Axel paced around the cave, a half eaten chocolate bar in his hand, the thread of continuity in the other.
After much deliberation he had decided to explore the jungle, partly out of necessity and out of curiosity.
But mostly necessity, considering he had to find water, "But for now, I'll limit myself to a mile radius around the cave," he murmured, "but before that."
His gaze fell to the golden thread coiled in his palm.
"I need to figure out how this thing works," he murmured. "If I'm going to play explorer in the monster garden, I'd better have an escape plan."
He sighed, remembering Amy's words. Once the bonding was complete, he'd receive knowledge of the anima.
He did, and it was truly awful. It hadn't been learning; it had been an invasion. Information jammed into his skull like someone hammering memories into place with a mallet. He could still feel the aftertaste of it, metallic, dizzying.
His face twisted at the memory.
But basically, the thread of continuity was an anima created by a blacksmith who wanted to see things on to the end no matter the condition, in common terms this would be known as stubbornness or perseverance, but were those not the same thing.
Based on that, the compatibility factor should be one of those, stubbornness or perseverance, and he had them a lot, although he wasn't quite sure how he could quantify.
Yet one thing bothered him.
He could remember Amy vividly telling him, the anima could teleport, yet…
"She wasn't wrong, but this is more than just teleportation," he said grinning.
The thread's function was simple in theory, it could stitch space itself. Connect two points, fold them together, erase the distance between. It wasn't teleportation; it was cosmic needlework.
But that was just one of its effects of stitching up space, it could also allow the user to lock something down in a space, eliminate attacks or even totally erase a foe from a space, after all of it could puncture holes for stitches what is stopping it from just ripping space and throwing someone or something out.
"Nothing," he muttered contemplatively, "no perhaps imagination or mental strength."
He rubbed his chin, frowning. "But why didn't Amy mention all this?" His grin turned sly.
"Maybe I've got higher compatibility. Guess my stubbornness really is above average." He chuckled under his breath. "An overachiever, even in bullheadedness."
Aside from that, He also deciphered that anima require mental strength to use, the lower your compatibility with them, the higher the strain they put on you, unlike if your compatibility is higher.
Axel swallowed the chocolate and sighed, unfortunately there was no information on increasing compatibility, although he felt like there was additional information that had been shoved into his brain, blurry, like a mist was hiding it away.
Every time he tried to probe the deeper knowledge, his mind fogged, a heavy drowsiness creeping in until pain throbbed behind his eyes. It was like something, or someone, didn't want him to remember.
He exhaled slowly. "Fine. Secrets for later. For now, we experiment."
To activate it was pretty easy, the same as Serif actually explained.
But the physical part wasn't part of what was in his brain.
"So essentially it isn't considered important," he stopped pacing around, stroking his chin.
But it had to be important considering that was the only off thing when he tried to use it before.
Now he wasn't hundred percent healthy, but at least fifty.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, then he opened it, his gaze fixed on a corner of the cave.
"Target acquired."
Holding the thread firmly, Axel closed his eyes. Perhaps due to the influence of the information, He imagined threads shooting out from his body, golden, sharp, slicing through space to the other side. The air shifted around him; faint ripples distorted the edges of his vision.
Then—nothing.
"Damn it." He ruffled his hair and tried again. The same shimmering image filled his mind. "At least I've got a visual," he muttered. "Now for the belief part."
He inhaled, focused, and willed it. Perhaps due to the effect of Gishiki and already seeing wielders in action, it wasn't too hard to believe it was possible.
Golden light bled from his hand. Thin lines unfurled like living wires, weaving through the air. The temperature dropped. A faint hum, like taut strings vibrating filled the cave.
Axel blinked—
—and the world blinked with him.
He appeared at the other end of the cave in a burst of faint gold, air rippling outward with a crack of displaced sound.
He blinked again, dazed. "It worked." His lips curved upward, disbelief melting into satisfaction. "It actually worked."
Not perfect, the transition was slow, like being dragged through syrup…but it was progress.
What he really wanted was to blip like the first time he used it, but it wasn't working even after his third trial. The visualization was taking a whooping ten seconds, definitely not ideal.
"Is it because I visualize threads," he muttered, brows drawn together.
He rubbed his chin, thinking aloud. "What if I change the picture?"
He visualized a portal instead, a swirling ring of golden threads forming in front of him. The lines coiled and knotted, forming a circle of trembling light. The air distorted, crackling, his hair lifted slightly from the static.
It was beautiful and agonizingly slow.
"Right," Axel muttered, "so this would get me murdered in a fight."
He sighed, sitting cross-legged on the floor. "Visualization, huh…" His gaze lifted. "What if I just make it faster? the threads moving faster and faster. It's my mind, right?"
New determination flickered in his chest. He stood, gripping the thread tight.
"Alright, let's go again."
He imagined the threads snapping, lashing out faster than lightning. His pulse quickened, breath syncing with the hum.
The light erupted, and the world folded in half.
With a sudden blip, he reappeared across the cave. The displacement shockwave hit a second later, brushing his hair and rattling the crystals.
He grinned, wild-eyed. "Half the time."
Another try, faster still. The hum grew louder, gold streaks flaring, threads twisting and collapsing with speed. Three seconds flat.
He barely caught his breath before pain stabbed through his ribs.
"Worth it," he hissed, clutching his side with a crooked smile. "I'll take the suffering…it means I'm improving."
"Let's try again, I need to nail the feeling, reduce the time more, get faster." He held the necklace out, but he frowned, I can't always use it like this, he thought and put it around his neck.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, the visualization was a tad bit harder than when he held it in his hand, but he accomplished it, appearing at the other side again, his time back to five seconds.
He frowned but nonetheless, the thread glowed.
Then blip again — to the ceiling this time, his boots scraping against the stone before he teleported back down, laughing between gasps.
It was exhilarating. Like cheating physics and getting away with it.
Then the dizziness hit. His vision warped, the walls bending like melting glass. His legs gave out, and he dropped to the ground, leaning back against the cave wall.
"What… the hell…" His voice came out slurred. A migraine pulsed behind his eyes.
He exhaled sharply. "Mental exhaustion," he muttered. "Figures."
Still, even through the ache, he grinned, proud and defiant. "Ten jumps before a crash. Not bad for a beginner."
He gazed up at the ceiling, the golden thread glimmering faintly around his neck.
"I'm guessing the faster it gets, the heavier the strain," he murmured. "But if I control if…if I own it, then this world won't stand a chance."
His hand brushed the necklace fondly, almost reverently. A quiet grin tugged at his lips. "Let's see what else you can do, my stubborn little miracle."
His mind wondering about the potential havoc he could cause, oh the world wasn't ready for him, a grin from ear to ear tugged on his face.