Cry Me a River pt.1

- 12.15 A.M. -

Wrath picked up her duffel bag and disappeared behind a tree while Lust changed into white satin crew neck and Nike shorts. He stored his clothes back inside and mentally prepared himself for what was about to come. Lust had never meditated or seen his housemate during her rituals, he had no idea of what to expect or how it would take a toll on his body. Suddenly, his excitement turned to doubt. She touched his shoulder as she propped her bag next to his.

"You ready?" she tied her hair into a ponytail.

"I mean I'm already here," he tried to steady his breathing.

Wrath took him by the wrist and led him into the cave. The minimal lighting at the mouth of the cave provided them with the general spatial information of their soon-to-be shelter. Wrath put her other hand on the wall to guide herself deeper as the light dimmed. She was not a stranger to the cave and its antiques, but she needed to make sure of her friend's safety and well-being.

"I think we might need more than two days now that I have to train you," she continued walking.

"What would I need to do?" his eyes struggled to keep up.

"We can start with normal meditation here," she stopped and guided him to the ground.

He took a seat on the cold and damp ground of the cave. It was a rarely lit part of the cave and therefore, retained the moisture as the result of rain and condensation. The mountain was home to many wildlife, but the spiritual nature of the cave had made the area more vacuous than the rest of the forest. Animals were well-known to be more sensitive and receptive to 'paranormal' presence, be it ghosts or mere rituals.

Wrath corrected Lust's posture by straightening his back, folded his leg to cross one another, positioned his left hand on top of his right facing up in front of his belly button, and to relax his facial muscle. She sat next to him in the same manner and started whispering chants.

"Try to control your breathing, make it rhythmic without putting too much strain in your brain. Relax your mind and don't over-think. You might feel weird things starting to happen around you, but you can't let that throw off your balance and concentration," she explained.

"Like when I thought you how to play the violin?" he asked.

"Yea, alert me immediately when you feel something too overwhelming."

The cave fell silent as they both started their session. Eros was joined by the General at the opening of the cave. Many precautions needed to be taken to guarantee an orderly and smooth ritual. Their job was to protect her from things that might hinder progress or interfere with the commencement of a process.

**********

- 7.30 P.M. -

As the sun light strayed away from the sky, the piercing and icy wind howled to dominate the night. Whirring breeze echoed as it bounced off the rocky walls and unto their unprotected skin. The ritual had required them to strip to provide as much contact and exposure to nature to sharpen their senses and self-control.

"I think that's enough meditation for your first session, you must be freezing," she managed to stand up.

"That was an experience," he opened his eyes and sighed.

"You can stretch around if you need to. We can review your session when you're ready."

Lust stood up and tried to regain the sensations in his limbs, "Do you have any tricks to stay warm with that much clothing?"

Wrath looked down at herself, "You just have to control your breathing and imagine a blanket of heat is enveloping you. An immense focus is needed the more heat you try to generate."

She was wearing an ensemble that consisted of wraps of cloth that covered only the most important parts of her body. Lust had started to shiver, and his teeth chattered in unison. He closed his eyes and followed her instructions. He repeated her words in his head and began to feel a growth of warmth around him. The corner of her lips curved to form a gentle smile as she watched her student improving rapidly.

"Shall we continue our second session?" she asked.

"We are still meditating?" he complained.

"It takes time to master meditation for a prolonged amount of time. It is the basic of other rituals and self-growth. I practiced for 10 continuous day per month when I had just started. You need to get your core strong before getting to the fun part. Just like how you taught me the fingering methods and posture to play the violin. This is the basic fundamental of spirituality."

He sighed and continued his session as she walked to check on the bike.

"Anything worth knowing?" she glanced at loyal guardian.

"Nothing so far, master," Eros turned to face her.

"Good to see you General, how's Pride and Simbi doing?"

"No damage worth reporting," the General bowed.

Wrath gave each of her spirit companions a nod before heading back inside to begin her own ritual. She focused on the image of Eliza and tried to grasp information that was tangled in weaves of memories and visions. Random flashes of past happenings involving Eliza and Wrath's own family flickered brightly behind her eyelids.

Blood splatter, burning building skeletons, ashes and torn flags, mass graves, lynched corpse on trees, Eliza's scream and her boney fingers reached out to Wrath. She opened her eyes in shock and hyperventilated before she could process her thoughts. Lust was sitting still next to her, deep in thought and focused on his own activity.