The monastery library was situated in the highest, most defensible tower. It had been set up only recently, but it was already brimming with new books, many of which were currently being copied by [Monks], who had decided to work under Hadrian.

“You donkey,” Hadrian swore, looking at the smudge of fresh ink and then at the apologetic look on the [Monk]’s face.

“I’m sorry, my hands are too big and—”

“And your brain is too small,” Hadrian swore again, passing a hand over the book and making the smudge disappear, and returning the page to its pristine condition. “Keep copying. Be careful; my skills can’t be used ten thousand times in a day. This is the fourth time today.”

“Thank you, Brother Hadrian.”

“Silence begets good work. Concentrate on the pages, not me.”

That said, the grumpy [Monk] walked up the spiral staircase to the upper floor, where his private collection lay. From there, a huge window gave him a full view of the monastery’s backyard.

He saw three people in the distance: Marcus, Arcadius, and the little girl that had been brought there recently. He gnashed his teeth, feeling a mote of fury brew in his stomach.

Lucianus, that fool...

“What are they—” Hadrian quickly looked around before jamming his hand inside a bookshelf and taking out a little piece of scribbled parchment. “Scriptum Revela.”

The little piece of parchment became ash, and a skill flashed in Hadrian’s mind.

[*Ding!* You have temporarily gained Skill - Longhearing!]

[*Ding!* Skill - Longhearing level 80!]

Hadrian cracked open the window and started listening.

“Anyway, this was mostly to assess your physical fitness. Stamina can be trained even before you get your Class, Aurora. If you are still interested in learning to fight, you shall run daily for at least an hour.”

“How does this help with recovering my Light Magic?” The girl asked, making Hadrian clench his fists.

These idiots... what have they done...

“I don’t know. This was meant for your Stamina.”

“Wait… what about my Light Magic, though?”

He could hear the pain in the girl’s voice, the frustration, the... loss. Hadrian took a few deep breaths as the skill kept relaying the conversation to him.

“I have no idea,” Marcus, the idiot meathead, said, almost making the [Monk] in the library want to claw his eyes out.

“Burned books,” Hadrian swore.

“But… why did my father bring me here, then?” The girl asked.

“There is something he told me to teach you. Why don’t we move on to that now? We can continue the physical training later.”

Hadrian slammed the window shut with a loud bang, making half of the [Monks] downstairs jump in their seats and yelp at the smudges they had probably just made. It did not matter to him; he could use his skills as many times as he wanted with how little Mana they consumed. He just lied to the idiots to prevent them from getting lazy.

He went to his desk, sat down, and stroked his beard.

They want to teach her [Meditation]... But if she lost her magic...

Hadrian looked out of the window again, feeling compelled to run up to Marcus, shout in his face, and tell him to stop. However, he knew he couldn’t.

He wanted to, but he couldn’t.

Even though Lucianus saved his life and confided in him, trading great secrets, he couldn’t just throw his life away. After what he had learned, Hadrian knew that if he ever got close to the girl, there would be a substantial chance he’d die.

Painfully, too, he muttered, turning to a map hanging on the wall. He looked at the sands of the continent South of the Necromonarchy, divided by the sea, but apparently not distant enough not to interfere with what was happening here.

...

“Will it help with my Light Magic?” Lily wasn’t asking a question as much as she was begging for an affirmative answer.

“We don’t know,” Marcus sighed. “Your father seems to think it might.”

Lily perked up, her eyes twinkling with light.

The head [Monk] seemed hesitant to provide her with more hope, but nonetheless, he chose to keep quiet. Some hope wouldn’t hurt.

“Do you know what a Lost Skill is?” Marcus sighed slowly. “Or have you even heard of the term?”

“Skills that are lost to time—usually those that don’t come with a class and are too hard to pass along easily.”

“Yes,” he nodded, “that and greed. Many Lost Skills are, well, lost because of the greed of those who owned them. The hardest skills to master, Aurora, are often among the strongest.”

Lily nodded and opened her mouth to say something but hesitated and quickly snapped her lips shut.

“Something wrong?” Marcus asked.

She pondered for a second whether telling the big [Monk] was a good or bad idea, especially considering that she hadn’t even told her father as the occasion hadn’t presented itself.

“No, it’s nothing,” she said quietly.

Marcus studied her but said nothing about her odd behavior.

“Today, Aurora, I’ll teach a Lost Skill that your father—well, your father and I, discovered. It might help us look for the root of your problems. We don’t know why your Light Magic has been affected, but I can show you a way to turn to your inner eye, to look for answers inside yourself.”

Lily swallowed and nodded repeatedly, “what’s the skill?”

The man took a second and then heavily declared, “[Meditation].”

“What? [Meditation]? That doesn’t sound hard,” Lily frowned. She knew how to meditate. What was hard about it? And since when was meditating a skill?

“I don’t know what you think it is, but [Meditation] is a powerful yet terribly difficult skill to master,” Marcus retorted, “it allows communication with your very soul. Lucianus considers it actual Soul Magic. The fact that you are so young... it would usually make it impossible for you to learn. But your father seems dead set on you learning it. Sadly, this is the one skill where one’s age and life experiences seem to influence the possibility of learning it.”

Marcus then pointed at Arcadius, the older and taller [Monk], who had come to assist. It was the same one who had shown Lily around the first day.

“Arcadius’s skill is at a much higher level than mine. What many don’t know, Aurora, is that for both melee [Warriors] and [Mages], the mind and the body are equally important. That is why we focus on meditation so much. At its higher stages, it allows you to go without food or water for long stretches of time. Once your body reaches the perfect balance needed to meditate, you can do just about anything. Beyond that... heh, just ask your father.”

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Marcus led Lily to a quiet corner of the courtyard, away from the other [Monks], where the serene murmur of a distant waterfall could be heard. The atmosphere was calm and reassuring.

"First," began Marcus, "you need to find a place of absolute serenity within yourself before you can enter a true state of [Meditation]. External disturbances can be a challenge, but true mastery is achieved when you can find peace amidst chaos. You’ll need to look inward, find your locus of tranquility, and only then can you start meditating."

He then proceeded to sit down cross-legged on the soft ground, inviting Lily to sit opposite him. Marcus closed his eyes and took a deep breath, allowing the air to fill his lungs before exhaling slowly. His face showed no signs of strain; instead, it was the very image of tranquility.

“Watch and listen,” he instructed softly, with Arcadius sitting at his side and doing the same. “Do not attempt yet. Just observe.”

Lily, her eyes wide open with curiosity, watched as Marcus's breathing became more regular and rhythmic. With each breath, his body seemed to sink deeper into the ground, becoming one with the earth. The only sound she could hear was his steady breathing, harmonizing perfectly with the nature around him.

After a few minutes, something almost magical happened. Even with his eyes closed, Marcus slowly stood up and began to move gracefully, as if dancing. It was a dance with no music, driven only by the rhythm of his heart and breath.

She blinked in surprise as Marcus moved his hands and kicked the air ever so lightly, his movement seemingly too elegant for his hulking form. He had so much grace that it seemed he was weightless.

"This," Marcus whispered without opening his eyes, "is the power of the second stage of [Meditation]: mastery of your body—moving and meditating at the same time. Even as I move, my mind remains still, centered, and undistracted."

He continued to sway and glide across the courtyard. His feet barely touched the ground, and as he moved, Lily could almost see fine lines of energy coursing through him, connecting him to everything around him, the air parting to let him pass unimpeded.

After what felt like an eternity, Marcus finally came to a stop, standing still with his eyes still closed. The serenity he radiated was palpable.

Opening his eyes, he looked directly at Lily. "Aurora, fighting is not about breaking your fists against a dummy. It's about understanding, balance, and harmony. With [Meditation], you can achieve the unity of mind, body, and spirit, allowing you to move and act with purpose. Arcadius, if you don’t mind."

The older [Monk] nodded amiably before standing up, all while maintaining the same peaceful state and assuming the same position a karateka would before throwing a fist – arms bent alongside his body, fists balled and facing up.

In a heartbeat, the atmosphere grew thick with tension. And then, with a lightning-fast motion, Arcadius drove his fist up towards the sky.

Lily waited, not understanding what was occurring. Marcus didn’t say anything as Arcadius relaxed his stance, bringing his arms back at his side. Then, something inexplicable happened.

During the whole training, they had been shielded from the sunlight by a gathering of clouds above. But suddenly, a ray of sunlight swarmed them, and it drove Lily to look up to the sky.

It was surreal. A massive, circular gap appeared in the cloud canopy directly above them as if a giant had punched a hole through the fabric of the sky. Sunlight poured down through the void, casting a brilliant spotlight on the courtyard below.

Other [Monks], all previously engrossed in their meditative routines, looked up sharply.

Lily stared, mouth agape, her eyes wide and locked onto Arcadius. His sudden eruption of silent power had been entirely unexpected, and she was struggling to process what she had just witnessed.

Arcadius turned to Lily. "That was the unity of mind and body, the third stage of [Meditation]," he said softly, breaking the intense silence that had settled around them. "But it's also a warning. Such power, when unchecked, can cause unintended destruction."

Lily gulped, slowly finding her voice. "But... how did you do that? That's not... possible... is it?"

Arcadius smiled faintly, taking over the teaching from Marcus. "With [Meditation], we tap into the very essence of our being. We channel the energy from within and direct it outward. But without control, without understanding, this energy can wreak havoc. That's why we meditate – to find that balance and understanding. If you manage to do the same, you might come across the solution to your problems."

Lily nodded in awe until Marcus suddenly spun around and released a punch in mid-air toward a tree. In an instant, the distant tree was pulverized.

“You might never be able to do what Arcadius does,” Marcus smiled. “But who knows, maybe you’ll be able to do that.”

Lily was shaken and confused.

“Impressive, right?” Marcus nodded to himself, but the girl shook her head.

"Why did you destroy the tree?” Lily asked, genuinely puzzled. “Aren’t [Monks] very protective of nature?”

Marcus actually snorted himself out of the meditative state, holding his stomach as he almost cried at the statement, “child, we are not [Druids]. I hate those trees. Do you have any idea how hard it is to clean up all the leaves they shed in the fall? Also, Steeltusk Boars use those damn trees to hide from us and steal our potatoes.”

“Potatoes?” Lily asked, even more confused.

“Yes. Potatoes. What do you think we will eat for dinner? It’s Steeltusk Boar and potatoes. Oh, and artichokes. Lucien has managed to grow enough with his last harvest to last us years—there’ll be many artichokes to eat.”

…

Marcus watched over Lily as she sat cross-legged and closed her eyes.

“You need to look inside you. You need to wrestle with what is holding you back. The answer to all our problems is hidden deep within the dark waters of the self, Aurora. Learn to swim in it, and you might find the Light again. And do remember, whatever you find, don’t be afraid of it. Power is neither good nor bad. It's how you choose to use it. And to use it wisely, you need to master yourself first."

The huge [Monk] exhaled through thinly pursed lips and then inhaled deeply, repeating a couple of times, showing her the proper breathing technique.

“Close your eyes. You know how to sense Mana already. Now, try to sense yourself. Once you’re able to balance yourself, I’ll teach you a very precise meditation technique that your father devised. I regret to say he was always much better than any of us. If you have even half of his talent, you shouldn’t find it troublesome whatsoever.”

“I just… look inside?”

“Yes.”

Lily sighed and nodded, closing her eyes.

...

“Relax, calm your nerves,” Marcus repeated and observed Lily with a practiced eye. The intensity on her face and the tension in her muscles were evident. It had been two hours since he had set her down and observed her progress. He thought she was finally getting closer to visualizing her inner self and being able to work on balancing it. But Aurora had been getting tenser and tenser for some reason.

...

Within her mind, the soft buzz of a fluorescent light filled a small room. The walls seemed to close in on Lily, the once familiar walls of her childhood home appearing more like a prison than a haven.

Lily's mother, a stern, commanding figure with a steely gaze, sat across from her at the dinner table, a stack of university brochures piled up in front of her. Her cold fingers tapped rhythmically on the table's surface.

“You really think applying to med school is a good idea?” her mother began, disdain evident in her tone. “It's not as easy as you think, and frankly, I don’t think you’re cut out for it. Your father and I don't want to throw money into the wind. Your brother already cost us a fortune, and he even failed two years. We’re not wasting any more money, Liliana.”

Lily clenched her fists beneath the table, biting back a retort. She had dreamt of becoming a doctor for as long as she could remember. Unlike her brother, she was a natural. In fact, she was sure she would get a scholarship, too!

“There are plenty of people who’ve got more talent than you, Lily. They’re more qualified than you, they work harder than you, and they’ve got the right kind of discipline that you don’t,” her mother continued, her words piercing through Lily's defenses. "Why set yourself up for failure? You already have a bachelor’s degree; it’s time to put it to use.”

Lily took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. She felt a rising tide of anger and frustration suffocate her, drown her. "I want to become a doctor, Mom. I think I’ll be good at it. Why can’t you see that?"

The cold look in her mother's eyes deepened. "Because I know better, Lily. I know what's best for you."

Silence stretched between them. Lily felt her cheeks warm with anger and embarrassment. Her dreams, her aspirations – they seemed to shatter before her very eyes. She felt a tightness in her chest, struggling to keep her composure. It wasn't just about med school; it was about her mother's constant need to control every aspect of her life, making her feel small and insignificant.

Lily knew her mother wanted to protect her, to do what was best for her.

But was that it?

Shifting through the pile of brochures, her mother pulled out one and placed it in front of Lily. "You should consider the master's program to get your teaching license. Teaching is more suited for you. You’re a kind soul, Liliana; you wouldn’t last a minute in an emergency room dealing with nutjobs and the like. You should know better from your brother’s stories."

Lily stared at the brochure, her vision blurring with tears of anger and helplessness. "So, you’ve already decided for me?"

Her mother's gaze was unwavering. "I just want you to have a stable future, a respectable profession. And teaching is the perfect job for you. You love kids."

“It's my life, not yours,” Lily whispered, her voice shaking. But her words seemed to fall on deaf ears. The conversation was over; her mother's decision was final.

Lily felt trapped, bound by chains of expectation and control. She wanted to scream, to shatter the walls around her, but all she could muster was a choked sob as her dreams slipped further away.

…

Lily sunk deeper into the meditative state, finding something dark within herself. It wasn’t just the red-hot, burning anger. There was something bigger, something darker.

She sunk into the pits of a lightless ocean.

She sunk deeper and deeper.

Until…

…

Just as Marcus was about to remind the little one to relax again, he saw her body jolt, eyes snapping open with fear clouding her gaze. Black veins appeared all over her arms, neck, and face. Lily opened her mouth to scream, but there was no sound.

Before he could do anything, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted.

Marcus immediately scooped her up and used a healing skill, but its radiant energy found nothing in need of repair. Lily wasn’t hurt, but even after he had waited several minutes for her to wake up, nothing happened.

Marcus looked at Arcadius and then felt a pebble hit his forehead. He ignored it, thinking it was just debris from another [Monk] training close by. But when he suddenly felt danger and dodged a rock, he looked up.

…

Lily woke up with a bitter taste in her mouth and sat up abruptly on the bed, coughing and spluttering, feeling like the bitterest cough medicine had been poured into her lungs.

She looked around, realizing it wasn’t her room. A frowny figure looked at her from above an old tome he’d been reading.

“Children,” the man scoffed, closing the book with a snap and getting up.