8th of Winter 515 AV, Dawn
It was a peaceful morning. Not entirely silent, but what little sound there was calmed Anthere. Daylight was just beginning to creep out, and the city of illusions was still quiet, lacking the wild bustling crowds that milled around during the day. It was moments like these that Anthere enjoyed.
The Nuit crawled out of bed and made her way to the chest resting by the wall. As she opened it, she realized how much effort it took. It was obvious that she’d grown weaker. Eventually, she’d have to find a way to counter it, but that was something for another day. Anthere began to shovel through the chest, trying to pair together the clothing she’d wear. She shoved aside a piece of cloth, and her hand ran into something hard, but smooth. It was the cover of a book she hadn’t looked at in weeks. The girl paused before picking it up and opening it. The familiar sketch of a human figure with a shaded outline adorned the front page, and Anthere paused, brushing her fingers across the drawing. She turned the page yet again, revealing the table of contents. She scanned over it, each small phrase bringing back happy memories with a childhood friend. A small smile adorned her face, and a sense of nostalgia fell over her as she reminisced.
As Anthere kept looking over the contents, a single word caught her eye about a quarter of the way down the page. In black letters stood the word “Meditation.” She’d seen the section before, but never gave it much thought. But today, she decided she would look over it. Flipping through the pages of the book, the girl finally found it, and was greeted by the large, bold lettering of the chapter name.
The Nuit closed the chest with a thump, that was louder than initially expected, making her jump. If she still had a pulse, it would’ve sped up a little. Taking a moment to recollect herself. Anthere then made her way back to her bed, where she’d spent the last few hours. She wasn’t asleep, but rather simply relaxing, and being lost in thought.
When the girl was finally comfortable, she began reading. Most of it was quite informative, but there were a couple that stood out when it came to technique and purpose.
“Meditation can assist with concentration in magical practices.”
“Meditation is the act of clearing one’s head of thought.”
Both phrases intrigued Anthere, and she considered trying it herself. The girl finished reading the section, which took her a few chimes. She then closed the book and set it on the ground next to her bed. She laid back down, on her back, flat on the bed. She brought her arms to her side and closed her eyes, trying to slow her breathing before realizing she had none. It’d been a year, but Anthere was still growing accustomed to her new life, or rather, death.
Petch, you’re thinking.
Okay, meditation was a lot trickier than she thought.
It was a peaceful morning. Not entirely silent, but what little sound there was calmed Anthere. Daylight was just beginning to creep out, and the city of illusions was still quiet, lacking the wild bustling crowds that milled around during the day. It was moments like these that Anthere enjoyed.
The Nuit crawled out of bed and made her way to the chest resting by the wall. As she opened it, she realized how much effort it took. It was obvious that she’d grown weaker. Eventually, she’d have to find a way to counter it, but that was something for another day. Anthere began to shovel through the chest, trying to pair together the clothing she’d wear. She shoved aside a piece of cloth, and her hand ran into something hard, but smooth. It was the cover of a book she hadn’t looked at in weeks. The girl paused before picking it up and opening it. The familiar sketch of a human figure with a shaded outline adorned the front page, and Anthere paused, brushing her fingers across the drawing. She turned the page yet again, revealing the table of contents. She scanned over it, each small phrase bringing back happy memories with a childhood friend. A small smile adorned her face, and a sense of nostalgia fell over her as she reminisced.
As Anthere kept looking over the contents, a single word caught her eye about a quarter of the way down the page. In black letters stood the word “Meditation.” She’d seen the section before, but never gave it much thought. But today, she decided she would look over it. Flipping through the pages of the book, the girl finally found it, and was greeted by the large, bold lettering of the chapter name.
The Nuit closed the chest with a thump, that was louder than initially expected, making her jump. If she still had a pulse, it would’ve sped up a little. Taking a moment to recollect herself. Anthere then made her way back to her bed, where she’d spent the last few hours. She wasn’t asleep, but rather simply relaxing, and being lost in thought.
When the girl was finally comfortable, she began reading. Most of it was quite informative, but there were a couple that stood out when it came to technique and purpose.
“Meditation can assist with concentration in magical practices.”
“Meditation is the act of clearing one’s head of thought.”
Both phrases intrigued Anthere, and she considered trying it herself. The girl finished reading the section, which took her a few chimes. She then closed the book and set it on the ground next to her bed. She laid back down, on her back, flat on the bed. She brought her arms to her side and closed her eyes, trying to slow her breathing before realizing she had none. It’d been a year, but Anthere was still growing accustomed to her new life, or rather, death.
Petch, you’re thinking.
Okay, meditation was a lot trickier than she thought.
