Chapter 109
Watching Anastasia try to get acknowledged by her Soul Leash, the gray raven feathers, Michelle narrowed her purple eyes in thought. Anastasia clearly needed some help, but Michelle had yet to understand the feathers, so she couldn’t step in.
Michelle exhaled slowly, her sharp gaze fixed on Anastasia’s form. The feathers on Anastasia’s arms twitched, pulsing in defiance, resisting her control just as the soul energy had before. But the Soul Leash was different. It wasn’t just raw power refusing to be tamed; it was something sentient, something that recognized Anastasia as its owner but refused to submit to her control.
Contemplating, Michelle tapped her fingers against her knee. Since the Soul Leash was a bridge between her and the soul energy, it was directly bound to her, unlike the soul energy, which, while indeed connected to her soul, wasn’t connected to her consciousness.
Soul energy was a wild power, though with some kind of self-awareness, that could be conquered once perfectly synchronized with the carrier’s body and soul, which Anastasia achieved when she slowly nudged the soul energy into her veins and bloodstream.
But Soul Leash was a complex and intelligent existence, connected to the consciousness of its carrier. Though its intelligence couldn’t be compared to that of an adult human, it had a brainpower comparable to that of a genius ten-year-old or an average thirteen-year-old. That meant that Anastasia couldn’t force the Soul Leash into submission, just like she couldn’t with soul energy, but she had to prove herself to it.
Michelle shifted her position, moving her weight from one leg to the other, her gaze fixated on Anastasia as her brows knitted together in concentration. The gray raven feathers trembled, resisting every attempt to be dominated or commanded. "You’re not trying to tame a wild beast!" Michelle finally spoke, her calm voice sharply cutting through the air, making Anastasia open her eyes and look at her.
"It’s like a stubborn but strong child that refuses to listen to you, and you have to make it respect you. It knows you are its master, but it doesn’t trust or like you. But that’s only now. You can change that." Michelle continued.
Hearing Michelle’s words, Anastasia sighed. "So, I have to negotiate with my own power?"
With a shrug, Michelle nodded. "Basically. And try not to get frustrated. If it sees your anger, it will just resist you more. Well, like I said. Take it as a stubborn child. If you press on it in anger, it will push back with the same or greater force."