Page 68 of Shattered Heir
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Okay, this lesson will be less core work,” Keil said as I walked into his office.
“We are not gonna bond with my soul again?”
“You did well with the first two notes, and I am proud of you for that. But we need you to focus on other things if we are going to help Shad as you want. Shad left that note inside of you, and I have no doubt that we can access it soon if you learn more of the skills you need to protect yourself.”
“Okay, so where do we start?”
“Well, we need to practice rapid soul-shielding before we move on to you speaking to other people's souls.”
“Speaking to people's souls? I thought only Shad and I could do that.”
“You and Shad are incredibly unique, but all Terrans can communicate at a certain level with other Terrans through their melodies. We can sense emotions and thought patterns, like you sensed mine the other day. We don’t get direct words like Shad and you did between each other; still, through our souls—that’s the main way we communicate on Terra.”
“Okay, so how do I quickly shield my soul?”
“So, remember when you coaxed your melody to shield itself for your protection? If you do that enough, over and over again, you speed it up, until your melody remembers the act, and then all you have to say is ‘shield,’ and your melody will know what that means.”
“This sounds like training an animal.”
“Our melodies are part of us, and yet also separate. It is rather confusing, but we control our melodies, of course, and with them, we can do incredible things.”
“Okay, so I just need to practice over and over again?”
Keil nodded.
I closed my eyes and felt each note and vibration of my soul. I let them ring out loud and free, and I enjoyed stretching them out as if I was awakening from a long slumber. I then said, “shield,” quickly. Nothing happened. I frowned and opened my eyes to see Keil smiling at me.
“Yes, right, it's more like nothingwill go easy for me,” I said, again closing my eyes and bracing for my next attempt. My melody swirled around me, and I felt all its emotions. I tried to communicate to my melody that it was in danger, but it seemed to have a mind of its own. “I don’t understand why this is so much more difficult today.”
“It's okay; it’s normal. Your melody isn’t trained, and you just recently had it restored. It can take time for your mind, heart, and soul to become unified.”
“I need this to go faster.”
“It takes as long as it takes, Emma. Do not worry about that.”
“I have to figure out how to save him, and fast, Keil.” I paused. “Shad kissed someone.”
“Ryker told me. I am sorry, Emma. All soulless, eventually, succumb to their urges and their wants, more than anything else.”
“I just don’t understand why you all said he would be a zombie, and here he is slowly turning into a jerk.”
“We had no idea how it would be with him, and besides, soulless dofeel, but their feelings are often corrupted very quickly.”
“Is that how it is with Shad, now?”
“Yes, it is, but not as much as it would be if Ryker and I weren’t keeping an eye on him.”
“Okay.”
“Try again. You need to try over and over again.”
A few hours later, I sank into the chair. I had one good attempt at shielding my soul, yet that attempt wasn’t rapid-shielding.
“Don’t feel discouraged. Your melody is learning. All of this practice is teaching it.”
“I feel like I am about to pass out.”
