( 1 > Soul Echo {haru the soulrend warrior} AOTE:5)
{Soul Echo}
Stage 1
[This is used to hear the sound of a "Zek" a cursed soul and the decaying spirit hidden within it. Even if they try to conceal their presence, a Sepahan using this technique will recognize them.]
Haru slowly opened his eyes. He then took the small box he had brought and carefully opened it.
Inside was a stone, but it was no ordinary stone. It was a fragment formed from the ashes of a cursed soul. Because of its origin, it is a tool Sepahans use specifically for their training.
This artifact is immensely useful for practicing and honing the power of the Soulrend Edge.
He took the stone out, held it firmly in his grip, and stared intently at it. The stone was black, but a greyish smoke began to emanate from within it. This meant the soul inside had awakened. Haru gradually loosened his grip on the stone, and accordingly, it began to hover in the air.
Suddenly, the stone vanished from sight. Immediately, Haru took his sword in his hand.
He held it in his left hand, but his grip wasn't overly forceful. This was because a soul-bond originates through the heart.
He closed his eyes and sharpened his hearing, for he was about to attack that very stone. It was hidden; therefore, he had to detect the presence of a Zek by focusing on and listening to the trembling sound within it. He kept his eyes shut and paid close attention to the direction of the wind.
In this stage, one must look not into the enemy's eyes, but at their chest for that is where the decaying soul resides.
The stone that had vanished into the wind was now slowly approaching him. Haru could sense it.
He slowly inhaled and exhaled. This was a rule: the soulwithin, the sound without. Only through this could the stage of "Soul Echo" be unlocked.
He synchronized his mind.
His sword began to vibrate... which meant the force was coming to attack him from a specific direction.
Haru pointed his sword toward that path, his ears perceiving the sound of the stone drifting through the wind with every passing second.
[Woosh!!!!!!]
It happened in an instant....
In the blink of an eye, Haru thrust his sword toward the hidden stone that was lunging at him. The sword was vibrating intensely. Right before the blade, the invisible stone reappeared.
Yes... he had overcome the first stage. His sword had succeeded in its first trial.
He had understood "Soul Echo"; he had awakened it....!!!!