Our Faults Give Us Strength

"Every day from now on, I will help you train not only your physical abilities, but I will also try and shed some light on your shortcomings. Accept them and learn to either use them or remove them. If you show even a hint of the dedication you've put into your swordsmanship, then you will not only grow stronger, but you will see yourself in a new light. Have some confidence."

Joe's tone turned from reprimanding to gentle. Today served two purposes in his eyes. He would show her that she is fallible, but he would also lend his hand to helping her overcome the shortcomings he points out. He didn't simply want their interactions to be about the benefits. He wanted her to be able to rely on him.

Having caught her breath, Clara had tossed aside her sense of superiority and now stood before him humbled. She had always believed that others weren't good enough to be in her life. Every time she thought differently, that person had been ripped away. For the first time however, she was thinking that she may have not been good enough to be in the life of another person.

"Next, we're going to change our approach to training. I assume that your magic is in chaos, but I don't know that for a fact. Let's go sit over their so we're not disturbing anyone else."

Taking the lead, Joe arrived at a rather old tree in the central courtyard to the campus. Without a word, he took a seat under the tree and motioned for Clara to sit and face him.

"I want you to dive deep into meditation. Once you can see your pool, tell me by squeezing my hand. Focus on nothing except your inner pool and my voice."

Without any complaints, Clara took hold of the hand in front of her and began to focus on the force within herself. After a minute, she lightly squeezed the hand that had encapsulated her own.

Without warning, Joe pressed his forehead against hers and began to focus on his own pool. Just as it came into view, his mind began displaying a different pool. Unlike his that was completely uniform, this pool was in complete chaos. It was as if no effort had ever been put into uniting the individual wisps of power.

"Right now, you should be seeing the magic in me. Notice how every strand of power is flowing in the same direction around a central point. Each is also slightly in contact with those around it. This allows me to use my full potential without having to feel strained."

Pulling his head back and opening his eyes, Joe noticed that a red hue had formed across Clara's pale face. Realizing what he'd just done, he felt a tad awkward.

'I should have at least warned her I guess.'

"From now on, we will train our bodies together in the morning and I will help you consolidate your inner pool after. Focus on the center of your magic. Find the closest strand to it and try to pull it to the center."

After a few minutes, Clara opened her mouth with disappointment.

"I tried about a dozen times and can't seem to move it at all. Every time it moves even the slightest, I lose it and it goes back to floating aimlessly."

Joe took both of her hands in his and began circling his thumbs across the backs of them.

"Try to visualize what you want your pool to look like. Every strand should move in unison as they spiral around the center. Now, take hold of a strand and imagine it moving into its rightful place. Don't try to force it or it will slip out of your grasp."

For the next twenty minutes, the two remained seated under the tree. Clara kept her eyes lightly closed as her mind tried focusing on the task at hand. Repeatedly, she became aware of the touch on her hands, but she never pulled them away. Despite a slight embarrassment, she found the feeling to be soothing.

Slowly, her mind relaxed and began to take control of the power coursing within herself. In those twenty minutes, she had barely made a dent in the entirety of her power, but a small portion began to encircle the central point. Opening her eyes, a saddened smile formed on her lips.

'Even after that much time I barely made a dent.'

Although she was slightly sulking at her slow progress, she noticed the motion of the thumbs on her hands and felt at ease. Although the feeling was entirely foreign to her before today, she didn't mind his touch. Maybe it was due to the fact that even her father never held her hand, but she didn't want to pull away.

"Focus on you pool one more time so I can see how far you got. I honestly don't expect much. I've been maintaining mine for a long time because it occasionally lets a few strands break off and it still takes me time to reconsolidate them. Squeeze when you're ready."

With that, Clara once again dove into her mind. This time, she reached the pool far quicker than she had before. With a light squeeze of her hand, she patiently awaited the touch to come. Even though she had fully expected what was coming, she still felt her face heat up knowing their faces where so close.

"That's great progress for the first day. Think the only other person I taught this to that even came close was John. Honestly, he learns way too quickly and now he doesn't even need me anymore."