Meditation

Mr. Larry started the class on the school grounds today instead of doing so inside the classroom. The students were seated on a small mat in a half-circle surrounding Teacher Larry.

"We will begin the meditation practice today. Sit comfortably in a lotus position with your palms facing up." As Teacher Larry instructed, the students took their respective positions.

"Close your eyes and steady your breath."

"Since everyone is unaware of their elemental affinities before they awaken Elemental vision, we will meditate on every element one after the other."

"We will start with Earth. Focus on the solid ground that you sit on. It supports you, gives your strength ..." Teacher Larry continued as he introduced each element and guided the students to meditate on them.

After two hours of rigorous meditation, finally, they finished one round of meditation on all the four elements. Almost everyone was sprawled on the ground, even Arthur was trying hard not to faint. It was perhaps the first time in their lives that they were so exhausted just sitting silently in one place.

The only excpetion to this was without a surprise, Kian. 

Kian was personally trained by his father and he had started meditating at a very young age. Although the elemental affinities didn't arise before the age of eight, the process of meditation became simpler and easier if done from an early age. Meditating in environments rich in certain energies were also beneficial to awaken the elemental vision if one had the affinity for the element. Then, there were herbs and elixirs which also promised to enhance one's affinity.

Even though these elixirs and herbs were out of reach of most of these children due to their exorbitant prices, energy-rich environments upto certain levels were provided by nature for free. The school didn't miss the chance to help the students benefit from this resource.

After a few days of practising inside the school grounds, when the students could finally meditate with ease for a full two-hours, Teacher Larry announced that they would go out on an excursion starting the next day.

Their first destination was a cave nestled deep between the mountains, a place rich in Earth elemental energy. They spent half a day journey into the cave enjoying the vibrant views of the rock formations and humbled by the sheer size of the mountain. The silence inside the cave was absolute, broken only by the occasional dripping of water from the stalactites. Arthur and the other students sat on the cool, solid ground, focusing on the grounding energy around them. Teacher Larry encouraged them to feel the weight and stability of the Earth element as it supported their being. They meditated a full two hours inside the cave on the Earth element as Teacher Larry guided them step-by-step.

After a tiring session of meditation, they had a hearty meal of packed lunch. Afterwards, they explored the intricate cave networks of the mountains and finally came out of the mountains near a river bank.

As it was close to sunset, Teacher Larry quickly divided the students into groups, each group tasked with different tasks like setting up the camps, chopping wood from nearby trees to create a bonfire and catching fish from the river waters. After the preparations, they rested for the night.

Next morning, they used the rich Water energy in the river to meditate on the Water element. The sound of flowing water surrounded them, soothing yet powerful. As they closed their eyes, Teacher Larry guided them to focus on the coolness of the water, its adaptability, and the way it carried life within its flow.

For the Air element, they climbed to the top of the mountain. The ascent was a challenge, but the view and the crisp, fresh breeze were worth the effort. At the summit, Teacher Larry encouraged them to meditate with their arms wide open, feeling the light touch of the wind against their skin. He spoke of the air's freedom and its omnipresence, urging the students to connect with its gentle yet unyielding nature.

It was very difficult to find natural environments rich in the Fire element. Only areas with active volcanoes or places deep inside the Earth would have such conditions. The small town of Alvaro wasn't close to any such locations. Even if there were such places closeby, it wasn't safe to venture into such places when one didn't have the strength of the elements to protect them.

After three days of wild excursion, they finally returned to the familiar warmth of their homes.

Creak!

The old hinges protested with a loud creak as Arthur pushed the door open. The sound echoed in the quiet night, and he paused for a moment, feeling the weight of the day settle on his shoulders. As he entered the house, the familiar warmth of their modest home and the aroma of his mother's cooking greeted him.

"You're back," she said, smiling faintly but with a hint of concern in her eyes. "How was your excursion?"

Arthur shrugged as he sat down near his mother. "We went to a lot of different places - caves, rivers, mountains. Teacher Larry taught so many things and the natural environment was very peaceful and soothing." He spoke enthusiastically at length about his experiences.

"He said that there is a big news waiting for us tomorrow. I wonder what that is!"

Looking at Arthur's star-filled eyes, his mother smiled. "Silly boy. Go, clean up and eat first. You are getting thinner by the day. You need to rest properly too."

"Mhm." Arthur gobbled his food down and laid down on a bamboo mat on the floor. As he stared at the ceiling, the excursion's experience swirling in his mind, his eyelids drooped and he drifted off to sleep.

Inside the mansion of Sir Arash

In a room illuminated by a warm glow of night lamp, sat a middle-aged man with a full beard and muscular body. This was Sir Arash, the knight of Alvaro and Kian's father. In front of him stood Kian, with his head lightly bowed.

"How was the excursion?" Sir Arash asked.

Kian had a displeased expression on his face for a brief second before he hid his emotions. This didn't skip the notice of the experienced knight.

"Teacher Larry seems capable enough. He is able to impart the basic knowledge and guide the students in a systematic manner. The idea of the excursion, the selected spots and how he managed it was also impressive." Kian recited as if he was reporting on the performance of a junior.

"But, you feel like it was a waste of your time?" Sir Arash caught the hidden meaning behind his statement.

"Father, you are aware that my personal tutor is much more accomplished than Teacher Larry and my practice and knoweldge is leagues ahead of the other students. I feel I am very close to awakening my element, and the resources provided by the school are of no use to me." With a roundabout explanation, Kian basically confirmed that he felt that the school was indeed a waste of his time.

"Hmm. You can leave now." Sir Arash dismissed him as he fell into his thoughts. He knew that the teachings in the school were useless to Kian. But he hoped that Kian would get acquainted with the students. Some of these students would go on to become Elementalists and having the support of such parties from a young age would be important to ensure Kian's leadership when he took over his role as the ruling noble of the town.

'May be, he will learn as he grows up.' With this parting thought, he returned to the other matters at hand.