"If I could cultivate my spirit as you told me to, I'd probably be able to control my powers better as well," the young warrior remarked, looking up at the leafy tree that was housing him and his team. "Teach me, Ryutaro-Sensei," he added, nodding his head.
A gentle, calm wind enveloped the area, caressing the skin of the weary travellers and swaying the spikes of wheat and rice fields.
"Find a position that never tires you out, Yoichi. You must relax every muscle and nerve in your body, seeking to elevate your spirit. Be earth, water, fire, and air. Be part of the universe around you," Ryutaro spoke, returning to his previous position, hands resting on his knees and palms facing upward.
Without much pretence, Yoichi carried out the commands. Crossing one leg over the other and continuing to look at Ryutaro to emulate his stance, he assumed a straight and proper posture, helping himself to the tree behind him to rest his weary back.
"Your goal must be to split your spirit from your body. The soul and the flesh must divide at your command. Only then can you achieve a proper state of stillness and delve into the deepest, most hidden areas of your mind," Ryutaro continued.
The hidden areas of my mind... I just want to find the answers I'm looking for. Who knows... maybe, somewhere, there are even more accurate memories of my past life. Yoichi pondered, closing his eyes.
The wind continued to blow weakly until it stopped. The temperature at night was definitely cooler than during the day, but the proximity to the seaside made the weather mild and pleasant.
As Yoichi's gaze turned off the lights, his hearing seemed to be enhanced, picking up sounds that he would never have heard during his talk with the gatekeeper.
The song of the crickets that populated the countryside, the ears of corn that touched each other, the leaves of the great oak tree that had welcomed them into its embrace. Even the breathing of Shioko, who was sleeping a few meters away from him, seemed to be amplified.
It seems to be working. Is it really that easy? Why have I never tried this before? Thought Yoichi, naively. After the first few minutes of religious silence, the buzzing of insects coming in and out of the holes in the bark of the oak distracted him.
Soon after, the leg on which the entire weight of his body rested began to lose feeling, attracting his attention. What until a moment before was apparent stillness became something impossible to sustain.
The minutes seemed to stop passing, and, second by second, Yoichi was more and more convinced that he wanted to open his eyes again. When he did that, the light from the bonfire left him as confused as if it were the light of the newly awakened sun.
Looking at his master and his companions, he realized that he had not meditated for a second. He had just stood as still as a stockfish, his eyes closed and his hands resting on his legs.
"It took me about fifty years to reach such a high meditative level, boy. Don't expect to learn anything the first time you try," Ryutaro affirmed, his voice calm and relaxed. "At the same time, you must never stop trying. You'll see that, sooner or later, you'll finally be able to find the concentration you need.
"Damn it..." Yoichi huffed. Learning to remain silent to the point of annihilation in one's surroundings was not something as easy as he thought. He knew that the true experts in meditation would remain still in their position for hours, even days.
"What does the box you looked at earlier when you were on the carriage contain?" - With that question, Ryutaro deftly changed the subject. The gatekeeper did not want to discourage his student, spurring him to try again with meditation in a different environment and under better circumstances.
Yoichi opened his bag and took out the box, handing it to his Sensei. Ryutaro grabbed it and gently opened it, looking carefully at the Tetsuiasa.
Before the monk spoke, the young tamer briefly explained to him the story of the loot he had obtained in the chamber of the three spirits of the Blackvault Mines, solving their riddle and saving himself and his companions.
Ryutaro nodded and closed the box. "I've never heard of this metal, but judging by its appearance, it looks stunning and durable," he commented.
"I plan to forge a weapon with it. However, if it's as rare as I believe it is, I'll need an experienced blacksmith so that it can be worked properly," Yoichi replied, implicitly asking his master if he knew anyone who would suit him.
"Long ago, when Emperor Tatsui left the mortal world, his son Shinzo banished about half of his subjects from the Imperial Palace. The young Shinzo considered his father too generous and weak a man to carefully choose his most loyal followers," Ryutaro recounted, gently resting the box containing the Tetsuiasa next to his legs.
"A few days before exiling me to the sacred Dojo of Goldhaven, the newly-named Emperor banished an old friend of his father's from the city, forcing him never to set foot there again. His name was Shusaku, the Emperor Tatsui's personal blacksmith."
"What? Why banish a blacksmith? Why deprive yourself of a loyal worker?" Yoichi inquired, unable to understand the reason behind those seemingly senseless acts.
"Shusaku had a drinking habit. He exaggerated with alcohol and, often, ended up overdoing it with words as well. After the death of Tatsui and the last defeat suffered at Kamakiri, he was accused of forging weapons that were not suitable for the imperial army. He responded in kind, saying that his was not just a profession, but an art," Ryutaro sighed. "I never saw him again after that day."
Yoichi continued to listen attentively. It seemed that Ryutaro particularly cared for the blacksmith Shusaku. The exile of both of them had forced them never to see each other again.
"He forged the katana you saw in my room, Yoichi-kun. He is the best blacksmith a warrior could wish for, but there is only one problem," the gatekeeper continued.
"That is?"
"No one knows exactly where he lives now. He probably never strayed too far from Goldhaven and may have even stopped practising his profession. However, I am certain that in his experience-rich hands, he will make this precious metal a weapon worthy of the first Dragon Tamer in Tentochu's history."
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