Abyssal Reverie

Chapter 22: Like That

"Call, Won't you call out my name? Like a curse on this world? Like a battle cry?"

"Push harder, Selah." Vessel had his hand on my back, the ripples of my magic ebbing around us. "Dig deep within yourself. There is more." I could feel myself swimming deeper, deeper, pushing my body against the thrashing of the heavy waves. It felt almost like my arms were made of stone; the deeper I descended, the harder it was to swim. "Wrap them around me. Like a blanket."

My heart stopped as he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me into him. The fluttering in my chest took my breath away. I couldn't concentrate; the magic flowing within me was independent of myself, and the gravity of my gift was not lost in the sea of my inability to control it. I could feel the wound still deep in the skin of my stomach, aching under the sheer amount of force I was using to control each tendril of my gift.

"It has a mind of its own," I said through gritted teeth.

"It may, but you can control it. It is desperate for a master. Concentrate." Vessel braced himself against me, his leg finding respite in between mine, giving me a leveraging point to keep digging. I let out a soft groan as I pulled myself further into my power. I squeezed my eyes shut as I struggled against the pull to let go. "Let yourself get lost in it, become part of it. Do not fight it. You must become one."

"Easy for you to say...." I mumbled as I took in a deep breath.

"Maybe I was right; if this is too soon, we should stop. No use in pushing your body as it has finally begun the last legs of healing."

I focus on my breathing, pulling my mind to the heavy draw into my lungs. I hadn't let Vessel win yet; I wasn't going to start now. The power within me was strong, almost like it was pulling from my core, the swirls of waves enveloping my lungs. I could feel as it pushed its way outwards, the potent magic ebbing from my center of gravity to my hands. It had no voice, no face; it was just this nameless being within myself that echoed my movements. It would listen to me only when I was not myself. The pieces of who I used to be guiding this foreign body past the precipice that is my consciousness.

It fought against me. Even now, as I tried to master its flow, it was too wild. Squeezing my eyes shut, I begged for control, hoping that if I was able to get it to relinquish itself, I could wield it at its full potential. It did not yield to me; it retracted itself from the grasp I had and burrowed deeper. I screamed, a deep, guttural scream, the frustration taking over me.

"Selah, we can take a break; focus on reading Stygian for the rest of the day." The words felt like a white flag, Vessel desperately waving it in front of me in hopes that I would surrender to his wishes, but I couldn't. Not yet.

"For weeks, I've been locked up in your room, blindfolded. I deserve this. I need this." I could feel the anger boiling inside me. The rolling waves once picked up traction as I dug deeper into myself. I grabbed hold of the magic, sinking my claws deep into its flesh, and pulled it outside of myself. This time, I wasn't begging; I wasn't even asking. It will do as I command, and that will be the end of it.

It wiggled against my hold as the inky umbrage cascaded from my hands. Each tendril is its own being, and I could bend to my own whim. I opened my eyes, watching each and every cilium lurching in opposite directions. I yanked at them with my mind, telling them where to be, each object to wrap itself around. The dark fog-like mist that followed each limb as it cascaded around me. I let them wander, one softly brushing against the tender skin exposed under Vessel's mask. I felt as his breath hitched for just a second at my touch.

"Very..." He sounded almost astonished at my ability. "Very good, Selah. This is what we want. Control. Tell each of them where you want them to be. Picture it in your mind, and send them to do your bidding." My heart was racing, excitement pulsing through my hands as I told them to pick up the books right in front of me, my shadows placing them back on their perspective shelves. "Now send them from you, envelop us in a cloud." Vessel's hands shifted from my back to my hips, bracing for the haze that would be upon us soon.