Chapter 33. Mind Games
When I returned to my chambers, I found Yuki sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace. She didn't cry or hide. She was sitting in the lotus position, the way I showed her for concentration, and she was carefully studying... her own hand. She unclenched and clenched her fist, moving her fingers as if seeing them for the first time.
She looked up when she heard my footsteps. There was no fear in her blue eyes, just a deep, focused thoughtfulness. —Brother," she said in her quiet, husky voice. — Fingers. They're... weird.
I leaned against the door frame, watching her. — What's so strange about them?
She looked down at her palm again. — But not always. Sometimes they want to do their own thing. Just like before.
It amazed me. While I was teaching Quinn to feel the world, Yuki was independently discovering the complexity of controlling the human body. His disobedience. His own will.
"You'll get used to it," I said, coming over and sitting next to her by the fire. — The body is a tool. It needs to be configured. Every day.
She nodded, still examining her fingers. Then her gaze fell on me. "And that girl?" The redhead? Is she also... tuning in?
"The redhead." Quinn. Yuki gave her her own bestial nickname based on the color of her aura, which she apparently felt on some deep level. —Yes,— I replied. — I'm setting it up.
"She's... strong,— Yuki stated. "But it's loud." Inside. Lots of fire. There is little silence.
Her precision caught me off guard again. She was able to feel the very essence of Quinn—her fierce, unbridled energy, which she tried to control with willpower rather than true calmness.
— Can you make silence? "What is it?" she asked suddenly, looking at me with her bottomless eyes.
The question hung in the air. Not "if she wants to," but "if you can." Yuki, unknowingly, asked the main question. I could have broken the Queen. Break her will, subdue her, turn her into the perfect killer. But could I teach her silence? The very inner peace from which true strength is born, and not brute force?
"I don't know,— I answered honestly. "But I'll try."
We sat in silence, listening to the crackle of logs. The plan that formed in my head was dangerous, almost insane. But it perfectly matched the "mindfulness lessons."
—Yuki,— I said. "You're coming with me tomorrow."
She was as alert as her fox self. "To the redhead?"
—The redhead,— I confirmed. — You will sit and be silent. Look. And if you feel something important, give me a sign. You'll nod. Do you understand?
She nodded slowly, her face serious and important. I trusted her with the mission. It meant more to her than any food or safety.
---
The next morning, when I walked into the training room with Yuki by the hand, Quinn was already waiting. When she saw the girl, she frowned.
"Why is she here?" There was a hint of annoyance in her voice. — This is not a child's game.
"No," I agreed. — This is not a child's game. That's why she's here. It's part of the exercise.
I sat Yuki down on a bench in the corner of the hall. — Sit down. Look. Keep quiet.
She nodded, folded her hands in her lap, and stared at Quinn with her piercing, unblinking gaze.
Quinn felt uncomfortable under that gaze. She nervously adjusted her braid. — And what kind of exercise is this?
"Today we're going to learn not to feel," I said, coming close to her. — We will learn to hide.
Her eyebrows went up. "Hide it?" What? Your power?
"That's it,— I replied. — Your emotions. Your intentions. Your presence. True strength does not lie in being loud. It's about being invisible. Until you want to be seen.
I took a step back. "Suppress your aura. Make it so that I don't feel you. So that even she"—I nodded at Yuki-"wouldn't feel it.
Quinn pursed her lips. This was new to her. All her life she had been taught to shine, to dominate, to overwhelm with her might. Not hiding.
She closed her eyes. Beads of sweat stood out on her forehead. I saw how the scarlet glow of her aura wavered, became unstable, but did not go out. It struggled, resisted attempts to control it.
"You're trying to make a fist,— I said. — You need to unclench it. Don't push. Let go.
She tried again. This time, the glow almost went out, but a shudder went through her. Hiding her power was painful for her. It's like stopping breathing.
And then I saw Yuki slightly tilt her head on the bench. Her gaze was fixed on Quinn.
—Stop,— I commanded.
Quinn opened her eyes, letting out a sigh of relief. Her aura immediately flared up with renewed vigor.
- what? "What is it?" she asked irritably. — Didn't it work out?
"It worked,— I replied. "Too good. When you suppressed the aura, your body began to compensate for this tension. Your fingers tightened involuntarily. My breath caught. The heartbeat accelerated. She felt it. I nodded at Yuki. "You hid the light, but you betrayed yourself with sound and movement.
Quinn looked at Yuki with a new, appraising interest. The woman stared back at her without blinking.
"True invisibility,— I continued, "is not when you are not seen. It's when people don't pay attention to you. You should be the background. Part of the landscape. And for this you need inner peace. That silence.
I got very close to her. — Tomorrow's assignment. Walk from your chambers to this hall without anyone noticing you. Not to avoid seeing it, but to avoid remembering it. Don't use the aura. Use only this. I poked her in the forehead with my finger.
She was looking at me, and there was a new fire in her eyes. Not rage, but excitement. It was a challenge. A challenge to her self-esteem, her habits.
—Okay," she said firmly. "I'll do it."
She turned around and left, no longer hobbling with fatigue, but moving with composure, like a predator.
I walked over to Yuki. — What did you feel?
—She was... afraid,— the girl said softly. — When the lights went out. She was scared in the silence.
I looked at the door through which Quinn had disappeared. Yuki was right. Quinn was afraid of silence. I was afraid to be alone with myself without my bright, loud cloak of power.
And that was exactly what I needed. Her biggest weakness.
Now all that remained was to bring that fear to light and make her face it.