March 10th​

It was interesting, to say the least. Arms outstretched, one hand holding a five pound weight, the other holding fifteen. A physically larger, heavier mass in one hand. To know that it should be harder to hold one weight up than the other, especially after twenty minutes.

But that was conceptually. In reality, I blew out my breath and flipped the heavier weight in my hand like it was nothing. Caught it without having to give due to its weight. Intellectually, I knew there was a different between the two different barbell weights. But physically, no.

"Do you know how to juggle? I'm seeing some hilarity down the line juggling weights other people can't even pick up." Ash asked, sitting nearby.

I set the weights back down in their slots, looking around the gym. Ash was covering for the others, as both Melissa and Karen had begged off to just the testing we were doing later tonight.

Maybe I did need to slow down a bit. I'd again spent the past few days doing nothing but playing with weights, cycling, and making notes against all of this. It was fun and interesting, but still. I side-eyed Ash, who caught my appraising glance.

He shook his head at me. "I don't play those games on Karen, Nicole. I'll call Mike if you want a lunch date, I think he'd still be interested in taking his clubbing savior out for the afternoon, even a couple of weeks later."

I winced but still laughed. "I didn't think I was being that obvious."

"It's how Karen and I started dating the first time a year ago. She asked for a 'workout' buddy." He grinned. "Subtle she ain't, but it's nice being that straight forward. But yeah, I've had a couple others do the same thing last time we had a cool down a while back." He paused. "Actually probably around the time she joined the Seekers. I wonder if she just got that distracted? The blond jokes kinda tell themselves sometimes."

I laughed and flipped by own long red braid around. "None here, promise. But yeah, call him for me? Or give me his number, I'll surprise him."

Ash laughed as well. "I'll call him, but I'm sending you his number too."

"Tell him two hours?" I grabbed my bag. "I'll call in about twenty to confirm though thanks. I need to get cleaned up."

~~~

It turned out Mike's vehicle was nicer truck, and I grinned as I got in. "Thanks. I need to get away for a little bit, do something different."

Mike had a light jacket and jeans on and looked just a touch embarrassed as he started pulling away from the dorm parking lot. "So, what then? Normally there's more alcohol involved, not having a friend call me up and doing basically a half blind date."

"Lunch." I answered after a moment. "Then we get lost for a few hours wherever you wanna go. I have to be back this evening for some stuff with Melissa and Karen."

"Dantian Seeker stuff, right?" Mike asked as he pulled onto 66 and I made a noise of agreement. "Weird stuff. I started looking a little more after the club a few weeks ago. Police records are public, ya know? There's been several people arrested for stupid shit like that night."

I sighed. "Yeah, probably. I'm trying to take at least an afternoon break from it though." I threw him a half-smile. "We never did get to finish our conversation last time. All I remember is you said you're local to here, right?"

"Yep. Born and raised. I'm actually a firefighter here." Mike at least accepted the change of subject easily enough.

"Neat. Do you guys stay busy?" I paused. "Wait, busy is bad. That'd mean a lot of fires."

Mike chuckled. "We do a little EMT and such as well, but yeah. I'd rather be stuck at the station on shift than out. Being out usually means we're being sent to a problem. How about you?"

"Meteorology. Weather." I grinned. "Really, I like chaos theory but I don't like theoretical stuff."

"Huh." We pulled up to a diner. "Brains, beauty, and brawn. Fun combination."

"I'd argue the brawn part, but…" I sighed a bit. "So, what's this place?" I looked at the sign for Penelope's Restaurant.

"A local breakfast slash lunch place. I figured something a little more local than a chain." Mike nudged me and then got out.

"Sounds interesting." I got out as well.

Turns out the food wasn't bad at all, and we'd managed to keep up a fairly good conversation the entire time.

After we left, I raised an eyebrow at Mike. "So, how do you want to kill some time this afternoon?"

"You did say you wanted to do something different earlier. Ever tried a polar bear plunge?" Mike grinned as he got on 63.

What? "Isn't that where you run into freezing water for no reason? I don't even have a bathing suit."

His grin got wider. "Not that much difference in exposure between a bikini and skinny dipping, right? And I've got towels and even a couple of thermal blankets in the back."

"True." I smiled at the implicit challenge. "Alright, you're on. You get to lead the way. Where we going?"

"Brays Lake, it's like fifteen minutes."

Definitely something different for the afternoon. I bounced slightly in the seat as I watched the road, throwing looks at Mike occasionally.

We pulled off a county road, then off-roaded onto a dirt path. We finally got to the edge of the lake Mike was talking about.

I got out of the truck and looked around, only to spot no one else. Probably because it was still pretty cool at nearly 50°. Not a cloud in the sky either. "I'm going to burn to cinders. When I'm as red as my hair, I'm going to blame you. Understood?" I pointed at Mike, who was standing on the other side of the truck watching me with a half smile.

"I've got sunscreen, I'm not dumb." He pulled a spray bottle out from the door. "Or you can just in and out quick. Or call it off completely." He offered.

"I didn't say no, I said I was going to blame you." I answered, waving a hand at him. "Now chop, chop. I also said you get to lead the way." I stared at him.

~~~

We'd spent a good hour playing, both in and out of the water, before we finally got bundled back up and Mike threw the thermal blankets over our clothed and shivering selves.

"So, fulfill your requirement for an interesting afternoon?" He leaned into me. "How are you already that warm?"

My dantian was nearly cycling itself, energy overflowing outwards and warming me faster than normal. I thought I'd not froze as quickly in the water, but... "Dantian Seeker stuff, I'm fairly certain."

"Well, that's a cheat." He laughed. "So? Good afternoon?"

I pretended to think about it for a moment. "Yeah, pretty damn good. I think I'll keep you."

A light poke in my side. "Wasn't I the one that collected you today? Doesn't that mean I get to keep you?"

"Mutual keepening." I offered.

"Fair."

We sat for a few more minutes before I got up, tossing my blanket at him. "So, you're welcome to hang around when we do Seeker stuff this evening."

"I was going to ask." Mike pulled the blanket off and stood himself. "You about ready to go then?"

"I'm probably crispy in places not meant to crisp, so unfortunately yeah." I stretched for a moment, trying to feel if there were any sunburn spots already pulling or pinching.

"It's still fairly early. We can just drive around for a bit if you'd like? There's some fun dirt trails in the conservation."

I checked my watch. "As long as we're back in a few hours, sure."

~~~

[Breathe]

What the fuck? I didn't ask... Next to me, Mike took a huge, ragged breath.

B̳̉̋̍̚̚͡ͅͅr̞̭͈ͯ̀ẹ̶͇͇ȧ̛̗͋ͬ̉̚t̹͉͕͕͍̣h̶̰̩ͩe̮̬͚͙̺̭͗̎ͫ̅̓̇́

The word pressed against me and I struggled back against it, the energy inside me buffering me slightly. I cycled it as fast as I could, the pressure lessening.

It was more than a word. It was a demand. A command. Not even directed at me, at anyone.

"Pull over, pull over, pull over!" I chanted at Mike, hoping he could understand me. Thankfully, he slammed the breaks, stopping us on the trail.

He seemed to be struggling, trying to continually breath in. "Breathing includes exhale. In, out, in, out!"

We'd been riding with the windows down and the heat blasting, and now the very air around us seemed to be getting heavier, a cold wind whipping through the trees. Mike blew his breath out.

B̵̡̛͙̥̫̣̫̍̽̒̔ͤͣ̐̈ŗ̮̙̬͓̞̹̺̊͐ͦͥͭ̓̓ḛ̷̘̟͔̑͌̎a̧̝̬̫͚ͩ̈͘͞t̷̖͉̗͍̬̝̲̟̘ͣ̾͛͋͆ͭ̿̌h̢̧̉̒̂́̈̇͏͚͓̜̞̪̪ȅ̶̝̰͔̠̗̤̫̉ͥ̿ͨ̂

The wind swirled around the truck as Mike gasped in again. I could almost taste something in the air. "OUT! Breathe out too!" I yelled.

I'd spent three days pushing my dantian, cycling power. I'd learned that the extra power slowly bled out if not used, but my focused testing for the three days had left me with quite a lot. I'd been hoping to discover another block after Melissa pushed through her first this evening. Increase my knowledge of this power.

Instead, I threw everything I had into cycling, grabbing Mike's arm across the console. I pushed at the presence that until now had been quiescent and docile, only bothering to answer a single question. "Breathe in and out, asshole!"

Mike's eyes were wide as he tried to focus on me while coughing.

I started slowly breathing myself, focusing on that. Focusing on how Mike was nearly choking just trying to breath. "In and out, in and out." I yelled again, pushing against what was probably nothing good in my dantian. I could feel a reverberation in that place underneath my heart. I was worried about hurting something.

But the alien had once killed millions by crashing every plane. Did he even breathe the same way we did? I frantically recalled the articles that he was vacuum sealed in the UN.

I could almost feel that interest from the presence again. "[Breathe in and out]!" I yelled one last time, at the presence. At Mike. At myself. Something inside me broke, trickling energy hurting even as I expelled it somehow directly at Zhaohui's presence.

I could taste blood. Water. Air. Earth. Concrete. Pollution. Fire. Trees. A million different tastes, a billion different sensations as I tried to follow my own words. In. Out.

[Breathe]

It felt different this time. Guided. Something inhaled power, converted it, and exhaled it. A heartbeat. It happened again, in reverse a billion times as the exhale was inhaled.

Your people are as unborn children, unknowing of their first breath and must be guided even here. The voice echoed in my mind, and I could literally feel the difference of focus, directly on me. There was a tinge of disappointment about the statement.

Next to me though, Mike was finally breathing normally again, ragged but even draws of breath coming in.

There were flows now, something I could feel. They felt thicker than my entire body, but every breath I took felt like a piece of it flowed into me. Where it touched my dantian, there was a tiny brush against it. I exhaled, and that energy flowed back out.

But... It felt similar to how Melissa's power felt, but on an almost unimaginable scale of size. Like it was... "What is the strength of the world's soul?"

Your world's soul has awakened, lit its dantian on its first breath. Mortal no more, the way to Heaven begins to open.

The echo of the alien's words hurt, my dantian exhausted and empty and unable to buffer me. I felt the words scrape against me like it was against my very soul.