Vega woke up with a headache. Typically, sleeping when it rained caused his head to hurt. But with a blanket and a new bed, he didn't think that was the problem. While he got used to the throbbing on his head, someone's knuckle hitting his door made him frown. Feeling that his headache had worsened, Vega lay there, ignoring the sound. Laying on the bed seemed a better choice for him now.
The knocking didn't stop, and the frequency grew stronger and stronger. Annoyed, sitting on the bed, he shouted, "WHO'S THERE!"
The knocking stopped. He put his head back on the pillow, hoping it got better. Stretching his body, he prepared to sleep again, hoping the pain would dissipate the next time he woke up. With his connection to the medal, he felt a sudden strong pull. He groped around the bedside table for his medal.
The medal felt hot on his hands which had never happened before. Sensing the connection, he looked for the source. He focused on it and heard something in his mind.
Vega looked around.
"Yes, hello? What's this?"
Echoes laughed inside his mind.
Vega tried hard to recall the workshop, but he didn't remember. Feeling the pounding on his head dissipate, he chose to open the door.
"What workshop?" Looking at his friend, he felt under-dressed. The knight wore something different today. He still has his robe on the chest, covering his leather armor.
"Today, a teacher will finally impart a simple meditation exercise. I heard Shoal Blue Sea Academy had one on the water element."
The sun was still shy and hid behind the clouds. Yet, apprentices, some in pairs, some in groups, walked together for the free workshop. A figure made of glittering sandstone stood tall and welcomed them. He held an open book on the left and a wooden staff on the right. Vega observed the statue and asked Dion.
"Mernoralin, the founding father of meditation and the whole adepts society. He is the first one to connect his immaterial soul and his mind. The whole Islands were engulfed in waves for three days when he succeeded. Strong formations appeared, separating the Islands and the outside. Now, everyone believes he had ascended to the next realm."
When Dion finished explaining, they had arrived. Vega resisted the urge to ask questions because rows upon rows of apprentices sat silently at the table. He felt the silky sensation over his body when he crossed the boundary. Dion pulled him to sit in the back row.
Feeling guilty, Vega whispered, "Sorry to make you sit on the back because of me."
"That's okay. High apprentices sit--"
"--The foundation of meditation is to keep focusing on one thing. I suggest practicing it daily with exercises compatible with your elements. No existing talent that helps you improve your concentration." The sound cut Dion off. It wasn't too loud, but it was laced with power. The students stood still. Some took notes, but others were trying to listen hard to the lessons.
Vega heard a sneer in a row in front of him. A lot of people disagreed while Vega was trying to focus. The master suggested, following the flow of his breath. Some who couldn't sit still could focus on their surroundings instead. Some who loved talking, like Dion, could use a simple chant to help them focus.
The lesson was not only a theory, but the teacher had time prepared for the apprentices to do the meditation themselves. A bell rang and started the beginning of the meditation. Vega closed his eyes. Sometimes he felt a slight breeze on his skin. Occasionally, water splashed on his face, but he had to keep his attention on his breathing.
The high apprentices were tasked to try to disturb their concentration. Sometimes they used a harmless wind to make the apprentices lose their concentration. But sometimes, they turned it up a notch. Some used fire elements turning up the temperature several degrees higher. The others used their earth to summon some pebbles and threw them on the ground disturbing the apprentices.
When Vega's mind wandered thinking about his past or even his wishes, he shook his head, knowing that he needed to restart his counting. He followed the air through his nose, flowed through his throat, and then his chest. His belly rose when he took the air in and deflated when the air left his nose. Sometimes during his focus, he also felt the air move around him. He heard Dion meditate next to him. How Dion's breath was powerful and loud.
Time seemed to pass by. A quiet moment like this was rare for him. He didn't need to worry about his next meal or even where to sleep. All of his worries dissipated. Until the clear ringing sounds of a bell woke him up.
When he opened his eyes, some people weren't there anymore. Some apprentices who chose to leave early found the exercise useless. Some people with higher focus stayed until the end of the meditation. Dion was one of them. The knight stood up and stretched. Even with the robe and the leather armor, Vega was mesmerized looking at the muscle rippling every time the knight stretched. Even with his robe, Dion still looked like a night.
Vega was jealous. Instead of standing up, he lifted his bony arm. Yes, the food at the academy helped him gain a little bit of fat, but he was usually still skinny. His mind wandered to Vin. He didn't really see what the princess looked like, but Vin was probably stronger compared to him.
When trying to stand up, he couldn't. His legs felt numb when he moved them. He felt the tingling sensation like ants crawling inside his legs. He grimaced.
"What, do you need help?" Dion laughed at Vega.
After yesterday's awkwardness, Vega's impression of Dion changed. He still hated the nobles, but not Dion.
"Please," Vega still felt the numbness. "How can you still stand up?"
"I'm a knight," Dion offered his right hand and pulled Vega up. "My dad used to say that breathing is as important as skill. A knight has to keep their cool to think of his surrounding. Sometimes he would ask the guards to shoot arrows at me to ensure I could defend it all. The meditation was actually easier than my regular training."
"Can you train me?" Vega dreamed of having a muscle like Dion. He didn't want to get tired when walking and climbing walls. Yes, living on a street has its benefits. He has more stamina running around from the city patrols. But lack of food, he couldn't build any muscle. Even food was a difficult thing for him.
"What training to fight? I think we have to go to the library first. I can't wait to hear what my specialties are."
Dion explained every new apprentice will get a practice method suitable for them. Most of the time, they specialized in one element or two elements, but some could master all the elements. Excluding the one with a rare talent to understand special elements. When Vega asked what are they, no one knew the specifics. But the rarest ones were gravity, time, and space.
The walk to the library was easy and Vega remembered the way already. The first time he saw the library he only noticed the smell of the books. Now he saw what it really looked like. As an apprentice, he was only allowed on the first floor. Where it kept nothing important.
Dion seemed to know the place more than he did. Dion led him to a room at the back of the library. The smell of books disappeared, and Vega smelled fresh air. In the city with so many people and sometimes sleeping in an alley piss smell was his regular. The trickling water and the relaxing music were something that he didn't expect.
Clouds danced around, following the rhythm of various flocks of birds singing their own anthem. Chirp, tweet, even caw. Even with the same flock, each bird seemed to sing in different tones. When Vega focused more, the wind brushed past him. Sometimes strong, sometimes a light breeze. And suddenly, the beautiful atmosphere vanished.
Vega tried to adjust the abrupt shift. His eyes blinked several times, getting used to the dark. He didn't dare to take any step lest he fell. After a couple of seconds, the edge of the silhouette showed itself.
A small room as small as his current living quarter. A shelf as tall as the ceiling on the back. A desk, a glass ball, and a sleeping mistress. Vega stole a glance to his left and found Dion looking at him.
"What are we doing here?" Vega whispered, hoping he wouldn't draw the mistress's wrath.
"Meditation exercise," Dion replied.
Vega frowned at the unusual answer from the chatty noble. Not daring to speak more, he followed his friend to stand, waiting until the mistress addressed them. Fortunately, the meditation exercise helped him to fill the time. While counting, he observed his breath going in and out of his nostrils.
"You two are better than the previous." The mistress spoke hoarsely.
"Mistress!" Vega and Dion bowed respectfully, greeting the adept.
"You," she pointed at Dion. "What did you see?"
At first, Dion looked confused, but he understood and told her. He stood alone in the desert. The heat and the warm breeze were his constant friend. Until when he felt thirsty, he saw water. It couldn't be considered an oasis. Just a puddle of still clean water.
"Any sound?" Her eyes grew wide.
"No," Dion answered.
"Rare combination between the fire and the air. You also have a little inclination toward the water. Good, good, good." And then a murmur. She finally had an idea and gave Dion three choices.
"Now, you." She stared at Vega.
The eyes hypnotized Vega and he couldn't take his eyes off her for a while. Finally, following Dion's example, he told her.
"Where did you stand?"
Vega thought back to the vision before him, scratched his head, and became embarrassed. "I'm not sure." He told her. "Nothing, I guess."
"Birds singing and clouds, standing on nothing." She murmurs again. "No, not the gravity…" She stared back at Vega. "Put your hand here," she pointed to the glass ball on her desk.
Vega hesitantly stepped forward. The wooden floor creaked and held his weight. The glass was cold to the touch. A shimmering blue glow appeared inside the transparent glass. Vega felt like his soul had left his body. Pain. Pain all over his body. From his toe until his head. He had never felt a similar sensation before. He tried concentrating on his breath like the meditation practice he had just learned. It didn't work.
After a while, he got used to the feeling and let the pain get a hold of him. Without further training, the journey will be harder from now on. Finally, the pain subsided.
"Interesting, sound? That's rare."
Vega heard the statement even though his head was still hurting. Sound element? He thought the rarest ones were gravity, time, and space.
"But, no, we don't have it…," the mistress mumbled. "That?" Then she squatted down, pricked her finger, and drew a symbol on the safe. Some old scrolls and papers lay there. Wiping her hands on her already dirty robe, she carefully took out a scroll.
The scroll had lived long based on the yellow edge around it. The smell. It was better to avoid talking about the smell altogether. She took two clear crystals and laid them on the desks.
"Give it to me!" Stretching her hand to Dion.
With a heavy heart, he gave her the book. Then she put both the book and the scroll next to each other. The desk lit up with some complex lines intersecting with another line. She used her spirits and drew her mana. The process was not long but seemed painful.
Sweats rolled over her wrinkly face. Sometimes, her attention split to absorb a glittering stone. Vega felt pain in his chest while touching his pouch. In the beginning, he spent one stone for his living. Luckily he could stay there for two years and considered it as an investment. But looking at the two stones being used in a span of minutes, Vega felt his heartache.
After wiping the sweat out of her forehead, she gave the crystals, one to Dion and one to Vega.
"The payment. You," she pointed at Dion. "One, and you... I wasted my whole two mana stones to copy your scroll. I want two." She held her hands and waited.
Dion rummaged through his pouch and took a glittering stone. He bowed and thanked the mistress.
Without any other choice, Vega grimaced but did the same. Now his pouch felt really light. Even though his medal was quite heavy, his loss of the stones was too heavy to bear.