Lydia was off fighting on the mainland. I chose to stay behind and forbid others from helping her. Zulu and the students both weren't happy about the decision and while they had faith, they prayed I wasn't wrong. I sit cross-legged at the edge of the island with my eyes closed. With enough concentration, I can not only feel where they are but feel every subtle detail about them.
I can feel as Lydia gains power through concentration and then loses it from her parents nearby. I can feel Maxus' wickedness infecting the area. I can feel their punches and kicks, evading, charging attacks. It wasn't like watching it with my eyes, but it was a close second. I can also feel Zulu approaching me from the city. I stand and await his arrival, unable to concentrate now.
"Diane." He says, and it aggravates me.
"What is it?" I glare at him, I don't like the feeling I'm getting from him.
"We need to continue to train. You'll need a replacement for when-"
"I will not be replaced!" I shout, and my energy flares. Zulu sighs.
"I know, and maybe it won't be by me or any of my students anytime soon. We're getting old, and you've been crippled. You need to start thinking for later." Zulu's tone is more sympathetic than when we normally have this discussion. It does not sway me, however.
"I will stand as the strongest mage until the end of days. Even after my time passes, mages will be a race to be feared. Mages will come after me, but they will not beat me. I'll be damned if one does it while I'm walking." There is a silent and tense air between us. I don't expect Zulu or anyone to understand.
"We'll see. That Lydia girl is special like we were. Maybe more special." Zulu says before flying off. I feel back towards the mainland. Lydia's energy is all over the place. She was admittedly strong but stronger than me? Not in a million years. She was inexperienced, young, and still figuring herself out along with her powers. She still had a lot to learn before she could even come close to matching my strength.
Yet when I wait, and I continue to monitor their powers, I feel something. Surely it's not doubt, worry, or even expectancy. I feel a sense of familiarity. Lydia's life was slowly shaping into mine as she followed my steps. Even now I feel something within her I never have before. Something was bubbling its way to the surface.
I deflect another fireball from my house and send one back to Maxus.
"Look at those two! Fighting to the death like animals in the wild!" Father shouts at my mother. I grit my teeth and charge at Maxus. I steal a move straight from Diane and spiral towards him. My entire body wraps itself in fire and five spirals break away from me. I let the five try to hit first, but Maxus jumps high above them right before they hit. They all hit one another with a bang, and cover the area in smoke.
I fly into that smoke and plant my feet. Maxus jumped straight up, meaning all I have to do is the same thing. I shoot up into the air like a rocket and swing my arm. It connects with his stomach and he folds over my arm, gasping for air. I form a large ice hammer in both hands and swing it down across his back. Maxus goes tumbling through the air.
"She's not an animal, she's our daughter and she's risking her life for ours!" My mother protests. My father scoffs. Just stop talking already, I can't focus! Maxus stops in the air and then flies back to me. I try to block a kick with my ice hammer, but he kicks clean through it and connects with my neck. Now I'm tumbling through the air, but unlike me, Maxus follows it up with a blast of wind that knocks me to the ground.
"Against her kind no less! Watch, one day she'll be as evil as that damn Devil she ran off with one day!" Diane? He not only resents me but the decisions I've made. Even if everything I've ever done was for him since I had powers. I rise to a knee when I realize Maxus isn't done with me. He knows I'm being distracted by them, he's timing his attacks to their sentences. I roll out of the way of the kick, but the impact with the ground sends shockwaves that knock me back.
YOU ARE READING
Torva Messor
ActionI did not want this power, nor the judgments you laid down upon me. I have lived and survived both. Growing. Learning. I've lived in fear, but now the world will know that same fear. For none have seen what I've seen. Done what I've done. Sacrificed...
