Initiate Elementism Training (Lady Abigail?)

[Sierra]

Sunrise, Hour 1 of Dianara, Brightening 39 of Aperitus,
Winter of Era 1 of the Celestine Mandate
Era X (PF) in The Age of the Darkening
Paradigm: Coronation of Queen Sharinya of the Fae Folk

Sierra woke up a bit too early for her lessons, for she was just a tad bit too eager. She found her way back to the Academy of Mind and Fire easily, and as she entered the building she smiled and glanced around the familiar atmosphere, and then nodded in recognition towards the clerk as she gave a quick "Serale," or "Good Brightening," of which she gave she could not quite remember.

Using the directions that the clerk had given her the previous day - which she was surprised to remember - she found her way to the door of Lady Abigail, and froze. She remembered the clerk's words to her, about how the woman was a bit haughty to strangers at first, and suddenky grew very nervous and planted her feet into the ground. Her face grew pale with a new sort of awareness, and perhaps the same sort of embarrassment that she had encountered yesterday.

She watched the door a moment and stared at it up and down, and she seemed to soon be able to see it with her eyes closed. She felt like a fool, just standing there, and the with one last swallow of her dry throat, she said a few thoughts to herself. Taking a deep breath, she let her meager arm rise, knocking on the door gently as not to disturb anyone within the room with any loud noises, and did as the clerk had told her.

"Serale, M'lady, I am Sierra Lane Annadon, and I am here for Initiate Elementism training."

With these words said she stepped back and pursed her lips, her eyes cast to the ground, but then her mind clicking and her eyes coming back to the door straight ahead of her again. She wished that she had come up with something better to say, perhaps like "I am interrupting your very valuable time..." or something f the sort. She felt as if she was now, and as if she wanted to turn around, but she remembered that she was to be confident and not run away, or else there was no telling what she would be. She suddenly straightened her posture and her eyes flickered with a new determination, and reassured herself that the clerk had said at first and that everything would turn out for the best.... She took one, shaky deep breath, and waited...

[Seraphim]

Lady Abigail was engrossed in a large tome she had brought from Alleria Prime, when she was interrupted by a faint knock at the door, and a feminine voice announced itself. Frowning slightly, she remembered that she was to be expecting a new pupil soon.

Rising gracefully from her cushioned seat and gliding to the door, she commanded it to open with a flick of her wrist, and was greeted by the sight of Sierra. She nodded coolly and spoke.

"Serale Sierra. I was expecting you. Do please come in."

She left the door open as she returned to her seat, gesturing Sierra to do the same with the other seat. The door closed automatically as Sierra entered the room, and nervously took a seat.

"So, Sierra, let's begin with you telling me why you want to do Elementalism..."

[Sierra]

Sierra blinked unexpectedly as the door opened before the woman had completely reached her, and glanced around with a rather curious expression that made her look like a child. She entered the room slowly and tok in all of the details of the room before listening to what Lady Abigail had to say first. So far so good.

She almost jumped when the door closed behind her, but she had fortunately seated herself comfortably in a chair near Lady Abigail before that had happened. She smiled faintly and tilted her head slightly as she listened to the sentence, and then straightened her posture and cleared her throat. She tried to refrain fro using any "um's," "er's," or "uh's," for they made her speaking sloppy and gave away her nervousness.

"Well, I've had a certain fascination with the elements." she began, drawing the wors from her heart and how she really felt these past days, and trying to tell what thought had driven her to keep going these past days.... Especially what had kept her from running away before Lady Abigail had opened the door. "I seemed to have grown curious about them and how they work, and I feel that elementism will help me with this.... But it's not only this. I had a relative that knew elementism not far off and their work was amazing, even though they were only initiate. Their love for the elements drove them to practice, and they sould be mast by now. Studying it not only helped her to obtain a larger or closer connection with what she grew fascinated with, but she was also able to protect herself and others. I thought that perhaps if I learned elements, I could learn so much more about what has enchanted me all these years."

She stopped, feeling as if she could never give enough, and what she had given was not at all a good reason why. She pursed her lips and frowned in untter disappointment, but remembered her cousin's words of pursuing one's dreams and straightened in her seat. If what she had given was not enough, then she would have to live with it, and live with it with pride. She could at least go around and tell others, "I had tried to fulfill my dreams, and even though I did not make it, I did what I could in order to get there. Did you?"

She smiled at this thought and seemed to relax.

[Seraphim]

Lady Abigail deigned to nod, the barest slight dip of her smooth, regal chin. She allowed a pregnant pause to fill the room, waiting patiently just in case her new pupil had any further things to add.

"Very well, then. I hope that your initial enthusiasm will be enough to sustain you under my tutelage. My training regime may be harsh, but it most certainly is fair as well."

She paused to let the information sink in, then continued.

"There are a few ground rules that I would have you know before we begin our lessons. Firstly, when I speak, you remain silent. When I tell you to do something, you do it. Never talk back to me. And always be punctual. Unless I specifically tell you to, you are not allowed to practised magic at home, without my direct supervision. Is that clear?"

[Sierra]

Sierra listened intently while ringing her wrists together slowly, and as Lady Abigail finished she nodded her agreement and showed that she did indeed udnerstand. She then added, "I understand, Lady Abigail."

With this said she tried not to sink into her seat, and found herself wondering what would happen next and if training would begin immediately.

[Seraphim]

Lady Abigail allowed a pregnant pause to fill the room, thinking to herself that she might have been a bit too ... harsh on the poor pupil. She allowed a graceful smile to light her face.

"Now, we shall begin. People are born into this world bound, that is to say that they are unaware of the magical essence surrounding them, and within them. In order to manipulate these magical energies, and cast spells, one must first be unbound. To do this, I shall cast a spell on you first. Close your eyes and relax. Once I tell you to, you may open them, and tell me of what you experience."

Lady Abigail waited until Sierra's eyes were firmly shut, before slipping into clara with ease, and cast unbind on her pupil. Then she waited for a response.

[Sierra]

Sierra nodded and was very relieved to be graced by Lady Abigail's smile, closing her eyes and leaning back in her chair as she tried a bit succesfully to relax. She shifted a bit and then finally settled into a placid spot in her resting place. She closed her eyes and kept them firmly that way, sure not to let them flutter or not to allow them to be shut too tightly, to where they would begin to hurt. She found herself becoming a bit drowsy as well.

There was a bit of silence as Lady Abigail began to prepare to work the spell, and the room seemed to gently swivel and spin as she breathed calmly in and out, letting the room's atmosphere carry her with it and flow into a rythm of its own. There was an odd silence here as the Lady began to work her magic, and there was a certain change that slowly came upon both Sierra and her surroundings.

At first the normal mingling of colors on the back of Sierra's eyelids continued to mix and match, until suddenyl they began to sperate like fog, and she felt her body become light as air internally, her head a bit dizzy and her stomache as if it was floating within her stomache. her fingers went to sleep, and soon enough it was her arms, and her body felt as if it was spinning and swooning when it was only still as a rock.

She swallowed once and her stomach fluttered, and she began to slowly open her eyes. As she did everything that she had felt began to disipate like mist in the morning, and her body began to regain its heaviness and she felt as if she was beginning to drift back into her chair. Around her she felt different things, and the walls seem to emanate a certain feeling that she could not explain. Even her own body did this, and Lady Abigail's was the most noticeable. The feeling that Lady Abigail's body gave off made Sierra feel as if she cuold be crushed under the weight of it, and as if she could do nothing about it, for it felt as if this was Lady Abigail's power and ability to do certain things, and it probably was. Perhaps it was her master's magic. She swallowed again, harder this time.

"I feel as if I'm a part of a certain flow of the world, and each part of this world contributes to this flow.... I can feel a certain "energy" that comes from everything. Each of us seem to be surrounded by it, and I suppose the stronger it is the stranger I feel. I can't explain it but it tells me when I should cower and when I should stand tall."

She purse her lips at her inability to explain this feeling thoroughly, but she remained quiet so that Abigail could speak, and hopefully if she did not give enough, somehow she could give the answer through the eyes. Her eyes seemed to reflect every single thing that she had just witness jsut a few moments before.

[Seraphim]

Lady Abigail raised an eyebrow at the experience relayed by Sierra. She silently voiced her approval. This one will go far...

"You are perceiving the magical essence around us, hidden to those who are bound. The arcane energy around us is called the Ara, and those inherent within us is given the name Vis. Now, by interfacing the Vis within with the Ara without, thereby conjuring an arcane weave, one produces a magical reaction, or arcalysis. This can then be manipulated to form spells."

Lady Abigail deftly adjusted her dress, as it was in danger of being creased, and looked coolly at Sierra to see if she understood the basic principle of arcana.

[Sierra]

Sierra began to connect the feeling that she was getting with the word Ara, and then the feeling within her with Vis. She smiled to herself and then nodded inwardly, turning to listen to what else Lady Abigail had to say. She began to imagine using this power without and then weaving it with the power within her, somehow letting this power within her out to connect with the outer, and matched this with her vocabulary word of and arcane weave. This causing a magical reaction reminded her a bit of a chemical reaction, and she nodded, associating this with the word that Lady Abigail gave her, arcalysis. She then nodded so that the other could see.

"Yes ma'am, I understand." she said, understanding that this arcalysis was needed to form spells.

[Seraphim]

"Good, now we shall continue onto the next topic. Prior to connecting to the magical weave, one must first fall into a meditative state called clara. It will bring upon you an enhanced sense of the arcane, as well as allow you to cast spells more effectively."

Pausing for a breath, Lady Abigail then continued.

"I want you to clear your thoughts, and focus on the arcane energy around and within you. Do not fret if you fail in your first attempt. This skill requires practice."

[Sierra]

Sierra nodded and thought of the meditative state that Lady Abigail called clara, and swallowed. If this enhanced her chances of casting spells correctly, she'd have to master it. She paused a moment. "All I have to do is focus on the arcane energy without and within? Or is there more to meditation than that?" she asked before she began to do what the Lady asked of her.

[Seraphim]

Lady Abigail gazed coolly at her, and replied briskly.

"Clara is more than simply meditating. It is clearing your mind, and preparing it to utilise magic. Normally for initiates, it takes up to ten minutes, and even that takes constant practice. Now concentrate."

Lady Abigail inclined her head, indicating that Sierra should proceed with it. Her patience, it seemed, was fast running out.

[Sierra]

Sierra swallowed and took the hint, closing her eyes quickly and trying to ease back in her chair, trying to bring her breath to a normal pace rather than the one that she aqcuired when nervous. She tryed not to shut her eyes too tightly and unpursed her lips, unclenching her fists on the chair and letting her entire body go limp.

Here, she thought, would probably be the hardest part. She took a deep breath and then let it all out, trying to let all of her thoughts flow out of her head just as she let her breath out. She emptied her mind as much as she could, and then tryed to flow into a non-existence that was either nothing but black or nothing but white. Either way, she tryed to think of nothing at all, so that she could clear her entire mind of thought or anything that a mind could hold, so that she could use it for other purposes.

An image slowly faded in reverse into her mind, and she could see the face of Gavyn smiling at her and waving, laughing his normal boyish laugh and grinning like a child. She could feel her inner self laughing back, and then her mind began to push both of them away, into the corners and the deepest depths of her mind, deep into a shelf or a drawer so that she could see them later, but now was not the time.

"Go away, go away, go away thoughts! I must clear my mind! Can't you pleasee just go away for at least ten minutes? she yelled within her mind, and all of her thoughts receded like scared little creatures, and she eased back into the chair, trying to do it again.

No thoughts, no thoughts, no thoughts.... the words faded, faded, faded until there was nothing....and then there was nothing...and she felt as if she was going to sleep...

What did I do this morning? Didn't I put my things away before - wait a minute, didn't I even eat? Or did I - Oh, golly, no wonder I'm hungry, I -

She felt like screaming. It wasn't working. This meditation just wasn't working. She repeated the process of going limp, taking a deep breath, trying to clear out the thoughts....

...Thoughts thoughts thoughts. They rushed throughout her head like a mad house. What was she to do?! She had no idea how to clear them out! Concentration? Yes, concentration....concentration.... Again, she repeated the process of going limp, taking a deep breath, trying to clear out the thoughts....

[Seraphim]

Unbeknownst to Sierra, Lady Abigail was monitoring her efforts arcanically, as well as by reading her body language. She noted the brief inner struggle as Sierra fought to regain her focus, and ultimately lose it again. Shaking her head slightly, a bit disappointed by Sierra's failure, but optimistic nonetheless.

"Don't worry, Sierra, it is normal to find it difficult on the first try. If you aren't too tired, perhaps you can have another go at attaining clara. Perhaps, you could focus on a single object, instead of nothingness, then once you've gained control of your mind, you may begin to concentrate on nothingness, and hence, concentrate on reaching clara."

[Sierra]

Ooc: Sorry for the long wait! I was very sick.

IC:

Sierra let out a small sigh and tried a bit of optimism herself. She nodded at Lady Abigail's words and blinked a few times to clear her vision, giving a few more deep breaths before closing her eyes again. She had to get it this time, she had to get it.... Focus on one object instead of nothingness....

Attempting to do this, Sierra closed her eyes again and tried to think of something to focus on. No, not the blackness of it all.... Perhaps something that would draw her attention from everything else very easily. Perhaps if she just tried hard enough to control what she was thinking of.... What did she like to think of most often? Her mother? A person? A thing?

She suddenly thought of her animals, and drew her attention to all of the people that had cared about her and had had no reason why. She drew a picture of her wolf into her mind, using him as a symbol for all of the love that she had received ever since she had moved to Alleria Prime. She gathered everyone's care and love for her, including Aire's, into the animal, and then looked at it.

Everything cleared away, and all she could do was think of was that one wolf, laying within her mind like a placid animal that knew wrong from right. She didn't know if she was doing it correctly but she couldn't even think of that at that moment, for everything blacked away and she was looking at something that you would never normally see in everyday life. She didn't know that something so simple could be so ...

There was no word for it. All she could do was think of it and it alone. Her body was relaxed and at ease, and all of the tension of the day was forgotten, even the woman before her, and even the objects she was in contact with. She didn't even feel trapped within her body, but free, within the darkness of the moment, beside her animal, and surrounded by the love of all her friends and family, whether they be blood related or not. She felt free.