章 9: Chapter 9 - Deep Wolf
After finishing his beer, Marsil took a deep breath and closed his eyes slightly. Numerous thoughts were swirling in his mind, oscillating between the past and the future. Back then, when Eval had told him about these things, he hadn't taken them seriously. His life was in a dire state, and he wasn't in the right frame of mind to pay much attention to what Eval had said.
But now, perhaps it could prove useful.
"Old man Eval said that the only reality is the 'now,' and we should observe our thoughts, as this practice strengthens the soul."
Marsil thought. He smiled faintly, remembering old man Eval. "It can't hurt to try."
Taking another deep breath, he began to focus solely on the present moment and let the thoughts of the past and future merely pass by like clouds in the sky. The flow of these thoughts was like rhythmic waves gently washing up on the shore.
During this meditation, Marsil started feeling a peculiar sensation—a strange sense of self.
"I can't find a thought to explain this sensation."
"Perhaps the true 'self' is this sensation I'm feeling right now. Nothing else is real other than this feeling of "self."
He allowed himself to fully immerse himself in the present moment, even if only for a short while, and experienced a profound sense of tranquility. Life seemed so beautiful and serene.
"In the absence of the past and the future, without these constructs of thoughts, all the troubles that exist stop bothering me," Marsil reflected.
"Yes, they don't vanish, and I don't turn into a trouble-free being, but the sense of unease and distress they cause significantly diminishes."
With his eyes closed, he noticed that he could sense things more acutely than before. It was as if all his senses had become sharper and more heightened.
Marsil was not fully aware of what he was doing. Little did he know that he was practicing a meditation technique that most wizards specialize in, and it would take him some time to realize that.
"The old man Eval was truly mysterious. I hope I can see him again," he thought as he ordered another beer.
The beer arrived shortly, and this time, Marsil enjoyed it with much greater pleasure. Unlike before, he was now fully aware of each sip, the way he sat on the chair, the pace of his breathing, and the taste of the beer—everything felt heightened and more vivid.
Because he was living in the "now," he could directly experience all of these sensations, and each tiny experience looped back to him as tremendous enjoyment.
He reveled in the experience, savoring every moment, fully immersed in the present.
Marsil wasn't fully aware of the type of experience he had just gone through. However, the meditation technique he had practiced was one of the paths leading to magic.
It would take time for Marsil to discover this.
After paying five copper coins, Marsil continued on his way. He wanted to leave Whiterock City and its controlled region as soon as possible. Every step he took was risky, as getting out of the region was his most crucial task.
"I've been out for just one day, and I already feel better," he thought. "Trying different foods and feeling mentally and physically free must have started to heal my body."
A smile graced Marsil's face as he felt hope and continued to walk.
After about five minutes of walking, he encountered a trading caravan. It wasn't too large, with only four wagons. "They are accompanied by ten guards," Marsil assessed. The guards were wearing leather armor and mostly appeared to be middle-aged men. They were likely retired city guards or former bandits who had turned their lives around and now worked as security.
The middle-aged wealthy man in luxurious clothes, who was seated with the coachman at the front of the first wagon, looked at Marsil for a while and called out to him.
"Young man, where are you headed, and where are you coming from?"
Marsil didn't see any harm in answering; not responding might raise suspicions.
"I rested at Nightgale Inn, sir. After hunting in the forest, I usually prefer to rest at Nightgale," he replied.
The wealthy man nodded and smiled. "Safe travels," he said, motioning to the coachman, and the caravan continued on its way. The rich man did not care that Marsil did not told him where he was going.
Marsil took a deep breath and decided to deviate slightly from the road, moving through the bushes and deeper into the forest. He couldn't be certain that every group he encountered would be as friendly as this one.
"If I come across a bandit group and they have ill intentions, running might be my only option."
"However, I need to make my way to a town or city as much as possible to rest and regroup. Moving alone without any magic is not very sensible."
Marsil carefully considered his thoughts and plans. Though his thoughts were reasonable, he couldn't enter any town or city. Each city and town in the Northern Region had embassies in Whiterock City, so if his name and identity were revealed, he would be handed over directly.
However, this didn't apply to the Southern Region. The North and the South were enemies, so the other regions wouldn't willingly hand him over; they would most likely remain neutral, which was good enough for Marsil.
"Just a moment!"
Marsil observed his thoughts and began focusing on his surroundings.
"Whoooooow!"
Within seconds, a brown-furred wolf leaped at Marsil.
Reacting swiftly, Marsil jumped back and unsheathed his two short swords, which he had taken from the bodies he found earlier. The quality might not be great, but they would get the job done.
"That was close. It would have seriously injured me," Marsil thought, swallowing nervously. He assumed the Memphis Sword Arts stance, locking eyes with the brown wolf and showing no fear.
His left foot was forward, and his right foot was back. The sword in his right hand was in a thrusting position, held horizontally, while the one in his left hand was in a normal sword position at the front.
"Attacking me isn't very sensible. Hopefully, it's intelligent enough to understand that," Marsil whispered, maintaining his threatening gaze at the wolf and staying silent.
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