"Master," Urnyras Jael said one day, during a blademastery practice. "I do not understand. You have said we need time for meditating, but it has been over a week and we have never had the chance to be able to meditate!"
"You did," Fauran shrugged. "The times you are given to rest and to sleep also includes your time to meditate."
"But," said Shevach. "But it is only a couple of hours, and we hardly ever can rest our bodies! How can we meditate in such short time?"
"That is the trick, young one," said Fauran. "You have to learn how to fit many worlds into mere minutes, if you are to be one of us."
Shevach slowly nodded.
"The practice is now over," said Fauran. "I want you to gather at the main entrance to the Meditation Halls in fifteen minutes. There is a new occasion. A new arrival, more specifically."
"New initiate?" asked Urnyras Jael impatiently.
"Oh, maybe," winked Fauran. "Now go and change your clothes. We will be proceeding with the meditation lessons for the rest of the day."
...
Urnyras Jael was the first one to dress up and arrive at the Meditation Halls. The corridor leading towards the Halls was rather dark - there were some hung torches on the walls, but they were remarkably insufficient.
As she approached towards the huge, brown doors of the Halls, she saw Fauran with a young, hooded child. He was holding her shoulder, and both were constituting a rather disturbing, threatening image. A dark red corridor with weak torches, dark columns, a barely visible door and a man, holding the shoulder of a hooded, young female - presumably a fylla too.
Both were looking towards Urnyras Jael, as she approached. Shevach and Gea, shortly before she made it in front of them, ran and reached Urnyras. They stopped at a distance, peering at Fauran and the girl. They were doing the same. There was an awkward, brief duration where they just stared at each other. Urnyras Jael felt that it lasted more than an hour.
Fauran took a breath, than exhaled with a neutral sigh.
"Come in, all of you," he said calmly. "Let me introduce you your friend and colleague."
They entered the Halls, as Fauran slowly pushed the (apparently) heavy, brown-red doors. The halls were not any lighter or darker than the corridor. There were columns, torches on the columns and a weak, insufficient firelight that could barely light around itself.
There was a soothing, fresh yet heavy smell inside. They could see the smoke coming up from somewhere over at the other side of the Halls, but the floor was too dark to see the source of the smoke. Urnyras Jael started to feel relaxed and less tense as she inhaled more. She smiled. Then she wondered why she were smiling. She forgot the question shortly after, and she smiled again to that eventually.
She noticed Shevach and Gea were not any different, but Fauran and the girl looked rather sober. She felt a little dizzy, almost fell on the ground but kept her balance the very last second.
"Sit," commanded Fauran. He showed the comfortable-looking pillows around a small shrine, ornamented with candles and the lovely scent of incense, mixing with the other scent; making the Halls filled with freshness - just like a lush, endless, pine forest; under heavy snow. Fresh, white and free. Pure, wild and natural. Undisturbed.
The girls sat, peering at the hooded girl. Since they were sitting on the pillows on the ground, her hooded face was a little bit more visible. Urnyras Jael could see her red eyes, reflecting the closest torch light. It was like a cat's-eye, glowing. It was a chilly moment. Urnyras Jael realized she actually was a bit scared, but then came another realization - that her first realization took very long. She enjoyed it and started to smile again, eventually turning into a laughter she could barely prevent. She was feeling a bit dizzy, too.
...
"Meet your new friend, my young apprentices," said Fauran, gesturing at the girl. "She is from N'ya, just like you. She had to travel some weeks later than you did, because her father did not want anyone to notice."
"Why not?" asked Gea, rather dreamily.
"For reputation," he said. "Her father is the Bannerlord of N'ya, Krischnokh Ilinarth. I want you to welcome Eoria Ilinarth, your newest colleague and friend, my newest apprentice. The last member of this group."
The name "Eoria" echoed in Urnyras Jael's brain. She has never heard of this name - she even barely has heard of the Bannerlord of N'ya. She smiled. She liked the way it sounded, though. Eoria. Such a nice name, she thought.
"She is here on a secret request," he spoke. "Officially, she has left for Anuìn Barracks, for blademastery training. Krischnokh does not want anyone to know. You will not have anyone to tell this secret anyway, but even after your training is over, you will keep this secret."
Three girls nodded.
"Now, meet each other, you have an hour," said Fauran, starting to walk outside the room. "Then we will start our meditative training."
He left, slamming the doors behind him.
...
"Nice name, Eoria," said Urnyras Jael.
"Thank you," she said, still hooded. Her voice was monotone.
"Well, this place is very tiring, you know," said Shevach, itching her ear. "And I don't know what Fauran made us inhale again. You look sober though. Why are you still hooded?"
"I prefer it better this way," she said, just as cold.
"Come on, we are going to spend many years here together," Gea said. "You being cold and silent won't help you!"
"And?" Eoria said, turning at Gea.
Gea didn't reply.
Urnyras Jael observed the girl, without saying anything. She could sense a little insecurity in this girl, yet she could figure out Eoria was full of resolve and had a strong will. Eventually, still hooded, she sat on one of the pillows too. She did not speak.
...
An hour passed, with almost no talking. Sometimes Shevach and Gea whispered at each other, then looking on the ground, ocassionally smiling. Eoria was observing the three in silence.
Fauran came back, in his meditation robes. He walked slowly and lightly towards the apprentices. He sat on another pillow, peering at them.
"If you are ready," he said, "Let us begin."
Apprentices adjusted their positions and sat accordingly to the meditation techniques - folded legs, hangs on lap, eyes closed. Muscles comfortable.
"Clear your minds," he said slowly. "Now, Eoria, do as your friends do."
Eoria tried to imitate the sitting position, somehow succeeded. She closed her eyes, slowly unhooding herself.
"Clear any thought, good, bad, doesn't matter," Fauran said. "The most appropriate state of mind for relaxing is numbness and blankness. Let your eyes dive into darkness, let your mind flow into it. Let it all go, young ones. Let it all fade away."
As he spoke, Urnyras Jael realized that Fauran was somehow controlling her senses. She felt blank, she couldn't think of anything specific - many different ideas and thoughts were flowing, yet too fast to focus on. Eventually, not being able to focus one specific thing made her mind blank. She was floating within the dark caves of her mind. She felt cold.
It was darker than black.
...
"Welcome," said Fauran's voice. "To your subconscious."
She slowly opened her eyes. It was windy.
"Syera?" he peered down from the hill they were sitting atop.
Urnyras Jael did not move. She slowly nodded, her eyes fixated on the city's beautiful image under the sunset.
"Why?" Fauran asked.
"I don't know," she shook her head. Her eyes slowly shifted towards the Tower.
"It is a beautiful sight," Fauran said. "I have never been there recently. Once, when I was younger. That's all."
"It still is beautiful," she said. She smiled, but not because of happiness - it was, ironically, expressing a tragedy. "At least, I hope it still is."
"Do you miss me?" said a girl's voice.
"I did," she said. She had no idea why she said that, she wasn't even-
"You could've saved me, slight chance," she said. "You never tried."
"I couldn't. Go away," Urnyras Jael said. It felt more like she was locked inside her own body, not able to control what she's saying and doing. "You're dead."
Girl smiled. "Maybe. Or maybe not. Why don't you let me go, if I am dead?"
"I let you go," Urnyras Jael said. "Go."
"What?" she asked.
"I hereby let my beloved sister's soul go," Urnyras Jael said, realizing she started to cry. "For she deserves to rest in peace in the Forests of Ossax."
"Wh-"
...
"It is cold," Urnyras Jael said. "What is this place?"
"You can't know," Fauran shrugged. "Dramatic thing is, there is noone else that can know it. But you can't know it either. Thus, it can't be known."
"It is cold," repeated Urnyras Jael.
"No," said Fauran. "It is not."
"I don't want to die," Urnyras Jael said, not having any idea why she'd say something like that.
"You won't."
She saw Eoria. Hooded, just like she was a couple of minutes ago. Waiting at a distance. Stable. Not moving - not one bit.
She drew two cutlass from her hilts hanging on her belt. Urnyras Jael panicked, and turned towards Fauran - only to see that he was already gone. It was a lone, wild, cold and a scary mountain peak. Desolate. Desperate. Sad, filled with crooked pines. It was snowing. Softly, as if watching the snow in slow motion. Urnyras Jael closed her eyes.
Her hand felt the cold steel. She opened her eyes again.
"Come," she said. "Come, and face your demise."
Eoria hissed hearing that, and charged towards Urnyras Jael with an unexpected agility. Shortly after, they engaged in a duel.
Urnyras Jael blocked a swift off-hand attack with the greatsword she held in her hands. Eoria was very quick, and the sword was a bit heavy - it was definitely a challenge to parry her attacks.
"You are weak," said Eoria. "You deserve to die. Weaklings can't survive here."
"What is this place?" asked Urnyras Jael.
"Why do you care?" she hissed again, trying to slash her chest. "This is your tomb. That's all it matters."
'Furious,' Urnyras Jael thought, still in a defensive stance; blocking the agile attacks from Eoria. 'She is full of hatred.'
Eoria found a gap in her defense eventually, and opened a wound on her left arm. Urnyras Jael screamed, stepping back.
Eoria grinned.
"You are weak," she repeated. "Still a lot to learn."
"No," said Urnyras Jael. "I am not weak. I am afraid."
"That is weakness," Eoria said sagely. "Fear is a weakness."
"You are wrong. Weakness is not the fear, but the lack of ability to control it."
"Consequences are the same," shrugged Eoria. "Enough talking. Now it is time to die."
She launched another full attack on Urnyras Jael. Her attacks were reckless, swift and rather berserk, and as Urnyras Jael kept blocking the attacks, she observed her. She realized her left arm was rather weak. She blocked one final off-hand attack and went directly for a counter-attack to her left arm. She carefully turned her sword around, drawing a circle with her off-hand cutlass, and disarming it.
Eoria smirked, then letting a warcry, attacking again. Urnyras Jael held her ground, easily blocked the attack and disarmed the main-hand cutlass too - she held her greatsword to Eoria's throat.
Eoria froze.
"Let's assume fear is a weakness," Urnyras Jael said. "Hatred is more of it, in any case."
...
The scent of candles embraced her. She opened her eyes. She was at the Halls, sitting on the pillow. She gazed at others, who apparently opened their eyes as recently as she did. She peered at Eoria, just to see her peering back at her, surprised.
"It is enough for today," Fauran said, slowly standing up. "Now rest."
"But Master-" said Shevach.
"No questions," Fanrach said. "Rest."
And he left four extremely confused initiates at the Halls, sitting on their pillows.
The candles burned out, eventually. They left for their rooms.
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