Rain rolled the words on her tongue.
Promise of a Distant Sky...
It was a beautiful True Name, if not as fierce and fearsome as most other True Names were.
The name felt unfamiliar, but strangely comforting. Like a piece of the puzzle that she had not known was missing from her soul, and now finally fell into its place, thus making her soul more... complete.
'What a strange feeling.'
Sunny studied her expression with a hint of curiosity.
"I'm guessing you are thinking about your True Name?"
Rain nodded.
"Yeah. I like it... I think. It's pretty."
It was also not at all what she had expected. Such a pretty name did not seem to fit her... her life had been anything but pretty, after all. In fact, it had mostly been crawling through mud, slaughtering Nightmare Creatures, and witnessing indescribable horrors here in Godgrave as of late.
Her brother chuckled.
"Indeed it is."
He grew quiet for a few moments, and then added in a more serious tone:
"Names have power, Rain. A quite literal power — you will learn about it while studying Shaping — but a more obscure power, as well. A True Name is an anchor of one's self, and knowing yourself is the first step of walking the Path of Ascension."
She smiled.
"What is the next step?"
Sunny seemed to be surprised by the question. He remained silent for a moment before answering.
"The next step... is imposing yourself upon the world. But you don't have to worry about that just yet."
He sighed.
But what the hell was that second number?
Two hundred and thirty-seven... out of five thousand? What did it mean?
She looked at Sunny with a silent, but quite loud question in her eyes.
He chuckled.
"Ah... that. Your soul core is a bit special, you see."
He lingered for a few moments, then said in a contemplative tone:
"There are some Awakened with unique soul constitutions. For example, I know a woman whose soul core can grow continuously, unrestrained by the limitations that most Awakened share. I know people who can form multiple soul cores akin to Nightmare Creatures, as well. You, however, are different."
Her brother scratched the back of his head.
"It is hard to explain, considering that I don't understand it fully myself yet. Let us just say that your soul is deeply connected to the essence of the world. Thus, you have access to a... a form of spirit essence. That spirit essence does not saturate your soul core directly, and, therefore, it does not make your body stronger. But it is still under your control."
Rain's eyes widened as she came to a realization.
"Wait... is that why my Soul Sea looks like that?"
Her Soul Sea was not at all like the books described. Its surface was indeed like an endless sea, and there was indeed a beautiful sun — the representation of her soul core — hanging high above the water, with little lights representing her Memories orbiting around it.
Or at least that was how it had been before.
However, over time, something had changed, and the radiant sun became surrounded and partially obscured by aimlessly drifting clouds. There were just a few of them, for now, but she had noticed that their number was growing.
Her Soul Sea already looked a bit grey and stormy, with cool winds disturbing the surface of the clear water.
Sunny nodded.
"Indeed. Those clouds are the representation of the spirit essence you've been able to accumulate. I am not sure how you can absorb more, exactly — that, you will have to discover by yourself. Searching for a way to deepen your connection to the world should be the correct direction, I think."
He smiled meaningfully.
"Needless to say, it would be very beneficial for you to accumulate as much spirit essence as possible..."