Every person within the radius of several miles felt it.
An inexplicable energy permeates the air, a quiet hum that jars bones and awakens long-forgotten reflexes. Unnatural colors swirl in the sky, with molten gold streaks contrasting with storm-darkened clouds.
Once subject to the rhythm of nature, winds now dance irregularly while carrying unsourced murmurs.
As if the planet's very core recognizes an approaching presence, the ground trembles—not with a violent quake, but with a deep, rhythmic pulse.
Then the natural world reacted.
For the first time in ages, the dry and cracked deserts drink deeply as rain falls where it has never dared before. Glaciers quivered, their surfaces melting and seeping into new streams, giving way to an invisible power.
Across three continents, a gentle mist envelops the earth, neither a tempest nor a light rain, but a soft, solemn lament—as if the very planet weeps tears of joy in acknowledgment.
Throughout the expansive corners of the globe, creatures awaken as an age-old instinct stirs within them. Birds abruptly halt their melodies, their heads turning toward an invisible presence. Predators pause in their pursuits, frozen as if responding to a greater call.
Even the tiniest beings—the ants hidden in the soil, the fish swimming in the depths—react, ensnared in a fleeting moment of profound awareness.
A collective understanding, a primal recognition deep within their instinctual senses. The world is transforming, and they can sense it.
While the whole world was going through these changes, its source—Kevin—was going through his own hardship.
This time a new transformation began inside Kevin's body; his innate genetic potential not only began to replenish but went beyond it, becoming even deeper and different from others of his race.
The seed of true evolution has consumed all three innate potentials—innate genetic potential, innate mind potential, and innate soul potential—of several humans until now, but now all that accumulation except 'innate soul potential' is being used to propel Kevin on his evolution path.
His body had started to assimilate with the seed of true evolution itself, becoming one in a true essence of existence.
Kevin's mind was also following its own path of advancement, but unlike his body, its improvement is not dependent on the seed of true evolution; instead, it is being enhanced under the protection of golden light, which acts like a beacon of purification, destroying every chaotic thought that once pierced through his mental defense.
The brilliant glow acted as a protective shield for his mind, preventing him from being overwhelmed by the turbulent waves of despair and keeping him from becoming one with the chaos around him.
It eradicated every negative thought that crossed its path. With each destruction of a disordered thought, his mental strength increased, although the radiant aura surrounding him dimmed slightly with each battle he faced.
As time passed, transforming seconds into minutes, his fractured mental defenses began to heal, reconstructing themselves into a more robust fortress.
In the end, what emerged was an unassailable mental barrier, immune to any chaotic thought that dared to penetrate its defenses.
While these drastic changes are taking place with Kevin's body and mind.
His soul, or a structure made of dark green lightning, remained untouched by everything.
Unmoved by the energy of the shattered seed or the radiant golden light that tirelessly worked to cleanse the tumultuous negative thoughts, it floated within the emptiness of its own corporeal shell.
Despite the relentless surge of both physical and mental power, it lay dormant, devoid of any possibility for action, a state that could lead to catastrophic consequences if it continued to remain unresponsive.
This occurrence stands as a primary factor in the multitude of failed experiments conducted by Isla and her team of researchers, albeit with a subtle distinction.
The difference between all other experiments and Kevin's case is that Kevin's 'mind' not only managed to survive the corruption by the chaotic and negative thoughts but instead became even stronger under the protection of golden light.
Similarly to his body that managed to advance to a new stage of evolution despite losing all of his 'genetic potential' and remaining unaffected despite suffering from the horrifying mutation catalyzed by the chaotic energy produced from the seed of true evolution under the protection of golden light that results in his soul remaining untainted.
whereas in all other cases, everyone ended up having their 'mind' corrupted alongside their body being mutated and transforming into a mindless beast.
When these changes took place inside mind and body, the soul also ended up getting affected.
The soul is the essential connecting force between the mind and body, an unseen but fundamental thread that binds existence itself.
No matter how formidable a body may become or how vast and powerful one's mental faculties grow, without the soul, both are meaningless—mere fragments lacking true purpose or direction.
Unlike the physical body, which decays, or the mind, which shifts with knowledge and experience, the soul is a constant, a foundation upon which consciousness takes shape. It is the pillar that allows individuality to flourish, ensuring that each being maintains its unique identity.
The soul does more than just hold things together; it regulates the balance between bodily strength and mental sharpness, preventing either from growing unchecked and spiraling into chaos.
However, this equilibrium is delicate. If a soul expands beyond the capacity of its vessel—the body—the mind races forward at an uncontrollable speed. Thoughts sharpen, processing information at a rate the body cannot keep up with.
The muscles and nerves strain under the pressure, unable to obey the mind's directives, leading the body to deteriorate, crack, and ultimately fail.
A being in such a state is doomed, burdened by the sheer weight of an intellect its body was never meant to wield.
Conversely, if the body strengthens beyond its natural limits while the soul remains unchanged, the consequences are just as dire.
Physical prowess would elevate the senses beyond their intended range, flooding the mind with an overwhelming deluge of perceptions—sights seen too clearly, sounds heard too acutely, emotions felt too intensely.
The mind, unable to process such heightened sensory input, falls into madness, trapped in a relentless storm of unbearable awareness.
In time, this imbalance seeps into the soul itself, like a slow poison, corroding the very essence that once provided stability.
Thus, the delicate harmony between the soul, body, and mind is not simply an abstract concept—it is a law of existence.
To maintain true strength, one must cultivate not only the physical and mental self but also nurture the soul, ensuring that it remains a guiding force rather than a shattered remnant lost to imbalance.
In layman's terms, this can be explained by using an AHV (Advanced Hybrid Vehicle) as an example, where the human physique is like the metallic body, providing structure and endurance, while the soul functions as the engine, responsible for converting energy into movement.
The mind, like fuel, provides the necessary power to drive the system forward. A more volatile or powerful fuel enhances performance but can be destructive if not properly managed.
Likewise, a strong and precise engine efficiently processes fuel, but an imbalance between the two can cause inefficiency or breakdowns. Similarly, a well-built metallic frame can handle immense pressure, yet without a properly functioning engine and fuel source, it remains lifeless.
Just as a vehicle must maintain a harmony between its components to operate smoothly, humans must cultivate equilibrium between the soul, mind, and body to avoid deterioration, instability, or imbalance.
Since all three aspects of a being are interconnected with each other, to the point that a single aspect of an individual can not keep advancing alone, then what if two aspects are advanced equally? What if, in place of one aspect, two aspects began to follow their own path of advancement?
Then a new possibility appears, though not perfect but good enough to support someone for some time.
like the support of a plank in the center of the sea.
Those two advanced aspects move together; they pull the weaker one among the three forcefully to maintain a fragile balance.
The same thing began to happen with Kevin.
After continuous advancement of both body and mind, a moment came when they both reached a state of balance with each other.
They resonated with each other, producing a slight force of attraction on their own. At first the force of attraction remained small, almost negligible, but with the passage of time the pull kept increasing until it became strong enough to affect Kevin's soul.
At that moment, Kevin's soul stirred as if awakened from a deep slumber. Under the constant pull from the body and mind, Kevin Soul began to emerge from the void within himself.
His form did not change. It remained the same, with dark green lightning tightly bound together.
The changes around Kevin's body stopped, and the surroundings were enveloped in a deadly silence.
Kevin's eyes snapped open. His eyes color had been brown since birth, have become overrun by dark green pupils that shine with a glint of destruction in them.
He does not know what changes have happened to him, nor does he care about it at this moment because right now it simply does not matter.
All that matters are the facts that he is not bound by any restriction right now and he can feel an overwhelming power sleeping inside himself, waiting to be unleashed.
His head snapped toward the same direction where he had felt the strongest presence.