Xanum

Chapter Seven

Fayne woke me up before the sun had even come up, and Tony was already outside. "Jax, it is time to begin your training," he said, pressing gently on my shoulder. I rubbed my eyes and got up, then stretched my limbs to wake myself up. I was surprised that I slept the whole night through, the nights on this planet seemed to be much longer than twelve hours. As I was almost out the door, Fayne stopped me. "Jax, you are beginning to stink. There are clothes over there," he said, pointing at a cloak much like his own placed on a nearby table.

I became conscious of my smell, and Fayne was right. I hadn't showered in a few days and it made sense that I would stink. I wondered if there was a way to bathe. I also hadn't shaved in a few days, I was starting to grow some stubble on my chin. I wondered if the people of this world were against beards or anything like that, but as far as I knew, facial hair was fine, and without anything to shave with, I'd have to get used to having it. I'd always wanted to grow a full beard, but involvement with girls and such things had kept me from doing so. If I wanted to grow one, now was the time to do it.

I picked the cloak up and discovered that it was more like a gown than anything else. There was a large hole on the bottom of the cloak, where I draped it over my body, and it fit perfectly. It was breathable, and light. I barely felt it on my skin. I was glad to leave my other clothes behind, this cloak made me feel free.

I stepped outside into the cool morning, and the temperature hit me like a hammer. I almost stepped back inside the house until I noticed that there was a fire going in the same spot as we'd meditated at yesterday. Tony was sitting on one of the stumps, and he was wearing a cloak as well. His hands were outstretched toward the fire and he looked calm. It was good to see him not fuming with anger. I approached and sat on my own stump from the previous night. The warmth of the fire gradually seeped into my body and warmed me, and after a few minutes of silence in the early morning, Fayne exited the shack with two bowls cupped in his hands. "I've made more soup, and I'd like you to eat before we begin," Fayne said.

"What is this stuff anyway?" Tony asked. Fayne handed us the bowls and sat. He didn't speak. "Okay, you can ignore me then," Tony said dejectedly. He drank his soup and was silent. I drank my soup and set the bowl down beneath my stump. Once it was on the ground, Fayne corrected his posture and he was now sitting with his back straight.

"Now that you've finished your meals, I'd like you to both meditate for a time. I will be using the janus herb to aid in your meditations again. Now, begin," he said. Janus herb? What was a janus? I shook these thoughts from my mind, and entered my virtual home. I had completed about half of the fence, and I immediately got to work on finishing it. As I worked within my mind, I smelled and heard the burning of the 'janus herb' and felt its effects on my mind. I wondered if the herb was some sort of drug, and if it was dangerous to be taking it.

My fence was complete, and I was moving on to cut more trees to increase the size of my home when my actual body felt a hand on my shoulder. The vision faded. Fayne stood behind me, his hands on Tony's shoulder as well as mine. "To begin your training, you must be calm and prepared, so that you are capable of learning. You have been meditating for an hour, and I'd like to begin training now," Fayne said. He was staring off into the distance, and he seemed happy but also pained at the same time. I'd seen that look before, on people that were looking into the past at a pleasant memory that wasn't so pleasant anymore. He removed his hands from our shoulders and walked to the shack's door. He opened it and waved us inside.

I walked inside the shack and stood above the fur I'd slept on the previous nights. Fayne entered the shack and disappeared behind the fireplace. I glanced at Tony to make sure he was okay. He was standing with his arms crossed below his chest. He didn't look angry this time, instead he looked calm and patient. "You okay, man?" I asked him. He looked at me and nodded. I hoped that he was being truthful, but I didn't think that I had time to actually make sure that he was okay. Fayne came back around the corner with several things in his hands. He had a few rags, a stick, and behind him, he had a strange statue with outstretched arms placed haphazardly here and there.