TBC: Chapter Twenty-Two

The master warriors gulped down the water brought to them by the temple workers during their morning break. The day stars now warmed the planet without mercy, as if they were trying to release their last bit of heat all in one day before the season changed.

Jalena and Shamira stood before the team, who were gathered once again at the chinálei.

"Now that we have completed the full foundation of training, the next phase is for each of you to expand and unite your abilities," said Jalena. "We will do this in several ways. First, you will start to practice ways to enhance your charismas. Some of you have already done this accidentally, but you must begin to exercise your imagination in how you can use your gifts in new ways. For example, Master Gyan, you can produce a shield of light when focusing on an object or person before you, but how could you produce the same shield around something that doesn't hold your full focus? Could you still produce it with the object being out of sight?"

Gyan raised his eyebrows in thought.

"I thought that use of our charisma requires focus and that anytime our focus is split, full use of our energy cannot be utilized," Brogan stated.

"It is indeed true of most things that take up processing space in your mind, but only before the skill becomes automated. When you are just learning of your power, you use much of your focus to direct your charisma," Jalena replied. "However, when you understand that any gift you possess is rooted in the instinctual part of you, then you will also realize that it does not require much focus to use the gift. It only requires a moment of awareness and direct intent."

"So, for me to produce a light shield, it only requires me to notice what I want in that instant and then respond without concentration?" Gyan said.

"Think about it," responded Jalena. "Most of you discovered your charismas by accident. At that time, you were not thinking of using your charisma or even knew that you had one. You were only thinking of your immediate desire. You created a solution to answer your desire with your charisma without conscious awareness."

"Use of your charisma will become more like a reflex with practice," Shamira added. "The Lumfáinne requires more focus than some of your other skills because you must concentrate on bringing the light from within and control it externally so that it doesn't destroy the land and everyone around you. Lumanthrú requires you to blend your internal light with the surrounding energy so it demands direct focus. However, your charisma is intertwined in your skills as a warrior and can be used as a response to a fleeting mental demand."

"With this understanding, you will become invested in full use of your power and internalize the idea that it will not take as much concentration to use your charismas as you first believed," Jalena stated. "Once it becomes more instinctual, your focus is free to use in other ways…Does everyone understand this?"

The group nodded.

"Good. Let's work…Master Gyan, you're first."

Gyan stepped forward.

"Now pick one of your teammates," Jalena said.

"Valora."

"Master Valora, please join Master Shamira."

Valora took her place beside Shamira.

"Okay," Jalena told Gyan. "I want you to look at me but cast a shield around Master Valora while she spars Master Shamira."

Skepticism flooded Gyan's expression. "I don't know."

"Master Gyan, it is possible. Change your mind about what is necessary to produce the shield," said Shamira. "Drop your expectation so you can see alternative ways."

"You can, Gyan," added Valora. "You weren't even thinking about shields when you threw one up to protect me from the arrows while we were in Gawl Forest.

"Yeah, but I was watching you. I had you in my focus," replied Gyan.

"You do not create the shield with your eyes—you create it with your intent," Shamira said.

"You know where Valora stands with just a glance and that glance is all it takes to note if your companions are in serious danger. In fact, you don't even have to observe the location of others to cast a shield around them. You feel them. Use the ability of all your senses to survey your surroundings and let go of relying solely on vision. You have mastered this skill already. Now, just intertwine this skill with your charisma."

Gyan nodded. He took several deep breaths and opened his senses further. "Ready."

Shamira and Valora bowed to each other and began. Gyan stared into Jalena's gaze and kept his breath steady. Several moments later, Shamira's strike at Valora was blocked by a small flash of light.

"That's it, Gyan," said Valora. "Almost."

It took Gyan several more tries to produce a full shield around Valora without looking at her directly.

"Good," said Jalena. "Now try again, and this time we will spar also."

Gyan let out a slow breath and nodded.

He was only able to produce flashes of light around Valora while sparring with Jalena before the four decided to take a break.

"Keep practicing, Master Gyan," stated Jalena. "You will eventually develop the ability to produce more than one shield at a time as your ability becomes more reflexive."

After the break, Jalena split the warriors into teams. "I wish all of you to practice ways to expand your charisma.

"Master Brogan and Master Valora, you have done well at finding new ways to use your combined power. What have you discovered about your ability that you didn't know before through practice?"

"One thing that's changed from before is that we don't have to stand back-to-back in order to produce light beams like we thought," Valora said.

"Good. Now the rest of you are to think of how you can expand your own charismas in the same way," Jalena said. "We can help each other out with this. For example, Master Tarak, I believe you should practice lifting objects without directing the energy through your hands." She turned to the Lorcan. "Master Lorcan, your charisma involves using a pool of light energy that surges through your feet. I want you to think of other ways you can improve this power."

Lorcan nodded.

She turned to the rest of the warriors. "If you are used to using a large amount of concentration to direct your charisma, see if you can use it with less focus. Some of you may still discover more use of your gifts by accident. But, for now, open your imagination to more possibility and see what develops."

The warriors paired off to spar the remainder of the morning.

As Jalena claimed, the warriors advanced quickly in their ability to automate the use of their charisma. Tarak graduated to using just his mind to guide the objects he transported, rather than his hands. Danika became so fast at turning invisible that all that could be seen was a flash before she disappeared rather than the gradual fading of her entire body.

At their midday break, the warriors agreed to eat their meal together by the Tran Ceiabré. Each took their usual spots near the edge of the falls, leaning against or sitting atop their favorite boulders.

Hoshi pushed Jarek over as she took a seat next to him. "Jarek, make room. You're taking the whole rock."

"There's only room for one master here," Jarek teased as he attempted to put his legs across her lap.

"Then, I guess you'll have to leave," Hoshi said as she shoved his legs off her, causing him to slide forward down into the patch of grass between Danika and Brogan.

Brogan shoved Jarek to the side. Jarek laughed and climbed back up the rock.

The group ate in silence for several minutes, the hypnotic sound of the falls casting an air of relaxation around them.

"I love this whole approach to taking our abilities beyond where they are now," Danika stated in between bites of a pograpaña.

"Easy for you to say," Jarek responded. "How do I expand my ability to see the future?"

"I think that will happen naturally," she replied.

"I'm not sure it's very useful," he said.

"Jarek, if it hadn't been for your vision of the Celestine Temple getting attacked, we would have never made it to Solara in time," Valora stated. "Besides you could try concentrating on a place and see if anything appears."

"You mean like see if I can direct the vision?"

Valora nodded.

"Just because that is the only charisma you have discovered doesn't mean there isn't more," Danika added.

"She's right," said Valora. "Some warriors don't discover a charisma until later on."

"I know what you mean though, Jarek," Lorcan stated from where he stood near the water's edge. "I'm not sure how to expand the use of my gift like Master Jalena said. I already run as fast as I can."

"I don't think Master Jalena was talking about increasing your speed, Lorcan," Gyan said.

"What do you mean?" Lorcan asked.

"I think she was talking about doing other things like kicking—"

"Or jumping," Brogan interjected. He stared for several moments at Lorcan in thought. "Let's find out." He stood up. "Valora, I'll need you too."

Lorcan peered at Brogan. "What is it you want to find out?"

"Valora and I are going to shoot light energy at your feet at the same time that you jump," he replied.

"I don't know…" Lorcan said as he glanced skeptically at his feet.

"Well, if you can handle a surge of energy in your feet, you should be able to absorb it coming at you externally too, right?" Brogan stated. "So, if the external boost makes you fly through the air, then you should be able to use your charisma to do the same."

Lorcan shrugged. "Maybe."

"Might be worth a try," Valora said.

The rest of the warriors stood and gathered closer to the twins.

"Okay, so on three you jump," said Brogan.

"Are you sure about this, Lorcan?" Hoshi asked.

He shrugged. "Won't hurt to see." He stood ready—his arms hanging by his sides and his back to the pool.

Brogan grabbed Valora's forearm and both extended their opposite arm at Lorcan's feet. They narrowed their eyes in concentration before they lit up brightly with light energy.

"One…two…three!"

A solid blue-white beam shot out of the twins' hands directly at Lorcan's feet as Lorcan jumped straight up. The rest of the warriors watched in awe as the light propelled Lorcan into the air.

"Ahhh!" Lorcan yelled, his arms flailing.

"Whoa!" Brogan exclaimed.

Laughter rang through the air as Lorcan landed with a loud splash into the pool. He resurfaced with a huge grin and swam to the edge.

"Very nice," said Jarek as he offered a hand to help Lorcan out of the water.

"Okay, so we know that your charisma can be used for jumping too," Danika said.

"There has to be a way for him to do it while using just his own energy," Valora stated. "Maybe you can concentrate to build the energy at your feet first and then try to jump."

"I want to try again," said Lorcan, "but I want to see if I can do it without the booster." He looked at Jarek. "I'm going to try to jump over you, Jarek."

Jarek took a step backward. "Um…No."

"Come on."

"Okay, but if you hit me, I get to return the favor."

Lorcan smiled in response and took a deep breath as his eyes lit up. After several moments, a blue-white light gathered at his feet and he leaped.

Jarek threw both arms over his head and face.

"Wow, Lorcan," Hoshi said with an amazed expression after several seconds.

Jarek opened his eyes and turned to see Lorcan standing on the boulder behind him near the edge of the water, his clothes dripping water. He gave a short laugh of surprise.

"Very nice, Lorcan," Danika stated.

Jarek grinned and shook his head in disbelief.

"Time for us to return," Valora said.

Brogan slapped Lorcan on the back as the group walked the forest trail back to the temple chinálei.

As Lorcan headed to the temple rooms to find dry clothes, the group explained to Jalena and Shamira what he had discovered during their break.

"As you have learned so far," Jalena continued as Lorcan rejoined the group, "the bond between warriors that incarnate together is stronger than with any other warriors in the Order. However, that does not mean that there is a lack of connection with others that surround you. No matter who is by your side, it is important to remain open to how you can use your strengths together to gain an advantage in any situation. I will tell you a story to help you understand what I mean."

Jalena sat down on the chinálei and indicated for the others to do the same.

"The story is about my mother and father, Elder Master Syam and Master Leyse. As you all know, my father and I possess the same charisma—the ability to manipulate and transport another's energy. My mother's charisma was the same as Master Shamira's—the ability to heal others."

Brogan raised his eyebrows at Shamira, who dropped her gaze and smiled modestly in response.

Jalena continued. "When the Nardan armies of the South attacked the southern territories in Uthar, my father and mother were caught in a battle together near the outskirts of Lelysia. They both were hiding at the edge of the forest, waiting for the right moment to engage the enemy. My mother saw an injured child—a little girl—and sprinted to her aid when she noticed the child was in immediate danger. My father called for her to stop because the area was not safe. She did not listen to him and kept running, so he ran after her just as he was attacked by more soldiers. Before he could get to my mother in time, an explosion occurred in a building near her. Both the girl and my mother were killed."

"Jalena," Danika whispered.

Jalena paused as she noted the hands of the entire team emitting a soft blue-white glow.

Gyan looked around at the others and gave Jalena a small smile. The first time his hands had lit up was when he was with Jalena at the Tran Ceiabré. She had talked about her mother then as well, and Gyan's hands automatically began to glow, noting the empathy he felt for her then.

Jalena gave a nod of gratitude, cleared her throat, and continued. "The reason I share this story with you is because my father, due to being in direct danger from the soldiers, could have teleported to the child and transported her back to my mother at their place in the forest. Both acts could have saved everyone, but in the moment, my mother did not see alternative solutions. Her fear of the child getting hurt interfered with her assessment of the best route to take and as a result, my father did not get to them in time.

"So, the point of the story is to show how imperative it is to practice using your gifts as a unit and internalize what points of strength each in your team possesses. When you do this, you will discover that it becomes common for you to think on the same frequency and experience the same ideas simultaneously in a situation. As the bond between you strengthens, you will all understand what to do without speaking your ideas or thoughts to each other."

Jalena stood and the others followed.

"Uncontrolled emotions, especially fear, can interfere with your connections, so it is vital to learn how to observe unwanted issues in battle and still maintain focus. Sometimes, a warrior's energy may be too drained to utilize in the way we wish, and what we expect will happen is not how it plays out despite our intent to make it so. However, if you seek to remain open to all possibilities in a problematic situation, you will discover synchronicities that can be utilized between you and your teammates."

Jalena proceeded to divide the group into two teams and the groups practiced different ways to combine the warriors' charismas. By the time practice had ended, the Elsarian day stars had kissed the horizon once more.

After the other warriors left, Gyan approached Jalena as she talked quietly to Shamira. Shamira, taking note of Gyan's presence, said her goodbyes quickly and took off toward her own home.

Do I get that date now? asked Gyan softly.

As promised. Meet on the trail in an hour. It's a perfect night to walk to the Blanderé if you are up for it.

Always.