Ch 2: The Seven Sources

The midwife spent a few minutes going over the basics of care for the new parents. She had been meeting with them for a few weeks now, so it was more of just a review.

"So what are you going to name the little guy?" The midwife asked. It was common to wait to find out the child's Source before they were named. While there were general names, certain names were associated with specific Sources.

The parents looked at each other for a moment. Levanya gave her husband a nod.

"Baldeur. We'll call him Baldeur." Vivek said.

The midwife forced a smile knowing that that name had a history to it. Being Sourceless would make that name even more problematic for the baby.

"How about that little Baldeur? Do you like your name?" Levanya asked with a smile.

Not knowing exactly what she was saying but feeling her warmth, the newly named Baldeur giggled at his mother.

With nothing else for her to do the midwife left.

Levanya nursed the baby for a little while before putting Baldeur in his crib. The parents watched their newborn gently drift off to sleep. The newly named Baldeur would set a bad precedent for any future siblings with how well he was behaved.

"Life's going to be difficult for him in this City." Levanya said. "Maybe we should find a job on a world where Sourceless are common."

"There's a few clerks without a Source in the Explorers Union. So it shouldn't be too bad for him." Vivek said. "But we can keep that in mind as he grows up."

They had a good life in the City of Gates and moving to a specific world might limit future possibilities, even for a Sourceless. But they both knew that theys would do it if it meant a better life for their son.

The new parents spent a while watching their lovely newborn after he fell asleep. They then went to their own bed filled with both hope and fear about the future.

A few hours later Baldeur woke up from a nightmare that he was still in his last life. Thankfully he didn't cause enough noise to wake his parents.

Having experienced two different Sources at the same time for the first time in his nine lives, Baldeur took a moment to focus inwardly wondering which Source he would have access to.

Since he couldn't understand the language yet, he had no idea that he tested as Sourceless in a world with seven different Sources.

Entering his soul was a bit more difficult than in previous lives and he immediately found the reason. There were several wounds and a layer of corruption to his soul caused by his last life.

'Damn Gluttony Abomination. You'd think the Dark Councils would have killed it right away rather than let it absorb innocent demons to torment for centuries.' Baldeur thought.

After focusing on the navel of his soul he was surprised when he found the entry was clogged. This is where the Source energy was supposed to enter and nourish his soul.

He was even more surprised when he realized what was causing the clog.

There was blue for Mana, orange for Qi, yellow for Divinus, violet for Psychic, green for Anodular, indigo for Laksulm, and red for Infernius. Having lived a life with each of these Sources he was easily able to recognize them.

Seven different Sources were trying to enter his soul at the same time. And they were doing so at such a high volume that nothing was able to enter. Even if there was only one Source the amount might have been too much for his current soul. Death and reincarnation always caused his soul to shrink a little.

He had a few gifts that transferred between his lives and one was a photographic memory from his life on Earth. Which meant he had knowledge far beyond anyone should, having lived so many lives.

Using this knowledge and prior life experience with each Source, he focused on the different energies trying to enter his soul and regulated the amount of each entering.

They each fought him in their own way and he could feel the wounds in his soul starting to get worse.

When it was starting to become too dangerous and he thought of stopping and trying after his soul healed, it happened.

Seven different colors filled his soul swirling in strange patterns. The wounds started to heal and the corruption from his last life began to fade. It would take a few years before his soul was back to normal but he was a baby and shouldn't have to worry. That's what his parents were for.

Another surprise came when he saw how much he had to regulate the different Sources. He ended up letting in only about one percent of the energy from each Source that was trying to enter his soul.

He theorized that in time he could increase those amounts. For now he'll just focus on learning about the world he was born in.

----

A few streets away, the midwife was sound asleep. She felt bad for the baby she just delivered. In a place where seven different Sources interact, she knew Sourceless would have hard lives.

In a room that she used for mixing elixirs sat a disposal cauldron and a unique occurrence was happening.

She had placed the liquids that she had used to test Baldeur in there to dissolve safely overnight. While most of the elixirs had already been safely dissolved there was still enough for a reaction.

Unseen by anyone the liquids began to glow in seven different colors. If the midwife had seen this occurrence, she may have had a heart attack. While being born Sourceless was rare in the City, she had never heard of someone being born with all seven Sources.

----

Even further away in a massive hall filled with a thick mist an ancient figure opened its eyes for the first time in many millennia.

His eyes turned in the direction of Baldeur many miles away.

"Ah, so our people live again. And just in time." He said to the empty hall.

The ancient figure refocused his eyes, looking through the thick mist that stretched out far from his lonely hall, focusing on the edges. Very few beings would be able to see the rate that the mist was retreating. And this being could see that there wasn't much time until his home would be open to others.

"Hopefully he is ready in time. I do not want another of our pillars to fall into unworthy hands."