After the two sisters finished their breakfast, they headed to the library. Em grabbed all the books on her recommended list while Mai found a quiet table in the back corner. The younger sister returned with a pile of books in her arms and dropped them on the desk with a loud thud. The older grabbed one of them and read.

“You act like I just placed a plate of fresh cookies on the desk.”

Mai laughed. “Sorry. I have no self-control.”

“You are so weird.”

Em began writing with considerable effort at the expressions on her face. Mai deduced. Every so often, her face contorted as if it pained her. Mai couldn't watch her sister any longer, so she buried her nose in a book.

“What is an Empath?” Em asked, looking at her paper as if it had personally offended her.

Mai looked up from her book and raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“This stupid assignment we have to do. We have to write essays on every type of Paladin so we understand everyone’s vital part in battle.” Em scoffed.

“So, will your teacher assign an essay for the vital roles that Knights have?” Mai asked bitterly.

“Probably not. According to her, they just chop chop and die. That’s their task in battle.”

Mai’s fists balled up around the edges of the book.

“But let’s focus on the most important thing here. Me.”

Mai placed her book on the table with a huff then moved closer to Em to see what she had written so far.

“First of all, dear sister, you are not the most important thing. Secondly, we should not treat knights in such a way.”

“Blah blah blah... I’ll join your little human rights club after I’m finished with my essay.”

“You’re a jerk and I shouldn’t help you with it,” Mai said, reaching for her book.

“But I’m your sister and you love me.” Em looked up at her sister with a pout and wide, sad eyes.

Mai sighed and sat next to her sister.

“Empaths are people who can feel what others are going through. They can feel other people's emotions.”

“So, all empaths are Jovials.”

“No. But all Jovials are empaths.”

“What?” Em’s brow furrowed.

“Being an empath is a side effect of the Goddess' blessing to someone with the Jovial conjuration, but regular Aerians can be empaths without being a Paladin.”

“Okay.” Em wrote what Mai was saying. “But how does being an empath help with your conjuration?”

“Em, I’m not writing this essay for you.”

“I didn’t say you were. I’m just interviewing a reliable source. You’re more interesting than a stupid old textbook.”

“I know you’re just buttering me up, but I’ll play along. Jovials must know the person's needs in order for their conjuration to be the most effective. This is helpful when a person is unconscious or unable to say what they need. They may need pain relief or their nerves calmed.”

Em hummed in agreement as she wrote Mai’s answers to her questions. “How do you feel people’s feelings?”

“It depends on how strong their feelings are. Sometimes I can sense what’s needed by walking into the room. If the person is skilled at hiding their feelings, I may need to touch them and concentrate hard on extracting that information.”

“That sounds hard.”

“It is. You must acknowledge your own feelings, and connect with the universe’s energy.”

“The universe’s energy?”

Mai nodded her head. “We, as humans, are linked to the universe. It’s like an umbilical cord. We connect as empaths to that life force, which means we can connect to other humans.”

“That’s pretty interesting,” Em said as she scribbled the information her sister gave. “You should be the one teaching the lessons. I don’t get this much out of the course as I do within just five minutes. And I'm seriously not saying that to butter you up.”

Mai smiled. She was enjoying this, too.

“So, what else do you need to know?”

“Could regular Aerians tap into the universe’s umbilical cord as well?”

“Of course.”

“That’s what is confusing to me. If they can do that, why aren’t they Paladins?”

“I feel like your instructor,” Mai pinched the bridge of her nose. “Didn’t you hear what I said? The goddesses don’t bless everyone with the conjurations.”

“Okay. So, is there any special training for connecting yourself?”

“Yes. That’s why meditation is important. Connect to the universe as if you were old friends. Be of like mind. You must let the universe invite you.”

“Oh. That’s where you go every day.”

Mai nodded. “I’m not good at it yet, but I recognize I get closer every day.”

“Maybe you should change your mindset.”

“Oh, so, now you’re teaching me?” Mai playfully punched her sister’s shoulder.

“Maybe I am.” Em stuck out her tongue. “I just think you may hold yourself back. I’ve heard the things that people say about you. They are wrong. You are not Mediocre Mai. If you can train yourself to not think that way, you could get farther on connecting yourself with the universe.”

Mai smiled at her sister. She was right, but how does one erase years of being told that. Self-doubt didn’t come about overnight and it won't be erased overnight as well.

“How did you get to be so wise?” Mai laughed.

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s the side effect of a Berserker, but I’ll guess I’ll wait for that assignment to find out.”

“Speaking of meditation. I should get going.”

“That’s fine. I just gotta write this up. Thanks for your help.”

“You’re welcome,” Mai smiled.

She stepped out of the library and left the stronghold towards the forest. She thought of how mother talked of how she felt the universe's energy strongest near the river. Mai wondered whether she could find such a spot in the forest. Perhaps that's why the forest beckons her. Her instructor, in her advanced conjuration lessons, had once challenged the students to follow their intuition.

Mai felt a pull towards a small stream in the middle of the giant trees. Walking deeper into the timber, it became darker. The trees grew closer together the deeper she traveled. She looked to her right and a large gray rock settled in between three giant trees. The sunlight streamed from an opening in the leafy canopy. She climbed on top of the rock and at once felt the flow of power. This was it. This was Mai’s spot.

She sat in the center of the rock and closed her eyes. She struggled to remember how her mother sat near the river that morning. Mai placed her palms flat on the cool, smooth surface of her perch. She breathed in and recognized tiny tingles entering her palms and up her wrist. With each breath, the tingles traveled further upward into the skin of her arm.

Mai could feel the energy pulsing beneath her, but it only entered as far as her elbows. It felt as though her body blocked the energy. As hard as she tried, she could not go any further. Frustration overtook her, and she opened her eyes to look at her surroundings. Beams of light from the sky became a softer shade of orange as the sun set and she knew she was very deep within the forest. The sound of a twig snapping startled her. She decided she had stayed in the forest long enough and left for the stronghold.