Page 15 of Shinji Takahashi: Into the Heart of the Storm

“Can’t wait.” Shinji sighed.

The library, much like many of the other rooms on the ship, was small. Metal bookshelves lined the walls, filled with different tomes and texts. Shinji, gazing at the shelves, noted that most of the books were nautical or ocean-centered textbooks, and there were no comics, novels, or storybooks of any kind.

Reading the spine of the closest book, he wrinkled his nose.Hydrostatics and Stability of Marine Vehicles, it said. Definitely not something he would be picking up.It’s like Professor Carrero’s library, only even more boring,he thought, gazing around to see more of the same.I bet Lucy could spend all day in here.

“Ah, Shinji, there you are. Over here.”

Shinji turned to see Phoebe waving to him from the center of the room. She sat cross-legged on a cushion on the floor, with another pillow directly across from her. A stack of books sat on her left side, a small box on her right.

“Have a seat, Shinji,” she told him, motioning to the pillow in front of her. Shinji bit down a groan.

Ugh, meditation.I knew it.

“Now, before we begin,” Phoebe continued as he knelt on the cushion, “I want to ask: What is the extent of your magic so far? What have you been able to do or feel?”

Shinji shrugged. “Summon the wind, call on the jungle animals to help me, shoot beams of light from my hands. Oh, and there was that time the Coatl burst out and ate someone—”

“Yes, but all that was right after you received the magic from the Coatl, yes?” Phoebe did not seem shocked or put out by any of what had happened, even the part where the Coatl devoured a Hightower agent right in front of Shinji. “What was the extent of your powers after you got home from the jungle? What have you been able to do since then?”

Shinji gritted his teeth. He didn’t want to tell Phoebe the truth, but he couldn’t keep lying to her, himself, and everyone. With a sigh, he slumped his shoulders.

“Nothing,” he finally admitted. And with that, the anger, shame, and guilt for not being the guardian he had promised to be burst inside him like a popped balloon, and he raked his hands through his hair. “I don’t know what I’m doing

wrong,” he snapped in frustration. “I canfeelthe magic, but I can’tuseit. I can’t control it.”

Phoebe watched him in silence, and Shinji’s anger grew.

“I’m supposed to be the guardian,” he said. “The Coatl gave me the magic of the font. Why can’t I use it? I didn’t have any trouble before when I was in the jungle fighting Hightower.”

“Ah, well, there was much at stake then,” Phoebe said calmly. “As I said before, adventure and danger tend to draw magic to the surface. Besides, it wasn’t you summoning the magic as much as it was the Coatl itself using the last of its power to protect you and the font. You were the conduit for its power. It sacrificed itself to move the font inside you, and it had just enough magic left to defend you, one last time.”

“Oh.” Shinji sobered. “Wait, so you’re saying the Coatl died to give me the magic?”

“Essentially, yes,” Phoebe said. “Though I suspect it knew the font was not safe in the temple any longer. No matter what happened, Hightower would eventually return and try to claim the magic for themselves. Transferring the font inside you would keep that power out of Hightower’s hands. Though it cost the Coatl its physical existence to do so.”

“Great,” Shinji muttered. “I can’t use the magic, and the Coatl is gone. Now I feel even worse.”

“Maybe not,” Phoebe said. “Mythological creatures like guardians are extraordinarily hard to kill for good. It could

be that the Coatl bonded with you, and that part of its spirit still resides somewhere within.”

“If it has, it hasn’t responded to anything I’ve tried,” Shinji said.

“Well, that is what we are going to try to fix.” Phoebe smiled and settled herself onto the cushion, putting the backs of her hands on her knees. “When dealing with magic, I’ve observed that it often comes out in one of two ways. One: in moments of high stress, danger, or emotion—”

“Like trying to outrun fake Hightower agents in a simulated environment?” Shinji asked.

“Mm, yes. However, this type of magic use is unpredictable and hard to control. The magic spikes with your adrenaline and it’s difficult to calculate when it will appear.” Phoebe raised her chin and closed her eyes. “To truly master your power, you must first master your emotions. Frustration, anger, and fear will cause the magic to lash out in ways you cannot control.”

Shinji bit down a smirk. “Give in to anger, you must not,” he rasped in his best Yoda voice. “Anger, fear, regret…the Dark Side are these.”

“Exactly!” Phoebe did not seem to get the reference. “So first, you must clear your mind of any negative emotions and thoughts. Close your eyes, just like this. Now, breathe in…breathe out. In and out. Imagine your breath inflating your lungs, filling your whole body.” She demonstrated with a lifting of her thin shoulders. “Just like that.” She opened one eye and squinted at him. “Are you doing it?”

Shinji rolled his eyes, then shut them with a sigh. “How is breathing going to help me?”

“You are clearing your mind,” Phoebe said. “You’re trying to awaken the power inside you. To tap into the deep well of magic that exists somewhere within. Now, breathe with me. In and out. In and out. Let the magic flow through you. We are calm. We are…empty. There is no barrier between us and the magic. In and out.”

This is so boring,Shinji thought, but he did as Phoebe said. In and out. Inhale and exhale. Trying to think of nothing as he did.Is this really going to do anything?

---