42 Chapter 41

He had figured out most of the means available to him except for one. It was his Attribute, [Storm Forged]. Its description was peculiar and queer, making it hard to understand.

[Storm Forged] Attribute Description: "Your heart once weathered a storm of emotion. Now, it has learned to ride with or against the waves, and the waves will follow it."

'What does it mean?' Dane questioned silently. He willed the 'waves' to churn. They did, and the crystal clear blood obeyed when he willed it to move a certain way. But how was this useful?

He stroked his chin as he thought, tapping his foot restlessly. Then it struck him. If this was affecting him in the Soul Sea, it should be affecting him physically too, as his Soul Core, and by extension, his Soul Sea, were inside his body. His Soul Core was his Heart, after all.

He left the Soul Sea, returning his complete consciousness to his body. He focused and commanded 'the waves' to move the way, just like when he was inside the Sea of Soul.

He felt his heart roil. It was beating harder and faster. He felt stronger…his blood was flowing through him with speed that he was not used to, and he felt full of energy. He was brimming with energy. His brain and muscles received oxygen like never before.

Instinctively, he could tell that even though his heart was beating so fast, it was not one bit dangerous. It didn't work like that, but this wasn't normal. This was supernatural. Then, another instinct brushed against his heart. He shivered, feeling as if chills were flowing through him.

He could feel his emotions as if they were stark naked. Love, hate, fear, and sorrow. They were so clear. Then, he felt a conceptual switch within his heart. He 'flipped' it, and all of it was snuffed out. He could tell they were still there, suppressed. Obscured. Muffled.

He 'flipped' the switch again, and back they came. He felt again.

Next to that switch was a metaphorical lever. He 'pulled' it. Tears fell from his eyes as he stifled a laugh, and his breathing quickened. His emotions soared! He felt as if he could dance while sobbing and giggle while stabbing someone he hated to death.

He was giddy all over, drunk on his emotions. He lowered the 'lever,' and his feelings calmed, returning to their earlier state. His mouth was agape, and a laugh left his mouth.

This was, without a doubt, heartbeat and emotion regulation! Dane knew that some Awakened trained all their lives to learn to control their heartbeats. They could make it beat faster to send more oxygen to their muscles, making them more vigorous, powerful, and agile. Or they could make their mental state dead calm and sharp as a blade. They couldn't do both at the same time.

Such methods required intense concentration and myriad breathing techniques, but Dane only needed to think to get the best of both worlds!

***

Dane toyed with his newfound prowess over his heartbeat and emotional state.

He learned many things.

For one, he discovered he could choose which emotions he wanted to 'turn off' or increase or decrease in intensity. Not only that, but he could do all of the aforementioned simultaneously without a problem. At the same time, he could regulate his heartbeat to provide him with strength without any backlash from his body or soul, which Dane almost felt was a 'cheat code.'

He was excited but also a little nervous. He couldn't help but thank his uncle and sister for instilling good sense into him. In many of the web-novels and dramas he had read or watched, he noticed a common trend where main characters received similar capabilities or were just turned into cold and callous monsters on the author's whims, all reasoning and writing skill be damned.

Those main characters were emotionless and did everything 'perfectly' as if they had no flaws. But, to anyone with a rudimentary understanding of human nature, it was one big, fat joke.

Emotional maturity was an essential factor in growing one's intellect and, more importantly, wisdom. There was no objective 'perfect' for humans, and it was all subjective. Without emotional maturity, all that remained was an emotionless state of utterly flawed subjectiveness without room for growth or change.

Dane shivered, picturing himself as a forty-year-old man with all the emotional maturity, intellect, and wisdom of a self-righteous, stubborn, and hormonal teenager with no chance to improve or change. It was stagnation and death of self.

That being said, as long as he didn't turn himself into a cold husk of a living being, [Storm Forged] would be an excellent tool. He could guarantee himself a calm and stable mind in combat and keep himself grounded in times of distress. He would not flee madly like he almost did last time.

However, there were many instances where listening to one's instincts was correct. Dane would have to learn to be an accurate judge of such situations. He could not do some rudimentary reading or be told about it and expect to be precise each time. He needed experience.

'Be grateful for your fear. Only the dead and the mad do not feel fear,' he reminded himself of what he told Jeanne. Indeed, his fear kept him alive and very much human.

***

A/N: I have been on and off with my updates. I am very busy with personal matters, so please excuse it. I assure you that I have no intention of dropping this fanfic.