'Merry Christmas Kendric.'

'Thanks Yrsa. You know, I don't even believe in it, I'm not religious but I do believe in the Christmas spirit you know? That's a thing, I mean the being together with friends and family all jolly and stuff. But here we are, with more friends than anyone could hope for.'

While he smiled, he felt empty inside. He really had tried to lift up the Christmas spirit within him, but without any result. Yrsa held his hand while they stared out the window.

'Those stars and far away galaxies is something I dreamed of every day, seeing them like that. And now I do, I long for home.'

Kendric watched Yrsa shoving away a tear from the corner of her eye. He felt uncomfortable and didn't know if he should comfort her or cry with her. Not that he would burst out in tears or something.

'I know what you mean.' He decided that his famous one liner reaction would be the best feedback he could give while still holding her hand and stare out the window.

'I heard some girls talking about an upcoming mission. Do you know anything about that?'

But Kendric didn't and wondered what the mission was all about and where to. The colourlines appeared, it was time for their next lessons with Master Batuo.

'Great, another hack your partners meditation lesson.'

Yrsa had to laugh. 'Why don't you come and hack mine?'

Kendric honestly did everything in his power not to enter Yrsa's meditation session. There is something about those deep meditations. You share a deep bond at that moment and you're very vulnerable. Something he wasn't ready for to share it with her.

'Kendric, why has no one hacked your meditation session? You are always the one hacking into others as I understood.'

She was right though. Little did she know that there was just nothing to hack into. He hadn't create his own place, he always hacked into others. Like a parasite and he had to grinn with his comparison.

'I don't have my own space. I have seen many others now from almost everyone in our class. They have created the most beautiful spaces or their hometowns in such great detail. Cahya is so good at it that she doesn't have to create, she just visits. Did you know that?' But Yrsa shook her head. It didn't came as a suprise to her since Cahya was very gifted and raised on spirituality. Her door of her mind was wide open and had never bin closed. Unlike most people in the western world.

'Is that why you bonded so quickly with Cahya? You two seem to have a good friendship going on there.'

Kendric wasn't sure how to respond to Yrsa since it felt like a trick question where no matter how he would respond, he would always have the wrong answer and end up in a fight. He could be stupid, but was never wrong when it came to girls.

'We are just friends.'

He hoped that was enough and would end this uncomfortable conversation before it began. Yrsa circled around with her eyes, clearly not satisfied with his one liner.

'I know you are, I didn't accuse you of something. I just wondered why you never visited mine.'

There was just no escaping this and Kendric felt trapped as a fly in a spidersweb. He knew that if he would tell her about the intensity of sharing a meditation session together and that was the reason for not hacking into hers, she would either accuse him of sharing something so intens with Cahya or be angry about the fact that he didn't felt ready to share it with her. Or worse, she would blame him of both. Probably that...both...

'Yrsa, we are great friends. What's the problem here?'

Yrsa stormed off into Master Batuo's classroom. Kendric knew there was just no correct answer and he could never win this battle. Defeated he took his seat with the guys and prepared for another meditation hack.

'Welcome back young truthseekers. Today's lesson will be different, yes very, very different indeed. It is after all Christmas and some of you celebrate this holiday. Christmas, a time that people come together. Celebrate something together. Either it is out of religious consideration, or just family and friends who cherish their love for eachother, or both. Yes both is good to. Everything is good, whatever makes you happy. There is no right or wrong, no wrongdoing nooooo. It just... is. Sigh... So today, we skip breathing exercises. Yes we skip it, you heard that right. Skip, because you all know by now how to breathe. Than what do we do?'

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Everyone waited for him to continue but apperently he waited for a response.

'Uhm, celebrate Christmas?' Marcellus guessed.

'No, you small-minded, oh whatever. Ofcourse we don't celebrate. After all not all are religious, not all are Chirstians, not all believe in Santa Claus and not all like Christmaspresents and the obligations that come with it!' Master Batuo was clearly annoyed.

'Ok Grinch.'

Everybody laughed when Maynard rolled his eyes as he said it but Master Batuo wasn't in for a joke.

'Today, Christmas or not we skip breathing exercises. Yes we skip that. That is my present for the ones who celebrate Christmas. Yes I decided. I have.'

'Uhm how about the ones who don't do Christmas?' Zuberi asked.

'Well it's my present to everybody but if you don't celebrate Christmas, consider it as your birthday gift ok? So, where was I. Right, no breathing exercise, no meditation lesson. Ah yes, I had planned something else. Levitating like Santa's reindeer. Who is in?'

Everyone raised their hand.

'Haha yes I thought so. Levitating, something you all can. Not only the ones with the right power. Nooooo. Ok you will never fly out as Superman, but!!! But you will levitate as a feather. Yes as light as a feather. How? You might think. Welllllll, like this!' And he jumped up and levitate 3 meters high in the sky.

'Concentrate on your breathing. You know how, after all I taught you. But instead of focussing on grounding yourself and inhale the earth it's energy, you focus on the sky above you. On the wind, the density and just feel the longing of levitation deep within you, yes that's it, deep within you, the longing for being one with the air around you. Be as light as feather. Even a water molecule is to heavy. Do you understand young truthseekers? Raindrop falls down, always! On earth that is the law of gravity. You want to be less than a watermolecule. You want to be air, unseen, unheard, un-everything. You want to be that carrier wave who weights nothing. Truly nothing, you are air and air is you. You are oxygen and oxygen is you. You see now? You are the air you breathe in, hold it, hold it. Yes there in your stomachs, hold the oxygen, keep it steady. Be oxygen. Float!'

Through the deep guided meditation Master Batuo gave, everyone in the room lifted of their feet and floated in the air. Some higher and longer than others.

'So I lied, just a little bit. That was meditation. Focussing on molecules and so on. But how cool is that? Right? Cool it is.'

Some landed back on their feet while others fell hard onto the ground. But they were so impressed by themselves that they could care less.

'Well, that was fun. Now on to the next. Next, we go, next. Yes. Let me think. Ah yes, the other thing is we fight. Do as I do, follow my footwork and hands and legs and arms. You see my neck? And look at my back young people. Look'

Was he doing capoeira?

Kendric couldn't keep up, dancing and fighting were never his thing. He tried though. Like many others who failed miserably. Kenji however, gracious as always. It came to no ones suprise that he would nail this. It was beautiful to see him move. So fluent...

'Uhm Master Batuo? This is very advanced and uhm, well I ain't no dancer and fighting skills are, let's just say, non existing.' Marcellus pointed out.

'Than how are you going to fight?'

'With our powers.'

'Is that so young Master Marcellus? So you think with a power here or there that you will win, with just your powers?' And Master Batuo laughed out loud.

Marcellus felt ashamed and didn't no where to look. He honestly hasn't gave it one thought how to fight when the battle was to come.

'So you see young masters, movement is important. Movement is dancing. Dancing is avoiding and avoiding equals winning!'

'Is he high? Avoiding equals winning?' Maynard asked and they chuckled. It just didn't make any sense.

Master Batuo came down and threw a stick to Maynard.

'Attack me!' His command was loud and clear recieved by Maynard who attacked immediately and showed them his best fighting skills combined with his power which made him disappear and reappear behin Master Batuo so he attacked him from behind. But Master Batuo avoided the attack easily with bending over and circled 360 degrees. It was beautiful to see him move like that, he made it look so easy. He ended up with his stick on Maynard's troath.

'You see? Avoiding equals winning. Just don't get hit and attack! Dance and avoid, don't be an easy target like those stupid movies you guys always watch. Yes, plain stupid! Recieving so many hits and eventually winning but being broken. That's just plain stupid. And you watch those movies? A smart person would avoid being kicked in his face, yes that would be smart. Avoid, dance!'

'Master Batuo, you sre obviously right. But we weren't trained in a Shaolin Monistry since we were like 2 years old. Your movements are a lifetime of work and dedication.' Cree noted.

'Yes, you are spot on Cree! Spot on! But... unlike others, you are truthseekers gifted with powers. I admit, devotion is needed. Discipline as well! But in a short time, I can learn you the basics. You could learn the Salsa in a short period of time also right? So why not this? Believe me, you can be taught how to dance. Believe in me, believe with me.' And Master Batuo showed them some basic steps and moved with his hand ordering to do as he did.

After class they hanged out in the messhall.

'I actually like today's lesson and learned a great deal.' Marcellus admitted and the others agreed with him.

'I think I screwed up woth Yrsa and might be dateless for the Ball.' Kendric stirred in his tea and put some more sugarcubes in it.

'You had to be stupid again...' Marcellus said and shook his head.

'It wasn't my fault, she lured me in and there was just no escaping you know? And on top of it, I said we were great friends.'

Everybody laughed and stared at him with pity but in disbelieve at the same time.

'You can't be that stupid right?' Maynard almost fell of his floating disc from laughter.

'What else could I have said? It's not that we are dating.'

'You should've changed the subject brother.' And Zuberi shook his head while laughing at him.