What are the basics of fragment energy that we have learned thus far?
"Chi is human or living energy that flows within all living things."
Off into the distant planes the man in white sat with his legs crossed. He had taken his shirt off and had remained in a position similar to that of a praying monk.
"To train chi you must train both your mind and body. To train the mind and soul is to become one with the body and spirit."
Gil struggled crossing his feet together, even though the man in white did it with enough ease to fool anyone.
The weather around the planes was clear, you could see the sky in all its blueness… clouds of cotton floating in an ever-stretching sea of blue. Yes, a calm day this was, one that the man in white was able to easily find his position and sit.
"Mental well-being is also very important. Stressing yourself too much will you will have a tougher time keeping your gates opened."
Finally, after over 3 minutes of struggling, he was able to somehow get his feet crossed.
"Why do we have to sit like this again." He had not heard a single word the man had said.
"Have you ever heard of Buddha?" The man responded to this.
"Who?"
"He is considered a god among my people back home."
"god… as in God?"
"Not the God you're thinking off, different people have different gods than the one you've been thinking off."
Gil sat still for a moment, "I know that, but I just thought that those were all just fakes. And that all of those guys were just dumb."
OUCH!
"Well, that stung. First of all, never call other people's religions dumb unless you wanna start a war, and secondly you have no right to say that." But he gave a slight cough before going back to his point.
"Buddha is a teacher in the 'middle way'. Stating that the commonality between those who live in excess and those that live in poverty is balance, neither one of them have balance."
Human beings are widely intellectual creatures, they do things in the way they believe they must do things and while this is true sometimes the things they plan to do get messy because they lean too much on one side. As ambitious as they are human beings are also very greedy, quick to judge, quick to hate and quick to want.
"He preached that one shouldn't live in excess but at the same time one should not just deprive himself of the world's joys. Live in the middle."
"Cool, but what does that have to do with fragment energy?"
"Are you dumb?" The man asked, "It has everything to do with it. Depending on how you live, fragment energy will evolve along with you. To follow one's own way is to shape fragments, and one's soul."
"I have no idea what you're saying."
'How can you be so talented and so dumb at the same time.'
The man got up, "What I'm saying is that if you take your time to train both your mind and body every day, you'll get stronger."
"Oh, really?" Gil smiled, "Then you should've said so."
"Fine, let's try and move on to something simpler. The six categories of fragment users that are currently known to us."
Fullbringers--- Elementals---Alchemists---Hunters---Witches---Specialists
The man in white took out his notebook, and began to scribble a few notes in there as Gil just stared at him. He then placed the book back in his pocket. How about we try something.
The man took his stance, "You understand the basics of the fist, palm and fingers, or at the very least you assume so. I'd like for us to test that theory before I can show you what I want to show you."
"Yeah, sure." Gil got up sighing heavily.
"But first…" The man raised his finger, "Show me your Chi."
"?" Gil wondered for a moment before he was able to understand what the man was asking of him. With full determination he was able to clench his fists and grit his teeth.
The man concentrated fragment energy into his eyes to be able to view the magnificent amount of fragment energy radiating from Gil's body.
'Somehow it feels more than it was yesterday.' His energy took a spiky form but it wasn't malicious or anything like that, which was a good sign.
Gil then stopped to take a breather. "Was that good?"
"No."
"Why?"
"I asked for your Chi, not fragment energy."
Meanwhile back where they had set up camp, Catherine hummed a tune she had heard from someone, she didn't know who or rather couldn't remember.
She was the leader; this was blindingly obvious to all those in her presence and care.
"A leader should take care of her subordinates." She told herself. And she would do just that, there were a lot of things Catherine just couldn't do and she knew her weaknesses, but at the same time she knew her strengths. And cooking was one of them.
One of the benefits of 'Working' for the bishop was a constant supply of fresh ingredients (Directly from the port city). Her parents had other errands to run, so she was always the one left of cooking duty.
However, the plains themselves weren't a kind environment where edible foods could be found. So instead of looking outwards she had to look inwards to the things they had brought from the port city.
"Apples!" Those were the only foods she could find in there, lots and lots of apples. "Is their nothing else?"
The winds blew a bit more furiously than the day prior, perhaps a signal of some sorts. However, Catherine was not having any of it. Her eyes turned to Akame, who was still a sleep.
"Akame!" She cried throwing herself onto him, "Wake up and help your leader!" She groaned, she took his hand and placed it on her head as though she was patting herself. She then gave a sigh of relief.
"Ah, much better. You know just what to say." She then got up and stared deep into the planes. "Maybe I can find something out there that has more nutritional value than just apples. True, indeed, this is a leader's job. To balance her rest and duties.
She placed the small leather bag around her and gave Akame a kiss on the temple before beginning her journey across the plains in search of something good to take back home.
TO BE CONTINUED!