Chapter 3: Reiki Orphan

<Timeskip: 3 Years>

-Vulcan POV-

...

It's been a few years since I was reborn, and I just had my third birthday yesterday. It was nothing too special, just me and my 'mother' doing a small song and dancing together.

I've been training my body as a toddler and eating as healthy food as I can find. Also, I have been trying to do breathing exercises to keep myself calm at all times and lessen the breath wasted during exercise.

Toddlers are recommended to get at least 30 minutes of structured physical activity and at least 60 minutes of unstructured physical activity each day. As I am right now, those are not even a fraction of what I currently do. Of course, those are just minimums.

Although I was not a body-builder baby, I can confidently say that my body was slim and powerful, if I fight other children, I'll win with ease.

I've been trying nonstop during these years to awaken that unknown energy like always, and almost gave up, until I did something.

I've been practicing something called Hatsurei-ho. It is a practice involving Reiki, a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. This practice, Hatsurei-ho, has some secrets behind it which I discovered to awaken my energy.

First of all, it is administered by "laying on hands" and is based on the idea that an unseen "life force energy" flows through us and is what causes us to be alive.

Hatsurei-ho is taught during Reiki, which is the only practice I've been learning in Reiki. It is considered the most important of Reiki meditations. It is intended as a form of self-training and includes elements of meditation.

There are seven stages to this meditation normally, but I reduced them into 3 stages, making my own Hatsurei-ho into a technique for awakening the energy I felt during my death.

'Hatsu' - means 'to generate something'. This will be my way to sense and bring out my energy.

'Rei'- means 'spirit, soul, energy, ki'. This is still being figured out.

'Ho' - means 'method'. This stage is completely unknown, but I feel like it will be important to me. Even I am not sure why I made three stages other than the naming sense fitting for three kana.

I've been performing Hatsu breathing every day, I also heard great benefits to your mental and spiritual self can happen. I will complete the first stage of this technique after tomorrow, until then, I will continue the normal exercises in it.

I'm sitting in a seiza position and clearing my mind. I can feel my heart rate slowing.

To enter my state of feeling that energy, I must first follow the first steps of my modified Hatsurei-ho technique.

Closing my eyes, I say, "Stage one, 'Hatsu'."

There are 3 steps for entering a state to feel my inner energy.

1. Placing my right hand on my left shoulder with the palm gently touching my shoulder.

2. In a smooth and gentle motion slide the hand down to my right hip - while breathing out (Haa sound)

3. Now, I must repeat this process on the right side, using my left hand sliding down toward my left hip.

...

After a few minutes of repeating, I start to breathe in and out slowly, making sure that my next breath would always be slower and more silent.

This started to happen until my breathing seemingly stopped. A state of mine has been achieved where I am breathing in and out once every seven minutes, which is shockingly impressive considering a toddler has weaker lungs than an adult.

Slower and slower my breathing goes. It keeps decelerating to the point where it seems that I am dead for a few moments...

That's when it appears.

Maybe this is a hallucination, but while my eyes are closed, I find myself in my naked adult form, in a desert.

"Phew, it's hot!"

The weather feels hot with the sun burning everything around me. The sand is so hot that I have to keep moving around or it feels like my feet will catch fire.

"Ouch! Oh! There it is!

Moving forward, I see a megastructure's shadow on the horizon of the desert.

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I take one more step forward and feel myself being pulled back into reality.

*PHEW*

Opening my eyes widely, I feel a suffocating feeling appear.

*Cough* *Cough* *Cough* *Cough*

"Aw man... That must have been like a couple of seconds, but really, *Cough* it was almost eight minutes at that time. I still can't reach that place yet. *Cough* Maybe I should try smaller next time and just explore the sands instead of that giant thingy." After finishing coughing, I stabilize my breathing and stand up.

I go to the bathroom and freshen up, thinking about when I can go to a park and train my body. Being indoors while training can be discouraging, to say the least.

I've also never been let out of the house even once to the nearby town since 'mother' leaves the house locked whenever she buys supplies. I remember my past life only a bit about her, the most important being the day after my third birthday...

"Hey Vulcan today we're going outside to meet with an acquaintance, so go get dressed." She finally is about to drop me off.

"Okay." I get up and start to put on my 'I Heart Animals' shirt and put my shoes on and go to the car, an Audi 100 Sedan Quattro. I forgot those old things existed here since I had never gone outside before.

...

While we are driving, 'mother' tries to start a conversation after the long silence so far, "So Vulcan, are you excited to make new friends?"

Feeling her desperate attempt, I smile and say, "I don't know mother... where are we going anyway?"

She stops looking at me, moving her gaze back to the road, "...Vulcan, just remember I truly love you and want you to be safe, so try and get along with others, okay?"

"Umm, sure..." I couldn't help but cringe, if she did love me, why would she ever leave me alone in this cruel world at a young age? Well, it's better that way for both of us, so I'll just go with the flow of things until I become older.

...

The car stops after the long drive, and I look out the window, seeing a familiar place, an orphanage...

The design of this place is based on a European church that makes strong use of symmetric and geometric forms.

It has reinforced concrete pillars forming a cascade effect, but the paint is just regular white, making it feel flavorless. The only unique thing was a big sign above the entrance door saying 'Fostering of Christ'.

"Let's go inside." She says to me, which I comply with a face of curiosity.

The interior design of the orphanage/church has design concepts based on Christianity, I remember sometimes a priest would come to visit the orphanage to assist in performing the mass. I still never became a believer, even after death.

Many church designs were narrow and often placed a distance between the sanctuary and congregation, but ours were remolded to fit little kids in mini dorms. The altars were also placed against the back wall of the sanctuary, away from where we slept and ate.

Going down a small corridor, I saw an old woman with a wrinkled face begin to speak, "Hello little one, what's your name?"

All I said was one word, "Vulcan."

...

I was dropped off, knowing that 'mother' would never see me again, we had a short goodbye and I went to follow the old woman who runs the orphanage.

"Vulcan, do you like our church designs? Originally, we were a church that adapted to help children like you. I hope you enjoy your stay with us until you find a new family. Until then, try to be nice to the others."

Hearing this, I just internally sigh and reply, "Yes madam Chikaori."

...

After showing me around, I was given my own futon to sleep in and an assigned restroom. All in all, it was a pretty nice place, still, when I was adopted, my living conditions became much better.

I hope the same family adopts me. No! I will make sure they do, otherwise, I will have regret before I die.

In this life, I vowed to myself that I'd never have any regrets about the way I lived. As long as I use my current knowledge to the best of my current abilities, I won't have any, so I must make sure to impress my foster family as I did in my last life!

I must get stronger!