Student and Teacher - chapter 11

The sun was almost directly overhead and lit the spot on the temple floor where Aeternalia had placed himself, for that very reason. The warmth of the sun helped him clear his mind as he focused on meditation. As he focused on the enviornment.. one by one he turned off the sounds in his mind. First, the gentle crackling of the fire in the braziers at the door, and the whistle of the wind through the attic rafters. Feeling at peace with the building, he moved to the courtyard where he could hear the crisp whip of Gunter's practice sword passing through the morning air. Then the sound of the birds chirping on the side of the meadow as well as the rustling of the trees and the splashing water in the stream, were slowly silenced in his mind. The animals in the forest surrounding the area were harder, there were so many. He tried instead to focus on silencing them as a collective instead of going to each individual animal.. and that seemed to work..The silence was almost complete..

The feeling of accomplishment was interrupted by a new sound, one that was further away than he was used to being in tune with. It was the sound of the village.. nearly a day's ride away. Pleased with this new found range of sense that his Master had told him would eventually come with practice.. he listened to this new sound instead of turning it off. He could hear the children playing, the farmers selling their produce at market.. the sounds of horses and carts in the streets, a conversation among travelers rumoring war in the far north west. As he listened to the sounds of the village, he started making out images of the noises, recreated in his mind.. the images becoming clearer the more he listened.. As he focused on a conversation, he saw the image of Razel standing among the villagers, and the image looked at him and spoke clearly.. "it's amazing what you can do with meditation isn't it?" Startled Aeternalia snapped back into consciousness in the temple, Where Razel was now sitting beside him.

"Once again you surprise me with your abilities, my son." Aeternalia spoke trying to hide that he was startled to see Razel there. "I have never found you so far in the distance father, your own power is growing as well. This place has not hindered me as I had expected it would."

Smiling, Aeternalia stood and began stretching to perform his Kata and physical disciplines. As he stretched he asked if Razel was also able to hear and determine the individual conversations at that distance. Razel agreed that he could and they were quickly off on a philisophical debate about whether the conversations were fabricated by our own mind, or if they actually took place and were overheard.

They decided to perform a test. Aeternalia would travel to the village, and at a specific time have a conversation with a villager. Razel would try to listen in on it using the meditation they had been practicing.

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Aeternalia arrived back in the Anon Tae the next day, and as he led Imhotep through the archway back into the Anon Tae, he wondered to himself why horses could pass through without the difficulties that humans had..

His first stop was Porphyry. "I have guests, they are from the village, I let slip that the Temple was reopening and several insisted that they come and help with the rebuilding.."
Gunter who was sitting nearby talking quietly with Lady Herodias perked up at that and began gathering blankets and pillows, and firewood for a large fire.. "We have guests that will require our hospitality.. let us prepare for them." At that, Lady and Gunter began preparing food and warm drinks for the travelers. Razel calmly continued what he was doing.. "Your wasting your time, he said.." Looking startled Jin Asked him "Do you not believe they will not make it through the archway?" Razel looked up at him with a devious smile.. "oh no, friend.. I believe they will all make it through.. but not until tomorrow evening at the earliest". At that Por, who was still sitting smiled and whispered to Razel, "I was going to let them figure that out on their own.."

They all laughed at that.. sitting down for a meal together with each one excited about the first visitors to the temple.


~From the Cherubim Knights Archive~
A partial record of the meditation testing.