Frenrin laid back on his bed with an insignificant smirk while staring at the ceiling.
Instead of being nervous, scared, or even just tense... in contrast, he was actually excited! The reason being due to something Garmr told him, specifically it was due to her soul!
...Back when Frenrin was travelling to Blue-Rose with the caravan, Garmr and Frenrin were discussing non-commonly known knowledge about the death element.
Garmr was sitting atop a metallic box, sitting upright in a leaning manner befitting only a human.
{Every element at a certain stage unlocks specialized features; you could say they're somewhat inherent based off the user.}
{Inherent, like genes? Or inherent as in their self, or like their specific nature?}
{Both, well, sort of. In terms of genes, a human couldn't get the same specialized type of elemental ren as a demon. So basically genes differ between species, meanwhile the nature part is pretty straightforward; for example, a courageous and self-sacrificing individual would likely have a reinforced type of Ren. It could manifest itself as a shield to protect others, or it could even be as specific as teleporting to those he's marked.}
Frenrin tossed around a few wooden balls in his hands, similar to juggling.
{But don't people change? I find it pretty hard to believe that somebody could forever be a courageous person. For example, what if a knight failed to protect their target? Wouldn't they lose confidence? And even grow to be a coward?}
{People do change, but so does their specialized Ren. Unless it is an extreme change to one's sense of self, then their ren will slowly change to their current self. A ren user that specializes in healing magic, that slowly turns into a sadistic and cruel person, might find that whenever they heal somebody, their target starts feeling an abnormal amount of pain.}
{I suppose that makes sense, but how do you unlock 'specialized Ren'?}
{You don't unlock it.}
...? {Are you going to continue?}
{No. I believe that it's best for you to figure it out yourself; you're rather smart, so it should be relatively easy.}
{...Is it something you learn at a specific level?}
{Do not bother trying to figure it out for now; at the very least you will need to be at the peak of 1-Star.}
{...Alright.}
{Hahaha, do not look so dejected, kid. I can, however, tell you the starting point, per se, of specialized-ren.}
Garmr continued incessantly.
{In every element there is a starting branch of every specialized-ren 'tree,' per se. It's usually something that doesn't fit the rest of the elements; for example, the fire element's starting point is unlocking the attribute 'lightning.' Meanwhile, water is unlocking 'invisibility,' etc.}
{...So?}
{So what?}
Frenrin facepalmed, slightly feeling a bit annoyed. {So what is the death's elemental, specialized-ren starting point?}
Garmr suddenly stood straight up, walking on two of his paws, leaning one of his upper paws on the side of a wooden pole inside the carriage; with a proud and superior-smug air unbefitting of any dog in any world, he responded.
{Hahaha, so you wish to know more about the most powerful element! Well, prepare yourself, for it is even more powerful than the life element!}
Frenrin actually felt himself feeling excited.
{Souls.}
{Souls?}
{Souls! Soul manipulation is the starting specialized ren of every death user! No matter what species you are, whether you're a beast, furble, or human!}
{...What are souls?}
{Ah, I suppose I haven't explained that yet. It explains why you seem... rather undisturbed. Souls is another key advantage death users have, similar to how reinforcement is such a strong point.}
{Souls are something everybody has; most believe that they are metaphorical or perhaps even just outright fake, but in reality they are metaphysical. Unable to be seen by the naked eye, they are intangible for anybody that is not able to specifically manipulate them.}
{Souls are part of your sense of self; your body and soul split about a 50/50 balance for who you are. You could say your brain receives inputs from your soul—it's your feelings, per se; it's why you feel bad for killing a small puppy...}
{If you didn't have a soul, you would be similar to a husk, one that does the most straightforward and efficient process that improves your survivability. Emotions no longer exist in a person without a soul; it's similar to being a machine that just does whatever makes them last a day longer.}
{I believe that you're starting to understand how manipulating the soul can be so powerful?}
Frenrin responded with a smiling expression; he was clearly impressed with the death element for once. {Yeah, I can see for once how the death element is superior over all elements, like you say.}
Garmr laughed as he stretched his remaining paw in a small circular motion. {I told you so!}
{Anyway, to get more into specifics. Manipulating the soul of a living target is something that requires a lot of practice, although just outright destroying it isn't very hard. It does vary drastically based on the target's willpower, though, and doing it on a moving target is something that most wouldn't even bother trying... well, unless it's something related to your specialized ren.}
Frenrin interrupted Garmr's informative teachings to ask a question. {What does manipulating a soul mean?}
{Manipulating a soul has a lot of meanings; the most obvious one is to turn them into sort of an addicted slave. For example, you can't turn somebody into a husk that does whatever you command them, but you could make them feel an intoxicating amount of pleasure from doing what you ask, while also experiencing an excruciating amount of melancholy and pain if they refuse your orders. Although on special occasions you could turn them outright into a husk, though, that's rather rare.}
{Even just in lesser situations you could outright change their behavior; you could turn a sadistic person into a joyful, kind person, or vice versa. There are also a few other things, but they're too complicated for you to do for a while.}
{But the simplest method is to just break their soul; breaking their soul is the same as killing them. It will outright get rid of their self-preservation; they won't feel the need to be alive. They won't breathe, they won't move, they will simply turn into something similar to a vegetable.}
{Though I normally would not suggest doing this, as there is a method much more incredible.}
Frenrin once again felt excited; Garmr was not exaggerating this time about how powerful the death element was. {So what is it?}
{Devour. Devour their souls, consume them, and reinforce your own.}
{...?}
{A reinforced soul is incredibly versatile; it will increase your will, boost the defense of your own soul, and also aid your cultivation.}
{How would it aid my cultivation?}
{Instead of consuming a soul to reinforce your own, you can instead convert it into a pseudo-essence; instead of outright increasing your cultivation rank, it will instead be similar to a multiplier. Although it is only for a temporary amount of time.}
{The higher the rank of soul, the harder it is to consume. But in return it also increases the properties, whether in pseudo-boosting or reinforcing your own soul.}
Frenrin smiled, but instead of his usual nonchalant smirk, it was instead overexaggerated! It looked out of place, almost unnerving. It was as if he'd never smiled so fully before...