Elemental War

Chapter Thirty-Three: Past, Present and Future (JASON and CALLUM)

{JASON}

Imagine the weirdest sensation you've ever felt.

I guarantee it's nowhere near as weird as the sensation of crumbling piece by piece into nothing, to be rebuilt the same way, but in reverse.

As soon as Callum lets go of my arm, I collapse to my hands and knees, trying to keep the food I was given in the infirmary down.

"That-" I gasp, "was horrible."

"The first time always is," he smiles down at me, and I'm grateful he doesn't mock me for falling. "I puked the first sixteen times I managed it."

"Sixteen? That's... a lot of times to throw up."

He laughs. "The first time, I managed to find myself in a wall. As in, cutting through a solid brick wall." He scratches just to the left of his scar. "I've had worse, though."

I don't bother standing up, and just roll so I'm sat on my butt, my still-shaking knees gripped by my arms. "Is it still bothering you?"

He follows suit and parks himself on the dirt to the left of me. "What, this?" He gestures to his face and chuckles. "I've had worse," he repeats.

"Worse than a knife on your face?" I exclaim, eyes wide. "What can be worse?"

"Well, I almost burnt myself out once."

I glance at the guy sitting beside me. He seems so calm and collected, and not anywhere near crazy enough to almost kill himself with his own Element. The whole idea seems completely out.

"Yep. Good ol' Callum nearly used up his life support of Element."

He doesn't continue, but I don't force him to talk about it. It must've been traumatic.

He stands after a few stretched seconds of silence and offers a hand up, which I take without a word.

We clamber over a small hill to a deathly quiet highway of some kind, with a bridge with another road spanning over it.

"So," Callum says at a near whisper.

I, too, feel the need to be quiet, and whisper in reply, "What's my task here, again?"

"Meditation."

"Like, yoga? Or Ohm?"

He chuckles. "Peace of mind and body. Sit down."

He gestures to a flat outcrop of land on the side of the hill, and we sit cross-legged facing one another.

"So, you're being taught how to fight with and without your Element, and that's all well and good, but what you need is the ability to not let a specific emotion control you, especially anger and contempt. It can be the literal death of you. I'm here to teach you peace of mind. Simple as."

"Sounds easy."

I close my eyes and focus on my breathing, as instructed by Callum. About ten seconds later, I find myself thinking about why the highway is so silent.

"Damn it," I mutter aloud.

"What is it?"

"I got distracted. I tried to just think about my breathing but I just can't."

"Jason, meditation isn't about trying. It's about understanding, being at peace with your thoughts and feelings. Just let your mind do whatever and appreciate that."

I frown and run a hand through my hair. "How? It doesn't make sense!"

He shakes his head, which only frustrates me more.