Training Commences(1)

Taylor's report on demons:

All demons use Kai. The strength of a demon is measured by how powerful Kai is. Kai is classified into 8 tiers (1-8), from weakest to strongest. To counter demons, humans also use Kai which puts them on the same level of classification.

Following the demon surge 12 years ago, nations all over the world have invested major funds in getting Kai users. It is known that about 1 person in 10,000 reaches beyond tier 3. For those who are not Kai users, using Flux guns is the way to go, but flux guns are useful for fighting against demons of tiers 1, 2, and 3 only.

There are strict restrictions on Kai users to make sure they do not use their power for any harm. The rules and the methods to keep their power in check are not known publicly. Teaching Kai is only possible by authorized personnel. The existence of unidentified Kai users itself is a crime punishable by death.

The survivors are all sitting in a meditation pose facing Simon. He is the person sent by the instructor for this lesson.

"The first step to learning Kai is getting aware of one's chakras," Simon said, "who here knows about them?"

Almost all of them raised their hands in response.

"Taylor, you answer the question."

"Yes. there are seven chakras in our body… earth, water, fire, air, void, the third eye, and the crown," Taylor said.

"Correct. And they allow you to harness energy from your body we call Kai," he said and continued, "give it a try kids. I have taught you meditation techniques, and remember to focus on your breath."

No voices can be heard, and the drop of a pin would be heard throughout the halls of this place. Meditation is not just sitting silently in a pose. One needs to separate their consciousness from the surroundings and focus on their body and breath. Slowly but surely, one would start to feel the connection as if they were looking inside their body for something. If they can maintain this connection for the time they need to realize the centers of energy in their body then that would mean the first stage of learning Kai has been completed.

Till now, no one has reached that stage. However, they are looking. the time it takes to separate yourself from your surrounding and focus solely on your body and breath depends upon the individual. Some of the students like Kelan and Annie find it hard to reach that stage and even if they reach it, they cannot maintain themselves in that state for long.

Others who are skilled at meditation like Ichika, Alex, Katie, and a few others are already at the stage where they can look for the centers of the energy for a significant time before they break out of that state. In that case, they try to stay patient and not lose focus.

Slowly but surely they are improving as noticed by Simon. A sign that one is in deep focus looking for these centers is that they have temporarily stopped focusing on their senses, their breathing is constant and gentle and a small change in their environment is not likely to pull them away from this state.

Once every quarter of an hour, Simon will create a small disturbance for them like a noise or a flash. Those who do not focus properly will face this consequence and start again. All is done to make sure it is not easy for them. After all, following this these students need to gain the ability to focus properly despite the situation going around them, another parameter that Simon was instructed to evaluate.

Even between all of this, there is a student who hasn't lost focus at all and is the closest to being aware of his chakras. 47 had been immune to the distractions made by Simon. Soon after him Ichika, Alex, Colin, and Katie follow too. The team leaders more often than not are better performers in an examination based on their abilities.

For those who have been in a continuous state of focus, the method to be aware of the presence of chakra is to be able to sense the energy that they release unconsciously. It is minimal but it is there. Being able to sense energy can be seen as a sort of sense just like your sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch.

* * *

Void. All around me there is void. No matter wherever I try to see, there is nothing but void. I cannot see anything, nor can I smell hear feel it. The voices around me all drowned slowly. There is nothing here but pure darkness. I cannot even see myself here and neither can I hear myself speak. I try to feel my presence using my hands or something but to no avail...I can't feel anything.

Even then the only way forward is to look for something. I don't know what it is, but I know I have to look. If I don't I'll get pulled away from here. Trapped in this darkness somewhere inside me is the answer I have been looking for.

Here there is nothing to guide me. I have to move on my hunch. I take a moment to decide but I just ended up choosing a random direction. I start to move, but I still cannot see a path for myself. Suddenly I feel a force that seems to pull me out of here. Not good, I had chosen the wrong path. I try to get back, to get away from this pull. After some struggle, I barely managed to evade it. I have to choose again, just when I was thinking that, I felt an electric spark-like feeling on the back of my neck or something. I turned around instantly but there was nothing. Just the same void I had been experiencing or so I thought at first.

It was the opposite of the feeling that I got when I was getting pulled. That felt cold even if only slightly. This feels warm...whether it is because of the position I am in or due to that feeling a couple of moments ago... here and now I feel warmer than before.

I take that as a basis to decide the direction. I move not knowing the direction but just this warmth. If I start to feel colder then I move away if I start to feel warmer I move towards it. It is getting warmer. I am sure of it. There is nothing else I can feel in this place but this faint sense of heat. I will use it to guide myself toward something. I am sure it will lead me to a path where I can find what I am here for.

I feel that spark again. It was only for a moment but I felt it again. I can sense it now. The heat...the energy I can sense it. I can tell warm places from cold ones almost certainly without even moving in that direction. I have a path now. I follow it.

It's getting warmer but still, there is nothing in sight. But it is getting more heated than ever before and moving towards this heat is making me dizzy. I have to reach out...reach out to this heat...and it will lead me...to the chakra inside me. It's getting hotter and hotter. Unbelievably hot. Like I am drowning in a volcano or something. It is hard to move...what should I do? There is heat in the front that pushes me away...the cold behind me pulls me in. I have to resist or I will not succeed. I felt myself fading away as all I remember is a touch...a touch of heat, that final spark before I was pulled into the darkness again.