"What are you talking about?" I asked, confusion washing over me.
'Soul acclimation, the action of getting your soul used to your soul tag.' he elaborated, only eliciting an even deeper confusion in my expression.
'Okay, I thought you would be further than this... lets take it a few steps back. You're aware of how soul circuits flow your soul energy, correct? And through the releasing of a soul circuit from its natural state of constriction do you achieve soul flow, measured in Ampates.'
Nodding my head, Terminus takes it as a sign to continue.
'Well, you have to do something with that soul energy. That's what the body is for. While the soul is the fuel, the body is the engine, capisce?"
"I understand" I stated in response, taking extra care in making mental notes.
'Your cells aren't just designed to keep itself alive, it also takes in soul energy, and through this, it can get revitalized by several orders of magnitude! This process is called cellular reinforcement, and through this, you can increase the body's capacity to heights never thought before to be possible.'
Taking this all in, I visualize the soul energy in my soul circuit and, like water flowing from the roots of a tree to a tree's branches, I trace the energy from its origin down to all the surrounding cells and energize them.
"AGGHHHHHH!"
I yelled with all my being, clenching my chest as my pupils dilated, turning into a bloodshot red as the veins surrounding my eyes popped out. My body began to turn purple, and a burning sensation reverberated all throughout my body as my entire body ached in pain in response, leaving huge red blotches underneath my skin.
Almost crying from the pain, I look up at Terminus in fury, not thinking clearly because of the physical distress.
'Hey, don't get mad at me! Nobody told you to go and try it by yourself, though I am impressed you're already capable of manipulating your soul flow.'
I calm down as the pain fades away, my body returning to its original color.
'I'll ask you a simple question. If you keep blowing air into a balloon, what'll happen?' Terminus asked, expecting a response despite my clear agitation.
"It'll... pop."
'Ding, ding! Correct! What you just did was pump your untrained body with more soul energy than it could handle. That's what we call soul backlash. Your cells were filled to the brim, causing them to pop and destroy themselves, damaging yourself on a cellular level.'
Getting back into a meditative position, I watch as he continues to provide explanation.
'Now, if you train the sturdiness of your cells, you can handle more soul energy, but for now, you need to learn how to restrain yourself as to where you can vitalize your cells, but not destroy them. Get through this, and then we can talk about acclimating your soul.'
Feeling ready to have another go, I close my eyes and visualize the soul circuits.
'Now, instead of just pumping it into your cells without assessing volume, try thinking of a number. We'll start small, so go for one-tenth. Using this number, think of sectioning off exactly a tenth of the soul flow, and let it sit in your chest. The chest is the storage area of the soul. Learn this function of soul control, and we'll move on.'
Overwhelmed by the information, I tried to make sense of it, reciting the important details in my head.
'And when you figure it out, just holler at me.'
Terminus then turned into a bright light, disappearing along with the red of the realm, turning everything back to white.
I sat there, clenching my eye muscles as I kept trying to section it off. It was frustrating since getting already flowing soul energy to move in a different direction is much more difficult than to control it. Thinking of it as a river, I tried to make imagining it that much simpler.
Trying again, I thought of moving the soul energy in opposing direction to the flow, and while I could get it to stop flowing, I couldn't hold it long enough before my mind grew tired and lost control of the soul.
'It's impossible,' I muttered, trying to understand how someone was expected to go against the current of their circuit when the soul's will itself was to move in the other direction.
It was like trying to push a car in reverse, where the car itself was resisting your every whim and attempting to move opposing to where you're pushing.
Let's go again, but this time let's go smaller.
Thinking of the number 1/20th, I willed my soul to move in the opposing direction again, not having to deal with the mental strain of resisting so much soul energy.
'Great, we're making progress' I thought to myself as the soul was making its way up the vein.
After traversing about 10 feet of the wrapped soul circuit, I eventually lost the mental capacity to will the soul energy, losing control and falling to the ground.
"This is impossible!" I yelled out, slamming my left fist into the ground, frustration sprouting in the form of popping veins in my forehead.
Think of sectioning it…
No matter how I thought about it, I couldn't quite understand how someone could possibly control the soul in such a fashion.
But then, my parents can do it, right?
And thinking of how even Tristan was capable of utilizing soul energy, I reassured myself that the methodology is most likely the issue, not my own incompetence.
Sitting back up, I resolved myself to get this done, otherwise I would have to forfeit my life to that… 'beast'.
Closing my eyes, I visualize the soul circuit, thinking of different reasons for why I can't get it.
As my attention was solely focused on the reversal of soul flow, time began to blend together, hearing was made irrelevant, and even my sense of touch was turned null, all senses being converted into attention that could be used to learn instead of sense.
.
.
.
Days passed I think? And to no avail was I able to get the soul energy to move in the way I wanted it to…
No matter how much I tried, how much I pushed, the soul energy just wouldn't move against its will for longer than a minute.
The soul was almost immovable, getting harder to push the further they went, like the action of being controlled was enraging in of itself.
Almost like… it was sentient.
Throwing the thought away, I kept visualizing and visualizing. I'd been visualizing the soul circuit so much I could practically see it, regardless of whether or not my eyes were closed.
What was convenient about this realm was that I don't get hungry, I don't get drowsy, I never tire, and I don't have to be in my nearly 3-year-old body.
I wonder if I'd have to pay rent if I asked to stay here.
All jokes aside, I stopped attempting the soul sectioning in what felt like centuries, and instead just… relaxed
Relaxing my face and body, I stopped to
observe the flow of the soul, thinking that with my increased understanding of the soul circuit from constant visualization, I may come to an epiphany of sorts.
Instead, I tried sensing instead of visualizing.
Perhaps because of constant meditation, I'd gained a sort of third eye, giving me the capacity to see the soul flow myself.
With the ability to see the soul energy, I wouldn't even need to close my eyes to control the soul, but meditating was still better because it blocked out my other senses, giving more room in my mind to think and be precise with my control.
Looking at the soul flow itself, I hadn't really noticed anything eye-opening… at least nothing that I hadn't seen before.
My soul was white—though I'm not sure if it's the same for everyone else—and flowed like water, literally.
It was liquid in its movement, and I would honestly think it was water had I not been that it was really the soul.
This is what constitutes…humans. It was a weird feeling that I'd gotten the hang of recently.
Observing it closely, I looked for clues, some indicator that it wasn't what it seemed.
"Ghhh!" I grunted as I clenched every muscle in my body to try and find the tiniest clues.
But nay, there was nothing to be found.
This is really seeming impossible! Another failed attempt and I quit!
Closing my eyes, I decided to be petty.
"A small number… I'll show you a small number… one-millionth!"
Almost jokingly, I thought of the smallest amount I could possibly control, controlling such a small amount it was hardly visible to the naked eye, but, almost cartoonishly, it zipped up from the heart, down to the same pinky that I'd lost in the real world, over to my shoulder, down to my buttocks, vertically through my back, going around and reaching my chest in an almost-instant
"WOAHH!" I shouted as my chest warmed up, reminding myself that a millionth of the soul energy found in a circuit is still a lot.
Could it be?
Opening my eyes again, I sensed my soul energy.
Instead of trying to see it, I felt it.
Zooming in, deeper, deeper, deeper, deeper, I found it.
"So that's why!"
Overcome with realization, I jumped up, victory just within grasp.
"Come out Terminus, I figured it out."