Strangely Familiar - The Flaw in Time

Chapter 11

"Courage consists, not in blindly overlooking danger, but in seeing and conquering it." - Jean Paul

***

"STOP IT!"

Her cry fell on deaf ears.

"I can sense your powers across the room." Shaurya's voice trailed over her ear and neck in low whispers, although he was standing at the other end.

Naina whimpered. She was lying on the ground, face defeated. While her hands were drenched in the dirt, her fist clenched, effectively encasing the mud inside her nails.

Tears stained and remained on her cheeks as she tried to focus again. Her body was shaking badly from the previous encounters.

She felt another flare inside her mind, trying to control its movement as she fought back, spending the remaining strength gasping loudly in a way it felt like she was almost screaming. She would bleed soon if this continued. The pain was equivalent to detaching the physical parts of the body.

"Give me a few minutes, please!" She pleaded, her voice hoarse. Feeling completely drained of energy, she felt her voice was barely audible. He wouldn't have heard her if he wasn't next to her. He has been shifting locations attacking her from varied directions.

A few hours ago, the moment she reached his home through the secret underground passage that was only visible to her. She, very sneakily, made sure of it after claiming to have found a hidden stairway only to cross-check if anyone could see through the wall.

The Immortal's home, 'The Opal' he called it, is forever light and open. The place rarely ever invited darkness. How ironic! It changes color with the vibrations of magical dust flying around it. Naina liked to think of it as a complex security system where a color shift informs you about the incoming visitor. 

Like in her case, the air consumes and wraps its layer before shifting from spiral red to deep azure. The magical dust over her head forms deep blue clouds, secretly announcing her arrival to the only inhabitant.

"What is this cloud?" She asked.

"The cloud represents the essence of your magic, how strong, pure, and powerful it is." The voice came from somewhere. He wasn't physically present around her.

She nodded. "And what does deep blue mean?"

"It's untouched."

To Naina, it felt like he wanted to speak further but decided not to. Quickly changing the topic, he transported himself next to her without further ado and informed the day's training. She needed to learn ways to control and conceal her powers to avoid getting noticed, especially by those who could sense them by its mere presence.

"You would be at a disadvantage if your essence is felt." Said he, hands clasped at the back. He was moving around her in circles. "Magic does not like being trapped. It will do everything in its power to unleash itself."

Shaurya stopped in front of her. Like a teacher, he spoke in a commanding voice. "I want you to hide it."

So began their lesson, and for the past forty-five minutes, she has been trying to suppress her powers so that no one takes recognition in any way or form. Suppressing powers turned out to be more difficult and exceedingly painful than she imagined. It was like she could practically taste her magic, persistently refusing to be trapped again. It was free after a long time.

"It doesn't want to." She spoke in a daze, unable to make out anything around her anymore. Laying back on the ground, she threw her arms carelessly around.