Following George and Theresa while they sat down on the soft old couch, Chris quietly sat down as he observed the room.
In front of the couch was a wooden TV cabinet that housed a large flat-screen television. A cozy wool rug lied on the polished wooden floor, and the walls are adorned with family photos and landscapes. The room was filled with the soft glow of warm lamplight, casting a comfortable and inviting atmosphere despite the sun glowing through the window, positioned behind them and stealing some its spotlight.
As Chris observed the walls and family photos, which seemed to him as a strange theme. His father didn't have anything similar in their home. His own room was usually decorated with different types of weapons, a laptop and his bed.
His father insisted on having it as practical and simple as possible. "No need for all other nonsense," was his usual response whenever he found something that he thought would like nice on his walls.
Looking around he paused on a photo depicting what seemed to be the elderly couple in their younger days with a ginger boy holding up a huge fish, seemingly from some kind of fishing trip.
Catching Chris' gaze, Theresa spoke with a sense of regret and sorrow: "Ahh.. that's our son, Jacob. We tried contacting him earlier, but he hasn't returned our calls.. We had a little disagreement a while back, which led us to grow a bit distant.."
"I see" Chris answered in a neutral tone, while thinking to himself 'seemed nice'.
Not paying too much attention to the dampened mood, he moved his gaze towards the television where a young woman could be seen talking with a young man with freckles and pimples covering his face with a somewhat unkempt hair. He looked excited and thrilled as he answered the reporters:
"Hahah, I'm telling you! This is no government conspiracy, a virus or any other kind of BS thing these people have been spouting! I'm sure of it, this is an awakening of the human rase! We'll all start to see a system soon where we can utilize mana and cast fireballs at each other, you just wait and see!"
"Well, there you have it people! We've heard some interesting theories so far, what do you think, let us know! We are Skies TV and I'm your current host Alex Gonzales, stay tuned for more interviews with the townspeople of Stroud. Now back to the panel" The reporter said in her most professional way, though she looked to be finding the words of the young man ludicrous.
All though thinking most of what the man said just as ludicrous as the woman on tv, Chris couldn't help but be hung up on one word he uttered. 'Mana huh..'
With the news panel began talking about locking your pets away as they had been given information about a lot of house animals becoming aggressive and attacking their owner, Chris was lost in thought.
Reminiscing about some of his training, he was brought back 7 years:
Standing in a large gym hall surrounded by punching bags, wooden dolls and mats across the floor Chris in his younger years could be seen sweating and panting with heaved breaths.
Another man with a light brownish skin, bald head, dark eyes, and with an oval shaped face stood before him. The man wore a marine blue changshan and white baggy pants. He was standing bare foot and looking towards Chris in a serene manner, waiting patiently for him to catch his breath.
"You know, in the earlier days, most of my people used to believe in a sort of strange energy capable of being utilized to strengthen our bodies and give us close to supernatural powers. They called it qi, or as one would say in English vital force. In some other traditions such as the Polynesians, they had something similar called mana. It was a belief of another force capable of bringing forth a new sense of power and spirituality. You may be wondering why I'm telling you this. And the reason is simple, breathing. No matter what type of energy is spoken of, the idea of cultivating exist. Though its usually done in different manners. However, one aspect of cultivation that has survived through time is the concept of breathing and how it affects us. Knowing how to breath has helped many in reducing stress and anxiety. By slowing down our heart rate and calming our mind it can also help improve our focus and concentration." Ming Yong spoke clearly in an air of wisdom and sincerity.
As he sat down on one of the mats he gestured for Chris to do same. "I will now guide you through some meditation techniques you might find helpful in observing your body and helping you in the areas I've mentioned."
As the memory went on with Ming Yong explaining how to breath and his different techniques Chris slowly came back to the room with the old couple looking towards him questioningly.
Realizing he spaced out for a little while he asked in a guilty way: "Sorry I was a little lost in thought for a second.. Did you ask me anything?"
"Yea, we just wondered if you figured something out? You know, given your sudden thoughtful expression," George answered with a hint of being concerned.
"Maybe.. I'm not sure yet.. I wanna try something out, do you perhaps have a room I could borrow for a little while. Preferably a somewhat comfortable seat, and a place where I can sit privately?"
"Sure!" Theresa spoke up, showing her hopeful expression. "You can use our sons room at the second floor. First door to the right when you get up the stairs."
With a certain spring to his feet, Chris quickly thanked the old couple and went towards the stairs. Nearly leaping up the stairs he didn't bother to look around as he went straight for the door Theresa told him about.
Chris was certain he was on the right track, his mind was racing and he felt as if he was having an epiphany. His instincts were screaming at him to try his previous masters' techniques.
Quickly finding a simple one sized bed he sat down in a cross legged manner, the same way Ming Yong had shown him. With eyes glimmering with optimism and a hidden giddy excitement he thought to himself:
'Lets see what this is all about shall we?'