Re: A Little Extra Learning (Attn: Bree)
Posted: December 5th, 2015, 6:29 pm
Mirin melted in Makenna’s embrace as the Accepted murmured comforting words in her ear. Light, it had been so long since she’d seen her own mother… tears threatened to leak out of her eyes. No, she would not cry! She sniffed and lifted her chin proudly.
For some undefinable reason, she felt as though she had failed the second challenge. The first had been difficult, yes, but she had used her own willpower and concentration to free herself from paralysis. In the second challenge… well, she had only run in shame.
“One more,” she whispered. Then she cleared her throat. “One more,” she said, her voice stronger. “One more, and then I will go.”
She promised herself that she would not flee again. Like the others, the third door was simple and undecorated. Mirin pushed it open
-----
Darkness. She floated in a world of darkness.
Light, she thought. Let there be light! But light did not come. Of course not; she was not the Creator. She closed her eyes to focus – which made no difference in the darkness – but still, when she opened them again, the darkness remained. She felt panic rising in her chest, and took long, deep breaths. In the absolute silence, her breaths echoed strangely.
What is the purpose of this challenge? she wondered. In hindsight, the first had been relatively straightforward. It taught her to free her body from paralysis, to control her physical form. The second had been more difficult. The purpose was to ignore the jeers of the people and clothe herself, which she had been unable to do. And this, the third….
She could see nothing around her. She lifted a foot to feel around in the darkness, but she did not dare to take a step. In fact, she couldn’t even tell if the ground existed!
Oh, if only she had something work with! She snorted, and then abruptly realized what to do. After all, even if she could see nothing, her body was here. And if anything could exist in the World of Dreams...
Whatever you believe you are perceiving is what you will perceive. If your will is greater, you can circumvent anything. It is a matter of will alone.
She imagined herself, covered in sparkling, shining lights. And one by one, lights began to appear on her skin, glittering like stars. She gazed at her skin in amazement. It was astonishingly beautiful. If only this were possible in the real world! She held out her hands and willed the light to expand.
She glowed like the sun. Yet around her, the greyish expansion of nothingness remained. What’s next? What now?
The door, she thought, suddenly. Perhaps the purpose of this challenge was to teach her... to create.
She concentrated. A door appeared. Triumphantly, she walked through it.
“Makenna! Makenna! I did it!”
-----
When Mirin finally left Tel'aran'rhoid, she fell immediately into a deep, dreamless sleep. She woke up the next morning feeling terrible. It seemed like walking in the World of Dreams was not as restful as true sleep. When she found Makenna, she handed back the ter'angreal to her mentor.
She curtsied primly. "Thank you so much for teaching me, Accepted," she said. "But I think that entering the World of Dreams is not for me. But still, I appreciate everything that you've taught me. I've learned a lot."
She offered Makenna a rare smile.
For some undefinable reason, she felt as though she had failed the second challenge. The first had been difficult, yes, but she had used her own willpower and concentration to free herself from paralysis. In the second challenge… well, she had only run in shame.
“One more,” she whispered. Then she cleared her throat. “One more,” she said, her voice stronger. “One more, and then I will go.”
She promised herself that she would not flee again. Like the others, the third door was simple and undecorated. Mirin pushed it open
-----
Darkness. She floated in a world of darkness.
Light, she thought. Let there be light! But light did not come. Of course not; she was not the Creator. She closed her eyes to focus – which made no difference in the darkness – but still, when she opened them again, the darkness remained. She felt panic rising in her chest, and took long, deep breaths. In the absolute silence, her breaths echoed strangely.
What is the purpose of this challenge? she wondered. In hindsight, the first had been relatively straightforward. It taught her to free her body from paralysis, to control her physical form. The second had been more difficult. The purpose was to ignore the jeers of the people and clothe herself, which she had been unable to do. And this, the third….
She could see nothing around her. She lifted a foot to feel around in the darkness, but she did not dare to take a step. In fact, she couldn’t even tell if the ground existed!
Oh, if only she had something work with! She snorted, and then abruptly realized what to do. After all, even if she could see nothing, her body was here. And if anything could exist in the World of Dreams...
Whatever you believe you are perceiving is what you will perceive. If your will is greater, you can circumvent anything. It is a matter of will alone.
She imagined herself, covered in sparkling, shining lights. And one by one, lights began to appear on her skin, glittering like stars. She gazed at her skin in amazement. It was astonishingly beautiful. If only this were possible in the real world! She held out her hands and willed the light to expand.
She glowed like the sun. Yet around her, the greyish expansion of nothingness remained. What’s next? What now?
The door, she thought, suddenly. Perhaps the purpose of this challenge was to teach her... to create.
She concentrated. A door appeared. Triumphantly, she walked through it.
“Makenna! Makenna! I did it!”
-----
When Mirin finally left Tel'aran'rhoid, she fell immediately into a deep, dreamless sleep. She woke up the next morning feeling terrible. It seemed like walking in the World of Dreams was not as restful as true sleep. When she found Makenna, she handed back the ter'angreal to her mentor.
She curtsied primly. "Thank you so much for teaching me, Accepted," she said. "But I think that entering the World of Dreams is not for me. But still, I appreciate everything that you've taught me. I've learned a lot."
She offered Makenna a rare smile.