Soul of Ionia

I've been so busy recruiting help these past few days that I haven't had a chance to exchange experiences with Karma as the Harbinger. Taking advantage of a rare free moment, I finally found her. ♬💢 💘♧

Karma has been taking care of the injured Shepherd for the past few days. Although she can't speak, amazingly, we can communicate our thoughts through consciousness and communicate without language!

At first I didn't know what was going on; she was the one who relayed the message to me first:

"Yasuo, we haven't congratulated you on becoming the Harbinger yet. From now on, we're teammates. Congratulations!"

"Are you Karma?"

"Yes, it's surprising, isn't it? Actually, I was the same way at first. We Harbinger can communicate through consciousness, and as long as we're in Ionia, we can communicate anytime."

"That's so convenient! That's great! How exactly do I do it?"

"It's very simple. Don't speak; just think about talking to me in your mind."

"Think directly in your mind? Wouldn't that mean everyone's thoughts are connected? And all four Harbinger could know what the other is thinking?"

"Yes, we can exchange ideas anytime."

Karma's voice was very gentle, which surprised me. Wouldn't that mean everyone would have no secrets left?

Sure enough, Karma immediately saw through my thoughts, and she smiled slightly:

"We are all serving God. Aside from conveying divine messages and saving humanity, shouldn't we abandon all other thoughts?"

"Isn't that inappropriate? I'm not some saint who has abandoned all emotions and desires."

"You became Harbinger without even agreeing to this simple request?"

"No, the Soul of Ionia never told me any of this. Perhaps it's because my experiences are different from yours. I only inherited Syndra's divinity."

"I don't think that's important. For the sake of Ionia, we should sacrifice these personal matters."

I can't quite understand Karma; she clearly puts Ionia first and has sacrificed herself for it.

However, this is understandable, as they all became Harbinger at the age of twelve. At that age, they only had their own judgment and their emotions were not yet deeply developed.

How could I possibly give up everything right now? Riven is an exception! She holds a place in my heart higher than Ionia!

If I had to choose between the two, I would definitely choose Riven over Ionia.

I know Karma has read all my thoughts, but it doesn't matter; it's fine if she says it to my face.

Before she could respond, Miyue came out of the room next door. I don't know when she arrived, but it seemed she had already learned about our conversation.

Miyue is a Southern Harbinger from the distant Zhiyun Temple. Legend has it that she is the most powerful of the four Harbinger, yet she looks like a young girl.

She had short gray hair, a petite figure, and was even darker-skinned than Riven, but her delicate features completely masked any flaws in her skin tone.

"You seem a bit different from us, Yasuo!"

"I'm sorry, but I don't agree with your ideas."

"That's Karma's opinion, not the opinion of all the Harbinger and Shepherd."

"You figured out my feelings just now, didn't you? What do you think?"

"I think your idea is fine as a mortal, but as Harbinger, you still have to take responsibility. I don't think the Soul of Ionia would pass on this power to you for no reason, would it?"

→

"I asked him what he needed me to do, but he didn't tell me. He just said that three gods would come looking for me."

"You're completely unharmed. It's impossible to escape unscathed from a fight against Syndra. Under what circumstances did you gain this power?"

"On the verge of death."

"You'd rather die than serve Ionia, is that it?"

"This..."

That's absolutely true. If it weren't for the Soul of Ionia saving me, I would be dead by now. I should value Ionia more than anything else.

I still find it hard to accept abandoning my own feelings, and besides, it's not something I can just do easily.

Seeing that I had been persuaded by her, Miyue continued to try to convince me:

"Yasuo, you're not a narrow-minded person, just a bit stubborn. Even if you weren't the Harbinger, you would still go all out if Ionia were in danger. Jhin's situation has already proven everything. Why bother dwelling on Ionia's place in your heart?"

Miyue is right. I have indeed fallen into my own stubbornness. In the current situation, whether I am Harbinger or not, I will do my best.

Perhaps it was because Karma initially said that the Harbinger' minds were connected, which made me feel like I had nothing to hide, so I felt a little uncomfortable. This thought was immediately picked up by Miyue:

"You don't need to worry about that at all. We can think in unison, or we can isolate ourselves. Try it and see if you can detect my thoughts."

After hearing what Miyue said, I tried it and, sure enough, I couldn't sense anything!

That way, there won't be any impact. You can communicate if you want, and shut down if you don't. Thinking about it that way, it's actually quite convenient. But how should I do it? I still need Miyue to teach me:

"How can I isolate myself?"

"It's very simple; it can be done with a simple magic spell."

Miyue began to teach me. A faint light emanated from her fingers as she drew a complex pattern on her chest, which took her quite a while to complete.

This is considered simple? This technique is quite complex, okay? But with my diligent study, I learned it relatively quickly.

Just then, she suddenly slapped my head, quite hard. "You were just thinking that my flat chest is actually quite convenient for studying, otherwise you wouldn't be able to see the surgical technique clearly, right?"

"Hehe, I didn't mean any harm, it's really convenient."

"You're so impure! Male Harbinger extremely rare, and a lewd old man like you is even rarer. I really don't know why the Soul of Ionia chose you!"

Even the creepy old man was brought in, well, I guess I'm in the wrong. "Maybe it's because Soul of Ionia is about the same level as me."

I recalled my conversation with the Soul of Ionia; he wasn't exactly a serious person, or rather, he might be a god.

"Alright, it's that simple. Once you're skilled enough, you won't need this magic anymore; you can complete the sealing with your Spiritual Power alone—that is, the unique mind manipulation technique of us Harbinger."

"I really should learn more from you guys. Things like manipulating Spiritual Power and using telekinesis are things I've never been exposed to before."

"Since you are Master Souma's disciple and can use the Wind Riding Technique, it will be much easier for you to learn it than it was for us. In some ways, guiding Spiritual Power and gathering the Natural Power are quite similar."

"Thank you for your guidance, Miyue."

"If you really want to thank me, then work harder; after all, you're a Harbinger isn't enlightened enough."

"Must!"