The Super Sparrow lands next to me again. "Kee! Kee-wee!" He chatters impatiently, ready for the next piece of his mid-morning snack.
"Noooo. No yelling Kiwi." I playfully chide. "If you yell, you don't get any more." "Kee..." he warbles softly, tucking his wings back in and bowing slightly.
I stare him down for a few seconds before letting a small smile grow on my face. "Good bird." Quick as a flash I seize another fish from the pile and try going for a personal record, launching the small one-pound bass far beyond the tree line. The sparrow perks up in delight and zooms back into the air with a cheerful cry. "Kee! Kee! Kee!"
I watch him fly away and then turn my thoughts back to [Seimei Kikan]. 'Maybe I should just focus on trying something simple first. Get something easy figured out before wondering how deep the rabbit hole on this [Skill] really goes.' I cross my legs over each other and bring my hands into my lap. 'How about heartbeat? That seems entry-level. People all over the world can lower theirs down with a little deep breathing and a few basic relaxation techniques. [Seimei Kikan] should just let me take it to the next level.'
My eyelids drift shut as I inhale a long focused breath through my nose. My exhale is slow, controlled, and after just a few cycles I can feel myself drifting inward. I can visualize the organ beating in my chest. Pumping. Thumping. Cycling blood with every contraction and expansion. Deeper and deeper I float down into the pseudo-zen state until… I have control. It's a foreign sensation. Difficult to put into words. But I just know that it will obey my order. 'And we're slooowing down. Sloooooooooowing down...Lower….. Lower…... Loooooooower…... Too low. Gooooo up.'
"Kee-wee!" The bird screams in my ear, scaring the life out of me. "Wee…?" he questions with a gesture to the half-stack of fish remaining.
"Jesus Kiwi! Don't do that! I could've accidentally..." There's a sharp tightness in my chest. Pain flaring across my body. I bend at the waist and my whole face twists in pain. 'Wha-?'
Alert! Your heart has stopped beating. [HP Regen] has been disabled until the issue is resolved.
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'Fuck! Nonononono I did not just accidentally cardiac arrest myself! Fix it! Fix it! How do I fix it!
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The blue pop-ups are unending. They're coming at a faster rate then anything I've ever seen.
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-1HP! -1HP! -1HP! 'Fix it! Fix it! Fix it!' -1HP! -1HP! -1HP! -1HP! -1HP! -1HP! -1HP!
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-1HP! -1HP! -1HP! 'Fix it! Fix it! Fix it!'
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'Focus inward. Look in! Get it beating! -1HP! -1HP! -1HP! -1HP! -1HP! -1HP! -1HP!
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'Heart starts now! Staaarts….now! Fucking start you piece of garbage!'
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-1HP! -1HP! -1HP! -1HP! Heartbeat restored.
HP Regen Skill Active! -Current speed: 4.2% max health per minute.
I collapse onto my back with deep heavy breaths and one hand on my chest. "Oh jesus...fuck that was bad. Let's not do that again."
"Wee?" Kiwi's concerned face appears overhead, blocking out the sky. "Kee-wee?" he asks with a tilt of his neck.
I can't stop the relieved laughter escaping my throat. "I'm fine Kiwi. All good now." I gently scratch under his chin and softly push his head away. "You can have whatever's left. Go ahead."
"Kee-wee!" he celebrates before turning away and ravaging what remains of the pile. I work myself slowly to my feet and dust the grass off my back. 'I suppose the silver lining here is now I know how to restart my own heart. Sort of.' "Hey Kiwi!" I call out just as the sparrow swallows the last of the fish down. "How about a game? You like games Kiwi?" The bird looks my way again and blinks in confusion. "Wee…?"
I reach my arm into the [Inventory] and it returns with my biggest catch from the fishing net. It's only about a five-pounder but it is one I deliberately left out of the pile. "You want this right?"
"Kee!"
"Well then..." Kiwi trills in surprise as I explode into the air with nearly a dozen [Geppo]'s. "..then you're gonna have to come and get it!" I shout to the ground below.
A delighted chirp is my companions response as he bursts into the sky to accept the challenge, honing in on me like a missile. Now obviously, I can't outmaneuver this animal in the air. He's so much faster than me it's not even funny. But if he only comes at me in a straight line...I don't have to.'[Kami-e]'
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