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It appears I still felt a lot of damage "what are the secrets of this Jutsu!"Kazuki remembers the sand type of chakra is new to him and must be concentrated hard enough for him to utilize sand techniques. He continued his training and does his string of handseals a bit slower than usual because he was concentrating hard and keeping a blank mind. His chakra network started to increase dramatically unleashing the exact chakra needed to perform this jutsu. The sand from the ground started to move towards Kazuki faster than usual. The sand started to merge with kazuki and becoming a layer of sand not visible to the human eye.
Kazuki moved to a rocky area and picked up a stone "this should do the trick" he threw the stone as hard as he can than he quickly shunshins and get ahead of the stone and make it look like he threw a rock at himself. He stood still as he watched the stone hit him on his forehead and cracking a bit of the armor
It appears I still felt a lot of damage "what are the secrets of this Jutsu!"Kazuki remembers the sand type of chakra is new to him and must be concentrated hard enough for him to utilize sand techniques. He continued his training and does his string of handseals a bit slower than usual because he was concentrating hard and keeping a blank mind. His chakra network started to increase dramatically unleashing the exact chakra needed to perform this jutsu. The sand from the ground started to move towards Kazuki faster than usual. The sand started to merge with kazuki and becoming a layer of sand not visible to the human eye.
Kazuki moved to a rocky area and picked up a stone "this should do the trick" he threw the stone as hard as he can than he quickly shunshins and get ahead of the stone and make it look like he threw a rock at himself. He stood still as he watched the stone hit him on his forehead and cracking a bit of the armor
(OOC: am moving on but you can still grade the previous technique there aint gonna be sleepin 2night)
Raiton - Rakurai Shuryuu (Lightning Style - Lightning Stream) Rank: "C" Skill: Ninjutsu Effect: The user creates a steady stream of electricity against a single target. Special: Ox - Monkey - Dog - Dragon Drawback: "D" Rank require both hands. "C" Rank requires one hand. Description: After forming the needed hand seals the user will create a fist sized orb of electricity and thrust it at a single target as a steady stream of electricity. At "D" Rank the lightning is only capable of knock a target back and inflict minor burns, and could reach a maximum range of 5 meters. At "C" Rank the lightning is able to cause first degree burns and numbness to the affected area, and reach a maximum range of 10 meters. Limit: Lightning Release
[0/10]
The brilliant, dazzling light of lightning would drive fear into the hearts of his opponents. The technique he had just learned was weak: it was not the technique in its full power, but now this was available to him. This one was more powerful, but required more power to be put into it. More negative charges would have to be attracted, and Kazuki would have to think about how to do that. For the first time he learned the technique, it was quite acceptable for him to simply attract the electrons to his hand with chakra. He would go out and search for the electrons with his chakra, bring them back to his hand, and use them for his attack. However, there had to be an easier way. Positive charges were much easier to capture. They were much larger, much much larger, which would allow him to capture an exponentially large amount quicker and easier.
With this information, Kazuki knew that he could easily receive more positive charges than negative charges. But to create a bolt with positive charges was much harder to manage; the electrons were easier to control than the protons. As such, Kazuki hatched an idea. Simply capture protons for the sake of capturing electrons. Since opposites attract, the electrons would flock to him in a much easier manner. And with that, he could use a much larger amount of negative charge to create a much larger bolt. Smiling, he began to build up more chakra near his spinal cord. He performed the handseals and added more onto the handseals he had just learned, and began to let chakra go through his body. Chakra filled his system. This chakra was imbued with the nature of lightning, and would search for particles bearing a polarity charge. He let the chakra build in his right hand as he searched for protons. He found many of them, and collected them in his palm. The positive charge in his palm grew strong, and electrons began to line up. He could have released a stream right here, but it would have been weaker than the previous due to the fact that it was so difficult to control the protons. He, instead, allowed the electrons to come to him. Little by little they came, balancing the charge in his hand. The new charge would be so powerful that he would not need two hands to build up the charge, only his right hand would suffice.
As soon as there was a dense, balanced charge in his hand, Kazuki created a mass exodus of protons, creating a massively, negatively charged palm. The expelled protons began to line up on the same tree that he had used previously, creating electrical tension. There was potential for a lightning strike, but Kazuki held it back, allowing chakra to build in his palm. This was a catalyst, and with the electrons, would take the form of lightning. Kazuki’s hand began to randomly misfire streams of lightning. These were tiny and caused no damage, but the manifestation of the high level of energy caused them. Suddenly, Kazuki let a little through, creating a massive stream. The stream hit the tree as quick as lightning, and the tree began to burst into flames. The last time they were small, but this time it put the entire tree in danger of being engulfed in flames. Blue light danced from the lightning and mixed with the red and yellow light of the flame. Kazuki let the stream continue, chakra pouring into the stream. The air around the lightning was superheated and expanded suddenly, causing popping noises from the constantly superheated then supercooled gas. Kazuki finally ended the technique, running out of protons. There was balance once again, but the amount of energy the lightning had produced was massive: enough to heat the tree into igniting. The leaves had caught fire and now the top of the tree was ablaze. Kazuki, not wanting the fire to spread, quickly doused it with a large amount of water. Releasing a sigh, he was worried that the smoke would attract unwanted attention.
Sand Controlling Rank: "D” Skill: NinJutsu Effect: With this technique the user is capable of controlling sand within a certain distance. With this the user is capable of determining how well they are capable of using a technique, and how much the technique is worth. Without this as the starting basis the user is uncapable of using their Sand Techniques to their fullest potential. Special: --- Drawback: This is to be considered as a skill tree, each time the user learns a certain is the difference between how well the user is capable of using their technique and controlling sand within a longer and longer style of distance. Description: The user pours their chakra into the ground along the sand. By doing so the user is capable of grabbing the Sand pushing it upwards, downwards, or even to the sides. When the user first starts off by learning the D Rank version of this technique the user is capable of controlling Sand within a Radius of Ten Meters. When the user learns the C rank the user is capable of controlling sand within the radius of Twenty Five Meters. When the user learns the B Rank version of the technique the user is capable of controlling sand within a radius of Fourty meters. When the user learns the A Rank version of this technique the user is capable of controlling Fifty Five Meters of Sand. Finally when the user is capable of learning the S Rank version of this technique the user is capable of controlling a distance of Seventy Five meters in Radius of Sand. If the user wishes to progress further they must learn in a B Ranking fashion to be capable of controlling an additional Five Meters. Limit: Must have the Sand Release
Kazuki awoke that next morning ready to begin training the second of the sand techniques. He had needed to restore his chakra from the extensive cost of learning a new, powerful, and advanced jutsu but in order for him to learn it he must control sand. The first technique he would have to learn was much like the Rock Creation jutsu of the Earth Release, the Sand Control technique. He had already learned how to control the Sand pretty basically, but he would have to delve deeper into the understanding of sand control if he was to actually build upon the release. And this was the first technique. After preparing himself for the day and getting dressed and such, he walked out into the clearing behind his house, ready to train. The crisp morning air was quite inviting, something that encouraged him to train.
The Sand somehow survived the night, still sitting harmlessly on the ground as if one was going to begin construction in the back yard. Kazuki was quite delighted in the full amount of sand that had survived, and was ready to begin manipulating it. The first step of the technique would allow him to control pretty much a good amount of sand in a 10 meter radius. 10 meters wasn’t that far around but given the entire area of a circle with 10 meters (somewhere around 3142 square meters), he thought it was a generous first step. He began to bring the Sand up, much like he had done during the first learning of the Sand Release. He began to spread the Sand out, using the same film technique that he had used while finishing up his Release training, allowing the sand to circle him completely. He was inside a ring of sand, one that was about two meters in radius. Trying to expand the sand out further, he attempted to add more sand from the ground to the ring that he was creating. He found himself losing concentration at trying to attempt to tasks at once and the ring crumbled at many points, eventually failing.
Frowning, he looked with blind eyes at the ring of sand that had fallen. He felt like he had pushed it out further yet all he had accomplished was a lousy two meters. The technique limits for the beginner was supposed to be around 10. He had accomplished a fifth of that. Frowning at himself, he wondered how he would be able to add sand to the growing ring, while, at the same time, making the ring grow bigger. He thought that perhaps he could just pick up all the sand he would need at the very beginning, make the initial ring rather fat, and then thin it out as the ring expanded.
It seemed like a quick solution that wouldn’t help him out in the long run but the thought came to him that he would simply learn how to control the sand better by the time he actually needed to double-task. It was a daring thought, one that could only be tested in time, but he had no other solutions in hand. So, he was going to attempt it.
Allowing the chakra to flow through him, he attempted to pick up as much sand as he could. It was only a little, but it was a lot compared to what he had been hauling around. Control of such much sand was difficult because of the drastic change of weight but he had somehow been able to maintain control without going overboard or being overtaxed.
He made a fat ring around himself, which was not really too difficult, then allowed it to slowly expand outwards. Without the distraction of having to pick up more sand from the pile, he thought it rather easy to push the sand out. The sand naturally became thinner as the circumference increased, and slowly but surely, the ring got the point of about having an eight meter radius. The final test, one that he had spontaneously created, was to spin the ring around. Attempting to shift the sands, the ring began to slowly spin. Moved by chakra, the ring began to increase speed. It never became so fast as to where it was blinding but it moved with the same speed as a merry-go-round.
Finally allowing the sand to drop, Kazuki was confident that he had accomplished one of the first steps of Sand Mastery.
Shunshin no Jutsu - Sha (Body Flicker Technique - Trace) Rank: "C" Skill: NinJutsu/TaiJutsu Effect: Allows the user to maneuver around objects while performing Shunshin no Jutsu - Oshi, Ko, or Zanzō. Special: --- Drawback: Takes away the number of usages Shunshin no Jutsu - Oshi (Body Flicker Technique - Push). Same distance applications apply. Same drawbacks apply when over using. Description: Normally when a user is performing one of the 5 Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique) they are unable to skillfully maneuver around objects. They must perform the Jutsu in an open area. With this technique however they are able to move in a straight line however evading objects that may be in the way such as trees and others. Supplement of Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique) while using same schematics. Limit: Must know The 5 Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique).
[--/20]
Kazuki has been training the whole day now. The so called lessons that he was receiving were essentially just excuses to kill shinobi's, but they were disguised as lessons on tactics. Frankly, the only tactic that the young Kazuya had learned so far was to not fight and just try and run away. This usually just ended up with him getting kicked in the back of the head though, and allowed him sweet reprieve for moments longer than usual. It could not be said that it was all bad though, as he had definitely gotten a little stronger and faster since the training had begun, which was nice. Weight had been gathering in places that he really did not like, so getting back into a consistent and rigorous training schedule was fulfilling for the youth. Today was no different than usual, except that getting beaten up at the training ground, he was going to get beaten up in a forest, so that was a nice change for the two of them.
The Futakongo moved swiftly through the crowded streets of Takigakure like a shadow, swiftly but completely unnoticed, only making the slightest of touches as he wound his way through the thick of the crowd. He suspected that training here would be frowned upon, but there was a variant of the shunshin technique that he had been wanting to learn, and had never gotten around to it. It was a version that allowed the user to move around objects much like the arc version, but with far more precision and capability, instead of a long and wide arc. If he used it here, he would be able to make it through the crowd even faster and still go unnoticed. The worrying part was if he screwed it up, because then he would crash into someone at a pretty incredible speed and knock more than just that person over and cause quite a large scene in the middle of a busy street. Essentially not what a ninja would do.
Kazuya could see the paths open and close before him in every direction around him. The accuracy of his sight was undeniable, allowing him near omnipotence in regards to knowledge of his surroundings. Each path that opened and allowed him movement was revealed to him, performing the Shunshin variation now had a far lower chance of him crashing than if someone without his innate abilities did. The risk was worth it for the blind male, if he screwed it up, he could pick himself up and get out of there faster than anyone around anyway, and even if they did notice him running from the crime scene who was going to call him out on it? What, with his nondescript attire and looks, he was not an easily recognizable person. Gritting his teeth, he gauged the distance and the room to work with before him and he waited as he still wound his way through the people before him. As a rather large man carrying a stack of boxes moved to the right, a clean path opened up before him with two people in the way; both with open routes around them.
His right foot slammed against the ground and he vanished with a poof; his body tearing forward with great speed. As he approached the first of the two blockages, he edited his trajectory to the right in such a minor fashion that the young bright-eyed man would feel the tickle of the newly sprouting hairs on his chin from the rapid movement passed him, but with no evidence of anything occurring around him, he would never suspect what had happened. As he moved back onto track, he gauged the second obstacle, who was more robust than the average person, and require a little more movement than a mere sidestep to move around. If Kazuya was a mean spirited man, he would have thought that after a couple laps around her; and he would be tired. It did not matter, he was not going to stop, and he was going to get around her no matter what size she was. He estimated that with a large enough sidestep, he could pass her, brushing her back, as he moved. As he passed, he realized he was a little wrong, and had not accounted for the immense jiggle factor of her seemingly liquid body.
Ricocheting off of her bouncing behind; his speed was reduced terrifically and he was airborne, spiralling off to the side. Having hit such an elastic surface at such a great speed had created quite the launching effect. There was a shocked noise from the woman, but she instantly took it out on the only visible man behind her, and not on the Takigakure shinobi who was now trying to get his head straight after careening into a wall as he had done. Other than a bruised ego and a sore back, it did not look like he had accrued any other damage, and the situation with the large woman was taking care of itself, and no one had noticed him apparently. He was safe to carry on about his way to the forest to meet Heihashi and see if he could use the new variant he was learning a little better to fight against the elder Shinobi, and maybe not get beaten up so badly. Maybe.
The forest was silent. That alone was enough to make the Futakongo fighter nervous. No sound meant no sight for him, and in order for him to see, he would have to create sound, which would reveal his position. This felt like a trap. A bead of sweat formed on his brow as he tried to figure out just how he was going to go in there and find Heihashi without springing the trap that was so obviously set for him. Not even birds were singing today, obviously scared off by a demon residing within the trees. A demon that was waiting for him. A hand clapped onto his shoulder and he flinched as everything came into view thanks to the sound of it. Heihashi; in all his wrinkled glory; stood behind him smiling his wise old smile. For a moment his mind whirred at he possibility of this all being false, but his body was giving off all the correct signs of life, so it was not a clone. It just seemed so impossible that the old man was not beating him up.
"Alright lad, ye know the deal, but we're doing things a little different today; you have to catch me, we'll see how well ye can move in such a forest"
This pleased Kazuya; as he had already grasped the variant in its basics and figured that he was a step ahead of the old man for once. Sort of. Kazuya performed a shunshin of his own and vanished into the forest. Kazuya took off into the trees, noting their awkwardly close growth that made regular travel between the branches and trunks difficult; never mind the quick movement techniques. That was why they were training though, so that even against such poor odds, they would come out on top. Kazuki moved left and right and swerved around the trees, ducking where he needed to; avoiding the grasping branches and clawing roots. It was not too difficult for such a spry young man to make it through the forest, but as he could see from his echolocation, Kazuki was far ahead and moving further away very quickly. The only thing he could do to catch up was to begin performing the shunshin technique now, otherwise the old man would be lost from his view.
As Kazuki burst forward; he narrowly avoided a tree and continued forward, closing the gap ever so slightly. Another two trees up ahead, which were swiftly avoided by another performance of the trace Shunshin, moving left around the first, moving right around the second going in between the two as he continued ahead. The deeper he got into the forest, the larger the trees became and the closer together they got, forming a wall of wood that seemed impenetrable. Squeezing in between to massive trees, he realized that Heihashi was no longer within his view. Swearing he slapped his hand onto a tree to try and create a quick sonar that would reveal him, but the aching forests groaned enough to reveal the world around him already, and it was simple, he had lost the older man even though he was sure that he had been catching up. Running up the side of a tree, he leapt from it and to another, moving swiftly across the tops in the direction he knew the elder had been heading.
It was not long before he came across the man again, maybe two minutes before he was revealed in the echolocation. Heihashi was not moving, he was crouched on a branch and waiting for Kazuki or something. The snaking trees wound around and allowed the Futakongo to run across their ancient surface as he moved towards the old man, closing in on his target. The elder turned and threw three shuriken at the approaching youth, who ducked under the first, then performed the Shunshin that would allow him to move between the second two and bring him in close. Five meters and the younger of the two had the momentum and for once, the advantage. That five meters was closed so quickly that even the elder taijutsu master was caught almost flat footed as Kazuki launched a powerful side kick at the head of the older man.
The kick was blocked with a left shoulder block, but the force of the strike knocked him to the right a little, which opened him up to a second strike as Kazuki twisted his body in the air to bring his left heel down on to the top of the head of the elder man. The heel rang true and he had landed his first ever strike onto the elder, he fell forward onto his knees and then rolled over his right shoulder back to his feet, rubbing the back of his head with his left hand, laughing jovially. The adrenaline rush from actually landing the hit was greater than any rush he had felt before, but he understood that he had woken the bear, and by landing the strike, he was now moved into another tier of training where he would not be treated so kindly. Essentially the laugh signalled that play time was over, and Kazuki needed to be ready for training to get more dangerous.
Astral Projection 星の投射 Rank: A Skill: Ninjutsu Effect: See Description Special: Must hold the rat handseal Drawback: Body is left completely defenseless, and vulnerable to attack. User body may be difficult to move for a post. Can only project to a place where you've already been. Description: This technique is one of the few techniques in the ninja world that neither hurt nor heal, but it is considered one of the most influential. This technique has a long history of pride. Invented in the cloud village many years ago as a communications device meant to assist their valued shinobi during the great ninja war, it has been used throughout the ages as an information tool. The users of the technique must first perform a flurry of handsigns, finishing with the rat handseal and holding it. Once the handseal is held the users body becomes totally stiff and immobile. If they are standing they may fall and injure themselves. In exchange for the total loss of their body, the user gains the control of his spirit. The spirit has no physical form, meaning it cannot attack or be attacked. Genjutsu still may effect it (only if it something meant to confuse sight) but other then that is basically just a vapor. After the spirit form is taken, the user may appear anywhere they have already been, though unable to change the environment physically, they may use chakra to act as a voice box, giving them the ability to speak. Because of the nature of the technique, it does not have a limited range, but there is a time frame. The spirit form may only be away from the body for a maximum (getting the stiff penalty) of 20 posts. After this time, the spirit is forced back into the body. Anyone can hear the spirit, and easily see the spirit cause it looks multicolored. The user may still detect the presence of nearby people (within 10 meters) of the body. They wont know who it is, just that someone is there. Limit: None
00/90
I had a series of other techniques I had prepared to learn today, and this was one of them. It would allow me to interact with the world with only my spirit; thus I could travel places I had been without actually having to physically be there. To me, this would be an invaluable technique. The thought of not having to physically go into public places to meet someone was extremely pleasant. I looked over the scroll, deeply considering every word and idea that it postulated. Unlike the Lash Clone scroll I had read earlier, this one seemed a bit more practical.
The art of soulwalking, better and more popularly known as Astral Projection, is an accredited ninja technique developed by the Hidden Village in the Clouds. It allows one to separate oneself spiritually from the physical body and walk amongst the physical realm as a spirit.
Those practiced in Astral Projection can wield such a skill at will. For the beginning practitioners, however, it required much more than that. The beginner must first find perfect relaxation of the physical form. Often times it coaxes the spiritual form into a state of rest but when the spirit is fully awake while the body rests, the user may Astral Project. The most successful methods are to lay completely still, allowing the body to slowly descend into sleep, while keeping the conscious aware.
To escape the physical form is still difficult, even when the barriers are weakened by the body's slumber. It takes a large amount of will to convince the soul that the body can be left, as it actually has to be believed, though the subconscious has trouble believing such a concept because the user has not experienced it and thus does not believe it.
When all the above is done, however, the user will find themselves standing up and their physical form laying down. Traveling great distances will make the user fade and it takes practice in order to increase the strength of the link. Those that travel too far will lose their incorporeal essence and dissolve into the spirit force of the world.
The scroll was able to give me explicit directions, all of which were crucial to the learning process of this technique, and I figured that it would take me a while to actually perfect the jutsu. From how it explained the art of Astral Projection, once learned it could be summoned through chakra and will, but the first time must be performed naturally. After I had conquered the task of leaving my physical body, I would attempt to strengthen the bonds of the soul by walking around and visiting nearby places.
Once I had done that, and I believe I would be able to feel the link constantly in my spiritual form although the scroll did not allude to such a thing, I would attempt to perform the actual technique, bringing forth my soul through the art of ninjutsu and chakra. I was still skeptical if such a technique were possible, which was probably the subconscious urge to disbelieve that the scroll had talked about, but I was excited, nonetheless, of the prospect of being made a believer if I turned out to be wrong. I decided that the beach wouldn't be the best place to lay down, though it would be calm and soothing, given the tide, so I decided upon a small, grassy patch whose thick undergrowth would act as a pillow and mattress for my relaxation.
There were plenty of grassy spots that would work for my slight rest and I found one without fail. I slowly laid down on the grass, remaining still as the sun shined brightly overhead. I did not close my eyes but only filled my mind with idle thoughts as the time passed. The sun shifted in the sky slowly as my body slowly became more and more relaxed. The need to fidget was ceaseless but I was able to deter it after a while. Suddenly I realized that my eyelids were drooping and that having a nap here on Taki would be the most pleasant thing in the world. For a minute I considered it; to just take a nap and figure out the technique when I awoke. But I quickly realized that was the boon of the technique. Everyone that had tried to do it would just fall asleep and never be able to complete the technique. By sheer willpower I forced my eyes to stay open. That was difficult; extremely difficult.
The motivation of not having to physically be present in public places, a marvel to my paranoid mind, was the only thing that kept me awake in those moments. I wondered when my body would be in "full slumber" and when I could stand up with my soul without having to do so with my body. I waited a moment longer before trying to stand up. I did not will my physical form to move but only my spiritual. Get up I told my legs and arms without sending the neural impulses to move. They remained stiff, and I remained trapped in my physical form.
I remembered that the spirit must be convinced that it could leave. I realized that only when I truly believed that I could stand up without my physical form that I would actually be able to do it. But I could understand my subconscious still not believing that this could really happen. I could work it out through logic but not even the mind believed logic, sometimes. I worked ceaselessly at the problem, attacking from several different angles to try and convince the subconscious that I did not need the body to get up and walk around. But I remained still, looking at my still feet still idle with little flecks of sand and soil on them. At that time I supposed it was natural to feel hopeless. I did not feel such a way simply because I knew that I had spent so little time at it. It might take me a week and, hell, maybe even longer, but the prospect of not being able to do the technique at all eluded me. I was not the type of person to give up after so little work had been put in.
For the time being, though, this little moment seemed perfect. The tide rushed in and out, creating a soothing lullaby that seemed to eat up all other sounds. The wind shook the grass and it tickled my feet and hands. The clouds were lazy and full above me; the sky further above a bright blue. The world surrounded me yet I felt connected to it somehow; through this moment of relaxation I did not realize that my soul was getting stronger. The connection to the body was fading and the connection to the world was growing. I had decided to stand up and stretch; it was okay that I wasn't able to do it and I'd try tomorrow. I stood up, stretching my arms and legs, and walked down to the beach to put my feet in the water. As I looked down, however, my black robes were reflecting in the sunlight with a bright array of colors. I could see through myself to the grass and sand below me. I was amazed! I was Astral Projecting!
I looked back and saw my body, resting quietly, his chest rising and falling, stiff as a board. My vision doubled suddenly and a weakness blew through me like a cold wind whose bite brought along the eventual tidings of frostbite. Was I already too far from my body? It seemed that there was going to be lots of training in gaining the strength to distance my soul from it's body. Like a young first learning to explore on its own, too fearful to get away from its mother, I would wander only slightly from my body. I walked back towards it, the weakness that had taken me receding gradually, and finally I looked down at myself. Only my feet and hands protruded from the black robes that seem to eat up the sunlight. The white beak of my mask shot forward toward the sky. No other skin could be seen.
I wondered how I was supposed to train my soul to grow stronger. I remembered taking power from the bonds with the world in order to weaken the connection with the body and wondered if that would help me here. I looked down at myself, the colors had faded from my form and now I was only a shallow gray. If anyone were to look upon me, I would certainly be a ghost staring at his corpse. I chuckled nervously at the thought and the flash of possibility that I might be dead flashed through me before fading into nothingness. What had brought on those colors before? I decided to investigate.
I noticed that as I walked away from my body the grayness begun to fade as the weakness set in. I was careful not to venture too far but nevertheless I did so for investigative purposes. The gray would turn to black, as if I was a shadow. I thought idly of how black was the absence of light and how the bright colors of before were the key to my spirit being "full". If weakness was associated with black, then strength was associated with the color. But as I walked back towards my body, the black only faded to a gray. I was not deterred, however, for there was still plenty to figure out.
I became further and further convinced that my bonds with the spiritual world, the spirit of the physical world in which all of us lived. The connectedness earlier was brought upon by an appreciation, and thus a connection, with the sky. I decided to look up into the sky. The azure blanket that covered the horizon was truly beautiful. Up there were the heavens, blocked by our mortal sight by the sky, and beyond that I could only guess. The true key to understanding the weakness of the mortal beings that we are lay in grasping the infinite and beyond the sky was the infinite. I smiled as the thoughts filled me; they did not seem to be mine yet they did at the same time.
Suddenly the sky exploded in a million colors and then set upon a deep, swirling purple that blossomed like the spring. White flowers seemed to dance in the sky in the sea of purple, twisting and twirling. It was beautiful and I realized at once that this was the true nature of the sky: the spirit of the sky. For several minutes I soaked in the brilliance of what I saw, unable to turn away. Soon, however, I realized that all physical things had such traits. I would have to find them all! As I looked down at myself, the gray had another color added to it: blue. It was faint but a blue swirled in the grey, a desperate color clinging to the vibrant life from which it was born, surrounded on all sides by the grey. Yes, this was the key! I looked around, my mind's eyes turning towards the ocean, ready to accept the strength of the spirit of the ocean to guide my soul.
I looked back and saw my body, resting quietly, his chest rising and falling, stiff as a board. My vision doubled suddenly and a weakness blew through me like a cold wind whose bite brought along the eventual tidings of frostbite. Was I already too far from my body? It seemed that there was going to be lots of training in gaining the strength to distance my soul from it's body. Like a young first learning to explore on its own, too fearful to get away from its mother, I would wander only slightly from my body. I walked back towards it, the weakness that had taken me receding gradually, and finally I looked down at myself. Only my feet and hands protruded from the black robes that seem to eat up the sunlight. The white beak of my mask shot forward toward the sky. No other skin could be seen.
I wondered how I was supposed to train my soul to grow stronger. I remembered taking power from the bonds with the world in order to weaken the connection with the body and wondered if that would help me here. I looked down at myself, the colors had faded from my form and now I was only a shallow gray. If anyone were to look upon me, I would certainly be a ghost staring at his corpse. I chuckled nervously at the thought and the flash of possibility that I might be dead flashed through me before fading into nothingness. What had brought on those colors before? I decided to investigate.
I noticed that as I walked away from my body the grayness begun to fade as the weakness set in. I was careful not to venture too far but nevertheless I did so for investigative purposes. The gray would turn to black, as if I was a shadow. I thought idly of how black was the absence of light and how the bright colors of before were the key to my spirit being "full". If weakness was associated with black, then strength was associated with the color. But as I walked back towards my body, the black only faded to a gray. I was not deterred, however, for there was still plenty to figure out.
I became further and further convinced that my bonds with the spiritual world, the spirit of the physical world in which all of us lived, were the key. The connectedness earlier was brought upon by an appreciation, and thus a connection, with the sky. I decided to look up into the sky. The azure blanket that covered the horizon was truly beautiful. Up there were the heavens, blocked by our mortal sight by the sky, and beyond that I could only guess. The true key to understanding the weakness of the mortal beings that we are lay in grasping the infinite and beyond the sky was the infinite. I smiled as the thoughts filled me; they did not seem to be mine yet they did at the same time.
Suddenly the sky exploded in a million colors and then set upon a deep, swirling purple that blossomed like the spring. White flowers seemed to dance in the sky in the sea of purple, twisting and twirling. It was beautiful and I realized at once that this was the true nature of the sky: the spirit of the sky. For several minutes I soaked in the brilliance of what I saw, unable to turn away. Soon, however, I realized that all physical things had such traits. I would have to find them all! As I looked down at myself, the gray had another color added to it: blue. It was faint but a blue swirled in the grey, a desperate color clinging to the vibrant life from which it was born, surrounded on all sides by the grey. Yes, this was the key! I looked around, my mind's eyes turning towards the ocean, ready to accept the strength of the spirit of the ocean to guide my soul.
(OOC: apologies for the above post it wasn't my intentions)
??/90
I felt slightly stronger with this new addition of blue on my Astral Projection. I walked out to the sea where, earlier I was made nauseous by the distance, but now it was no problem. I felt as if I did if I had physically walked there but the cool wind of the sea did not blow upon my skin as it did before. My spiritual form sat down upon the beach and stared into the sea, waiting to see it's true form. It reached out to the horizon where the purple sky bent down and touched the edge and somewhere far beyond it it touched the land. I watched as the blue-green sea rose up and down, came in and out, and would occasionally reveal the occasional clipper gliding along the surface.
There was something mysterious about the ocean: what exactly was it? The natural inability for men to live underwater has created a depth of the world that has laid unexplored for the most part. And although there are realms beyond this one that have been charted and mapped, there was one that was part of our world that still lay shrouded in mystery. Beneath the surface, which so many could recognize, down to the bottom where no light reached, there were many untold stories and keys to understanding this world and the ones beyond it. But like a rose, the thorns were all too there.
And thus, it would remain a mystery for quite some time. It was sad to think about that such mysteries would remain unsolved for the next 1000 or so years. I wished to explore it: to find every crevice and rift and to come back with all the answers we've been looking for. But alas, it was not my journey to take. Suddenly I felt myself growing stronger and the blue-green sea began to shift violently. Suddenly it became clear, as if it had faded to a liquid glass, and the tide turned to a ghostly movement on the shore beach. My eyes widened; how amazing it was! The true nature, the soul of the sea, was clarity. From where I sat, I could see the ocean floor and thousands of schools of fish that swam near the shores. The clipper that shadowed against the purple horizon seemed to glide through the air, as if flying! I stood up, astounded, and in awe of the beauty.
I looked down at my spiritual form. The gray had faded to white and now I was truly a spectrous figure. But now the gray did not engulf the sky-blue that I had acquired but accentuated it. Like paint against a white easel, I knew that all other colors that I acquired would now radiate from my figure instead of just show. This was a major component for the soul of the sea had bestowed upon me a gift of strength and blessing; I would go forth and learn what else the world had to tell and more of the spirit of the earth.
Within my soul rested the gifted power of the sky and the sea. Those were two majors components of the land that had given me strength to wander further but I still required more strength to be given to me. There was still plenty of the earth to gain from and I had much to learn before my spirit had earned all of its stripes. My eyes could not be torn from the beauty of the sea and sky, however, and I only wished that I could probe it with Tasukeru. I would never be able to, alas, and it saddened my heart.
My eyes fell upon the earth on which my soul's feet rested. I thought that I could feel a heartbeat, slight yet there, but it could very possibly be my own imagination. It was so slight that I perhaps imagined it into existence and that I did not perceive it at all. I reached down and grabbed for a hand full of soil, which I could not do given my incorporeal form, but seemed to feel the earth anyways. It was strong, almost like a father, a guardian and protector. It was what we took for granted, so I thought, and we strode upon its back every day without considering it at all. We build our houses and walls upon its back, not caring how it might strain it, knowing that the strength of the earth will allow it to rest.
But beyond the earth, or rather below it, was something even greater. I could see, but not see, great heat that dwarfed all magma known to man. No fire could heat the earthly materials that flowed like water under the earth on which we stood. That was the heart of the world, the sleeping giant on which we lived. I could feel it pulsing, and now I was sure it was a pulse of the world, that beat through me. But it did not thrum with a sickening beat but rather one that made me very calm and ensured my own safety upon its back. I felt soothed by its presence.
Suddenly a brownish color began to shine on by spiritual projection; I had earned my second color. Strength and resolve flooded through my physical form, but also the understanding of protection and love. It filled me like water overflowing its glass and warmth filled me like a fire. I could not help but smile at the feeling. I felt stronger, ready to walk the earth, or to visit placed that I knew very well. I feel as if I could walk the streets of the village by simply thinking of it...
And suddenly, I was there. I was weak and it was hard to walk but I was not frightened. The pedestrians did not see my weakened form but I was there, smiling at them all, reassured by the resounding heartbeat of the earth.
I was invisible and incorporeal, not there but there, somewhere in Taki No Kuni. I felt at once that something had brought me here, something that wanted me to see something. It was not the buildings, which were unnatural and not of the earth, and not the sky which sat above me still purple, or the ground which thrummed happily, but the people. My eyes were drawn to them: hundreds lined the streets. At first I was worried that they might see me and wish to hurt me, or that they would see my soul and think me some kind of monster, but I saw beyond that.
They were animals: creatures just like me. They were fearful for themselves like I was; some had transcended that and were worrisome for others. I saw them all, connected by the spirit of the world, and unaware of how they were all connected. They were caged beasts that seemed to hide in their cages, unaware of the thrumming spirit that seemed to so desperately wish to connect with them. And from this I could feel myself drawing power. For the souls of hundreds breathed like that of an animal, and the breath was beginning to be visible. A rainbow haze began to materialize around them: the interconnectedness that they seemed to ignore. It connected them all like streams to the sea but they were unaware. I wanted to scream at them, to make them see how lost they were. I could see a stream that touched me to that sea and I suddenly felt extremely relaxed amongst the people. For a moment, and the only moment I would ever know, I was not paranoid. I was free.
But soon the disease wracked my mind again: I was connected to brutes. I did not shut the connection off, because of how it empowered me, but I was wary of who I was connected to. Those who realized the connection would probably not be harmful, or so I thought at the time, but those who did not were like ferocious animals who did not know the power of compassion.
Nevertheless I knew at that point that my soul had grown stronger. My projection, far as it was, began to flicker in and out of existence. Those people would surely see me if I did not leave soon, and so I did, returning to the village, hurling through the space as if it were only footsteps away.
I was back in Taki among the familiar coast and volcano in the distance. My spiritual form now bloomed with white, brown, and blue and a rainbow connection protruded from my neck and floated up into the sky towards some invisible interconnectedness I had learned to share with other people. The earth thrummed healthily under me.
I figured that if I could draw strength from people, who were natural creations of the world or of it's owners, then the flora of the world would also be able to lend me some secrets as to having a stronger soul and connection to the world. There was a thicket of trees not too far away and I could eye it in the distance. I walked there in my astral form, and as I neared it, it seemed much more alive than I had ever noticed. They did not have souls as I did, for they were constructs of more advanced beings, but they were animalistic in nature. More savage than the beasts that walked the earth, these flora were alive but extremely unintellegent creatures. They could breathe and think, so I learned, but at a much slower pace. Such creatures whose ancestors were flora were also slow and thoughful creatures, so I learned from the spiritual composition of the trees, which alluded to the typical slowness of the plants.
They were in no rush like we were, so quick to die and move on. They lived much longer, many of our lifetimes passed before they felt both life and death. Because of this, they had no need to develop a quick thinking pattern; all was slow to their eyes. In any case, what inspired me is their laid back attitude. They could sense me there and regarded me slowly and thoughtfully, but how they did so and what they regarded me as probably resembled something as little as "there is something there". They could not discern more but it seems like they were not afraid of my being there. They seemed open to me, as nature often did to their human counterparts.
"We have the whole day" they seemed to say to me "to sit and enjoy the sun. And it might rain earlier, and we might enjoy that too." But after that their words ceased, and they would simply enjoy the sunshine as the day went on. I realized that I had been seeing the spirit of the flora from the start. The only visible change was that they were more alive than I had figured before I had reached out to them in my astral form. My resolve strengthed as they lent me their color: green. It folded into the others, adding a fourth to the palette of my soul, swirling with the browns and blues.