Siren's Elegy Volume 1: Orphans of Ashen Earth

Chapter 36: Festering Corruption

September 03, 4021 08:00 [Matriarch 04- Outskirts]

They stood in a clearing, far away from the pallid hues of the Matriarch's architecture. Jin had taken Indra past the outer gates, into an open field. The grassland was covered in greenery as far as the eye could see—not a tree in sight. There was no security or surveillance out here. If Indra dared to make a break for it, now would be the moment to do so. Yet, when he stared into Jin's cold eyes as they analyzed his every movement, he knew it was a trap. Every involuntary twitch of his muscles felt like a transgression on his part. The Hyena brought him here on purpose, far away from any secondary parties. It was as if he were silently egging him on, goading him to turn tail and run. Indra was aware that it was a one-way ticket to death. He stood his ground. There was no point in fighting a losing battle. Maybe he would learn something from his senior.

Jin looked disappointed at Indra's reluctance to defy him, expecting a degree of resistance. He had shed his DIVE Suit, leaving it at the outer gate with security. He told them that he wouldn't be needing the suit when questioned about it, a smirk directed at Indra. "It wouldn't be a fair fight. Besides, it's not like he can touch me anyways."

The Hyena wore a dark compression shirt that fit snugly around his musculature and a pair of running shorts. He looked relaxed, the wind gently ruffling his hair.

"How's your Shakti regulation coming along? I heard your team in particular made some significant progress. Bravo," he clapped, slowly.

Indra grimaced thinking back to the grueling hours he spent in classroom 23D with Kuvira and Garou every day after weapons training.

"We're only making progress faster because that bastard doesn't let us leave until we increase our percentage by ten."

"But now you've hit a wall, or at least those two have, right?"

Indra nodded, trying to gauge what Jin was getting at.

"I thought so. The maximum percentage that most Homunculi reach on these is about eighty percent. You've experienced first-hand how each increment of ten gets exponentially more difficult to maintain. Well, the only individuals who can get past this threshold are those that have an affinity for a certain type of Shakti regulation called Ascendant Regulation. Look at this," he said, fishing through his pocket.

Jin procured a disc: two marbles continued to spin steadily while the bubble remained intact.

"A Shakti meter? So what? You're just doing the same thing we've been doing these past few weeks," Indra stated, unimpressed.

Jin shook his head, chuckling to himself. He lifted the Shakti meter to show Indra the numerical value on the display. His indifference turned to surprise.

"Eighty-two? So then you—"

"This isn't mine. It's yours. And it's still spinning."

Indra watched the marbles spin continuously, mouth slightly ajar. "How?" he finally mustered.

"Tengri never told you? You've been passively regulating your Shakti output. Something must have clicked for you to exhibit this ability."

"That's—I have no idea what I'm supposed to do with this information."

"That's why we're here. You're going to reach one-hundred percent in Shakti regulation, and I'll help you get there. From here on out the method is going to be different," the Hyena explained. "You'll need to take your surroundings into account while you're also focusing on maintaining a level of balance with how much Shakti you store and release."

Easier said than done. But the fact remained, he was able to unconsciously perform this function already. Supposedly, it was second nature to him, like breathing. So then why did he have to train for this? Jin tilted his head, trying to discern what Indra was ruminating over. He strolled over to him at a leisurely pace, the Shakti meter in one hand. Placing a finger on Indra's cheek, Jin watched as he crumpled to the floor, hunched over in pain as his skin burned. The acrid smell of singed flesh lingered in the air. The Hyena bent low, presenting the Shakti meter's display to Indra. He blinked through bleary eyes, focusing on the number shown: [46].