I stood alone in the quiet living room. The silence was broken only by the faint sound of Esther's soothing murmurs coming from Jin-Ah's bedroom. I walked to the small desk by the window, its surface worn. I needed to think, to plan. Two separate paths for two different people.
First, I focused on Jin-Ah. I opened a fresh notebook, the blank page waiting. In my mind, I replayed the silver-blue flicker of her mana, its behavior.
Gaia's analysis was clear: the color of a winter sky, the fluid, shifting quality of the light, the way it seemed to move even when still. It wasn't a fire. It wasn't earth. It was the element of air and motion. Wind Attribute.
I began to write, my pen moving with deliberate focus.
TRAINING PLAN: SUNG JIN-AH (MONTH 1)
Core Principle: Build the body. Understand the Current. Do Not Force the Gale.
Week 1: The Foundation.
Physical: Daily routine. 30-minute morning walk. Light whole-body stretches. No weights. The goal is to wake up the body, improve circulation, and build a baseline of stamina. A tired body makes a panicked mind.
Mental/Spiritual: Breathing Exercise, twice daily (morning after walk, evening before bed). 4-4-6 method. Inhale (4), Hold (4), Exhale (6). Focus only on the sound and feel of your own breath.
Mana Familiarization: Each night, before sleep. Sit comfortably. Close your eyes. Search for the 'hum' or 'warmth' inside. Do not try to touch it or move it. Just map it. Is it in your chest? Your hands? Your feet? Be a scientist observing a new phenomenon. Write down one observation in your journal each night.
Week 2: Acceptance & Sensation.
Physical: Continue walks, add gentle pacing exercises—lifting knees, rolling shoulders—focusing on smoothness of movement.
Mental/Spiritual: Breathing exercise continues. Now, during the exhale, try to imagine any tension or fear leaving your body as a dark smoke, and imagine calm, clear air entering on the inhale.
Mana Interaction: Continue nightly sessions. Now, after finding the 'hum,' try to imagine it is a soft, silver-blue light. On a calm exhale, picture that light gently filling your lungs, then spreading down your right arm to your open palm.
Do not expect to see anything. The goal is to imagine the feeling strongly. The mind guides the mana. If you get distracted don't panic just start back.
Week 3: Identifying the Current (Wind Attribute Confirmation).
Physical: Introduce balance exercises. Standing on one foot. Walking in a straight line, heel to toe. Wind is balance and motion.
Mental/Spiritual: Breathing exercise. Visualize your breath as a soft breeze entering and leaving your body.
Attribute Test: I will provide three objects: a candle (flame), a stone (earth), a feather (wind). After the breathing and mana-to-palm exercise, hold your palm near each. Do not push. Just observe. The feather is likely to tremble or shift first. This is your attribute communicating. This is Wind. Note the feeling in your journal.
Basic Form Concept: Introduction of idea. "Wind can be a focused point (a Lance) or a wide shield (an Umbrella)." Meditate for 5 minutes on each idea after training. What does a 'Lance' of wind feel like in your mind? What does an 'Umbrella' of wind feel like?
Week 4: First Guidance of the Breeze.
Physical: Continue all prior exercises. Add throwing a light ball or beanbag, focusing on a smooth, fluid release of the arm—channeling energy outward.
Mental/Spiritual: Breathing exercise is now your anchor. Use it instantly if you feel scared or if the mana flickers unexpectedly.
Mana Shaping (Wind-Specific): Goal: Make the air different. After guiding mana to your palm, try to make the skin of your palm feel distinctly cooler than the rest of your arm.
Imagine drawing heat away with a faint breeze. Later, try to make it feel warmer. You are learning to affect the air's property, not its speed.
Form Practice: While doing the mana shaping, hold the 'Umbrella' concept in your mind. Does the feeling of the air change? Does it feel more 'still' or 'present' around your hand? Just observe.
Future Skill Seeds (NOT FOR NOW. For understanding only):
Once control is firm, you may learn to let a wisp of your mana brush against an ally, helping to clear their fatigue (foundation of Gale's Touch, a support skill).
Focusing the shaped air into a tight, forward point could become a strike (Wind's Rebuke – Lance form).
Holding the shaped air in a stable, curved shield around you could become a defense (Sheltering Breeze – Umbrella form).
A powerful release of shaped wind could one day carry both healing and force (Storm Wind Serenade – a distant ultimate). This is the destination, not the journey.
I put the pen down, reading over Jin-Ah's plan. It was slow, deliberate, and safe. It met her where she was: scared and new.
Now, for Esther. I turned to a new page. Her plan was different. It was not about mana control, but about environment control.
GUIDANCE FOR ESTHER: THE ANCHOR
Your Role: You are not her trainer. You are her safe harbor. Your goal is stability, not power.
Daily Routine (Your Framework):
1. Nutrition: Ensure she eats three regular, healthy meals. Hunger causes mood swings and weakens control. Keep her hydrated.
2. Sleep Watch: Her sleep schedule is sacred. Ensure she is in bed at the same time each night. Before bed, encourage her breathing exercises. If she has a nightmare, do not ask for details. Soothe her with calm words and the 4-4-6 breathing pattern, doing it with her.
3. Normalcy Maintenance: Every day, engage in one ordinary activity. Watch a TV show. Fold laundry together. Talk about simple things. This reminds her brain that the world still exists outside her power.
During Her Training Sessions (Observation & Support):
Be present, but quiet. Sit in the room if she is comfortable, or be in the next room.
Watch for signs of distress: rapid breathing, trembling beyond the light exercise, tears of frustration.
If you see distress: Intervene calmly. Say, "Let's pause. Let's do our breathing together for a minute." Redirect her. Offer a glass of water. Your voice is the rope that pulls her back from the edge of panic.
Celebrate Micro-Successes: If the feather moves, smile. Say, "You did that." If she reports a calm session, say, "I'm proud of you." Your validation is her proof of progress.
Crisis Management (If Mana Flares Unexpectedly):
1. Stay Calm. Your panic will fuel hers.
2. Command, Don't Plead. Use a firm, low voice. "Jin-Ah. Look at me. Breathe with me. In… and out."
3. Do Not try to touch the mana or tell her to "stop it." You cannot fight the power. Guide her to calm down, and the power will follow.
4. Afterward: Do not dwell. Once calm, offer a distraction. A snack, a chore, maybe icecream. Normalcy is the cure for magical crisis hangovers.
Your Log: Keep a simple journal. Note: Date, her general mood (anxious/calm/tired), any observed mana flickers (brief/long/color), and her success (e.g., "feather moved," "completed breathing without trouble"). This is not for judgment. It is to see patterns over time, to show her later how far she has come.
I finished writing and closed the notebook. One plan was a path of gradual discovery. The other was a manual for unwavering support. Both were essential. I placed the notebook on the table, open to Esther's section, knowing she would find it.
Then, I took the page with Jin-Ah's detailed plan and folded it carefully. I would give it to her later, when she was ready, so she could see the road ahead was not a dark forest, but a series of small, well-lit steps.
I remained in the living room, the architect of their stability, listening to the soft sounds of care from the bedroom, and prepared to begin.
I stood in the quiet living room for another moment, listening to the soft murmur of voices from down the hall. The house felt still, the crisis having passed and left a calm, tired quiet in its wake. I picked up the folded paper containing Jin-Ah's plan and walked slowly to her bedroom door.
It was slightly ajar. I could see Esther sitting on the edge of the bed, one hand gently stroking Jin-Ah's hair. Jin-Ah was sitting up against the headboard, her eyes red-rimmed but clear, a blanket pulled up to her waist. She looked small.
I tapped lightly on the doorframe. Both women looked over. Esther gave me a small, tired smile. Jin-Ah's eyes widened a fraction, a flicker of old fear and new shame passing through them.
"I'm coming in." I said, my voice soft.
Jin-Ah nodded, her fingers twisting in the blanket. Esther shifted to make space. I entered and instead of taking the offered spot, I sat right on the bed beside Jin-Ah, close enough that our legs touched. I didn't say anything at first. I just looked at her, my expression calm and open.
After a moment, I simply opened my arms. Jin-Ah hesitated for only a second before she leaned into me, burying her face against my shoulder. I held her firmly, one hand cradling the back of her head, the other a steady anchor around her back. I could feel the fine tremors still running through her.
"It's okay," I murmured into her hair. "You're okay. It's over."
I held her until the tension began to seep from her shoulders. Then, gently, I shifted. "Scoot over a little," I said softly. I settled myself more comfortably against the headboard and then guided her to sit sideways on my lap, her legs curled up, her side resting against my chest.
It was a protective, enclosing hold. She let out a shuddering breath and relaxed into me, her head finding the spot between my shoulder and chest.
Esther watched, her eyes soft with a mixture of worry and relief.
I kept one arm around Jin-Ah, holding her secure. With my other hand, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the folded paper. I held it in front of her.
"I made you a guide," I said.
Jin-Ah looked at the paper, then up at my face. "A guide?"
"For the next month. So you never have to feel lost or scared like that again. So you know what to do, every single day." I unfolded it and smoothed it out on the blanket beside us so she could see the neat, deliberate writing. "This is your training plan. For the next four weeks. Just the first month."
I began to explain, my voice a low, steady rumble in my chest that she could feel. "The first week is only about your body and your breath. Morning walks. Stretching. Breathing in a pattern. And at night, you just… listen inside yourself. You don't have to do anything. You just have to notice."
I went through each week, step by simple step. The balance exercises. The feather test to confirm the wind inside her. The idea of a 'Lance' and an 'Umbrella'. I made it sound not like a mysterious power, but like learning a new skill, like cooking or fixing something.
"It's slow," I said. "It's supposed to be slow. The goal isn't to make a big wind right now. The goal is to make you friends with the small breeze inside you. So it's not a stranger anymore. So it's not scary."
I then looked over at Esther, who was listening intently. "And this," I said, tapping the paper, "That's your, Esther."
I explained Esther's role to them both. The meals, the sleep schedule, the normal TV shows and laundry. I told Esther about watching for signs of distress, about using a calm voice to guide back, about celebrating every tiny thing.
I looked at Esther, my gaze firm but kind. There was a long silence as they both absorbed it. The plan was a tangible thing. It was the much needed order after the chaos.
Jin-Ah's finger traced the words 'Wind Attribute' on the paper. Then she looked up at me, her eyes searching mine. "You made this for me? Just now?"
"Yes."
"Are you…" she swallowed. "Are you going somewhere?"
My arm tightened around her just a little. "I have a feeling I might be busy for a while," I admitted honestly. "Getting things ready, making sure we're all safe. But I'm not leaving you alone, Jin-Ah. I promise."
A fresh spike of fear flashed in her eyes. "You're not going away?"
"No," I said, my voice leaving no room for doubt. I shifted her slightly so I could look right at her. "I am not leaving you. But look," I nodded my head toward Esther. "Your mother is going to be with you all this time. Just like she always has been."
Jin-Ah blinked. "My… mother?"
My expression was gentle. I looked from Jin-Ah's confused face to Esther's surprised one. "Yes. Isn't Esther your second mother?" I asked, as if it was the simplest, most obvious truth in the world. "Just like how Aunt Park is mine."
The room went very still. Esther's hand flew to her mouth, her eyes instantly glistening. The words hung in the air, simple and profound.
Jin-Ah stared at Esther. She saw the years of care, the worry, the quiet love that had always been there for her, steady as a rock even when her mother fell in the coma.
She saw the woman who had just sat with her through her terror, stroking her hair. The legal title didn't matter. The truth was in the living.
Although what I just said was something she already knew even before today, all I just did was name it, so that she doesn't hesitate even a little bit and trust Esther completely, plus it would make things easier for her to calm down if her mana goes haywire.
A single tear rolled down Jin-Ah's cheek, quiet and slow. It wasn't fear this time, or even sadness—just the sudden, almost physical sensation of something heavy she'd carried for years finally slipping from her shoulders. Something she hadn't fully realized was there until it was gone.
She looked from Esther's tear-streaked face back to mine, eyes wide, searching for confirmation that this moment was real.
I smiled, a warm, brotherly, loving smile. I pulled her close again, tucking her head under my chin. "You have your guide," I whispered, my hand grabbing her waist.
"And you have your anchor. You're not alone. You've never been alone. So no more being scared of being alone, okay? You know we would always protect you right?"
Jin-Ah nodded against my chest, her fingers clutching my shirt. She felt the solid beat of my heart, and she saw Esther, her second mother, smiling through tears.
And for the first time since the strange power had awoken, the future didn't look like a dark, frightening unknown. It looked like a series of small, well-lit steps, with people holding her hands every single one.
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