To keep track of time spent inside the chamber, Angakok had designed there to be a day and night cycle so that Max and his instructors would have a sense of time passage.

The day after their basic discussion it was finally time to start the training to master [ Way Of The Wind ]

” The first task in mastering the second level and harmonising with the wind is to understand the language of the wind.

For now you only feel the subtle change in the steady wind currents around you, but you don’t understand the meaning behind them in nature.

If you feel hot wind blowing near your nose but a cooler breeze flowing near your feet what does this mean?

If the wind carries a scent from a particular direction but it smells different from what it would be in close range, then what does that mean?

Why do wind currents form in nature, why does wind flow the way that it does?

These are all questions that you don’t understand yet and to harmonise with the wind you need to understand the reasoning behind all these questions and much more.

I shall not teach you about these answers, these answers shall be taught to you by the wind itself.

From today onwards, till you learn the language of the wind, you shall be blindfolded and your training routine will just involve walking aimlessly throughout the time chamber sensing your surroundings and trying to make inferences, while every 7 days me and you shall sit down and have a discussion about your progress ” Kremeth said as he offered a silky smooth blindfold to Max to put on himself as they were to begin the first phase of their training which involved Max learning the language of the wind.

Max took the blindfold and covered his eyes, putting faith in master Kremeth and his teaching methods knowing that if he followed them religiously he was bound to make significant gains.

While the training did not sound physically straining or particularly difficult, it was a test of comprehension whose goal was for Max to learn to start harmonising with the wind.

Once he put the blindfold on and tried to perceive the surroundings Max found himself standing in the heart of the vast plain that constituted the Time Chamber’s inner environment. Blindfolded and feeling a sense of both trepidation and excitement, he began the first day of this exercise.

Max had to traverse the terrain relying solely on the subtle changes in the wind, essentially seeing the world through the eyes of the wind itself.

With his eyes shut-off and his perception dependent on the first level of the [ way of the wind ] that he had already mastered, at his current stage, he could hear the gentle rustling of leaves in the distance and the faint sound of the wild flora and fauna, all contributing to the symphony of the wind.

Taking his first step, Max let his feet sink slightly into the soft ground as he was greeted by a playful gust that swept across the plains, carrying with it an orchestra of sensations. It was like trying to decode a foreign language, with every fluctuation in temperature and intensity conveying a unique message.

With each subsequent step, Max felt a change in the wind. A gust from the left signalled a small brook that bubbled joyously. A warmer, softer breeze informed him of the canopy of the forest close by.

He felt like a baby once more, someone who had no idea about what things were supposed to be called, yet he was sure that through repeated exercise he would be able to tell what every type of wind and every fluctuation in it truly meant to convey.

As the days began to pass, Max began to understand the profundity of his task. The wind was a language of feeling, of change, of rhythm, and deciphering it was like trying to find order in chaos. There were patterns, yes, but they were layered and complex, interwoven with each other in a way that was almost dizzying. Every gust carried with it a flood of information and Max found himself overwhelmed more often than not.

But with each day, Max continued to walk, to listen, and to feel. The sun would rise and fall, the moon would take its place in the night sky, but Max’s routine remained constant.

Every seventh day, Kremeth would join Max in his small wooden abode and they would discuss the progress he was making. Max would describe the sensations he experienced, the patterns he thought he saw, and Kremeth would patiently guide him, offering insights and asking questions that forced Max to delve deeper into his understanding.

Max’s senses, deprived of sight, started to heighten in other areas. The warmth of the sun on his skin became a way for him to map the passage of the day. The chill in the air would warn him of an impending rain. Even the shifts in the quality of the wind itself started to take on meaning.

The salty wind from the east told him he was near the sea. A damp wind rustling through the foliage informed him he was entering the forest. He began to identify the subtle differences in temperature and humidity, the signs of a coming storm or the onset of a sunny day.

This training was unlike any other Max had undergone before. There was no intense physical exertion, no external enemy to fight, only himself and the world he was learning to see through new eyes. It was a humbling experience, one that taught him patience, focus and a deep appreciation for the subtleties of the natural world.

Yet, Max understood that he was still far from mastering this phase of his training. The language of the wind was intricate, full of subtleties and nuances that he was only beginning to grasp. He had taken the first steps towards understanding the wind, but he knew he had a long road ahead.

His nights were often filled with dreams where he was flying with the wind, feeling its pulse and rhythm, understanding its whispers. Waking up, he would often feel a pang of disappointment realising it was just a dream.

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/// A/N – Chapter 3 of 6

Sponsored by – Cervantez91

Note to reader – The following chapters will follow a diary style with many chapters covering the span of 1-5 years in a single chapter ///