Eclipsis: Water

Chapter 3

Alara waited until all the creatures had left before attempting to stand up. By muscle memory, her injured wing flexed to help her, and she gasped at the fresh pain. Where the blade was embedded was too far behind her to see if she turned her head, so she had no idea how bad the cut was. It certainly felt bad, though, paired with her landing on it when she fell. She focused on not moving either wing, paying attention instead to the muscles in her legs.

Bardo was checking something on his clipboard when Alara had stood up, and she felt a surge of annoyance that he hadn't tried to help her at all. If he hadn't asked her to trap Ondine in the water-sphere, Alara wouldn't have been injured to begin with.

"How's the wing?" Bardo asked her absentmindedly, as if addressing an old injury.

Alara felt herself clamp her teeth together at her rise in temper again. If she was rude to an instructor, she could be suspended from the class.

"It hurts. How bad is it?"

Bardo took his attention off the clipboard to look at it. "Not too bad. You will need to go to the medical building so they can remove the knife properly to avoid a bigger tear, though. Do not try and take it out yourself."

"I wasn't going to." Alara muttered.

"Good."

"Is that all? Am I allowed to leave, sir?" Alara had to force the "sir" out to try and cover up for her harsh tone.

If Bardo had a reaction, he didn't show it. "You hold back with your powers."

Alara was slightly taken aback at his statement. Multiple creatures had gotten injured by her powers, by her anger, and he was stating that she held back?

"I'm sorry?"

"The wave was quite good, but it could've been much better. Stronger." Bardo elaborated.

Alara frowned. "I wasn't trying to hurt anyone, especially not seriously. I lashed out."

"And I'm saying that you hold back."

Alara felt as though she was lost for words for a moment. "Are you telling me that I should intend to hurt my sister?"

"I never said that. I am making an observation." Bardo responded calmly.

"It would be different if it was a Moon."

"Would it?"

"Yes, it would. The Moon is the enemy. No one that I hurt today is an enemy."

Bardo let Alara's words hang in the air for a moment.

"I am telling you that you hold back. It is an observation. One that I think may apply if you ever cross paths with a Moon."

"You're wrong." Alara snapped.

She felt as though she had been slapped in the face. She had been training since she was 11, for the sole purpose to defend herself against her enemy, and here she was, being insulted by someone she had only met today? Someone who seemed to think he knew her skill-level?

Bardo looked back down at his clipboard. "You are dismissed. I hope to have your class again sometime. To see if there's any improvement."

Alara did not say anything to him as she walked out of the doors, for she was sure that it would be said at a raised volume. She explained to the receptionist at the medical centre, and then the doctor, about her injury. In a short, clipped tone, for she did not particularly want to talk to anyone after the conversation she had had with Bardo. The doctor removed the blade, stitched the cut it had made in her wing, and prescribed her some ointment.