That was another definition of astris Yuzuriha had heard that day.
It wasn't much different from Sawatari's explanation, but it was simple and easier to understand. Much better than the confusion her supposed assistant ambushed her with.
'Having heard that, I can confirm that this "astris" they keep talking about is similar to magic in a way but also different. Ok, no, it isn't like magic, it's…some type of energy that ties everything together. That makes sense right?'
She tilted her head to the side while keeping her eyes closed, but they were faltering to stay like that. If she could see herself right now, she would probably see steam coming out from her ears from the confusion she was putting herself under.
Clearly, trying to compare this world's concepts from her old world was not working. It was just confusing her.
Astris is an unseen yet omnipresent current that binds all things, living or otherwise. It naturally leaks from their forms in varying amounts.
'That's what she said and I can confirm that with Sawatari if it's wrong. After all, Marcille is still a teenager, I can't take her at her word. There's always a different angle to something!'
At this point, Yuzuriha was starting to question why she was overthinking things?
As it stood, she was a foreigner in this strange land, inhabiting a local. The best she could do was try to learn their customs and such without comparisons.
'Yeah, that would make it a lot easier to digest. I'm a genius'
With a grin on her face, Yuzuriha turned her focus back to Marcille's training.
"Ah, I get it. My definition was off. I'm sorry about that, I'll do better next time"
Yuzuriha apologized while bowing her head slightly. She didn't really know how the people of this world expressed their sincerity so she worked with what she had been taught as a child.
"...Oh-Uh, it's fine. I'm proud you gave it your best. It was close though. Let's proceed on the practical part of your training. That's going to make things go faster, right?"
There was a drawn out moment of silence before Marcille said something. Her voice had a nervous tick which greatly unsettled Yuzuriha.
'No. It's probably nothing. I should stop trying to overthink everything. It's going to drive me crazy one of these days, I swear'
She gave her older sister an affirmative and they returned to their meditative atmosphere. With a deep breath and exhale, Marcille continued to speak.
"Astris leaks from everything around us. People, trees, rocks, even this very building—in everything. It's invisible to the eye, but that doesn't mean we can't perceive it, it just takes practise to do so"
The older sister spoke softly and Yuzuriha nodded her head to show that she understood, but that turned out to be useless since they both had their eyes closed.
She didn't understand why but she felt embarrassed by that. With a faint tint of red on her cheeks, she showed her understanding with words instead.
"Y-yes! I understand, it's like…heat or radio waves right?"
It was quiet for a bit before Marcille responded.
"That is one way of putting it I suppose, but it doesn't just float in the air. It brushes against you and the more sensitive you are, the more of it you can feel. Is that easy to understand, Yor?"
"I get it, but how am I supposed to sense something I can't see?"
"With a lot of effort. Follow these steps"
Marcille exhaled a short breath and began listing the steps.
"First, empty your thoughts. You need to reach a state where your body is quiet, but your awareness is loud"
Yuzuriha knitted her brows, that part alone sounded like a riddle. However, it was simple enough to comprehend, so if she just based it off on her own understanding, there should be some type of reaction, right?
Probably. Yuzuriha took a breath and obeyed.
'Alright. Shut up, brain. Go dark. Clear your thoughts. Be quiet"
Yuzuriha sat there for a while longer, placing all of her focus into achieving this one thing. It leaned toward mindfulness so it shouldn't be too hard to achieve.
"..."
It didn't work.
'Uwuah! I can't do this. Asking me to clear my mind like that after every bizarre thing that's happened to me is too much! This isn't like the office you know!'
Once again, Yuzuriha cried out internally but her external demeanor didn't falter. Her thoughts were like a hive of bees, bouncing off each other and buzzing nonstop.
It was even to the point where she was stressing over little things like was she breathing too loudly or was she sitting straight enough?
It was all too stressful to focus on one thing!
Marcille must have noticed the tension in her shoulders, because she gently added.
"Yor, don't force it. Just let the world come to you instead of chasing it"
'You make it sound so easy'
She pouted, but she understood what she meant. And so, another deep breath. This time, Yuzuriha stopped trying to do something.
Instead she just listened. To the wind brushing her skin. To the ticks of the clock in the corner. To the faint sounds outside the window. To her heartbeat.
'Clear your mind. Clear your mind. Clear your mind. Clear your mind'
She repeated that a couple of times. And slowly, very slowly, she began to feel something.
It wasn't a sound or a touch. It was more like pressure, soft but constant. She couldn't make it out specifically, but she could feel that it was coming from everywhere.
'Wait. Is that…is that it?"
Yes. It had to be because at that moment, Yuzuriha felt like the whole world was breathing alongside her. Like she was a part of it in a way. Like a thread running through everything.
"Color!"
Her eyes flew open—and then quickly shut again, sinking into embarrassment again. She wanted to see it but that would mess with her focus, she kept them shut. She didn't want to ruin this moment.
And also, she shouted spontaneously like that. Marcille must have been startled but she didn't say anything. She just let it slide.
At least, that's what Yuzuriha wanted to make herself believe anyways because in the next instance, she suddenly felt her body getting flung across the room and pinned against the wall.
The impact knocked the air out of her lungs. Struggling to breath, she opened her eyes and tried to make sense of what had just happened.
Something sharp and cold was pressing against her neck and she couldn't move, let alone make a sound.
It wasn't until Marcille said something she began to understand what was happening.
"Who are you?"