The Master of Dragons

Chapter 21

      Daniella took a deep breath and sat down in the spot that she was standing in. She crossed her legs and placed her hands palms down on her knees as she had in lessons with her Uncle. She closed her eyes and reached deep into herself and tried to find how she was feeling now. Scared and nervous were the first two that she picked up on first. She could feel the two emotions fighting against her, trying to take control of whatever they could to be heard.

      Daniella opened her eyes and found herself sitting near the pond that was in her astral plane. She could see two dark figures fighting each other, as well as trying to destroy the scenery around them. Daniella stood up and brushed herself off, taking a good look at the two figures in the distance.

"So I guess you are the fear and nervousness that I am feeling right now?" Daniella called out to the two. They both stopped and turned to face her. In an instant, they were both standing in front of her, trying to gain her attention.

"You must be so scared. I mean, come on. Demons? The creatures that would rip you apart at any given opportunity. And then what would happen to those you love? If you let me take control, I could keep you safe. You could stay here and I would fight," the one that Daniella assumed Fear.

"No! You should let me have control! What happens if you don't pass your tests, or there is never a break? Then you can't go home! Let me take control so that you can go home," argued Nervous.

"How about neither of you take control? Nothing good comes from acting in fear," Daniella replied, crossing her arms. She was surprised with herself at how calm she was. Like this was an average Thursday.

"But surely you are scared of what will happen to your family if you fail?" Fear said, taking a step closer.

"Of course, I am. But that doesn't mean that I should act in fear and hide from my responsibilities."

"Aren't you nervous about hiding this part of yourself from them? What would the others think?" Nervous asked

"Yes! What would Cole do if he found out you were lying to him?" Fear added, "We just want what's best for you."

"Cole isn't my main concern right now. Protecting the realms is. Surely you didn't think that it would be so easy to sway me into letting you have control over my powers. Honestly, you sound more like Jay than anything. Which is really scary in its own right, but that's not the point. The point is, I can't let you take control. All it would do is hurt people. And possibly myself. I don't want that to happen, so if I have to send you back to whatever hole you crawled out of," Daniella said, willing a staff into her hand. The Staff of Light appeared on command, and she gave it a twirl for emphasis.

"Then I will."

      It wasn't an invitation to fight. It was a promise of what she was willing to do to protect herself and her family. Fear and Nervous looked at each other and gulped before looking back at her. They held up their hands in surrender and backed away, slowly fading into the scene. She watched as their bodies turned into sand and was blown away in an invisible breeze. She sighed before willing her staff away. She looked out at the pond and tried to calm herself. She may have dealt with those emotions, but there was no way all of her emotions would be that easy. Her anger was one emotion that she did not want to face.

      Daniella knew what her anger did to her, how it made her think and feel. She was her own worst enemy when it came to it. To fight herself would be a battle that she could not guarantee victory. And that frightened her a little. She stole a glance at where Fear had vanished, expecting it to come back, but nothing did. She walked over to the stone bench and stared at the horizon. There was so much that she still had to learn. It would be a hard the next several weeks to get herself to the point of being able to go home. Even though everyone here advised against it. But there was no way that she could just abandon her family.

      Daniella's eyes widened as an image of her family and friends was projected over the pond in a cloud of mist. They all looked happy, hugging each other. It was a scene from after their victory against the Overlord. The first time. They all looked so happy. Collectively, they all turned to look at her and they all smiled at her. Like they knew what she would be sacrificing, that they knew she would keep them safe. Daniella smiled to herself.

That is what she was protecting.

That is what she would fight tooth and nail to get back to.

Even if it meant that she would have to hide this side of her life from them.

It would all be worth it.

      Daniella nodded and closed her eyes again, only to open them and find the training room wall in her line of sight. She could hear Lotus yawn and stretch her wings. She looked to the other side and found her grandmother there, watching her and assessing her progress. She smiled to her grandmother as she stood up and walked over to her.

"Your aura was well masked in a matter of minutes. How did you manage that so fast?" Liu asked, impressed by her granddaughter's skill.

"I have something to fight for. And I refuse to be beaten this early."