Page 32 of A Kingdom so Crimson

He strode out the door before I had a chance to think. The brisk air stung my exposed hands as I hurried to catch up with him. "Keep pace with me," he said as I reached his side.

He began with a jog and I matched his pace. The cool air ripped through my throat and lungs like a knife. I wasn't used to running in higher climates, and Levon noticed my breathing stammering.

"It will take time to acclimate. In through your nose," he said, pausing to catch his breath. "And out through your mouth."

We ran along the grassy terrain as the sun began peeking overhead, turning the sky a brilliant blue. There was more of a variety of trees than the pines I saw out the windows, and though they weren't vibrant with color, they were still beautiful. We ran onto a gravel path that led into the trees, enveloping us in the mist.

"Keep an eye out," Levon breathed. "There are prowlers that lurk in these woods."

I only nodded, making a mental note to ask what type of animals he meant, and went back to focusing on my breathing. We emerged on the other side and descended the hill toward his towering estate, seeing the bustling town shimmering in the distance. His house looked majestic amidst the trees and the rising sun, casting a golden light on each tinted shingle. It seemed fit for a king to reside in such splendor.

We looped the far end of the estate covered in grassy hills and began again. By the end, we both were panting, graduallyslowing our pace to a walk. The sun was now fully radiant, warming my body and forming beads of sweat on my brow.

"You're good at keeping steady, even with your injured leg. How are you fairing?" Levon asked, taking deep breaths in and out as he rested his hands on his hips.

"Fairing well enough to keep pace with you," I quipped.

He flashed his teeth with a shake of his head and stalked in front of me, slowing his breathing even more. "In through your nose." He breathed in. "And out through your mouth."

I followed suit, inhaling and exhaling for several minutes before fully calming my breathing, feeling refreshed as if I had just woken up for the day.

"Good. Now, remember that in any situation—especially with that temper of yours—" he stopped short as I shoved his arm. He promptly snatched my hand and pulled me closer to him, his grip firm. "Especiallywith that temper," he added with a tease before letting me go.

I pushed away, my anger crackling like static within me. I forced it to stop, focusing on my breathing; I recalled what Darius taught me long before Levon could claim he knew me.

"Is that all you've planned to teach me? How tobreathe?" I scoffed, folding my arms.

"I plan to teach you how to focus, to gain control over your thoughts and maintain your mental clarity when other…forcesmight want to disrupt and invade your clarity," he said, striding past me toward a sunny spot shimmering through the trees.

I narrowed my brows, "Invade my clarity?" I huffed. "Like you haven't already done that?" I mocked.

Tyran, please tell me this isn't what I was trained to do all my life. If that's all he plans to teach me, then Jesri is in for a loss, yet perhaps that wasn't a bad thing.

He only shook his head and laid down on the plush grass, making a pillow of his arms. I stomped over towards him, lyingdown beside him. The grass was cool against my back, barely damp from the warming sun. I squinted to see the blue sky overhead and waited, breathing in and out.

His voice cracked against the silence, "Focus on how your body feels. How the grass slides underneath your neck, how the sun kisses your face. Feel those emotions of yours, the ones buried deep within your soul and allow them to live freely without a cage. Tell yourself that you are safe, that fear is not a part of you. That you are at peace."

I adjusted my body, honing in on the rise and fall of my chest and the annoying itch that suddenly appeared at the center of my back. I shrugged it off, concentrating on the breeze that rustled through the tall trees, bending and swaying to a rhythm of serenity.

Inhale, exhale.

My breathing slowed as I focused on the tingle of my fingertips against the smooth grass. The pulse and flow of my heartbeat thrummed within my skull, the emotions that pulsated with color deep within me. I closed my eyes and focused on the red-darkness of my eyelids and the flutters of light that danced from the ripples of the trees.

I took a deep breath in, smelling pine mingled with decomposing wood, the earthy scent of the rocky trail, and Levon's clean scent. I focused on his rhythmic breathing, in and out, as my mind began to wander, tracing the dance of shadows across my closed eyelids.

Streaks of golden light twisted and tugged against my emotions, filling me with a warmth that pricked the tips of my ears and down to my toes.

My surroundings blurred, melting with my breath and wandering thoughts that drifted like the sea's tides. The earth beneath me pulsed with vibrancy as if I'd drawn my first breath after a lifetime of drowning. My fingers stung with lively energy,urging me to dig deeper into the soft soil. Clumps of earth clung to my nails, infusing me with newfound vigor. Feeling drowsy from the run, I was tempted to surrender to the gentle embrace of sleep.

The dappled light filtering through my closed eyelids played in shades of gold, swirling and pulsating with my heartbeat.

I fixated on the crimson hues that began dancing over the luminance of the sun above when suddenly, a burst of brilliant light flooded my closed eyes, momentarily blinding me.

Recoiling, I clenched my eyes tighter as the pulsating abruptly stopped, leaving a chilling stillness in its wake. A peculiar chill swept through the air, raising the hairs on my neck and arms. My senses heightened, transporting me back to that sinister dream where the shadowy claws ensnared me, dragging my soul into the abyss.

The rhythm of my heartbeat intensified, pounding against my chest like a stone. I struggled to summon the peaceful image of golden light, begging it to lift me from the engulfing darkness. Yet, the shadows tightened their grip, dragging me further into their abyss.

My breaths grew erratic, stuttering in a desperate attempt to find solace.

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