Chapter 13:
Breathe

Rini

Rini breathed in the crisp spring air.

She felt a cool breeze whooshing through her nostrils, before drawing it down into her belly, and expanding her tummy out as Nouka had instructed her to. There she paused a moment, before allowing the now warmer air to rush out between her parted lips.

Pause.

Then she started all over again.

In and out. Focus on the control and not the ant which had started to crawl across her boot and now was slowly making its way up her pant leg. It was hard though, and she squirmed, clenching her eyes shut, hoping if she ignored it that the ant would disappear.

It didn't work and after a moment she was on her feet, shaking her left leg erratically, slapping at her skin to keep the insect from crawling into places it really shouldn't go. After a tense few seconds of flailing about, her hand found purchase and the light tickling feeling which set her nerves on fire stopped. Still, the damage was done, and she was much too agitated now to really be in any sort of calm state of mind.

Then again, meditative breathing was anything but easy. Ant or no ant.

Her bottom would start to ache from the cold earth when she sat cross-legged next to her new teacher by their tree home. Her nose would itch. Her mind would run away, chasing curious thoughts and plans for the day that were not yet ripe to be picked. Sometimes, more frequently than she dare admit, they lingered in the past. Sometimes they were pleasant thoughts, like Mom pulling apples out of storage to make apple crisp to celebrate her coming home with a glowing review from her teacher, saying she had been put on an accelerated course of study because she was already further along than some of her peers. Rini had never seen Mom cry before, but even now she recalled her strong arms wrapping around her much smaller frame whispering how proud she was.

However, that memory was always followed by the cold chill of when her fingers pressed against her mother as she shook her body, trying to wake her up, not knowing Farore had plucked her from them in the middle of the night.

Add in it was hard enough to concentrate, swatting away memories of death with Nouka sitting there, making tomato plants blossom and bear their ruby red fruit before them in less than a minute. The first day, she could not focus at all on the breathing techniques he had instructed her in. Her eyes must have been bulging from their sockets like overripe fruit of their own for the hours Nouka sat before the large garden but small crop that lived in the "yard" of his home. Depending on the day, he would grow what the village needed and wait for the next day to grow something else.

Not that she had never seen magic before. After all, Auntie Amaya was the best mage there was. She just wasn't used to seeing this kind of magic. Castle Town was more of a market place than an agricultural scene. She had seen more combat-focused magic during the Day of Wisdom magic tournaments that were held once a year and occasionally kids from the magic academy showing off in the streets before they were caught by their teachers or the guards. Perhaps it was her recent scrap with starvation that made the plant magic before her all the more mystical. More curious were the faintly glowing green mana points Nouka drank when he said he was low on mana.

Finally, she just decided to ask him what the point of all this special breathing was. A smile grew on his face like the tomato that matured in his garden. However, his eyes remained serenely closed.

"Magic requires three components in order to work. The first one is focus. Only a disciplined mind has strong enough focus to direct mana with intention into their invocations."

Rini blinked at the answer, wondering if this was one big riddle she was supposed to solve. Not that she understood the clues. Intentions? Invocations? What language was he speaking? Zoran? His smile broadened as if he heard her thoughts, though she had not voiced them.

"How can you bring something into reality if you do not find it in yourself first?" he asked.

"Um …" What? Was he saying that she needed to set herself on fire or something for her to produce fire? She liked fire, sure, but she had no interest in burning herself regardless of fascination. Or was Nouka actually a lynx in disguise with all these riddles? "I feel like that would hurt, is there an easier way?"

Nouka did not answer at first. Just his soft exhale through his nose. The tomato bush that was maturing a couple yards from them finished blooming. An aid of his bussled over and started dusting the flowers with pollen so that he could continue the process to get the fruit of the bush.

He opened his eyes and turned his head toward her to give her his full attention at last. "Rini, did you ever have a friend that only you could see?"

The girl frowned thoughtfully as she wrinkled her nose. Friends for her were not hard to come by, and she had no shortage of people to spend time with. Even when her other friends might be busy, Ven always made time for her.

Still …

"Anna talks to me," she ventured finally. "And only I can hear her."

Which is weird considering how much Ven always bitched about everything being so loud all the damn time.

He nodded. "If you are distracted, is it harder to hear Anna speak?"

She tilted her head curiously. Right now Anna wasn't speaking, but she mostly spoke at night or when she was alone. Plus, she wasn't sure about Nouka. Anna said nobody would be this nice to a couple of orphans for no reason. Sakriven taught them that.

"Anna's not rude and doesn't talk when there's other things going on," she stated with a slight lift of her nose in the air. "She has manners."

At that, she gave a sidelong glance to her brother, wishing he would learn how to be more polite. She would say it's because of the stress of the Gerudo attack, but Ventus always lacked any sort of consideration when he talked. It got him in trouble quite a few times with Mom and once or twice with Dad. Unlike her, who learned what not to do from just watching him, he seemed to keep doing the same thing over and over again.

Nouka smiled, his hands folding together in his lap. "She speaks because you will it so. In a way, you are her creator. Magic is much the same. It's a highly creative process, but one that requires focus."

"So you're saying Anna will talk to me more if I want her to? And I can make magic if I want to? But I need to focus?" she asked slowly, the pieces clicking into place while making a mental note to talk to Anna more. "Which is why … I need to focus on breathing?"

"Precisely," he confirmed. "Focus will help you channel, control your intent and mana. Yet, it's also a non-control. The key to focus is to relax. Don't try to control your breath, Rini. Be aware of it. This process helps hone your focus and clear your mind. If your mind is busy buzzing with too much, it will not be able to focus adequately."

Half his words went straight over her head, much to her frustration. However, she did get the core message out of it; if she wanted to set things on fire she needed to be able to focus. Clearing her mind was a bit hard, but if she put all her attention on one thing, wasn't that focusing too? Like when she studied for school. It wasn't hard when she sat down and put her mind to it. Really, she never understood why Ven struggled so much in things which didn't somehow correlate to clothing and fighting.

"I see," she said, more to herself than anyone else.

"Rini! What the fuck!" Ven snapped, and she turned to look back at her brother who was holding his ears and glowering at her irritably. Rolling her eyes, she extended a middle finger to him. Seriously, Anna was right. He was so sensitive.

Nouka's green brow bunched in puzzlement and near concern at her brother. "Is there something the matter, Ventus?"

"It's nothing," he grumbled, still rubbing at an ear. "Rini's just being loud is all. Again."

"Stop being a baby," she shot back at him.

"Now, children," interrupted the caster, "settle down… Ventus, doesn't Rosaline need your assistance?"

Ven glared for half a second, before snatching his "masterpiece" like he was some elite artist and stomping off, muttering something under his breath she couldn't hear. It wasn't a huge leap to know he was just bitching again. Rini watched him go before rolling her eyes, turning back to Nouka.

"He's always been like that," she found herself saying, lifting her nose up again. "Don't pay him much mind."

She knew that Mom always took Ven's sensitive hearing into account when he was snooping about, and while she knew perhaps Nouka deserved to know to take that into consideration too, ever since they got here Anna had been insisting they shouldn't trust the caster. Which was weird, since Anna and Ven rarely agreed on anything at all. Thankfully Ven was good at getting into things, and he was probably the best to put Anna's worries at rest. So for now at least she would stay quiet.

"Hm, very well," he hummed at her explanation. "Now, I have another mental exercise for you. It involves the mana points in the body that we all have."

"The what?" Rini was starting to wonder if he was just making stuff up to mess with her. She thought magic was just about focusing on stuff. Now it had points as well?

Ventus

Holding up a pair of dark brown pants up to the setting sun as he walked down the well-worn path from Rosaline's house, a hum of approval rumbled in Ven's throat. It took a good while not only picking the cotton–grown courtesy of Nouka–but to gather the dandelion roots he needed to dye it a rich brown, which would help with keeping it nice regardless of the weather outside. It didn't matter how dirty you got it if you couldn't see the dirt after all. More importantly, it meant he didn't have to wear these out-of-fashion hand-me-downs anymore.

What he excited him most were the extra things he had included in the design. Rosaline helped him figure out where it would look the best and be most practical for some extra pockets to be, and helped him with the drawstring around his waist, but most of it was his work. Smiling to himself, he recalled how impressed the tailor was with his latest project when he walked into her shop to help her with the village's tailoring. She was already so impressed with the jacket he made Rini, a vibrant yellow which matched her hair and was well suited for the spring time rather than the muted colors of the winter, and said he had a keen eye for design. He already knew he was a genius with a thread and needle, but Rosaline did this for a living, and had for some time. So it was nice to be acknowledged for something he always knew for once.

Even the villagers who didn't know much about the intricacies of needlework seemed to acknowledge him. A couple of them had asked him to do small things–a pair of gloves, a hat–which he had come back with in record time. Each time he gave it to them, a smile would light across their face and for a moment he could see stars in their eyes. It was a look he normally only got to see in Rini's face. Adults hadn't really looked at him with such awe and amazement before. Some hadn't even looked at him at all, no matter how hard he tried.

Folding the pants with care over his arm, goddesses forbid they get wrinkled, his mind wandered back to Nouka explaining magic theory to Rini this morning and the enraptured look which danced on her face–a feat he knew from personal experience was no easy task. His stomach pinched at the memory, and he squeezed his eyes shut, the desire to cast magic himself too once again overwhelmed him.

You're a Sheikah warrior, he reminded himself, pushing the urge down violently. Sheikah warriors don't do fire magic.

But … he wasn't sure if Sheikah did any actual magic at all. He had asked the old man he trained with in the evenings if he knew any Sheikah sword moves only to get a throaty laugh laced with bitterness and a, "those died with the Sheikah m'boy."

It was a frustrating answer to receive, especially since he was right there, but for now it seemed like there was more time to figure this mysterious heritage of his out. The eyes which once surrounded him while in Sakirven had all but disappeared. There were a few he could sense from time to time, and he would stare real hard to see if he could see who was there, like Mom and Eli could. Yet nothing ever appeared.

Perhaps he should stop while he was ahead, especially if he was a descendant of Aliyah Kali. He already broke one Sheikah law by eating the dead. What if he broke another?

Still even if he wasn't able to do Sheikah things just yet, he was far from useless between helping out at the tailors and cooking meals for Rini and Nouka whenever they got in late. It sometimes hurt a bit when Nouka praised him for his cooking, but it hurt more when tears began to silently drip down Rini's eyes as she would shove pieces of bread into her mouth. Nouka had asked what was wrong the first time, but after learning they were children of a baker, knew enough to let things be.

Ven didn't really know what happened earlier either; he had been watching Rini practicing her breathing as Nouka explained it to her. Rini had though, which he guessed was important. Then again she always got this stuff quickly and sometimes in the past would try to help him with schoolwork when Mom was too busy even though he could totally get it; it wasn't his fault it was boring.

He wasn't stupid, no matter what anybody else said.

So he had tried doing the breathing exercises earlier, just to prove he could, but it being so early in the morning, he would fall back asleep or get lost in his own mind and plans for his special project. If he was still in school, he was sure that he would get a tongue lashing for not doing what he was supposed to even though the old hag had droned on in a way which made it impossible to stay awake. The only person who actually looked like they were paying attention was Willow who would sit in the front row and wave her hand around so much he sometimes hoped it would smack the crone on the ass since her lips had seemed to be missing the mark.

Yet this time, for a second, it felt like the world was holding its breath and then the next thing he knew Rini was yelling "I see!" in his ear.

What the fuck is her problem anyway, he thought, kicking a stone. Everyone was always so loud, but at least Rini tended to be quieter for him knowing how much it hurt him sometimes with the neverending chaos of sound going on around him. So why the hell did she scream?

Watching the stone clatter and roll to a stop next to a tree, he paused when he noticed something rustling in the grass. His ears twitched as there was a mournful "who" which sounded so pitifully weak it reminded him for a second of the sick bay in Sakirven where Rini was fighting for her own life just a few months ago. Bile crept up his throat at the unwanted memory, and he forced it down, his feet already moving toward the sound.

Stopping at the base of the tree, he wasn't totally surprised to see it wasn't a person but instead a little owl chick turning its wide dark eyes up at him. He let out a breath of relief, his heart slowing its suddenly rapid beat. For something which was supposed to have feathers, he had never seen anything look so fluffy.

Still he wasn't stupid. Owls meant death.

It was just a fact of life Uncle Killian had told him since he was a child. They stalked their prey at night and they called to the dead, and if you answered them, your soul was ripe for the taking. Everyone knew that, and even though Ethan, and occasionally Rini, would try to goad him into playing the owl game when they were younger. However, Ventus kept to common sense back then. They were an ill omen best avoided when possible.

Still, the warnings of yesteryear had slipped from his mind as Ventus watched the labored breathing of a small chick. Glancing around, he scaled the tree, scooting up to top of the branches looking for a nest but finding none. Jumping back down, he once again circled the chick, its large eyes watching him, pleading with him.

We can't just leave it here. For a moment, Ventus found himself standing at the Temple of Time, near the small grove, as Leita bent down and scooped up the small little bird and looked at him imploringly. It will die. We need to help it!

Throat constricting, Ven gently picked up the small little thing. Last time, they had run to the castle looking for Auntie Amaya but ran into Garrik, who was on a date with Tessa, instead. The knight had not only helped heal the little chick, but put it back where it belonged. Now though, there was no Garrik and while Auntie Amaya was only a stone's throw away, there wasn't enough time to get to her before the little thing died.

That just left Nouka.

"Please don't mean death," he pleaded to the little chick, unconsciously checking to see if he could sense any spirits around, cradling it as best as he could before sprinting off to Nouka's house, going as fast as he dared to with his delicate cargo.

Nouka was making dinner when he burst in when he knocked–well, kicked–on the door, Rini being the one to open it. Rushing right up to the older man, he shoved the little owlet into his face with a demand of–

"Heal it!"

It took the caster a moment, blinking and focusing his eyes on the tiny creature to realize what was happening. "Ah, where did you find this, Ventus?"

"On the ground outside!"

Ven stood on his tip toes and tried to push it further into Nouka's face. This wasn't the time for idle conversation, even as he could hear Rini's incredulous–"Is that an owl?!"

"It's hurt, and it's breathing weakly, and you need to heal it before it dies!"

Nouka took in his expression for a breath before nodding, holding his hands out, cupping together, to receive it. Ven dumped the owl into his hands before instructing him to "be careful" and took a step back, watching him to make sure Nouka did it. He may not be able to cast magic, but he recalled what words Garrik had said when he healed the little birdy.

"Kono karada to shite kōzan baransu keiyu ishi." The same soft blue aura emitted from Nouka's person as it had the morning after they came to Sickle's Hollow. It also enveloped the little bird, just a white puff of feathers in his hands. After a moment, the light faded, and the chick was now tilting its head, gazing around with its large eyes.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Ven reached out and gently stroked its head.

"Wow, for someone who has always been so scared of owls you sure were worried about this one," Rini said, coming over to look at it too. "It's cute … in an ugly kinda way."

"It's not like there's any spirits around this time," Ven grumbled, his face burning briefly. He had completely valid reasons to not want to play a game which was supposed to summon Aliyah Kali if you found an owl and called her name three times. He wasn't lost on the irony now, but the thing shouldn't suffer even if it had a connection to Aliyah Kali. "You guys always wanted to play the owl game in the graveyard where there were dead people."

Nouka's lips twitched with amusement at their banter. "Was there a nest nearby that you could return this young one to?"

Ven shook his head.

"I climbed the tree and looked to see if the mama was worried," he said. "I think it's alone."

Like us, came the unbidden thought, but he shoved it to the side. They were orphans, sure, but it didn't mean they were alone. They had each other for a start and a village which actually cared about them.

Nouka hummed to himself for a moment before offering the chick back to Ventus. "We can check more thoroughly in the morning. For now we will do our best to provide a warm and safe environment."

The caster then helped him make a nest for the chick out of spare strips of cloth and yarn. The baby owl was deposited into it and placed inside another wooden box, so that it would not wander and get itself hurt. They finished dinner and Rini was collapsed into a little heap by the fireplace, sound asleep, while Ventus kept a watchful eye on the owl and Nouka finished putting the food and dishes away.

While he still couldn't sense those eyes watching every move he made, it didn't mean that they wouldn't come, especially now that they had an owl. It was annoying when only the Poes revealed themselves, since Mom and Eli could somehow just activate their Sheikah powers to see things.

I should have asked Mom how to do it, he thought, pressing his lips together. She had said not to tell anybody about the eyes, probably because he didn't look Sheikah enough.

Or maybe it's because she knows you'll fuck it up, like you always do, the nasty voice murmured again, which he promptly ignored.

Glancing over at Nouka, he appraised him. He looked old. Well, old enough to have at least known the Sheikah before the genocide. Plus, he knew a lot about stuff and didn't seem to be scared of the little owl. There was no reason to think he would throw a fit over Ven looking more Hylian than Sheikah. So it was probably okay to ask if he knew.

"Hey, how do you see dead people?"

The caster's lithe fingers slipped on a wooden bowl and barely caught it in time to avoid it clattering to the floor. His head swished to look at him directly from across the small living space. His brown eyes were wide in shock as he gently put the bowl away.

"I–uh, that's something only necromancers can do," he answered finally.

"Nu uh," Ven corrected. "Sheikah can do it, and I know I don't have the eyes or hair to prove it, but I come from a Sheikah family. So I can do it too if I just figure out how. You were around before they were all killed right? Or was that one of their Sheikah secrets?"

Nouka pursed his lips, his hands slipping into the opposing sleeves of his robes as he lowered himself down into a seat at the table with Ventus. They had only the dim light of the fire to illuminate their faces. There was a troubled wrinkle in the caster's forehead. His eyes did not yet meet Ventus'.

"It is true that Sheikah were often capable of death magic," he breathed, still not meeting the boy's eyes. "This often gifted them with the ability to commune with the dead. However, such things were only trusted in their hands."

"So you don't know," he said, frowning, not sure what the hell "Death magic" was–He had never heard of it before. "And now they're all dead, so the only person who knows is Lady Impa." He paused for a second. That would probably explain then why she had approached Eli. Asshole was always smart, he probably figured out how to do it already by himself. Either that Auntie Amaya taught him. After all, thinking about it, she was probably from a Sheikah family too.

Wait … if she was from a Sheikah family–

"Or Auntie Amaya might know," he mused thoughtfully. "She is probably someone they taught. Or figured it out herself. Everyone in that family is super smart, it's kinda unfair sometimes. Ah! But don't tell Eli that. He's already annoying as is."

The shadows in Nouka's face did not relent. He shook his head. "Amaya knew better than to dabble in such things. She has no Sheikah blood. She and the Serwens are fully Hylian."

It was then he reached out to grasp Ven's hand. His fingers were cold and strong with fear. His eyes finally raised to his.

"Ventus, please understand, this magic is dangerous. I understand it is part of your heritage, but promise me you will not attempt it without the guidance of a Sheikah."

Ventus didn't understand. He didn't have magic. He wasn't trying to do anything bad. He just wanted to see and talk to spirits like his mom and Eli could. Maybe he could even help some people say good-bye, because he sure as hell didn't get the chance to. Still the rapid heartbeat of Nouka made him nervous.

"I'm not trying to do magic I don't have," he said, licking his lips. "I can feel them around. There isn't any here right now. If they appear they usually last a couple days at the most before disappearing. I was just thinking, with the owl, if it attracts spirits it would be good to know who is here. That's all. Plus, if they have anything they wanna say I think that in the absence of any full-blooded Sheikah it falls to me to pass along any messages. What's so dangerous about that? I've seen my mom and Eli do it, and they were never in any danger. I mean besides the fact they looked crazy, but you know."

The caster sighed heavily. "Regardless of your intentions, there is none here who can assist you. Your intentions are honorable, but sometimes good intentions are not enough."

Ventus frowned but hummed, making a mental note to be sure to go find Auntie Amaya soon. He knew that Nouka believed they were fully Hylian, but it wasn't like he was close to them like his family was. After all, after you start showing signs of Hylian blood, any Sheikah blood you have fails to matter.

It wasn't worth fighting over this sort of thing. He wasn't sure why it was the case, but it seemed like it was another thing that was "just because." Something he was supposed to just understand without any sort of proper explanation.

Just like why the Gerudo were evil and why they were doing all this, even though they had such pretty clothing and were always laughing in the market square before they attacked Castle Town. Or why getting married was so important for adult Hylians even though they could easily wear their nice clothes whenever they wanted. Zoras and Gorons didn't always observe the same tradition of getting married. While Ven loved the idea of being in a relationship like Mom and Dad had, he also knew of marriages which were miserable for all involved because Hylians insisted that getting married at least once was so important. Uncle Killian never got married and people, for some reason, wouldn't shut up about it even though he was doing the honorable thing and not ruining something which should only be done out of pure love and adoration simply to get a stamp like he was aiming to get a discount at some farmer's market.

And he was tired of "just because." His eyes wandered back to the owl, and with that he made up his mind.

They couldn't linger anymore. Before summer arrived, they would need to leave and be with the Serwens no matter what anybody would say.