A first for both of us.... ((tbcb Damien))

[Scott]

Damien nodded, slowly shutting his eyes and taking a deep breath. He began the process of wrapping himself in the Void as he released it, and by the time he had to take in another breath, his mind was clear. He spent several minutes scouring the Void for some sort of glimpse of the Power, Noj and the hill he was sitting on forgotten. Eventually, Damien found something. It was like a faint, glimmer of light in the dark, calm of the Void, and the excitement that Damien felt when he found it nearly caused him to lose that calm. A quick intake of air was his only physical reaction during though, and he quickly had a firm grasp on the Void once more. Now that Damien had found, what he assumed to be, Saidin, it was all he could do to keep himself from touching it. This was the thing that Noj, and all the other men of the Black Tower used to perform their feats of power, and Damien now had the chance to touch it himself. Before he tried to though, he recalled Noj’s instructions, and fought the urge.

Opening his eyes slowly, Damien looked at Noj while trying to keep sight of the Void. Now that he had found it in his mind, opening his eyes seemed to drastically reduced the level to which he could concentrate on Saidin. The spark of fear that the realization caused was cast away from the Void before it had time to register, however. Damien said nothing, but tried to keep his eyes on Noj, struggling to ensure he remained focused on Saidin at the same time.

[Nojanath]

((Sorry about the delayed response))

Noj eyed Damien curiously.  In truth, Noj had no idea how tough it would be for someone to just see the Power.  But, everyone was different.  Now that he thought about it, the reason he never had a problem with seeing the power was cause he never wanted too, and only dealt with it when he absolutely had too.  And by the time that little annoyance surfaced, Saidin was nice and bright for him.  But, Damien at least seemed to have found the Source, if momentarily.  A smirk tugged at his features as he decided to do another joke.  This time though, Noj wove a horizontal wall of Air about a foot over the Soldier's head. 

Leaning back, he pulled out some of the cheese from the basket and took a bit after saying, "If you having trouble, come over here and I'll give you a few pointers, though make sure you look where you're going as you stand, tripping and falling onto your rear isn't a very fun experience."  Or cracking your head on an invisible wall for that matter.  So as long as he wasn't dumb and decided to look up, he should see at least something, even if it's just a glimmer.  In Noj's mind, the only real way he could get around the wall without seeing it or hitting it would be if Damien made the decision to crawl out from under the thing and over to the rock, which in all truth, Noj didn't see happening.  Not betraying himself with his facial expression, Noj just took another bite of cheese and chewed.

[Scott]

((It's fine, I've been busy with school anyway))

Eyes narrowing at Noj’s words, Damien nodded and slowly began to rise to his feet. He was intending to make his way toward Noj carefully, certain the man had placed another wall or something of the sort in front of him. Sine he wasn’t actually touching the Source, however, he had no way of knowing where or what it actually was. As a result, his head drove straight up into the wall Noj had created above him, causing him to drop down onto his rear. The surprise and pain that hit Damien nearly caused him to lose his hold on the Void, but he managed to hang on by a fingernail, metaphorically speaking. The anger which surged into him also nearly drove him to try and size Saidin, though he stopped himself as the realization that he had no idea how to actually go about it, or what to do once he had it, hit him.

Damien did not try to get back up, he simply remained where he was, face neutral. He would have been glaring if not for the Void, but the anger that flashed into his mind was consumed and gone before it had time to truly affect him. “I supposed I should expect that to be a constant possibility?” he asked, now simply feeling foolish for falling for the same thing, even if altered slightly, twice, and in fairly quick succession. If it weren’t for the Void, Damien probably would’ve been laughing, he could take a joke, and was willing to laugh at himself if he deserved it.

[Nojanath]

Noj neutrally watched the Soldier get up very slowly and seemingly very carefully, but he was ignoring the exact advisory words he have the boy.  This much could be seen when he stood straight up into the wall of Air and feel backward onto his rear.  Sighing, he put the cheese he was chewing on back into the basket and slide off the rock onto his feet.

"Yes, you should get used to such.  Especially if I tell you to look where you're going.  If you've seen the Source, then you should at least be able to make out weaves, even if only slightly, as if you were seeing a glimmer, or a ripple in the Air.  But even being able to see such things you need to have a certain amount of awareness of what's happening around you.  If you ever fight another channeler, you need to be ready for anything, because just about anything can happen.  They can throw something at you from behind, or even try to light you on fire, or try to open a gateway inside your body.  When one channels, strength isn't always, and hardly ever is, the most important thing.  What's important is how cleverly you channel.  While causing the earth to quake under your opponent's feet and making fall to their death into a rift might look more impressive, it take much less time and energy to just cut off their head with a small blade of Air.  Just as well, if you're closer, it would be easier still to just turn the ground at one of their feet into mud and kill them with your blade as they trip." 

Cutting off his weave, the wall of Air dissipated.  "Alright, watch, and tell me if you see something."  Seeking the Void, he pulled out a few threads of fire, and twisted them so that they'd glow even to one who couldn't touch Saidin would see it.  But gradually, the began to let the weave go so that it would dim, making only those who could touch the male half of the Power able to see.  "It's vital that you are able to see the Power tangibly before you try to weave it yourself.  It's not a very good idea to mess with things you can't see."

[Scott]

A bit of anger surged into the Void, though it was gone before Damien could begin to consciously feed it into the Flame. I was watching where I was going. Usually when people tell me to look where I’m going, I watch my footing, I don’t have to check for invisible walls of air randomly floating over my head! Damien pushed the thoughts out of his head as they formed, knowing that angry complaints in his head were as useless as actually voicing them would be. He was in a new environment with new rules, and he’d either have to accept that and adapt or…or the Creator only knows what would happen.

Damien opened his mouth to tell Noj that yes, he could see something along the lines of a dull glow, but he shut his mouth as the glow began to fade. After a few moments the glow was completely gone, and then it was back, though it seemed…different. Before the glow had struck Damien as the shine a dying torch might provide, not exponential, but definitely visible. It seems brighter now, and almost…right. Blood and bloody ashes, why would something made with Saidin seem right!? Damien understood but was confused at the same time. The glow was something that Noj was doing with the One Power, and Damien was, though he hated to admit it, a man who could channel. What he didn’t understand, was why it had dimmed and then become brighter. I doubt I’ll ever understand the Power… “I see…something,” Damien said, not entirely sure how to describe what it was he saw.

[Nojanath]

Noj smiled a little bit this time, and nodded.  "Everyone tends to see the Power a bit differently, there are even a few people who don't even see it, but recognize it completely by feeling it or sensing it.  Now..."  Noj wove a wall of Air again in front of Damien.  "Take a few steps forward, and remember, watch where you're going."  The Soldier saw the thread of Fire, even if a bit dimly, so the threads of Air should at least shimmer to him, even if only slightly.  Truthfully, Noj wasn't quite sure he would even be able to teach the guy how to enter the Void.  Telling others how to do things was never his strong suite.  Then again, Noj tended to have an odd way of doing things, not just in the action, but in the thought behind the action as well.  For example his sword work, while copying the movements of forms a little bit, was mostly improvised, to the point where Noj kinda just slurred his motions, aiming for openings when he saw them and protecting his own when necessary.  The way he fought and channeled had helped him defeat opponents in the past that were in all truth much more skilled then he was both with sword and Saidin.  Like Zarack... 

Pushing the psycho from his mind he set his focus back on Damien, waiting to see how he'd react.  At least he's probably expecting another wall of Air.

[Scott]

Damien slowly got his feet; moving slowly for fear that quick action would cause him to lose hold of the Void, and sigh of the Power. Frowning once he was on his feet, Damien scrutinized the air before him, something about it seeming odd. It was as if something was there, he just wasn’t sure what. Light blind me, what is going on? Standing perfectly still, barely breathing, Damien continued to stare at the air before him, certain that there was definitely something there. He suspected that Noj was doing something with the Power, he just wasn’t sure what.

As it had happened before, awareness hit him without warning; the air before Damien appeared to him as a solid mass, a wall of air, and he could almost identify the weave that created it. Glancing from the wall of air to Noj, Damien suppressed a gasp. Golden light seemed to illuminate Noj’s head and upper body. By the Creator, is that…Saidin? How could something that damns the men who wield it appear as a golden light? Burn me but nothing makes sense anymore! Shaking his head, Damien calmly moved forward and then stepped around the wall of air as he came to it, stopping before Noj. “What’s next?” Damien’s voice was once again the hollow, emotionless monotone that calmness within the void brought to him.

[Nojanath]

Noj eyed Damien as he went about looking for what he expected.  It seemed as if he found it too, for he seemed to tilt his head in curiousity as if he couldn't understand what he was seeing for a moment.  But the moment passed and the Soldier walked around the wall without running into it.

A smile almost quirked his lips.  "Alright, it seems as if you are getting the hang of it pretty good."  Weaving Air around the boy's ankle he yanked him upside down, again testing to see if the boy would startle and losehe grip o n the Void. if not then the Soldier was in good shape.  He himself had found reaching the Void and staying in it not all that hard, but he was a strange case.  He had channeled on his own before coming to the Tower, even if he refused to believe that it was channeling at the time. 

Smirking, he yanked on the eweave of Air a few times, shaking the Soldier up and down.  "If you managed to perfectly hold the Void during that then I'll teach you to grasp the Source."

[Scott]

Damien blinked, eyes going wide and eyebrows shooting up, or down rather, as he felt himself grabbed at the ankle and flipped upside down. He would have gasped, yelped, or yelled, had he not been wrapped in the emotionless calm of the Void. But that calm was threatening to slip away from him. The initial panic had nearly shattered the Void, and the surprise which ensued was threatening to break what little grasp Damien still had on it. Taking deep breaths, Damien began to gain a foothold of control on the Void – until Noj began shaking him up and down.

Eyes closed, Damien tried to keep taking deep breaths, tried to ignore his entire body being thrown around in the air. His head was beginning to feel warm, and he would have panicked had he been able to see his face, which was a bright, bright red. He was still managing to hold onto the Void, however, if only by a fingernail. Damien was about to lose the Void completely, until he heard Noj’s voice. It struck Damien then that this had to be a test, nothing more. Light! It’s a bloody test, and I’ve nearly failed it! Gritting his teeth, Damien opened his eyes, trying to meet Noj’s gaze. His body bouncing up and down made keeping his gaze focused fairly difficult, but that didn’t stop him from trying. Without realizing it, Damien had regained full control of the Void, and all shreds of panic had left him. “I seem to have managed to hold on,” Damien replied to Noj, his voice wrapped in the emotionless calm of the Void, though it was slightly uneven as a result of his being shaken.

[Nojanath]

Noj nods approvingly.  "Alright.  Though, I do have to give you a warning.  You don't have any choice in the matter really, if you say no now, you'll be forced to do it soon.  What I must tell you is that if you mess up after grabbing the source, in a best case situation, you'll burn yourself out, worst case, you'll die.  You aren't strong enough yet to harm those around you I wouldn't think."  Lucky him. "So if you don't wish to reach out for Saidin now, then you can wait for tomorrow.  Though be certain that you will reach out for it one way or another, or you'll hang."

It wasn't a pleasant speech, but it was necessary.  He liked this spot, it was good for making an example, that's why Tim brought him there he thought.  It had a very good view of the Traitor's Tree.  "Now that the Black Tower's got you, you belong to it.  You are the weapon of the Dragon, a tool to be used, and if broken, cast aside.  The Black Tower uses a technique called forcing.  You shall do everything with the Power.  Dress yourself, heat your food, eat.  If you can't, you go without.  You'll train as hard as you can.  You'll gain strength quickly, or die trying." 

Sighing, Noj put down the boy, gently, onto the grass.  "You see a light through the Void correct?"

[Scott]

Damien resisted the urge to sigh as he was set back down. He frowned in thought, despite the emotionless calm of the Void. Obviously, he’d have to accept Saidin sooner or later, the question was, was he really ready? Light, am I actually considering surrendering to this madness!? Finally letting out the sigh, Damien nodded his head, “Very well, since I’m going to have to do this eventually, I might as well start now.” He got up to his feet, a determined look on his face. “And yes, I do see a sort of light through the Void. Though…it’s strange somehow,” a frown worked its way onto his face, though Damien didn’t notice it through the Void.

“Sometimes, everything is clear, as if brightly illuminated by a powerful light…” He trailed off, his frown deepening. “Other times it’s…it’s like a flickering torch, or a sort of…stunted light.” Damien offered a shrug. “A moment ago…you seemed to be surrounded in light, like a bright, gold radiating from you,” He suddenly grinned and began to chuckle, thinking that he sounded foolish. “Then again, maybe I’ve gone insane before I’ve even begun to channel!” He said, giving Noj a bright smile.

[Nojanath]

Noj gritted his teeth at the boy's last statement, and ripped him off the ground again by his ankle, hanging him upside down.  Slowly and deliberately, he walked up to the Soldier, looking him square and evenly in the eye.  "Are you alright in the head?  If no then I can take it for you."  Turning back around, he resumed his seat on the rock.  Damn bloody fools.  It bothered him greatly that over half of the population of the continent still believed that the taint was on the source.  And the number of people who believed it grew constantly, because two fools would meet, and make even more foolishness. 

"I assure you that the Taint is completely gone from the Saidin.  If you don't want to touch it for fear that badly I'll sever you from the the Source completely, but it will be a wasted effort."  He took a breath, but continued to hold the boy in the air with his weave.  "So I'm sorry to destroy any dreams you had of being 'The Man Who Defeated The Taint' but that's already been done by the Lord Dragon.  So I take back what I said to you earlier.  If you promise to quit your foolishness, then I shall teach you to touch the Source, and no sooner will I do it."

[Scott]

Damien yelped as he was suddenly dangling in the air once more, the Void shattering completely this time. Blinking rapidly, he tried to regain a semblance of calm and regain control, but it was a wasted effort. He began to protest at the situation, until Noj's face, bearing a quite stern expression, was suddenly in front of his. Damien could do nothing but listen as the man spoke, feeling like a young child being lectured for stealing candies. He began to grow indignant; for the love of the Light it had only been a joke! All sense of indignation disappeared, however, as Noj settled back down, and Damien merely frowned.

Damien’s frown merely deepened as the implications of Noj’s words settled in. Beheaded, for a joke!? Light, what have I really gotten myself into? Thoughts of death quickly receded in place of Noj’s other insult though; Severed from the Source…? Can they do that!? Light, I haven’t even begun to properly use the Power, and they’re going to cut me off from it? After several moments, moments which proved key to Damien regaining some composure, the Soldier looked Noj in the eye, well, in the upside down eye, and gave him a determined nod. “My apologies, Asha’man, I will strive to remain serious in the future.”

[Nojanath]

Noj nodded to the boy with a bit more respect.  "I'm sorry about that, I'm just tired of the ignorance of people about the male half of the Source.  Most men and women still believe that the Taint is still present.  And the only ones of us that can say any different are the ones that can touch it.  The problem being that the only ones of us that can attest to this most believe to already be out of our minds for touching the damn thing." 

Noj again, slowly let down the boy to his feet.  "And I am no Asha'man yet, I am just a Dedicated.  I appreciate the respect, but make sure you don't misplace your respect when it's given to others.   Now, assume the Void, and try to reach out to that light shining from that place just out of your sight.  You might not get it at first, but keep trying anyway.  And ready yourself for when you touch it.  Conquer Saidin, otherwise you yourself will be conquered."

[Scott]

Damien let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding as he was set back onto the ground. He suppressed a wince and wished he could rub his ankle, Noj had not been gentle, but refrained from showing any signs of pain and kept his face as respectful as he could. He hadn't realized how touchy a subject the insanity that Saidin caused was. Light, I mean used to cause. Half the people at this place seem like they're crazy though, cleansed Saidin or tainted Saidin.

Setting himself, Damien did as he was instructed. The Void seemed to come much more quickly and with greater ease than it had when the lesson had started, and stray thoughts and feelings were obliterated before Damien even thought to remove them from his mind. Taking a deep breath, he tried to find that distant, inviting light within the Void. Wait, oh Light, am I actually going to try and touch Saidin!? Am I out of my bloo- The thought was fed into the flame of the Void before it had a chance to take root in Damien's head, and he continued trying to find the light.

When Damien did find that distant light, Saidin, it was abrupt. It was as if, one moment, the Void was the dark emptiness he was beginning to grow familiar with, and then, as if in a fraction of a second, a great mass of light sat outside it, close enough to be touched. Hesitation began to bubble into the Void, thoughts of how foolish this was starting to form, but they were quickly fed into the flame and the Void was calm once again. In another instant, Damien had reached out to that light, and wasn't sure if he regretted it or not.

Searing, white hot pain surrounded him as soon as Damien touched Saidin. It was the most excruciating thing he had ever experienced, and yet, he wasn't experiencing it. The pain was there, it was as if he could feel it, but it seemed to almost be contained within the Void. His body felt no heat, no touch, no pain, his mind didn't really even feel it. It was something he was aware of, knew it should have had him curled in on himself, crying out on the ground, but there he stood. With the heat came something more familiar, but equally painful. A cold, colder than any winter in the Borderlands, seemed to freeze him to the bone, Damien was surprised not to hear his bones snapping. All of this had come upon Damien in an instant, and in another, it was gone. Perhaps it wasn't truly gone, but it was definitely covered by what came next. Life, that was the only way Damien could think to describe it. It was as if sweet, pure joy, more ecstasy and happiness than he had ever experienced before, was filling him now.

Damien began to draw on the sweet, golden light, drinking it in as a man in the desert would drink from a waterskin. He drew in more and more, until the euphoria it brought upon him almost began turning into pain. Alarmed, Damien immediately released a bit of the flow, bringing himself back down to a state of ecstasy. Looking around, face blank, Damien was amazed to find how much better life seemed; everything looked sharper, more appealing to the eye, sounds even sounded better to him. Turning his eyes to Noj, Damien spoke matter-of-factly, "This is amazing."