Three days passed.
Shisui's body changed subtly—his skin flushed with faint vitality, his reflexes sharper. Meditation felt easier, as if Arch Energy had started recognizing him.
By now, he'd unlocked three Flow Paths: Rasa's Thread (left arm), Gaiya Line (upper back), and Koru Spiral (solar plexus). Kurou called it "good progress for a human."
But Shisui wanted more.
He trained through dusk, drawing and redirecting Arch Energy. Kurou had warned him to rest. Instead, Shisui practiced a soul gesture meant for intermediate users—The Spiral Call.
He wanted to test it.
"Just once," he whispered, placing his fingers over his ribs.
He spoke the chant:
"Vaal'tenem... sai'yorah... enlira'kesh—Uth'remos."
His body stiffened.
Arch Energy surged—too much.
Instead of flowing into a single path, it erupted in three directions at once.
Golden light burst from his skin, and for a moment, he saw his own skeleton glowing beneath his flesh.
Then pain.
White-hot.
Blinding.
His nerves screamed. Blood trickled from his nose. He collapsed.
Kurou appeared out of nowhere and slammed his palm into Shisui's chest, muttering a different chant.
The glow died.
Silence returned.
"You disobeyed," Kurou said coldly. "And now you've torn two spirit gates."
Shisui looked up, shivering. "I… I just wanted to get stronger faster."
"Then you will learn what happens to mortals who think they can rush the divine," Kurou said.
He walked away without another word, leaving Shisui lying there—his soul flickering, bruised by ambition.