Counterpart

Chapter Six

It was hard for Magnus to get much of a grasp on his new apprentice. It's clear his sister's transformation disturbed him, though he certainly wasn't acting like she was gone for good. An optimist. That much is nice, but he may be holding on to hope a little too tightly. It won't look good once reality finally settles in.

Rin was pretty quiet, but it seemed he enjoyed the small talk they made while riding. The boy never seemed to tear his eyes away from the landscape around them. It's hard to imagine he spent his entire life tucked away so far from the rest of the world.

The two continued to ride on throughout the rest of the day. Both the riders and their horses took breaks every few hours, Rin oftentimes trying to meditate whenever he could. The path curved into a massive forest just as the sun dipped below the horizon.

"There's one last town to pass through before we reach kluna. If we're quick, we can spend the next night in the capital."

"So no more sleeping in cots after tonight?"

"As far as I can tell, this'll be it." Magnus grinned. "Just wait till you see what inns at kluna look like."

"When will we find out whether I can go to Karlysia?"

"That's right. Actually, I'm planning to consult the monarch directly on our situation."

Rin's eyes grew wide.

"But they may not listen to us without evidence, and you've yet to even gain control over even one of the magic systems. I wouldn't want to rush you, but it's best to get into that school as soon as possible."

Rin nodded. "I'll start meditating as soon as I have time again."

"If you believe it will help, go for it." Rin gave him a confused glance. "Remember how I said magic is not produced within ourselves? We must draw it from the environment around us. For you, it may be more of a matter of gathering labia, or learning to release it rather than training your spirit."

Rin paused a moment before looking back at him. "Where do I find it?"

"Professions are built around that exact question. We know labia is an objective part of our world, yet we draw upon it at areas we personally feel connected to." He grinned at Rin's reaction. "It exists within our world, but solidifies in certain areas based off of our essence. An area with a high concentration of labia for me might only be an average place for you."

"I...feel connected to the woods in a lot of ways."

Magnus nodded. "That may be a good place to start." He looked back up at the massive forest they were about to wander into. "After today, we'll focus on how to release labia."

The two rode a decent way into the forest before stopping for the night. The canopy was completely white, just like back at Rin's town. They just managed to make up the majority of Evendal's trees, followed closely behind by oaks and evergreens.

Rin helped to prepare what he could for the night, though it was clear this was his first time in the wild. After Magnus assured him there was nothing left to do, he walked a little further down the trail to try meditating again. Damn. He seems more motivated to train than I was at his age.

Magnus did his best to ration out the food they had left. It certainly was less than he predicted, but they'd get by fine given they reach the next town tomorrow. Even if we do sleep in-

All the critters in the forest went dead silent. Magnus fought the urge to call Rin a little closer to him; he truly seemed to be on the verge of discovering his spirit's power. The soldier stood, surveying the forest around.