Stars Of Memory

Chapter 35

Jīvitaya grins, and Iyokú claps. "Good job! In time, you can make it hold itself together without you always focusing on it, but you can't do that yet. That will take more practice. Now, do you want to grow something?" Jīvitaya nods, still grinning. She opens her palms and lets the pile fall through her fingers to rejoin on the ground. "Okay, place your palm flat against the ground." She continues speaking as Jīvitaya does what she asks. "In time, you won't have to touch the ground to grow something, but it's a crutch for now. I want you to think of a seed, any type you want. Imagine a little green sprout breaking through its surface and shooting up through the ground to reach the sunlight."

Jīvitaya thinks of a Wood Lilly, imagining it stirring in its seed and breaking free, unfurling until it breaks through the surface. An instant later, a tiny bit of green pokes through the soil. She keeps going, and the plant grows taller and taller until a bud emerges from the top of the stem. It blooms into a vibrant sunset orange flower and Jīvitaya pulls her hand away, beaming. Iyokú crouches down to examine it, lifting one of the petals and stroking the leaves.

"What type of flower is this? I've never seen it before."

Jīvitaya giggles. "You wouldn't have seen it, it's an earthen flower."

"What's it called?"

"It's a Wood Lilly. They are my favorites."

Iyokú smiles. "It's lovely. Now, would you care to show me your technique now?"

Jīvitaya nods. "Okay. I want you to open your senses."

Iyokú laughs. "I need more than that! What way should I open them?"

"Picture seeing everything as different lights. Different things will likely be different colors."

She opens her own senses, looking at Iyokú. She appears as a silvery light, with threads of green webbing through her. Jīvitaya looks down at herself, to see the same silver light, but hers is webbed with so many more colors. In front of her, Iyokú gasps.

"You're so colorful!"

"What do you see?"

She squints. "You're made up of silver light, with strands of pale and dark blue, green, orange, and a bunch of strands that seem to pulse with rainbow light." She frowns, then her expression lights up. "The silver light is air, we all have that, and the strands must be your other powers!"

Jīvitaya nods. "I think so too. Now, turn your attention away from our lights, and look around you."

Iyokú does, turning in a circle, her eyes wide. "The trees are pale green, and what are those spots of red?"

"Animals."

Iyokú continues to turn in a circle, before stopping suddenly. "What is that?"

Jīvitaya turns to look at what Iyokú sees, and sighs at the flaring mess of dark light. "It's the well." Iyokú recoils in fear. "Does everyone know that story?"

Iyokú nods shakily. "Why is it so dark?"

"Normally, the darkness means that it needs to be healed, but my mother said that the well just emits wrong energy. Maybe that's why it's flaring."

Iyokú frowns. "It's not flaring, it's just dark light."

Jīvitaya frowns to herself, confused. She pushes the thought aside, not wanting to dwell on the matter of the well.

"Push the well aside, and look again for little dark spots."

Iyokú nods, and then points. "Over there."