Ray - Training (2)

"Ray, I’ve been looking for you! It’s time to cultivate together!” a cautious voice called out.

Ray already knew who it was before she turned around. Demoa’s warmth had grown stronger at the back of her mind. The young woman stepped up beside her and waved toward a platform higher up, where several people were heading. Ray glanced once more at Eri, who had nearly reached the path leading down to the pond, then turned away with a heavy heart.

“What is it?” Demoa asked.

“Eri’s gone. He said he had to continue on his own path. Looks like it’s the two of us now.” Ray forced her tone to stay even.

Demoa studied her thoughtfully. “Well, he brought us far, and I think he wanted the best for us… although I was always a little afraid of him. At times he was so… intense.”

“That’s true. There was something in him that… oh, I don’t know.” Ray shook her head. “Let’s go up. I’m curious to see how much they can help us.”

By the time they reached the top, the other students had already gathered. They took soft mats from a nearby shelter and spread them across the brightly paved square that jutted out from the hillside. Ray and Demoa followed their example and found a spot at the edge of the group where they could settle. Ormir and Lance, seated nearby, sent them encouraging nods. Nobea also entered the square, but instead of taking a mat she strolled past the group and leaned against the golden railing that bordered the platform. She looked bored, idly twirling her violet strand of hair, yet her eyes kept drifting toward Ray. Ray tried to ignore it, though Nobea’s yellow gaze tugged at her.

Relief washed over her when a man in a green velvet robe stepped onto the square and took his place before them. He was tall and muscular, with long black hair that gave him a wild air. His eyes were narrow yet sharp.

“Hello, everyone! I’m glad we’ve gathered again today, as you begin the long journey toward the Light of your true selves. I see we have two new students. Stirleo has already announced your arrival. I am Seeker Novis, and I lead these foundational exercises. The goal is to make part of your Lucidity… manageable.”

His eyes found Demoa and Ray, and he smiled, then spread his arms wide. “As always, we begin with questions. Questions that came to you during the day, or questions awakened by your search for your inner Light. Who would like to share?”

Ormir slowly raised her hand, brushing her blonde curls nervously from her face. “I… I wanted to ask… I’ve been working with the image from my crystal, but it’s confusing. It’s still vague and blurry, though better than when I first arrived. Inside me there are two lights, one golden and one white. I wonder… which is the right one? Which should I focus on?”

Novis lowered his arms and scratched his chin. “That’s a difficult question. Light often appears to us in different facets. I’d suggest dividing your focus. At times, concentrate on the gold. At other times, on the white.”

Ormir nodded, tracing her lips with a finger.

“So it is always Light, this Lucidity within us, Seeker Novis?” Ray asked.

“As far as we know, yes. It is always Light, though not always the same kind.” He paced slowly as he spoke. “It can be a sparkle, a point, even a glowing serpent or a firefly. Different for each of us. Yet one thing remains the same: it is a radiance that brings us closer to wholeness.”

“I have a question about that,” Demoa said, glancing uneasily around her. “When people use Lucidity, there are those glimmers we can see around them… can you explain that? Are they always white, or…?”

She quickly dropped her gaze, but Novis only smiled.

“Yes, the auras. As you guessed, the glows appear around us when we use Lucidity. They are its source. Everything we do with Lucidity begins within ourselves. Take that torch back there, for example…” He turned and pointed to a golden metal stand with a cloth wrapped around its top.

“Demoa, light it.”

She hesitated, stepping forward, but Novis stopped her with a raised hand. “No, from where you stand.”

“I can’t do that. How am I supposed to?”

“Well, like this, of course,” Nobea said from the railing, giving a flippant wave.

A brief aura flared around her, and a small ball of Light left her fingertips, tethered by a thin luminous thread. She guided it gracefully to the torch, where it hissed into vapor and burst into flame. The thread vanished with it.

“Though I don’t encourage giving solutions away, Nobea is correct. You take a part of yourself and send it where it must induce change,” Novis said, frowning at her.

Ray tore her gaze from the flickering flame and looked back at Nobea. She thought she’d glimpsed a trace of cyan in her aura. Or were there other colors too?

“The stronger your aura, the more Lucidity flows from you, and the more you can shape the Dream around you. Naturally, it grows harder the farther you send it.”

“And the color? Is it always white? I’ve seen red with Eri…” Ray’s voice trailed off, and a few murmurs rose.

Novis folded his arms. “Most often it is white. If it takes another color, it is usually weaker. A roundabout path to the Light, so to speak, preventing full potential. That is likely why Eri is still on his Pilgrimage.”

“Yet he’s so powerful. And he hasn’t even reached his full potential?” Demoa gasped.

Novis gave her only a brief glance, clearly unwilling to speak further of Eri. “If there are no more questions, let us continue. We begin with the fundamental visualization. For the newcomers: focus on the image your crystal has given you. It will not be clear, but you must fix your attention on the Light within it. Shape it into a sphere, as Nobea demonstrated. Let it hover above you. And remember, it must remain connected to you, or it will vanish. As for you, Ormir, today focus on the gold in your image. Explore it. Now lie down and begin.”

He stepped back.

Ray’s thoughts raced. What should she do? She couldn’t use the Circle; it would release far too much power. She still lacked control. She couldn’t very well ask how to release as little Light as possible without exposing herself.

The others were already stretched out on their mats, faint white glows shimmering around them. Ray looked around in desperation.

“Well, what’s wrong with you? Not in the mood either?” Nobea’s amused voice cut through the quiet.

Her yellow eyes studied Ray with curiosity—and something sharper.

“No, I am. It’s nothing.” Ray lowered herself quickly onto her mat.

“Nobea, you don’t have to participate, but if you insist on standing there, at least hold back,” Novis warned.

“Well, I’m only here because I think I might actually learn something today. Not from you, of course.” Nobea gave a mocking bow, though her smile softened when her gaze returned to Ray.

Ray swallowed, a strange pressure weighing on her. “I… I can already use my Light well, and my image is crystal clear. I’d like to learn to use Lucidity more precisely. A sphere with specific dimensions, maybe?”

Nobea’s grin widened, while Novis furrowed his brow.

“You’ve only just arrived, and already you want to…?” he muttered.

“Elga showed me before she… awakened. Before she brought the Sun. She was a good teacher, and I already saw something clear in the crystals. It was easy to cultivate based on that. I don’t know whether Eri or Stirleo told you, but it may have been what inspired Elga’s transformation of the world.” Ray delivered the lie smoothly, as agreed.

Novis scratched his chin again, more intent this time, eyes narrowing as he paced.

“Very interesting. I haven’t had enough time to learn the details, but if that’s true… then you have great talent. What exactly did you see?” His tone was almost greedy, though still polite.

“I’d also very much like to know,” Nobea added, leaning forward. Her attempt to sound kind was undermined by the lingering arrogance in her voice.

“It was a circle. A circle of Light.”

At once, flickers burst across the square, brief yet brilliant. Everyone lying down lit up for an instant. Some sighed, others stirred. Only Demoa remained unaffected, shining with strong white Light tinged with green hues, a fragile sphere hovering above her head, tethered by a faint golden thread.

No one interrupted their cultivation, and the flare ended as quickly as it began. Novis flinched, lost in thought, then smiled broadly.

“I will have to explore that in cultivation myself, but I understand. A circle, like a window. Interesting.” For a moment it looked as though he might fetch a mat for himself, then he composed his expression.

“A circle? Well, that is not so exciting, is it?” Nobea sounded disappointed. “I expected more. A pity. My time is precious, so I’ll do something that actually moves me forward. I’m tired of this fuzziness in my head.” She swept off with her nose in the air, her blue dress stirring in the evening breeze.

Novis watched her go.

“Excuse me, but… how can I make it more precise?” Ray asked.

Novis shook his head. “If you already see something so clear, you’re far along indeed. I’m truly impressed. What you ask for is a kind of restraint. You could try focusing on the circle’s edge. Look only at its glimmer and use that.”

That is actually a good idea. Should I risk it?

She lay back on her mat and closed her eyes, while beside her Demoa’s sphere grew larger and firmer.

Ray sank into her depths, the Dream receding. She saw the halo, the bright radiance, but turned her gaze quickly to its edge. There, where Light faded, darkness began. It was unsettling to look there, as if beyond the last gleams a dreadful malice waited, ready to break through.

No, not too far. Only the edge.

The fear ebbed, and the faint sheen grew clearer. She grasped it and drew it out of herself. It resisted, yet she managed to bring a small portion—only the outermost glow.

When Ray opened her eyes, she found Novis staring at her. Others had finished too, their gazes fixed on her. The outlines of people were oddly blurred, for it was blindingly bright. Then she realized it was her—she was shining, lighting the square. She tried to draw the radiance back into herself, gathering the stray Light. Slowly, it dimmed and settled over her like a thin veil.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

Carefully, she rose, lifted her glowing hands, and let the radiance flow outward. A huge, pulsing sphere formed and drifted skyward, not shrinking as it rose. She still felt its connection, though invisible now. Warm and calming, it drew tense wonder from those around her. Novis looked as though he had witnessed the impossible, then smiled in admiration.

“That is true talent! You already carry so much Light within you that you can shape the Dream with such magnitude. And without even visualizing a connection. Instinctive. You truly are the pupil of the one who brought the Sun!”

Ray slowly released her Light, and the sphere dissolved. She exhaled in relief.

At last I didn’t cause any harm.

She had used only her sheen. Demoa hugged her in delight.

“That was incredible.”

Others smiled and congratulated her. For once, Ray enjoyed the attention. She was no longer chased or feared; she was showing them the beauty of the Light. She knew again she was on the right path. She glanced around, but Nobea was already gone.

A shame. I would have liked to see her face after that, Ray thought, refusing to let it spoil her mood.

“I’ve never seen anything like it. Your first cultivation here, and already so much Lucidity, so much control. Incredible,” Novis called, both perplexed and approving.

“It is as you said. I was there when Elga created the Sun. Or at least nearby. I felt it somehow, and thought I might try to imitate it. She was a good teacher, someone to strive for.”

Her joy dimmed, and a lump rose in her throat.

Elga… I wish you could have seen this. I wish you could see that I can finally do something not destructive, just as you dreamed. I will not betray your trust, she thought, fighting tears.

She quickly turned to the questions from the others and hurried with them to the dining hall to celebrate their progress.