hey guys, it's getting harder to find time to write. but I see that some are checking in so I'm encouraged to continue. It's going to be a looooooong story and I'm trying my best to have a coherent world building and stick to the original material.

Here is the first part of chapter 6. I'm posting it so I don't linger on it anymore. I'll update it in the week end . Have a good read !

CHAPTER 6 : training 101

Hao is unhappy, he questions if he should really let her take control of his followers as she did. Did she take control… the revelations she made shook the budding shamans, all he needed to do was to reassure them and they would feed right into his hand again. But he doesn't like that. Truth be told he would rather face the shaman fight on his own. He is confident in his power. Even if a wife dropped from another time, questioned all his plans and defied him in front of his recruits. His mana should be enough to defeat any enemies that comes to him, allies or not. But the shaman fight requires a team. He exhales audibly to let go of his grief, he could just see how this played out, more powers is always good and she was offering him so much. He looks at the newly appointed master, she's fidgeting . Her little dress flaps in the wind, she wasn't complaining but…

"Aren't you cold ?" he asks.

In the camp most are wearing heavy sweaters, some keep underneath blankets to shelter themselves from the winter wind.

"Are you ever cold ?" she questions back.

The onmyoji thinks for a second, no he isn't but he had to endure harsh winters in his youth.

"We are fire wilders, SoF keeps us warm". The girls dressed for summer answers.

He frowns, it doesn't make sense to him. He isn't really cold either but he is wearing thick pants. His poncho is still in the tipi, or what was a tipi before their morning escapade.

"You should at least wear a coat."

Asahana looks at him and smiles with rosy cheeks "You're cute".

Thankfully, most of his followers are not within earshot of this conversation, they are finishing the clean up and deciding if they should really come to train.

"You don't eat properly, you don't dress for the weather. You asked me to help you so make the minimum effort to care for your body. What do you usually wear ? I'll have someone shop for you"

"Ah people want to dress me again…" she's taken back to her memories from the last time she was on earth once more. If she could walk around in her birthday suit she would do just that, but other humans didn't like that. She did have style preferences… and she should probably give the dress back to ensure a good relationship with Kana.

_ "If you have a long fabric piece I can make some sari pants with it. I like warm tones like orange or yellow"

_ " Are you from India Master Asahana ?" Luchist says coming towards the two Asakuras

_ " Just Master" she pouts, looking annoyed.

_ "I couldn't help but notice that you look a bit different then Lord Hao" He is embarrassed, understanding he might've been impolite.

_ "I was born in that part of the world that is India. Although it will have changed by my time of birth"

Hao allowed himself to look a little longer at his wife, her eyes still had an almond shape, but were larger than his, and so blue… Her slim shoulder looked wider than his, with longer arms, and of course her skin was significantly darker than his. They were different but looked like cousins nonetheless, he couldn't quite understand why.

_ "That thick forehead transcends all generations, yes." The one being observed brakes the silence

He is taken by surprise just like Luchist, so much that he couldn't be mad, he settles on storming off.

_" I'll have someone find that for you then"

He walks very quickly, his wife turns to the priest:

_" Did I vex him ? It's good to have a thick forehead."

The tall italian is speechless, thankfully they are joined by Mohammed, Peyote and ZangChing. More than what she thought. The coach is on her mission.

_ Let's get right into it. So, none of you could see mana radiating from our fingers with Opacho?

They shake their heads to say no.

_ You may have awakened your visions of ghosts because you were in contact with death, or you were born to a family that encouraged you to see them. Spirits tied to this earth with remorse are the easiest to see. They want you to see them. If you fully awaken your vision you will see chakras have the power to distort the world, human spirits and animal spirits are just the surface, you are surrounded by energy that has will and shifts the living and the dead's will. You have to become aware of that.

_How do we see ?

_ Willpower and laissé allé

_laissé allé ?

_ I thinks it's a french expression. It means to let go. This material world was given to you as a crib to consolidate your beliefs, you have to surrender your power of decision to understand you are not fully in control of your actions and also fight your own self to see the world as it is.

_Surrender and fight back ?

This is all very unclear to the shamans. Ah if she could just show them it would be much easier, but of course it's not.

_ You are going to meditate every day, surrender your will, chant your desire to see the world as it is. But baby steps.

Sensing this is too much for her new pupils, she switches her tone swiftly.

_ How do you feel when Hao is here ?

Some gulp audibly, the feeling of fear rises in them.

_You could understand he was powerful right away didn't you ?

_ I saw what Lord Hao could do, says Turbine, the bullets bounced back against him, and he pushed highly trained soldiers back in a matter of minutes.

_That's in combat, what about when he's around the camp.

They did not dare speak.

_Hao makes his intentions menacing all the 's why you are so scared of him.

They were all panicked right away, ZangChing looks behind his shoulder to check where his lord is.

_ Hey we both knew that, there's no need to pitipat like mice in a box.

"What a weird expression.." think Luchist

_Okay How do you feel around me ?

_ I knew you had a strong mana when you approached, Luchist answers

_That's good, what else ?

There's a short silence. The Zang Ching

_ At first I didn't think anything, but then on your face I could see… That you would kill me.

_Hum well I wasn't really bloodthirsty… but at least you could tell I'm lethal for you.

He gulped again.

_I'm going to put your hand to your heart and make you feel my intention.

Zangching wants to take a step back but locks his feet in place. Asahana knows he is reluctant.

_ A volonteer ?

Mohammed steps forward.

The teacher puts her hand on the man's chest. She's thinking of engulfing him in a blanket of confort.

_How do you feel ?

He's slightly embarrassed: "Warm"

Asahana drops her head to the ground so he can't read her face. She thinks of choking him. The moroccan man gasps and steps back.

_What was it ?

_ Me.. menacing

_ I have really high furyoku, if I don't hide my intentions they are quite easy to pick up. I'm also a very honest person, I hate hiding things. Other people like ZangChing are more difficult to read because they want to hide all the time. Luchist is also better at hiding his heart.

Both Shamans are left speechless, they don't know if they should defend themselves .

_ "These comments are not accusation. You do what you want. Now Turbine put your hand on my heart."

The man backs up entirely, underneath his scarf he is red like a tomato.

"I couldn't possibly !"

"What's the holdup ? the heart is a very important chakra point"

Peyote steps forward and lifts a hand to his new teacher. Asahana advances towards him. His hand hovers over her chest, but doesn't touch skin.

"I want Hao to become shaman king, I want to serve him to my end"

_Hum now that's a problem, your intention have to be very direct to influence another.

Peyote understands, he hums as he focus on his heart.

_ "That's very good Peyote, you want to be strong"

The shaman was happy, another one who worked on praise. Cute little pup.

_"Now since you are four you will pair up. I want you to give three intention each, at the end you will concert to say what you intended and what the other felt. Five minutes and then switch partners !"

And they did so, after they were finished their teacher had them medidate. But only Tabarsi was able to focus so she switched the other to breath work teaching them to enter a trance. That still did not work for ZangChing and Luchist. Baby steps. She could put time on her side. The others around the camp observed. Matilda was trying to lift the mood of Marion by snickering jokes to her, but the young girls didn't laugh . Kana had listened to Asahana's teaching from affar, she went to train by herself. All in all this was not going like the new coach would've liked it. Blocken was coming to the conclusion that if he could not help in the shaman fight he would make himself useful wherever else he could, after he prepared lunch for the trainees with Kouji, he went to get more food and supplies for the camp.

Hao came back around lunch time with Opacho sleeping in his arms. The four willing trainees threw themselves on the food. He could see the teacher had something else on her mind.

"You need to eat as well" he hands her an onigiri. She grabs it, shoves it in her mouth and stomps off in the direction Kana went.

He watches her and turns to his team ."Are you really that bad ?"

The novice's eyes are dark. He can see in their mind that they are not happy with themselves. Except Turbine who was determined and not really listening to anything. The future King settled to eat with the crew so he could gather more information on what training had went down. Maybe he should have stuck around ? "shit teacher eh ?"

But when the discourse she had made was replaying in the shamans' toughts he found himself humbled as well. Luchist in particular was repeating her explanation of energy vision over and over like it were an enigma he had to solve. The onmyoji thought about it, this as well was an advanced technique, he had only had true need for it a few times, his shamaninc oracle was based on it but he had made it easier. He closed his eyes to test how he was doing, and in doing so, he felt mana pooling somewhere behind him. Huge amount being moved from deep within the earth into… he didn't know. it seemed to spiral inside itself like a syphon. He was about to go investigate when of course the teacher came back, looking tired, but relieved.

" I made training grounds" she announced. She had been gone for less than an hour. The girl grabs the giant bottle of mineral water the shaman had been serving cups from, and starts inhaling large amounts of it. She dropped to the floor when she had her fill.

"Master are you okay?" Luchist asks.

"Yeah. just needed water."

The food was mostly gone, but Hao still had some in front of him. He was thinking about offering it to her… or ordering her to eat again.

"When you are done you can head five hundred meters downstream, I'm going to find Kana"

She's about to get up, but Hao pulls her down. He put the plate in front of her and glares. Then he says in a voice that melts menace and sweetness: " Please explain the aim of today's training again while you eat".

His wife looks at what she's handed and sighs, she concedes to taste a little white ball that happens to be a red bean mochi. Yummy.

"Feeling of your own energy and the ones that surround you is essential in many techniques, it ensure you can take the best strategic decisions."She takes another mochi from the plate.

"Which is why I created the shamanic oracle technique."Hao assures.

_" That is energy reading in an applied manner, but it is not sufficient. Energy vision is essential to unlock an opponent's secrets and helps you understand your place in the world and realize your potential"

_"Please demonstrate"

She swallowed the last sweet and exhaled deeply. One time. Two times. When she inhaled for the third time she opened her eyes. Most of the energy here was static, the shamans were like heavy stones. Behind her she felt her husband connected to her. His aura irradiated like flames. Hers was chipped, like a fabric that had piece torn from it. And a little bit further, Opacho, she was connected to the earth like strings to a puppeteer. She was meant to take her nap, however she rises and wobbles towards the group. Spirit of Fire, the little star, stopped their demon hunt to go towards the little one.

"Opacho. See. Everything." she declares on deep voice that shakes the camp.

The shaman's energy sunk within themselves, hiding from what they were seeing.

The little african who couldn't talk and favored being carried over walking was standing tall with her eyes white. Asahana on the contrary offers herself to her, the seer hooked on the fabric of Asahana'mana and pulled herself towards her. Spirit of Fire is watching.

"What is happening ?" asks Peyote

The seer turns her white glazed eyes to the shaman. The future king pulls her to him and out of her trance.

"Hao-sama?"

"Don't exert yourself Opacho, you are still little, it's nap time"

"Did.. did this kid just use energy vision ?" Zangching exclaims.

"Yes she did, Opacho is the reincarnation of a God afterall."

The teacher lays down on the grass, she roots herself in the earth. She had done so just moments ago to set up a new dimension. But this time this was for her. She needs the stability, to sooth her impatience. She stretches her hand to her husband, but he pulls away. So she closes her eyes again, and when she reopens them the stones are human again. They are focused on what they thought was only a child. Hao's face is disgruntled. The rest of the team looks to her for more explanations.

"You are shamans, one of you made a pact with a djinn, another spurts ectoplasm, the one you follow uses the embodiment of fire. This is the world you live in. It is as it is if you want to see it." and with that the teacher gets up and leaves..

Silence again.

" You should go meet your teacher like she asked," Hao says after listening to his disciples's minds."