In the morning, I woke up, did my daily morning routine and dressed myself in the uniform. Although wearing the uniform wasn't mandatory, most of us still chose to do so because of its advanced features. It had a temperature regulator, a force field powerful enough to withstand level 3 psychic attacks, real-time cameras, and much more.
As I entered the academy center, I made my way to my class, which was already half-filled with around 20 students. Despite the low acceptance rate of the university, it was surprising to see so many students in the classroom. I didn't interact with anyone and took a seat in the first row of the central column.
A few minutes later, Professor Shakti entered the classroom with a huge container levitating behind him, almost as big as he was. We all stood up and greeted him with a polite "good morning" before he motioned for us to sit back down.
"Those of you who are familiar with this, feel free to begin," he said to the veteran students. "As for those who are new, today we will be learning how to advance to level 4 with a minimum fatality rate," he added, while distributing small vials from the container he had brought in, to the veteran students.
"These vials contain processed metamorphene, a crucial substance for your advancement to level 4."
"Before you can advance to level 4, you need to know everything that humanity has discovered about the soul. I hope everyone has completed learning the theoretical section of this year," he continued, looking around the room to see if there were any objections. When no one raised any, he continued, "The soul is a subject of Anantavada, which means that it is a concept that is not bounded by the rules of reality and is beyond our understanding, like infinity. However, we have discovered some relatively simple techniques to interact with it. All you need is to be in a quiet environment, as quiet as possible, and your soul has to be stirred so that you can sense it easily. Once you sense your soul, you will be able to sense it in the future without the need for any devices."
"Being able to sense your soul is important because for you to advance to level 4, you have to be able to control it. When you can control your soul, even just a bit, you will advance to level 4. It will be relatively easier because your soul hasn't yet taken shape."
Professor Shakti then 'handed' us a small rectangular box and said, "This is a sound insulator. Activate it and consume a vial of processed metamorphene before meditating." He then 'handed' the vials to the new students.
I activated the device and it expanded, creating a bluish barrier around my seat. The sound insulator worked incredibly well, as it was so quiet that I could even hear my own heartbeat. I closed my eyes and focused on meditating, which wasn't difficult for me as I could clear my mind at any time. After consuming the vial of processed metamorphene, I tried to sense my soul. I was able to sense it within a minute. As Professor Shakti had mentioned, my soul didn't have any shape. It was a blob and appeared to be covered by still white fog.
As I monitored my soul, I observed that it had a unique texture, white and liquid-like, surrounded by a fog of white. It was static, it appeared to be still and unmoving, which made me feel as if time itself has stopped flowing here. It was like a system that was tightly bound to its boundary, preventing it from motion.
I was using my telekinetic sense to monitor my soul and I used my telekinesis to gingerly tried to shape a tiny amount of fog into a ball, nothing else came to mind. I was successful in doing so.
After I gave shape to that tiny amount of fog, I felt that the illusory and invisible shackle binding my soul beginning to dissipate slowly, very slowly, so slowly that it would take thousands of years to fully dissipate.
And as I finished giving shape to that tiny amount of fog, I felt my powers increasing, not by much but considering I hadn't even shaped 0.0000001% of my soul, the increase in my power was surprising. I couldn't imagine how powerful I would be after I finished shaping my soul.
I opened my eyes and removed the bluish barrier that enveloped me. As I scanned the room, I noticed that everyone was still in meditation, so I caught Professor Shakti's eye and he motioned me to step outside.
"Is there any problem?" he asked.
"No, professor. I was able to control my soul and even shape it a little. What should I do next?" I replied.
"Really? That's impressive, even for someone with a perfect soul. Well, from now on, all you have to do is give your soul a definite shape, preferably a humanoid one. You can even add some extra organs, like a third eye. You should already know human anatomy, but if not, be sure to memorize it."
"Can you explain the advantages and disadvantages of a humanoid versus non-humanoid shape?" I asked.
"In short, a humanoid shape is better than a non-humanoid one because it increases power and versatility. I'll transfer you the information on shaping your soul, study it today. But remember, don't rush the process. You can't change your soul if you make a mistake. Carefully design the shape of your soul before implementing it, and be patient."
"Should I continue attending classes?" I asked.
"It's up to you. You can choose to come or not. Now go to your dorm room and think it."
After returning to my dorm room, I spent the whole day designing my soul shape while following Professor Shakti's notes. I made sure not to make it overly complex and limited myself to two additional organs, ultimately choosing a humanoid shape with five limbs, a torso, neck, and head with eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and a third eye. And then, an idea came to me - wings. I added a grand pair of wings to my design and began shaping my soul accordingly.
After 6 months.