The sun showed through the trees, casting a shadow near Kiyoshi's feet as he stood in the clearing. Today, he was training alone in the forest as sweat dropped from his face. He was attempting to put into practice what he had learned from Ceng-tae the day before, but things weren't going as smoothly as he had hoped.
"Concentrate," he muttered to himself, stretching out his hand. A flicker of mana would emit from his fingertips, but just as quickly as it appeared, it dissipated into the air. Frustrated, Kiyoshi clenched his fist. "This is annoying."
He then felt a prickly sensation run down his spine; he felt like he wasn't alone in the forest. But he was sure he knew exactly who it was giving him this weird sensation; he had ignored it up until now, but today was different.
He'd had enough.
Letting out a soft sigh, his eyes scanned the area. "I know you're there," he called out. "Why don't you come out instead of lurking?"
For a short moment, the forest was still, and Kiyoshi wondered if he had just imagined it. But then, from behind the trees, a figure emerged. Celosia stepped forward, her rather calm demeanour with an awkward smile on her face. Her white hair glinted in the sunlight as she slowly approached Kiyoshi.
"I wasn't lurking," she said quietly, with a hint of amusement in her voice, as though she was happy she was found. "I was just… observing."
Kiyoshi crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes. "Observing? You've been following me for days. Why?"
Meeting his gaze, she quickly turned her head to look off into the distance. "I was curious," she said. "Ceng-tae had mentioned you... and... I wanted to learn more about you myself."
Kiyoshi frowned, relaxing his stance slightly. "And? What do you think?"
She didn't answer immediately; rather, her eyes met his as she began staring at him. "I think you're talented," she said finally. "But there's more to you, isn't there?"
Kiyoshi was caught off guard by her question; his mind began to wander. How much did she know? Did she overhear things she shouldn't have? Why was he so comfortable around her? These were the thoughts that occupied his mind, but he quickly gathered himself.
"What's it to you?" Kiyoshi asked, his tone sharper than intended.
Celosia tilted her head slightly, her eyes softening. "You're different from all the people I've met... I can sense it… if that makes any sense."
Her words left Kiyoshi pretty stunned, not sure how to respond. He glanced away; the intensity of her gaze, mixed with everything she said, made him feel unsteady.
As the awkward silence dragged on, Celosia sighed, breaking the tension. "I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I'll stop... observing if it bothers you."
Glancing back at her, he felt guilt gnawing at him. She wasn't trying to upset him or make him feel awkward; she was simply curious, maybe even lonely, like him.
"No, it's fine," he said quickly. "I simply didn't understand why."
Celosia smiled faintly. "I'm sorry if I made you feel that way."
Standing awkwardly in silence for a moment, neither of them was quite sure what to say next. Tell Celosia finally broke the ice.
"You must be hungry after all that training," she began hesitantly, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ears. "I made extra... if you'd like to join me for dinner?"
Kiyoshi blinked, surprised by the sudden offer. Hesitating at first, he looked at her before finally nodding. "Yeah, dinner sounds good."
Later that evening, Kiyoshi followed Celosia to her home. To his surprise, there was a house back in the village, located right in the centre of the village. Built from sturdy stone and timber that blended seamlessly with the surrounding forest. Its thatched roof was overgrown with moss and creeping vines, as carved wooden beams framed the entrance. Stepping inside, Kiyoshi was rather surprised by how much room there was, with wooden furnishings and shelves lined with books and jars of herbs. With the scent of freshly cooked food in the air, Kiyoshi's stomach growled in response.
"Sorry about that... guess I'm more hungry than I let on." Kiyoshi said, chuckling awkwardly.
As they sat down to eat, the tension between them began to ease. Celosia wasn't as reserved as Kiyoshi had first thought-once she started speaking, she was surprisingly friendly. They shared stories, though Kiyoshi only had few to tell. Celosia, on the other hand, was more than willing to talk about her own experiences, this time speaking on her experiences with magic.
"I wasn't always good at it," she said between bites of food. "It took a lot of practice, and just like you, I struggled at times."
Kiyoshi looked up, surprised at the thought. "You? Struggled?"
She laughed softly. "Yeah, I'm not perfect. Water magic is tricky-it's all about control and balance. Which is the opposite of fire magic, which is all power and destruction. Water flows, adapts. You have to learn how to work with it, instead of forcing it."
Kiyoshi listened intently, intrigued by another persons view on mana, and magic. "That sounds… difficult."
"It can be," she admitted, "but it's rewarding also, when you finally get it right, that is, it begins to feel like second nature."
By time the meal was over, Kiyoshi stood up from his seat and began his walk towards the door. Stopping in his tracks, he began to think a little about the day and how it had been such a long time since he ever felt this kind of ease around someone other than Ceng-tae.
"Thanks for dinner," he said as he moved towards the door.
Celosia smiled as she stood up waving. "You're welcome anytime, Kiyoshi."
Kiyoshi paused for a moment before giving a small nod. "Maybe I'll take you up on that."
As he stepped outside into the cool evening breeze. He couldn't help but feel lighter, there was something about Celosia-her calm presence, her kindness, all of which made him feel more comfortable. But there were still so many questions he had, so many things he was still unsure of.
And he wasn't sure if he was ready to face them just yet.
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