"This is an endeavour that you must embark on alone because you alone have authority over who you are, and there is no one who can aid you in discovering yourself. So, I will grant you the privilege of utilizing the Lake of Remembrance in order to discover yourself. Meditate on these questions about who you truly are. Remove all thoughts of the outside world from your mind, and let go of all your worldly connections. It is only after you’ve done this that you can hope to hear the voice of the wind when it speaks to you. All sages throughout history always took time out to meditate and discover themselves before they achieved the enlightenment necessary for sagehood, and with the potential I’ve seen in you, I don’t doubt that you are capable of this too. If you truly wish to gain the power that would aid you in standing beside Jason in the future, then you will pour your all into this endeavour. I’ll be returning to the city then. Take your time and do what you must. A servant will come for you when dinner is ready."
Farlow turned and began to walk out of the Lake of Remembrance once he was done speaking, and Gina couldn’t help but look at him with wide eyes! Gina had not been expecting Farlow to tell her all of that, and Gina couldn’t believe that this was what it took to be a Sage. All this time, Gina had been training her Sage abilities by trying to control the wind or divert any intense breeze that came her way, and Gina hadn’t been seeing any progress at all! After the first time she awakened her abilities, Gina hadn’t truly felt a connection with the wind, and she knew somewhere deep in her heart that she was doing something wrong! But Gina could’ve never imagined that the issue wasn’t with her body but with her mind.
Gina wouldn’t say that she was an indecisive person. She was quick-witted, and whenever Gina made a decision, she kept to it strongly. But there was still a lot about herself that she didn’t understand! Gina was only twenty years old, and there wasn’t any twenty-year-old who could claim that they knew who they were perfectly! So Gina knew that this was normal for someone her age! But if Gina wanted to progress with this power that she had awakened, it was obvious that normal wasn’t going to be enough! Gina needed to gain enlightenment, and in truth, Gina had no idea how to begin. Gina turned towards Farlow before he could leave, and she spoke up.
"Wait, uhm... King Farlow. I’ve never meditated before, and I don’t even know how to begin looking for what I need to find. What... what should I do?"
Gina’s question was genuine, and Farlow could understand her confusion. This was something that almost every Sage went through at the start of their journey. Sages do not get to choose themselves because the world is the only one that decides who it wishes to bless with this power or not. So there are some mages who trained for centuries without being able to feel anything, and there are other mages who were blessed with barely any training at all. Someone like Gina, who became a Sage without any training, was unheard of, but Farlow knew that this was actually a good thing. It meant that the world saw something great in Gina, and Farlow knew that if anyone could achieve this enlightenment, then it was her.
"All you need to do is close your eyes and allow the wind to take your mind in the direction it wishes to go. Magic will do the rest for you."
Farlow said this with a small smile on his face, and then he turned and left before Gina could ask any more questions. Gina was obviously still confused, and she wanted to ask Farlow what he meant by allowing the wind to carry your thoughts! But Farlow was already gone, and Gina realised that she was going to have to figure this out on her own! Gina sighed as she looked around at the beautiful lakeside and all the animals that were avoiding her. There was still a part of Gina that thought that she was wasting time here since she could be out there looking for Jason, but Gina knew that Jason would also want her to do this! If this could help her get stronger, then Jason would tell her to put everything she had into it, and so Gina just decided that she would give it a shot.
Gina walked over to a large tree close to the lake that had a gentle breeze blowing across it, and she sat down and placed her back on the tree trunk before closing her eyes and trying to feel the wind. Gina did this for the next few minutes as she felt her body relaxing and enjoying the peaceful whispers of nature all around her. Gina’s hair fluttered as the calm wind carried the scent of grass to her, and the sound of the waterfall flowing into the lake echoed deep inside her! Everything was so peaceful, and this would be the perfect place for any monk looking to meditate. But Gina wasn’t a monk, and her mind was not trained to handle staying awake when everything was so peaceful around her. So it didn’t even take five minutes before Gina’s head fell back on the tree trunk, and she fell asleep.
....
[With Jason]
[An Unknown Location]
’Jas-! Jason! Oi, I know you’re awake! Get the fuck up already!’
Jason’s eyes squeezed tightly shut as he heard an irritating voice echo in his head, and he frowned as he felt himself slowly coming out of unconsciousness. There was a serious headache banging against the side of his head, and Jason put his hand against his temple and tried to rub the headache away gently.
’You can’t do shit about that fucking headache. Honestly, your mind is an absolute wreck right now. You’re lucky you managed to survive with all your mental faculties working properly.’
That annoying voice echoed once again, and this time Jason was able to immediately tell that it was Esdeath. Jason spoke up in a grumble.
"Shut the fuck up, you idiot. You’re making it worse."
’Yeah, yeah, I guess I’ll stay silent for now. But I think you’d really want to wake up and see where you are first.’
Jason felt Esdeath vanish back into his consciousness, and Esdeath’s last words immediately pushed Jason to focus on his surroundings. Before Jason even opened his eyes, he could feel soft fabric under him, so he knew that he was lying in a bed, and there was a strange draft blowing against his skin that told him he was shirtless. Jason’s brow furrowed in shock, and he slowly opened his eyes to a bright white light that shone above him. Thankfully, the light wasn’t strong enough to blind Jason, so Jason could ignore it as he slowly sat up to take a look at where he was. It was a white, spotless room filled with grand furniture that you would normally find in a royal bedroom. The bed Jason was lying in was an extremely large four-poster bed with a white linen curtain surrounding it, and Jason could see three doors leading into different areas in the building. But none of these things was what drew Jason’s attention. Jason glanced to the side, and his eyes narrowed as he saw the woman sleeping beside him.