Ouch, Axel hissed in pain as red blood spurted out of his hand from a deep wound across his hand, blood trickling down the Gishiki's blade.
Dang it, he cursed, I hope this is worth it.
Amy turned upon hearing his curse, her eyes widened as she saw blood dripping onto the dried leaves from his hand, "What happened?" She said rushing towards him, unzipping her backpack.
"You said blood is needed to claim an anima," Axel answered, chuckling awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head with his other hand.
Amy shook her head, "idiot, let me see," she reached out grabbing his hand, the red blood against her pale skin created a creepy contrast.
She pulled out cotton wool from her bag and gently wiped off the blood, focused on the wound.
She's so beautiful, Axel thought, and her touch is so delicate.
His hand jerked back in pain trying to escape but her grip was tight. Hydrogen peroxide bubbling over the wound, his jaw clenched, somehow the annoying sting was worse than the cut.
"You're crazy, you know that," she scolded him, "it's just a little bit of blood, not a liter," she scoffed as she checked her bag for bandages.
"That would have been good info a few minutes ago," he joked, earning him a glare from Amy.
He awkwardly chuckled and looked away, his eyes meeting with Serif who was leaning against a tree, giving him a "I'm disappointed in you look," or that's what Axel interpreted it as.
Get off my back dude, Axel clicked his tongue and looked away, it's not like you'll have answered, but seriously that Gishiki is something else, he looked at the katana on the ground, he had intended for a small cut, not such a deep wound, I'm not a masochist.
His gaze came back to Amy, wrapping the bandage.
Amidst the metallic tang of blood, the whiff of her shampoo entered his nose, he could see the top of her head from this position, a line in the middle of her hair, parting it into two, revealing pale skin beneath black hair.
He winced as he looked at the origin of the braids, pulling on her skin, it was as if they'd tear off with a touch.
Unable to resist, his hand slowly lifted about to touch her head when she took a step back.
Axel quickly hid the hand behind him, "We're done here, next time ask before doing something crazy, alright." She lectured.
Axel nodded as she shook her head like a disappointed mother, his brow twitching at the sight.
"Here," she flicked his head and handed him a blood soaked cotton wool.
Axel narrowed his eyes, rubbing his forehead, "what for?"
She clicked her tongue, "why'd you cut yourself genius?" She said and stashed the wool in his hand.
Right, Axel looked away, and cleared his throat, get it together idiot, he carefully removed the necklace and held it on one hand then with the other he rubbed the cotton wool on the twisted rope, which was apparently the main part of the anima.
The thread of continuity, was basically just the chain, the pendant was believed to be just an added decoration.
Amy had explained to him that the anima was one which every or at least most humans could use, after all, who doesn't have a bit of stubbornness in them.
It could allow the user to teleport, the distance all depending on the compatibility with the user or in order words how stubborn the user is.
He had cut himself because to bond with an anima, it needs to absorb your DNA, scientifically that is, and at the same time for a spiritual bond of some sort, since blood is linked to the essence of life.
And well since the Gishiki was the sharpest thing around, he decided to try it.
The blood crawled into the rope, it soaked up the blood, like water on a piece of cloth, then it started to glow, a golden glow, the flowing motion of the ropes becoming more obvious, then it quieted down.
"Let's get going," Serif said as he resumed walking.
Axel puckered his lips, I know you don't care, but at least ask how I'm doing, he sighed and reached out for the katana, sheathing it, he paused, his breath caught, he quickly unsheathed it.
But there was nothing, for a second he saw it glowing red, or at least that's what he thought, he frowned but that's not possible.
"Hey come on," Amy's voice rang out.
He shrugged and sheathed the katana, it's not possible, he dismissed the idea, after all an anima only has one weilder, and I'd rather not think about that, although it still bugged him.
"Let me help you with that," He said, taking Amy's bag.
Her lips straightened to a line, she squinted her eyes, "trying to be a gentleman heh."
Axel chuckled as he strapped the bag to his back.
"So how do I use it?" he asked.
"You can't," She answered, stepping on a twig, "at least not yet, it'll take a bit to sync with you, afterwards you'll get the basics about its usage automatically transferred to you depending on your compatibility, as long as it's on you of course." She explained.
"Then all that's left is to 'Will it', that's another reason why it's B rank," Amy said.
B rank, Amy's ranking, based on ability, the ranks ranged from D to S. D ranks were basic abilities, those you can easily understand and followed laws of nature, while S ranks were literal rule breakers, those that cause chaos.
The others were between, Serif's chain was roughly an A rank according to Amy, since it not just obeyed laws, it also imposed them.
The thread of continuity was B rank, assumed to be A as well, but no one has actually been able to reach that level with it.
"Will it as how," Axel narrowed his eyes.
"Its just as I said, will its effect into existence and that is quite hard, unlike the anima that are in themselves a medium for the ability, like the Ginshiki." She explained.
"Will it huh, like wish for its effect or conjure the effects or what?," Axel muttered.
Amy shrugged, "can't really help you there, it's also a foreign concept to me, Hermes always tried to explain to me, but I don't get it as well, my anima is the other type after all."
"It's based on three concepts," Serif interjected, cutting off Axel who was about to talk.
Serif continued moving, "mental aspect," he lifted a finger, "you need to be able to visualize the effect happening, to do that you need strong mental facilities.
Depending on how you visualize it, the effect might be different, so two people wielding the same anima might have different effects." He explained.
That should be easy enough, Axel smiled, if there was one other thing he enjoyed it was visualizing things in his head, it was something he had been good at since he was a kid.
"So that means for fire, one could summon an inferno and the other explosions." He concluded, earning a nod from Serif.
"The second," Serif lifted another finger, "is belief, the emotional aspect," he paused and stopped, he looked side to side, then turned left.
"This is sometimes dependent on how much your emotions resonate with the anima, the more it resonates, the greater the effect.
You have to believe it's possible, no matter how illogical it seems." Serif said, the faint sound of a waterfall in the distance obscuring his voice.
Now that might be an issue, considering Axel believed in logic, nonetheless I'll find a way.
"And the third?"
"Is the body or the physical aspect," Serif said, "Depending on how fit you are, how much stamina you have, the anima might not produce as much of an effect."
"Although anima do boost your physicality," Amy chipped in.
Axel nodded, so that shouldn't be an issue, unless it's a prolonged use or something.
"That's why some consider it more of a limitation," Serif said, as he turned a corner revealing a waterfall, "we're here," he muttered.
Another waterfall, Axel's eyes narrowed, is it behind that.
"The gateway," Amy said, eyes sparkling, the moon reflecting against the water, making a mystical scene.
Well this isn't so bad, Axel smiled.