I'll give this session another 20 minutes, and we should be done for the day.
I was standing in the center of a circle the heirs of my colleagues sat in. Letting my focus flow and fill the room rhythmically, I grew bored.
Historically, we have never had a student to get it on the first day. Looking around the room no one seem to be making any real progress. Most of them have given up anyway.
Talib and Imari were chatting through their iConnect with their eyes closed. Silly to think I wouldn't notice them.
Amara wasn't even trying to hide her disinterest as she stared at the ceiling. Initially she tried to meditate but gave up after a minute of nothing happening.
Sanna had her eyes wide open and was just observing me intently rather than feeling me through meditation, interesting learning style but not unheard of.
Only Femi, Rahjah, Zalika and Sekai were still in a meditation posture.
I had my suspicions that my foolish daughter, Sekai was really sleeping anyway.
Zalika was calm and in meditation, but I could tell she was focusing on her own practiced meditation rather than focusing on the waves I was pumping out.
Femi was really trying but with his scrunched-up face, I could tell that he was trying way too hard. He will never achieve the state needed if he does not relax.
Rahjah seemed the closest with his breathing being even and steady, but his mind looks to be racing a mile a minute. One could not blame him; I observed his performance earlier today with the rest of the leadership. Most chalked it off as an entertaining game with children with my daughter Sekai being the most impressive as she showed off her intuition and leadership skills.
Zalika coming in second being a physical powerhouse that lived up to the legacy of the North. However, I felt something from the boy that I could not put my finger on. That last goal felt like the product of more than just talent blossoming.
If he felt the same thing his mind must be considering that maybe his talent lies on the field and maybe he should take it seriously. I've heard that he has no real ambitions and as a middle child I understand. Not born soon enough to be the heir and not young enough to be doted upon. It's tough being the middle, but life doesn't stop here.
"I think it's about time we stop for the da-" BOOM!
A loud shockwave pushed me back and knocked me out of my 'Focus' state. I was able to steady myself by reactivating my Focus before I was pushed back into the pillars. My energy dug into the ground locking myself in place. The students weren't so lucky as they flew back into the walls or the pillars.
I immediately used my focus to manifest multiple ethereal limbs to protect them and return them to the ground. The shockwaves came in waves of every few seconds with the same force as the first. They were beat up, a mixture of the force that pushed them back and them colliding with solid objects left them with various bruises and concussions just from what I could see.
My initial thought was that we were under attack, so I moved to protect our future first. I assessed if all children were accounted for and conscious. All were under my protection except one. Rahjah was missing from my grasp.
I frantically looked where everyone else was at for any indication of where he was at with no avail. I then turned my head towards where the attack came from and there Rahjah sat in the same position he was in previously.
Unlike before, his eyes were wide open. His irises had a violet color to them. A color I've never seen before. His eyes showed no true awareness of what was going on around him. It was like he was on autopilot. His waves of energy were violent and as strong as King Bis at his full output.
It would take a lot out of me, but I had to get closer to him to calm him down. I took a step forward and I felt like the waves were just getting stronger. The pillars around me were started to crack under the pressure. I took another step, and that step was harder to take. The closer I got to him the stronger the waves were.
I didn't know if I would be able to reach him in time before the building gives and falls on us. Maybe if he could hear me, I could get him to stop. I forced my mouth to open to try to yell out to him but before any words could come out. Everything just stopped. The waves disappeared and Rahjah just sat there blinking his deep brown eyes looking confused.
"What in the world just happened?"
Rahjah had calmed down and seemed oblivious to what just occurred. This obviously was the doing of an ancestor. With him being of the Askiya line it's not surprising that there would be a strong reaction but this soon and this out of control was a rare case in my estimation.
I look toward the camera wondering what the other royalty were thinking. I received no reaction to my iConnect so I decided to indulge on my own curiosity and get to the bottom of this.
"Mirembe, please take everyone to the infirmary and get them checked out for internal and external injuries." Mirembe entered the courtyard and hurried to gather everyone who were all in a daze. None were really focused on the moment.
Only Sanna looked aware and calm. She followed Mirembe, but her eyes flashed quizzically at Rahjah more than once. Rahjah got up to follow Mirembe as well, but I motioned him to sit down and silently watched the rest leave the room.
When the room was finally quiet and empty of everyone but me and him; I turned to face the second prince of the Songhai Empire. I took a seat as well to be eye level with him. He had a look on his face that looked deep in thought and confusion. Before I could interrupt those thoughts and I ask my questions, he took hold of the situation.
"Is this a normal occurrence?" It caught me off guard, so I hesitated. Should I be honest with this child or should I control this situation. On one side I'll satisfy my curiosity by being honest and see what type of person his ancestor was.
Considering his lineage, it may be even the founder himself. Though that could negatively impact his development as well, giving him a sense a superiority has never been a good ingredient for a good ruler. Humbleness has always been necessary to govern the masses.
On the other side, lying and controlling the situation could create mistrust because he will see as the others manifest. He will realize that no one but him had such an insane reaction. He would realize the difference on his own which could create the same risk and mistrust of the monarchy.
A message flashed at the corner of my eyesight. 'Be transparent but keep the curriculum'. The decision was made for me, and I could not argue with it. At this stage I'm only meant to dig into the introduction of mentors.
What is taught or how that relationship is utilized is not my wheelhouse. The others wanted to take advantage of the situation and test how he would react to certain information. That works for me.
"No, it is not normal, a reaction this strong is only seen when fully fledge users unleash their controlled Focus. In my lifetime I've never heard of a time where there was this strong of an awakening."
I expected him to start glowing with pride and happiness but to my surprise all I saw was anxiety and fear on his face. My curiosity only grew.
"When awakening, traditionally you are supposed to meet an ancestor, sometimes it can be a direct relation or someone that is adjacent. The reaction you experience is usually an amplification of their power. Think of it as your ancestor is the frequency and you are just the conduit that frequency travels. That won't change until the mentor inside of you deems you ready to exert your own power."
His anxiety remained but his face hardened with determination.
"So, what constitutes as readiness?" He seemed like a person not wanting to be under anyone's thumb which matches up with what we've evaluated as his personality.
"It's not for me to say, it's different for everyone. I can say that once they come out on top that the power they exert is stronger than what their mentor can exert through you." He frowned at this.
"The way you worded it suggest that their power is limited by using us as a conduit." The boy is smart and observant of all the minute details. The wording of things doesn't go above his head.
"Yes, their power is limited outwardly. Focus is unique to everyone it manifests in, so you are incompatible conduit for the mentor. If the mentor was of the living their power would be in perfect synch with their own body. Therefore, they would be stronger if they had their own body, not that it really matters. They are spirits that have manifested from our own spirit. Their presence is summoned by our own Focus power. They are there because of us, but they don't draw their power from us."
His frown did not disappear, and he refrained from speaking anymore while he fell into thought. As he fell into thought I heard him whisper to himself.
"She said she was special, but I couldn't fathom how special."
'She'? It's not the founder, maybe it was his granddaughter, the first Empress. That wouldn't fit though. Yes, she described as powerful, but she's appeared before, and the awakening wasn't this strong. After a few moments I pushed forward curious of who this ancestor was.
"The ancestor you met did they give you a name?"
He snapped himself out of his thoughts and considered whether he should answer or not. Apprehensively, he answered.
"She said her name was Kifo"