Ouch, Axel hissed in pain as red blood spurted out from a deep wound on his hand.
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.
"What happened?" She rushed 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.
Ouch, his eyes widened, hand jerking back in pain trying to escape as she poured disinfectant on the wound.
But her grip was tight. He looked on, as the disinfectant bubbled over the wound.
Somehow this 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."
"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.
But get off my back dude, Axel clicked his tongue and looked away, it's not like you'll have answered.
But seriously, the Gishiki is something else. He looked at the katana on the ground. He had been careful, intending to make a small cut, not such a deep wound.
His gaze came back to Amy, wrapping a bandage around his palm.
Amidst the metallic scent of blood, the whiff of her shampoo entered his nose. From this position, he had a clear view of the top of her head, a line running in the middle, parting her hair, revealing a pale scalp beneath.
Unable to hold his curiosity, 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."
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 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 in one hand then with the other he rubbed the cotton wool on the necklace.
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 level.
He had cut himself because to bond with an anima, it needs to absorb your DNA, scientifically that is. But also the for a spiritual bond of some sort, since blood is linked to the essence of life.
And since the Gishiki was the sharpest thing he could find, well— that led to this situation.
The blood crawled into the chain, it was as if it absorbed it, like water on a piece of cloth. Then it emitted a golden glow, the flowing motion of the chains becoming more obvious.
Then it returned to normal.
"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. His face scrunched up.
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 can only have one wielder.
"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, getting your initial compatibility, afterwards you'll understand."
"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.
"It's just as I said, will its effect into existence. It's complicated, 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 of 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.
Serif continued still 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."
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 natural 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."
Another waterfall, Axel's eyes narrowed, is it behind that, don't raise your expectations again, he reminded himself.
"The gateway," Amy said, eyes sparkling.
The moonlight reflecting against the water, made a mystical and beautiful scene.