I looked down at my feet and smiled to myself, excited to go back to the Wild Lands. Sure, there was danger there, and I could be seriously injured, but I wasn’t thinking about that. All that mattered was that I wouldn’t be here.
When I looked back up, some students were giving me odd stares, but then they eventually looked away. I didn’t even care what they thought once I started heading for my dorm. I only hoped that Artemis wouldn’t be there. Ever since that night last month, I had been uneasy about going to my dorm. I never told anyone of the incident because talking about it wouldn’t do anything but cause more trouble. Not even Soren knew what happened, but he could tell that something was wrong when I jumped back to him. He seemed worried that entire night.
I quickly headed back to my dorm, only half sure that Artemis wouldn’t be inside during busy hours like now. It was only sunset, but soon it would be dark out. Soon, Soren and I would be under the stars again, probably talking about something that didn’t really matter, but that was okay, because with him the pressures of being a Lighter didn’t apply to me there.
I noticed that lately, I had been becoming more and more attached to Soren and his village. There was no one else that could make me feel so alive. Carmen made me feel safe and loved, but that was only when she was around. Away from her, I suffered from loneliness. With Soren, Sora, Emerald, Vexodus, and even Cane I always felt like they were there for me. It was funny how attached a person could get to something or someone in such a short amount of time. Usually, it was because they were lacking something beforehand.
Once I finally made it into my dorm, I changed into my sleepwear which was a grey suit made of non-leather fabric. It felt more elastic-like than what I was used to, which had proven to be more comfortable and easier to move around in.
I lay in bed and stared up at the dark ceiling. Not much time passed before I fell into a deep sleep.
—
I was here again. Not in the Wild Lands, but somewhere in my mind. Somewhere in my dreams. When I looked around, I was surrounded by darkness, but I could see.
“What is this place?” This wasn’t somewhere that I usually dreamt of. Not when the dream had anything to do with Vexton, but I had the feeling that he was involved.
I stood in the middle of the dark marble floored room and glanced from left to right. On both sides of me there were black pillars lined up in rows, and beyond those pillars was complete darkness.
Looking up, I noticed the night sky shining down through the glass ceiling, but that wasn’t what had my attention. It was the two men on top of the glass…fighting.
One man was a Vex, but I couldn’t tell which ability he had, because he was making movements that I’d never seen before. He used lightning, implicating that he was an Elem, but then what looked like a sword appeared in his right hand, making him a Dim.
“A Gods Son.” My mouth slowly parted as I watched the two fighters in amazement when I noticed something else. Something from the opponent. He released some sort of black energy from his fingertips, surrounding them in darkness. Soon after, a square in the ceiling shattered and two dark figures plummeted through the air before slamming onto the floor. I still couldn’t clearly see the two through the black energy, but I did notice the small glass pieces sprinkling down over them like shimmering stars.
“Vexton!” a deep voice roared. The Darkness suddenly disappeared, as if instantly sucked into a vacuum, to reveal an older man with black eyes, a long silver beard, and silvery black hair that was pulled into a pony tail. He was shirtless, revealing a very broad and muscular chest along with bulging abs, and he wore a long black loincloth that wrapped around his waist and stopped at his ankles.
“I’m over here, Father.” I recognized Vexton behind the older man, Kalsoton, with his bright turquoise blue eyes and a thin blue light energy swirling around him. His short blond hair was braided up into a Mohawk, and he was shirtless with a pair of light blue jeans on. “I’m only going to say this one more time. Stop fighting me.”
Kalsoton slowly turned around, releasing more black energy from his fingertips. “You will have to make me stop, Son.”
—
I opened my eyes to be faced with glowing lime green ones and smiled. I would’ve jumped, but after the first, second, and third time of waking to Soren’s uncomfortably close bright eyes, he couldn’t surprise me anymore.
“Soren.” I grinned.
Soren’s face was so close to mine that I could feel his warm breath on my lips. They tingled. “Yes?” A playful smile crept up his face.
“I need some space.” My heart thudded in my chest. He couldn’t surprise me anymore, but his closeness never failed to make me feel antsy.
“Yes, Your Highness.” Soren sat up next to me with a smile still placed on his face, then he shrugged. “I really thought I’d make you freak out this time.”
I chuckled as I sat up myself. “You’ll have to try something new. You got me the first few times, but I kind of expect you to do it now.” Looking around, I noticed that I was inside of Soren’s tent, and a feeling of dread filled me when I thought of how I slept in here with him a few nights after learning of Tristan’s death. I didn’t understand what I was feeling at the time, but for some reason I wanted Soren to hold me that night. I almost craved for it, but we both kept our distances with me on one mat and him on the other. Wanting something like that from Soren felt like a betrayal to Tristan, so it was probably best that we slept separately.
“Hmm.” Soren chuckled. “I guess that I’ll have to think of something then.” He pushed himself onto his feet, and then held a hand out to me. “Come on, my grandmother’s been waiting for you.”
My mouth slowly parted. What could the leader of Soren’s village want with me? I saw her around every now and then when she was taking care of village chores, but she usually stayed in her closed tent and connected with the gods.
I took Soren’s large hand and let him help me to my feet. “What does your grandmother want to see me for?”
Soren shrugged. “I’m not sure. My grandmother is unpredictable.” When he pulled me towards the exit of the tent, I stopped.
“But, wait.” I didn’t know what made me feel so uneasy about visiting Grandmother Emerald, but I wasn’t sure that I was ready to have another conversation with her. Not since she brought up Kalsoton after taking one look at me. I should never remind anyone of the God of Destruction. That was almost worse than being labeled a Null.
Almost.
Soren looked over his shoulder and gave a mischievous grin. “Does my grandmother intimidate you?”
I pinched my lips together, unsure of how to answer. I was more intimidated by her words than the woman herself. Although, I could tell that she was a powerful Lighter. Maybe even just as powerful as Soren. “U—um…”
“I’ve noticed how you’ve been trying to avoid making any type of contact with her.” He cocked a brow. “You won’t even look at her.”
My cheeks warmed in embarrassment. “I’m not intimidated by her. She just…”
Soren’s eyebrows furrowed before he chuckled. “I know. She raised me. Don’t worry, she won’t bite.” When he walked out of the tent, I hesitantly followed behind.
The brightness of the village’s large orange and red flickering fire made me temporarily squint my eyes, but they adjusted as I continued through the village. It was just getting dark out as the sun drifted below the trees, giving us all a beautiful sight of the sparkling night sky. Everything in the Wild Lands appeared beautiful to me, including the free minded people. They weren’t brainwashed into conforming to unfair laws or social norms, but free in every aspect.
I stared ahead, knowing exactly where to find Emerald’s tent, because she had the tallest one out of everyone else’s. It didn’t stand out like Psycho’s black one, but its height practically screamed that it belonged to the village leader.
Once finally making it to Emerald’s tent, Soren and I stopped just outside of it. I wa
s slightly irritated by my nervousness, knowing that there was something off about the woman that made me feel this way. I assumed that it was just because she was a Vessel, but even with that knowledge, she still made me feel uneasy. It was as if she could look into my soul and understand parts of me that not even I could.
Soren took my hand with a sigh and offered a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. She’s just my grandmother, and she likes you, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
I tensed from Soren’s gentle touch. Touching others and invading their personal space wasn’t weird in the Wild Lands, but in Lytonia, it was regarded as rude and discouraged. I was still trying to get used to their ways around here, and although a part of me liked how they did things, I needed more time to adapt. “Well, what if she doesn’t like me?”
I could hear Emerald release a laugh from inside of her tent. “Then I wouldn’t allow you into my village, child. Now, come inside.”
Soren squeezed my hand before leading me into Emerald’s tent. Unlike his, she had a small fire going in the center, making the space unbearably hot. Sora was sitting cross legged on the left side of the fire, while Emerald sat on the right. I figured that my place was between them with Soren across from me.
“There you are, sweetie.” Emerald smiled, her beauty nearly distracting me from my uneasiness. She had no wrinkles, long white hair, lime green eyes, and beautiful dark brown skin. Her emerald green gown made her hair and skin stand out while complimenting her eyes, and I couldn’t help but admire the glow in them. “You look well today.”
I gave a nervous smile. “Uh－Thank you.”
Emerald licked her lips and nodded her head towards an empty spot by the fire, right where I assumed I would be sitting. “Please sit, Rayah.”
“Yes Ma’am.” I nodded.
I glanced at Soren before sitting down, then watched as he walked around to the other side of the fire and sat across from me.
The four of us sat in silence like this for what felt like forever. The awkwardness directed my eyes towards the fire as I tried to avoid making any eye contact with the others. Especially, Emerald.
As I watched the fire burn though, all I could imagine was the fire burning in the metal fire pit with black iron rods sticking out of it. When a large hand wrapped around one of them, I tried to force my mind to come back to reality. Even in my imagination, I was fearful of being burned.
“Rayah.” Sora’s concerned voice broke through my thoughts, and I turned to her. “Are you okay?”
I stared at Sora in confusion for a long moment. She looked just like her grandmother, only with dark brown curls, lime green eyes, and obviously looked much younger. Her eyes didn’t glow like her brother’s or grandmother’s, but she was just as special as them. To be exact, she was a Soma Bright Elem, the first person I’d ever known to have two abilities. It had never been heard of in Lytonia and had also never been heard of in the Wild Lands, which was why they tried keeping it a secret. Of course, Psycho knew since he was familiar with fighting her, but that didn’t seem to matter to him. All he cared about was Soren, and now, me.
Sora, Soren, and Emerald were unique and special people, and it felt odd being in their presence at times, because I couldn’t use any of my light, and these three were the most powerful Lighters I’d ever come across.
“Rayah?” Soren spoke, sounding worried.
I snapped my eyes to him and licked my lower lip. “I’m fine. Sorry, I zoned out.”
“Do you mind if I ask what you were thinking, dear?” Emerald asked, her expression curious.
When I looked into her glowing green eyes, I felt a chill roll down my spine. Her eyes were constantly on the glow, where Soren’s only glowed sometimes. It was as if she were always surging with power, like her energy never took a break. “It’s just－it’s nothing. I’m sorry.”
Emerald offered a soft smile. “Whatever it is, it’s hindering you.” She said it with such a matter-of-fact tone that I instantly wondered what she meant.
I drew my eyebrows together. “Hindering me from what?”
“Using your powers, sweetie.”
My eyes dropped from hers in embarrassment and went back to the fire.
“You’re one of the most powerful Lighters I’ve ever met, besides my grandchildren, and your energy is just hiding away inside of you. Why do you think that is?”
When I turned back to face her, I thought that I would have an answer, but I didn’t. I had no clue, just like everyone else. As far as me being powerful though, I knew that I had to be, because I could use my Lighter Form. The thing was, that would never matter if I couldn’t produce light. “I don’t know,” I answered with a sigh.
Emerald took a deep breath. “It must be stressful on you at home, huh?”
I only stared at her, my eyes answering for my mouth. She didn’t know the half of it.
“It’s difficult…being a Null. Have you ever been to Lytonia?”
Emerald chuckled. “I was born there, but I got away as young as twelve years old.” Sadness reflected from her expression, but only for a short moment. “My parents helped me get out of there. They hid me when I was just a child, because I couldn’t control the glow in my eyes back then.”
“Because you’re different,” I stated.
“Exactly. You’re a little different too, aren’t you, Rayah?”
My thoughts went straight to my eyes turning black, and from the expression on her face, I had the feeling that she knew what was on my mind. Still, there was Sora and Soren in the tent with us, and I didn’t want either of them to know about what was going on with me. I wasn’t even a hundred percent sure that it actually happened, or if I had just imagined it. Especially, since it hasn’t happened again. “I’m not sure. As far as the other students at the academy goes, I’m the only one that can’t produce light.”
Emerald slightly tilted her head. “Maybe because your light may not be light at all.”
My eyebrows furrowed in surprise and, of course, dread. “What?” My voice nearly came out in a squeak. It was like she had just given the answer to a question that I was too afraid to ask.
“Maybe it’s dark,” she continued.
My lips parted. I wasn’t fully understanding what this woman was talking about, but it was clear to me that she didn’t believe I had any light, which was a big problem for me. This was why I didn’t want to see her. “That’s not possible.”
“And I only said maybe, but,” she raised her finger. “We’ll find out soon enough.”
I drew my brows together in question as I glanced at Sora and Soren, then turned back to Emerald, almost anxiously. “How?”
A slow smile crept up Emerald’s lips. “It’s called Energy Flowing.”
I instantly frowned, the Lytonian coming out of me. “That’s illegal.”
Emerald chuckled. “Did you forget where you were, child? It’s not illegal in this village unless I say it is. Besides, energy flowing relaxes you and helps you connect with the person that you’re sharing your energy with.”
“It loosens you up,” Sora added. “Makes it easier for you to use your powers.”
I bit the side of my lower lip. Energy flowing could be dangerous if done too often and was so addicting that people never seemed to stop. I hadn’t actually seen it be done, but I’ve been taught that it was illegal, because it made the users incoherent at times. They were like drug addicts without the drugs, doing crazy things while their light energy freely flowed out of them. Some people were seriously injured because of incidents where a Lighter that was practicing energy flowing got out of control. The penalty for energy flowing is an immediate stripping of rank and collaring, which discouraged many from doing it, but I was sure that there were a few students that tested it when they were alone.
“But it’s dangerous,” I said, looking between the two women. “You guys can’t be serious, right?”
Soren offered me a smile. “I’ve been doing energy flowing with my sister since I
was a child. My parents and I also used to practice it together as well. It helped me keep my powers under control, and it also made our bonds stronger. Like we could feel each other.”
I bit down over my lower lip. “So, it can be safe?”
“Of course,” Emerald chuckled. “Sora’s the one that will be flowing with you, because she’s better at controlling her energy flow than Soren.”
“But, what about me? I can’t actually control any of my energy,” I asked.
“That’s why she wants me to flow with you,” Sora stated.
I turned to her with an inquisitive look.
“I can try to help you connect with your energy so that you can make it flow throughout your body.”
“But, how?”
Sora smiled. “You’ll see.”
Soren leaned back on one elbow with a bright smile on his face. “Hopefully, she can bring your light out…or your darkness.”
The thought of my light being dark terrified me, and I didn’t even know what that meant. All I knew was that my real body was in Lytonia, where it will stay, and there I needed either turquoise, dark blue, or white light.
If it’s not any of those colors, then my mother…
“Don’t worry little Rayah,” Emerald said. “Darkness isn’t all that I see.”
I nodded to her, slightly relieved, then turned to Sora. “So, how do we get started?”
Chapter 5
“Freedom of choice is what the Lighter Nation prohibits, but the Wild Lands allows you the freedom to explore every aspect of the world. It is the wild after all. Anything goes.”— Sora
Energy flowing. It didn’t feel like much was happening, but every now and then I would experience this blast of euphoria that left me with goosebumps, which was odd, because the heat in Emerald’s tent was insufferable. It felt like it was over one hundred degrees in here, but not so hot that I’d go into a heat stroke.
I was kind of confused as to how this was supposed to go, or if there was anything specific that I was supposed to be focusing on. Should I focus on Sora’s hands holding mine, the hot temperature in the room, or the chills that kept flowing down my spine? How was it even possible to be dripping with sweat while forming goosebumps at the same time?
The Calling Page 4