“Spirito Deshik?” The Doha in the green robes at the lectern called out. 

“Here, Doha.” Spirito shot his paw up.

As she glanced his way, she captured his face among the other twelve students in the classroom. The woman identified as Doha Erica on his desk tablet as the instructor, smiled and nodded. In rows of chairs, their tails swinging behind, the small group sat with task desks wrapping around them and a tablet hanging from a swing arm attached at the end, clearly for reading and notes. The Doha continued down the alphabet.

Spirito was excited about his first class of Tao studies. While he’d read the descriptions of the course and knew it was the study of energy, it read a little like a detailed essay and was very dry. It was only when he and his da went over to the training center to talk to other trainees that he found that studying this way gave him abilities to clear his mind and focus, as well as learn more choices that surround his fitness. Of course, Tao studied plants and money and societies too. But the growth within himself was more fascinating. And a lot of it fascinates his da. But he let Spirito ask the questions. And he liked the plant’s thing. Mama was always using trees and plants when she showed him how things changed. And now he was here. Day 1.

Having sat through Fac and Chu’s introductions earlier that morning and even meeting a few classmates sitting nearby, he felt much more comfortable in those classes knowing what was ahead of him. This, however, was new. He felt nervous and excited. He was having a hard time not showing his teeth as he grinned. Looking around at other students, he found two older boys sitting in the next two rows behind to his right. And three other boys his age sitting even with him. Then there were four girls that looked his age, sitting in a small group near the front. And then two younger boys sitting in the first row. Then he saw her, the same pretty little girl he’d met that first day, Me-ume Volk. He rolled her name around in his mind. She was smart. Much smarter than him. And her pelt was super cute. Spirito tried not to stare, but she must have sensed his gaze because she turned and saw him looking.

He held his breath and gave a discreet paw wave.

She smiled and waved back.

“Me-ume Volk?” Doha Erica called out.

“Here, Doha.” She turned back to face the lectern. 

Doha Erica stood tall and glanced over at them with her brown eyes. Her ears flickered in the direction she looked.

“Welcome to Tao Course L4. I am happy you’ve selected to attend these studies. This is an eight-week course offered to beginner Tao students. I am Doha Erica, the Second Master of Tao. Some of you, I’m sure, were surprised to see that they chose me to instruct instead of Doha who invited each of you. However, as this intro course to Tao studies is so short and direct, you will find the daily instructors may vary. Other First and Second-mastery instructors will share the instructor role with me as teachers of this course. Teaching is often part of the higher mastery advancement requirements. You may need to explain something to your own classmates that will help you and them break down the processes you are trying to learn. Regardless, the instructors will introduce portions of the Tao education you will explore if you continue forward.” She looked at a small digital device lying on the slanted podium. “Once you’ve elected to move forward, you will begin independent studies with Doha who invited you, starting a structured training under their supervision. But in this course, you will receive basic lessons to give you a touch of Tao and its essence.”

Spirito leaned forward, resting his elbows on his task desk. He understood so little. At the same time, upright students leaned back in the chairs as if they were tired of the class already.  More likely they’d heard such an introduction if they were studying more than one way.

“As with any study, there are those that wish to begin, but with time, may not wish to continue. It is not surprising for this to happen. Tao is a fascinating area to study within the eight Canid ways. It can stimulate you to think beyond the normal and can frustrate you with its intricate details. These studies are of the energies of life in many areas. It can become overwhelming. We have a saying for those that are not making progress. The one who seeks an empty state will find it. In Tao, a person who quits an endeavor releases their stored energy, motivation, and effort. Thus, they lose energy and become empty. If you ever approach this state or hit a wall that you cannot climb, come speak with me or one of the masters. There are doors everywhere, or at the least, windows.” She chuckled, pointing to the class windows across the wall of the hallway.

She looked at her tablet once more, looking back up and smiling. “Does anyone have questions for me?”

The quiet didn’t last long. Two students lifted their hands. 

“Mr. Harn.”

“Thank you, Doha.” One of the older students, with a stocky build, spoke. “Is it true Tao leads to a power to multiply your energy?” 

Doha Erica clicked her teeth together and wiggled her head back and forth. “Tao is energy, so the more energy one can generate,” she clapped her paws together loudly and rubbed them fast, then with a wide circular motion of her arms, she swung her palms and with a large step forward, pushed one palm off the other. The two tablets hanging from the swing arms of the unoccupied desks in the front row moved simultaneously, swinging without being touched toward the student. “…it is possible to multiply.” Doha Erica wiped her palms down her robe and straightened to stand tall again. “However, the technique of multiplying comes to the trainee when they can handle its consequences and not before.”

Mr. Harn swallowed, as did Spirito. He didn’t even realize there was such an ability. How could she do such a thing?

“Ms. Volk.”

“Thank you, Doha. Could you explain the Tao pyramid, please? I saw it on line, but I’m not familiar with the lower layers.”

 Doha smiled but shook her head. “We have an instructor that covers that concept in depth in week five or six. You would be better off learning all 40 diagrams first before we tackle the layers. This reminds me, that each student can take the desk tablet they are behind and use it for this course and, if needed, other courses. Once accessed, you will find daily and weekly assignments, other readings, and, as Ms. Volk pointed out, diagrams and larger concepts of Tao. The tablet dashboard for each student includes coursework tabs for each course. 

All the students groaned.

Doha Erica grinned.

“But before we get into that, I’d like to take a quick circle around the room to have everyone give a two-sentence introduction. Name, age, the ways you will study, and perhaps the position you expect to hold after you graduate.”

Spirito grimaced and hid it by scratching his ear. So far, nobody noticed he was going to try to study five different ways. His parents said he could study all five if he chose. His Fac and Chu instructors were already setting up competitions amongst the students and couldn’t care less if his academics were above par. Shasis warned him to keep a lid on his multiplied coursework and to stay silent about his role with the royal family. Kids could take that information as a challenge to persecute him, to teach him not to be so uppity.

“Can you start us off, Mr. Choco?”

“My name is Adam Choco, age 7. I am studying Tao. I hope to work in agriculture like my father.”

The next youngster waved his paw at the class. “My name is Rob Stillet, I am 7. I am studying Tao. And I hope to work with technology.”

“My name is Mika Prou. I am 10. I am studying Tao and hope to work in the medical field.”

“Me too. My name is Gio Prou. I am 9. Mika is my sister. I am studying Tao and hope to work in the medical field.”

Spirito rubbed his head. Were these kids just studying Tao? Should he say the same? No, because he was bound to run into them in other courses or even in the core curriculum. The introductions continued.

“My name is Brun Jaclet. I am 9. I am studying Tao and Sune. I will enter the military.”

Spirito blew out a silent breath of relief. Finally, someone studying more than just Tao.

“My name is Chance Harn. I am 12. I am studying Tao and Fac. The royal guard will commission me.

A few of the kids’ eyes widened. That meant his father was in the palace guard ranks. Chance was someone who had to push his studies with dedication. Since he was moving toward his profession, the higher he made in his level of studies, the more he impressed the testing center when they inducted him. And the more rank he would get.

Spirito perked up and jerked his head toward the nearby Me-ume as she spoke.

“My name is Me-ume Volk. I am 7. I hope to enter politics one day. I am studying Tao and Sune.”

Wow. Her young age and the fact that she was invited to study in two ways left Spirito impressed.

Three more kids spoke up, and then it was Spirito’s turn. He gave as little information as possible. “My name is Spirito Deshik, I am 9. I am studying Fac, Chu, and Tao.” A few students gasped, but he kept going. “I will train for a position working at the royal palace.”

He looked at his tablet, then back up to Doha Erica. She was frowning and looking at her own screen. After a moment, her claw stopped tapping, and she looked at him directly. A few strong heartbeats passed, and she moved her gaze to the next student to speak.

After everyone gave their two sentences, Doha spoke.

“Thank you each for providing that brief introduction. I’m sure we will learn much more about one another as the days go by but for now…I’d like to have you log into the tablets to make sure you can. Once you sign in using your school comm address and student ID, you will see notifications from all your instructors, and when you select my name, a daily coursework assignment. “Let us begin.” The Doha stepped from the lectern and moved among the students to aid if needed.

“That is gonna be wicked hard, studying three ways?” Brun whispered as students talked amongst themselves.

“True, but at least he picked straightforward ways. Some of those others are off-the-chart spooky. I mean, who studies dead people?” Chance leaned over and joined the conversation.

“Well, actually my mother does,” Mika added. “She is an Alpha over at the Imotito Factory.” Spirito and another both said ‘Wow’ at the same time. Everyone recognized IF produced the best technology on the planet. Their slogan of ‘IF, Redefining Speed’ was based on the latest tech they were making for space, both ships and gravimetrics. They’d boosted speed and delivered more controls than ever before. The Alpha leaders, well respected, often held business relations with other planet corporate companies and brought vast change.

And Spirito was glad to hear someone didn’t find the Sune way so spooky. He was heading to that class next. And, at least, he recognized it wasn’t totally about talking to dead people since he’d had the chance to talk to trainees of Sune, as well.

“Alphas are pretty legit,” Brun agreed, smiling at Mika. “Let’s just see if her little Tao girl is up for the challenges we are going to face here. It’s a whole new program.”

Mika grinned back. “I’m ready.”

“Me too,” Gio piped up, her younger voice sounding slightly nervous.

Spirito couldn’t blame her. 

“Good luck with that three-way study, Spirito. If you need a study partner in Fac, I’m your man.” Chance gestured by holding up his arm and flexing.

Spirito rolled his eyes and chuckled. “Thanks.” 

He grabbed his tablet and hastily logged on. His dashboard took a moment to load and when it did, he squinted at the multiple tabs running across the top. He was going to have to spend serious time organizing his schedule and workload. His workload already required him to read three books this week, learn 10 of the Tao diagrams, and design a computer model of a forecasting technique.

As the Tao class ended and students made their way out into the busy hall, Spirito stayed near a wall and flipped through instructions from the Tao tab to see what was in store for tomorrow. He headed to his left, his Sune class only ten doors down. So, he ignored the other moving students and tried to read the notes.

Me-ume stepped up next to Spirito and commented, “Um, you might be headed in the wrong direction.”

Spirito blinked and slowly lowered his tablet. Dang. He tried to find a logical explanation to tell her why he was heading this way but failed. She would think him crazy. Was it possible they were walking to the same class? What could he possibly say?

“It’s OK. I’m aware you have Sune studies next.”

His jaw fell open. “How?”

She smiled and looked around the hall at other students.

“My mom knows someone who is on the board of education and accidentally mentioned the astounding news of you being invited so many times to my father when I was in the next room. She was shocked that a single student was asked to study in five different ways. She said it’s never been done before, but I found out she’s wrong.” 

Spirito stopped walking and turned to look at her. “What…wait. Someone else? Who?”

Me-ume gave a grimace and looked up at him. “Alando, the Knight Warden from the Grand Range Wars.” She stated flatly. “I did the research and confirmed he received training in five separate ways.”

Spirito stared at her blankly.

“He served on this continent and was considered brilliant in strategy. But in later years, he turned, and they stripped him of his rank.

Spirito turned to keep walking. Me-ume skipped a minute to catch up and walk with him.

“So, it’s not unheard of, is what I’m saying. Not often, but not unheard of.”

They arrived at the Sune training class and Me-ume stepped inside and turned to block his entrance. “If you believe you can do it, then everyone else will learn to believe it too.” 

Then she turned and moved into the classroom. He slowly followed.

* * *