The next day, I woke up quite early to the sounds of birds chirping. Somehow, I managed to get a good nights rest. Which wasn't really a surprise considering where and how I used to sleep before as a tramp— this fallen tree trunk wasn't that bad of a resting place, after all! Sure beats spikey benches and uncomfortably hard side-walks to sleep on.
I slept while sitting, which was something I was used to as a former street rat. You never know when someone will try to rob you, or attack you for no reason back then. So, sleeping while sitting was equivalent to sleeping with one eye open. It helped me stay alert and be quick to defend myself whenever something like that happend.
Slowly standing up from where I was sitting, I found my spear lying beside him and grabbed it. Then, i slowly turned my head towards the sleeping figure of Isabella. The revealing clothes was a little distracting, but at the moment I didn't have the luxury to admire her beauty. I was on guard and wary of her. While on the other hand, she seemed so carefree and relaxed.
'How can she be so carefree? I could easily kill her right now or even do something much worse to her. Yet she is sleeping so soundly....'
Honestly, I felt a bit of envy. I wish I could relax like her too and be naively trusting like her too. But I didn't jump to conclusions yet. Who knows? Maybe it's something to do with her curse or blessing that relaxes her. She also seemed to know how to use the attributes given to her by the blessing. While I don't. So, it does make a bit sense why she would be so relaxed...
Seemingly noticing my stare, Isabella suddenly stirred and shifted. Sitting up and looking up at her— her eyes were drowsy and her voice was hoarse.
"Good morning...."
Struggling to stop my eyes from wandering, I smiled awkwardly and nodded.
"Morning."
It felt strange to say that again after so many years. I never spoke to someone this much before. Well, atleast before my parents kicked me out and abandoned me, I suppose. But right now, there is no time for bitter thoughts.
"Let's go find that lake."
Isabella nodded and stood up on unsteady legs. She looked much worse than before, the dehydration suddenly very obvious. It was a bit strange. Can someone get this dehydrated quickly? Didn't she say that she had sustained herself with freshwater from the lake before coming here? She should look better than me.
I didn't even notice I was staring at her figure while lost in my thoughts.
"What are you staring at, fool? Follow me, already! Im gonna die from thirst at this rate..."
Isabella was already walking. I was a bit irked by her tone, but shrugged and followed her lead.
"Hey, didn't you say that you know how to use the Blessing given to us by The Mulligan? Can you teach me? My blessing is very well-suited for combat."
I knew admitting that so soon isn't a good idea, but right now, he needed her as much as she needed him. Of course I will keep some secrets close to my chest, that's a given. But something like that, mild secrets, i can share.
Isabella didn't spare me a glance and continued marching forward, jumping from a log to another, balancing herself carefully.
"Blessings and Curses are two sides of the same coin, one can't exist without the other. Both of them is built on an energy that exists inside of us— that is given to us by The Mulligan, along with the blessing and curse. It is called "Innate Spirit" or just innate energy, if you will."
I listen intently, intrigued. I was so focused on what she was saying, I almost slipped on a slippery log and fell face first. Luckily I caught myself before that happend and saved myself the embarrassment. I was silent, prompting her to continue.
"You just have to learn how to manipulate your innate spirit at will, to be able to easily use your blessing. I haven't been able to do it yet— but I have learnt that meditation is most effective."
I couldn't help but scoff.
"So this Overseer of The Mulligan just gave us blessings without explaining how to even use them! And what is this innate spirit? How were we even supposed to find out it even exists? Damn that voice!"
Isabella turned her head and glanced at him over her shoulder, an amused smile playing on her lips.
"Maybe, but that's what makes humans special, isn't it? We learn through trial and error. After all, it's been a century since The First Mulligan. We manage to learn from mistakes and eventually establish a system for those who win the battle royal."
I blinked, surprised. This women really knew alot!
"The Mulligan has been here for a century?"
Isabella nodded, continuing to walk.
"Well, it's not exactly confirmed, but it's estimated to have appeared a century ago. Nobody knows how, why or what The Mulligan is. Regardless, that's for the government to find out and research! Right now, all I wanna do is drink some water and eat some meat."
I wanted to ask some more, but I shut my mouth and simply followed closely behind her. The jungle was difficult to navigate due to having to avoid several natural predators and the terrain acting as a natural border that forced us to take longer routes. Sometimes, Isabella ended up getting lost, even fainting because of exhusation, thus making the journey even longer than necessary.
Despite the struggles, all our efforts bore fruit as we suddenly reached a vast open area inside the jungle without much trees. At the center, was an alluring glistening lake. It wasn't too big, nor was it small either. It was about the size of a public pool.
"Finally!"
Isabella licked her lips and rushed forward like a feral animal. Kneeling down, she cupped her hands together, letting the water flow inside her palms, before drinking it greedily.
'No tact whatsoever....'
Well, it's not like i was any different. Still holding onto my spear, I walked over and kneeled down, doing the same and drinking my share of the water. It was fresh and tasted amazing— does water have a taste? Ah, whatever! I never had drunk such delicious water in ages! Tears almost fell down my eyes from pure emotion. But alas, I stopped myself and sat down by the lake, having drunk my fill.
As I was examining my loyal Retainer, I suddenly noticed Isabella doing something strange. She sat down on the grass, crossed leg and closed her eyes. Was she meditating? I hesitated for a moment and decided to ask.
"Are you meditating?"
Isabella opended one eye and gave me a disdainful look.
"Yes, I am. Don't distract me!"
After some pondering, I nodded my head and sat down across from her. Im gonna meditate too! Learning from her will help me control and manipulate the innate spirit inside me, which in turn will allow me to control and use my powerful Blessings.
Mimicking her pose in a crude manner, I closed my eyes and concentrated. It was difficult. I never knew meditating was so hard. Everytime I felt an inch, I had to resist the urge to scratch. Everytime I felt paranoid that something was behind me, I had to resist the urge to look behind and grab my spear for defense. I managed to, but I was unsure of how long I'll be able to handle it.
Observing her, i realized what she was doing. Meditating isn't just about imagining something peaceful in your mind. The first step is learning how to control your breathing— instead of forcing it, letting it flow naturally and counting each breath. Atleast, that's what I believe to be the case. Even with this newfound understanding, it wasn't so easy to mimick her and sometimes, I even found myself forcing breaths to count instead of letting it flow naturally.
The second step for learning how to control the innate spirit was purely based on my own assumptions. As my mind began clearer, I felt something flowing inside me— like a water fall. I tried controlling this water fall, to prevent the water from falling in the first place, but I couldn't. All I manage to do was reduce it's speed ever so slightly, but it was a start.
'Is this the path to manipulating the innate spirit?'
My eyes widened in understanding, staring at her in amazement and gratitude. Of course, she didn't see him staring, she was mediating herself and can clearly last much longer than he could.
Soon, even she opended her eyes and stared at me bewildered.
"What?"
I coughed, somewhat flustered.
"Ah....just wanted to thank you. I just managed to gain somewhat of an understanding on how to manipulate the innate spirit."
Isabella stared at me strangely, but then shrugged.
"Whatever! We need to go hunting. You better know how to use that spear. Im not a good fighter, you know?"
I nodded, my expression turning serious.
"Yes. At this rate....we will die from starvation. Let's head deeper into the jungle and see what animal we could find. Any meat will work at this point."
Isabella had no objections and stood up. I followed suit, grabbing my spear. Then, the two of them began heading deeper inside the jungle once again....