The Call of Home

CHAPTER 12

I couldn't bring myself to stay in bed at all the next day, and over the next week, I felt eager to keep moving and not spend another second resting. My regulars greeted me warmly as I made my way through the rushes, settling back into the easy rhythm I had familiarized myself with all but a couple of weeks ago. The visions plagued me only in quiet moments when I had a moment alone with my thoughts. Some were of me in the hospital, other times it was of that woman from that first dream all that time ago. Though the ones I saw most were of mundane events; something Farrah would do or say, or one of her creations; a night out with Seren's friends and something funny that would happen. These visions I didn't mind, the ones that scared me much less.

I sweet-talked Carina into mentoring me. It took a few asks, as she felt she wasn't qualified enough to oversee me. I heavily disagreed. She mentioned she had met and worked with seers in the past, though Carina explained that my power and theirs were wholly different as their intuition wasn't nearly as jarring or far-reaching. When I told her the tale of the encounter with the beast in the woods, she explained that my senses are much more heightened, that my powers would warn me in moments I otherwise wouldn't have felt anything. Apparently, gut feelings are the dullest form of my power, and most beings possess it as survival instincts. While gut feelings may be correct or incorrect, mine is more of a confirmation that danger is an imminent or sure thing, and should I listen hard enough, the very world around me will warn me, speak to me. These hidden spirits no one thinks of. The rocks, the trees, the insects, everything. Though, I wondered how she knew so much about All-Seers. Maybe until now, it was just a mere myth. Today, I would meet her again for another session. Her main focus was for me to be able to control my mind and thoughts, moulding it to ensure I had the space to take in a message.

Carina and I settled into the clearing just outside the village. The place was serene, surrounded by towering trees and the soft trickling of the stream running nearby. It was exactly the kind of place one would expect to find peace or some profound connection with the world.

We sat in the grass, and Carina gestured for me to close my eyes. "We'll start with something simple. Meditation helps heighten your senses. Close your eyes and just listen. Let everything around you speak."

I did as she asked, though my mind still raced with the remnants of the day. I felt the cool breeze on my skin, the faint warmth of the late afternoon aurora filtering through the leaves. But beyond that, there was... nothing.

"Focus on your breath," Carina urged softly. "And when you're ready, listen to the world. It speaks in ways most can't hear."

I inhaled deeply and let the air out slowly, trying to concentrate. I wanted to feel something, anything, like how she described — the trees whispering, the earth humming beneath me. I waited, my mind open, but there was only silence. No whispers from the trees, no subtle energy from the ground, no hidden spirits calling out to me. Just...quiet.

Minutes passed. I kept my eyes shut, trying harder to let go, to be open to whatever mystical sensations Carina was talking about. But the more I tried, the more still everything seemed. I could hear the wind and the distant chirp of crickets, but nothing beyond that.

I opened my eyes, frustration bubbling inside me. "I don't feel anything," I admitted, breaking the silence. "Just... nothing." I couldn't understand how visions could come so easily, but when I willed it, they would not show.

Carina's expression didn't change. She nodded as if she had expected it. "It's not uncommon at first," she said. "You need patience."

"Patience?" I repeated, trying not to let my irritation show. "What if I'm doing something wrong? What if I'm just... not meant to feel these things?"