The Shehai, or "the Way of the Spirit Sword," is a mystical force that can be utilized by Ansei. It allows an Ansei to create a sword, or even other constructs should they be talented enough, from nothing. The sword, or whatever they create, using the Shehai appears to have been forged "from wind and light." Things created by the Shehai look solid but also simultaneously wispy and indistinct. A Shehai construct only lasts as long as the creator's focus. The Shehai can also be used to recover from injuries or heal the wounds of others. When using the Shehai, an Ansei can ignore their fatigue, increasing their endurance to superhuman levels, and suppress their emotions.
A construct can also be destroyed or shattered if enough force is applied to them-- however a Spirit-Sword itself is unbreakable. This property of the Shehai is the work of Yokuda goddess Leki. It was Leki's divine ability that allowed her to use Anu's power in the form of the Shehai, and to create a Spirit-Sword. All Ansei are thus just mimicking Leki's power, which they are able to do by achieving mastery of the sword and thus closeness to her. Everything else is a tertiary ability that the Shehai grants, and some Sword-Singers are incapable of doing anything but forming a sword. The amount of Shehai one can use is limited. If the Shehai is overused, one can burn out their affinity for it, stripping them of the Spirit-Sword, or even die.
The Spirit-Sword itself is weightless. It is magical, as its nature implies, and is capable of cutting through any material. The only things capable of withstanding it have shown to be weapon wielded by gods or highly concentrated magical energy.
The Shehai, like the Thu'um, does not make use of magicka. It draws it power direction from the bright half of the Balance, Anu, and the strength and amount of that power is affected by a variety of factions, such as the wielder's skill in the Way of the Sword, their emotional control, and even the power of their soul. As the Shehai makes no judgements on the morality of its wielder, Ansei could range from the pure of heart to cold-blooded murderers. What the Shehai requires is clarity of intent and an undefeatble will. Thus, Ansei were known from their bravery and honesty, considered trustworthy and dependable, but certainly not paragons of virtue.
The Ansei were capable of limited flight using the Shehai, an ability notably used by the Empress. However, this ability was lost when Yokuda fell. The correlation between the two is likely the death of Leki.
Healing from the Shehai works acutely, either to repair to complete condition either the wielder or an individual the wielder is touching. However, it cannot remove the cause of the damage--say poison in the wielder's stomach or an arrow in the wielder's neck. Additionally, one needs to be conscious to heal with the Shehai, as it has to be mindfully summoned.
The Shehai is a source of Complexity, or Anu, making it one half of the Balance. This makes it the Adversary's inverse. The use of the Shehai draws the Adversary's ire. The more the Shehai is invoked, the more likely the Adversary is to take action. All people are connected to the Shehai, but some people have a greater connection than others. One can be tightly wound to the Shehai without actually being able to form the Spirit-Sword. This occurred to the Crimson Archer. When one finally does access the Shehai, there is no guarantee they will be able to do anything useful with it. Some form Spirit-Swords that are functionally useless, barely visible to the naked eye.
The Shehai can be made so bright it becomes difficult to look at. No two Spirit-Swords are the same and vary widely in appearance. Because the Spirit-Sword is unbreakable and is capable of cutting through anything, it can hold impossible shapes that normal swords cannot. Some Spirit-Swords look substantial, glowing, and golden, while others have seemed only half in the world, more liquid than solid.
The ultimate usage of the Shehai is Pankratosword. There is no greater sword technique and only three individuals have ever had the capacity to preform it.
Notable Users[]
- Daireg
- The Crimson Archer
- Master Ishien
- The Empress of Yokuda
- Daiabn al Din
- Missus Sharp
- Nyasia al Din
- The Oathkeeper
Trivia[]
- Constructs made by the Shehai have shown to be capable of repelling weapons wielded by gods and also at cutting through solid stone.
- Although some of those who can channel the Spirit Sword are blademasters, the Shehai does not make one a blademaster. The usage of the Shehai only proves one's mastery in the Way of the Sword. A blademaster is master over many different fighting arts.
- Nyasia al Din refers to the Shehai as "the super weapon grafted to her soul."