Ring of Storms [1]

36.

Rae

"Rae you've got to see this!" Vera shouted, enthusiastically with an abrupt pull on my hand. "I finally learnt it after so many tries!" she squealed, whizzing past the other trainees as we made our way from the Airian training grounds and towards the pond below.

"Slow down a little," I chuckled, marvelling at the power that the youngster wielded.

She was but a hybrid in her seventh year of existence with an abundance of aurulent coloured matted-locks and facial features that encapsulated the epitome of innocence. However, her energy was unmatched as was her resilience to be one of the top students.

"I can't because it's of paramount importance that you witness my show of unprecedented skills and awesomeness," she sassed, halting when we got to the banks of the pond.

"And what would that be Miss literary reading is my favourite pastime?" I questioned, taking a jab at her with a cross of my arms and an eye roll.

I wouldn't be surprised if the child had the whole encyclopaedia mastered already.

"The aqua patterns," she breathed with a giddy smile, ignoring my sarcastic comment.

"Hmm," I shrugged, unconvinced much to her slight annoyance.

"Is that really all you have to say?" she sulked, quite disappointed that I hadn't shown an ounce of interest. "You know what never mind, I'll show you," she added, hastily, not waiting for my reply as she closed her eyes, determinedly.

I had always taught her that actions were much more powerful than words just as self-assurance was much golden than outer validation. My deliberate expressionless demeanour was not due to the fact that I doubted her abilities, however, I wanted her success not to be founded, solely, on my encouragement. My support was to act merely as an acknowledgment of the adroitness which she harnessed, nothing more. Her accomplishments had to be spurred purely by her drive.

An internal drive which had no doubt being ignited as she now sought to prove me wrong.

Observing the silence that descended upon the surroundings of the picturesque pond, I watched as a ball of water arose to morph into levitated masses of large circular rings, arranged one after the other in a line of procession. These rings would occasionally gravitate towards each other to form spiral strings before they disassembled to assume their prior structure. There was a five second interval between each pattern change and they moved rhythmically against the wind current that she channelled.

This ancient hybrid technique, originating from the Nyrlian and Airian fraction, was an elaborate battle strategy used to confound an opponent into a hypnotic trance that distracted the individual away from the heinous plans of the hybrid. The manoeuvres required a great deal of strength and concentration. Hence, it wasn't employed often.

On one fateful day, however, Vera had witnessed me perform the intricate trick and had subsequently begged to learn it. Knowing her persistence, I had agreed to enlighten her on the technique, albeit reluctantly. It had been three months since she had been practicing the technique but to no avail. Now as I looked at her, I wondered if after all her hard work she had finally managed to master the skill.

Lifting her lithe frame, effortlessly, to the mouth of the water rings, she arched her back and backflipped into the first three levitated mass of aqua. With each action, she dispersed whirl blows through the loops and towards a line of dummies on the other side of the grassland. The harsh impact caused a splinter of wood particles to scatter into the atmosphere, signalling that she had hit the target.