Finding the Center (Marek)

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Thank You, Divine Illuminatus, for being my strength, for giving me strength and purpose, the young man thought fervently, marvelling at the protective layer of Light surrounding him. He had seen it once before, of course, in the session with Damrod, but that time meditation had been brand new, and he had to focus on maintaining his calm breathing.

This time reaching his inner core was much easier, just as finding the barrier. He could indulge on concentrating on the protective layer for a bit and curiously he studied its separate strands of energy.

Breathing slow and even, Marek retreated towards the center. Seeking for matching ribbons of energy, Marek tried to gather these and weave them together into one cluster. Then, pushing them outwards evenly, riding on the senses he had used to reach the boundary, he attempted to merge them with the energies forming the shield of Light.

What he was doing was largely experimental. It was the first time he tried to manipulate the strands of energy Damrod had shown him.

Zinia had sounded like she knew what she doing though, and Marek trusted that she’d correct him if he made a mistake.
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At Marek's small prayer, the light brightened and seemed to expand ever-so-slightly.

Marek's manipulations were awkward. His attempts to move the tendrils of light succeeded in amplifying the intensity of the shield, but not in a consistent pattern: there were areas where the light was uneven.
And even though he only moved a handful of "ribbons", the effort to do so was exhausting.

"Hmm... that is one approach. But it is time-consuming and provides an uneven barrier. We will work on that more tomorrow."

"Now for the part Damrod was thinking about when he chose me as tutor: You have shielded yourself in the protection of the Light. Try now to come partially back to your physical sense of self. This will involve sensing both body and the underlying energy at the same time. Sometimes it helps in this exercise to simply see your body plainly as an object, or a shell that you occupy. Visualize the energy in your breath traveling into your center and then being channeled out to your limbs as your heart pumps the blood."
Last edited by Guest on Tue Dec 14, 2004 12:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Beads of sweat had formed on the young man’s brow while he struggled with the ribbons of energy. Zinia’s suggestion came as a relief. Of course, his breathing! He should have thought of that. Still, trying the hard way had taught him several things and made Marek glad for Zinia’s watchful presence.

He thought on her pointers while he secured his breathing pattern. He felt the rise and fall of his chest with each taken breath, felt how his lungs filled with air. Another slow, deep breath drawn in. His heart beat a steady rhythm. Marek concentrated, visualizing how the air drawn in with every breath was pumped through his body.

With the next slow breath taken, Marek visualized energy being inhaled together with air. This time, rather than concentrating on his heart beat, he focused on the core and the flow of energy drawn in and spread out from that focal point. He did not try to enforce anything but merely watched, allowing the energy to flow freely through him.
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“Very good. Now we take our perception a step further. Send your mind’s eye out with the flow of energy, into the parts of your body. Start with your head, then steadily down your center to your chest, torso... next out along an arm... out to the hand... the fingers. Then return to center and venture out along each limb in turn.”

Zinia went on for some time, coaching Marek through the task of examining himself to find the energy pattern of his body. Somehow she was present with him, highlighting certain parts.

Marek found a network of the light energy that traversed from head to toe, front to back. And once he was accustomed to this perception... he noticed patches... dark spots along the edges.

“What do you see?”
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Marek explored the energy pattern of his body until he knew them almost as well as he knew his physical shape. The patches warranted closer examination. What were those? Imperfections? Weaknesses? Natural consequences of being human?

“What do you see?”

He let released part of his concentration on the energies to lighten the depth of his meditation. Answering her question might be easier that way. By now Marek was confident he could regain the deeper level of his meditative state upon request.

“Some small parts where the energy doesn’t go. Dark spots?” he replied, the words coming out slow and thoughtful. “Do you think I’d be able to mend those patches?”

He did not like those dark spots, however natural they could be. Marek wanted that network of Light to fill every part of his body, but perhaps those patches were a necessity. He doubted it, though, and was strongly tempted to try and push the energy flows somewhat outward towards the dark spots. Mindful of his earlier exhaustion he held back, waiting for Zinia’s instructions.
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“Those would be the broken vessels and worn muscles underlying your bruises. Ordinarily, I would say that it is an abuse of our lord’s gift to waste magickal energies on such a trifle, as they will heal quickly enough on their own and are causing no serious problems.”

There was a strong scent of fresh sage and the feeling of cool wind as Zinia’s awareness overlapped with Marek’s.

“However, as this is a teaching exercise and such minor injuries may be small enough for a beginner to affect, I say: Give it a try.”

"Remember, Prayer and Faith are the source of our power."
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Marek’s hold on his meditative calm flickered as a rush of excitement coursed through him.

If I see these bruises… that means I could see other wounds. Maybe even in others. And perhaps even illnesses and poison. Maybe. Very maybe. But this means they could be seen, in theory at least, even if I can’t.

I bet Zinia can.


With an effort he restrained his excitement to return his attention first to the breathing rhythm, and then from concentrating on the energy drawn in with each taken breath to the pattern of energies coursing through his body. Again he marvelled in the network of Light that had spread through him, strongest at the core.

Revered Illuminatus, please forgive me for expending Your energy for attempting to heal a minor injury. I am but learning with the intention of employing the knowledge in Your service and in Your name. Please, help me gain the insight and wisdom I need to learn. If I succeed in learning this, perhaps in the future I can help heal myself and others who battle the Dark in the name of Light.

Recalling Zinia’s fatique, Marek realized now more than ever that every aid in healing could count when the time of battle came. Also, it would be a tremendous advantage in battle, or in between battles. For himself and for his comrades. Even if he could hardly touch more than a splinter, every tiny bit would help.

Slowly, he began working on expanding the network of light to include the darker patches.
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Having maintained his concentration on the Light and made a full examination of his body’s condition made the actual repair work easy. A bit of prayer and concentration yielded a pulse of light that expanded out from the core of Marek’s being. The cleansing light washed over the areas of discord and repaired that
which was damaged.

The flash of light also returned the novice to his normal perception of reality. His eyes opened to meet the gaze of Zinia who was looking down at him.
“Good! Very good indeed! Your instinct to make things right is strong even if your technical knowledge isn’t. You are truly favored by our lord Illuminatus. And this be your final lesson of this session: such an expense of energy will leave you unable to call upon the Light again for a while. In the future, you will be able to sense injury and even some poisons and sickness merely by concentrating - without the full effort of visualization. The purification process may be trickier, but will be within your grasp soon.”

The healer helped Marek to a sitting position. All remaining pain and bruises from his exercises earlier were gone, replaced by a feeling of health and light.

“Now. It is past time for evening meal. If you’re lucky you can still get a serving. I myself must meet a friend in the village... I will seek you out after your duties tomorrow so that we may reinforce tonight’s lesson.”

Zinia dismissed her pupil in order to prepare for her own evening appointment. She had been correct. Marek would be just in time to snag a warm meal - although he found himself almost alone in the commissary.

(OOC: I suggest we end this thread here. If there’s anything you’d like to add before closing it, please do. Once we progress a bit in the Library I’ll start a thread for the next morning’s training.)
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New Skills: Meditation, Manipulation of Energy [Faith], Inner Sight
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