Geared up (2)
After informing Kepa—much to his excitement —IAM makes his way up to the top bunk, a grin still stretched across his face. He settles into the sheets, the feeling of anticipation running through him like a second heartbeat. He reaches into the storage pocket near the pillow and pulls out the old book, the one with the weathered cover and the faded words that barely read: The Path of Cursed and Blessed Speech.
Even though he had read the beginner manual many times—countless times, really—he wanted to go over it again, one more time. This time felt different. This time he could finally act on it. He wanted to test out what actually happens when you begin to understand a concept, to feel what it means to cross from theory into experience. He had heard about it in whispers, discussed it with others, but he did not know—not truly know—what the feeling was in gaining understanding. Or how people knew how to weaponise it. How did they feel that change?
He flips past the first page, the one that instructs how to form an Avien. That part? He was proud to say he had already done it. A smirk creeps onto his face.
After forming an Avien, the next step to officially step on this path—on any path—is to use the first method or technique every ascender has to go through...
The Start Method.
The use of the Start Method asks a question. A question of identity. Of essence. It must be infused with mana. You must repeat it like a mantra in your head, letting it build inside of you, becoming louder and heavier until it could no longer stay contained. Then—only then—you activate it by saying the question out loud while using mana.
The question you must ask is:
What is the meaning of speech?
IAM shivers in excitement. His spine stiffens slightly, the air seeming to thin as he focuses. He closes his eyes, lips parting ever so slightly, and begins repeating the phrase inside his head.
What is the meaning of speech?
Over and over. Again and again. He repeats it silently, mentally, with increasing intensity.
What is the meaning of speech?
What is the meaning of speech?
What is the meaning of speech?
The words begin to take shape, almost as if they are being carved into the inside of his skull. Etched deep. Unavoidable.
After a minute—maybe two—he opens his mind, and his mouth.
He speaks.
[What is the meaning of speech]
But it doesn't come out the way he intended.
He had meant it to be a question. He was asking.
But somehow—it came out like a statement.
A demand.
His voice takes on an ethereal effect, layered and distorted. A cosmic echo reverberates from his chest, one that tickles the brain in ways that shouldn't be possible. It stretches through the room, invisible but felt like a ripple in reality.
Below him, in the bottom bunk, Kepa jolts. His hands immediately clutch his head. His body trembles violently.
He feels nauseous. Sick. Disconnected. His limbs are not his. His thoughts twist into unrecognizable shapes. He cannot form them. He cannot hold them.
They slip. Break. Scatter.
Then—
He passes out.
IAM does not notice. Not even for a second. His mind was no longer here. His eyes remain closed, his focus too sharp, too deep. Something was happening.
He begins to question—truly—what is the meaning of speech?
He takes it beyond surface level. Beyond the dictionary. Beyond structure.
Speech was the act of speaking. The action itself. But more than that—it was a tool. A medium. A channel.
A way to influence another. A way to connect. To bend.
The goal was to send a message. To transmit emotion. Command. Thought. Will.
It was the most simple form of influence.
The most ancient tool of power.
When I speak, I influence.
A person's actions. Their responses. Their way of living.
Influence...
Was the power of speech.
I must speak... to influence.
Almost like a dam had broken through, a flood of knowledge from beyond ravishes through IAM's mind. It pours in, unrelenting, raw. He could feel it, pressing into every corner of his being.
He understands.
Understand.
Understand.
And for the first time since he came to this world... it happened.
The cosmic ravings—the ones that were supposed to appear only in his dreams—were heard while he was awake.
His mind is @#&&'"##&##$¥¥{} >¦>>} >>>\¥{} €¥$€©&££@@
&£&##&££££&#¢¥€$€$¥ his#£&&@46754mind£#&&&'£*&£''£&"is
Is. Is. Is.
Mind.
Mind..
Ggahjhbg3eui42799oitfdghjnmmmiurwwujnhjmmmind mind
Wrong
Wrong wrong
Speech speech
Influence
Kiikysgmhmm
Influence
Influence
The£&£#£Answer$€¢is g&£->#..... Is. Iigcmmgdgttryuo75788ooo
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Then—
Silence.
The [ ] stops.
....
IAM finds himself lying on the top bunk. Awake. Disoriented. His eyes slowly blink open. He rubs his head, blinking into the dim light. Everything feels... muted. Distant.
He thinks back to yesterday.
Piece by piece.
He had formed an Avien...
Went to Raj...
Got locs...
Came to the tent...
Found Kepa...
Started by activating the Start Method...
He had received the package with his new mech and bullets.
He didn't open it, though.
Because he felt tired.
And went to sleep.
Yeah... that was it.
Ryan...
Hen...
Kepa...
IAM...
All went to sleep.
Yes. That was it.
He grins.
Still grinning, he hops down from the top bunk and immediately sees the mech package still sitting there—unopened. It hadn't moved. Still sleek. Still black. Still humming with anticipation.
But before he even thinks about touching it, he decides.
Shower.
He takes his time in the shower, letting the warmth pull him back into the real world. Then he throws on his new hoodie and trousers. The material fits perfectly—like he was born in it. It clings with purpose but gives him room to move. To breathe.
He wasn't the only person without a hoodie anymore.
He belonged now.
He was ready.
Ready for what came next.
He decides he'll check out the gun during physical class—they were allowed to use mech there anyway. Might as well test it on the field.
IAM couldn't wait to get Geared up.
Ggahjhbg3eui42799oitfdghjnmmmiurwwujnhjmmmind
A shiver runs through him.
He shakes it off.
Straightens his hoodie.
Grins again.
IAM couldn't wait to get Geared up.