Second Lesson The information Keria received of her first session of training was vague. She wasn’t even told who she’d be training with, only given directions to a door. Not a room. A door. Keria woke up around 6:30 in the morning, ate breakfast, dressed, and made her way to the door ready for her first lesson. As she wrapped her hand around the doorknob, she could feel a low and slow vibration. Pushing it open, the vibration was met with a distant and low humming. She found herself on a stone balcony overlooking nothing—literally. To her back was the castle wall, and in front of her was endless darkness. “Hm. This could be an issue.” She squats down, and sticks a finger off the edge* A strange force seems to draw at her, trying to drain her away through only her finger. Startlingly, a voice appears right behind her. “Right to the lesson. Good job.” It is Sylver’s. “Thank you. Is my test to get across? Or something else?” Keria stands up to attention* “This is not a test. It is an instruction. If you attempt to cross that abyss you will not find anything. Ever.” “Oh.” Keria’s mouth goes flat* Sylver crosses to the flat stone railing and hops onto it, supporting himself on one foot. “This is Null. It is both nothing and a form of energy at once. Unknowingly, most alternative and black magics use Null in one form or another.” “Is it similar to the void? I’ve heard stories...but nothing else.” “Yes—and no. Where a void has an entrance, thus boundaries, Null encircles creation in such a way that it is geometrically undefinable. It has no beginning nor end.” “Infinite...”, she breathes in the darkness* “And it’s counterpart,” he flicks his hand up and ignites one finger in white fire, “Soul. As a living being, you hold a natural familiarity with Soul. Most common magics are based around it, as well as almost all living entities. Soul is the force that powers life.” Keria rubs her hands, then slaps them together, sending a cascade of floating magma droplets around the immediate area* “Like that.” “Yes, that is correct. Oftentimes the usage of Soul and Null can overlap. For example—“ He points one finger and a shaft of white light appears from it, drilling a hole in the railing. He points again, and a shaft of pure darkness shoots forth, also drilling a hole. “Soul may incinerate, while Null may consume.” “Huh. I’m not sure if I would try that now.” Keria stands grinning, excited by Sylver’s example* “You are already in touch with Soul, through your own means. However, you, like most creatures, lack a connection to Null. You must learn to command Null if you wish to use it to empower your magic. Keep in mind that commanding Null is not the same as using Soul magic; it is not a matter of capacity. It relies on something more mental, and the ability to mentally connect to the underlying force of Null and command it as you wish.” “To gain an understanding with it?”, Keria questions* “Is it a sentient energy? Or just a useable power?” “It is not fully sentient, not as Soul may be, but it does have sentient tendencies. Null desires to consume all that comes into contact with, including those who use it in magic. At first, Null will seem like nothing more than a danger, a never-ending force that will swallow you up. You must come to, on a spiritual level, understand that Null is just energy to be used. That is far easier said than done.” “I bet. Which is easier to use?” Keria scratches her chin* “Soul is naturally easier, as most living things consist of it. It becomes a familiar force, one that can be controlled through innate talent. This is why magics using Null can almost exclusively be only learned.” “Which shall I start with?” “You’ve already started your usage of Soul magic—everyone controls it in their own ways. You will learn to better control and harness your magics, but usage of Null will need to be learned outright, which brings us to the lesson.” He stops pacing atop the railing and sits down, his legs dangling over the abyss. “I hope you know how to meditate. Begin doing so.” “I have practiced it vaguely with my mother.” She kneels on her knees, and starts muttering in a unknown Language, and molten rock starts emitting from her eyes, and shaping into patterns in the air, glistening and floating* “Good. You attach to your own usage of Soul while you meditate. You should feel the familiar presence of your magic. It is familiar enough that you concentrate on it subconsciously. “Now, diffuse that magic. Let it fall from your thoughts.” The molten rock slowly starts to flake, and shatter, and blue markings start appearing on her red skin around her eyes* “Now, without breaking your meditation, reach your senses out to your surroundings. Feel the imminent emptiness in the space around you.” She starts trying to paint the image of the surrounding area in her mind, and gazed into the abyss with her minds eye* “Try to make contact with that emptiness. Try to picture it as a present substance, rather than a void.” She tries to probe into it, testing its substance* Something about the substance becomes mountingly terrifying, like the whole of existence around her wants to swallow her up and erase her from existence. The markings on her eyes explode into blue flames, and magma starts pooling around her* “Do not retreat from the Null. Use whatever means you can to stand within it as an individual.” She appears in it in her minds eye, an image of a flaming daemoness, and a blue six armed figure with another eye in her forehead* “Time will come when you stand within the Null completely alone, but for now you must use your Soul and all tools at your disposal until you find a perfect resilience.” “I understand. It’s...beautiful in a way.” “Indeed. Anyways, I expect you to spend the rest of the day meditating within the Null. You may take breaks when needed, but for no longer than necessary. With such a slowed metabolism, you should not require a midday meal, but do try to make it for dinner.” Without awaiting a response, the feeling of Sylver’s physical presence disappears. “Ok then.” Keria sits back down, and begins to lull back into meditating*