Soul of Searing Steel

Panda Novel

Does emotion hold power?

If one were to ambush someone beside them with such a question, and in that condition was unsure about the essence of that question, they would instinctively believe that emotion does hold power. And the reason for that was simple—be it through firsthand experience, witnessing or hearsay, most would have personally experienced the power of emotion.

Here, setting aside the frequently-mentioned physical cases of mothers who have burst out in power of love to protect their child by lifting a car at once, or berserkers who have unleashed greater power than usual with a rush of blood to the brain, there were similarly those of individuals who were reluctant to be belittled and hence strived through strenuous training over years to gain entry into elite institution, or wanderers who turned back in the sadness of a kin’s passing, changing their ways to become a successful person… every such feat could basically be attributed to the power of emotion.

Love, anger, regret, and the reluctance to be resigned to one’s fate… it certainly seemed as if when emotion reached an extreme, a person appeared to be able to unleash power surpassing their own. But was that all it took to prove that emotion by itself was a power? Joshua shook his head. Such emotions did not hold power in itself, but were merely a primer that triggered the deftness of a person. To make a rather inappropriate example—when cornered, humans would believe they could do anything, save for math problems.

With emotion, humans could gain a burst of physical power through adrenaline and restrain, even wipe away natural laziness and pessimism through emotion in order to become a better person… but those were all physically attainable things in the first place.

A math problem was a different matter altogether—if one did not know how to solve it, one would not be able to solve it. Even if one suddenly knew how to do that, they must have simply forgotten after learning and remembered it anew through the drive of emotion, or they must have been a genius in the first place, with ability to calculate and solving the problem unguided by their teachers, as well as surpass the knowledge of any predecessor. The case of the former was within the domain of ‘able to do it in the first place’, while the latter was an exception outlying from any domain. In other words, emotions did not actually hold power. It could, however, inspire the power in an individual, and if the person had no such power in the first place, emotion could not draw anything out.

Nevertheless, all scenarios mentioned only applied to worlds without miracles.

“The power of Psi itself originates from thinking and belief, being the power of existence and a spawn of divine strength… Emotion definitely drives Psi, and in other words, if one thinks of emotion as a variant attribute of Psi, emotion itself does hold power.”

In the Soul Pool illuminated by brightness, endless angst, hate, and cursing wafted around, even as countless soul fragments mixed together, creating a distortion force that almost resembled Psionic power… in the beginning, the Glorious Strength that Joshua took to calling ‘killing intent’ was born from those curses—screams and despair of the enemies, forged into sharp tools for the warrior to slay his foes.

Joshua held the Rund’s curse. It was the ’emotional power’ that he had recently drawn, the light of black and dark-red fresh and active.

The warrior was in turn thoughtful. “It’s not just psionic power… this power still carries an aspect similar to lifeforce… I get it now!” Since the underlying principle was uncomplicated, perhaps even shallow, Joshua therefore quickly grasped it.

In truth, it was Psi, not emotion, that was equipped with power. It was the subjective agency born from the Initial Flame and applied by intelligent life to change the world, which allowed any lifeform—even those without souls—to awaken psionic powers, although it was an iron-clad clue that after awakening it, they would grow a soul as well.

Just as adrenaline drew upon embarrassment and disinclination so that a person could reflect and enforce self-discipline, emotion could trigger psionic talents hidden in intelligent life to come bursting out. It was one of the methods which several doctrines applied to awaken psionic powers, which include techniques such as training beside cliffs and beneath waterfalls. By reacting to danger and enduring anguish, they used emotion to guide the awakening of psionic power.

Of course, that had not been the only method. Psionic powers were generally categorized into two, with the first being the ‘Passionate’, which cultivated psionic abilities through intense emotion, and the other being ‘Meditative’, which achieved the same result by emptying the mind. With that being said, both intense emotions and empty minds were essentially the active and passive states of minds and were merely different moods, essentially possessing no difference.

With calm objectivity and a mild temperament, humans could still exhibit talents they would show even under an irked mood—all those principles were connected.

As for lifeforce… it was even simpler.

It was a world of Flame and Steel, and all living forms derived from Steel Strength would definitely have a portion of lifeforce. When adrenaline was induced from strong emotions, it would not have been unusual to trigger an awakening of lifeforce as well if it was a little more intense—indeed, it had probably been how the early Fighter-class was founded, their emotions having stirred to their very limits as they fought against enemies and beasts in ancient times, thus awakening lifeforce.

For the power of Joshua’s Soul Pool, wherein resided endless curses and soul fragments containing despair and rage, it was the equivalent of an external emotional stimulator that helped the warrior enchance his potential while granting him additional psionic abilities and lifeforce protection by burning the soul fragments of the enemy. While seemingly a mysterious power, the examination was swiftly completed with Joshua’s present level of analysis.

“If that is the case, emotion is altogether with and without power… it draws upon psionic powers and lifeforce simultaneously, changing spirit and form? Interesting.” Releasing the Rund’s curse so that the red-black bolt sunk into the Soul Pool, the warrior appeared thoughtful. “It’s a different path than I had imagined, but it could work.” Although things deviated from his initial thoughts, emotions could still be used as a subordinating ability to develop a novel school of Extraordinary legacy, since it was not a brand new, original Extraordinary power separate from the rest,.

As with combat aura and Nature’s power that were all Extraordinary legacies spawned out of Steel Strength to create Fighter-class and druids, the Path of Emotions would originate from psionic power and lifeforce and progress into a unique supernatural ability, using belief and will to mold virtual Psi matter to refine oneself or fight…in one way or another, integrating the attributes of two Extraordinary powers was equivalent to spellcasters having to combine the trifecta of mana, elements, and ether, and Joshua believed he had every chance to establish an exclusive class of adepts with psionic power and lifeforce.

Reaching out with his hand and moving with his mind, various emotional spectrum leapt out and swirl upon his palm.

[Red courage and anger, alongside lurking hate and insanity. Wielders would possess outstanding power and explosiveness, but would easily hurt themselves.]

[Orange curiosity and passion, alongside lurking greed and indulgence. Wielders would possess heightened psionic perception and observation, but would easily lose control.]

[Yellow flexibility and prudence, alongside lurking capriciousness and fear. Wielders would possess outstanding adaptability and defense, but would easily be at a loss.]

[Green tolerance and patience, alongside lurking cowardice and resentment. Wielders would possess the best physique and fortitude, but would easily lose themselves.]

[Green resolve and determination, alongside lurking arrogance and stubbornness. Wielders would possess great belief and resolution, but would easily give up on thinking.]

[Blue calmness and confidence, alongside lurking indifference and pride. Wielders would possess exceptional thought and leadership, but would easily stray from that which is practical.]

[Purple passion and acceptance, alongside lurking envy and possessiveness. Wielders would have the finest control and affinity, but would easily become radical.]

And lastly, the pureness of heart denoted by black and white—pure hope and despair, sheer expectation and cursing.

***

Whether positive or negative, emotions drew power, and it was because the world was supernatural that everything corresponded in this fashion.

A set of almost complete spectrum categorized, Joshua clenched his fist and incorporated the colors into his body. “It’s certainly an unprecedented cultivation system,” he muttered softly. Through strong emotions and the nine different colors on the spectrum that simultaneously drew upon psionic power and lifeforce, turning them into brand new abilities…it was a new class that could be partitioned into countless classes similar to how spellcasters and fighters were divided. Like how Psi and lifeforce categories differed according to the triggering emotion, the adept would be proficient in different aspects as well.

Unlike psionic chevaliers and knight exorcists that focused solely on cultivating psionic powers and lifeforce, both of those powers would have been combined into a singular body when used by the new Extraordinary class…Nevertheless, Joshua stopped proceeding with that train of thought since an entirely brand-new system of Extraordinary could not be thought up with a slap to the head in the Soul Pool. He would visit the Great Khan of the Starherders, Vahina the Sage of the Oceans, and the psionic warlock families and try to establish the new body by jointly researching with those champions.

Furthermore, there was a much more vital matter than creating a new Extraordinary class.

“…the Grand Patriarch of the Takur Ruin Cult seemed to have used a similar hybrid supernatural power. He had built a shrine within his own power to invoke great divine power.” Joshua looked up, watching the dark borders of the Soul Pool as if his eyes could pierce the emptiness while he furrowed his brow in recollection. “Towards the end, the Grand Patriarch had compounded divine and psionic power to repel both myself and Imperator Amos, adding it up into a brand-new divine energy… that is the only way he could have unleashed the full force of Spectral Wraith, a power far surpassing normal Legends.”

There was no question that the Takurians were a step ahead in combining powers! Still, it was expected since other civilization had mentioned their absence of a god despite being a religious group, although they remained strict adherence to their own doctrine, their prophecy of ruin, and the oath of self-regulation. Indeed, they resembled a religion, but were more akin to a massive ascetical organization in the Void than a group believing in a supreme being.

Now, it appeared that the Takur Ruin Cult may indeed have had a god, although it was not a life possessing human attributes, but an existence similar to collective psionic consciousness. It drew divine power from the Initial Flame like all normal deities, but not as an existential form, instead connected to all Takurians’ beliefs…

In other words, the deity of the Ruin Cult was the cult itself, with every Takurian being a part of the superior being and thereby gaining a portion of divine power, using it as a special Extraordinary ability known as divine energy! The Grand Patriarch, being the most powerful psionic, would have therefore definitely drawn greater divine power from within.

Joshua was thrilled after having glimpsed what may have been the essence of the Takur Ruin Cult’s power, but more excitingly, he now knew that Extraordinary ability could indeed be combined!

There was no shortage of mages who were adept at both magic and martial arts, just as there were clergies and druids who could burst out in combat aura. It was nothing bizarre since Joshua himself had some spell techniques, and could even simply cast magic—who would not have tried to gather a few trump cards, after all? Moreover, psionic powers that were awakened through bloodlines would never affect the wielder if they cultivated other Extraordinary abilities—psionic mages, warlocks, warriors, priests, and similar classes were not that rare.

Nevertheless, that was a rather superficial assembly… it was like a person having two types of alcohol in hand, one being a beer and the other rice liquor, and having to drink only from one if he wanted to. On the other hand, combining Extraordinary power differed in that it neglected the complex mixing process since it was a cocktail at minimum, and a very delicious one at that.

“If a comparison must be made, it is like a new element produced through nuclear fusion, just like gold formed from a supernova burst… even if it does not go beyond the periodic table, it definitely must be the prerequisite of developing a new Extraordinary ability and an especially vital experience.”

Though he had dispelled his projection from the Soul Pool and returned his consciousness to the silver world, Joshua was excited even at the thought of it. “Although it remains in the framework that the Wise Ones have established, there is no doubt that exploring the possibilities of this Extraordinary ability would certainly greatly help my development in the future—it may well be a critical prelude!”

Since they had no information of the legacy of the Wise Ones and were unaware of the truth behind all superpowers, the Takurians would not have understood their very purpose even if they grasped a partial application of combining Psi and divine power and assimilated that system into their civilization. Meanwhile, inspired by them and the meditation regarding emotion, Joshua quickly reached the relevant threshold.

Although there was no guarantee that was the unknown threshold that separated Legends and the Wise Ones, expanding upon it was a fine choice in transcending the monotonous path of Legends. Joshua was not too obsessive-compulsive in attempting other disciplines beyond Steel Strength, and he had in fact trained many different powers through various means from his lofty perch.

Placing the emotional system into his reminders and drawing up a corresponding plan, Joshua kept it aside for future consideration.

Now, he turned his attention back to his own world, to the Heroic Spirits from various memories of different civilizations, as well as the Chaos memories which were mostly worn away, with only partial crystal obelisks left.