"Anubis' beasts. Spiritual creatures that dwell within the dunes," Sir Keith looked south of the group and saw piles of sand be lifted up from the ground and grace the moon with a dusty kiss. It was the height of the night, everyone had followed Sir Keith's actions and got off their camels. Phineas was let go by Sir Keith who started marching towards the beast who steadily marched toward the group behind a veil of sand. Sir Keith thought of the act of the beast approaching him like a bride walking up the aisle to her soon to be husband.
He smiled, but it quickly got wiped from his face as he realized that this was the first wild beast he had seen in 6 years. "Dragged from the deepest pit of Duat, this ghost appears before us on our very own lands," the beast sped up it's approach and shrieked, everyone was taken aback, especially Phineas who saw a wave of blue and white swirls pulse through the air and through themselves.
"Was that qi? It came by us, but it didn't hurt at all. My father's diaries spoke of a pulse wave of qi that he would sense whenever he felt like someone was watching him. To see without seeing," Phineas thought as he slowly backed away north. However while putting a single foot back, he saw another wave of qi pass over them, originating from the fast approaching beast.
"It's speeding up Sir," one of the four men said as he drew his sword. The rest of the men drew their swords as well while Yosef got off his camel. "I can see that," Sir Keith replied, "It comes at our most vulnerable hour. Where is the rat? We'll use him as bait."
Yosef looked around, but didn't see him, or perhaps he chose not to see him. Nevertheless the four men turned around while Keith moved forward toward the beast, stretching out his arms and avoiding the other camels, he cries out to the beast. Meanwhile the four men watched as Phineas made a run for it.
He had begun running away the moment the first man drew his sword. Just the sound of the metal unsheathing against the leather of the sheath frightened Phineas. As he ran all he could think of was his village and the bullies that would chase after him. With each step he took he saw a wave of qi pass over him. He knew not what it meant, but he felt as though he needed to get away from the speeding dune devil that approached him.
"It is ugly, I can just feel how ugly it is. Just run Phineas as fast as your legs can. Clear your mind. Clear your mind. Clear yo-"
"DON'T!"
Phineas' thoughts were interrupted by a voice that resembled his father's. It was scornful in nature and angry by nurture. "Keep your mind full Phineas! Empty it and you will die."
Phineas' mind was slowly filled with images of unimaginable horror: his bullies were killing him, yet they all had the same face as his (with eyes); his village was destroyed, he could see everyone's burnt bodies and his mother- he stopped the images. He instead filled his mind with moments of his mother reading a book to him about the ocean, the various lands and sights to be seen in the world, a tale about a war hero, and various other heroes throughout history.
"DO NOT RETREAT INTO YOUR MIND'S EYE!" His father's voice that was echoing throughout his head quickly shifted towards a voice that more matched Phineas deepening the tone of his voice halfway through the sentence. The enunciation of words distorted and twisted. His eyes jerked around. His feet continued to move haphazardly through the sandy ocean.
As he lifted his feet up from underneath the sand to take a step forward, he would lift the sand high enough to gracefully kiss the moon. Yosef watched and grew angry, his face distorted and twisted as he shouted to the men, "Assist Sir Keith. He cannot run too far for me. I will catch this... rat myself!"
"Right," the men said as they turned back to Sir Keith and ran behind him. "Ready when you are sir," they unconfidently yelled. Sir Keith clapped his hands together, then screamed at the top of his lungs as the beast's gray horn was visible from the distance they were. The veil of sand had lost its curtain attribute. It acted instead as a welcoming splash of the beast who seemed to dip into the sand.
"'Tis bound to leap! Right into the arms of I, Sir Keith Ahmad. I welcome you with all goodness. In sickness and in health, I vow to take your life as you should mine. O beast of Anubis, inhabitant of Duat, let us commence in battle upon the sounding of agreement." The beast roared as it began leaping out of the sands. Its form, as hideous as its bellow, put the fear of God into the men that watched with shaken boots and soiled pants.
Sir Keith laughed, as it soared through the air toward him. "I do! Oh yes, I do," he enthusiastically proclaimed.
Meanwhile, Yosef clenched his right hand into a fist, he calmed his breath then threw his hand back. Small explosions started erupting at the palm of his hand which could be heard by Phineas who turned around and saw the figure of Yosef. His rapid flow of qi that Phineas could see began redirecting itself from a constant flow throughout the body to instead flowing to his hand and spilling out in bursts.
"That's exactly like how mom explained rivers running into oceans," Phineas thought.
Phineas was in awe, his mind's eye filled with images of his mother telling him a lesson about cultivators. "They dream big, yes that much is still true. However before they can achieve their dreams they need to be able to control their qi. It's the internal energy of every living being in the world. Not everyone can control it however. That's why you have to cultivate your qi to let it breathe throughout your body more. If not it escapes your body and leaves just as oxygen leaves your own body. Qi is an extremely beautiful thing Phineas, I can't wait for your father to show you it. Be aware though. Even the most beautiful of things have ugly sides, it doesn't make it any less beautiful."
BOOM
The sound of an explosion echoed through Phineas' mind's eye. Images of his village and everyone inside of it flashed before him. After only 2 seconds, Yosef glided through the air with finesse and grace steadily approaching Phineas. In those 2 seconds, Phineas stared at his own body, he watched his qi flow throughout his body like a calm river. Though his mind was not calm, it nonetheless was full. His years of meditation flooded into him, the combinations of failure and insight led him to understanding how to direct the flow of qi within him. And so almost instinctively- he did what he felt was the right thing to do. He lifted his hand up to the sky, clenched it into a fist and slammed his fist into his chest.
From the point of contact a slow moving wave of qi brushed over the area around him.