3 - Soulful Handbook

“So, you familiar with this place?” Kouta asked, as he and Sakuto entered a small abandoned gym. The area felt rather cold and odd, and even unwelcoming. Parts of the floor were broken up, covered by red and blue tatami mats. With the flick of a nearby switch, Kouta turned the bright white lights on which illuminated the room. The place was revealed to be littered with fighting equipment, most of which was damaged. A few old boxing bags resided by the walls, most of which had holes torn open in them.

“Nah, first time seeing it.” Sakuto replied.

“Back then we used to come and train here sometimes.” Kouta explained, as the two walked further inside. “Sensei said that the local kids knew how to fight, so he rented this place and tried to get more opponents for us. Of course, our boys would win most of the time.”

“So let me guess, now you use it for...training soulfuls?” Sakuto asked. Kouta turned around and spoke after a pause.

“It’s where I live now. The changing room is all mine.” He sighed. “Sorry, you really shouldn’t be seeing me like this...”

“It’s fine, I don’t mind it at all.” Sakuto assured him. “Heh, you took living in the gym a bit too seriously.” He chuckled. Kouta smiled in response, but soon sat down on the mat with a somber expression.

“It’s my fault, you really shouldn’t be seeing this.” He said, lowering his head.

“Dude, you don’t have to blame yourself all the time.” Sakuto replied. “Listen, man, it’s all good. Life is...it took a few bad turns, alright? Just, get up alright?” He extended his hand. Kouta reluctantly accepted it, and stood back up. “Come on, you know I got you.”

“Abandonment, disownment, defeat...he’s really going through it.”

“Sakuto, do you know how your soul works?” Kouta asked, suddenly changing his tone and the topic of the conversation altogether.

“You mean the sentimental stuff or the stuff that’s gonna turn me into a manga character?” Sakuto asked.

“The second one.”

“Then I got no idea.” Sakuto shrugged. “You guys know about my situation more than I do apparently.”

“How about your soul expression? Is there anything you feel particularly-”

“Nope, there isn’t. Sorry for interrupting, but the geezer from before asked me the same question. I don’t have any soul expression or ability.” Sakuto said, walking around the abandoned gym.

“So he really is unnatural...” Kouta whispered to himself, before regaining his posture. “I’ll explain all the basics then.” He said louder.

“Jeez, six tissue boxes?” Sakuto interrupted again, peeking into Kouta’s room. “I see a few pillow casings too. You’re worse off than I am...”

“Sakuto, please focus.” Kouta said, much more seriously. “The soul itself is composed of a spark and a void. The spark is your life itself, your soul, your very being and will to live.”

“The void is the darkness surrounding the spark. It’s hard to say what exactly it is, but...just recognizing it as ‘darkness’ is good enough for our purpose. Emotions, thoughts and experiences can all shape and affect the void. The void surrounds the spark, and what differentiates normal humans and soulfuls is that our void and spark were great enough to bind with one another and create a functional system thanks to their contrasting natures.”

“So it’s like the yin and yang?” Sakuto asked after raising his hand.

“No.” Kouta quickly replied, disappointing Sakuto. “It’s the worst interpretation of the soul’s structure there is. There’s no good or bad, there’s just a spark and a void. And through the connection between those two, soul prowess is created. It is energy birthed by the system that flows into your mindscape and can be used for whatever purpose.”

“Right.” Sakuto responded, trying his best to absorb the load of information.

“Soulfuls evolve by experiencing awakening events, it’s also hard to describe, but you’ll know when you have one. There’s also soul regeneration, a technique that allows you to recover your physical body, and some other crazy stuff you learn along the way. The more you’re in this, the more types of different techniques you’ll learn and the more soul expressions you’ll come across. For now, you should really only know about soul prowess.”

Kouta went into his room and returned wielding a sword. It was decently sized, its handle was dark gray and the rain-guard was decorated in white wooly hair bits. The weapon resembled a katana, albeit the blade itself was wider than usual. Kouta handed it over to Sakuto, who held it awkwardly but with care.

“How good are you at handling weapons?” Kouta asked, after brushing some dust off of the handle.

“Never fought with one, never even held one like this.” Sakuto responded. “Is this...a necessity to use?”

“Soulfuls rely on weapons a lot. Especially when it comes to soul-bound weapons, those things are considered a part of the soulful themselves. The thing with weapons like this is that they can be strengthened and imbued with soul prowess.” Kouta elaborated. He took a step back.

“Am I just limited to swinging a sword?” Sakuto sighed. “Not that I’m ungrateful, but...you know, considering that Hwang from the elementals is one of our opponents, that means we’re gonna have to fight the rest of them too, right? Will just swinging this thing around be enough?”

“You’re underestimating how far base soul prowess manipulation can get you.” Kouta explained. “Soul expressions are strong, but the raw physical attributes you gain by reinforcing your body are nothing to joke about.” He put his hand on Sakuto’s shoulder.

“Besides, you hit like a truck. I can imagine how much stronger you’ll get with soul prowess added to the equation.”

“Listen man, I know how you feel about this. But this is your life now. Soulfuls have certain values, and if something is valuable, someone will go after it. All of the groups around, all the soulfuls chasing their own dreams...you’re alien to it now, but soon enough you’ll be entangled in the same webs Hayk is in.”

“I see...” Sakuto said. “Well, I didn’t have anything in my life before all of this. Every day I felt like I was going insane.”

“Thanks, dude!”

“Her words of gratitude, and the feeling of saving someone’s life. Something I thought I’d be completely apathetic to turned out to stir a sense of belonging in me.”

“What the hell?!” Kouta jumped back, doubtfully smiling. “Your soul presence just skyrocketed. You good?”

“Yeah, I just got a bit carried away with my thoughts.” Sakuto replied, caressing the blade of his sword. “So, when do I get to, you know...actually be a soulful?”

“The thing is, awakening events are needed for you.” Kouta elaborated. “Think of it as jumpstarting a reactor before slowly using it for energy. After what you’ve told me, shit...you might need a few jumpstarts. You’ll take your time to bond with your weapon and explore more about your soul.”

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“Understood...” Sakuto sighed.

“Great. It’s just punching and kicking for now...”

He awkwardly glanced at the weapon.

“And stabbing.”

“Kouta, I’ll be leaving now. I, uh...thanks for the weapon?” Sakuto said, before exhaling deeply. “I don’t know what I’m gonna do with this thing, but I’ll do something, alright?”

“Right.” Kouta replied. “Hayk has your contact info, so he’ll reach out to you if needed. Stay safe, Sakuto, please.”

“Okay...” Sakuto said, waving goodbye. He was still trying to figure out how to carry the sword around. “Take care...!”

...

[BZZZZT]

“Fuck this...”

“Should I even pick this up?”

Sakuto stared at his phone, as he stopped his walk home. He was captured by all kinds of intrusive thoughts, all amplifying his anxiety regarding the call. He decided to sheathe and carry his newfound weapon on his back. After some more overthinking, he decided to pick up the call. It was from Aki.

“Hello?”

“...”

“Hello??”

“Sakuto? What’s the matter with you?!”

“What do you mean?” Sakuto said, slowly continuing his walk home.

“Wh-don’t play dumb with me, alright?! What’s up with you? You know exactly what you did, right?”

“Ah, you mean the whole punching thing...well, uh...I did it cause...I was scared. Man, I think she would’ve killed me if I didn’t help her out. Yeah...”

“That’s...not what I’m talking about. Sakuto, why did you just hang up on me?”

“Cause I was busy!” Sakuto replied, a bit annoyed. His web of lies needed more refinement to withstand such a wind. “Look, man...I had things to do for the moment, alright? Sorry for hanging up.”

“That’s not the case, man. We were worried about you, we wanted you to talk to us, we want you to talk to us now too. How are we gonna know what’s going on without talking to you? What were you doing?”

“Huh?”

“Hello?”

“Yeah, I can hear you just fine.”

“I said, what were you doing that was so busy you couldn’t talk to me?!”

“I was...” Sakuto fell silent for a second. “I just couldn’t talk, okay? It’s...all good now. Everything’s good.”

“Everything’s good, huh? Sakuto, you surprise me every day...I don’t get it, why are you like this?”

Sakuto hung up. The last sentence really got into his head. He tightly gripped his phone, sliding it into his pocket after a brief stare-off. He continued his way into his apartment. His phone buzzed one more time, but Sakuto simply declined the call.

“Why did I lie? Why not tell him I was a soulful now?”

“I...don’t know.”

“A part of me still felt like it belonged to them. Another part just wanted to forget them, as if they never even existed...”

“They’d cut their own balls off before taking this type of info seriously.”

He slid his keys in only to notice that the door was already open. Coming inside, this time he wasn’t caught off guard by his visitor.

“So, you decided to stay here?” Sakuto asked, looking at Ichika who was comfortably laying on the couch and watching TV.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s cozy. And it’s not like you can kick me out.” She said, smirking. “Besides, you don’t mind, right?”

“I mind that you leave the door open.” Sakuto sighed, disappointed. He closed the door behind him, locking it up. “Are you hungry?”

“I haven’t eaten anything today.” Ichika replied. She turned over on the couch to face Sakuto. “There was nothing in your fridge either.”

“No, there was instant ramen and yesterday’s leftovers.” Sakuto instantly replied. He went over to the kitchen after leaving his weapon by the door, and started to prepare dinner. “You could’ve just eaten them if you wanted to.”

“How generous...” Ichika sighed. Her mood changed a little. She hugged the pillow that was in her arms tighter, almost biting into it.

“Hey, Ichika.” Sakuto called out. “How much spice do you want?”

“I don’t care.”

“Alright, I’ll put half the packet.” Sakuto replied. Some time later, he delivered the cup to her.

“Can I spend the night here?” Ichika suddenly asked, after trying her meal.

“Yeah...sure...” Sakuto responded. “Ichika, how did you figure out how your soul prowess works?” he asked, sitting down on the armchair next to the couch.

“It just...came to me naturally. Hayk said you’re a special case, so it might take a few awakening events for you to develop...but still. Don’t worry much about it.”

“Doesn’t it basically make me useless in combat?” Sakuto inquired.

“Not really.” Ichika said, sitting up. ”Honestly, even with just subconscious control over your soul prowess...you have a pretty scary soul presence.”

The night invaded the sky. Despite being soundly asleep, Sakuto woke up feeling rather uneasy. Sitting up, he tried to distract himself for a moment to doze off again.

“I had that thing again...where I can’t remember anything about the dream that I saw. But I know for sure that I saw something.”

“Ichika’s words hit me pretty deep. A scary soul presence...?”

“I didn’t act curious about it back then, but is it normal? Does every soulful have their type of presence, or is this just unique to me?”

Sakuto slowly got up, looking over at Ichika who also seemed half-awake. She was on the couch, but her breathing seemed irregular and disrupted. She tightly held onto the bedsheet with her pale hands.

“Is she alright?”

He carefully approached her after putting some inside clothes on. Just as he reached his hand out to check if she had a fever, Ichika instantly jumped up, gasping for air. After a brief silence, she awkwardly sat up.

“Sorry...” she whispered, looking away in embarrassment.

“No, it’s fine.” Sakuto replied, heading to the sink. “Did you have a nightmare?”

“Yeah, but it’s nothing. Just...don’t worry, alright?” Ichika mumbled, wrapping herself in the bedsheet and sitting up straight. Sakuto approached her again, handing her a glass of cold water.

“Here, this should help.”

“Thanks.” She said, grabbing the glass. The girl that Sakuto thought was a relentless fighter now seemed just as vulnerable as she was during their first meeting during the school incident. She downed the water instantly, and started to put her clothes on.

“You’re...going?” Sakuto asked, confused.

“I feel like getting some food.” She sighed. “I’m gonna go to a supermarket real quick.”

“Sure, let’s go.” Sakuto said. “Sorry, I’d have prepared a better meal if I knew you-”

“It’s fine.” Ichika answered coldly, interrupting him. She went outside, while Sakuto quickly rushed to take his blade and go out with her. “You don’t have to follow me.”

“And what if you get attacked again?” Sakuto asked.

“If I didn’t intervene back then, you would’ve gotten your ass kicked, you know?”

Ichika looked with slight annoyance and even disappointment, but somewhere in her eyes there was a little guilt too. She didn’t reply and went outside, but her not closing the door behind her meant that she didn’t object to having company.

It was oddly cold for a summer night. The moonlight illuminated the empty and lifeless streets, which were usually packed at those times. All of Harajuku was on lockdown for the time being, with even the most courageous and fun-loving tourists choosing to either leave the place or barricade themselves inside their hotel rooms. The two traversed the streets. The cold midnight wind caressed them, while the silence in the atmosphere reigned supreme. Neither of them had the initiative to start small talk, both of them were deeply consumed in their own thoughts.

“Going out this late likely means her eating schedule is all over the board. And besides...”

“I thought they were for combat. Those bandages wrapped around her wrists, and those fingerless gloves she’s wearing...”

“I wonder what’s on her mind. Even from this high up, I can’t see anything.”

Suddenly, Ichika stopped. It took a few seconds for Sakuto to come to his senses and do the same, as both of them felt something. Ichika was all too familiar with this feeling, but for Sakuto, it was only his second time.