Jīvitaya lingers at the table that morning. Not because she is savoring her breakfast, though that is true, breakfast is absolutely delicious. She is lingering more because she doesn't want to go to her lesson than because of the meal. Her mother picks up on her anxiety, sensing it simmering in Jīvitaya's aura.
"Jīvitaya, are you alright? What's bothering you?"
Jīvitaya sighs and admits her fear. "I don't want to go to the lesson today."
Her mother's voice is gentle and filled with concern, and that almost seems to make her anxiety worse. Her mother isn't angry that Jīvitaya doesn't want to go, she just wants to know the reason as she asks, "Why?"
She looks down at the ground. "I'm scared of using spirit, after so many bad things have happened."
She feels a gentle hand tilt her chin up until she is looking into her mother's silver eyes. "There are so many good things about the power of spirit. Don't let your past experiences prevent you from learning them." Jīvitaya nods, and her mother smiles sadly. "Now go on, don't keep your Drial waiting."
Jīvitaya stands up before opening her mouth, not knowing where she is going. Suddenly, a map of the palace imprints itself into her mind, flashing once before fading into the recesses and corners of her mind, like a memory that she has to look for to find.
"What . . ."
Her mother smiles, tapping at her temples. "Part of spirit is telepathy. Now go to your lesson!"
Jīvitaya laughs and follows her new mental map to the spirit courtyard. She looks around at it curiously, thinking that it looks like a normal room. Just outside.
"You're late, Lilaria."
She whirls to look at Azan. "I'm sorry, Drial."
"I will forgive your tardiness if you explain why, as I can sense your emotional turmoil."
"I'm scared of using spirit. I've been trapped in an astral projection twice and the first time, I was almost murdered for it."
He frowns, concerned. "Why would someone try to kill you for using the powers you've been given by our world?"
"On Gaia, the only powers are nature and shapeshifting, which can't be used by people. Only by animals like Laira. So when I accidentally astral projected myself, they viewed it as an act against the laws of nature. Unnatural. Wrong. The only reason I'm not dead is because Laira saved me before they could."
"Would you prefer if we worked on a different power today? If you choose that, we will be working on spirit tomorrow." Jīvitaya nods, her expression hopeful and filled with gratitude. "Very well. Follow me to the fire courtyard."
The fire courtyard is made of black stone, and the light would have seemed to be sucked away by it if the courtyard wasn't outside. Jīvitaya frowns.
"Why is the stone black?"
"Because we don't want to set a bunch of things on fire if someone loses control. The stones are fireproof."
"Oh. That's smart."
"Indeed. Now close your eyes." They slide close. "Imagine holding a fistful of fire. Feel the heat, see the light behind your eyelids, see the flickering of the flames just past them."
She feels as if something flickers to life in her palm and she jumps at the heat that reverberates out from it, her eyes opening to see the tiny flame. It flickers out, and she frowns, dejected. She tries again, her eyes narrowed. It flickers back to life, larger than before.
"Good. Now I want you to make a ribbon out of it and twist it around your wrist or something else. Whatever you like."
Jīvitaya frowns, but the flame slowly stretches out to form a ribbon and she twists it around her wrist before sending it into the air. It curls in on itself and coalesces back into the ball of flame. Then it shoots out of itself to form an array of tiny flames all hovering above their heads. He laughs.
"Well, that was more than I expected you would be able to do. I want you to try using the flame as a weapon, however you like. You could make knives, arrows, a whip like you did with water, just don't use fireballs. Like before, I'll set up targets."
Jīvitaya nods, summoning up her gymnastics set of air. She swings up onto it and shoots an arrow of flame at the first target. She doesn't even glance at it to see if the arrow hits the target before she moves to the next. She doesn't have time to check. She moves from one target to the next, tumbling and whirling throughout her set. He whistles, telling her to stop.
"I'm sensing a theme here. And well done on using two powers at once. Now, let's go to the air courtyard and see how much better you've gotten after a day of practice."
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Yes, Jīvitaya is a figure skater/ gymnast/ ballet dancer. It's her hobby, along with reading. What did you think of the chapter? She's learning fast, isn't she? Happy reading!
~Goddess of Fate, signing out.
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Stars Of Memory
Science FictionJīvitaya Rai Naji is just an average human girl. Orphaned, but nothing stranger than that. She was one of the few witnesses to the first alien invasion on Earth. One day, many years later, she catches sight of one of them following her. She wonders...
