The Blaze burned bright for what felt like weeks, Ran and Haru safe within Blazeholde.
It felt like weeks but according to Haru, Ran learned that in Kurana's time, the time a Blaze burned for was equivalent to a second.
Time in Kurana really knew how to mess with Ran's mind. He could not make head or tail of it.
The system was so complicated and chaotic and none of the denizens of Naraku appeared bothered about it.
"How long is this going to last?" He asked Haru, who was resting his back against the Blazeholde nonchalantly.
"If it lasts longer than a second then no soul in hell would be spared its judging flame."
"How do you know a second hasn't passed yet?"
"There are ways. From natural methods to even spells and monk practices."
"I try to use my heartbeats," Ran told him. "But sometimes I don't think I quite get it right. My heart sometimes beats faster than it's supposed to and other times it's as if I missed several beats happening."
Haru smiled at him and shrugged. "That's normal for us mortals here in Naraku. It shows that in certain ways, although not generally, our body is still following Kurana's time," the acolyte explained. "It's not biological but spiritual. It's a spiritual resonance with your mortality which is used to operating on Kurana's clock."
Ran stared at his friend in wonder. "So when I get fifty heartbeats in what seems like a second it means about fifty seconds have passed in Kurana? And when I get just two in what seems like an hour it means just two passed out there?"
Haru nodded. "Close. Your heartbeat method works, but it's not exactly precise. There are other ways time can be measured here in Naraku. The average person blinks approximately twelve to fifteen times per minute. This means we blink roughly every four to five seconds. Though it varies depending on things like environment—say, like dry air—and emotional state."
"How can I monitor my blinking when it's a subconscious act?"
"That was where I was headed. If you are not a monk, who has full spiritual and physical awareness, you can't. So that is not an option for you."
"Can you teach me to have full spiritual and physical awareness?"
"Possibly not now. Probably when you get to the mind rune for Ether, yes I could very well teach you how to do that as you'd have the capability then."
"Okay. So, what else if heartbeat isn't precise?"
"Heartbeat isn't exactly a precise method like I said, but that does not mean it's useless. A normal heart rate for an adult is typically between sixty to a hundred beats per minute. Making it such that the average person's heart beats roughly one to two times per second. But it still all depends on things like physical activity, emotional state, your brain activity, fitness level, age, and I think your breathing too. All these things influence the rate by which your heart beats."
"But because it isn't uniform across all types of people, it's not completely reliable?"
"Oh, it is reliable, just not exact with normal, Kurana, time. But it's not the only option you have. While not good enough for measuring every passing second, you can use the rise and fall of your chest—from every breath you take—to measure every minute that passes, the Kurana equivalent. Every minute we breathe twelve to twenty times. You just have to figure out your breathing rate. It's easier to focus on your heaving chest than on your breathing as when people usually focus on their breathing they start controlling, which stops it from being a subconscious task."
Looking at his friend in confused skepticism, Ran questioned, "How am I going to compare my breathing to Kurana time when I can't access Kurana?"
"Simple," Haru said, and just smiled.
Ran sighed and rolled his eyes. His friend was really starting to make him really expressive. Funny enough, being in hell was the most time he'd felt human since his father fell sick till his eventual death. Even when younger he'd always been a quiet child.
"How?" He growled at the acolyte..
He felt Haru lately was being intently annoying to bring out this expressive side of him.
"Well, you could just find out how many times your chest heaved within sixty heartbeats. Though be careful not to mistake the heaving caused by your heartbeats with the heaving caused by your breathing."
Ran gave him a sidelong look in annoyance. "Please be serious now, Haru."
"Okay," his friend, raising his hand in surrender. "The method I use… well I use two different methods, but one of the simplest is hunger. Like I said, we monks are taught full spiritual and physical awareness. We are also taught how to manipulate how our body operates, especially how quickly we get hungry. Before, at your age, I used to get hungry every three hours after a light meal, but with my training I can extend that now to twelve days. So, for me, anytime I get hungry I know twelve days have gone by."
Ran shook his head at his friend's explanation. "That doesn't exactly work for me," he said.
Haru smiled brightly. "You'd be surprised. The return time of hunger for someone around your age who eats a light meal can be anything from two hours to three. After a light meal or snack, hunger hormones like ghrelin start to rise, signaling the need to eat again."
Ran raised an eyebrow. "Monks learn science?"
Haru scoffed at him. "Magic and science go hand in hand you know. Anyway, at your age you're probably experiencing growth spurts, which can increase hunger and as a Knave your regular physical activity can affect hunger hormones and timing. Still factors such as metabolism and overall health can influence hunger timing. So I'll teach you how to extend your hunger for days and then you will use that to measure time for yourself. Once your kin awakens enough I will teach you spells needed for checking Kurana time."
Ran sighed but nodded. They lapsed into silence and he took a look around. It was like they were in a bubble under a lava pool in a volcano.
It was nearly close to being underwater.
It was a beautiful sight but also an incredibly scary one.
He wished he had the talent of an artist or a camera, this was a sight worthy of capturing.
In fact, most things in hell were wondrous in their own infernal way.
His peace and quiet was disturbed when Haru asked the question he'd been wishing his friend wouldn't mention.
Leaning forward, folding his arms, Haru said. "Now, about your soul?"
Ran groaned and let the back of his head smack against the invisible Blazeholde.
Time to hide a secret.