Of the Keiza and Chitronic Channeling

This section contains minor spoilers for the series in the context of magic system.

The keiza and its color

The keiza, often referred to as the ‘seat of the soul’ or ‘window to the soul’, is a swirl of raised skin on the brow of every human. The color of one’s keiza matches that of their chitrons and soul, and no two humans possess the exact same shade. Keiza colors are random and unrelated to soul-spin.

While keiza color theory—analyzing the character traits associated with certain colors; as well as color-pair affinities from the perspective of platonic and non-platonic relationships—is of great interest to several scholars, there have been no substantiated findings on the topic till date.

Brightness and direction

Keiza brightness and direction, however, has been proven directly related to net chitronic soul-spin. The direction of the swirl—clockwise or counterclockwise—corresponds to that of the human soul, and the brightness corresponds to speed. Those in possession of souls with extremely high negative spins, for example certain Narakhi, thus have keiza so faint they are hardly visible. Those in possession of souls with extremely high positive spins, such as certain Paramosi, have keiza so bright they are blinding; because of this, it is a fashion amongst Paramosi to wear metal bands or strips of cloth around their brows, so that their keiza do not cause an inconvenience to others.

A trigger for channeling

The keiza is integral for chitronic channeling, that is, the art of harnessing chitrons for a specific purpose, often to achieve feats that would be considered supernatural or magical otherwise. Activating one’s chitrons for the purpose of channeling requires a high level of concentration, but can be expedited by touching or swiping the keiza with a finger. While extremely talented channelers can achieve quick activation without touch, keiza swiping remains a habit amongst most.

Internal channeling

There are two types of channeling, internal and external. Internal channeling involves harnessing one’s own chitrons. It is most commonly used to elevate one’s own physical traits (e.g. enhance speed, strength, hearing, vision), change one’s own appearance, or, in the case of extremely skilled channelers, heal one’s own physical injuries. In practice, it has two steps:

Activation: ‘switching on’ one’s own chitrons
Channeling: manipulating them for a specific purpose

External channeling

Also known as ambient channeling, external channeling involves harnessing the chitrons of the environment. These could be chitrons in the air, rock, water, or almost any natural feature. It is used in elemental manipulation, for which the applications are near endless (e.g. cloudsurfing, shielding, walking across water or up vertical surfaces, reshaping rock, healing others). In practice, it has three steps:

Activation: ‘switching on’ one’s own chitrons
Bonding: funneling them through one’s keiza to bond with the chitrons of the environment
Channeling: manipulating the environmental chitrons with one's own, for a specific purpose, through the bond

Chitronic volumes

With respect to external channeling, the volume of ambient chitrons that can be channeled depends on the size of the individual’s own chitronic reserves (of which older channelers have more), physical strength and stamina, mental sharpness and focus, and level of control. Typically, light or positive-spin chitrons (i.e. those found in upper realms) are thought to be more malleable and easily channeled than dark or negative-spin chitrons (i.e. those found in lower realms).

Limits and recharging

The art of chitronic channeling, while simple as breathing to seasoned channelers, can be both physically and mentally exhausting. The more efficient a channeler is at controlling chitrons—both their own and those of the environment—the more they can achieve before reaching their limit.

Limits differ amongst channelers. Some reach their physical limit first, that is, their body is unable to keep up with the rigor. Others reach their mental limit first, wherein their brains are too exhausted to focus properly and maintain control. Fewer still reach the point of chitronic exhaustion first, that is, despite being physically and mentally fine, their chitrons are ‘spent’ of their energy; at this point, the channeler must allow a period of time for their chitrons to naturally recharge before they are usable again. Sleep, food, and meditation are surefire methods to boost the rate of recharge, although the most efficient by far is exposure to direct sunlight.

While chitrons can be drained of energy, they cannot be destroyed, with the exception of through [REDACTED].

Channeling during the One Realm Era

The art of channeling and the ability to see human keiza have become so ingrained in the culture of the Four Realm Era, that many forget that it was not always so. For during the One Realm Era, humankind could neither access ambient chitrons nor channel them, and keiza were entirely invisible.

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