"His name is Althyk. Lord of earth and change, space and time."
Schezar's master balanced on one foot, basic dodo-stance, atop the thunderous waterfall. The lalafell's breathing was still relaxed and calm, while Schezar himself panted heavily with the exertion of their sparring, sweating and hard-pressed.
The hyur hunkered his body down, preparing himself for a hippogryph-form leap. "Does the Path differ for each one of the Twelve, teacher?"
She turned her blind, bandaged eyes toward him, considering his question. "Yes, it does. For example..."
And just like that, she was gone. He hadn't quite gotten used to it yet, even with all the countless times she'd vanished so swiftly and taken him by surprise in their training. Her voice continued from above him, in midair. "All this time, you've thought that my movements were because of speed, and stealth."
Schezar was forced to take a defensive form, the surface of the water breaking into minor tidal waves beneath him as his skin hardened like stone, his arms crossed to block her crashing meteor dive. He grit his teeth. "What else could it be, then? Illusion?"
His teacher shook her head, the bells in her hair chiming softly amidst the thunder of the waterfall. "Reach out. Hydaelyn herself has tempered and blessed thee. Hear. Think. Feel."
The student closed his eyes obediently, extending his senses outward, as his teacher vanished again. This time, however...
His eyes flared open just as quickly. Her face was now level with his, in another leaping attack.
"You stopped time..."
"Only for a few seconds," she answered calmly. The barrage of her fists followed, knocking him off the edge of the waterfall, and sending him crashing down to the river, 50 feet below.
The lalafell landed gracefully, her feet barely causing ripples upon the water, as she watched her student plummet downward.
She then turned and walked back to the shore, sitting down with their tea to wait for him, while he began the long climb back up. "The Path will be yours, too, dear one. I hope you live that long," she mused quietly to herself, taking a calming sip.
Schezar's master balanced on one foot, basic dodo-stance, atop the thunderous waterfall. The lalafell's breathing was still relaxed and calm, while Schezar himself panted heavily with the exertion of their sparring, sweating and hard-pressed.
The hyur hunkered his body down, preparing himself for a hippogryph-form leap. "Does the Path differ for each one of the Twelve, teacher?"
She turned her blind, bandaged eyes toward him, considering his question. "Yes, it does. For example..."
And just like that, she was gone. He hadn't quite gotten used to it yet, even with all the countless times she'd vanished so swiftly and taken him by surprise in their training. Her voice continued from above him, in midair. "All this time, you've thought that my movements were because of speed, and stealth."
Schezar was forced to take a defensive form, the surface of the water breaking into minor tidal waves beneath him as his skin hardened like stone, his arms crossed to block her crashing meteor dive. He grit his teeth. "What else could it be, then? Illusion?"
His teacher shook her head, the bells in her hair chiming softly amidst the thunder of the waterfall. "Reach out. Hydaelyn herself has tempered and blessed thee. Hear. Think. Feel."
The student closed his eyes obediently, extending his senses outward, as his teacher vanished again. This time, however...
His eyes flared open just as quickly. Her face was now level with his, in another leaping attack.
"You stopped time..."
"Only for a few seconds," she answered calmly. The barrage of her fists followed, knocking him off the edge of the waterfall, and sending him crashing down to the river, 50 feet below.
The lalafell landed gracefully, her feet barely causing ripples upon the water, as she watched her student plummet downward.
She then turned and walked back to the shore, sitting down with their tea to wait for him, while he began the long climb back up. "The Path will be yours, too, dear one. I hope you live that long," she mused quietly to herself, taking a calming sip.
![[Image: Pi2KNMr.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/Pi2KNMr.jpg)
