Baraka & OrenShade
OrenShade
You ever think about how silence can be the toughest training? Like a cracked theater, the only thing you hear is your own breath.
Baraka
Silence is the toughest opponent. It strips every trick away and forces you to fight with only the rhythm of your own breath. If you can master that, you master everything else.
OrenShade
Yeah, breath’s the only thing that keeps steady, but even that can crack when you stare too long at the empty walls. The trick is not to let the silence scream back at you.
Baraka
Silence can shout louder than words, but you can keep your rhythm by turning that noise into a steady drum and letting your breath be the metronome.
OrenShade
I hear that drum, but only when the lights flicker and the carpet’s hum stops. I keep the breath slow, the rest of the room just... fades.
Baraka
You keep your breath slow, you keep your focus steady. When the lights fade, that’s when your mind must stay the same—steady as a drumbeat. Keep the rhythm, and the silence will stay quiet.
OrenShade
Exactly, the lights drop and the room stops speaking. I just keep counting the inhale, exhale, let the silence settle.