away, and the last thing he felt was his projection fading before his mind went blank.

His consciousness drifted in an empty void, confused and disoriented.

Who, what, or even where held no meaning.

As his sense of self began to blur, a deep fear gripped him, but Aaron didn’t hold on; he continued to let go. Nearing the point of no return, a tiny spark flickered, and he latched on to the sensation. A single Rune flashed through the void that was his consciousness, and he immediately knew that it was important.

Gathering as much willpower as his fractured sense of self could conjure, he pushed forward as if reaching out for the spark. A new sensation washed through him, driving away the madness that was his existence as a single thought began to form.

'Aaron'

With that single thought came the sense of falling, but it wasn’t like falling from a cliff. It was more like falling inward. Aaron would have laughed if he could, as the sensation was just as frightening as it was exhilarating.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Aaron reeled as the falling sensation abruptly ended. His mind quickly solidified as he gained his bearing, using a single driving thought, ‘My name is Aaron.’ As his sense of self took hold, he attempted to feel and sense his surroundings, surprised to find that he could see.

But the world was strange.

He was within his soul space, but it was far different than before and was now a white void that glowed with an inner light. He stood in a calm lake that spread far, its surface appearing like liquid metal. Aaron reached up with hands that resembled his own but were wispy and ghost-like.

He gasped, stumbling to the side as a tidal wave of emotions rolled through him—hunger, passion, desire, the very need to fight... to love. To embody the soul was to give in to the carnal desires from within. Without intellect, there was nothing left but instinct to fuel the fire.

The soul space began to rumble as the lake started to boil. The quaking increased as giant waves formed, the lake's calm facade broken. The chaos within the space reflected the chaos within himself, and he knew that if he didn’t gain control, it would destroy the tranquil prison that confined his soul.

The soul was a flame.

And it would burn the world to get what it wanted.

Aaron held on for dear life as his emotions attempted to consume him. Struggling to find clarity, he held on to a single emotion as he punched forward, feeling his soul space shudder. Punching with his other fist, he began to fall into a rhythm, going through his martial exercise as gracefully as his raging body would allow. As he danced around his soul space, a single notion began to form.

Purpose.

That was what kept the soul from running rampant and unchecked. The soul's desires were a critical part of his inner self, but they needed direction. A sense of purpose to harness their true potential. What better way to move the soul than the will to fight, to live… to protect the ones you care about?

Love, hate... sadness, or even loneliness.

They were all just parts of a whole.

It was all a part of the fight to exist, the never-ending battle to survive. To live. It wasn’t to fight against your inner self but to accept the aspects of your desires in their cohesive whole. To truly become the sum of your parts, all combined through the will to fight.

‘I am the sum of my parts’

‘I am Aaron Firstborn.’

Aaron lowered his fists to his side, feeling his soul space ripple. A sense of clarity, stronger than anything he had ever felt, soothed the raging storm within his soul. The lake grew calm as the world around him solidified, becoming more substantial.

But it wasn’t just the world.

Aaron felt the flames of his soul body becoming more distinct, and could see he burned even brighter. The golden essence comprising his body, shined fiercely as flames danced within its surface. The Rune in his center was stark and defined, outshining even his souls radiant glow.

He sat calmly in the tranquil space, internally roaring in victory. It was such a grand thing to accept your true self, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of triumph. Taming the soul was no easy task, but to truly embody who and what you were was even more amazing.

Opening his Gift, Aaron peered closely over the Runes, as his new [Domain] skill wasn’t the only change from the ceremony.

Name: Aaron Firstborn

Race: Firstling

Class: Prince (E)

Core: Braided Core (U)

Blessings: Firstborn

Titles: Lord of Arrondale

Insights: Integration (Middle)

Authority: --

Attributes: Kinship - Mother’s Will - Golden Sight

Skills: Deadly Hands - Deadly Strike - Dance of Death – Domination - Domain of the Ruler

His attribute [Bonded] had changed and was now called [Kinship]. Looking over its description he could feel that it had become something greater.

[Kinship] Bond of Kinship “A family is all, but all can be family.”

Aaron looked over the description of [Domain of the Ruler] and paused on the word 'Subjects'. He could see a connection between ‘Subjects’ and ‘Kinship’ leading him to the last change. Due to his sibling's naming him their leader, he had received a new title.

[Lord of Arrondale]

There was no description or relative information, but Aaron could feel the power within the Runes. It had changed him on a fundamental level, written into the name in his soul as a part of him. He could feel that all his skills were sculpting what he truly was, shaping him into what he would become.

From what he could tell, it was now possible to bond with anyone he considered part of his family. But to accept someone was to take on their burden. Their pains... and their fears. It wasn't something that should be placed with abandon.

Looking over his skills made him cringe, as everything had something to do with death, making it look like he was some murderous fiend. It didn’t feel like his skills represented who he truly was. He would break that mold and become what was reflected within his true self.

A smile graced his ethereal features as he basked in clarity.

It was time to break free.

Aaron began to push on his prison, expanding his soul far and wide, forcing his will onto his inner space. He searched both inward and outward for the spark that led him here as he pushed against the walls of his soul space.

A giant Rune shimmered into existence, floating high in the empty space. Aaron knew it was just a reflection of the Rune burning within his soul. It was a mirror of his true self, passed to the world through his soul's essence. The spark he had felt wasn’t his soul or something tangible, it was more like a location. It was a point in place and time within himself.

Where soul meets body.

Aaron reached forward as if to grasp the Rune, feeling like he was falling upward. The Rune expanded, its edges reaching outward like branches, as its radiance filled his inner space. It appeared more like the great tree than a Rune as its roots and branches spread far into the distance. He felt himself rising, pulled along the tips of each branch as a resounding clap reverberated through his soul space.

And the space shattered.

Aaron gasped as the walls of his soul space crumbled and he was yanked upward. He was ripped away from the tranquil space, pulled by unknown forces. But the branches acted as a guide, leading him forward. The flowing branches seemed to resonate with his inner self giving him a sense of liberation and excitement.

He traveled along the boughs of the great Rune as his essence spread far and wide, feeling like he was being pulled infinitely in all directions. He sensed the spark again and struggled to move towards it, knowing it was the source of his desire. Reaching the spark, he dove forward pouring his essence into its center as the feeling of rising consumed him.

Aaron opened his eyes...

He was still sitting cross-legged in the training grounds.

But neither him nor world were the same.