The group's rhythm continued slowly around Tobi.
In. Hold. Out. And repeat.
The first few minutes were filled with discomfort. His legs tingled where they folded beneath him, the dirt beneath the tree pressed unevenly against his ankles, and his back repeatedly tried to slump forward the moment he stopped paying attention.
The children seemed unaffected by any of it.
A boy to Tobi's left remained perfectly still, his breathing slow and even, as if the position were the most natural thing in the world. Across the circle, a girl younger than him sat with her eyes closed and her spine so straight that it looked like a rod had been placed through her back.
Meanwhile, Carlos had already been smacked awake once.
Tobi avoided looking again.
The teenager's voice carried easily through the circle.
"In." The group inhaled.
"Hold." The few seconds stretched longer than before.
"Out." Air exited their lungs in a slow, steady release.
"Again."
At first, it felt pointless. Breathing wasn't exactly what he imagined when he thought of training.
But after several more cycles, he began noticing small details.
His breathing grew slower and deepened on its own. Sounds that echoed in his head from the village faded, like the entire village was being pushed out away from him.
The discomfort and stiffness settled as a state of being not worth paying attention to.
Tobi's back ached and arched in natural response.
"Don't move."
The child beside him repeated without opening his eyes.
Tobi sighed quietly and straightened again.
Across the circle, Kostas' shoulders trembled. Vita remained steady. Carlos blinked hard, trying not to fall asleep.
The instructor paced the circle slowly, occasionally pressing someone's shoulders back or pressing restless legs in place.
Gradually, the rhythm began to anchor his attention. Listening to the ins and outs... and the approaching sensation coming from inside him.
His eyes closed again, and his body relaxed properly for once. His only thoughts were grasping that feeling. It was so faint.
A dull pulse from his chest, like an alternate heartbeat. But as the external world became less present, he followed the feeling through his ribs, shoulders, and abdomen.
Each time, he felt the pulse travel further. It was subtle, almost like warmth spreading beneath the skin.
Tobi frowned slightly. 'Why can't I feel it past...' The thought disolved before he finished it.
Across the circle, the instructor spoke again.
"Don't force your breathing," she said. "Let it settle on its own."
Her breathing guides immediately halted as she looked around.
Everyone obeyed immediately. Tobi did his best to create his own rhythm, but he fell right back into the one the instructor led him onto.
Not that it mattered, as he stopped focusing on it shortly. The sensation in his body demanded his focus.
The warmth beneath his ribs had only grown stronger. Waves of heat shifted. It felt like pressure changing location. He breathed out and tried to follow it.
As he tried, the sensation vanished
Tobi opened one eye slightly, glancing around.
Nothing had changed. The children were still breathing steadily. The instructor still walked the circle.
He closed his eye again. 'Again.'
Several minutes passed, and the sensation returned. Just as faint as the first time. The only difference was that he no longer tried to chase it.
He only noticed its presence.
The feeling lingered beneath his sternum.
It was only a few minutes later that his attention slipped again.
The feeling vanished at the same moment.
Tobi resisted the urge to sigh. 'Is that warmth... Resonance?'
It made sense.
The villagers often mentioned resonance as if it were something obvious. Something everyone just knew of.
But for him, it was still vague. Like trying to use a muscle he had never felt before.
The boy beside him spoke quietly again.
"You're thinking too much."
Tobi looked over. "You can tell?"
The boy nodded without looking at him. "You move when you think."
Tobi blinked slowly. That… was actually accurate.
"Just breathe, don't chase," the kid added.
The boy went quiet again.
Exhaling slowly, Tobi began to focus again, clearing his mind of the feeling of being corrected by a nine-year-old on a recurring basis.
Still, the advice wasn't wrong.
In.
Hold.
Out.
His rhythm steadied again, and the pressure became apparent. This time, he chose to ignore the feeling. Only his breathing mattered.
Minutes passed. As Tobi allowed his mind to be quiet, he noticed the warmth stayed consistent. As if it were always present.
That wasn't enough, though, 'I want... it to move.' His thoughts had drifted back into being. The desire to achieve something greater than just breathing appeared.
Then something changed.
The warmth surged.
For a split second, the pressure inside his chest expanded outward like an explosion. The sensation shot through his spine and into his shoulders before fading into the mundane just as quickly.
Tobi's eyes snapped open. Everything remained the same. That was entirely new. If the previous feeling was like pressure and warmth, then this was like a quick eruption of flames.
Tobi closed his eyes again quickly.
His heart beat faster now. 'What was that?'
He waited.
And then he waited.
The warmth beneath his ribs returned to its faint, quiet presence.
The swift feeling had vanished.
Tobi frowned slightly, the moment replaying in his head. He hadn't changed anything for the flare to occur. He hadn't moved, he hadn't changed his breathing, 'I only changed my thoughts.'
Tobi inhaled slowly, his tempo drastically changing.
Then he repeated the same thought. 'Move.'
It was calm for a moment, then the pressure spiked again.
The flare was weaker this time but unmistakable.
Heat spread through his chest and shoulders before collapsing almost immediately.
Tobi exhaled sharply.
The flare wasn't smooth like the breathing exercise. It felt more like something forcing its way outward. Like pushing a door open with weight against it.
He waited several more seconds before trying again.
The flare came again.
Stronger.
For an instant, the warmth surged through his arms before fading.
His fingers twitched slightly.
Tobi clenched them slowly. 'That had definitely been resonance.' Trying not to let his mind race.
The feeling hadn't flowed, but it burst outwards.
The boy beside him looked at him with furrowed brows, "You're doing something weird."
"Am I?"
The kid nodded and returned to his own breathing. "You're not supposed to force it."
Tobi almost laughed. It was too late for that after all. He waited again before willing the feeling to move.
The next flare came slower. The warmth felt as if it were moving through something viscous and thick before collapsing back inward.
This time, the reaction hit his body harder. His muscles tightened slightly, his breathing stumbled, and the warmth felt like a tightening.
The instructor stopped nearby.
"Don't rush training," she whispered calmly.
Tobi looked up. Her gaze lingered on him briefly before she continued walking.
"If you force resonance through your vessel before you can handle it," she added, "Your body will break first."
The warning was delivered casually and clearly.
Tobi swallowed. The warmth beneath his ribs flickered again, as if it were going to flare again. He ignored it, and the breathing continued.
It was only several more minutes before the numbness in his legs returned and became impossible to ignore.
Then something else appeared.
Hunger. It crept into his awareness with sharp suddenness. Tobi opened his eyes.
The instructor noticed immediately.
"You're new," she said. "And hungry."
Tobi hesitated before nodding.
The girl smiled.
"That's normal. Vessel training burns more energy than people expect."
She gestured toward the path.
"Go eat. Come back later if you want."
Tobi didn't argue.
The moment he unfolded his legs, the world spun slightly. Pins and needles shot through his feet.
He stood carefully and brushed dirt from his trousers.
No one acknlowedged his departure.
Except for the boy beside him, he opened one eye briefly.
"I hope you come back," he said.
Tobi paused, then nodded.
"...Yeah"
He turned towards the path.
"I think I will."