Kalinga sun's harsh rays leaked through the vibrant drapes. Vesper squinted his eyes. A stream of water crossed his view, floating in mid-air, moving slowly around the room as it refracted the morning sun. Controlling the effusive stream was Kobo. The tiny princess was glaring at the stream of water, her teeth clenched in concentration. Her fingers quivered while they moved, guiding the flow.
"That's enough. Put it back," Vesper ordered. Kobo nodded and directed the stream of water back into an empty jar. Satisfied, she let out a sigh of relief before releasing her hold. Vesper scanned the wooden floor. Not single droplet on the pristine surface.
"Excellent work."
Kobo returned his praise with a bright smile, the sweat on her forehead glistening under the brilliant sunlight. They were in one of the vacant rooms within the royal palace. Today was one of their teaching sessions.
"This next exercise is slightly more advanced. The goal is to improve your control and precision with mana. Observe."
Vesper gestured towards the jar of water.
"Orior."
From the glass jar rose a single droplet of water, perfectly spherical in shape. Once it had reached a few inches above the container, it stopped abruptly, hovering in mid-air.
"Dividuus."
The droplet suddenly split into halves, setting into two smaller spheres.
"Now here's the key part," Vesper said, "Accessus, et recessus."
One of the droplets began to ascend and descend in a repeating loop. Meanwhile, the other droplet remained fixed in place.
"Move one of the droplets, but hold the other in place. And then, switch."
On command, the droplet that was in motion suddenly froze, while the other one that was still began to move.
"Discrete control of individual components. This is the purpose of this exercise," Vesper returned the droplets back into the jar, "Now, your turn."
Kobo gulped nervously, staring intently at the jar. Vesper suppressed a smile. He could see the gears in the princess' head spinning, trying to figure out how to replicate what she just saw. This exercise was by no means easy, and likely beyond what Kobo would be capable of at her current level. Kobo's talents had surpassed his expectations so far, having passed most of his lessons without much trouble. Vesper hoped this exercise would be one of the first hurdles that she would have to actively overcome.
Kobo shut her eyes.
"Orior," she chanted, her eyes opened as they shone with a faint blue hue. A single droplet detached from the pool inside the jar, rising rapidly above the container.
"Dividuus."
The droplet split in half effortlessly. Vesper examined the floor. No volume lost. Now comes the difficult part.
"...Accessus et recessus."
Contrary to her expectations, both droplets began moving. Kobo's eyes went wide in bewilderment. The tip of her fingers was trembling.
"Accessus et recessus."
This time both droplets stopped. A frustrated click echoed from the princess' mouth.
"Accessus et reccessus!" Kobo yelled.
Without warning, the droplets suddenly exploded. The water splashed across the table, splattering on Kobo's face.
YOU ARE READING
A Distant Reverie
Fanfiction"Careful now. Try not to move too suddenly, alright?" Vesper Noir wakes up one day in a foreign land with gaps in his memories...and a sharp blade pressed against his throat. His assailant? A beautiful, self-proclaimed female pirate with a sweet voi...
