Sound. The first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word sound is music or anything you hear. As a power, sound requires a medium, therefore, there are a lot of limitations to the power of sound. Its effects vary in different media. And if the opponent is someone who has control over air, a vacuum space is enough to break the user's sound.
That's how normal people think. That's what people expect from sound. To anyone, sound is nothing but a support-type ability. Sonic booms, high frequency, and more.
But Ray is different… He thinks sound needs a medium. If the conduit can control sound, then they can read the medium. If they can read the medium, they can read the resonance, frequency, vibrations, and density.
A core circulates life force like blood throughout the body. The way it circulates is altered to bring out the abilities of respected clans, families, and organisations.
As life force flows, it generates a unique resonance index signature (RIS), which is often measured by a specialized tech, resonance index reader (RIR).
Therefore, if trained in a particular way, Meloni cannot only measure the resonance, but she can also read it. If she can read the resonance, she can read the life force. And if she can read the life force…
'She can be a true powerhouse who can not only use her own power, but also mimic her opponent or cancel out their power. She can weaken the core by disrupting the resonance, even break it, crippling someone for life!' Ray thought, staring at Meloni, who was feeding her bird, Milo.
'But right now, her core is nowhere near strong enough to acquire that skill. Her body is not reinforced. And her perception is not of that level…' Ray thought.
'Her core and her body…' Ray looked at his wing with his head hung low.
'I can reinforce them without making a visual change in her appearance. My force breath,' Ray thought. Ray's force breath, it's not just unique, but it's the one thing that every person in the world desires.
'But it'll be worth it…' He thought.
'This way, her growth potential would rise exponentially, her body will be rendered off any impurities, and she'll become more beautiful…' Ray thought.
"Aight!" Ray voiced out and looked at Meloni.
"Hm? So you figured out something?" Meloni turned her head, closing the can with a plastic cover.
"Not just something but a lot of things… I just designed your powers in my mind. But it'll take time. A lot of time to make you reach your full potential!" Ray replied, fixing the pink fluffy pillow with his wings and sitting on it comfortably with his feet tucked in.
"And it's definitely not going to be easy!" He added.
"Nothing's easy. But there's nothing in this world that I'm not capable of!" She replied.
"I love that fake self-proclamation in order to motivate yourself…" He murmured.
"I heard that!" She said, squinting her eyes as she closed the cabinet where she keeps bird food.
"I know, now sit here!" Ray said and tapped the bed with his wings in front of him.
Meloni nodded and stood up on the bed, then sat right in front of Ray.
"Your power lies in three components. First, your core. We need to strengthen it in order to circulate an enormous amount of life force. Second, perception. An extreme level of perception. Third, your body. Enough to take a heavy blow and not damage yourself, of course, I'll make sure you maintain your feminine touch~" Ray said as his eyes drifted to her chest again.
"But my perception is already strong, I believe…" Meloni replied.
"Really? You can't even sense that there's a peak horizon agent near your house for your protection. Scratch that, you can't even look at how dense my core is, and forget about this too, you don't even know that your core is circulating life force, leaking an uneven resonance!" Ray said.
"Wh-wait…There's an agent near my house? Ferrum?" She asked.
"Yeah, don't worry, he's not peeking. Just there for protection, he'll sense another conduit and come straight to your house!" Ray replied, swinging his wing in the air like it's no problem.
"But, wouldn't he sense you?" Meloni asked.
"That could have been possible two days ago, but I've healed my core enough to hide my signature completely even if I go rampant," Ray replied.
"I see…" She muttered, staring at him.
"Tell me!" Ray said and asked, "Since your core is weak right now, and we can't just make it strong out of nowhere, how would you use your powers in a battle against another conduit?"
Meloni thought for a while and then she guessed, "A high frequency attack like tinnitus, just like a stun grenade. Or maybe a rougher frequency to rupture the eardrums?"
"You think like a completely average person!" Ray responded to her guess and shook his head in disappointment.
"Then, how can I use my powers? It's just sound!" Meloni said, and raised her shoulders in defeat.
"It's not just sound! It's the sound!" Ray replied. "You're thinking like an idiot! Have you never heard of vertigo?"
"Vertigo? feeling off balance and dizzy?" She asked, raising her brows.
"Yes! If you just focus on controlling two different frequencies on the opponent, in a way that he or she hears completely different sounds from their left and right ears. You can make them feel like the world is spinning, create effects of nausea, and make them lose consciousness!" Ray replied.
"Meloni, your power cannot be seen! A weapon that cannot be seen is the most dangerous kind of weapon! You can win the battle without any flashy attacks, you can win the battle before your opponent even makes a move!" Ray continued.
"I never thought of it that way…" Meloni murmured.
"Of course you never did!" Ray spoke and hopped on Meloni's shoulders.
"Now focus. Straighten your back first!" He said.
Meloni fixed her posture and sat cross-legged.
"Now close your eyes, I'm going to circulate my life force into your body. I'll channel it through your core. Feel it, feel how it moves throughout your body, and then mimic the flow with your own life force!" Ray said as he nudged a little closer to her neck.
'She really does smell good all the time!' He thought.
Meloni closed her eyes and nodded.
Ray's eyes glowed golden again, black flames covered the lashes, as he circulated his life force through her heart.
Meloni's perception might be weak, but it is far more better than any person or even a conduit at the veinborn level. Her senses were sensitive because of her innate ability and already mutated body that has adapted to the core fundamentals of sound.
She could feel the power of Ray, it was dark, thick, and far more denser than hers. Her body felt the shivers of his life force even when Ray had complete control over it. Because Ray's power was just extremely strong.
Meloni might be comfortable around Ray, but she knows that he's someone of extreme importance. She can feel it. Even in the form of a falcon, the things he knows, the way he talks, the way he behaves, it's like a child who has everything but doesn't know the struggles of someone who lacks those things.
Her suspicion grew when Hugo Barlow asked about his name in a secretive tone. A man of that caliber, afraid of speaking Ray's real name, even when they were the only people in the ward. She's not naive. But still, she feels oddly comfortable around someone who knows what she's been hiding all along, someone who doesn't treat her as a fragile girl and is agreeing to help her grow…
"Focus!" Ray said.
Cores have colours depending on how the life force is circulated and what the ability is. Ray is the only person in the world with a core so black that it could even absorb the light. And Meloni's core was so white that it could be the source of life itself.
People think sound is weak. But they forget that sound feels everything.
'You can hide your blade. You can shield your thoughts. But you can't stop your core from humming. I'll design her powers in a way that once she hears your core humming, you're already undone!' Ray thought with a smirk that was not visible in his falcon form.