Because I Love You✔️

Chapter 51: Martial Arts

Chapter Fifty-One: Martial Arts

During the lunch hour, everyone ate quickly since Amelia wanted all of them to start training as soon as possible, but even though her pyromancy had been efficient at clearing the snow and drying the dirt beneath it, she still looked a little overwhelmed when she pulled her books out.

"All right, everyone," she said, lifting her eyes and determinedly pushing her glasses up her nose. "Our first lesson commences now. Phil, you already know what to do, so go get your harp and meet me back here."

"Yes ma'am," he sighed, slowly getting up. "Be back in a second."

However, he couldn't help but stare for a moment when Ella, Vrael, and Sinmir all sat down in a row. He watched as Amelia began to explain the basics of mediation, just as she'd once done for him, but when she made eyes at him he trotted over to his pack.

Gus, looking tired and more than a little irritated, sat beside his horse; Xaphile did his best to ignore him as he rummaged through his things and finally managed to pull the harp out, and Amelia cast a bright smile his way when he returned and sat down beside Vrael.

"Play and meditate, like always," she told him. "Pay no attention to the others."

"Easier said than done."

Not knowing what to play, he simply cycled through his scales as a sort of warm-up.

"Phil," Amelia sighed, "in order to progress, you must actually do something."

"Singing?"

"If it helps. Based on previous sessions, it really does seem to be the quickest way."

Xaphile let his fingers drift for a bit before he selected something he had never played before.

Well, that wasn't totally true... he had sung along with it hundreds of times, but he had never tried to reproduce it on an instrument, let alone one so limited in range, but the lyrics called to him, and as he played through the chords to familiarize himself with the tune, he sang them in his head. When he felt that he was ready, he let the words go.

"You're not ready for the world outside," he quietly sang. "You keep pretending, but you just can't hide. I know I said that I'd be standing by your side, but I..."

His surroundings fell away as the music washed him clean, and he actually started to perceive a color.

The thought was a strange one... music, having a color?

But he didn't try to question the melancholy and longingly pale blue as it flowed from him and into the world beyond. Eventually the song ended, and while he was drifting free in theta, he subconsciously began the song again. Another revolution of the tune was not to be, unfortunately; as soon as he started again, he heard the unmistakable sound of applause.

It filtered through his haze of music and shattered his composure from the outside in. Xaphile scrambled for the last vestiges of the theta state, but they fled faster than he could follow and he was left stranded in the world of waking thought.

"That was incredible!" Vrael cried, clapping hard. "I've never seen Magic quite like that before!"

"Aye, it was a pretty tune," Sinmir agreed. "Where'd you learn to play?"

Xaphile was going to tell him when Amelia spoke up.

"Pardon me," she interrupted, casually planting her chin on her palm, "but you're all supposed to be attempting meditation, not applauding."