After that day, the mages rebuilt the city. Lydia continues to train, but she trains alone. Zulu trains his pupils. Diane trains alone and watches Lydia with a side-eye. Lydia wonders about Diane, she seems more temperamental. She avoids Zulu and his pupils and avoids the people in the city.
Lydia brings her concerns to Zulu one day. To which Zulu pulls her away from the city to talk.
"I know what you're talking about, I see it too." Zulu expresses.
"What are we going to do?" Lydia asks concerned.
"Nothing. If we go after her she'll become defensive and engage us. All we can do is show we do not approve of this." Zulu's eyes are wide with fear. Lydia also begins to find the missing words of things that weren't said.
"Do you honestly think she would turn on us?" Lydia asks.
"I'm not sure. She's different, and her breaking point is going to be a lot shorter than normal. She walks with her anger on her sleeve. It's only a matter of time before she takes it out on something."
"Or someone."
Zulu stops to look at Lydia, which makes her nervous. Zulu chooses his words carefully, looking around to see if the words he needs are hanging in the air around them. Zulu puts his hands on her shoulders.
"Look Lydia, I know you respect her, I know she's your friend, but you are the next strongest mage." Lydia shakes her head in disapproval. Lydia takes a step away from Zulu.
"No, I won't." Lydia begins to walk away from Zulu when he grabs her by the arm.
"I'm not telling you to fight her, I wouldn't ask you to unless I dared to do it myself. I'm telling you now because you may have to one day." Lydia snatches her arm away from Zulu.
"What difference does it make!" Lydia shouts.
"It's a choice, Lydia! You can either prepare for what is likely to come or realize it too late!" Zulu shouts back. The two are silent for a moment. Lydia shakes her head again and chokes up a little. Zulu takes a step back and clears his throat.
"I will do what I can to deny her and keep her from being reckless. The fight will come to me one day I'm sure. It will come to you too. I hope you're ready when it does." Zulu walks away from the scene and leaves Lydia to think about the situation. She doesn't like what she thinks about.
Diane sits atop the wall looking at the mainland, her fire arm has gone with her energy at bay. Yet she has proven to herself that she can make another one. Having two arms made her exceptionally more lethal and effective. Diane thinks of all that has happened because of the mainland and the normals that reside there.
She also considers the price the normals paid for invading. Whatever army they had, it was weaker. Crippled likely. One swipe could wipe out a city, and any normals that came to respond could be wiped away just as easily. They had no more false mages to defend them. The mages once craved blood years ago, Diane wondered if that taste was still there.
Whether it was or not, Diane knew she could clear the mainland of normals and the mages could assume their rightful place on the mainland. They were the stronger species, everything a normal was and so much more. They didn't deserve to toil away on an island, be threatened, targeted. All they had to do was remove the people that caused all of their problems to begin with.
Zulu seems to have aged with the island, he likely wouldn't agree. Many mages who were young will remember the old atrocities of the mainland, however. If she could not convince Zulu to lead them, then Diane would do it herself. She would have to make claims here on the island of her power however, sure they all knew of it, but they didn't fear it like the mainland. Diane had defended them multiple times now, accepted the praise and worked alongside them. She was a form of hero to them. A saving grace. That would need to change.
Diane grew a devilish grin, all of her anger from her hardships over the years was across an ocean, and they could be easily dealt with. She could finally satisfy herself and her anger for those normals now that she had given in.
"Behold normals, your worst nightmares are yet to come," Diane said, turning away from the mainland and returning to the city of mages.
YOU ARE READING
Torva Messor
AzioneI 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...
