by JC Dameron
"Vel, what's wrong?" She asked, noticing the frantic look on my face.
"Vesta is gone. She left with Seles, and Seles and Grimaldi were supposed to be here, but they're gone as well!" I declared, as my heart raced, and the absolute worst case scenarios ran through my mind.
In the moments between my arrival to an empty command center and this moment, I had imagined a thousand ways that things could have gone badly.
"Relax Vel, I am sure she is okay," she said, placing her free hand on my shoulder. "I spoke to Seles on the phone about ten minutes ago, and she and Grimaldi took her to get a brush from the store room because she said that you had promised her one of her own this morning. Vel, you've seen thousands of death's, why does Felix's murder have you so on edge?" She asked.
I stopped and remembered that I had promised Vesta a brush of her own, and felt very silly for all of my worry. Yes, there was a murderer among us, but she was with Seles and Grimaldi. There was no human alive who could best either of them on their own, even as a surprise attack, much less both of them.
"I didn't sleep much," I admitted.
"Was it another nightmare?" Leaha scrunched up her face, pitying me and moved her hand to my cheek.
There was nothing that I didn't tell Leaha, she was my closest confidant. The nightmare was another thing entirely. I didn't know how much of it was prophetic in nature, but it had already proven to be so to a certain extent, with Felix's death in the lab.
"No, just a rough night adjusting to having a child in bed with me," I lied.
"I'll see about having another bed placed into the room so that she can have her own space." Leaha shook her head and she resumed walking into the command center.
Leaha was a special kind of woman. Her ability to know exactly what someone needed and when they needed it was something that I cherished about her. Her unborn child was very lucky to have her as a mother. I took another deep breath, and I followed her back into the command center to help her set up our breakfast.
"Seles just messaged me, they're on their way back," she said, placing the final plate onto the table, which was set for five.
I breathed another sigh of relief, and I took my seat.
"I'm guessing you told Vesta to lock the door and to stay in your room, and that's contributing to your unrest, right?" Leaha said, hearing me sigh.
"Yea, I guess," I replied.
"Seles told me that Vesta is walking, and is fully healed. Why didn't you tell me earlier, Vel?" She asked, hurt that I hadn't shared the news.
"I wanted to let her explain everything herself, sorry," I apologized.
"It's not a big deal. She told Seles and Grimaldi that she heard a voice offer to heal her, and when she came to, she was healed. What do you make of that?" She asked.
Leaha was very inquisitive, and though she knew that I didn't know any more than she did, she was always willing to throw ideas back and forth to make sense of something. I attributed her ability to use this world's technology as well as she did, to that fact.
"I'm honestly not sure, Leaha," I said. "I can tell you that both times she has heard the voice, I saw her eyes turn black, and I heard an audible voice speak an invocation before she spoke it herself," I explained, knowing that Leaha was going to barrage me with a combo of questions and guilt for not sharing this before.
"What do you mean, an audible voice? Like you heard her speak an invocation then repeat it?" she asked.
I sat up in my chair, preparing myself for the conversation that I knew was about to ensue.
"No, I mean like a voice other than Vesta's voice, as if someone was there, but not there," I sighed.
I heard the beep of the command center door, and I looked back to see the door open as Seles, Grimaldi, and Vesta walked in
"So you heard a voice from thin air chant an invocation, and then Vesta spoke the same invocation and manifested it?" She asked.
"Yes," I answered, as I stood to my feet and rushed to embrace Vesta.
"Sorry, Vel," Seles said. "I realized she wasn't with you, so I went to get her because I didn't like the idea of her being alone with what happened this morning. I should have realized what a scare that would be for you.”
I hated myself for worrying. Seles and Grimaldi were such an important part of my life, and I knew the fact that I hadn't placed my trust in them, must have hurt them.
"Not to jump in, but I heard the voice too the first time," Seles said to Leaha, confirming that my statement was accurate.
We all sat at the table, and Leaha dropped the topic of the voice for Vesta's sake.
"Well, Vesta, I'm certainly glad that your leg was healed, either way," Leaha said, smiling at Vesta, who smiled back.
Throughout the meal, everyone spoke together, and never mentioned Felix's fate. It was one of the best moment's we had ever had together, just us.
Once we finished eating, Leaha motioned for me to follow. I followed her out of the command center, and she waited for the door to close before speaking.
"Vel, I think it best that you tell Vesta about Felix, alone. Last night, after Ethan left for India, I was on my way to the command center, and I passed Lucas while he was heading to the lab. Lucas told me that she had really become attached to Felix," she said, as anger spread across her face. "I know you like him, Vel, but if it's confirmed that Lucas was responsible for Felix's death after speaking to me about Vesta's connection with him, I will make sure he gets his due, myself," she said, undeniably serious.
"Calm down, Leaha. I will take Vesta to the training rooms, and I'll tell her alone. You continue to investigate the facts, and if Lucas did this, I'll be there with you to ensure that he or whoever was responsible, gets the punishment they deserve," I said, hoping to help her calm down so she could conduct an unbiased investigation.
To be honest, having seen how well Lucas had treated Vesta, combined with his personal relationship with Felix, I was all but sure that Lucas was innocent. I didn't worry about needing to follow through on my promise where Lucas was concerned, but I fully intended to make sure punishment was applied appropriately where it was due.
"Fair enough," Leaha stated, using the scanner to access the command center. “Seles, will you and Grimaldi handle the dishes for me. I have some things to look into while Vel and Vesta use the training room.”
"Sure thing!" Grimaldi said as both he and Seles piled the dishes upon each other to take them to the kitchen.
Vesta turned to me as she stood, her face was glowing with excitement.
"Vel, the Spell blade is in the storage room next to the training room," Seles said. "You never know, you may end up needing it while battling someone as tough as Vesta," she said, rubbing Vesta's hair with her hand, as Vesta passed by her on her way to me.
Seles must have known that I was going to tell Vesta about Felix, but she may have been onto something. Rather than grieving uselessly, it may be an opportunity for me to teach Vesta to channel her emotions in a productive way, through training.
"Thanks, Seles. We'll see you guys later,” I walked out with Vesta as we headed to the training rooms, and I was sure to grab the spell blade along the way.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Training A Prodigy
Vesta and I arrived at the training room, and when we entered, I set the spellblade on the floor beside the door and bent to my knee next to her. I placed my hands on her shoulders before speaking.
"Vesta, something has happened," I said, trying to find the words to explain Felix's death.
"I know, Aunt Vel. I saw the men outside of Uncle Lucas's door, is he in trouble?" She asked.
"He might be, but I sure hope not Vesta.” I didn't know any way to tell her without simply just blurting out the truth. "Felix was killed last night in the lab," I said, watching as Vesta's eyes widened in shock. "We don't know who killed him yet, but Lucas was the last person known to be with him, so he is under suspicion right now, hence the guards."
Vesta fell to her knees, and te
ars fell from her beautiful blue eyes. She looked like an angel, fallen from the heavens due to no fault of her own, broken and riddled with despair. I reached out my hand to her should to comfort her as her world fell apart, yet again.
"Grandpa Felix," she called out as she cried. "Uncle Lucas couldn't have hurt him," she said, turning her face to me.
"I believe that he is innocent too, Vesta," I said, softly running my fingers through her hair.
As she wept, I could feel her Ether surge with her anger. Her connection with the Leylines was complete. Immense power flowed through her, but her purity made it feel different than what I had felt from Astiel. It was the same power, but rather than feeling as though it could destroy the entire world, her innocence filtered it, and allowed her to control it.
"Vesta, I want to teach you something that my father taught me when I was about your age," I started, walking to get the spell blade from against the wall. "Stand, and let you anger drive you to the path of justice. Don't allow it to consume you, and to lead you to revenge," I said, drawing the spell blade, allowing the Ether housed within the blade to flow into me. "Stand here with me, and repeat what I say, but control the amount of Ether that you place into the invocation. This will protect you at times you would otherwise fall, and it will topple your enemies that might otherwise destroy you or the ones you love."
Vesta had no training, so her first lesson needed to be how to create a barrier. Most casters would master this invocation quickly and not need to chant aloud to manifest a barrier. Vesta would be no exception, but for now, she had to learn to manifest it through chanting before she could master it.
"Impedimentum," I said, invoking a barrier around me. "Vesta, this invocation has no limits on the amount of Ether that you can pour into it, but it is a defensive ability. Do not place so much Ether into the invocation that you leave yourself unable to attack," I stated.
I felt Vesta's Ether begin to flow into me as she chanted.
"Impedimentum," she chanted, and a barrier formed around her.
By her standards, Vesta had controlled the flow of Ether into the invocation very well. I found myself marveling at her barrier, which was very much visible to the naked eye. She appeared to have a shield of raw Ether, which flowed like a crystalline blue river around her body, snapping at the edges of it bounds, unable to contain the Ether that flowed through it.
“Very good, Vesta. Is this a level that you're comfortable being able to maintain throughout a battle?”
"Yes, Aunt Vel."
"Can you feel the strain placed on your Ether's flow as you stand near me, an Eater?" I asked.
"I can feel something else draining my Ether, is that you?” She asked, turning to face me, her tears dried up.
"Yes Vesta, when you fight alongside me, you have to remember that my body will naturally absorb some of the Ether you draw upon. It's not something that I can control, it's simply how I was born," I explained.
"I understand, Aunt Vel. My Ether is replenishing faster than what you are absorbing, so I should be okay to maintain the barrier and manifest other invocations as well.”
"Good. Then I want to teach you another invocation that you can use to defend yourself without hurting anyone. If invoked upon better trained, more powerful casters like Seles and Grimaldi, this invocation would have diminishing returns; however, when used on casters who possess a lesser amount of innate Ether, you can use this invocation to defeat them without physically harming them," I explained, preparing to chant the invocation and manifest it around the target, which was next to the one target that Ethan and Leaha's experimental Armor had destroyed.
"What if I do want to hurt them?" She asked.
I turned to face her, and I saw that as her mood had shifted, clearly thinking about her mother and Felix's deaths, so had the appearance of her barrier. The barrier now flowed with a crimson color, causing her to appear as though she were wrapped in blood, which was fitting for how she must have felt in that moment.
"Listen to me, Vesta," I said gently, hoping to calm her spirit. "There are times when we have to use invocations that cause harm. I want you to promise me that you will always remember that they are reserved for the benefit of others or self defense," I said, looking her in the eyes. "By that, I mean that you should never manifest an invocation that could harm another without understanding the weight it bears. My brother, Astiel, was the one who rallied the tribes outside of Leordia City and attacked us the day we were transported here. He uses his massive power, not unlike yours, to harm others for his own personal gain. He would see Leordia City destroyed just to claim the throne," I said, watching as Vesta's barrier began to shift back to its original blue color. "Astiel, wasn't always like that. He was raised by my father, the same as I, yet he chose to use his power for his own purposes, rather than the good of the people. You are a Princess of Leordia, Vesta. It is your duty to use your gifts to help our people, not harm them. Now watch closely," I said, rising to my feet as I began to chant. "Alligatio.”
I placed my finger to my lips, and three rings of light manifested around the target. The top and bottom rings spun clockwise, while the ring in the middle spun counterclockwise, slowly closing the gap between themselves. After a few moments, the rings met and a brilliant light shined, leaving a dust which sprinkled to the ground like ashes falling from a fire.
"What did it do?" Vesta asked, watching in wonder as the remnants of the invocation vanished when they hit the floor.
"My father called it, The Binding." I looked at her and smiled. "It was the invocation that he used to capture my mother, alongside his most trusted captain, when she tried to kill me as an infant," I said, thinking of Regali. "The spell encircles the target or targets you visualize it manifesting around, effectively trapping them in place. Once the circles touch, the light infuses into them, and prevents them from casting for a short period of time. It's the invocation that we would commonly use to capture casters who broke Leordia City's laws before sealing a Basilisk Scale circlet upon their heads," I explained.
"Can it be used on a caster that has a barrier invoked?" Vesta asked, astutely.
"That's a great question," I said, commending her for considering real-time battle concerns. "The simple answer is, yes. This spell can, even on more powerful casters, create an opening for a physical attack by interrupting their barrier.”
"Alligatio," Vesta chanted, turning to the target.
She placed her finger to her lips as she had seen me do, and the same rings appeared, moving exactly as they should, only at a higher rate of speed. The rings touched, and a light shined throughout the room. I felt the Ether stored inside of me flow out, as though I had released it, but I hadn't.
"I did it, Aunt Vel!" She shouted, excitedly, and as I looked to the location and saw the light sprinkling to the ground, I realized that I couldn't feel Vesta's Ether flowing into me any longer.
"Great job, Vesta!" I said, dismissing the change as an unexpected side effect. "I'm very proud of you. With these, you can defend yourself in almost any situation," I said, knowing it wouldn't be long before she had mastered both spells and was able to invoke them instantly without needing to even chant. She was clearly a fast learner, and a powerful caster as well.
"Will you teach me a purely offensive invocation?" She asked.
I would have been happy to teach her a basic invocation, but I was void of Ether and there was no Ether flowing into me from her. Though she maintained her barrier and I held the unsheathed Spellblade in my hand, I was left barren of any Ether, stored or incoming.
"I don't seem to be able to gather Ether right now, Vesta," I admitted. "It seems that The Binding has a greater reach when invoked by someone with as much power as you possess. However, while I may not be able to show you how the invocation appears, I can teach you the words to chant and how to direct it," I said with a smile.
"Thank you, Aunt Vel." Vesta's face lit up like a child who just received their first pet, rushing to hug me, thoughtf
ul enough to release her barrier prior to doing so.
"You're welcome, Vesta. This is an invocation which draws from an affinity to fire, so be very careful how much Ether you put into it," I cautioned.
I faced my hands forward, crossing my pointer fingers in front of the target to show Vesta how it was focused.
"First, you visualize the invocation in your mind, and then focus on your hands at the point where your fingers cross," I said, as Vesta moved her hands into the position I had mine.
"Digitorum Ignis," I said, chanting the invocation for Vesta to mimic.
"Digitorum Ignis" Vesta braced herself, focusing on the point where her fingers crossed.
A ball of blue flame manifested in front of the point where her fingers crossed and Vesta became startled, releasing her position and the flame dissipated.
"It was so close to my hand. Won't it burn me?" She asked, wiping her hands on her shirt.
"No," I chuckled. "Anything you manifest using your own Ether is unable to harm you. The fire, while able to burn your target, will not touch you because it is comprised of your own Ether. The Flame isn't the same as a flame that you can touch while a building burns, it's simply the physical form you manifested the Ether into, so it follows the pattern of the element you envisioned," I explained.
"May I try again?" She asked, seeming to understand, at least at a basic level, what I had explained.