"Now it's your turn," Lygni said, staring at me intently. "Touch the ground."
She began to walk around me, like a predator sizing up its prey. "Expand your will into the earth. Make it react to your command."
I knelt down and placed my hand on the still-damp dew, feeling the texture of the cold earth against my fingertips.
"Imagine what you want it to do. Tell it your will. Let the energy flow through you," she instructed.
My will? I remembered how everything seemed constructed, as if the world were stitched together by invisible threads. Even on that minute scale, I could see the filaments in the structure of the Web. Should I imagine it thread by thread? Should I be logical? If the Web is a living organism, would it understand me without me having to say a single word?
The damp earth clung to my fingers, but remained inert, mocking my inexperience. A firm step from Lygni beside me snapped me out of my trance.
"Will without strength is merely a wish," she said, her voice cutting like a blade. "Try to see the tangle of threads. Organize them according to your will. Do not be distracted by what is around you; the enemy certainly won't be. Again!"
I touched the ground again. Imagine? That still didn't have much logic to me. Why would the earth respond to my will just because I asked?
I tried all morning, but nothing happened. Not even a small mound appeared on the ground. Lygni didn't seem frustrated; in fact, she almost seemed... understanding? If that name could even be applied to the icy expression she wore.
It was early afternoon when she crouched beside me and touched the ground. "Touch the soil and close your eyes," she ordered. "See the structure you want to mold, then expand your will."
This time, without saying a single word, she pressed the earth firmly. Instantly, a wall of solid soil rose before us, defying gravity.
"That is how it has to be," she said, standing up. "Now, try again. But this time, to give you an incentive, you have until the end of the afternoon. If you don't create the barrier, you'll end up half-toasted."
She reached out her hand and, with a snap, created a pulsating ball of fire. The air around it began to ripple with heat. "Create the barrier that will stop it."
"I think you're overdoing it," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. "I'll do it, there's no need for that."
"Oh look... I see the 'Prince of Promises' has emerged again," she retorted, intensifying the flames in her hand until I could feel the heat lashing against my skin. "So I don't need to go easy on you, since you always keep your promises, don't you?"
The orange glow reflected in her implacable eyes. "You have a few more hours. Don't disappoint me... or your one year of life will end prematurely."
Dammit. I knew she wasn't joking. In fact, I didn't even know if she knew what a joke was.
I touched the ground and tried again. I imagined the threads, the shape, the density... nothing. I tried with both hands, applied physical force, and nothing. I tried using names, seeking the logic of my past life: "Retaining wall! Protective wall! Impenetrable barrier!"
Nothing.
Exhausted, I fell onto my back on the ground. I needed to create that wall, but how? I had visualized the correct shape, and the desire not to be burned alive was absolute. What the hell is missing?
"Gave up?" she asked, extending her flaming hand toward me.
"No... just reflecting a bit," I replied, pulling myself up again.
"Well, you have a few minutes left," she said, looking at the sky where the last rays of sun were fading. "Very few."
The day was ending. The heat I felt now came purely from the flames in her hand. Think: will. Correct. Desire? I think not being burned alive is enough desire. A living organism? I need to make the Web react to me.
I touched the soil. I imagined the shape of the wall, mentally connecting thread by thread, as if I were weaving armor into the earth itself. Respond to my will... I need this!
Suddenly, something ran through one of my fingers. It wasn't physical force; it was sparks.
"Well, your time is up," Lygni said, pointing her hand at me. "Goodbye."
She launched the fireball. The projectile of flames hissed through the air, coming toward me with deadly speed. I opened my eyes.
"GAIA'S BARRIER!" I shouted.
The flames rushed toward me, but to my surprise, they dissipated in mid-air before hitting me.
"Congratulations. You managed to mold it," she said, lowering her hand and observing me with a new look in her eyes.
I was confused. I looked at the ground, and there it was: a small mound of earth. It was far from the intended result, far from being an impenetrable wall, but I had done it. The earth had finally responded to my will.
Lygni walked to the small mound, tilting her head. "Now... what exactly is a, or who is, 'Gaia'?" she asked, staring at me. "What a strange name."
It was a common name in my past life, but here, it was unknown. I needed to improvise. "Well... it's just a name I made up in desperation," I said, trying to sound natural.
She looked at me with suspicion. "I see names are not your forte. Now, do you remember the sensation? The desire?"
"Let's just say the will not to die helped," I replied, scratching my head.
"Focus on that feeling. Next time, you'll do it correctly," she said, already walking away. "Should I say 'good job'? Perhaps not. Do better next time, or I won't be so complacent with you."
"I'll do my best," I promised.
At that moment, Liss appeared in the courtyard, looking hurried. "Lady Lygni, there is a message for you. It came from the Capital."
Lygni took the envelope, and her expression suddenly became more serious than usual. Something had happened.