2 Prologue 2 (1/2)
I went back to my room. It was small, only enough for a bed and a desk to fit in. It couldn't be compared with my old place, but after two months, I got used to it. I put the bag with awakening stones on the desk, I only kept one piece in the palm of my hand.
This amount should be about one-third of what is needed for one person to awaken, on average. But it is still worth a few thousand officially, and probably more on the black market. It was cold in touch, and like gold, it could be deformed with just your fingers.
Except for the size, it was the same as the one in the university. I remembered the time I searched my soul for the first time. They had a piece of awakening stone the size of a football, with that amount it took me around ten minutes to find my soul, and another five to search it.
But this will be many times more difficult. And the awakening stone poisoning, it will be hard to focus on anything. It is known for as long as the humanity was able to mine the awakening stone, the miners would inhale small particles of the awakening stone, it would slowly sip into their bloodstream, then it would get attached to the pain receptors… they would suffer for hours, with every inch of their bodies in pain.
And now I need to do this to myself.
There was no need to hesitate.
Feeling the bead passing through my throat, my body shivered. Wasting no time, I started to concentrate, trying to focus on where the bead should be.
With my eyes closed, I imagined myself, my soul, this was the way to search for the soul. The soul looks the same as we see ourselves, and to find it, all that I must do is imagine myself in front of me, and at one point, it will change… it will become more real.
At that point, I can start to interact with my soul. Search it, extract the soul essence, or in my case move the soul over.
After ten minutes, I realized how difficult it will really be to focus and find the soul, the amount was tiny comparatively. But I continued, trying to find my soul.
About thirty minutes passed since I started, I felt my toes go slightly numb, followed by pain as if someone started to poke them with red hot needles. It hardly started, but I couldn't help but let a cry out.
With every second I felt the pain climbing up, and soon my whole body was in unimaginable pain. I grabbed a pillow from the bed and started to bite on it, trying not to start screaming.
---
Listening to the screaming of the kid coming from upstairs, I couldn't help but smile. That smart ass will learn now. When it comes to awakening the soul arts its unlike anything that a person can experience.
But he will have to go through it if he wants to accomplish anything.
But he evidently is determined, no matter what I threw at him he just kept going. All the exercise, and pain from it he would endure it all, ordinary people would break after a week.
Tenacious would be the right word to describe him. He has strong motivation, but for some reason, he is keeping it secret. Whatever it is, it propels him to the extreme.
It was… twenty years ago? I had to go through the same thing. It was a cycle of pain and training, without a break for three months.
Getting used to the pain, was the first step. The awakening stone connects to the pain receptors, but it won't damage them, so the excruciating pain, you will never grow too dull to it.
He needs to learn how to keep his mind clear under the pain.
Then the fighting training, he can't stop it even for one day. The awakening stone that is still in the body will 'activate' under high stress, that will bring the soul 'closer'. And if he can keep it up, it will make it easier for him to find the soul.
Not to mention knowing how to fight is a necessity in the society he will become a part of. Right, I guess I need to explain to him how all of it works as well. But I can do it tomorrow.
Then there is the moving of the soul, but that… well, maybe I shouldn't tell him about that? It would be a distraction I guess.
Meh, we'll see.
---
Waking up I felt the pain in my body, it was not as bad as yesterday but still…
I don't remember how long I was able to stay conscious, but it was rather quickly that I passed out from the pain.
I dragged my body to the bathroom, in the mirror I could see that there was no real damage, I could find some small bruises here and there, probably from when I was rolling on the floor.
My eyes, were completely red, actually mixing quite well with my blue irises. I got my hair into shape, washed my face, and got ready.
'BUMP!!!'
Looking at the clock, it was 7:59, the training is supposed to start at 8, but his watch is off by two minutes.
I rushed downstairs, and out of the house, there Master was already waiting, looking at his watch with a dumb expression on his face.
”You're late. Let's add 10 min of running.”
Running, push-ups, pull-ups, lunges, squats, sit-ups, all the basic, but Master pushes them to the extreme, making me do more then it should be physically possible.
Hours later, physically exhausted, I collapsed onto the floor.
”You can rest. For thirty minutes, then we can start with fighting training.”
”Yes… Master. Can you tell me something?”
”What is it?”
”I tried to awaken yesterday. And it didn't go the best. I wanted to know if there is any trick to it or something.”
”There isn't any. I know what you are feeling, but you just have to power through it. Rest, I will teach you how to fight soon.”
The thirty minutes passed far too quickly.
”Get up. Tell me, what do you think fighting is?”
”Huh? Well, punching, blocking, evading, there the fighting techniques, karate and like that. Martial arts as well.”
”Right. That's what most people think of when it comes to fighting, and well, they are not entirely wrong. But fighting is something that most people don't do, in how many fights have you been? How many times have you punched someone?”