One step through a door and Quin knew Odlassi suddenly vanished. A noticeable cool mist swirled in the air that refreshed his face.

  In from the loud night scene, the halls swallowed up all noise with only small murmurs left behind.

  A blue glow mingled with darkness in every room. Blue and white stones embedded the walls.

  With every step, they alternated in a way that they ebbed and flowed like an actual tide. Up above the ground again, Quin felt closer to land thanks to the pinewood fragrance in every corner.

  He and Conon walked into a larger room where many people relaxed on leaned wooden benches with two legs shorter than the rest.

  He spotted plenty of the Cosondera within the room including Onyl, all in a restful state.

  Like Quin, their characteristic cloak and mask were left behind at the entrance; he couldn’t tell in the blue hue if their shirts were a Tyroviv white or a Neraviv blue.

  Occasionally, they would be approached by women in white robes and sandals. After a brief chat, they waved around nearby then departed. Their warm faces blended nicely with the cool atmosphere of the rooms.

  In the middle laid a spring where the nice smell and cool mist were perceived the strongest. Never in his life had Quin experienced so much calm to his senses.

  “Where are we?” he whispered as his eyes continued to look around.

  Conon smiled from a corner of his mouth. “We’re at the Shonona. It’s a good place. Perfect for tense people like you brother.”

  “I’m not tense.” Quin responded with more sound than he needed. He nervously waved away the attention. “Sorry.”

  Conon just stared for a bit. “Ever since the day we met, you’ve been nothin’ but tense. I get that you’ve been rushed out ‘n’ all that, but an hour ‘n here should mellow you out. C’mon.”

  They walked up to Onyl. Coincidentally, two open chairs laid out to her left.

  “These seats taken?” Conon asked her. She said nothing, no objections.

  The two young men made themselves comfortable and lounged beside their teammate. Conon took the seat closest to Onyl and thus lazed between her and Quin.

  Within seconds one of the ladies in white arrived with a basket. She brought out a small white towel and presented it with a small smile.

  “Welcome to Shonona. We hope you’ll enjoy your time here this evening. Would you like a mend towel?”

  She handed one to Conon. Quin raised an eyebrow.

  “Mend towel?” he repeated.

  “Yes sir. To help relax the mind after a stressful day.” She retrieved another one and presented it to Quin. “Here, have one.”

  Left to inspect the towel, it brought him back to his days in the Pit not long ago and the Yerps who resided that gave nothing but kindness.

  “These folks here are soul artists,” Conon revealed. “They work their magic ‘n’ yer body feels better than ever.”

  “What’s the difference between these soul artists and the ones at the Mend Bay?”

  “The people here are usually basic soul artists,” Onyl chipped in with closed eyes to the ceiling. “They can handle bruises but nothing bigger than that.”

  “Which is just fine for a place like this. Wish I was a soul artist though. Feels like you make good money just by existin’ y’know?”

  “I guess they’re really valuable,” Quin said as he tried to feel for a good and cozy spot.

  “They are also really rare. One of the least common of conventional artists.”

  Conon sighed. “I like my ghost arts ‘n’ all that, but I’d trade it for soul arts ‘n a hurry.”

  The effects of Shonona started to take hold of Quin.

  A cool rush entered his head until it flushed away his worries and concerns. That same feeling traveled down to his toes to cool and soothe his body. A smile naturally appeared on his face.

  The soul artists were quiet in their approach. One slid into Quin’s view and nodded her head to get his attention.

  Her palm circled around him without any contact. The cool rush felt stronger as if she refilled his veins like a tank.

  His limbs felt lighter and looser, it felt like his arms would float away at any second.

  The stoned walls commandeered his attention as they glowed intermittently and made for a serene spectacle. That combined with the forest aroma and it felt like Odlassi was miles away not meters below.

  Conon slightly turned to Onyl and went, “Sure is nice to be back here huh?”

  “This was very needed,” she replied. “Beyond me why no such place exists in Sirqu.”

  “It’d probably be really popular too.” His head went left and right. “I guess that’s how it rolls.”

  Quin looked over at the two and asked, “When was the last time you guys were here?”

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  Conon looked into his head. “Something like three months ago, when I brought Onyl up here. We couldn’t get out of Sirqu ‘til we were a full squad again, well ‘cept for Bossman. Us Tyrovivs aren’t allowed much.”

  Quin heard Conon mention that before. At the time, many other things occupied his mind. The last few days showed him how much land could be traveled and the seemingly little energy used.

  As Sentar’i, they could walk for miles only to suffer from boredom. They could sprint up mountains with just a minor strain to their legs and lungs.

  Most of all, they could travel far and fast (they could have arrived much sooner without the chroniclers.)

  If Quin never became a Cosondere, he could have moved virtually anywhere on the map albeit he’d have to gain his own resources.

  He never had the chance to enjoy his newfound abilities before he became a cloak.

  “Were you two in the Cosondera right after you stood out?” he asked.

  “Oh, so you always ask questions.” Conon replied. “I thought you were just nervous before, but you do it all the time.”

  “Is that ba-” Quin shut his eyes and pursed his lips. He caught himself too late. He could hear Conon’s chuckling.

  “I wanted to understand my abilities before I joined,” Onyl mentioned. “It seemed foolish to enter when I was so inexperienced...that was my plan anyway.”

  She turned to Quin but Conon blocked her view. “Switch with me,” she told him. “I have to ask the new guy something.”

  Conon raised an eyebrow but otherwise obliged her request. The cool vibes started to cool in a different way as Quin found himself next to Onyl.

  Her usual angry countenance disappeared; the glare in her eyes remained. He stared blankly at the ceiling as he awaited her question.

  “Back during the festival last month, you were still a Yerp, yes?”

  Memories of that evening gave Quin some pause. “Yeah. Certainly was when that day started.”

  “Why join the Cosondera so soon?”

  “I didn’t have a choice.” Quin faced a barrages of hushes. He forgot about the low volume again.

  “What do you mean you had no choice?” asked Onyl.

  “I accidentally broke a statue and I couldn’t pay for it, so...here I am.”

  “Ah, I’ve met a few people like that.” Conon nodded. “It was either this or something worse.”

  “Yeah, that’s what happened to me. Why’d you guys join?”

  Onyl folded her hands as she looked ahead. “In this world, there is nowhere to go except upwards. Service among the Cosondera helps me achieve that.”

  Conon faced the ceiling as well, with his hands behind his head.

  “Well for me, I got tired of seein’ the same things all the time. Got tired of doin’ the same things all the time.

  “I’ve been a Cosondere for over two years, ‘n’ I’ve seen ‘n’ done more ‘n that time than my whole life. Haven’t...can’t say there’ve been too many regrets.”

  “I guess everyone has their own reasons,” Quin concluded as he looked down to his hands. “I just wish I had more time to try out my powers.”

  “Yeah that’s too bad brother. But we’re ‘bout to go further from all the cities. You should be able to get some practice out there.”

  “Wait,” Onyl muttered as an explosion of an idea occurred in her head. She flipped over to Conon with wide eyes. “Is that what this is all about?”

  “What you mean?”

  “The circumstances of us being here. The mission. Its degree of difficulty. Is it possible that our real goal is to teach the new guy what he didn’t learn.”

  “Quin.” Onyl heard behind her.

  She slightly turned over. “What?”

  “My name is Quin. I won’t be the new guy forever.”

  Onyl turned on her back and closed her eyes for a second. They popped back open. “Only a handful of days have passed since you’ve been with us, Quin. You are very much still new.”

  Quin looked less than convinced. He stared at his contemporary with doubt.

  “If I remember correctly, on the day of the festival, you wore a mask too. So you’re kinda new as well,” he countered.

  “Perhaps so. But I have been a Sentar’i longer than you.”

  A point beyond dispute, he said nothing to refute.

  “But we aren’t wind artists though,” Conon interjected with a puzzled look. “So what are we supposed to teach him?”

  Blue stones glowed in a wave as small murmurs filled the ears. Another worker in white arrived.

  “Please exqueeze me,” she said softly before she circled her hand around the group.

  Whatever hint of tension that could have been sensed, she melted it away instantly.

  Quin found a soul artist’s abilities both mysterious and interesting. If the ladies of Shonona only knew basic soul arts, then Quin could only imagine what an advanced soul artist could do.

  Finished with her session, the healer nodded then made her departure. If he could learn any sort of ability, Quin would have no qualms with soul arts.

  Onyl took a long breath as she laid with arms on her torso. “Honestly, I do not know what we are to teach him. I just want to make sense of all this.”

  Conon looked up in his head. “Hmm, well maybe we should start wit’ what’s known. What can you do brother? Actually, there’s this thing you do. The way you move ‘n fights. I’ve seen it a few times. What’s that about?”

  “I don’t know what thing you’re talking about.”

  “Y’know, you like move around wit’ these poses or somethin’. You were doin’ it the other day while we were sparrin’.”

  Quin mostly recalled all the rocks he had to pick up and his many attempts to stack them together without tumble.

  When Conon switched from defense to offense, the game they played turned into a spar. At that point, Quin’s defensive prowess came in handy as he evaded several strikes.

  “Are you talking about how I was dodging you?” he guessed.

  “Yea. Like how you pose while you dodge.”

  An image of Arelis popped up and the dots connected.

  “Oh. That’s what I was taught when I was in the Pit.”

  “Wait. That’s bein’ taught at the Pit?”

  “Yeah. It’s called the Graceful Step.”

  Onyl was suddenly overcome with waves of muffled laughter. She barely contained herself as she curled to a ball and covered her mouth through a series of mini convulsions.

  She took a few deep breaths then asked, “You call that graceful?”

  “Uh...that’s what I was told, yeah.”

  Onyl closed her eyes and giggle fits ran through her nose, her smile gave her a different look. Relaxed, at ease, and in a bright mood, it was a side to her Quin never thought she had.

  In a blink, that expression disappeared from her face, and her brows sloped down.

  “What?” she uttered. “What are you looking at?”

  Quin turned his face away slightly. “Oh whoops. Got caught up with the glowing lights.”

  “So besides that, what else can you do?” Conon probed.

  “Other than basic wind arts, that’s it,” Quin responded.

  Conon leaned up in his seat with a palm on his forehead. He said nothing.

  Quin’s eyes widened somewhat. “How bad is that?” he asked. He received no answer.

  One of the ladies arrived for a third time. Basket over her arm, she waved her hand not to soothe but to greet.

  “Hello. Would you like a replacement towel?”

  Onyl and Conon remained silent, the two appeared to be deep in their own heads. Quin also kept quiet, unsure what to say next.

  The somewhat somber scene had an effect on the soul artist as her calm face turned to one of concern.

  “Is everything alright?” she asked through her hand. Her expression became alarmed when she caught Onyl’s attention.

  The Tyroviv snapped up out of her chair and stated, “We are fine. We were about to make our departure.”

  “We are?” Conon asked.

  “On your feet Quin,” Onyl directed. “We have to make do with the time we have.”

  Quin and Conon stared at one another, each with an assumption that the other understood the meaning of Onyl’s words. They rose from their seats and chased after her as she stormed for the exit.

  “Oh...well thank you visiting. Hope to see you again,” the lady in white said to their backs.

  The walls and their glowing blue waves helped to ease Quin’s nerves somewhat. The images had to be planted in his brain for his next visit someday.

  He had more of an idea how the Cosondera worked, and he enjoyed another unique experience as a Sentar’i.

  Best of all, he felt more and more of a chemistry with team even though he still seemed like an outsider.

  As he and his team walked closer back to Odlassi and further from Shonona’s tranquil halls, Quin prepared himself for the near future. His moment to relax and unwind came to an end.