by L. C. Maciel
I felt invigorated again.
We moved on to the meditation area where Master Fine was. We would have Collective Energization class, followed by Music and Metaphysics I of the advanced modules.
Achilla and Gaia would talk whispering down the hall as if they were hiding something from me and Damocles.
- Achilla, what happened? Why are they whispering? - I asked curious.
-It's nothing Icarus, just Gaia's intuition. -It's nothing.
-What's happening Gaia? -Damocles intervened.
-I don't know for sure. -The tone was serious. -I feel that something very bad will happen tonight.
-Why do you feel that?
- I don't know the answer to that question either... I don't think we should stay here for the day.
-But Gaia that's crazy. -Oh. We'll have an assembly tonight, we can't just miss it.
-All right... But don't say I didn't warn you. - She said taking a few steps forward.
Damocles looked at me as a confused expression, not knowing what exactly to say.
- Shouldn't we believe Gaia? - I asked.
-Icarus, even if we believe we can't skip the assembly. And besides, what could happen so bad? Not even Gaia knows...
-Either way, we'd better stay alert. -Oh! - I said, trying to be cautious.
We entered the meditation area contemplating the clear sun that came after the rain. Master Fineneas asked us to organize ourselves in a circle to maintain maximum eye contact with everyone on the spot.
The first exercise consisted in reaching the theta without closing our eyes, which tripled the difficulty of the task. I only got it at the end of the class and could not participate in the collective energization.
During the music class Gaia was worried again. Achilla pulled her out of the room warning me that the situation was getting really serious.
Damocles was writing on a piece of papyrus, a notation when I interrupted him:
-Damocles, Gaia is not well. I think we should leave the school like she said.
-Icarus, we can't. What would we tell the superiors? We'd be out of our minds!
I couldn't answer anything else. Damocles was never a flexible person and even if I kept arguing, he wouldn't change his mind.
I asked Ruales' permission to leave and went after Achilla and Gaia.
Arriving in the hall, I heard voices in the cafeteria:
-You okay, Gaia? -I immediately asked when I entered the place.
-Not much... It would look better if we left here for the day.
-I tried to convince Damocles, but you know what he's like.
-We can't go without him, so we'll have to stay. -Oh. Listen: you need to get ready.
-But Gaia, for Zeus, tell us what will happen. -Oh.
-I don't know exactly, I swear. -I don't know. All I see is death and destruction. We're gonna need to stay calm in case a very quick migration is necessary. If we get nervous we won't even get theta and risk dying too.
I felt my blood freeze.
-We're not gonna die. I can migrate more than one person. We'll be safe, don't worry. - Achilla said trying to calm the moods.
I didn't know what to say. I was stunned and mute by Gaia's words.
-We need to go back. - I said in a fragmented voice.
-Icarus, are you all right? -Achilla asked.
-How could I be okay if Gaia sensed death and destruction? -Oh, I'm sorry.
-Now all we can do is wait for Icarus... -Icarus. Damocles refuses to leave.
Metaphysics class ended earlier that day. Everyone went to their rooms to put on new tunics for the twilight meal. I was not hungry, though I had not eaten all afternoon. In the place of hunger, there was fear and worry that I had never felt until then.
Gaia did not touch the food either. She kept her eyes fixed on something distant that no one around her could see, as if she were submerged in the afterlife. After the meal was over, we went to the assembly room. We occupied the reserved seats and waited for the masters to come in.
That day, the place was in a different, heavy atmosphere. Perhaps I only noticed this when I reviewed the feelings that I was experiencing. Isocles, Ruales, Attila and Phineae entered alone this time, arousing the curiosity of all about the absence of Pythagoras.
- What will have happened? - I asked Gaia who was on my side.
-I have no idea.
-Many boarding students- -Isocles started. - Unfortunately, Master Pythagoras will not be able to attend this evening's assembly due to force majeure.
Although it was not customary to give a precise justification for the absence of a master, I was disconcerted by the phrase "force majeure".
What would be the real reason for the absence?
-We will begin the first debate on the new metaphysical theories elaborated by Pythagoras and Ruales. You will study them soon, but it is necessary to be aware of their main foundations.
At this moment Aryon entered the room surprising everyone.
Isocles' speech was interrupted.
- What are you doing here, young Aryon? Don't you know that you are forbidden to attend classes and assemblies until further notice? Go back to your private room, where you must remain without company. - You said Ruales with a reprimand tone
- I don't have to follow your rules and orders anymore. - He said presumptuous.
-Dare you disrespect me? - Ruales inquired in a surprised and outraged tone simultaneously.
-Not only the contempt but the debauchery of you all. Do you really think you're the wisest in Crotona? - The tone overflowed with irony. - Do you still believe that you are the only owners of knowledge and that you have the complete science of the cosmos?
You all looked up to Aryon.
Where had he gotten such courage to say such words?
Ruales and Attila stood up, walking towards him, in order to prevent him from staying there.
- Do not attempt to approach. I just came to say that the equation is with me and that nothing and nobody will stop me from being what I always wanted to be: a god.
As I was saying, Aryon closed his eyes showing that he was concentrating deeply. After saying the last word, the fire began to spread rapidly through the four corners of the school.
I left where I was on an impulse, without thinking about what I was really doing. I started running toward the exit and could still hear Achilla's voice screaming in distress at me.
I didn't turn around.
- She'll save herself. -I thought deep down in my consciousness.
I reached the center aisle trying hard to breathe in as little smoke as possible. The few spaces I could step on were quickly filled by the violent flames that could not be contained by me. I could never make up my mind at that moment. The burning heat reached my skin warning me that my life was for a tris.
- Pythagoras! Where are you?! - I screamed as loud as I could.
I kept walking down the hall when I noticed an open door. I had never entered that room that was restricted to masters.
Although the fire was already in the hall walls, the room seemed to be flameproof. I thought I was seeing some kind of mirage. Perhaps death was already so close that my consciousness was already changing.
- If I could get into the room, I'd buy myself time and maybe save myself.
I stopped breathing for a short time to keep from suffocating myself. My feet burned while I walked and my robe was already being consumed by the flames when I reached the end of the hall.
I entered the room, which was in fact intact, feeling terrible pain from burns all over my arms.
- I'm glad it arrived. I was waiting for you. - A voice sounded without me being able to see anyone.
I walked a little further, entering the room for good. Somehow the flames in my garments went out instantly when I entered the charmingly decorated room.
-Master Pythagoras? I thought I was sick. I came with the purpose of saving you. But I see you're all right. - I noticed you were surprised. - Why are you stil
l here?
-I already said... I was waiting for you. - He said as he touched my burns, healing them through energization.
- How did you know I was coming?
-Soon you'll understand. Now I need you to put this away. - He said by handing me a piece of parchment.
- What is this?
-One day you'll need it. You'll know when to look. You're good Icarus, you're pure. You have the soul of a true Pythagorean. - He said with his wise voice. -If everything turns to chaos, this papyrus can bring order back. Now go, you must save yourself.
-But master, what about you? How will you be? The school is being destroyed.
-This is my time, young Icarus. -Yes. I can't run away from this. You have to go now.
-I won't be able to make a migration.
-Don't worry, I'll take care of it. -Oh! You'll be safe. - Those were the last words I heard.
The Hut
The year was 1120. The hut that would serve as our refuge was on top of a hill in the south of Medieval Italy. The small and simple place was abandoned according to Homero, at least five years ago.
There was a kind of homemade mattress on the ground covered in dust. Some peasant revolted by working in the fiefs should have built the humble room. A small abandoned plantation stood behind the hut displaying some decaying fruit that I did not know about.
- Are we staying right here?
- We have no choice. I'll see if I can save some energy during training to bring in food... Those fruits are rotten...
- Are we close to civilization?
- Not too close... Some remote castles are about 30 kilometers from here, we don't have to worry.
- And where will you train?
- In the woods nearby, we'll go in a little while. First I'm going to try to materialize some things we're going to need.
- What will you bring?
- Decent mattresses, blankets, flashlights, food for today and some books...
- Books?
- Yes... I'm gonna try to get my dad's notebooks and some papyruses from the school of Pythagoras. It should have content that can help me understand the mechanisms involved in mentalism. I'm sure you have everything I need.
- Won't that be difficult?
- It will be difficult, Cecilia, but I'll have to get even more complicated things if I want to stay alive.
- You will, I know it. - I said, being optimistic. Is there anything I can do to help you?
- There is. But I'm still not sure... Once I get all the information I need, I can tell you if you can help me. Now I need to hit theta.
I'll explore the surroundings, and I'll leave you alone so you don't get in the way.
Careful... - He advised in a truly concerned tone.
-With what? Aren't we safe here?
- We're safe against Aryon. Don't go into the woods without me, it could be dangerous.
-You mean animals?
- Not exactly...
- Then what?
-Fauns.
- Fauns? - I couldn't contain a laugh - Homero, I didn't know you could keep up the mood even in tense situations.
- Cecilia, I'm not being ironic. I'm being serious.
-All right... Homero, we don't have time for jokes.
- Cecilia... - The serious tone has convinced me and reflected on the latest events.
If I could believe my boyfriend was a mentalist descended from Pythagoreans and that we were in the middle ages running from a man from ancient Greece, why couldn't I believe in fauns?
- I thought fauns were just mythological characters...
That's what everyone thinks, but in the middle ages they still exist and inhabit woods and forests.
- If they exist, why have I never seen one? - I asked
- In our century they're extinct, so everyone thinks they're just legends.
- Extinct?
- Yes, but that's a long story. I need to use the daylight to train, I can't tell you now.
- I'll be curious, but that's okay.
-I promise I'll tell you.
The grass that covered the hill was a dark green and imposing. I walked for a few minutes, taking care to stay close to the hut, after all I didn't know the real danger I would face if some creature appeared that I had only known in fairy tales.
I sat down on the grass for a few moments until I heard the call of Homero. When I entered the hut again, Homero had a book in his hands. On the ground were spread the notebooks that I already knew and papyrus scrolls.
- You did it! - I exclaimed in admiration at seeing the strange papers of a different texture.
- Yes... It took me a while, but I did it. – Homero said as he kept his eyes fixed on one of the scrolls.
-Cecilia... -You really want to help me?
- Sure, I'll do whatever it takes.
- Then read this. - He said by handing me the book with the page marked on it.
A long paragraph with some terms that seemed to be technical began an explanation that followed by more than three pages. I read and reread some complex sentences that said something I had never thought possible.
- I don't think I understood it right.
- Yes, you do. That's what you're thinking.
- You mean that...
- Yes, you can help me.
-What if I can't? I didn't inherit the same inclination you did to do that.
- Cecilia, anyone can be a mentalist. All it takes is rigorous training.
The Pythagoreans were people like you and me. They were not gods, or fantastic beings...
They were human beings who explored the powers of the mind to the full.
-But, I don't know how to do that. -Oh. - I said being realistic.
-I'm gonna help you, and you're gonna make it, I'm sure of it. -Oh.
-When do we start?
- Now.
Homero took some books and took my hand suddenly making me feel the urgency reflected in the touch of his fingers.
- Are you nervous? - I asked.
- No... Just anxious.
We came out of the hut like big, heavy steps kneading the branches of the tall grass. After five minutes of walking, a dense, dimly lit forest appeared before our eyes. The tall, leafy trees seemed dormant in absolute silence. If I screamed, I would hear a ghostly echo.
- It's huge. -I stood before the beautiful spot.
-Yes, we'll have enough room.
-Homero, I don't think I can help you. -Yes. I've never done that and I have no idea how it works.
- I'll give you the coordinates. - He said as he scattered the books randomly.
-Cecilia, I need you to be fully alert. -Hmm.
-I am.
-The first thing to do is reach theta stage. -He said.
- And what is that?
-See, our mind emits waves all the time according to what we're thinking. -Yeah. There are four types of mental wave frequencies: alpha, beta, theta and delta. The theta frequency is the most difficult to achieve because it is at that frequency that we acquire capabilities considered paranormal. In fact, there is nothing paranormal, it is just something difficult and therefore ignored by most people.
You mean there are no paranormal people?
No, people called paranormal are absolutely normal! Maybe they're just smarter and more persistent.
-But what do I have to do to reach that theta frequency ?
-This is the hardest part. You need to completely empty your mind.
- What do you mean ?
-You need to be able not to think. Let your mind free of any thought.
- That's it?
-It may sound easy, but I assure you it's not. – Homero stated with sincere conviction. -Try and draw your own conclusions.
I closed my eyes looking for a concentration I had never needed until then. Although I was anxious, my mind wasn't congested with too many thought streams as it sometimes was.
I tried to ignore Homero's presence, imagining that I was alone in the woods. When I was able to di
scard the few surrounding shadows in my mental yard, I concluded that even though I believed I wasn't thinking about something specific, my mind seemed to have a life of its own and I couldn't contain it.
The noise of silence did not leave me.
I, who thought that silence meant absence or nothingness, discovered that it could become a living concept that prevented me from contemplating the real emptiness.
The experience scared me.
I began to wonder if it was really possible to go without thinking for even a moment.
It was five minutes later.
- I can't.
- I said that was the hardest part. Do you know the Buddhists and the yogis?
- I've read a few things about them. - I said, remembering the books my father kept at home.
-In their meditations they seek to reach nirvana. And Nirvana is exactly what you're trying to do, the mental emptiness, the absence of thinking.
- Nirvana is theta stage...
-Yes.
-Many Buddhists and yogis take years to contemplate nirvana, and many never do. They consider it an enlightenment stage, where consciousness expands. It's not only in Buddhism that theta appears... Jesus Christ could work miracles because he had full knowledge of the power of mind over matter. Mediums achieve transcendental communication from the same principle. The human being who manages to reach this wave frequency discovers that the impossible does not exist.
-It seems surreal... - I said embarrassed.
- There is an infinite power in every mind. – Homero stated looking firmly in my eyes.
-But Homero I just tried, and I couldn't... Maybe I can't really help you.
-You'll make it, it's not easy for anyone... -Oh! - He said as he picked up another scroll.
-It's easy for you.
-You're wrong... Theta was hard for me too.
- But didn't you inherit a facility?
-Only for the mentalisms themselves... -Yes. It took me a while to reach the theta.
- How long?
-One week.
- I thought it was more...
- It might be more or less, depending on the person.
- And when was the first time you got it?
- I was seven... That's when my father told me who I was. – Homero answered as if he was remembering everything.
- And you've understood all this, like only seven years?