Ray - Preperation (2)

Filled with focus and determination, Ray followed all the exercises Tise proposed. Time passed quickly on that hillside, and she trained so persistently that even she eventually sank into the grass. Once, Stirleo stopped by to observe their progress; another time, Novis and Pirg came looking for Tise to arrange further research with her on attack and defense techniques.

The day faded, and in the evening they all gathered once more in the great communal hall. This time they didn’t stay long, as everyone soon returned to their rooms to continue their cultivation. For once, there was only peaceful Light within Ray, and she savored it, immersing herself in it and exploring the radiant images she found inside, always illuminated by the white circle above her that protected her.

The next morning, she made her way to the small meadow by the pond, where she had sensed Demoa. She found her crouched, feeding the plainhoppers that squeaked and gathered eagerly around her. The soft rustle of their tiny beaks brushing against the grass whilst looking for seeds whispered around her, and for a moment, it felt as though the whole meadow breathed in gentle rhythm with Demoa’s laughter.

“Good morning. Already hard at... work?” Ray asked.

Demoa tossed a handful of grain toward one of the small creatures, which leapt after it with a cheerful chirp. She patted its back and smiled. “Well, is it really work? Maybe. Still, it’s a lot of fun. These little ones are so sweet and peaceful. Last night I was out here practicing my Lucidity and dancing, and they all came running to keep me company. I’m starting to control how far my Lucidity spreads, which makes it a little less tiring."

“Do you still lose yourself when you... dance?”

She didn’t want Demoa to grow careless with her gift and get caught off guard by one of the Nightmares while lost in her own world.

“Yes, unfortunately. Or... maybe fortunately? It feels like a mix of cultivation, just being, and truth. Still, I’d like to learn to control it better soon, so I can stay aware while I do it,” she said, holding out her hand to one of the animals.

It hopped toward her and rubbed its head against the back of her hand.

“Already with your little friends again?” Rad’s voice echoed across the meadow.

He sounded cheerful, although Ray thought she could hear a hint of irritation beneath it. Demoa flinched slightly, then looked up.

“Rad, I didn’t even see you coming!” she stammered, blushing.

“I was being very quiet, Demoa. Hello, Ray,” he said with a brief nod.

“Hello! Are you hanging around here all morning, or sneaking out of the village?” Ray asked, trying to sound friendly and curious.

The young man gave her a wide grin. “I’m sneaking out. Sars and Olver wanted me to ask how you’re doing. Do you have anything you want me to tell them?”

Ray tensed visibly. In all the excitement, she had almost forgotten the two of them were still waiting for her.

“Tell them... everything’s wonderful here. And that I’ll be done soon. Hopefully. Apparently, I’m quite the talent,” she said after a pause.

Rad raised an eyebrow.

“A talent? Interesting. Demoa’s one too! I’m looking forward to heading out into the realm with her. I don’t think it’ll be much longer... right?”

Demoa flushed lightly and looked down at the plainhopper, deep in thought.

“No, probably not. Though I still want to learn a bit more about defense and attack techniques. I’m good at keeping people at bay, yet who knows...? Maybe that won’t be enough one day. Besides, I really like these little ones. They’re so gentle and peaceful, kind of like how it feels when I dance,” Demoa said, patting the squeaking creature’s head.

Rad exhaled softly, then laughed. “Well, if it makes you happy...”

He stepped up to Demoa and pulled her to her feet. The plainhopper startled and hopped away, and Demoa watched it for a moment. When Rad cupped her face in his hands and pressed a passionate kiss to her lips, she closed her eyes and seemed to drift into another, different realm of bliss.

“I should probably leave you two alone,” Ray said kindly, turning away.

As she hurried up the path toward her room, countless thoughts stormed through her head. Seeing the two of them together, locked in such tender, intimate moments, hurt more than she expected. She wasn’t exactly jealous of Demoa—she was happy for her. Yet at the same time, she wished Dio had come with her, wished she could hold him close and…

Ridiculous. I barely knew him for what? A fraction of a day?

That didn’t change the fact that the warmth Dio seemed to radiate from afar still lingered in her mind, filling her chest with a gentle, hazy comfort that stirred feelings she could neither name nor suppress.

On top of that, she simply couldn’t stand Rad. He looked perfect—muscular, sharp-featured—yet there was always this hint of spite in him, especially toward her.

Am I actually... jealous? she wondered suddenly. Do I begrudge Demoa this? Am I trying to see something bad in him so I’ll have an excuse to pull her away from him? That’s insane!

She kept walking, climbing higher and higher along the steps and winding paths until she finally reached her small room. She flinched as she realized she couldn’t even remember the walk back as she had been too lost in her thoughts.

Her room looked barren now, the mat on the floor plain and uninviting. Looking down at herself, Ray noticed she was still wearing the dull clothes she’d arrived at the Monastery in. Everything suddenly felt too ordinary, too small compared to what she was meant to do: Keep the darkness at bay and drive the Nightmares out of the realm.

To escape her thoughts, she slowly drew her Lucidity around herself and let it seep into her clothing, smiling as she made a few changes. Small patterns formed in the fabric, the texture softened. Soon she stood there in a beautiful white dress embroidered with tiny golden circles. It draped over her body like velvet, banishing the dull simplicity that had weighed her down. For the first time in days, she felt beautiful. The light answered her hands as if it, too, had been waiting for this moment.

Still, it wasn’t enough...

Ray transformed the mat into a soft white bed with golden trim, the rough table into an elegant light-brown piece made of dranwood. Then she flooded the walls with Lucidity, turning them bright white and adorning them with golden candleholders that stood proudly in their glow. It came surprisingly easily to her—to weave her light into objects, to form new ones from pure brightness and make them her own.

All of it probably would have been enough to earn her the right to go on pilgrimage already. Yet she still needed to prepare, and deep down, it didn’t feel like the right thing she was meant to change.

Still, her room grew brighter and more refined. Ray looked around and nodded to herself. Now it felt right. No longer bleak, no longer bare.

Exhausted, far more than after any training, she fell into her new comfy bed and slipped into a brief meditation to bridge the early morning and bathe in the glory of the Circle.

In the days that followed, she learned to enjoy her room more and more. It gave her a sense of belonging and calm, much like Demoa’s dances, which she sometimes watched in the evenings. Her room had become a small piece of home, and it finally brought her comfort.

Only Dio is missing from it.

The Monastery turned out to be an even more fascinating place than she had imagined as well. The plantation on one side of the valley was tended by Disciples, Scholars, and Monks alike, serving as a place of quiet work and daily rhythm. Long rows of cinnabar-red trees with tall trunks and dense crowns bore orange-red fruits that seemed almost translucent in the sunlight. Despite their careful arrangement, the trees still appeared natural.

The Sun drifting across the sky above them filled Ray with a freshness that made her sigh softly more than she cared to admit. When she focused, she could almost sense threads of Lucidity glimmering in the light, weaving through the air like unseen music. Each breath felt like drawing part of the Dream itself into her lungs. She often closed her eyes and stretched out her arms to feel the wind gliding around her, savoring the scent of the fruit it carried.

Demoa loved working on the plantation too, though she was usually found down by the plainhoppers when she wasn’t training or slipping away into the nearby woods with Rad. Ormir, Lance, and the others also turned out to be pleasant companions, each of them striving to see their own Light more clearly, to use it, and to understand who they truly were.

Ormir, however, still hadn’t recovered from her encounter with the Empty Man. Ray often heard her wake screaming from cultivation in the middle of the night. Sometimes Ray would rush over to her, finding her trembling all over.

“I... I was traveling again, Ray,” Ormir would sob, her voice breaking. “Back to the block-like houses. I think he’s still there. I keep running and running until I find my way back, still, I am afraid I never truly... leave that place…”