The sweet, aromatic aftertaste of yesterday’s braised meat seemed to linger in the dreams of the Yanagisawa brothers.
Following a rare bountiful day and full bellies, both Shin and Kento slept the deepest sleep they had ever known on their ragged cotton mattress.
However, that peace did not last long.
At the crack of dawn, before the sky could even brighten and while the heavy frost of the Dark Zone still clung thick outside the window, the curtain was violently ripped open.
A hand, gaunt yet as strong as a vise, lunged in, grabbed Shin and Kento by their collars, and dragged both brothers awake without a shred of mercy.
Old man Akaisin was unusually sober today without a single drop of alcohol in him, his face terrifyingly alert.
He glanced toward the corner of the room, where little Loona was still curled up sleeping peacefully.
The afternoon before, she had stayed up late tinkering and upgrading the upper torso of the scrap robot, her sleeping face still smudged with streaks of black engine grease that looked both endearing and pitiful.
He subtly gestured for the two brothers to keep quiet, then dragged them both out to the small yard in front of the shack.
Shin and Kento blinked heavily, their hair a messy bird’s nest, yawning constantly and staggering around like a pair of drifting ghosts.
THWACK!
THWACK!
Two sharp, dry cracks echoed simultaneously through the quiet space.
Old man Akaisin ruthlessly delivered two thunderous thuds right onto the crowns of his adoptive grandsons’ heads.
The pain was intense enough to bring tears to their eyes, instantly jolting them awake.
— “Aahh!
You stubborn old geezer!
Why are you hitting us on the head first thing in the morning?!” Shin clutched his head and jumped up, his face contorted like a monkey eating a hot pepper.
Kento winced as well, rubbing the bump rising on his head while crying along with his brother:
— “That hurts so bad!
Why did you hit us so hard today, grandpa?
Now I completely understand how big brother Shin feels every time you whack him…
It’s brutal, like getting hit with a sledgehammer!”
Old man Akaisin clasped his hands behind his back, his iron cane leaning against the corrugated metal wall, his decrepit face suddenly becoming unusually solemn.
Clearing his throat, he spoke in a low voice:
— “Today, I didn’t wake you two up early to scavenge trash.
I’m going to teach you how to control and perceive Sophion at its most basic level.
And above all, I will introduce you to the core knowledge of this energy.”
Shin curled his lips at this, still resentful about his aching head, and muttered:
— “Why do we suddenly have to learn this abstract theory anyway?
Isn’t going to the junkyard to scavenge scrap metal for bread way more practical?”
— “Shut your trap, you little rascal!” Old man Akaisin glared at him, raising a fist threateningly.
“Keep talking back and I’ll give you another bump to make it a pair!
Now listen to me!”
Seeing that the old man was genuinely serious, Shin and Kento fell silent, sitting cross-legged on the cold ground to listen attentively.
— “The first and most recognizable capability of Sophion,” old man Akaisin said as he walked slowly, “is Synchronization.
It acts like an ultimate solvent, capable of integrating and adapting to all different forms of energy in this universe.
This synchronization is so powerful that it can allow a user to hold, or even simultaneously operate, two distinct types of energy within the same body without a direct conflict.”
As he spoke, old man Akaisin’s aged eyes briefly flicked toward Shin’s face.
Deep down, he thought of the bizarre Dual Stream Sophion lying dormant inside his grandson, but he immediately withdrew his gaze, pretending nothing was out of the ordinary as he continued:
— “But I advise you two, it’s best to focus on controlling the core nature of Sophion rather than wasting your energy trying to seek out and use two different sources.
Because once you have absolute control over Sophion, you won’t need any other form of energy anyway.
Sophion itself is more than enough!”
Kento gulped, asking curiously:
— “Is Sophion really that powerful, grandpa?”
— “Of course!
Sophion is present almost everywhere, existing in every grain of dust, every pocket of space within all things.” Old man Akaisin stroked his silver beard, his eyes gazing up at the grey sky with deep nostalgia.
“This brings us to its next characteristic: Unbinding.
When a Sophion user reaches a sufficiently high level, they can set foot in the most perilous lands, or even transcend planetary boundaries to travel to other worlds and other galaxies.
Wherever Sophion exists, a path opens for the user, unbound by any natural laws.
To a user, Sophion is the master key, a door that is always wide open.”
He paused for a beat, letting out a long sigh as his tone shifted to self-deprecation:
— “Furthermore, Sophion can help its user extend their lifespan by exchanging this very energy to lock the body at a desired age.
But everything comes with a price, and not everyone possesses the refined capability to properly govern that mechanism…
Sigh, looking back, my youth was truly wasted.
Years ago, I was so consumed with exploring and adventuring into every nook and cranny that I didn’t care about my age, thinking I’d stay young and healthy forever.
By the time I startled awake to reality, this body of mine had already grown decrepit.
It’s too late to grow young again now, so I just have to accept being a wrinkly old man.”
The atmosphere suddenly turned heavy.
Old man Akaisin stood firmly in front of the two brothers, his voice turning cold and serious as never before:
— “But you two must engrave this into your hearts and minds: Sophion carries a core secret, a ruthless and inescapable curse.
It is the Law of Equilibrium.
When a Sophion user develops excessive greed, frantically absorbing energy beyond the limits of what their physical body and soul can endure based on their level and experience, they will fall into a state of Overload.”
Old man Akaisin raised a single finger, emphasizing his words:
— “Once overloaded, the energy core reverses and immediately explodes.
This explosion will crush both the physical body and the soul of that individual into ashes.
No rebirth, no healing, and ultimately, total erasure from the flow of the universe, leaving nothing behind—not even a fragment of a shattered soul.
And the most brutal part is…
Depletion of Sophion brings the exact same result as Overload.
When you use up every single drop of Sophion so that none remains to sustain the life of the core, it will also detonate and wipe you out.
Whether it is depletion or overload, the end is nothingness!
It is because of this ultimate danger that I dragged you two out of bed today to teach you how to control and keep your Sophion in its most stable state!”
Hearing this, a chill ran down Shin’s spine.
His eyes widened as he gasped in shock:
— “This energy…
is it really that psychotically dangerous?
Overloading blows up the body, and running dry obliterates the soul?
How is that any different from harboring a ticking time bomb inside you?”
— “Of course it is, you rascal!” Old man Akaisin tapped his iron cane against the ground with a thud, his arrogant demeanor returning.
“But you don’t need to overthink it or worry too much.
Isn’t your old grandpa right here?
I’ll teach you how to tame it into submission.”
Kento blinked, seemingly stimulated by this grand theory.
The young boy timidly raised his hand and asked:
— “Grandpa, if someone can masterfully control and reach the absolute peak of Sophion, what would their power be like then?”
Old man Akaisin stroked his beard, laughing heartily with supreme confidence:
— “When mastering Sophion to a certain degree or higher, users are divided into two distinct classes in society.
The first class is merely low-tier mediocrity; they only use a tiny bit of energy for mundane daily chores like lighting a stove or a lamp—too weak and insignificant to catch my attention.
But the second class, the mid-tier to high-tier users…
they wield extraordinary powers, supreme and terrifying divine techniques that can dictate the destiny of an entire nation, or even a star system!”
To illustrate his words, old man Akaisin suddenly extended his thin, wrinkled palm in front of the two brothers.
— “Look closely!”
He narrowed his focus.
Completely without any combustible material, matches, or dry firewood, right from the center of the old man’s palm, a small orange-red flame suddenly burst to life!
The flame danced vividly, radiating genuine warmth that heated up the chilly yard.
— “This is the absolute baseline of energy manipulation: the way Sophion can alter and shape molecular structures to manifest natural elements.”
With that, the old man tilted his hand slightly.
The flame extinguished instantly, replaced by a small current of wind swirling like a miniature tornado around his fingers.
A second later, the wind condensed, turning into a floating, razor-sharp shard of stone.
Finally, the stone shard was suddenly encased in a layer of deep blue ice, completely freezing the surrounding air.
He clenched his fist tightly, and all elemental phenomena dissolved into nothingness as if they had never existed.
Witnessing this mind-boggling, seamless exhibition transitioning from fire to wind, stone, and ice right before his eyes, Kento went wild with excitement.
His eyes shone as bright as car headlights, and he immediately cheered in admiration:
— “Wow!
Fire burst out and then turned straight into ice!
That’s magical!
Grandpa, you are so incredibly cool!”
Even a stubborn person like Shin, who usually only trusted in fists and scavenging trash, found his jaw dropping.
His eyes were locked onto the old man’s hand.
A surge of excitement made him completely forget the pain in his head, and he hurriedly lunged forward, frantically urging him:
— “Old man!
You crazy old geezer!
Hurry up and teach us this move!
I see how insane and stylish this is!
Teach us right now, old man!”
Seeing his two adoptive grandsons—who usually spent their time mocking him—now looking at him with absolute reverence, old man Akaisin’s arrogant tail wagged straight to the heavens.
Crossing his arms over his chest, he flashed his toothless grin and chuckled slyly:
— “Heheh…
You find it amazing and you’re craving it now, aren’t you, you two little rascals?
Want me to teach you?
Fine, but first, rules are rules.
You two must call me ‘Master’ in unison and announce this sentence clearly: ‘Master!
Please teach your disciples how to control Sophion!’ Only then will I consider passing down the craft!”
Shin’s face immediately darkened like the bottom of a burnt pot as he realized the old man was seizing the opportunity to exploit his dignity.
Kento, without a single moment of hesitation, crossed his arms, bowed his head, and blurted out loudly with a deeply reverent tone:
— “Master!
Please teach your disciples how to control Sophion!”
Meanwhile, Shin’s face remained grim as he gritted his teeth.
The pride of a sixteen-year-old boy wouldn’t let him easily surrender to this old drunkard.
Pouting his lips, he mumbled in his throat, his voice as quiet as a mosquito:
— “Ma…
Master…
teach us…
to control…
that stuff…”
Old man Akaisin smirked, intentionally inserting a finger into his ear to scratch it, his manner extremely obnoxious:
— “Huh?
What was that?
The wind at the junkyard is blowing too hard today, and an old man’s ears are hard of hearing.
I can’t hear a single thing that white-haired brat is saying!
Why are you muttering like a sick cat?
Say it again!
Louder!
Make it clear!
Otherwise, forget it, beat it and go back to picking scrap metal!”
Knowing full well that this old man was deliberately taking revenge for yesterday’s teasing, Shin was so furious that sparks practically flew from his eyes.
But remembering the magnificent flame and block of ice from earlier, he swallowed his pride, took a deep breath, and bellowed:
— “MASTER!!!
PLEASE TEACH YOUR DISCIPLES HOW TO CONTROL SOPHION!!!”
— “Hahaha!
Good!
Very obedient, my good disciples!” Old man Akaisin cackled triumphantly, stroking his silver beard with extreme satisfaction.
“Alright, seeing your sincerity, the first lesson officially begins: Perceiving and Absorbing Sophion.”
The old man’s comedic face instantly vanished, replaced by the demeanor of a true grand master.
He sat cross-legged on the ground, placing his hands lightly on his knees, his back as straight as a pine tree:
— “You two sit down just like me.
That’s right, straighten your backs.
Now, begin to close your eyes, relax your entire body, and absolutely do not think about or harbor any distractions in your mind.
Use your consciousness to feel the space around you.
Keep this in mind: Sophion is a proud entity.
It will not seek us out on its own; we must use our own will to find it, guide it, and absorb it into the energy channels of our bodies.”
He paused briefly, sensing the air current around them before continuing:
— “The air in this Dark Zone junkyard is polluted and depleted, so the Sophion here is a bit thin.
But for beginners like you two, this amount is more than enough to perceive and absorb.
Focus your minds!”
Shin and Kento did as the old man instructed, closing their eyes tightly and attempting to sink into a state of stillness.
One minute…
five minutes…
then thirty minutes passed.
Time crept forward slowly through the early morning fog.
Nearly an hour went by in absolute silence.
Shin and Kento began to show signs of breaking a nervous sweat.
Sitting motionless in a single position for too long on the freezing ground caused the brothers’ legs to grow completely numb, their muscles protesting fiercely.
Yet, old man Akaisin sat opposite them like a ten-thousand-year-old stone statue, his breathing rhythmic, not a single hair out of place.
Right when the two brothers felt like they were on the verge of giving up, the door clicked open.
Little Loona stepped out into the yard, her eyes still a bit hazy from sleep, but seeing the sight of the grandfather and grandsons sitting cross-legged facing each other, she instantly understood what was happening.
Seeing Loona awake, old man Akaisin gently opened his eyes and immediately stood up gracefully, showing no sign of stiffness or numbness whatsoever.
He approached her, asking gently:
— “Are you awake, Loona?
Why did you get up so early today?”
Loona flashed a radiant smile, her hands clasped together with excitement:
— “I was just eager to modify and improve the upper body of yesterday’s robot, so I woke up early.
When I first opened my eyes and saw no one, I thought everyone had gone out to scavenge scrap early, but it turns out you’re all sitting here.”
She tilted her head slightly toward her two older brothers, who had their eyes shut tightly with strained grimaces, and asked curiously:
— “Are my big brothers sensing Sophion, grandpa?”
Old man Akaisin was slightly surprised, nodding with a smile:
— “That’s right.
But how is it that you knew this was Sophion perception at a single glance?”
Loona narrowed her eyes with a smile, though a faint tinge of melancholic nostalgia flickered across her gaze:
— “Hehehe, because in the past, my parents also used to sit cross-legged exactly like this to control Sophion.
Everyone in my family had to learn this from childhood.
But I don’t really like learning Sophion; I prefer inventing and assembling things I like instead!”
Hearing this, old man Akaisin let out a silent sigh in his heart, his eyes full of deep sympathy as he looked at this orphaned girl from a slaughtered intellectual race.
He patted Loona’s head, smiling warmly:
— “You little kid…
it seems you really love inventing, don’t you?
Truly, a genius carves out their own path, completely unlike those two rascals sitting over there.
I had to talk until my throat was sore just to convince them to learn Sophion!”
Loona happily ran into the shack and dragged the upper half of the scrap robot out onto the small yard.
Holding a wrench and a screwdriver, she busied herself assembling a few more gears and electronic components, while sitting flat on the ground alongside the old man, casually watching her two older brothers struggle with their meditation.
Loona’s pleasant mechanical clinking and clanking echoed through the air, completely contrasting with the tense atmosphere gripping Shin and Kento.
Until…
— “Yikes…
Old man…
Help…
Help me…
My legs…
they’ve vanished!
They’re totally numb, I can’t feel them at all, I can’t take it anymore!!!” Shin suddenly snapped his eyes open, crying out in agony before crashing heavily onto the ground, clutching his two legs which had grown as stiff as logs.
END OF CHAPTER 3