Chapter 2 A windy day

Almost 6 months have passed since I left the hospital. Today, since it is their memorial day, I visit the grave of my parents. I don't know much about them, because they died when I was barely two years old. “Fucking youths and their street races.” I murmur to myself once again, as I remember the moment the matron of the orphanage told me how they died. If death was a person it surely would have a strange humour.

Savoring the calming atmosphere of the graveyard I reminisce about the last six months.

My martial arts training went surprisingly well, considering the state my body was in at the beginning. But it didn't take long for me to regain my muscle mass from before the accident, as I quickly mastered how I had to manipulate my body to regenerate and grow faster. It takes a lot of nutrients, but the effects are astonishing. The trick I found to do that, was to create an image of myself in my soul. Some might think what an easy trick. Well it is, but the devil hides in the details, to be more accurate in molecular details.

But I once again was amazed what a strong soul can do, it can think and it does so even faster and sharper as my brain could. Only thanks to that it was possible for me to create that image and with it came all its possibilities. I can manipulate it and with it my body, I didn't test all the possibilities yet, but I am pretty sure I could regrow a limb.

Back on track to the martial arts training I took. I deepened and refreshed my karate-skills. It is result-oriented in its core, but in modern days it adapted more to be a sport. But the core teachings still rely heavenly on the art to use ones body in the most efficient way. An example for that would be how one throws a punch. Most people would only use the muscles in their arms and upper chest area, but in karate one uses the whole body, the force of the legs, while stepping forward, the rotation of the hips and upper body and the spring-like tension off the arms and chest muscles, all of that together packs a hell of a punch.

Combining my rapid growth, my soul-enhanced senses, processing power and body control I caught the trainers eye after two weeks. He decided to give me some special training. It was hell. Even if I could react and think faster than him, his experience and honed reflexes and body still got the better of me, but at least I learned a lot, mainly how to take some hits.

With the martial arts training and my blacksmithing lessons there wasn't much time for gaming, but I don't regret that at all. I had a lot of fun with my blacksmithing teacher and his reenactment colleagues. It is a shame that the profession in its primal form more or less went extinct. But thanks to that I not only learned how to make tools and some medieval weapons, I also learned how to use them and how to make some simple leather and plate armour. Overall it was a pleasant experience.

On a side note the surplus of money didn't change much in my life, I still live in a small one room apartment, with separated kitchen and bath, still wear the same robust dull clothes and still have a dislike of all drugs. Actually the last one isn't completely true as it grew even more with my new-found stronger awareness of my body. I really dislike things that mess with my body and i worked so hard to rebuild it.

As I reminisce over the past months I enjoy a fresh breeze of cold November air, only to stop short on the lack of sound. Not a single leave was rustling, nor where there any signs of wind. It wasn't my body that was hit by a breeze. It was my soul. It was the first time I felt a torrent of souls in this world of the living. I felt something that should remain in the realm of the dead. I was shocked.

Instantly I raised the awareness of my soul, only to feel that another wave was coming. I braced myself and was surprised how weak it actually was. Wondering over that fact and the appearance of such a wave I started to go home. I stopped in my track as I was hit by though worthy of a nightmare.

If I was exposed to the wave, were others too? What would happen to them? Could they die from it? That wave was weak for me but what about a normal soul, a normal human?

And then came one wave after another, like a storm they ravaged over the world and with each wave that passed I felt something remain and sway in the next wave. It was the soul-mist that I once feasted on and that I never before found among the living. It came with the storm and it created a pressure akin to the one one could feel underwater. It couldn't separate me from my body, but what about the weaker people? What is happening to this world? Is this the apocalypse?

I hastily made my way home. Along the way I saw a lot of confused people. A lot were scared and tried to hide from everything, others were filled with rage and demanded answers from everybody around them. Some even used senseless violence to achieve who knows what, or maybe simply because they could. Nobody seemed to have an agenda, they all were without any will to do something.

That was quite a dangerous situation. Even more so if a person got affected while driving a car.

I was almost hit by one again. I barely managed to jump out of the way, only to see a bunch of people getting hit by it. What made matters even worse none of the bystanders seemed to respond.

Hastily I tried to call an ambulance, but I got no response, only a synthetic voice told me to be on standby.

“This isn't good.” I though, “This isn't good at all.”. I tried to check some off the injured people with my soul, but all I felt was their bodies and the soul-mist that was everywhere by now. “but some of them are still moving” I though to myself, “Why don't they have a soul in them?”.

I checked an uninjured guy for reference but he too was soulless. After making sure I couldn't do anything for the injured I continued my way and locked myself in my home. To wait for the end of the storm.