Tsubaki Hun’s POV

As the sun rose from the horizon the next morning, my door slammed against the wall, almost dislodging by sheer force. I groaned as I tried to stay still, mimicking my sleeping once more. But my plan didn’t go as well because as I cracked my eyes open I was met with the one person I wanted to avoid today.

“Good morning your Majesty.” Head Monk Funlu spoke up with a gleeful smile spread across his face.

“Good morning, Head Funlu.” I grouched.

“Beautiful morning isn’t it?”

“I couldn’t tell, the sun ain’t fully up yet.”

“Oh don’t be like your Majesty, you rise with the sun so you can start your journey to full awakening and spiritual connection.”

“Aren’t I already?”

“Oh, your Majesty, you have a lot to learn. Meet me outside in the central gardens when you are ready. And as a word of advice please wear flexible clothing.” and with that, he bowed and strolled out from the door he once came from.

“I thought only family and specific maids could come this far into my room.”

I swung out of the bed and strolled towards the bathroom, as quickly as I could I did my daily routine which took fairly long. I then walked into my room going to the Chester dressers opening up the sections and grabbed different articles of clothing. First went on the undergarments: the sleeveless shirt and loose pants. The second was the training pants, roomy but not overly baggy. I strapped the end with a bandage then placed it on my shoes. Then came the long sleeve strap-on top, I placed my arms through before laying the fabric tightly around my waist strapping it to the side. Took in my pants and tied them securing the end of my top. After came the long jacket, placing it over my head and placing my hand throw- fixed it and made sure the side openings made my legs movable. Last but not least was the light-weight chest armour, I strapped it on and moved a bit before finally settling for the fit.

I walked out the room towards the dining area fixing my hair into a high ponytail, everyone seated waiting for me it seems. I sat and began eating after my mother started, the entire time was filled with small chatter about plans for the day. I mostly tuned it out because I had to prepare myself for what was about to happen to me for the next two days it seemed. I was the first to finish eating and I excused myself walking to the weapons room. Saluted a general as I grabbed a katana and strapped it to my waist. Turning in the direction of the central garden, I slowed my steps fearing what kind of training I was going to be put through this time. Some endurance test or a test of knowledge- that I can do with flying colours but I doubt it.

“You sure took your time, had fun getting a weapon you won’t need at all?” Funlu yelled at me.

“You said this was training and I came prepared.”

“A spiritual training of your majesty, the others will come tomorrow. For now.” he moved his fingers and the sword around my waist was in his hands. “You won't be needing this. Monk Chen Dai will be your first teacher for the first steps and you will move to different Monks to get different steps. After I will test you then move on to another type of training. Understood?”

“Yes, Head.”

“Good, see you later, your Majesty.

With a flutter of his hair and the laughter erupting from him, he walked out the garden and if I am right towards the temple where he should be instead of annoying me with this training. After a few more minutes of waiting, a tall woman strolled into the garden- her hair caught above her head which formed into four loops kept together by jewellery, along with a beautiful closely fitted dress with a white top and blue from her waist down. Topped off with not just her golden silk jacket but an almost transparent golden scarf wrapped around her arms. She came towards me with two maids trailing behind her: one carrying pillows and a blanket, the other carrying a table of tea.

“Good morning, your Majesty, are you ready to begin?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be Monk Chen Dai.”

“Good good.”

The maids placed two pillows parallel to each other with the tray of tea in between. She motioned for me to take a seat and started.

“Meditation pose please.” I followed as she instructed.

“Now, what is important for you to understand is that each spiritual connection and awakening is different depending on the person, place or being. I will be teaching you the Hun empire’s first two steps of the spiritual connection and awakening process. Do you know what they are?”

“Meditation and Aura?”

“No, that's general. We are going to be discovering ourselves and our strength of powers followed by the circulation. Now sit up and relax your shoulders, relax your muscles, the tension between your joints, don’t fall asleep on me now. We are going to start by trying to feel for any negative energy building up in us. Start to visualize it in your mind. Now slowly separate it into different parts: the types of negative energy, emotions you feel. Start to blow them into the wind and let them go.”

I tried my very hardest but it didn’t seem to work, if anything I felt it slowly crawling from inside me to the surface of my skin. Like it was about to corrupt me, that can’t be it. My breathing started to become harder and I was so hypersensitive it hurt so badly.

“Ok ok ok. Don’t do that. Let us try something else. Listen to the river, and follow its motion. Slowly start to feel the river and flow with it.”

Slowly I could start breathing again, and I was able to calm down a bit seeing my separate problems.

“Face your fears, Your Majesty. All your fears are just illusions created by the impure mind. You need to learn how to overcome those fears- face them head-on and slowly watch them float away.” she waited as I slowly felt the weight from my fears easing from me, pouring out making me feel lighter even. “Forgive your fears for festering your Majesty, but most of all forgive yourself: one can not achieve total peace with a troubled heart.”

“My heart is always troubled.”

“Oh no, your majesty. Your heart and your troubles are two different things: it is up to you to differentiate between them.”

She was right once again, I cleared my mind followed by my heart which opened my eyes a bit. My eyes were still closed but I was starting to feel and sense things around me. Monk Chen Dai stood behind me, the trees, flowers, bushes and grass in the garden. Made me feel a bit tingling inside. 

“Now the last step of discovery, be honest with yourself, Your Majesty, once you see your inner strength, what will you do with it? Ask yourself the true question of your existence.”

“What is my true existence?”

“I wouldn’t know but you will. Connect your mind and heart to your souls and blood. What are you asking and how will you answer it?”

I focused all my energy back inside myself, feeling my body, soul and blood having a small conversation with each other in small whispers of the breeze. I never felt such clarity before even when meditating with my siblings. It felt different in a way, no more like a lot. Then I felt my mind click and I said the words slowly imprint on me. ‘Who am I?’ I thought for a bit, pondering and contemplating. I felt everything and remembered many things.

“Who are you, Your Majesty?” Monk Chen Dai asked.

“I am Tsubaki Hun, Future Emperor of the Hun Empire and it is my duty to protect my subjects even if it means laying my life on the line. My words don’t define me, what matters are my actions and my first action is to rebuild my empire to its former glory under our Lord Fenix.” 

“You have passed the first two steps, your Majesty, well done.” Monk Chen Dai bowed and I returned the motion.

“Thank you.”

And with that, she walked away, with a prideful smile on her face.

~~~~~

I sat there for a while feeling clarity in my mind, this is the first time in a long while I have had the pleasure to indulge in such relaxation that benefits me in the end. 

'Your Majesty, you are asleep while sitting upright?’

“Oh no, I am well awake with the sun.”

“Oh, I can see that your aura is more free than usual. Are you ready for the next steps?”

“Yes please.”

I opened my eyes and saw a tall light-skinned man smiling down at me, he wore a pearl shade of undergarment which was barely visible under the ash black gown as if he was attending a funeral. But all that couldn’t compare to the wine red jacket he wrapped around himself that was littered with gold jewellery. But unlike Monk Chen Dai, he wore sandals and had his hair in a half-bun half let down manner. 

“Monk Danshi Su right?”

“The one and only. Now resume your meditation pose and we will be beginning with your gathering abilities. What you are going to do is start to draw in your aura as if you are trying to hide but not fully. Moreover, you are going to condense your aura as though you are concentrating it to a pressure point.”

I closed my eyes and started visualizing myself again before moving my aura from outside to my skin.

“Am I doing it?”

“No, your aura is still all over the place.”

I tried once more with even more force.

“Ok, now you are just concealing yourself. I said ``concentrate, not hide.”

“Then explain it better.”

“Fine, I will show you once.”

I felt the Monk walking behind me and kneeled, I felt his aura gathering at his hand and he pressed it into my back. I gasped when I felt the sudden tingling feeling on my skin. My aura floated closer to me in a very dense state but I was still able to control it. But then I winced once he removed his arm.

“Now do it. Thanks all I am giving till the next step.”

“Seriously.”

“Yes, you will become the future emperor, you can not always have people there to guide your decision or handling of your abilities. Independence is key.”

I closed my eyes again and tried again and again but my aura kept leaking or exploding in my face. Why isn’t it working?

“Calm your emotions, stop worrying about if you will achieve it and focus on how you will achieve it. Go from the start and stop trying to gather out of nowhere. Did you forget what Monk Chen Dai told you already? I will say it again, it is a process, no shortcuts. Do it again.”

I sighed before starting from the top again, discovering my emotions and releasing them. After using the now filtered aura and circulate it around your body identify the parts of your body. Now you gather your aura, when I did the slight tingling feeling came again.

“Am I doing it?”

“You will know, your majesty. But I am impressed.”

With every passing second, I felt my aura concentrate more and more until it felt as if Monk Danshi was the one influencing me again.

“Good now you are going to align yourself with your magic. All this time you have been mainly speaking to your body, mind and soul. Now add your blood to enhance it and condense them together into one line. “

“Is that even possible?”

“Anything is possible, you just have to believe you can make it come true.”

I used all my strength and concentrated even harder than before. My mind, soul and body were aligned but my blood was heavier than the others. My blood was heavier due to the additional powers I received, but then I got nervous again when I felt something different crawling up my skin.

“Don’t get corrupted. Do not force the alignment, you ease into it.”

I focused once more and stared at the line in front of me and pleaded for success. I offered it instead of throwing it away. Slowly I felt my blood ease into the mix, wrapping around them as if securing them together. In turn, I felt a burst of energy flow through me and I opened my eyes to see my skin glowing and radiating with heat.

“Now that makes my job even less. You have found a way to protect your alignment before I even told you about it. Now that you have all of this your strength is the one that is helping you and you use your strength to protect others. Congrats on making it through the morning in one piece.”

“Thank you Monk Danshi Su.”

“Oh no thank you, I loved watching you struggle even if it was less than my other students.”

And with that, he got up and strolled out the garden the same way he came from. I smiled to myself content with the surge of energy I felt, so I was powerful after all, I just needed a little nudge.