Fractured Reality

A Taste of Revenge

Chapter 35

As soon as the two of them reached the training area, Eva almost wished they could go somewhere else. Her opinion of the place had soured somewhat. Thankfully, Adrian didn't give her much opportunity to worry about it. He turned to her with his 'instructor' face. "How much control do you have over the muscles that move your wings. Just getting that part down will be necessary before we can think about more."

Eva gave him a chagrined look. "Well, I'm still getting used to the idea of having them in the first place."

He gave her a look that clearly said he already knew that, but he wanted to see it as well. She resisted the urge to her wrinkle her nose at him, and instead closed her eyes so she could focus on feeling how her new appendages were supposed to work with the rest of her body. She was gratified when, after a few minutes, she was able to fully extend them a few times.

She opened her eyes with a grin but lost it when Adrian only nodded. "That is a good start, but it takes much more than that to keep you afloat. Why don't we focus on having you work them each day whenever you can, then we can tackle the idea of flying when you have better control."

Eva huffed in exasperation. She had been looking forward to being in the air, but he was right, of course. Instead of worrying about it, she gestured toward the practice sword. "Are we going to practice then?"

He shook his head. "Not with that. Even though you don't have the capability for flight yet, we still need to see what else you may be capable of. Although I am sure there is something written about it somewhere, it would probably be more efficient for us to just use trial and error."

Eva did not look thrilled at his suggestion, but he motioned for her to take a seat anyway. It was a little awkward to sit cross-legged, but she finally managed. Once they were both down, he had her close her eyes. "I want you to think about the times your power has come on its own. Try to recreate them in your mind and see if you can find the source or access to it."

Both times Eva had unwittingly used her power were not times she wanted to recall, but she did as he asked anyway. Surprisingly, it did not take her long. It was almost like a memory that she had forgotten until something reminded her of it. She opened her eyes to look down at her glowing hands with shock.

Adrian gave her a curious look. "That went better than I expected. The question now is, what can you do with it?"

Eva cringed internally at the thought of him asking her to spar with him using this power. She wasn't sure she could force herself to. Thankfully, another idea came to her, and she grinned before she hopped up. She then went to where a few spring buds had come up, but not yet bloomed. She tentatively reached out a finger and touched the first one. She fell over with a start when it blossomed instantly, though she laughed right after.

Adrian hadn't been sure what she was doing, but as soon as he saw the bloom, he stared at her in awe. He stood to help her back to her feet as he looked down at the perfect blossom. "Well, that isn't quite what I had in mind, but I suppose at least we have an idea of where to start."

Eva shook her head at him. "I know I need to figure out something defensive, but this was the first thing I could think of."

He cupped her cheek and smirked down at her. "I never said it wasn't useful. Sometimes we just need to use our imaginations to better grasp the definition of what that means."

Eva hadn't felt that her imagination was lacking, but she was still willing to bite. "So, what do you have in mind?"

"Well, it might take some practice, but I think I have a few ideas. Let's go see if anything will work out." She frowned at his back slightly as he led her back to the center of the clearing. Though it wasn't long until she forgot her hesitance, and her mind was wholly occupied with the possibilities.