Memory

Myriad Reality

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*Grabs another metal square and uses some of the incomplete blood to draw a series of symbols on it, then sets it back down next to the materials*

The process is to conceptually "release" the materials at precise times, in a field that lends itself to the creation of the core. To prevent potential damage to you, I'm going to provide the field that you work in. If you had to do this alone, you could project it yourself, but if certain mistakes are made it would create backlash.

*Smiles*

But I know you'll do great, so I'm not worried about that.

*I put a hand on the table the materials are on, and a soft blue glow surrounds them*

Start with the scalpel, then the hydrogen, then the beaker of blood, then the water, then electricity, and finally end with the scalpel again. Try to time it to two and a half seconds between each. Don't worry too much if something goes wrong, we can always start over.

@Yatagarasu

What would happen if I timed it wrong?
*Picks up the scalpel*

Myriad Reality

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Not always. There are some cases where it's better to remove it, but those are outliers, and typically it'll be obvious to the person who the core is in that something is wrong with it.

@Yatagarasu

That makes sense to me. Okay. What do we need to do next?

Myriad Reality

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*Shakes my head*

If the soul's totally destroyed, the core won't help. As long as some bit of it is left, there are other options, but the core will only help as long as the soul maintains its... "shape," for lack of a better word.

@Yatagarasu

Is it always more of a help than a weakness to leave the core in them?

Myriad Reality

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It'll cause a level of shock to the soul, which can destabilize it somewhat, but it's not going to be fatal or anything.

@Yatagarasu

And how resilient are they? If the soul gets destroyed, can it regenerate from just the core?

Myriad Reality

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Not that extreme, but if it's destroyed, it'll have an impact on the soul that weakens it. Especially if it's done before the soul is fully recovered.

@Yatagarasu

What if it's broken after the soul recovers?

Myriad Reality

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Correct! As long as we make the seed correctly, it'll feed itself on ambient energies, meaning we mostly just have to wait a short while before implanting. If you were in a different place, it might take a while, but here it won't take long at all.

@Yatagarasu

Does that create a bodily weakness in the host? Like if the core is broken, is their soul destroyed? You mentioned it was like a backup earlier.

Myriad Reality

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In part, yes. The goal of this method is to create a core that is compatible with the soul, and the reason we use an element compatible with the body is familiarity. But the reason we need a "start" is for the core's formation; we have to conceptually "progress" or else it will be stagnant and unable to feed the soul.

@Yatagarasu

*Nods and glances in a semi-circle pattern, processing*
So we'll create the seed of a core, feed it until it's sustainable, then implant it into the body?

Myriad Reality

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You were on the right track, just thinking too physically. It's because it's the "first." Yes, it can turn into other elements physically through various processes, but souls don't work off of physical matter. So we need something to represent "one" or "beginning," for the process, and the first element formed in nature works well for that.

Knowing that, I bet you can guess some of the other materials' purposes.

@Yatagarasu

Is it the most basic stuff the soul will naturally move toward? It's familiar?

Myriad Reality

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That's a way to think of it, but it's not the reason, directly. And things get messier with some systems; we're lucky that we only have to deal with a common periodic table right now.

@Yatagarasu

So what's the real reason, then?

Myriad Reality

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Ah, I should have explained that part better. It's not "base" in terms of the organic, it's "base" in terms of the elements themselves. Carbon, in this case, would be six times what we need for charge, and...

*Thinks for a moment*

Yeah, six too many neutrons, too. Almost said six times for that, too.

@Yatagarasu

*Holds the handle of my magnifying glass against my cheek*
So in other words, we need to be able to recreate the entire spectrum of elements based on whatever base unit we pick.