Sja Fram [Inheritance Cycle | Eragon Fanfiction]

Chapter IX: Idle Days (Unedited)

"You have some things that are correct whereas you're wrong in other areas. Anyone can block attacks - that is true, however, not many can speak to other beings without having magic. Dragons do use it to speak to their riders along with anything else they wish to speak too. It can help in battle and when your mind is shielded, it can be suspicious to any searching minds. Now, we're going to find out if you can speak mentally and work on doing that."

"How?" I questioned, cutting in.

"If you let me finish I'll say," Brom said with a frustrated sigh. I looked down at the ground and muttered a soft 'sorry.' "Now, as I was saying. We'll work on this. I'll enter your mind and speak. I want you to try and reply to me."

I nodded my head as a go-ahead motion, and looked straight ahead and waited for Brom to enter my mind. For a few minutes, nothing seemed to happen when I suddenly got a pounding headache and something strange seemed to be on the tip of my thoughts.

It is Brom.

I looked at Brom as I heard his voice. I am in your head. As I heard Brom's voice once more, I realised his mouth wasn't moving.

"Are... are you talking in my mind?" I asked out loud.

Yes, but try to answer in your head. Focus on what you want to say and try to push everything else back.

Can... you hear me? I asked as I tried to focus on what I wanted to say only.

Very good, now I can still feel your emotions and some of your thoughts. Really shove it all to the back of your mind, like you're locking them away in a box.

I frowned and tried to imagine my mind as if it were a house. I focused on what I was feeling, sensing, and thinking. I imagined a giant chest appearing and looking everything away except for one thought only. I imagined locking the chest and shoving it away so it was hidden but still there. I then imagined Brom in the same room as me.

Is it still there? I asked feeling quite empty but aware of my thoughts, emotions, and senses at the same time.

No. Good work, I didn't expect you to be able to do it that quickly.

Thanks, I replied ignoring Brom's insult and just taking the compliment.

Now, I want you to try to reach out for my mind. It's as if you're letting off a wave of invisible power, which can feel anything alive.

I licked my lips and tried to focus on sending a ray out and reaching out. For a moment, I felt like there were sparks flying around me before a stabbing headache started up. I let out a groan, dropped my reins, and reached up to rub my temples.

"What's wrong?" Brom asked, worried.

"Headache," I said through gritted teeth.

"We seem to be getting somewhere," Brom said with a laughing grin. "Most people when learning this get a headache as other thoughts assault them."

"Did this happen to Eragon?"

"No, but that's because he's gotten used to Saphira's thoughts and hasn't tried to reach out for everything all at once. Although I may've pushed you a bit far, try to push your thoughts to me. As if we're connected, got it?"

I nodded my head, "It may help to close your eyes." Brom said, giving me a helpful hint - for once.

I closed my eyes and imagined a string going from my room in my mind to Brom's minds. I imagined scrawling down a message and sending it over. I gently traced the line with my hand, as I reached through the wall to follow it everything around me faded.

Good. Brom said after roughly three minutes of silence. You managed to speak. Took you a bit of time, but you did it.

What do you mean a bit of time? It was over in five minutes or so. I replied, somehow easily managing to speak without focusing, as if I knew how to do so this entire time.

It's been half an hour Umaroth. Brom said in an amused tone, it might seem shorter to you due to how you were concentrating. How's that headache?

I focused back on my mind and everything suddenly disappeared, giving me a sharp spike of pain but then nothing. I opened my eyes and looked at Brom, feeling sore. "What happened?"

"You focused on your own mind and lost the connection, we will work on that later. For now rest, your mind is like any other muscle and needs to be exercised and worked up until you can use it for long periods." I frowned in annoyance.

"When can we try again?"

"In about an hour, if you have no headache anymore." I nodded my head.

"Who are you?" I muttered aloud, not realising I hadn't spoken in my head as I had intended.

"What was that?"

I stuttered and tried to think up something. However, Brom seemed to know far too well and gave me a knowing look. I gave up trying to lie and said the truth. "I asked 'Who are you?' as I was trying to figure who you are. After all, you seem a magician but seem to know everything far too well, you look like Eragon, but he acts as if you don't know him to well. Yet you seem to know him as if he were family. Like your fight the other day, that seems something akin to a simple family dispute. Along with how familiar you are with Saphira, it makes me wonder if you ever had a dragon. You know far too much about dragons, and considering being a Dragon Rider comes with having magic maybe..." I shook my head at my thoughts, "Whatever I think doesn't matter overly much. Who are you truly?"

"You see much Umaroth," Brom said in reply. I waited in silence sensing that Brom would speak once more. "Much more than most people would see, have you ever been blind Umaroth?" I shook my head, "It is said that blind people can sometimes see more than what someone with working eyes can see. Half the time, I think people need to lose their sight in order to see what is right in front of them."

I pondered over Brom's words. "I guess I have been blind, but not in the physical sense as much as the mental sense. I lost sight of who I was. I lost sight of my goal. But then again, people say that all it takes is to see something from another's perspective to understand it."

Brom hummed and I took that as a sign to continue. "I don't have prior history with you, Eragon, Saphira, or any other dragon. I see you three without my past touching you, I see you without my emotions getting in the way. Nonetheless you still haven't answered my question, and I want an answer."

"An answer you get may not be the answer you wish to receive."

"It's better than no answer at all," I replied bluntly.

"Very well," Brom took a deep breath and spoke. "I am no mere storyteller or simple magician - that is true. I'm not ready to share my story either, time does not ask for it yet. So for now you'll know all of which I have said, but no more. For the answer is not right now, but further back to demand it in the future. The answer cannot be found from dragon back yet it could be found from dragon back. Everyone has his or her secrets, so I ask you leave me with this. After all, I have revealed who I am."

I pondered over Brom's words, thinking that there was some meaning behind them. However, ten minutes later, all I had were frustrated thoughts and even more confused than I was when I had started.

Just a cool gif I found - enjoy!