Secret of souls

Giving in to Darwin's insistence I grab a random sandwich and take a bite. Seems I got a tuna sandwich. The unique texture and rich, oily flavor touches down on my taste buds and prompts me to speed up my chewing motions.

"Good, now that you are eating we can begin. First I'd like to clarify. You told Navi that during your respawn at maximum speed you saw threads pull you, yes?"

How Darwin manages to speak clearly while chewing three sandwiches at the same time is a mystery to me. I certainly can't do it so I just nod and let him continue.

"Those threads, was there any difference between them?"

I'm currently chewing my third sandwich. After that, I plan to eat the fourth one. So how do I answer such a question without needing to stop eating? Can I ask Navi to be our mental interpreter?

Darwin looks at me sharply and I feel a formless pressure descend upon my being. My desire to keep eating those sandwiches comes to a sudden halt like a flame that was simply snuffed out.

I finish chewing and swallow down the remains of my third sandwich. This one was highland cheese I believe. The heavy aftertaste of acidic and smoky goodness remains as I clear my throat.

"I didn't see a difference between the threads themselves but one of them was connected to me and its end seemed weirdly frozen in space. The other ones just disappeared at the end but this one stayed."

"If you had to describe the threads themselves, how did they look?"

"Hmm, I'd call them a milky white that looks kind of transparent for lack of a better word. They seemed like ghost threads."

"Your description sounds accurate. Now for the first test. Put this ring on and close your eyes."

"What does this ring do?"

"This ring enhances your soul attribute. For ordinary people, a ring of this level will do them little good. At most, it will make them slightly more resistant to soul-related skills. However, if you have potential it should allow your senses to become sharper when it comes to detecting certain things."

The description of this ring's effects seems a little meager. Still, putting it on shouldn't bring any harm. I place the ring on my index finger and close my eyes in anticipation.

And... Nothing. Nothing happens.

No great relation, no grandiose vision, nothing. Just nothing.

"Don't be disappointed if nothing happens. Even if you have the potential you would be unable to sense anything like this. For now, I want you to calm down and focus on your breathing."

I focus on my breathing and discover that to my great shock I'm using the breathing technique Edward taught me. Have I been using it this entire time? Great, now that old geezer won't get mad at me anymore!

Wait, I'm supposed to calm down. I clear the thought out of my mind one by one and focus on my breathing. After a minute or so Darwin seems satisfied.

"Good, keep this up and turn around."

I'm slightly confused but there is no reason to stop here. Mid turn I see the a milky white thread and freeze up. My focus wanes and the thread dissolves immediately.

"You saw it, didn't you?"

"I did but now it's gone."

"That was to be expected. Try a few more times, now that we know that you have potential we can slowly try to discover and develop it."

Giddily I return to my original position and try again. I turn quickly but the thread doesn't reappear. Darwin bursts into laughter.

"Haha, you are too excited. You have to maintain your focus and just accept what comes. Don't long to see it or you will be disappointed."

Right, gotta calm down. Who wants to see that thread anyway. Not me, no sir!

Okay, I really want to see it again.

I take a longer time to calm down and sink into the hypnotic rhythm of my breathing. After more than a hundred breaths have gone by I turn around again. Gradually my body twists and faces the direction of the thread.

The thread is there. It looks weaker than last time. Like it died and became an even more ethereal ghost thread.

I follow the thread's path to find its origin and discover that the thread extends from me into the distance. The realization that the thread and I are connected is enough to shake my focus and make the thread disappear again.

I sigh and turn back to face Darwin. He doesn't seem to pay much attention to what I am doing. However, after I look at him he quickly notices.

"Don't mind me, keep practicing that. Try to be able to make that thread appear without needing to turn around and wait until you are calm first. Ideally, you should be able to make the thread appear by simply focusing."

That sounds like a challenge. I turn away from Darwin and close my eyes once again. The next time I open them I will have seen the thread again!

This stuff is hard. Something about the turning motion made it so much easier to make that thread become visible. I see it flicker before me after waiting for half an hour but as I try to get a closer look there is nothing left of it.

I redouble my effort of doing nothing and try again. It takes me a full hour until the thread is visible before me. As long as I remain focus I can hold it like that. However, after a few minutes, I feel mentally exhausted and give up. The thread disperses into wisps of nothingness and I open my eyes.

Darwin meanwhile has cleared nearly all the plates on the blanket. Some of them have different contents than I remember so he must have brought out a new set at some point.

"Mommy, how can that fat guy eat so much without exploding?"

The clear voice of a young child makes me look around and realize that we seem to be the center of attention for all other visitors of the park. Darwin too is looking around with concern in his eyes.

"I think we have overstayed our welcome. Let's book it."