Ren immediately closed his eyes, but the moment he did, his thoughts spun out of control. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't keep his mind blank, images, words, and stray worries kept flooding in.
Gale noticed the faint twitch in his brow and, without hesitation, smacked the back of his head.
"Ouch! What was that for?!" Ren yelled, rubbing his skull.
"You get a smack whenever you drift off! And no opening your eyes!" Gale scolded.
For the next hour, the rooftop echoed with the repeated sound of Gale's palm smacking Ren's head as he couldn't help but think. How am I supposed to meditate when I'm being beaten senseless? Did Kaien go through this torture too?
Then came another smack.
"What are you thinking about now?" Gale asked flatly.
