Solar Flame

Chapter Seven

Somehow, she had made it outdoors after fleeing down the curving and maze-like stone halls of the Academy. Emelie found herself in the midst of a small, walled garden that was curtailed with flowered trees, a small gurgling pond, some flowerbedsm and a wooden bench upon which a man sat.  This man had white shoulder length hair spotted with lines of silver. A robe of red curled around his ankles, and the sad smile upon his face bore wrinkles of considerable age.  His softened grey eyes seemed to take in the whole of Emelie's existence, and at once, understand it. 

"Emelie, dearest, would you care to join me?  I feel we have much to talk about." The deep voice resonated peace inside of her.  She sat complacently on the bench beside him.

Just then the sound of clattering footsteps against stone resounded from the hallway inside.  They grew louder until Matthieyl appeared- this time, with his shirt adorning his body- Em noted gratefully.  "Ah, Matthieyl, just the one I was expecting.  I was just telling Emelie here that we have a great deal to talk about.  Please," he said gesturing, "join us."

"Yes, Proffesor Rakyiel, sir," Matt quipped as he sat cross-legged on the grass in front of them.  

Rakyiel turned back to Emelie and continued, "now I am sure you have a great deal of questions but I must ask you to remain patient  I will tell you the entire story as I know it from the beginning, as long as you do not interrupt.  At the end if you still have any questions I will do my best to answer them.  Do you understand?" Em nodded, still refusing to make eye contact with Matt.  She didn't understand what had happened back in the training gym, but it had been embarrassing.

"Are you aware of the tale of the Sun Goddess and the Moon God?" Em nodded again.  It was a story every being was told from a young age.  "Then you know that some of the magic from the beings trickled into the human blood stream.  That's why, as I am sure you have figured out, you and all of the other students at the Academy have magical abilities.  You must also be aware that your skin likes to erupt into flames with any strong emotion. "  Em blushed at the thought of Matt's shirtless body.  "However you have other powers aligned with those of the Sun Goddess of which you have not yet discovered.  The Sun Goddess was known to be able to connect with people.  It is a general belief that you, her human postdecessor, will be able to have abilities such as understanding, mind reading, telepathy, seeing the future, among other things.  The flames are a result of the Sun Goddess' flare for showing personal emotion, and the essence of her cosmic entity."

Em found it hard to believe a word the Professor was saying.  A postdecessor of the Sun Goddess?  Yesterday she was just known as the town freak.  She opened her mouth to say that there must have been some mix-up, or ask if this was all a big prank, but Rakyiel silenced her with a raised finger and a stern look. 

"Let me continue, Emelie.  Now Matthieyl here, as I am sure you understand, is the one you will be connected to by that unbreakable bond of love."  The way Rakyiel was eloquently explaining the connection was raising heat to her cheeks again.  She could feel Matt's stare practically bearing into her forehead.  He was probably trying to decipher her thoughts.  "And as you are the manifestation of the Sun Goddess, Matthieyl is that of the Moon God.  However, as he has been training since the tender age of five, he has revealed his individual powers involving manipulation such as telekinesis, mind-altering, teleporting, and shape-shifting.

"Now, as the tale has revealed, the God and Goddess cannot connect any longer as a result of the Brother's cut.  The only way for them to connect once more is for the two of you to fully connect and then overthrow the Prince of Stars, which will reverse this curse.  As I am sure the two of you both understand, fully connecting requires both physical and emotional intimacies.  

"See for Vampyres it starts with a bite.  Lupins mere smell.  In all connections there is the physical love portion" Em could now see Matt blushing from the corner of her eye, and diligently studying the blades of grass at his feet.  Rakyiel remained unphased. 

"But humans...ah, yes, humans, require the emotions of love and trust on either end.  In your case, the emotional journey may not be hard, but the physical side will be treacherous.  Emelie, this is because your magic is not yet harnessed.  Strong emotions and physical touch may, as we saw today, release some uncontrollable consequences.  The problem is we need to get it controlled as soon as possible.  Matt here is going to be helping you personally, as well as myself and your other professors."

Taking her hands in his, Rakyiel said, "Emelie, I know it is a lot to take in right now, and I wish you could have the time others had to prepare themselves.  But the gravity of our world's situation is becoming more desperate every day.  As each moment the God and Goddess become weaker, the Prince becomes stronger.  Our entire world needs you both."

The Professor's words hung onto the following silence.  The decision had already been made.  Since words of affirmation didn't need to be said, Emelie asked a question instead.  "What did the other Professor mean by Matthieyl's powers altering with the connection?"

Looking up from the flower blooming in his hand that was previously blades of grass, Matt answered, "it means that once we are connected, more than our emotions will be intertwined.  Our magic will be too. Being who we are, and the inherent immensity of our abilities, it will likely take some time to retrain...time we don't have."

Emelie leaned back into the bench tot ae it in.  Little fireflies were starting to dart around the garden, their lights just visible as the sun began to set.

"When do I start?"

"Tomorrow," the Professor answered.  And then he was gone.