7. Ell-rom

7

ELL-ROM

" F ocus on the image you want to project," Aru instructed. "Visualize it clearly in your mind, then push that image outward."

Ell-rom closed his eyes, trying to picture himself fading from view. He imagined his form becoming translucent, then invisible. Concentrating, he willed the image to become a reality, but when he opened his eyes, nothing had changed.

Jasmine was still looking at him expectantly.

"I don't understand," Ell-rom said, frustration creeping into his voice. "I can feel it like it's right under my skin, but I can't make it happen."

Aru nodded sympathetically. "It's a subtle skill, and it takes practice and patience to master. It's easier to pick up as a kid, but since you must have done it before your amnesia, the ability should be there. You just need to reach for it."

After several more tries, Ell-rom's patience was starting to wear thin. His failure to access the ability he was supposed to possess made him feel even more inadequate than he already felt.

Maybe that was the problem. He doubted himself, and that was why he couldn't access the reservoir of his talents. He was also tempering his emotions out of fear of unintentionally killing Aru, putting another damper on his confidence.

"Do you want to take a break?" Jasmine asked.

Shaking his head, Ell-rom replied sharply, immediately regretting his tone. "I want to keep trying. I need to figure this out."

He needed a success, even a minor one, to shore up his confidence.

Aru eyed him with thinly veiled pity. "I know you're eager to learn, but you probably have a physical rehabilitation session later, and you shouldn't exhaust yourself."

Aru's words, though well-intentioned, sparked a flare of anger in Ell-rom. "I can handle a little mental exercise in addition to the physical."

As soon as the words left his mouth, fear replaced anger. He needed to control his emotions to keep people around him from dying.

"On second thought, you are right. I should rest."

"Small steps." Aru clapped him on his back. "Now that you know the technique, you can practice a little every day. Eventually, you will learn how to get in the zone."

When they returned to the other penthouse, Margo took one look at him and frowned. "No success?"

He shook his head. "I don't seem to be able to clear my mind and get in the zone."

Jasmine took his hand. "Let's go to our room. I want to show you something."

He was glad to leave the others and be alone with her. It was easier to keep his emotions in check when it was just the two of them, and he was less prone to bouts of anger.

No, that wasn't true.

He still got angry occasionally, but the peaks and troughs were not as extreme. If only he could also manage not to feel so inadequate around her, their relationship would be perfect, but that was on him, not her.

Jasmine led him to their bedroom and closed the door behind them.

The room, bathed in soft light filtering through the sheer curtains, felt like a sanctuary of tranquility to Ell-rom, and his nerves settled down another notch.

"Sit over here," Jasmine instructed, gesturing to the plush carpet.

As he complied, she sat across from him.

"I'm going to teach you a meditation technique," she explained. "It's something I learned in one of my acting workshops. It might help you relax and center yourself."

Ell-rom nodded.

"Close your eyes." Jasmine demonstrated. "Focus on your breathing. In through your nose, out through your mouth. Slow and steady."

He did as she instructed, concentrating on the rhythm of his breath.

In and out.

In and out.

"Now, imagine a warm, golden light filling your body with each inhale," Jasmine continued soothingly. "Feel it spreading from your center to your limbs, all the way to your fingertips and toes."

Ell-rom followed her guidance with what seemed like practiced ease, and a sense of calm washed over him. He had done this before; he was sure of it. The tension in his muscles started to melt away.

Perhaps he had practiced meditation in the Mother's temple.

"With each exhale, imagine all your negative thoughts and emotions leaving your body." Jasmine gestured to the top of her head and moved her fingers. "Picture them as dark smoke, dissipating into the air and getting absorbed by the light."

Ell-rom visualized his frustration and fear as a murky cloud, watching it disperse with each breath out. He felt lighter, more at peace.

"Now, let your mind drift." Jasmine's soft voice was hypnotic. "Don't try to control your thoughts. Just observe them as they come and go, like clouds passing in the sky."

As Ell-rom sank deeper into the meditation, he felt a strange sensation. It was similar to what he had felt earlier when trying to shroud, but more natural and effortless.

He didn't fight it.

Ell-rom visualized himself becoming translucent and disappearing from Jasmine's view completely, but instead of pushing it out as Aru had told him, he simply let it wash over him.

Suddenly, Jasmine's gasp broke through his concentration, and his eyes snapped open. "What happened?"

"You turned invisible." Her hand was over her heart, and her eyes were wide. "You were shrouding!"

Ell-rom blinked in surprise, looking down at his hands. They appeared solid and visible to him. "I did? Am I still invisible?"

"No. I'm sorry for breaking your concentration. But you did it. You disappeared. If I hadn't experienced this before, I would have panicked."

Excitement bubbled up in Ell-rom's chest, tempered with a touch of disbelief. "I wasn't even trying to shroud," he said. "I was just letting go."

"Maybe that's the key." She leaned towards him and took his hand. "Maybe you were trying too hard before."

Ell-rom nodded. "When I practiced with Aru, I was stressed, and I had all these thoughts swirling in my head. I had a feeling that my overactive mind was an obstacle." He squeezed her hand. "I want to try again to see if I can hold on to the shroud longer this time."

"Of course. Let's start with the breathing again. In through your nose, out through your mouth. Slow and steady."

He managed to shroud himself in invisibility two more times and even to hold it for a minute or so, but when he tried to cast an illusion over himself, to appear as someone else, choosing Kian to model himself on, it didn't work.

Still, it was great progress, given that he had only just started.

"Thank you." He leaned toward Jasmine and wrapped his arms around her. "What would I do without you?"

She chuckled. "That's what mates are for, right? To help each other." She pulled away first and lifted her hand to look at her watch. "We should head down for your physical rehabilitation session."

"Yes, we should."

The truth was that Aru had been right, and Ell-rom was experiencing a severe energy drop. He would have loved a nap before heading to the pool, but Julian was waiting for him.

Besides, unlike the shrouding, pushing himself physically was precisely what he needed to do to get better sooner.