Beyond the Rift ✔ (Completed)

Chaptet 10: Root of the Matter

Alexis

This part of the forest is stone-silent, other than the soft sound of the flowing water. The Salmon river must be near-by. We are half an hour away from the base camp. Though, the density of trees has reduced, there is greenery everywhere. The ground is covered in a lush green carpet. The grass is still drenched from the morning dew as the wet droplets kiss my feet through the sandals.

Elvira is hunched over a green turf; as if examining a clue. I decide to approach her.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Elvira straightens up and turns to face me. It feels like a rhetorical question, so I stay quiet. "Birds, trees." She pauses, "Nature." She sounds calm and peaceful.

I look around and reply, "Yes, one could fall in love with it."

"Yes!"

There is a short pause, where she adjusts her gloves. We are at least three meters apart. It feels odd for some reason. She is passive and relaxed. I thought a training with her would be like push-ups and squats. Well, I'm not a fan of warm-ups either, so it's fine by me.

"But can you pull free from the Earth If you wanted to?" Her tone turns skeptical.

"Why would you want to do that?" I answer rationally. Why would someone want to hate the environment?

"Because, Mother Nature is cruel at times, Honey." She grins at the end.

I don't have time to register and process her words. She swiftly waves her hands in the air as if commanding a pet to rise from the ground. Suddenly, the turf under my feet churns like slime. I lose balance and am pushed down, on my all fours. Instantly; right before my very eyes, two rope-like creepers emerge from the dirt. The roots wrap around my wrists and ankles; coiling just like a snake coils around its prey. Tightening itself around my hands, it starts slithering up my arms and legs; around my waist, over my shoulder, crawling up my back.

"Elvira!" I squeeze my eyes shut and scream in agony. My heart bangs in my chest; pounding blood vigorously to the body. I struggle to break free from the coiling ropes but it is pointless.

Suddenly, the ropes begin hauling my body into the earth. No! I kick the ground with quick powerful strokes.

"Alexis." I hear Elvira's voice call out my name.

"Help!" I yell.

"No. Disentangle yourself. Try to break free."

"I don't know how, Please Stop this!" I cry out.

"Try to command the Earth! Make it stop." Elvira tries to guide me but I can't think of anything right now. I am knees deep in the soil. As I try to struggle, the creepers intensify the tug, hence making the process faster. My adrenaline surges so fast I almost vomit, I can taste saliva thickening in my throat.

Abruptly, the tugging stops. The ground becomes hard and stiff again; my arms and legs feel free. I open my eyes slowly. I am once again laying on the green grass; clean and dew covered. There is no trace of the dirt or the creepers, like it was never there. But, the pain in my bones and muscles speaks a different story. I try to rise steadily but my knees collapse like a marionette doll.

"I told you to command the earth." Elvira is standing over me; hands on her hips, a wave of disappointment crosses over her face.

"Elvira, Was that real?" I mumble, almost inaudible.

"Yes." Instead of checking on me, she turns around and walks.

"Where are you going?" I call out.

"We are going to try this again. This time concentrate on the energy of the roots."

What!