by Matt Taylor
“Second mind?” Sylas asked. “What’s that?”
“There is still much for all of you to learn…” Uthren paused for a moment, “I believe we’ve been making good time thus far. Let’s stop and rest for a moment. We can eat, and I can explain a few things.”
The group came to a stop in a group of trees off to the side of the road. They found a fallen tree, and Sylas, Torren, and Samara sat down on the slightly rotting trunk. Geode sat on a nearby rock and pulled out some bread from his pack. The others followed suit and pulled out some of the rations that they had brought with them and began to eat as Uthren stood in front of the fallen tree and talked.
“There are four basic steps when it comes to using Magick. The first step is to make the correct hand symbol to initiate the type of element that you are using. There are six different symbols, one for each element. The element of Light, which is the one that I’m most familiar with, has a symbol that’s made like so.”
Uthren put his hands out in front of him and made the symbol of Light. He held his hands out so the others could see as he explained.
“With the palms facing outward, the thumbs and pointer fingers are connected, making a heart symbol. Next, the middle fingers are brought upward and touch, creating a diamond above the heart. The ring and pinky fingers align with the middle finger. Once that symbol has been made, the next step is to tap into what is called the inner life. Everything has an inner life. All of the objects around us are filled with it. The birds you hear, the worms under your feet. The log that you sit upon, even the air that you are breathing in. Inner life is what connects us all, it is the foundation of all things. For us, our inner life is found within the stomach.”
Uthren broke the symbol he was making with his hands and put his right hand over his stomach.
“This is the basin to your inner life, it needs to be brought forth out of the stomach and into the hands to be used.”
He resumed the symbol that he had made with his hands before and continued, “After you make the symbol, focus your mind upon this basin. Once you find it, bring that inner life from your stomach, up through your torso, into your chest, down your arms, and into your hands.”
Just as Uthren finished speaking, his hands began to glow. A bright yellow light filled the symbols of the heart and the diamond shapes that his fingers made, then spread to cover the entirety of his hands until just above the wrist. Sylas looked in awe and wonder at the light display. It was a beautiful light that gave off a warm glow and emanated an energy that made Sylas feel that the light was almost alive. The soft glow continued radiating from Uthrens hands as he continued to explain.
“The next step is the most difficult of the four. After moving your inner life to your hands and creating the elemental glow, you need to open what is called the second mind.”
Uthren again released the energy from his hands and elaborated.
“The second mind is an extension of yourself, and it’s connected with the inner life of the objects and elements that surround you. Think of your conscious self as your first mind. The thoughts that you are having right now, the desires that you have, your inner thoughts and workings are all a part of your first mind. Once you connect your first mind to the inner life of the things that surround you, it creates a separate but connected entity to your first mind, which is called the second mind. This second mind is still a part of you, but it’s only half you, the second half is the living element of which you are connecting to. Think of it as a new being that’s part you and part something else all combined into one.”
“I'm really confused,” Torren said, scratching his head. “So, you are saying that you can have two separate minds at the same time? Does that mean that I would be able to think about two different things at once?”
“Yes, that’s correct, Torren.” Uthren continued. “Think of it as if you were able to remove a part of yourself from your body, and that piece would be still connected to you, but not bound by what your body was doing. It would be able to think independently of what your body was thinking, thus allowing you to have two separate thoughts at the exact same moment.”
Torren folded his arms. “That seems complicated…”
“It is indeed, that’s why it’s the hardest step for beginners to learn. Once you are able to open your second mind, however, you will know what it feels like and be able to do it again with more and more ease until it’s second nature.”
Uthren again made the symbol of Light with his hands, and they began to glow. Taking in a breath, Uthrens eyes started to glow the same color as his hands were. Sylas could no longer see the brown coloring that was once centered in his eyes, only a radiating yellow light. It was somewhat frightening seeing someone’s eyes glowing so unnaturally. It reminded him of his memory of Maelos and his glowing eyes and made the hairs on his arms stand up.
“I am now connected to my second mind.” Uthren continued, “Once you are connected to your second mind, you will be able to break the symbol and perform the spells that you desire. To do that, you need to bring into unison the desires of your first mind and your second mind so that they align. Once that happens, you can cast the spell.”
Uthren broke the symbol that he was making with his hands and held his hand out towards Sylas, an orb of light appeared in his hand and floated just above his outstretched palm. It slowly drifted out of his hand and towards the sky. Once it was about to leave the tops of the trees, it disappeared.
“Because your second mind is not entirely made of you, it’s sometimes difficult to cast the spell that you desire. You can only do things that the element you are controlling also wants to do. The second mind is a part of you, but it’s also a part of that element. Each element has unique, natural desires of things that it would like to accomplish. There is some persuading that can happen between your first and second mind, but ultimately the spell can only be cast once the two are in harmony with one another, and their desires are aligned. Part of knowing how to use Magick is knowing which elements naturally want to do what, and using them appropriately. A true master knows where his limits lie, for you cannot control the elements and force them to do things that they do not naturally desire to do.”
“How do you know what the elements naturally desire to do?” Samara asked.
“When you have opened your second mind, you will feel those desires of what you would and would not want to do. Remember, while the second mind is a part of the element, it’s also a part of you, so you will know what you are able to do.” Uthren held up one finger, “One part you, knowing what you desire.” He held up another finger on his opposite hand. “The other part the element, telling you what it’s willing to let you do.” He put his fingers together, wrapping them as one. “Coming together, in unison, allowing your combined wills to be done. The more time you spend with your second mind opened, the more you will discover about yourself and about the elements around you. You will be able to discover more and more spells as you get comfortable with your second mind and let it become a greater part of who you are.”
Uthren looked at Samara then over to Torren and finally Sylas. “After you have learned to open your second mind and cast your first Light spell, maybe we can ask Geode to teach you some Nature Magick. But for now, we had better be on the move again. I would like to get to the river before nightfall.”
The light from Uthren’s hands and eyes faded as he sat down on a nearby rock. Sylas, Torren, and Samara finished eating what they could then put the rest away in their bags. Tossing his bag on his shoulder, Sylas vowed to himself, I’m going to learn how to open my second mind, and I’m going to become a great mage. No matter what it takes.
The group returned to the road and continued their way Eastward towards the river. Sylas was grateful for the cooler weather due to the time of the season. He imagined that it would have been quite hot and miserable to do all of this walking, with all of the gear that he had in his pack, in the middle of the summer. Sylas’s father had helped
him pack all of the things he thought his son would need to make the long journey. A small hunting bow with several arrows, A knife, some extra clothes, rope, flint, a small hatchet, gear to pitch a small tent, blankets to sleep with, and a short sword he had used while in the Kings’ guard, as well as a couple days’ worth of rations.
Sylas had been hunting with his father before, but not enough to feel comfortable finding and killing for his own meals. He hoped that Torren could help him where he lacked in that area. They continued following the road towards the East until it took a bend and started heading in a more South-East direction.
“Here is where we leave the road.” Uthren announced, “We can’t continue to follow the road, or I fear we might run into trouble. We will continue heading Eastward until we hit the river.”
They walked through the grassy hills and trees for the rest of the afternoon, occasionally asking a question to Uthren or Geode or talking about childhood memories between Sylas, Torren, and Samara.
A couple of hours later, the sounds of rushing water over rocks reached their ears. A short distance later, the sight of the river came into view.
“We’ll make camp here,” Uthren announced to everyone. “Do whatever you need to prepare for the night, then meet me by the riverbank when you are done. We’ll begin your training tonight.”
Sylas turned to Samara, “Where do you think we should sleep?”
Samara got a slightly disgusted look on her face. “What do you mean where we should sleep? I’m sleeping somewhere where I can get some privacy, away from you two. So don’t even think about setting up anywhere near me.”
Sylas’s face turned bright red, “No, that’s not what I… what I meant to say was…”
Torren laughed a loud, hardy laugh and patted him on the back.
“Come on, Sylas, let’s go find a spot over by the river and leave the princess to find her own spot where we can’t spy on her… at least, not without her noticing.” Torren said, looking at Samara and raising his eyebrows several times.
“Torren, I swear If I catch you spying on me or coming over and trying to scare me in the night, you won’t live to see Gelendor!”
Torren laughed again, this time more deviously and then said to Sylas just loud enough so that she could hear, “She said if we get caught.”
Samara dropped her bag and stomped over to Torren.
“Ahh help!” He yelled and began to jog away from her. She chased him as he ran away, laughing.
Sylas smiled, he was glad that his friends had come along with him. He didn’t know if he would be able to survive what was expected of him without the little moments like these.
Samara finally gave up the chase and returned to her bag. She picked it up and then said directly to Sylas. “I mean it. Far away. You got it?”
Sylas nodded, and she turned and walked towards some large boulders. Torren returned, still chucking a bit and put his arm around Sylas.
“Well, what are we waiting for, let’s find a spot by the river and then see what Uthren has to teach us.”
Nodding, he and Torren started off towards a sand bar near the river. They pitched their tents and got everything set and then looked for Uthren. He was just down a ways from where they had set up their tents, sitting next to the river. As Sylas and Torren approached him, Uthren motioned for them to sit down. They sat next to each other on the grass and awaited further instructions. They had both gained much more respect for Uthren after seeing what he could do and hearing him talk about Magick. He was much more powerful and wise than either of them could have ever thought possible.
“First, we will have both of you try to tap into your inner life,” He began. “As soon as we can get to that point, we’ll move on to opening the second mind, but first, we need to understand the very basics. Both of you make the symbol of Light as I showed you before.”
Torren and Sylas looked at each other, and then both tried to replicate the symbol of Light with their hands.
“Not quite,” Uthren said, examining their hands. “Torren, you need to make sure the last three fingers on your hands are all aligned with each other. And Sylas, you need to bend your pointer fingers more so that you make a heart, not a circle.”
Trying again, the boys adjusted their hands until Uthren was satisfied. “Excellent, now commit this symbol to memory. Before you are to begin using Light Magick, you must first initiate this symbol. Once you have opened your second mind, you can break the symbol and won’t have to use it again until you either change elements or close your second mind and need to re-open it again. You must also learn to make these symbols quickly, if you are ever in trouble and need to quickly cast a spell, you don’t want to be stumbling with your hands while someone is trying to kill you. Next, I want you both to focus your minds upon your stomachs and search for the sensation of your inner life. Don’t think about whether or not you are hungry; that's not what I mean. When you are first learning, I find it easier to actually start at your heart. Close your eyes and focus on your heartbeat.”
Sylas and Torren closed their eyes. Sylas focused in on his heartbeat. At first, he couldn’t feel anything at all, but as he sat and listened, he could start to feel the steady rhythm of his heart.
“Once you have focused on your heart, which is what gives life to your body, change that focus, and move it down, deep within your stomach. You won’t be able to feel a physical beat like you do with your heart, but you will be able to feel a slight tingle. This tingle will be very faint until you can recognize it and bring it forward.”
Sylas mentally moved his focus from his beating heart downwards until it rested upon his stomach. He focused on his breathing, the slow inward and outward movement of his diaphragm, and then moved in deeper. He didn’t feel anything for what seemed like a long time but was determined to see results. He blocked out all of the surrounding noise, from the river water running gently past them, to the birds softly chirping around them, to the breeze gently brushing against his ears. He felt as if he had removed himself from the world and entered his own domain of peace. It feels good to block out the world, he thought to himself.
Just then, he felt an extremely faint but nevertheless present tingle deep within his stomach. He redoubled his focus, letting the sensation grow within himself. The tingle seemed alive, and almost shy, hiding itself deep within its secure domain. He found himself almost coxing the little feeling to come out, and that it was safe. The tingle gained in strength and began to spread until it no longer felt shy, but curious. It grew and grew until Sylas felt his entire torso tingling.
“I think I’ve got it,” he said softly, opening his eyes. The feeling of peace and inner security continued to flow through him, granting him confidence and happiness, he had never felt so good in his entire life.
“This is incredible!”
“Very good, Sylas. Now move your inner life from your stomach through your arms and into your hands.”
Sylas closed his eyes again and focused on the sensation. It felt so good, so welcoming, it felt as if a part of his very being had just been awakened from a dormant state, which was probably exactly what it was he thought to himself. He moved the sensation from his torso to fill his arms and then down into his hands. Keeping his eyes closed, he felt his hands start to tingle with the same sensation, but this time with an added warmth. It felt as if he were holding a small rabbit in his hands, or something else that was alive and giving more heat than his normal body would produce on its own.
“Well done!” Uthren said, “Very well done.”
Sylas opened his eyes to see his hands glowing with a bright yellow light. The symbol he made with his hands of the heart and the diamond was filled in with a foggy mist of energy. The light warmed his hands and strengthened his confidence. Turning his head towards Torren to view his progress, he saw Torren still sitting with his eyes closed tightly. He seemed to be struggling with no outward sign of success. He could see sweat forming on Torrens forehead, the veins on his neck
bulging under the strain. He was just about to offer some words of encouragement when he was interrupted by Uthren.
“Maintain your focus Sylas, you are not done yet. The next part is the most difficult in the process. You must now focus the energy from your hands, back up your arms and into your head. Once it reaches your head, focus it deep within your brain. As it enters your brain, you will feel a very specific sensation. It’s different for everyone, so I won’t be able to tell you what it feels like, but you should know it when you feel it. Allow that feeling to enter, and once you have done that, allow your consciousness to be released. That part will almost feel like you are allowing your soul to leave your body as if you were dying. Don’t be alarmed, you won’t die. You will just allow part of your life energy to exit and form the connection to your second mind.”
Sylas looked at his hands again. He had come this far, and his confidence was bolstered. I can do this he thought to himself, then closed his eyes and focused on the energy in his hands.
He felt the energy, still alive, still as welcoming as ever. He willed the energy to move from its current position back up his arms. The warmth crawled ever so slowly into his arms and up into his shoulders, the tingling sensation ever-present. It continued to rise until it entered his neck and then up into his head. Once it entered his head, his entire body started to pulsate with energy. He could feel every inch of his body all in unison. He felt the blood pumping through his veins, the air entering and exiting his lungs. He was aware of every muscle, every ligament, every cell in his body. He felt in complete control of his very being as if he could simply tell his heart to stop beating, and it would obey.
This must be the feeling, he thought, then felt a tingle run up his spine as if his body was affirming the thought. Focusing on the energy that now coursed through his body, he let out a breath of air and imagined his soul leaving his body. A part of his soul seemed to raise up above his mortal capsule, and then stopped.
