Seraphina sat cross-legged on the bed, her violet eyes closed as she focused inward once more in her second attempt. Her senses attuned to the aura within her body, though it wasn't her main focus at the moment.
Her mind drifted back to the strange, stationary blob of energy she had noticed during her earlier attempt to meditate. It had no flow, no movement, and yet it was undeniably present— an anomaly among the otherwise chaotic streams of aura coursing through her.
Deciding to investigate it further, she directed her focus to the energy in her head. Visualizing the blob as a malleable object, she tried to nudge it, using her willpower to prod it into motion just like she had done before with the aura.
But it remained still, unyielding to her efforts— in fact, it looked as if it wasn't even aware of her attempt.
Seraphina furrowed her brow and adjusted her approach— it was clear that it was inherently different from aura, the same method wouldn't work. So she had a different idea, if she couldn't control it directly, maybe she could influence it.
This time, she imagined enveloping it with her aura, like water swirling around a rock— and while it was difficult to control the aura, it was much easier than trying to move the energy itself.
Yet again, the blob remained stationary, immune to her attempts at control.
"What are you?"
She whispered under her breath, her voice carrying a mix of curiosity and frustration.
For hours, she experimented with different techniques.
She tried applying mental force, visualizing the blob being pulled or compressed. She attempted to break it apart with her willpower or guide it to merge with the surrounding aura.
Nothing worked.
The blob sat still, resolute in its existence as if it was indifferent of her efforts.
Eventually, she let out a soft sigh of frustration, her shoulders relaxing.
It wasn't harmful, nor was it interfering with her training— and it was clear that no matter what she did now, it wouldn't change anything.
For now, she decided, it wasn't worth wasting more time on something she didn't understand, there were more pressing matters to focus on.
Setting aside the unknown energy, Seraphina redirected her attention to the wild aura coursing through her body. The next step in her training was clear: condense the free-flowing aura into a life seed near her heart.
This was her priority.
She focused on her aura, wild and untamed, and began visualizing it funneling toward her heart. The process was slow and arduous, each time she managed to guide even a small thread of aura, it resisted, slipping through her grasp like water through her fingers.
Her control was imperfect, but she persisted in her training.
Hours turned into the better part of the day; however, to her, time seemed to blur into nothingness— her focus solely inward.
She remained still, her breathing slow and even as she continued her meditation. The sunlight outside her window dimmed, giving way to the night, at this point Edwin and Samuel had returned to the room, and noticed her training, deciding not to disturb her focus.
They spent the evening downstairs, leaving her to her work.
Night fell, and Seraphina still didn't move at this point hunger gnawed at the edges of her awareness, but she couldn't feel it within her meditation, fully absorbed in the task at hand.
Bit by bit, she managed to coax the aura closest to her heart into a central point, forming a small, unstable blob.
By the time she finally stopped, exhaustion weighed heavily on her. The blob near her heart was tiny, a minuscule accomplishment for an entire day's effort— but it was more stable than the wild aura.
She couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment as she opened her eyes, it took her far longer than she had hoped to do something so small. But it made sense— condensing a life seed was what set mere apprentices apart from official knights.
If it was easy, then everyone would be able to do it. But it wasn't, some people never moved passed this stage, even with years of effort— that alone showed how much of a bridge it was.
Her body immediately reminded her of its needs as she came out of her meditation. Hunger slammed into her like a tidal wave, her stomach growling loudly in protest.
Glancing at the window, she noticed the faint light of dawn— she had meditated through the entire night and into the next day.
Forcing herself to her feet, Seraphina stretched, shaking off the stiffness in her muscles and after a quick glance around the empty room, she realized Edwin and Samuel were already gone.
No doubt they were downstairs.
She made her way downstairs, her hunger propelling her faster than usual.
The lively hum of the inn greeted her as she entered, and she spotted Edwin and Samuel sitting at a table near the hearth, talking casually.
As she approached, her gaze briefly met the innkeeper's— the older woman's lips curved into a soft smile, but she didn't say anything about the previous night.
Seraphina felt a flicker of awkwardness as she didn't know how to interact with her— she wasn't sure if she should be friendly, or keep acting the way she had— but brushed it aside, choosing instead to focus on the aroma of food wafting from the kitchen.
"Good morning, Sera!"
Samuel greeted cheerfully as she joined them at the table.
"You were in your room all day yesterday. Did you finally figure out how to grow roots?"
She smirked faintly at his teasing.
"Just meditating. Progress is slow."
Edwin nodded in understanding, his silver eyes steady as he regarded her.
"Sometimes slow progress is still progress. The life seed isn't something that forms overnight, it can take months or even years."
The innkeeper approached their table with a plate of fresh bread and fruit, setting it down in front of Seraphina with a wink.
"Breakfast for the hard-working knight. You've earned it."
"Thanks."
Seraphina said, her tone quieter than usual. She avoided meeting the innkeeper's gaze, unsure how to navigate the lingering tension from the previous night.
Samuel began speaking as he leaned back in his chair.
"Edwin and I checked out the guild while you were busy meditating. There are a couple of quests that caught our eye. Nothing too crazy, but good enough for some extra coin."
Edwin chimed in.
"One's a supply escort to a nearby village. The other is a request to investigate some strange activity in the forest to the north. We thought we'd wait for your input before deciding."
Seraphina nodded, chewing thoughtfully on a piece of bread.
"Let's decide after breakfast."
The three of them continued to talk as they ate, once they were done, they would go over the details of the quest and decide on what to do.