Shadow Beings

55. White Sight

It took me a full minute to register what had happened. The blinding light didn't strain my eyes in the slightest, but rather, comforted me in a way I couldn't comprehend. A foreign sensation that was somehow my own.

Everything around it seemed to darken due to its brilliance, even the soft daylight. Aurelia and Ariana wore an expression of astonishment on their faces, their gaze unable to decide whether to look at me or the shield.

After ten minutes of utter silence I raised my eyebrows, letting the shield dissipate with its calmness still lingering in the air. Although it did drain my energy, the aura it returned was tender and almost replenishing, letting me feel minimal exhaustion.

I remained still, taking rapid but deep breaths.

"A-Audrey..." Ariana's whisper faded with surprise.

"What?" I asked with a frown as I suppressed a smile. "I would expect myself to generate a shield after fifteen attempts."

"It's not that..."

Aurelia took a deep breath, grabbing my attention. "You conjured a Humane Shield. A Circle of White Light. It's not easy to make, to harness the energy in your memories."

Memories. The word echoed like a soft melody in my mind.

"Memories are something I'm very familiar with," I said, responding to Aurelia's statement with a sure smile.

"It was dangerous to do that; something wrong could've happened," Ariana scolded sternly, though then softened her voice. "I sensed the Sun's energy too. You've harnessed two forms of energy and the former is closely connected with a soul's energy."

I frowned. "How are memories connected to the soul?"

A playful smile slipped onto Ariana's face. "They can be very connected. You need to let go of your memories to attain the truth of your soul. Not forget, but let go. The nature of that state is relative in the minds of different living things.

"Anyway, right now, you used the memories lying in your mind and combined it with solar energy. Think about how powerful the shield would be when you combine other forms of energy. In the moment, when we're facing Vlad, you will know what all you have to use. We can never fully prepare for interactions with such beings."

I was a little confused, though I decided I would understand it all eventually.

It seems like that is true for everything, anyway.

"Also," Aurelia began in a whisper, stifling a smile. "Your- um, look into the mirror."

Aurelia pointed towards the large structure of glass on the wall and I followed her direction, taking cautious steps. Looking at the two with curiosity while I walked, I finally turned towards the mirror when I reached it, my eyes widening at the sight in front of me.

A soft glow sat around my face and I then felt more peaceful, free. Every mundane item faded away and I strongly felt the sunlight on my face, the wind moving through my hair as it entered the room through the small gaps fitting the walls. The faint sound of the birds chirping was louder, deeper in a soft manner. The movement of water running in a fountain was now faintly audible to me, along with all the other sounds of Nature.

What stood out the most, however, were my eyes.

The light grey irises were now replaced with sparkling pools of white, hints of the colour grey and orange textured into them. My eyes didn't feel foreign and if it weren't for the mirror I would not be aware of this change, but after looking at it my mind felt brighter.

More determined, more sure that things would be okay. As if water ran through a river of white light, reflecting it into scattered beams, washing away all difficulties to show that none of it mattered.