It's been a few hours since Ara and the others left the town of Eago. They should be coming up to the insurgents soon enough. At the moment, they've stopped for lunch around a campfire that Yasuke quickly set up.

The forest isn't usually like it is today. Heavy mist fogs most of their field of view, surrounding the campfire in a wall of grey. They aren't sure if the soldiers from this morning are still following, but they've been on the move since leaving Eago, and they'll continue after a short break for lunch. The thick fog will keep them nice and concealed, but the campfire might still give their position away. It's a risk Chaung doesn't seem hesitant in taking- He'd rather get everyone fed and fight straight after than keep moving on an empty stomach. It's strange, Ara feels as though she knows him better now than she ever has before. He did leave when she was young, so how much could she have really known him to begin with? He's the last family member she has left and yet, it still feels as if she lost all of them. Chaung doesn't feel like a brother, just someone she's related to… She cares about him, of course. But they don't share the connection siblings would usually share.

Akheela snaps her finger in front of Ara's face, glaring into Ara's eye with her white hair draping easily in front of her grey eyes. "You lost focus again,”

She did. She was staring at a small rock in front of her, trying to use her magic to lift it off the ground but staring at it for so long had her mind drift off into thought. Ara straightens her back and places her hands on her crossed legs. She takes a deep breath in and softly looks at the rock. It jiggles a little, but in her excitement, it completely stops. So she refuses her attention.

Nothing happens.

"Damn it," Ara sighs, dropping her posture. "I don't understand how this comes so naturally to you,"

"I've been practising since I was a child, Ara. You only started a few years ago so it may take some time."

"I wish my parents had taught me earlier,"

"You aren't dependent on your ma'gic," Akheela responds. "I can understand why your parents would prefer you were older,"

"It feels like a muscle I haven't used in many rotations needs to be stretched,"

Akheela chuckles, hiccuping at the end of it- "I've always relied on my ma'gic. To me, it's like you've been living your whole life with an eye closed," She says, as she raises a hand to cover her right eye. "But the ma'gic is within you, now you must bring it out,"

Ara nods, glancing at the rock and then back up at Akheela. "I forgot to say thanks," Ara remembers.

"What for?" Akheela asks.

"For what you did when those soldiers recognized me. I was lost in indecision,"

"There's no need to thank me. Your friend Nina certainly wouldn't,"

"They would have done the same. I'm sure they're just unnerved by the attention drawn by magic,"

"I understand. I just cannot stand to see innocent people being treated like livestock," Akheela says with a deep exhale. "It's not as though any thoughts go through my mind… I just, do,"

"Try to follow their lead. It may be difficult, but by now, I trust them with my life,"

"Any suggestions to get Nina to trust me?" Akheela hiccups with a chuckle.

"I'm not so sure she trusts anyone with magic," Ara giggles, "But she responds well if you do as she says,"

"Very well, I'll keep that in mind,"

Ara focuses back on the rock ahead of her. Taking a deep breath in before raising her aura and looking at it.

"Hang on," Akheela says to Ara's mind. "Let me try something,"

The fog of Akheela's voice starts to glow all around her. The oceanic blue mist dances between the flame-coloured voice surrounding Ara. They look into one another eyes as Ara feels Akheela concentrating on her training. She sees the image of Akheela when she'd sneak past Lotti in the early morning to practice her magic. The feeling of Akheela's aura when she would approach any objects to lift with her voice. She'd focus on the feeling of the object once she's connected. The feeling of moving the object and the feeling of its release.

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Ara feels a certainty when they both open their eyes, an understanding of the approach. She looks softly at the rock in front of her as her aura slowly creeps around it. The shape. It's weight. As if she were studying it with her hand she naturally tries to lift it towards her.

It jitters- and she maintains her focus, trying to avoid the excitement or any other emotions that may arise during her attempt. It jitters again, and slowly shifts a finger-length into the air.

"Good job," Ara feels ringing through Akheela's emotions. "Now, lift it higher,"

Akheela's excitement works on Ara's behalf, allowing her to maintain her focus. She wants to bring it closer to her, so she can look at it up close. With that as her intention, she raises her hand intuitively, bringing the rock towards her chest in a swift, weightless motion. It drops into her hand, and her head jolts up to look at Akheela with a grin she feels tightening her cheeks.

"I did it!" She yells out in glee. "How did you know that would work?"

"I didn't," Akheela smiles, "I saw it was in one of your memories... Your Ami did it to aid you with a healing technique,"

Ara cannot recall this happening, but Akheela's mentioning of it does draw a familiarity. Ami and Apa would never communicate with Ara without words though. An image of Ami by the river is all she sees, her Ami is of the same age as Ara, aiding a small bird that had injured its wing and landed on the river bank. Is this Ami's memory? Ara wonders.

"She gave it to you," Akheela answers aloud. "You should explore your voice. There may be more memories you've forgotten,"

The thought of having some of her parents' memories to explore brings joy and anger to her. She wants to find every last one to feel her parents again. To keep growing close to them. But it frustrates her. This shouldn't be the only way for her to learn about them. It's not right.

"You're a great teacher," Ara says, moving away from her thoughts.

Ara uses a sharp tip of the rock in her hand to cut a small incision in the palm of her right hand. Reopening a part of the wound she received in the dock town. A small stream of blood trickles out, causing Akheels to panic,

"A'ra!" She yells out reaching for her hand, about to tear off a piece of material from her clothing.

"Uh Uh," Ara calls out Akheela, "Use the magic,"

Akheela pauses, momentarily taken back by Ara's teaching method. Ara focuses on the thoughts of her Ami teaching her to heal. The shifting of her voice to a point between her hands and then placing this energy within a wound. The feeling of directing the energy to the wound and repairing the damage located amongst it.

Akheela closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, placing one hand below Ara's while the other floats above the wound. Her blue aura gathers around both hands. Akheela's hand above Ara's has a small vortex forming in the centre of it, that slowly reaches down and into Ara's small wound. Gradually encasing Ara's hand in that same blue Ara as a tunnel of energy passes from the palm of Akheela's hand and into Ara's.

The bleeding comes to a halt, and the wound slowly seals itself, zipping from the bottom of the wound to the top. No scar is left once it's complete and the tunnel from Akheela's aura slowly returns to her hand.

"Well done," Ara says.

Akheela smiles with satisfaction, "All better,"

"You didn't have to heal the whole thing," Ara says, glancing at her scar-less palm.

"Would you like me to cut your palm and return your scar?" Akheela jests.

Ara laughs under her breath, looking again at her healed palm. She remembers being taught similarly. Her Ami would suddenly gash a wound into her wrist and tell Ara to heal it or she'll die. It made Ara very nervous, having to save Ami's life like that, but it taught her to use the technique under pressure.

"The two of you ready to go?" Chaung asks, suddenly standing above the both of them.

"Sure," Ara responds, standing to her feet.

"Time to kick some ass," Akheela says silently as she stands to her feet as well.

"I don't think I'm there yet," Ara responds aloud, chuckling.

"Are the two of you communicating without speaking?" Chaung asks with an eyebrow raised at the staggered dialogue between them.

"Something like that," Ara responds.

Chaung strokes the small, growing goatee on his chin. "What's the furthest you can communicate?"

Ara and Akheela both look at each other to exchange their uncertainty, they both shrug when Ara answers, "We haven't tried any further than this,"

"Hmmm," Chaung mumbles, still stroking his chin.

"Uh oh, that's his strategy face," Matsuko jests, strapping her bag to her back

"To bind one's body to Al'chem can come at a great cost to one's lifespan. Each binding allows the bound to mimic an ability of the magic- But, a condition must be met to enact any of these spells." - Prophet Elric