“Awesome,” was the only word that escaped Lythina’s lips.
Riley dropped to the ground and ran back to join the group, and Lythina excitedly turned to Emma just as she was closing her eyes. She watched as her new friend steadied her breathing and rotated her palms outward. A quiet moment passed, Lythina being the only one who was holding her breath, before the world began to shift.
It felt as if all of her mass had instantly vanished from her body. Like floating in the sea, every inch of Lythina’s frame was suddenly supported by the mist itself. Her toes curled in a useless attempt to hold onto the forest floor as the ground sank away. Transfixed with fear, Lythina stared at Emma as she felt herself raising into the air. In seconds, she was hovering half a column’s length above her friends. And with shouts and cheers, Emma opened her eyes and grinned at Lythina. A look of ease passed over her face as she let a short laugh burst forth. “I’ll never get used to that,” she said calmly.
“What do you think,” Riley shouted elatedly.
“I don’t know what to think,” Lythina shouted back. “I’m a little freaked out!”
Slowly, Emma lowered her friend back to touch the ground. Lythina had to rebalance herself as all of her weight suddenly reattached itself once more to her body.
Radna approached her as Emma slapped some high five’s from Jonas and Riley. “We all learned these abilities because we’ve thought about them and practiced them constantly. I’ve always wanted to be telepathic, but I didn’t know it was actually possible until I came here.”
“Can I learn these things too?” Lythina wondered as her and Radna began to walk around the clearing.
“Only if that’s what your heart desires. You see, there is more to learning a new ability than the gift itself.”
“I don’t understand. Isn’t it just like learning a skill?”
“In the sense that it must be practiced, yes. But super abilities only manifest when they are founded by four spiritual virtues. Those are Temperance, Fortitude, Justice and Prudence. If you had to choose one of the virtues that could be manifested as telepathy, what would it be? Search inside yourself and trust your intuition, Lythina. It’ll come to you.”
Lythina took a quiet moment, easing her body into tranquility after her recent bout with levitation. Inside her heart, a feeling of change began to pulse, and a memory of practicing self-control flashed through her mind. Deep in her consciousness, her intuition sparkled a confirmation by radiating what felt like achievement.
“The ability to discipline yourself,” Lythina spoke. “Temperance.”
“Right!” Radna smiled. “Our limbs are the easiest to dominate, while our minds are the hardest. Transmitting your thoughts into someone else’s head takes an enormous amount of self control.”
Once again, kindling deep inside her soul, Lythina’s intuition illuminated a memory from what seemed like a lifetime ago. An old, mystical woman and her raspy voice echoing some words of wisdom. “Know thyself, and the rest will follow.”
Lythina stopped and closed her eyes for a moment to revel in the concept of Temperance. She allowed it to fill her heart, mold and shape her thoughts. “So, spiritual virtues can manifest as extraordinary abilities if we practice them inside our hearts?”
Radna was beaming with pride at Lythina, shining enough to compete with the sun. “Yes! If you desire it truly within your heart and honestly practice the four main virtues, your cognitive resonance will manifest super abilities. This is the Universal reciprocation toward your wishes.”
“Okay, Temperance is one. What about the other three,” Lythina asked as she pointed at her three other friends working their powers near the center of the glade.
“Well, Jonas practices Fortitude, which manifests as super strength. Riley’s virtue is Justice, and that helps her balance her essence with nature, enough so that she can hover above the earth. And Emma practices Prudence, which gives her the wisdom to understand the complex relationship between space and time, creating telekinesis.”
“Does everyone only practice one Virtue at a time?”
“Typically, only because they are incredibly hard to master. But Jonas has recently started practicing Temperance.”
“He’s telepathic too,” Lythina intuited.
“Slightly; unfortunately, he still falls victim to his own cravings, more often than he’d like.”
With a sigh, Lythina agreed. “Don’t we all. So, where do I begin?”
“Where would you like to begin?”
Lythina quieted her mind to allow her intuition to speak up, and sure enough it sparkled a small feeling of surrender inside her heart. “Ever since I arrived here, I began to let go of my rapid thoughts, so I suppose I’d like to start with Temperance.”
“Perfect! Come sit over here with me,” Radna said, and led Lythina to a large boulder near the border of trees. Once they were seated on the forest floor, nestling their backs against the rock, Radna guided her new apprentice into a calm meditation. For a moment, they sat perfectly still; a pair of female statues dressed in white gowns leaning against a giant rock. Both of their minds settled, Lythina taking a bit longer but settling none the less, as their breathing began to synchronize.
Suddenly, a flash of happiness raced across Lythina’s empty mind, a happiness that felt different than her own. A brief image of sunlight was all that appeared, then it was gone. Quickly, other images appeared, a transitory moment of gratitude shown by a hand over a heart, and friendship in the form of the forest. Once again, the sun, the hand, and the forest, repeated for a fleeting moment, then vanished.
Lythina controlled her excitement when she realized she’d just seen Radna’s thoughts, and began to focus her own. Trying to harness her exhilaration into a memory, she searched her mind until she remembered talking to her grandmother. She held on to a picture of the sealight book, and allowed the thrill of its knowledge to fill her mind. And quickly, she erased it from her psyche. Wanting to keep her thoughts uninterrupted, she transmitted back the same picture of the forest coated with her own feeling of friendship. Just then, her intuition brought to light a picture of the twilight sky. She emanated trust in the spirit as she stared at the image in her mind, then released it into the darkness. And after carefully raising herself back to realty, she turned to see a tearful Radna smiling back.
“Oh, Lythina, I’m so glad we met,” Radna sniffled. At once, Lythina threw her arms around her to embrace her friend.
“Me too,” she whispered. “I can’t do this without you.”
“I’ll be here.” They released each other and sat back against the boulder once more.
“Did I get the technique right?” Lythina asked.
“Yes, actually, it was well organized,” Radna replied as she wiped the salt from her cheeks. “You sure you haven’t done this before?”
“Very sure I’ve never practiced telepathy before. So, can I try the other Virtues?”
“Mastering one is hard enough. You sure you want to try them all?”
Lythina watched as Jonas, Riley and Emma each took turns showing their powers to each other. “I think I could handle it.”
“Alright.” Radna eased herself up from the ground, helped Lythina up, and they both walked over to their friends. Riley was just finishing an intense pirouette above the earth, and she dropped to the ground with a graceful bound.
“Guys, Lythina wants to try the other virtues today,” Radna said.
“Right on,” exclaimed Emma. “Which one do you want to try next?”
“I was thinking Fortitude,” Lythina replied, somewhat embarrassed by her earnestness.
“Right