Embracing Love and Power

Chapter 2 - Visions

Tillie sat in the strategic room at the heart of the new world. She looked around the table; Alden and August were listing to the reports of commander Nobleman from last night. Commander Foreman was silent and looked at the map on the table. She had stayed up way too long last night and felt that the lack of adequate sleep was becoming too much for her. Her eyelids grew heavy and with each word Nobleman said she dozed a little further.

Suddenly she was woken up by a loud bang, August had knocked hard on the table to wake her up. Tillie felt how her head was still heavy and stared daggers at him. "Rough night?" Foreman asked. She studied the man, he was about 40, handsome and smart. "Are you up for fighting lessons today and patrolling tonight?" he teased her. "Are you asking me if I am ready to kick your ass?" Tillie replied confidently. "Maybe you should take a power nap, because right now even August could kill you." All men around the table laughed except August. 

"That's enough." Alden said sternly before Tillie could answer. "I think we all have enough work to do, so you are dismissed." When she got up to leave the table he stopped her. "Tillie a word." She sighed and turned around. "What's the matter? You look like shit." He said. "Thanks for the compliment Alden." He smiled at her. "Talk to me." "My dreams continue to haunt me." Tillie responded. "What are you dreaming?" Alden asked. "A girl keeps appearing in my dreams. It always seems like she needs help. She is surrounded by people who want to hurt her." Alden was silent for a few minutes and then answered; "It's a vision, your mother had them too." 

"No it was just a dream." Tillie answered quickly. "Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil" Alden responded. "James Allen couldn't have been more right. Your visions will lead us to a new future." He added. "No, that is not possible. I am nothing like her." "Tillie calm down, you are the daughter of the two most powerful magicians who ever lived. Stop suppressing everything. The uncontrolled magic, that's only because you can't contain it. If you would learn how to, you could see the good things we can do." Tillie felt the anger rising inside her. "Stop it, you know I won't use it. The last time I tried someone almost died." "You were too young back then, look how much you have grown. Look at what you have achieved." Alden tried to calm her with his words, but it was no use. 

"I need some air." She replied. "Tillie wait, describe at least her surroundings. Then we can save her." He pleaded. "You are nuts." She answered stern. "Tillie show some respect please." "Fine, she was in the mountains. It looked like a big compound built with containers. It seemed like it was in the middle of a forest." Alden studied her for a couple of minutes. "And the people who wanted to hurt her, what were they like?" He asked. "The were wearing black uniforms, heavily armed, they all looked like they were all trained as warriors. The girl was also dressed in a black uniform but she was unarmed. She was so scared. I don't know what to think about all of this, I am just scared." She said. Alden nodded his head as she walked out.

Tillie walked to the edge of the site, where there were many remains of the old village. She felt her anger rising, she had to do something to break her emotions. She walked over to her hiding place and pulled out an old iron baseball bat. She had found it in the remains of an abandoned house and had kept it. She collected the largest boulders she could find and placed them on a high pile. She took a few steps back and the bat swung in the air, hitting the pile full speed. A cloud of dust fell around her as she made another swing. The pieces splattered through the air and flew around her. She shielded her eyes, but a piece cut straight into her arm. She took another swing and she felled how the stress drained away. 

"Breaker what are you up to?" Tillie noticed how her emotions stabilized when she heard the voice of her best friend. August jogged over towards her. "You know it would be a lot easier if you would just take Alden's lessons with the rest of us." He said. Tillie looked up, right into the big scar on her best friend's face. The scar was the result of a burn, it ran from above his eyebrow down his nose and ended on his cheek. He was still handsome, the scar accentuated his hazel eyes. His dark brown hair hung casually over his shoulders as he stared down her. 

August wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "You know I can't." she answered. "Come on you have to. We don't stand a chance without you." "You mean with me, or has it been too long since you looked in the mirror." Tillie responded. August sighed and looked her in the eyes. "This morning I still looked as handsome as the day before." He said with a grin. "You know I didn't mean that" She answered. "I have made my peace with it, why can't you?" August asked. "Because I don't want anyone else to look like shit because of me." "I thought it was sexy." Tillie rolled her eyes.

August gently ran his fingers over her cheek. "Do you ever think of me that way?" August asked softly. "Do you think that maybe I could be your beacon, I was able to calm you down." Tillie broke eye contact as she felt the guilt build up. August wasn't able to calm her, just seeing that scar filled her with fear of her powers, causing the anger to disappear instantly. There had been feelings between them, but that was before the incident. Now Tillie could only feel hatred for herself when she saw him. She saw how August was about to say something. "Don't cast a spell on me." She said. He smiled at her. "You know me better than anyone, you know me even better than I know myself." He said. "I don't want to hurt you" Tillie said as she took his hand.

"There is something between us, but you're not my beacon. And I don't know what these feelings are. Right now I am too distracted by finding my way and not hurting anyone. There is no room for this in my life." August closed his eyes. "I'll wait for you." He said. He softly laid his forehead against hers and looked in her eyes. "But we are still friends. Not soul mates however." She said. "We are friends. But you have got to start practicing again." "You are ruining the moment." Tillie whispered. 

"Breaker, there are young girls out there who need a role model like you. Someone who can rescue and protect them and show them what to do." Tillie took a step back. "I will never stop rescuing and protecting them. But it will just be without my powers." August sighed "Why the hell do you have to be so stubborn? You are the most powerful mage that ever existed." "And how could you know that?" she answered. "Have you read your father's journal? He was evil and his power swept through him like a storm, but your mother calmed his storm and that was the only way they could save us." August answered. Her father's journal, until now Tillie hadn't touched the book. She only watched the memories in the ring, afraid that his thoughts would be exactly the same as hers. "You don't know if I am like her or like him." She replied. "You are so wrong." August replied. "Can we drop it?" she said. "Fine, but you know hitting that stack won't help you get better." "I know."