Rin had barely absorbed the weight of what Cal had said when they started walking again, moving deeper into the heart of the Threshold. It was still surreal, like walking through a city built from memory, its pulse a strange rhythm that he couldn't quite match.
"So, about this... controlling my Realm powers?" Rin asked, feeling awkward at the idea. "What does that even mean? How am I supposed to control them?"
Cal flashed a grin over his shoulder. "Good question. One that takes a while to answer, but I'll give you the basics." He paused as they reached a small courtyard at the heart of the city. Unlike the others, this one felt more alive. The buildings here were slightly taller, the sky above a swirl of colors that seemed too vivid to belong to the real world. "Every Tethered is connected to their own Anchor Realm. It's like having a second self, a reflection, only it's not just in your head. It's tied to you. The more in tune you are with it, the more you can tap into its power."
Rin looked up at the swirling sky, feeling an odd pull, like something inside him wanted to reach out and touch it. But he resisted, instead focusing on Cal.
"But what if I don't want to use them?" Rin asked, more quietly. "What if I just want to live without all this... weirdness?"
Cal's smile faded for a moment, but only for a moment. "Not using them isn't really an option. You're already marked, whether you like it or not. And when the time comes, you'll need to know how to control them—whether it's to protect yourself or someone else."
Rin shifted uncomfortably. "And what happens if I don't get it right? If I don't learn fast enough?"
"Then," Cal said, his voice uncharacteristically serious, "you might hurt someone. Or worse, attract the wrong kind of attention." He didn't elaborate, but the unspoken weight of his words settled heavily on Rin's shoulders.
Rin swallowed hard, his mind racing. The idea of hurting anyone, especially by accident, was terrifying. He didn't want that.
Cal clapped his hands together, his usual cheerfulness returning. "Alright, enough with the doom and gloom. You're gonna start by learning how to connect with your Anchor Realm. Trust me, it's not as hard as it sounds."
Rin raised an eyebrow. "And how do I do that?"
"You've already started," Cal replied with a wink. "That stone you're wearing? That's a part of your Realm. It's a focus point. What you need to do is just... focus on it. Let it be the bridge between you and your Realm. And don't worry, your Realm won't bite. Just feel it out."
Rin hesitated, his fingers brushing the cool stone of the pendant. It felt... alive, pulsing gently beneath his touch. There was something there, something not quite tangible but unmistakably present. He took a deep breath and tried to focus, blocking out the noise of the world around him.
At first, nothing happened. But then, a flicker. A spark.
The ground beneath his feet seemed to shift, subtly at first, like a tremor that didn't quite reach the surface. The air around him hummed, and for the briefest moment, he felt... connected. It was as though the world around him wasn't just a place he was standing in, but something he could reach into.
"That's it," Cal said, his voice low and encouraging. "You felt that? That's the connection. You're starting to understand your Realm's influence."
Rin nodded slowly, still feeling the strange pull, but unsure of what to do next.
Cal continued, stepping closer. "Now, to make it stronger, you need to let your Anchor Realm reflect something about you. The deeper you connect, the more you'll be able to draw from it. But it's a balance—don't lose yourself in it, or it might change you. We all have a bit of that danger inside us, you know."
Rin's brow furrowed as he processed that. "So, it's like a... reflection of who I am?"
"Exactly," Cal said, nodding. "It's tied to your identity. But that's also what makes it dangerous. The more you access it, the more it can change you. You have to be careful."
Rin stood there for a moment, lost in thought, before a new tension gripped him. What if he didn't understand this soon enough? What if, like Cal said, it was already starting to change him? It wasn't something he could ignore.
He glanced back at Cal. "What happens if I get lost in it? If I change too much?"
Cal's expression darkened for a brief moment before he regained his usual carefree demeanor. "That's when things get complicated. People forget who they are, or worse, they lose their humanity. And there's no coming back from that."
The gravity of those words hung in the air, a stark reminder of the perilous path ahead.
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