Since earlier in the morning, when Vivian initially woke up, a few hours had passed.
Vivian, Reinko, and Lauriel all walked along a stone path until they reached a small garden. The reason it took them so long to reach this location was because it was located on a central road, which meant they were a good distance away.
Reinko took the initiative to walk ahead of the two and scout out the area, before turning to them and giving a thumbs up.
"It's all good here. Not a soul in sight. We are good to do it here."
They had checked a few other spots, but too many people were around, leading to them being suspicious of the safety. After all, they were practicing dangerous arts. If someone got hurt, they'd be in a world of trouble.
Lauriel and Vivian both smiled and stepped forwards, walking through the park and sitting on a bench. Compared to the slums, this part was very nice, and even had the snow shoveled or melted to form a proper path.
Lauriel gestured to the air around her, spreading her arms out as if to ask for a hug from nature itself.
"The first lesson, and the core concept of wielding 'the needle,' is to understand natural energy is everywhere."
"Natural energy does not just encompass trees, plants, and animals; it also contributes to the very rules, and elements of our world. Anything you see is a result of some for of natural energy. In that sense, you could say that the needle teaches you to manipulate the very laws of the world. Personally, I like to believe it just allows us to tap into our source of origin."
Vivian nodded her head and studiously paid attention, skimming Lauriel's words for any traces of new knowledge. So far there were none.
"No questions I assume then? Alright… continuing on. After under standing that, you must take stakes to sense the energy entering and leaving your body. You must come here everyday, and close your eyes while breathing. You have to feel your very breath, and the air that enters your nose. Only then, will you sense it. Some people who were gifted with a chance to experience dense natural energy are more adept at this, such as us elves who reside near the world tree."
Vivian nodded, and quickly thought of something; she had sensed natural energy before, and had breathed it in numerous times when she was still a dragonkin. The only difference between then and now is that her body won't convert it into internal energy.
"So I just close my eyes, start breathing, and try and feel the energy entering my body?"
Lauriel nodded her head, then rose a finger, then a second finger.
"That, and also you must try and feel the energy circulating through your body. This is how you learn to control it. Try to do both at the same time, or you might experience a set back. You can begin trying if you wish. I will guide you."
Vivian nodded her head, placed her hands against the wood of the bench, closed her eyes, and began to take slow methodical breaths.
Thoughts flashed in her mind, as she remembered the beating sound of her heart, and how she used to be able to control it. The circulatory system reflected in her mind. Dragonkin can naturally visualize their circulatory system, and despite not being one anymore, she had already memorized it from a young age.
Vivian imagined the flow of oxygen rich blood from her heart, and oxygen deprived blood to her heart.
As Vivian imagined this, she felt as the image became more and more real, but instead of blood she sensed a strange force that she recognized as natural energy. There was one issue though; The color her brain visualized as it was… black?
Vivian tried to focus harder and began to take very deep breathes to change her circulation rates, as she did, she heard Lauriel's voice.
"Don't try to force it, not everyone is a genius who sees something."
Reinko let out a laugh and seemed to agree.
"We don't talk about how long it took me, and that's as someone who had sensed natural energy before. My weave was too unique and hard to grasp though."
Vivian clenched her eyes shut and bit down on the bottom of her lip like she was in immense pain. She then spoke out in a complex and confused tone.
"I-I sense it running through my… but it's so dark… so hard to see… It's like I'm… chasing my own shadow?"
Vivian didn't know how to word it. For Lauriel and Reinko she looked like she was trying hard to think of something, but to her she saw a scene playing out.
Within her body was a long flowing thread of black that spread further into her the more her heart beat. Sometimes it would recede like the waves, but it would always return and engulf her internal body in such darkness. She was confused since Lauriel never mentioned such a thing she inspecting her.
"What do you mean? It shouldn't be like that… rather it should be following train tracks until you hear a train coming. You should relax for a moment, because I believe you are misinterpreting how to do this…"
Lauriel gently guided Vivian, and reached out a hand to place on her shoulder, which caused Vivian to get a bit startled and react strangely out of character.
"No! I have it in my grasp! Trust me!"
Vivian shouted as her voice developed the rasp of a bird's caw, she sounded strangely angry.
Lauriel narrowed her eyes partially, and looked at Vivian like a mom about to punish her child.
"Vivian, I don't think this is good for your mind right now, I'm putting a stop to this. We are going back to the tavern, you need more rest."
Lauriel stood up, then reached a hand out and grabbed Vivian by the hand. As she did this, Vivian's grasp seemed to push away from her, and her eyes shot open.
The deep black eyes of a raven stared at Lauriel, and from the hand of that very same raven a deep and black abyss could be felt grasping onto the air.
Lauriel felt her body begin to pull towards Vivian, and as she resisted she felt the very breath from her body leave and the streams of green energy followed.
Reinko experienced something nearly identical, as a complex wave of color left through his nose and mouth and sprung towards Vivian like an unwinding thread.
The air around them began to twist and warp, as natural energy began to become so thick it was overwhelming for Reinko and Lauretta, causing them to choke on their breath and not be able to reign back in the energy that was leaving them.
The trees of the park began to bend inwards and sway, as the evergreen's began to wilt. The bushes full of berries began to shrivel and turn to dead shrubs in the ground.
Vivian sat there unaware of what was happening, as her vision was filled with a dark abyss, but suddenly the ringing of a bell brought her to her senses.
She looked around and saw a familiar sea of complex colors and rippling waves. Below her feet was a giant wooden boat, and an oar splashed through it. A large monster wrapped in flames, with its lower jaw and top jaw separatedx and a single large green eye, stared down at Vivian.
"Hello, Vivian. I missed you… but you came to me when you weren't supposed to. What are you doing right now? You aren't supposed to ride yet…"
"Ferryman…? Did I… die?"
Vivian looked up at the monster horrified, thinking she died again, but then she quickly digested his words and realized that she hadn't died if she wasn't supposed to be here.
"I was trying to breathe in the energy, and sense it… but all I saw was a pitch black void. There was no green, or any other color. When I tried to release it, I ended up here…"
The ferryman's large, and single pupil, seemed to widen and shake up and down like the nod of a head.
"I see I see, so you walked along the river, and fell down the waterfall into my boat? You're lucky I caught you, Vivian. The waters of death shouldn't be played in, or else you might get lost, and lose your body to them. Nobody wants death to run around the world, do they?"
Vivian looked at the ferryman confused, because he spoke like "death" was a living thing, and not a state of being. Death was the opposite of living, how could she run around if death took her body? Isn't that the same as dying.
"What do you mean-"
Before Vivian could speak the ferryman cut her off.
"I mean that you almost drowned in the river, so don't swim in it, and play in it at your own risk. If you scoop a bucket full of water, you may be safe so long as you're careful and don't fall in. However, should you try to swim the torrents will tear you apart. Even I'm not sure if I can save you then. You only arrived here by pure chance… If you didn't stop at just that moment I'd never see you again… that would sadden me."
The Ferryman's eye slanted downwards, and his large jaw followed, making him look saddened. He the rose his hand up towards his bell and began to ring it.
"Wait- I have more questions!"
The ferryman shook his eyeball like a head, and seemed to smile at Vivian.
"No time for questions friend, you're putting people you care for in danger."
Vivian hesitated in thought, but suddenly she was whisked upwards and through the colorful sky above her.
Suddenly her vision returned, and she felt an immense pressure in her lungs, and a stinging pain all through her arm.
The pressure from her lungs began to release as she erupted into a coughing fit and fell forwards, off of the bench and onto her knees.
While Vivian was busy coughing, her two friends where wheezing fo air and groaning in pain, leaving two completely different reactions. It almost looked as though Vivian stole the air from their lungs!
As the two rose to their feet before Vivian, they watched, or rather sensed, as large amounts of energy left Vivian with each cough.
Lauriel was the first to stumble over to Vivian and place a hand on her back, while exclaiming in a gasping voice.
"Let it out Vivian! It's too dangerous to hold in."
Reinko began to stumble forward too, practically falling over while trying to make it to Vivian. In the process he successful managed to trip over a rock and land in front of her while yelling.
"God damnit Vivian! What kind of weave is this?! Can this even be called weaving?! Instead of weaving… you're just tangling everything up and spitting it back out!"
Vivian slowly felt the pain in her arm leave as she repeatedly coughed, until nothing remained except heavy breathing.
A moment of silence filled the area as everyone waited in suspense to see if it was over.
Vivian slowly rose to her feet, then hunched over again and began to profusely vomit.
Reinko rose to his feet and let out a sigh while turning away from the grotesque sight, meanwhile Lauriel patted Vivian on the back and whispered comforting words to her.
"There there Vivian. It's all okay now… you got through it, and everyone is okay."
The words of comfort didn't do much for Vivian, as her lungs felt as though she had inhaled a whole cigar in one suck, her vision was blurry, and her ears were ringing.
Vivian sat on the bench again and slumped to the side with a face dripping with vomit, eyes full of tears, and snot dripping from her nose.
Tears began to stream from her eyes, as she let out a hiccup while looking at Lauriel.
Lauriel watched as the small bird's eyes filled with true terror, and her body shook. She felt as though Vivian was a different person entirely, just like last night.
A single sentence left Vivian's mouth in a shaking, and unstable voice.
"I don't want to die again…"