Chapter Twenty Three
Training had begun for the elf as soon as they moved far from where they'd stayed. On their feet, they continued to travel around the border of the demon territory, attempting to gain more information about the odd magic crater by covering more ground.
Not so apparent to be noticed by the ordinary, Eial could feel slight goosebumps to the air sparked by magic the moments they wandered closer to the towns, closer to the cities. However, the observation remained in his own mind. For what he felt was odd, ominous, and because it was so, he could not share a word. If he could not put them in any danger, if he could fix it himself, he would.
Another thing the elf noticed was the oddity of the demon, who strode along, but farther than usual. His responses to the elf were brief and he would barely glance at the elf, unless to glare. What had he done to upset the demon? Had he fed him something he didn't like? Did the demon notice that he'd stolen a portion of the herbs from his satchel? His chest tingled during their silent routes.
"What we'll work on with you is teleporting without having to visualize," Vrona spoke, looking around at the sparse trees in the area.
"What's the point of that?" The response came automatically from the demon, who, after he spoke and made eye contact, remembered he was upset and swerved his face away.
"Good question," Vrona smirked the demon's way before turning to the elf. "It'll help if you want to teleport behind you in a compromising situation. And to teleport without letting your enemy know where you're heading."
And so, their training began with the sun casting shadows beneath their feet, occasionally overtaken by the cloud's own shadow. The demoness and the elf stood face to face in an area fairly bare, with only a tree several feet behind the elf.
The demon stood beside another tree, looking away. He twisted his wrist up, his fingers spread, and conjured a purple ball of dark magic. Then, he dissipated the magic as he brought his palm back down into a fist before repeating the process. The point of the exercise was to increase the speed of his magic, but as his magic was brought out, his temper had made the purple look more like the shape of flames.
Left hand on her side and right hand holding a stone, the demoness spoke as she twirled the stone around fingers. "Sharpen your senses to notice your surroundings without having to look. Trust your eyes less, and your instincts more."
The elf slowly nodded while continuing to look up at the demoness's eyes. Truthfully, he was not sure what the demoness had meant yet, or rather, how he was supposed to follow. But for courtesy, a simple nod.
Noticing the confusion in the elf, the demoness let out a little chuckle through her nose, a slight glint of a smile on her lips. "There's a tree behind you but it's empty otherwise. Use your body to feel the air. Use your feet to feel the ground. Notice where there's energy while you're still looking at me."
Vrona threw the stone in her hand far upward and Eial's attentive eyes followed the slow up and down towards the pinnacle, the sun making him squint ever so slight. As it fell, it aimed straight towards the elf's forehead. Before it touched, Eial stepped back and let the stone fall where his footprints pressed the ground before.
Vrona walked over to pick up the stone again before walking to Eial's side. "Without looking, you knew there was nothing behind you and you could step back. And like now—," Vrona stepped behind Eial, "— you can sense that someone is behind you without looking." Walking back in front, Vrona continued, "You can sense small distances already. You just need to bring that intuitive observation further."
A twinkle started to form along Eial's green eyes as the information seeped into his mind. What a splendid thing it was to learn something new! A eagerness buzzed through the elf's skin and his finger played the air. The next moment, however, he instinctively stepped back as a stone headed his way again. Focused back at the demoness, he noticed a smirk, only to then look back at his own feet and pout in frustration.
"Try this first. You know there's nothing behind you except the tree. You know there's nothing at least a few feet behind you. Try teleporting backwards just a few inches.
As instructed, Eial teleported behind a slight bit, but as he opened his eyes— he realized he had ended up closing his eyes automatically to focus. Another pout followed.
Laughing, Vrona put both her hands on her hips. "Close your eyes and teleport back again, but this time, remember how it feels around you as you do."
Eial again did as he was told, observing how his skin felt pricks, how his back felt empty, the spark that shot through his head. With those feelings fresh in his mind, he looked straight at the demoness, preparing to feel the same as he teleported backwards with his eyes open, without looking at what was behind him.
However, he couldn't. His heart sped and his hands shook slightly. His body warmed and warned, alarmed to take a step.
"Trust your intuition," the demoness worded in a deeper voice, almost hypnotic.
Taking a deep breath, he put all of his trust into his instincts and let go—
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The Demon and the Elf (Book 1)
Fantasy[mlm] The lonely Elf had waited many years to meet his bonded mate, but reality was harsher than he would have liked when he finds out his mate is not only a Demon, but the Demon wants nothing to do with him. [Part 1/Book 1 complete. Follow the stor...
