I sit cross-legged on the floor, Ipha towering over me in her thick robes. I inhale. Wait 30 seconds... then exhale. "Mentor Ipha, what does this exercise do, exactly?" She smirks, clearly pleased by the formality.
"Continuously applying pressure to your mind is a given if you want to train your Psycha resistance. We don't want you getting attacked by another Jaksha, do we?" I nod along to her words. Though I wasn't really attacked by a Jaksha, I will happily take any opportunity to learn magic. I wonder why my world never had such concepts available. We had to spend thousands of years studying the human mind to parse the ideas associated with emotion and thoughts, and we still don't know everything there is to know about the brain. In any case, Ipha is especially doting on me, I feel. For the past few days, I've spent my time indoors, meditating in silence or doing exercises like this breathing training. Perhaps I haven't fully grasped the concept of Psycha.
"Mentor Ipha, what is Psycha, exactly?"
"Hm. It is the magic of the mind. I'm not a shaman who specializes in it, so I wonder if I can explain it well. To put it simply, it is like a magic that can control experiences."
"Experiences? Like how we experience senses?"
"Yes, exactly." Ipha nods, tightening her arms around her chest thoughtfully. "Just like how a Jaksha can steal and eat memories, a high-rank Psycha user can steel their minds against such attacks, or make use of illusions to disorient the opponent."
"I noticed I'm not speaking what I'm thinking. Is that Psycha magic at work?"
"Speaking what you're thinking?"
"I know the words I intend to say, but the sounds that come out are unknown to me, though you seem to understand them." Ipha raises her eyebrow.
"That sounds like Status."
"What is the difference between the two?"
"Well, Status is parsing information. Psycha is usually creating it. There are many monsters that can dominate one's mind or charm them. That is Psycha."
"So, if I learn Status, wouldn't I be able to counter Psycha's effects?"
"Boy, Status isn't always a good means of parsing information. It can be falsified or provide unneeded burden if you use it on illusions created by Psycha, for example. That is why you're building a resistance to Psycha instead of training your Status."
"Yes, Mentor Ipha. I think I understand it now." She smiles.
"Hmph, I knew you'd be a fast learner. I have other things to attend to in the village, so you remain here."
"Very well. Thank you, Mentor Ipha." I close my eyes, and inhale deeply. By the time I open my eyes again and breathe out, she is long gone.
To me, Psycha seems like a magic that directly affects the mind. I can imagine people using it to put others to sleep, or driving them mad with horrifying hallucinations. On second thought... I probably should be thinking about it. Magic is a tool, but it's too easy to think of it as a weapon against others. Ren said I had an affinity for Anima, so I wonder if I'll be able to heal people like Ipha does. Actually, what has Ren been up to? I haven't been outside these walls for a while... Surely Ipha wouldn't mind if I went on a stroll?
I pass through the shaman's fabric-covered door. It's evening in the village. The sky shines a beautiful twilight. Elves are nocturnal, so I'll get my first glimpse of the villagers in action. Looking around, I can see lamps lit across the platforms. It is like a scenic mountain retreat here. An elf around my height looks at me from a platform further off. He waves at me. I wave back. A taller elf woman glances at me, then hurriedly guides the elf boy away. Ren did mention there is a distrust of humans... I hope I can warm up to them. Perhaps I've been treated too kindly thus far.
I truly can't believe how elaborate this elf village is. Though the lighting is somewhat crude with the luminescent lamps (compared to city lights on Earth, anyways), it's clear the woodwork of the platforms and cabins were made by masterful carpenters. The railings are also stable, though they don't seem to account for humans, same as the steps I used to reach the village. My head barely peeks over the railing's upper edge. Elves have longer legs, after all, so their height is nothing more than monstrous compared to a human like me.
I sit on the floor of an observation platform. Elves seemed to mostly have fair skin, no doubt a result of their nocturnal nature. They also have this faint rippling pattern on their skin, much like the little waves I would see on a topographic map. Ren stands out from other elves with his dark skin because he spends time in the sun, hunting animals and monsters. I thought it would be easy to spot him because of this... until I realized, quite foolishly, that he'd be asleep by now, since his sleep schedule is diurnal.
"Excuse me." An elf woman steps up to me, a large basket on her back. "Are you Ipha's apprentice, Wren?"
I stand from the floor, surprised to have been approached. "Yes. Mentor Ipha has been kind to me. I am Wren."
"My, it's nice to meet you! I am Rytia Altous."
"Altous? Like Ren Altous?"
"You know Ren too? He is our village's star hunter."
"Is he not your family? You share the same name..."
"Oh, Winds, no! I'd be so lucky as to have such a talented relative! Altous is the name of our village, so we all share the same name."
"I see. That's much different from human names. We are named after our family."
"In that case, might you have been related to Ren, since your name is so similar?" She chuckles, covering her mouth.
"Haha, perhaps so. I'd like to believe he and I share some sort of bond."
"Well, it was nice talking to you Wren. Are you out here for some reason? Have you had anything to eat? You're welcome to join my family for dinner."
"That is a generous offer... will I not be imposing as an outsider?"
"Winds, no! We're all quite curious about you. What do you say, care to have breakfast with us?" I salivate at the thought. What could elven cuisine be like?
"I would gladly attend breakfast, if you'll have me." Rytia smiles in response, turning and walking slowly so that I may follow after her.