Malion: Up In Flames

Aftermath

"Please be careful, Herross. I don't want you to hurt yourself when casting that spell." I mumbled. Hero smiled and knelt down begore me.

"I will need a day or two to prepare. Maybe you could use that time as well. You and I both seem to need a bit of time for preparation." He said softly. I glanced at the floor and smiled before giving him a nod. He helped me to my feet and pulled me into a giant, gentle hug. That was something I didn't expect from the God of Death; he had already proven himself to be a gentle and caring man. I melted into his embrace. He broke away from the hug and took me by both of my shoulders.

"This will turn out alright. You'll be fine and so will he. We're all here for you, ok? Don't ever forget that, Decoda." He told me in a quiet whisper. A part of me wanted to reject his help and move forward myself. That same part of me wanted to scold him for thinking me weak, wanted to push him away like what I'd done with Elliott when we thought Alex died. I nodded and buried myself into Hero's chest. I knew I needed them. I knew I couldn't do this alone.

"Thank you. I mean it. Thank you, everyone." I mumbled

While the menagerie slowly trickled out of the cottage, I stayed curled into a ball. I needed more time to grieve before logical thought could concor my mind.

I sighed and rested my head against the wall. My eyes wandered to the floor above and pondered... this whole mess is my fault. All of this is my fault. I closed my eyes and felt the tears rolled slowly down my cheeks. I swallowed my guilt and stood up. Kaylum watched as I left the cottage. His quiet call caught my attention.

"Don't do anything drastic, Princess..." he mumbled, nearly admitting my own thoughts to me. He knew it was my fault. If I could have damned myself there and then, I would have. I gave him a small, insincere nod and headed out the door, grabbing my blade as I left. I mindlessly headed to a clearing and stopped before the sun could hit my skin. I tightened my grasp on the grip until I felt my knuckles pale. Suddenly I hacked at the bark of the tree and watched as the wood splintered. With anither strike, I heard a terrible crack and the blade fell to the ground and I was left with only the hilt. My eyes widened and my remaining seething rage boiled up and out in the form of a heartbroken yell. My fists pounded the ground once and I dug my nails into my palm until hot crimson stained my skin. I couldn't hold back the sobs anymore. How could I be so stupid? How could I fail him again...?

"Decoda? Oh... oh Light... Decoda, look at me, dear." I heard a familiar voice.

"Leave me alone!" I expelled a terrible, defensive growl.

"Decoda, please. I can fix the sword. I want to help you. You will not get anywhere like this." He told me quietly. I took in a deep breath and blinked away the tears.

"Selvan, if you can help me, how long will it take?" I asked, finally getting up and looking imto his determined brown eyes. Somehow Herross' pure white eyes were more inviting than the soft golden glow of Selvan's.

"Not long. As long as you remember everything I teach you, it should only take two full days of training. I know, I am quite extraordinary." He said with a grin.

"If you could shoot lightning from your fingers, that would be extraordinary." I muttered. He sputtered, surprised.

"I can do that! You are only not worthy of seeing such emence power!" He blubbered, turning away from me and crossing his arms in a melodramatic show.

He huffed and turned back to me, placing his hands on my shoulders. Suddenly I assumed a position withiut any control. He slipped a long sword into my hands and I heald it without any will to do so.

"What in The Beneath are you doing to me?!" I demanded.

"Something else extraordinary." He mumbled, assuming a similar position.

"Now, I've placed a guidence spell onto you. How would you attack me if I was your enemy and you had a random sword picked up from wherever?" He asked.

"I can't move!" I huffed.

"Then you're doing it wrong." He smirked. I growled at him, baring my teeth. He gave a soft laugh and a gentle smile.

"Apologies. I suppose I took the wrong path here. Try swinging the sword to your side and then striking me from above." He suggested. I glared at him and did as he told me. My movements flowed  nicely and stopped before I could hit him, instead, the clang of metal against metal sounded and I was thrown back and heald in place.

"Never let your opponent get you grounded. It gives them time to take your life." He said, uttering the last part with cold honesty. I nodded and assumed the same posistion from before and tried it again, this time the whole sequence played out nicely and smoothly.

"How do you do that?" I asked.

"My magic is somewhat seperate from myself. It studies your movement and adapts to it. It's something like mind reading but I don't get any of it." He explained. I smiled.

"Good, then you're not getting any of my thoughts about wanting to bash that Lady's head in with my fists." I growled, moving in for the same attack, this time much quicker.

~~~

At the end of the day, I dragged myself over to my bedroll and fell into it, exhausted. Training was certainly a better use of my time than sitting about and grieving silently. Slowly, I fell into the world of dreams, trying to ignore the emptiness that lingered.

"Hello again." A whisper sounded in my ear. I slung a fist next to my head and struck something. I heard a thud as I sat up and lept out of bed.

"You," I growled.

"It's Orin." She hissed with a sly grin.