The next morning, Shisui awoke in a bed of moss beneath a tree with curling silver leaves. He half-wondered if the resonance the night before had been a dream. But when he moved, the air pulsed softly around him. Arch Energy was still there—faint, but present, like the warm breath of something sleeping within.
Kurou was already awake, drawing spirals and flowcharts on a flat stone with charcoal.
"Your Arch Nucleus is like a heart. But instead of pumping blood, it pulses with merged essence. That energy needs channels, just like rivers need banks."
He pointed at a diagram of a humanoid body with glowing lines:
Spirit Veins.
"There are seventy-two major Arch Flow paths in the body," Kurou said. "Only eleven are safe for beginners. The others can rupture your soul or shred your muscles if forced too early."
He turned to Shisui. "Your training today is Mapping. You will learn to feel those pathways… and guide your Arch Energy through them."
Kurou taught him a soul gesture—three finger taps to the chest, then throat, then forehead—and a breathing pattern called Sinking Breath.
"Close your eyes. Breathe. When you feel the Arch Nucleus stir, push just a thread toward your left shoulder."
Shisui followed the motion. It was like trying to thread light through a maze while blindfolded.
Nothing happened at first. Then—
Twinge.
A faint glow traced from his chest toward his collarbone, then fizzled.
"Good," Kurou said. "Now again."
It took hours, but Shisui eventually guided Arch Energy through his left arm, tracing one of the beginner-safe Spirit Veins called Rasa's Thread. It felt like pouring warm light into stone—but it moved, slowly, obeying.
Sweat clung to his forehead.
"I… did it."
Kurou nodded, pleased. "You've unlocked one Flow Path. You'll need ten to perform your first Arcana."
Shisui smiled, chest rising with pride.
But the smile faded when Kurou added: "Fail to guide it carefully, and it will burn you from the inside. Arch Energy is a divine tool. But humans were never meant to wield it casually."