(The Eighty-First Day) Chapter Two: Weakness [Solo]

[Elhaym]

61st Day of Winter, 510 AV Pain had been led away from the Shinya Pavilion by her new mentor, Kota. Together, they stood side by side near the entrance of the building, looking across the expanse of the beautiful city without a word spoken between them. Kota seemed deep in thought, where as Pain simply didn't know what to say or do other than follow him. Together they stood, looking out upon the vivid colors of the city. Crystalline bridges lapsed across empty space, connecting the city and it's glowing towers. Truly, Pain had never seen anything like it and was still memorized by it's beauty. "If you are to become a Shinya, then you must first understand what it means to live and die as one." Kota said, his eyes closed and his head bowed peacefully. His entire body was still, save for the motion of his lips. Pain loosened her body, and clasped her hands together in front of her. She kept her gaze focused on the city, but let his words fill her mind. "The Shinya are the guardians of Lhavit. We were given this task by Zintila herself... to protect Lhavit from all which would harm it. We owe our lives here to Zintila, and our prosperity would be nonexistent without her. So, you see... we worship the Star Lady, and we fulfill her desires. If you wish to become one of us, you must seek out a place in your heart for Zintila, and let her reside there. Our strength is nothing but a borrowed piece of her own, and without that glowing warmth in your heart... you will never become a Shinya. Do you understand, Elhaym?" "... Yes, Dian." Pain said, suppressing the urge to simply say 'yeah'. Pain didn't speak formally if she could help it, but she was beginning to feel slightly self conscious of her speech. "Good. This is something you cannot rush, Elhaym. You will seek knowledge and understanding of the Star Lady and what she means to you in your own time. I believe it is a relationship that must be cultivated between you and her without intervention from another. Now, that being said... you do not speak Lhavitian." Kota said, finally opening his eyes and turning his head to match Pain's own as she met his gaze. "That's right... err, i've only been in the city for a day, Dian." "I'm aware. I'm also aware of how hard you are struggling to project your tone in a certain way. Normally, a Shinya would have been in training far longer than you, and we would have cultivated them from a young age into what we believe is the ideal for our order... but, you are not a normal case. Essentially, Elhaym... speak the way you would normally speak, but do so respectfully. No one will fault you for this, and I am sure as you begin to learn Lhavitian you will find it much easier to speak formally." "Oh, okay. Thank you, Dian... I was startin' to think everyone would think I was an idiot if they heard me talk. You know, the other Acolytes thought I was some stupid farm girl who joined the order to get out of picking rice. I kinda thought if they heard me talk, they'd start to believe it." "The Acolytes are bright young individuals, destined to become Shinya... but remember Elhaym, they are but children. You are almost ten years older than the bulk of them. Though you are but an Acolyte as of now, you will become a rock for which they can rely on in the darkest days of their training. That brings me to the point of what we are doing today..." Kota turned to face Pain fully, clasping his hands together behind his back as he examined Pain once more. Pain was beginning to understand that the Shinya were incredibly perceptive aside from their obvious combat skills... they could determine much simply from assessing someones physical and emotional state. She wondered how much the Shinsa and the Sanim had discovered about her simply by watching her actions. This query was still floating in her mind as Kota spoke yet again, almost as if he had read her mind. "The Sanim sees something in you, Elhaym. It is by his graces only that you were given the opportunity to join the Shinya... most in a situation similar to your own would have been dismissed without such an offer. While you have proven a certain amount of his intuition to be true already today, there is still much you must show us. The Sanim has entrusted me with your training... to break you, and build you anew as something more. I will not always be gentle. I will not always be kind... but I will always act in your best interest. Can you accept this, Elhaym?" "I can, Dian. I won't lie to you and say that this all makes sense to me right now, the Star Lady and everything else, but... I don't make idle promises. I gave my word, so here I am." "Good. I wouldn't expect anything less from a woman who calls herself Pain." "Oh, uhh... you know about that?" Pain stuttered, breaking eye contact with Kota for a moment and rubbing the back of her head. "Of course. The Sanim told me... he felt something move within you when you spoke the word, so he knew that the name must have great emotional meaning to you. The Sanim is a very powerful man, and emotions are something he has great control over... as well as his ability to sense them in others. Call it an innate talent, I suppose. In any case, I won't be calling you Elhaym anymore. Your name is Pain, you said so yourself." "Yes... it is. Okay, Dian. What are we going to do now?" Kota smiled, almost wickedly as Pain asked him the question. His response was short, and puzzled Pain for a moment before she realized what he must mean. "Nothing."

[Elhaym]

Pain sat in the lotus position as instructed by Kota, her eyes closed and her hands clasped together in her lap. Her brow was furrowed, occasionally twitching along with her lips. "Stop. You're mind is wandering. I told you, you must cleanse the stray thoughts from your mind... yet you you are pursuing them!" Kota barked, swiping at the back of Pain's head with an open hand. The strike was a mere warning, but Pain's eyes shot open as he slapped her head. The sound of her teeth gritting together further irritated Kota. "If you can't control your anger for just one moment, you may as well give up now. You'll live your days as a servant, tending my needs... you have a goal, Pain. Meditation is not easy, but you need to put forth effort." Pain knew he was right. Meditation was most definitely not always easy. She had briefly been asked to perform of act of meditation a few months ago aboard a ship in the Suvan Sea under grave circumstances... her results had been less than stellar. It was that fleeting though that had earned her a smack upon the head. She was at a loss. Meditation was as foreign to her as the language Lhavitians spoke. "Dian... i'm trying to do this, but I don't know how." Kota sighed. He had been told to expedite Pain's training, but how could he give her advanced instruction on something she knew nothing about? Of course, the Sanim had given him permission to use slightly irregular training methods... he had seemed quite assured that this young woman would succeed in the face of adversity. Kota knew she was a fighter, and quite skilled. To reach that level, she had to be able to focus her mind in some manner... if he could force her to reach that level of focus mentally without having her engage in some sort of combat, perhaps he would find a path in which she could succeed. "Dian? I... what the!" Pain was interrupted as she spoke, pushed flat on her back from her seated position by a force unseen. It had been a rough push centered on her sternum, like she was shoved. Pain's head impacted the soft grass she sat on, and she growled in irritation. "What are you doing!?" Pain spattered, attempting to get to her feet. Again, she was pushed to the ground. Yet Kota had made no move, he simply stood with his arms at his side, tilting his head at her with a neutral expression. Pain quickly grew angry. Pain was on her back, but she would get to her feet quickly. Rolling her body backwards, she tightened the muscles in her abdomen and called upon their strength as she surged her legs back forward. She leapt to her feet without the use of her hands, and took a step towards Kota. Again, she was pushed. This time, the blow hit her shoulder, knocking her off balance. Pain was without words, angered that she was being struck and confused at the same time. Her confusion unleashed her raw instinct, and she lashed out. Her right arm came forward, intending to strike Kota back. Again, the unseen force impacted her fist and stymied her momentum. The two were in deadlock, Kota's projected arms pushing against Pain's muscular arm. He didn't like what he was having to do, but he began to see that his intuition had been correct. Pain's face was a stoic mask, focused in every way on the battle that waged on the tip of her knuckles. The focus, the mental clarity she needed when she meditated... it could be attained. "Cease this foolishness, Pain." Kota commanded, meeting her wild and confused eyes with his own calm irises. His student complied, and as he felt the force in her arm withdraw his recalled his astral arms. Slowly, he began to push them back into their mortal coil, having no further use for them in their astral state. "Striking me is obviously not wise... however, my methods were crude and would not be allowed in normal circumstances, so perhaps we should both put this incident behind us... agreed?" Kota said, moving his arms slowly and shaking his hands, as if they had fallen asleep. "Feh... you're damn right they were crude! What was that all about, the hell was that?" Pain growled, taking a step back and folding her arms across her chest defiantly. She was almost certain she had just encountered projection for the first time, but she couldn't be sure. What was Kota doing...? "Back to your position, Elhaym. I'll be back in a moment... I believe I have found something that will aid you." Pain was left stammering as Kota turned and walked away without a word, and she had no recourse but to return to the lotus position and close her eyes. She felt fake, taking orders and accepting someone else's whims as commands like this... but in a way, she did trust Kota. He was well spoken, and seemed wise... as she sat with her eyes closed, she was silently contemplating what it was about Kota that inspired trust in her when she heard his footsteps nearing her. Quickly, Pain attempted to flush the thoughts from her mind to enter some meditative state. She heard something odd, as if a liquid was sloshing about... but she kept her eyes closed. "Extend your arms, and open your palms. Do not open your eyes." Kota commanded. Pain complied, pushing both arms straight out at her sides. Her eyes almost bulged open as a spectacular weight crashed down upon each open palm. Her fingers instinctively closed upon some sort of wire handle, and Pain's arms trembled as she held the weight that pressed on both her arms. "You are not able to meditate without some sort of aid at this point... It is too much to ask, I suppose, for someone who has never attempted this art to perfect it immediately. However, your body is a catalyst for your focus. I saw it just a moment ago, when we were locked in our struggle. Hold these weights, as long as you can. Clear your mind, and focus on nothing. It will ease the agony." Kota said in a soft voice. He looked down upon Pain, who held a full pale of water in each outstretched hand. She sat in that awkward position, and she was already beginning to struggle. "You are too tense. Relax your muscles save the ones you require for your task. Your face should be slack. You can do this, Pain." *** Kota stood with his arms folded, silently counting as time passed. It had been ten chimes, but his student had responded well. She sat, her face blissfully unaware of the bulging and agonized muscles in her arms as the pales of water hovered unmoving above the ground. For Pain, it had taken only a few seconds after Kota spoke for the wisdom in his words to sink in. The physical stress of the weights forced her to empty her mind, and drive her own physical pain far into the dark reaches of her conscious. And the odd thing was... it was working. Pain worked out religiously, even aboard that damned ship. She was in excellent shape, having worked through countless injuries yet still retaining her physique. For her to be able to utilize her mind and body in tandem in such a way was an entirely new experience... yet in her current state, Pain was not really even aware of what she was doing. Her meditative state was deep... just as Kota had intended. "That is enough, Pain." Pain opened her eyes slowly, exhaling slightly as she lowered the water pales to the ground. Upon touching the earth her arms limply fell from the handles to the grass, their usefulness spent for the moment. "Dian Kota, did I...?" Pain asked, staring at her mentor with a sense of wonder. She moved her shoulders back and forth, pulling her exhausted arms into her lap. "Yes, Pain. Meditation is a tool that you must learn to harness... as you have seen, it is not simply for show. With meditation, you can overcome mental and physical trials that would have consumed you otherwise... well done, Acolyte." Kota said, a smile creeping into shape on his face. He leaned down, pulling Pain to her feet. She stumbled a bit, but Kota's grasp was firm. "I... I think I understand, Dian." "You are strong in some ways, Pain. In others, you are weak. Before, I manipulated you using your own weakness to find strength in the same moment. If you place your trust in me... together, we can remove your weakness. This, I promise you." Together, they slowly walked from the small clearing along the steps to the Monastery. Kota was a firm teacher, but Pain's trust in him was growing with every minute. They had been together for barely a bell, but he had already proven to her that a task that seemed to difficult before could be mastered with the proper mindset. He was right. She could crush a person with her body, but her mind was weak. But... maybe, just maybe... she could overcome her weakness.

[Ophelia]

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Thread Award. ‎‎<3 ‎ ‎EXPERIENCE.‎ ‎+3 Meditation ‎+2 Bodybuilding ‎LORES.‎ ‎To live and die as a Shinya Colloquial speech, thank the Gods‎ Perceptive Shinya Kota slaps hard Controlling anger Irritation at unseen forces Pain focuses the body and the mind Overcoming mental weakness Trusting your sponsor ‎ADDITIONAL NOTES.‎ I especially liked the way you wrote the relationship between Kota and Pain. Brilliant work, as always. ‎Don't hesitate to pm me with questions, queries, or anything else!‎ Love,‎ Ophelia <3

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