Chapter 28. The Power of the Spirit (Part 3)

According to my observations, the Soul is divided into three levels: the Soul Body — the main axis of the entire Soul, onto which all others are "attached," the Astral Projection — the external manifestation of the Soul, which allows me to interact with the Spiritual world, and the Ethereal Body — the outermost layer, a manifestation of a person's life energy. By the thickness of this layer, I can determine a person's health and emotional state. Initially, I thought that Mahito somehow affects the Ethereal Body, as he himself said that for him the body is the Soul, and this layer of the Soul appears before me in the physical form of a person. But now… Now I've noticed what was previously hidden inside all layers — the level of the Soul I suddenly recall as the Body of Heart and Mind.

If we consider that Mahito's cursed technique allows him to manipulate precisely the "Body of Heart and Mind," it becomes clear why his abilities were so heavily dependent on his self-identification as a Cursed spirit, and why the question: "Which comes first, the soul or the body?" was so important to him. The "Body of Heart and Mind" affects the human brain and is a collective manifestation of its reasoning, analytical, observational abilities, and identification capabilities.

Another question is, why does the cursed technique originate specifically in this area of the Soul? Because I already know that Cursed energy originates from the Astral Projection, unlike Spiritual energy, whose core is the Soul Body. And the reason for this is simple — the Astral Projection generates human emotions and acts as a kind of bridge between the Soul Body with the Spiritual and physical worlds.

In that case, it would be logical to assume that there is something within the Body of Heart and Mind that is the root of cursed techniques…

"Where do cursed techniques originate from?" I asked an unexpected question, turning to Sho.

I already know that Sorcerers typically develop their own Cursed technique at the age of four to six years old. And the techniques that manifest at this time are called "innate," but…

"Are you asking what makes them innate: the blood of a Sorcerer clan or individual characteristics?" Shoko clarified.

"Yes."

"It's still unknown, more precisely, the connection between them is unknown. We understand that in the Gojo clan, techniques like 'Six Eyes' and 'Limitless' are inherited, and in the Inumaki clan — 'Cursed Speech'. From this, we can conclude that blood plays a significant role. However, if that were the primary factor, then all members of the Kamo clan would possess the 'Blood Manipulation' cursed technique," — have I mentioned that I appreciate Shoko for her candor? She didn't even ask why I posed such a question and calmly responded. "And here, individual characteristics come into play: how a person perceives the world, how quickly they learn, and how they identify themselves and their surroundings... In reality, these individual characteristics are very ephemeral, and Sorcerers still don't know how exactly they can be researched and, consequently, why they influence a Sorcerer's cursed technique."

"What exactly is determined by blood?" A puzzle started to form in my head.

"Mainly the brain structure," Shoko replied succinctly, then paused for a couple of short seconds. "A Sorcerer's brain is, in a way, a black box that we cannot look inside, but we can observe from the outside. Doing so, we've concluded that different parts of a Sorcerer's brain are responsible for different 'abilities': the Prefrontal cortex for 'Domain Expansion,' the Hippocampus for possessing a cursed technique, the Occipital lobe for the ability to see cursed energy and curses, and the Amygdala for Reverse Cursed Technique"

"Then, what would happen if a normal person, a non-Sorcerer, had their brain altered in such a way that they became a full-fledged Sorcerer? What would happen to their Cursed Technique?" I stared even more intently into the void.

"I don't know," Shoko shrugged. "I think one of two things: either such a Sorcerer wouldn't have a cursed technique, or the one who reconstructs the non-Sorcerer's brain would 'write' a technique into their brain. After all, I've tested this. Each Sorcerer with a cursed technique has a different Hippocampus structure, which means, with sufficient skill and knowledge, in theory, it would be possible to create a Sorcerer with a predetermined cursed technique."

There it is!

First and foremost, a cursed technique is described as the manipulation of cursed energy to give it some form. And perhaps the explanation is simple and seems very down-to-earth, but the truth lies in simplicity!

Before we come into this world, our Soul does not possess genetic information about our body because something cannot come from nothing. But as soon as the Soul enters the body, it enriches itself with the "genetic code" and retains this information within... No, even more, it becomes inseparably linked to the state of the body, which makes Mahito's "Soul Manipulation" possible.

But how is this connected to my reflections on the cursed technique and the Body of Heart and Mind?

I have a hypothesis that a Sorcerer's genetics, meaning the structure of their brain, is akin to a vinyl record with grooves etched into it. Without these grooves, you can't be a Sorcerer. But if they are present, everything depends on how your "melody" is recorded on your record. This is precisely why in the Gojo clan there are certain techniques, in the Kamo clan there are others, and in the Zenin clan yet others. In turn, the Body of Heart and Mind represents the pure potential of a Sorcerer, their "Primality." Primality is exactly the overall manifestation of a Sorcerer's reasoning, analytical, observational abilities, and identification capabilities. That is, if a Sorcerer's "blood" is genetic information, then the Body of Heart and Mind is spiritual-mental.

This logic helps explain why the Body of Heart and Mind permeates all other areas of the Soul, why there will eventually be people whose brains will be altered by Kenjaku, and why ordinary brain reconstruction, as in the case of Mahito's victims, does not allow a non-Sorcerer to be endowed with a cursed technique but does allow the use of cursed energy.

"Where are Nanami and Yuji now?" I asked, finishing my cigarette, and turned sharply to Sho.

"Firstly, I'm not at liberty to disclose such information; secondly, I don't know," Shoko chuckled.

"If my assumptions and guesses are correct, they've encountered not just a 'criminal' but a special grade curse that can attack the Soul. Do you understand what that means?" I asked Sho, my face more serious than ever before.

"Danger," Shoko shrugged.

"Not just danger, but special grade danger," I clarified. "Need I remind you that Nanami has already been through something similar?"

"Nanami is an adult, and I think he'll figure out what to do and what not to do. Especially with a freshman by his side, he'll definitely weigh all the 'pros' and 'cons,'" Shoko replied.

"You know I can see souls," I said offhandedly. "I'll tell you what happens during the 'birth' of a cursed technique."

"Why don't you do that now?"

"Because I need direct evidence that my assumptions are true."

"Again, I don't know where they are... But I might know where these corpses were found," Shoko answered nonchalantly.

All for knowledge, isn't it, Shoko Ieiri? I surveyed the woman sitting opposite me, then nodded.

So, it's time to finally meet the cornerstone of the "new world."