After her workout, Kaura had dinner with her cousin, who soon went to rest. Kaura, however, wasn’t ready for sleep. She went into her creative room  softly lit, with mats on the floor - her private sanctuary for drawing and handcrafts, for self-expression and stillness.

Her mind began its habitual scan of the body - noting pressure against the mat, the movement of the diaphragm, tracing points of tension and sending them signals to release. The mat beneath her seemed to breathe in reply, giving gently with each inhalation. In the reflections, the last rays of sunlight flowed softly; transparent silence thickened in the room. Her gaze moved through the space - dusk-born shadows, glints from mirrored planes. There was no sound, and it felt unusual: she usually played calming music, but tonight she was afraid to disturb her cousin.

The moment Kaura closed her eyes and focused on her breath, she was there again - among the luminous rings of Tursan, whose glowing arcs resembled Saturn’s rings. She looked around and saw silhouettes upon the discs. They were not solid bodies, but translucent vessels, blown by a master glassmaker into the delicate shapes of human forms. Each was encircled by a halo of light, its colors shifting and breathing softly.

This must be the very Psychofield Laura spoke of - the feeling coalesced into thought. She wanted to approach the nearest silhouette - but couldn’t move. Her body wouldn’t respond - or rather, it seemed not to exist at all, though she could still sense it. The ring beneath her quickened its steady rotation. Kaura recalled it had been the same during her last meditation, when she drifted too deep into herself. She returned to her breathing, acknowledged her unease, and let it dissolve with each exhale. The ring beneath her slowed to a barely perceptible spin.

She noticed that as the ring accelerated, she had drawn closer to one of the silhouettes. Interesting…  It seems my mind is directing the movement of the ring beneath me. She focused on the desire to see the nearest figure. Instead of looking toward it, she sent the wish inward. The desire answered with a resonant pulse in her chest, and the ring obediently quickened its pace. Space stretched; the figure approached, drawn to her by an invisible current. She came near.

All right. Calm down. Inhale… exhale… The ring slowed, and she stopped very near another figure. This one she could never mistake: tall, long-legged, always standing wide and grounded — unmistakably her bodywork master. Even here, in the strange space of the rings, Laura held the same confident posture as in reality: tall, straight, radiating stability itself. She was only five meters away, eyes closed, filled with the same colors as before — bright beige, golden, and coffee brown. Kaura wanted to call out but couldn’t; to reach — but couldn’t. The field resisted; it was alien, unyielding. Fatigue swept through her. She returned to her sensations — and sank back into her physical self.

She opened her eyes, stretched out her legs, and lay back. Thoughts thickened, refusing to take shape. Her body filled with leaden weight; even her mind seemed to sink, drawn down into the mat. Her movements were slow and viscous, every attempt to shift taking effort. Turning lengthwise on the bed, she managed to pull off her clothes and fell asleep at once - too drained to make herself do anything, even wash her face. 

In the morning, Kaura found her cousin on the roof, standing near the start of the running path - apparently ready to jog, yet unable to begin. The wind stirred her hair; the path beneath her feet quivered in the mirrored light of the rising sun. She turned to go - and saw Kaura.

–“I just can’t make myself move… it feels like even this path could give way any moment…”

– “I understand. I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

The women started down to the apartment. - “I’ve no idea what to do with myself…”. Kaura couldn’t think of anything to suggest.

– “Maybe I’ll go for a short run outside - maybe that’ll help me think.”

– “Won’t your arm get in the way?”

– “I’ll find out as I go.”

– “Want me to come with you? Maybe later we could do something - take a walk, go to a museum, or down to the river?”

– “No, please, just do your own thing,” Gayana said irritably.

Kaura decided not to insist further. She was eager to tell Laura about her meditation, and her cousin’s wish for solitude suited her fine. She only had to check if her master was free. Gayana headed downstairs, and Kaura returned inside. She had barely closed the door when Laura’s call came through.

Morning sunlight slipped through the window. Kaura thought she glimpsed a transparent ring glinting in its rays - just like in her meditation. She froze, afraid to blink. The aftertaste of the vision still quivered in her chest - too vivid to hide.

“Now I have to know more. At any cost.”