บท 7: Meditation
'What? Already? But I didn't feel anything. I completely forgot to look for the qi!'
As thirteen's thought stirred with worry, Instructor Diores spoke again. "Tell me, what was it like? Does anyone have anything to mention about what you just did?"
The children looked at each other uncertainly, before one child raised his hand. 'I think he was… 8-39? I really can't keep track of these bloody numbers.'
"Umm, it felt really hard to keep breathing like that. I kept feeling like I needed to cough, and couldn't concentrate with everyone else's fidgeting and coughing."
'Huh? I didn't hear any of that though? Were the kids near me just calmer than the ones over there?'
Thirteen soon expelled this idea when he saw most of the group, including those near him nodding along like they couldn't agree more. He looked to Four, only to see his friend still, with no intent to speak of his experience.
"It will always be difficult during your first try, but you should gradually get used to it…"
The Instructor paused for a moment before looking directly at Thirteen.
"And you?" He asked with an appraising look in his eye.
Thirteen was surprised for a moment, and took a second or two to speak up.
"Umm. It was hard to breath like that at first, but eventually it felt more like a rhythm and so became easier. By the end the breathing felt normal, but… I felt like… maybe I was falling asleep." The more he spoke, the more Thirteen wished to shut up. But he knew that he had to find out what he was doing wrong, and he also suspected that was why the Instructor singled him out.
A few kids started chuckling at his expense and Thirteen's face went beat red, but they all stopped as Instructor Diores lifted his hand in a silencing manner. Thirteen thought it was somewhat startling how obedient they had all become… though he understood why *shiver*.
"You didn't fall asleep.
You properly entered a meditative state. To do so in your first attempt can be considered decent. Remember what that state feels like, you'll need to do that every time you meditate from this moment forth. The rest of you too! I expect at least some of you to find this state today, and the rest to do so within the week."
With just those words Thirteen's embarrassment fled, as a beaming smile took its place.
'We should finally be done now too. It's still light out but I feel like I've been seated here for days.'
"Now then. I'd like you all to open the small pouches within the box of resources in front of you, and fish out on the small stones within."
Thirteen was a bit confused about what they still had left to do, but he did as ordered and opened the small pouch. He was amazed to find a variety of small stones within, each with varying hues and small crystalline like surfaces on parts of them.
"These are spirit stones. You will learn more about them through your lectures in the weeks to come but just know that they are incredibly valuable and can be used to further your cultivation.
What I want each of you to do now, is to hold that stone in your hand as you close your eyes and practice the same breathing technique you did earlier."
"Urgh" Thirteen immediately regretted vocalizing his displeasure as the Instructors eyes met his.
'Of course we would keep going until dusk, what was I thinking…'
Closing his eyes and straightening his back, Thirteen held the spirit stone and began his breathing exercises to escape the Instructor's glare.
It really was quite a marvelous thing. His feelings of apprehension and worry vanished bit by bit as he continued to delve deeper into that weird empty state once more. It happened quicker this time, though Thirteen wasn't aware of this. He lacked almost all sense of time in this state. It was for this reason that he felt he'd already been at it for an entire day with the first session.
As he continued to meditate, Thirteen felt a strange tingling sensation throughout his body. As he noticed the feeling it became more pronounced, like tiny needles poking at him. The amount of needles continued to increase as gradually he felt filled with warmth. Just as he was feeling lost in this strange sensation, what seemed an utterly foreign sense made itself known to him. His sense of touch. It returned with a jolt as a large hand pressed itself on his left shoulder, waking him with a start.
"You did good. We're calling it here for today, so head back with the others."
Instructor Diores was looking down at him.
'He's smiling? No, grinning? I don't think I've ever seen the instructors here smile before.'
Looking around, Thirteen noticed it had gotten somewhat dark, with the sun setting at the horizon barely visible through the dense trees in the distance. The other children were all standing and on their way back to the estate, aside from Four who waited with a smile.
Standing up along with them, Thirteen almost forgot to grab his cultivation arts and resources as he was still in a bit of a daze, recalling that feeling from earlier. It felt incredible, like all his worries, and the stifling atmosphere of this place had vanished, blown away with every breath he expelled.
On his way back, he at some point found Nine walking alongside he and Four.
Looking around, he couldn't find Ten, so he figured he'd ask.
"She's over there" Nine gestured with his chin. "With forty-five."
Looking ahead, Thirteen saw Ten talking and laughing with another girl roughly her age, it was forty-five, whom they had spoken to on their second day, in the cafeteria. The girl had long light brown hair and was a bit taller than the black haired Ten. Though that's to be expected since she's a shorty, Thirteen chuckled inwardly.
Heading back to the dining hall, Thirteen couldn't help himself thinking back to the meditation earlier today. The Instructor had told them as they left not to touch the other resources in the box they were given, and that they could only hold a spirit stone while they cultivated.
Thirteen wondered why they were given the flowers and pills if they weren't allowed to use them. 'We were also given those technique books but told not to practice them. I wondered if the adults are teasing us?'
After dinner, Thirteen and Nine both retired back to the dorm. Nine began to study the Heavens Eye Script he was given almost immediately. 'Nine should be one of the first in our class to finish learning to read. Apparently he was trying to teach himself even back in his orphanage.' Thirteen then turned away from the focused Nine and looked to his own cultivation books.
His eyes didn't linger on the Grand Life Tome. He assumed it would have something to do with his healing attribute, but since he could neither cultivate nor even read most of it at the moment, he decided to not risk the temptation and simply practice the breathing technique from earlier.
First, thirteen tried sitting on his bed in the lotus position, but he soon found it too soft, like he wasn't supported properly. So, moving to the clearing on the floor between the two beds, he sat down and began the exercise.
Pretty soon he was once again in that state of emptiness, but the tingling sensation never came. Thirteen didn't mind, as he maintained that state for as long as his energetic body would allow him to remain seated. Eventually, he began to sense something once more. This time however, there was no tingling needle like sensation. There was still a warmth, but it was much greater this time, like a burning fire.
Gradually the feeling grew clearer, as he felt channels of this powerful warmth shooting through his body in very thin lines, like tiny streams. Thirteen noticed that these streams were shooting forth in their own rhythm, doing so in just under a second each time. It reminded him somewhat of the billow used by the village blacksmith in Rehall, only much faster.
As he continued focusing on this warmth, Thirteen was beginning to realize that there were two sets of these streams, those going toward his chest, and those leading away. He wanted to explore the feeling more, but felt himself growing increasingly tired.
Opening his eyes, Thirteen noticed the lantern had been put out and Nine was already in bed.
He didn't know how long had passed, but he was required to rise early each morning so he needed to get to bed as soon as possible.
As he stood to approach his resource box and return the spirit stone, he realized his hand was empty. Counting the spirit stones in the pouch, he confirmed that he had forgotten to hold one before meditating.
'So what was that heat then?'
Thirteen didn't know, and his tired brain wouldn't allow him to think on it further, as he climbed into bed and immediately fell asleep.
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