Ripple

The **Ripple** is an energy used in the ancient form of martial arts, **Sendō** (仙道, lit. "Way of The Hermit/Wizard").

Through self-controlled respiration, a trained person can produce an energy manifesting as ripples throughout their body and that is identical to the energy of the Sun, in polar opposition to the energy exerted by Vampires, Zombies and the Pillar Men.

## Description

The Ripple is an energy identical to the Sun's rays, which the human body can produce through controlled breathing, having the effect of producing ripples of energy propagating from the bloodstream to the rest of the body and other objects in contact with it. The Ripple manifests itself as electricity-like sparks, and it can be seen by ordinary humans.

Ripple can also affect non-living things. An object charged with Ripple energy will have one or several attributes enhanced by the energy, making it a more effective tool, or weapon. Liquids conduct the hamon especially well (and the user's Ripple shows on liquids as actual ripples). It is mentioned by Taron that objects covered in oil can conduct Ripple much easier. However while all materials can conduct Ripple more or less well, inorganic material such as metal cannot store the energy, which simply passes through.

### Using Ripple

Due to its identical nature to the positive energy of the Sun, hamon's primary uses are to heal various wounds or ailments, and combat creatures such as vampires or zombies.

Living organisms can be affected by Ripple attacks, but are not automatically hurt by it. For instance, William A. Hamilton healed Tanaleer Tevan's broken arm while Hayden Hamilton used his Ripple to control a woman into fighting Taron, and Taron's trained Ripple would have caused an ordinary person to experience a pins and needles-feeling before fainting - similar in nature to symptoms experienced after prolonged exposure to the sun's rays. Sazrach' hamon energy, boasting several hundred times Taron's power, caused Taron's flesh to nearly instantly melt.

### Tools

By imbuing any object with the Ripple, a Ripple user can perform several techniques that can combine with the warrior's own tactics, to allow for a very flexible fighting style. Because of its versatile nature, many warriors use different weapons ranging from a scarf, soap bubbles, wine, or clackers. Many of the most powerful techniques are classified as "**Overdrives**", and are often color named for the medium they're used with (Metal Silver being one to transmit through a sword). An object that is impacted with the force of the Overdrive will carry Ripple energy through it, and will become lethal to a vampire's touch. This can be used to strike an enemy in another room by breaking through a wall and causing its solar energy to disintegrate the target.

### Training The Ripple

Merely producing a light amount of Ripple requires the user to breathe a precise way. Thus to not only enhance the ability to produce it, and efficiently wield it in battle, the Ripple user must undergo training and exercise his ability.

Ripple users undergo hyper-rigorous physical training to increase their breathing ability and thus the amount and power of the Ripple they produce. Although the training is explained as being focused on the rhythm of breathing, which will positively impact on the whole body, it doesn't stop a master from using physical exercise, like prolonged swimming, or forcing a student to stay balanced on the tip of the finger, to enhance users to be in tune with their body and mind together as one, and the naturally typical benefits of working out, being as mutually seen as further drawing out the "flow" of energy the sun gives to all life on Earth.

## Weaknesses

While the Ripple Users can become dangerously powerful and turn the most mundane of objects into lethal weapons, they are not without significant weaknesses.

A Ripple user must be able to constantly breathe: if this breathing is stopped or reduced due to injury or other conditions, they slowly grow weaker and lose the ability to create more Ripple energy, to the point that they can be easily defeated - even by a mere zombie. This weakness was exploited by many Vampires - notably when Ajax mortally injured Tanaleer, piercing his trachea and in the process preventing him from using the Ripple. Similarly, Ripple energy needs a strong flow of the user's blood to be used with any degree of strength.