63 First Steps

'We should go somewhere private, follow the trail," Nocturne spoke.

My eyes blurred for a moment then I saw a long glowing path spreading ahead of me. Nocturn was showing me a path to trod.

I followed the golden path for several minutes until I stopped in front of a large waterfall. The waterfall fell in a rumbling echo. And in front of it was a small pond where the water gathered then poured out into a river that went deep into the Forbidden Forest.

There were a few large rocks on the pond, like stepping stones that reached all the way to the falling river.

'There is a cave behind the curtain of water, go through it,' Nocturne said.

I already knew of the cave, not because I was here before, but using Monochrome vision I could see what Nocturne could see. But going through that curtain of water was bound to get me wet.

I jumped from rock to rock, balancing myself and hoping to not lose my balance and fall. Once I was on the rock nearest to the waterfall curtain I stopped.

"How can I get through," I asked Nocturne.

'Use your head,' Nocturne said calmly.

I looked around, there was no way for me to go through the powerful water curtain without getting wet or falling into the water.

I could blast the water away using a spell, but it will only fall back harder and cover the opening.

I thought for a while before Nocturne spoke a few words, 'Don't fight the water, use its strength, guide it and it will bend to your will."

"I don't suppose you would give more detailed instructions," I spoke sarcastically.

Nocturne didn't reply confirming my words.

I closed my eyes and used Monochrome vision, then opened them up. The water curtain surged downward with a might incomparable. A drop of water couldn't do much to harm a being, but together, these water droplets merged and created an entity that moved as one, with power enough to break stone.

Blue mots of light flowed with the current, diving and guiding the water down, Monochrome vision enabled me to see the spiritual energy of the waterfall.

This changed my conception about spiritual energy and its relation to the living. Spiritual energy existed in all and everything, even the very rock I was standing on released gray mots of light.

I frowned for a moment as I was staring at the rock, the water indeed was powerful and with might enough and time enough, it could easily erode the rock to nothingness. But for now, the rock stood still. Confronting the water, and forcing it to part away.

I then gazed up and thought, if there was a rock in the middle of the waterfall, it would part it like a curtain. Enabling me to walk inside the cave.

But sadly, there was no rock.

'Oh, I got it I think,' I thought.

I pushed my hand forward, closed my eyes and began feeling the blue mots of light. They went down so fast that I didn't get to lock on to any of them. But after a good minute of concentration, I was able to track their movement. I focused even harder, droplets of water or sweat or both dribbled down my forehead as I grit my teeth.

I managed to lock onto a mote of light, then more then was able to 'see' all the mots of blue light that made the waterfall, by then and almost immediately, the whole world stopped.

I opened my eyes and saw that the waterfall was frozen, no, it was still moving but it was too slow to notice.

"Perfect," Nocturne spoke, "You need to hurry up, you don't have much time in this trance. Guide the water away," Nocturne spoke.

I was going to ask him how, but the moment I thought about willing the water to part, the mots of light began ebbing away and moving to the side and then they began reversing the water flow.

Due to the waterflow being reversed, I was able to see the cave, even for a split second, before an enormous strain hammered at my head with the strength of a sledgehammer. The frozen scenery resumed its movement at an even faster pace.

My concentration was broken, and the reversed waterflow came back down with enough strength that it knocked me away from the rock and into the pond.

I gasped for breath as I left the pond then grabbed at the rock where I was standing on.

"I guess I shouldn't have tried to fight against the current," I said.

"Indeed, you should guide the current, though I was a bit impressed with how you managed to freeze the waterfall from moving." Nocturne replied in a laugh.

"Right," I said then I hauled myself on the rock.

I looked back at the waterfall then pressed my hand forward. This time I didn't try to lock onto all the water mots, but just the stream flowing from the middle of the waterfall.

It was much easier to lock onto the middle section of the river, and instead of willing it to reverse its flow, I thought about the rock and willed the mots of the top of the river to part.

The water pushed itself aside as more and more of mots decided that they didn't want to contend with the middle stream and moved to the side. The water wasn't rigid and didn't care for whatever obstacles there were in front of it, it would move around them if it had to, lessening its contact and crashing whenever it could. And so, the waterfall parted while I only used the minimum energy and concentration possible.

"Great job Basara, you're on your way to learn magic without incantations," Nocturne spoke encouragements in my head.

I smiled then jumped from the rock to the other side of the waterfall and entered the hidden cave.

The moment I stepped inside, the waterfall continued its descent without my will interfering with it, closing back the curtain.

"Oh, that was neat. Guess I'll have to do this again if I want to leave." I said.

"Yes, it's good practice, for you to learn how to hone your magic. Now let's talk", Nocturne said eerily.

"About the book?" I asked.

"Yes and much more…"