“Technically it is. But two more weeks should be enough for full mastery,” Gwen said. I shrug. I was hoping to end training, but it doesn’t hurt to train for a few more weeks.
“I also want to let you know that I invited someone to dinner tonight.”
Gwen indeed invited someone! Let me guess: him, right?! It should be!
“You invited Aster, right? Oh my gosh! I’m so excited!” Up and down, I jump like a kid. Gwen tries to say something, but I’m so excited that I didn’t pay attention.
DING DONG!
I hear the doorbell ring.
I rush to swiftly open the door. “Welcome!!”
But my face turned sour upon seeing the familiar face. It’s the same young guy who teleported me back here a month before. “Hi...”
“Good evening. I was invited here by an acquaintance for dinner.”
I don’t get this. She never told me about him.
“Gwen, what is the meaning of this?” I asked.
“He’s the one who I invited,” Gwen gestures. “Come on in.”
The guy steps in and sits at the dining table to eat our dinner. Gwen and I sit too. This is going to be an uneasy supper.
“Gwen, who is he?”
“He is a partner in a project we’re working...”
I don’t understand this at all.
“My apologies. We met face to face twice, but I haven’t given you my name. I am Moros.”
“I’m Glendolyn,” I said indifferently.
“Your name isn’t necessary as I’m already familiar with you.”
“Are you a stalker?”
“Please don’t take this the wrong way. I’ve been waiting to meet you in person for long.”
“Moros and I go back when I was still alive...” Gwen said while eating her share of non-cat food.
“So, you’re from that period, too. Are you a spirit as well? Maybe a ghost?”
“I am not a spirit nor a ghost. I am rather something entirely different.”
“Like what?” I asked him.
“Certain answers are off-limits,” he said. “By the way, I’ve heard you did excellent with your training. I can tell Mrs. Gwendolyn trained you well.”
“Yeah, Gwen is a great teacher,” I said. But this is not the time for praise. I have questions that I demand answers from, so I figure I ask Moros (assuming he has answers).
“Gwen mentioned I was born with special powers. Do you know what those are? In fact, is she telling the truth?”
Gwen’s expression went to shock in disbelief.
“That is the truth. You are born with special powers."
Moros confirmed what Gwen told me, but that doesn't answer my question. Okay, I move on to the next question.
“Gwen mentioned of a project you two are working on. Do you know what it is?”
“It’s about finding the chosen one.”
“How do you know I’m the chosen one?”
“You might be. My job is to prepare you for when the time comes,” Gwen added.
“I’m sick of all these vagueness,” I said as I hastily stand up. I lost my appetite.
“I understand your frustration, but you need to be patient. Please understand,” Gwen said.
“No!” I storm off to my room. Moros take it as a sign to leave. “Thank you for the meal, Mrs. Gwendolyn. Say my farewells to Miss Glendolyn. I wish her success with training.”
“Yes, see you later, Moros.” Gwen marches to my room and enters since it is a bit open. Sensing my frustration, she tries to calm me without avail. “Glen, I...”
“You told me to tell you anything that bothers me, which I have done until now. But you will not tell me anything I need to know. You won’t even tell me what’s bothering you. Why, Gwen? You’re hiding something from me and yet I can’t...” I laid on my bed and cried tears on my pillow. Seeing this, Gwen quietly leaves my room.
“Glen, I’m sorry...” she murmured.
Date: May 12
Time: Morning
“You said there are other methods, right?” I asked Gwen. Training week resumes once again.
“Training is best done with another person, but since it’s the two of us, I’ll show that method.” I wonder what she’ll show me. She can’t pick up a wooden sword with her small hands. Then she picks up the hand-made wooden dagger with her energy. I remember seeing this before when she picked up the coffee cup.
But wait, isn’t that psychic energy?
I don’t remember psychic powers being a thing in medieval fantasy RPGs. Or even actually existed. And if there were kinetic powers, it’s quite obscure.
“The magic you mentioned before... was it psychic energy?”
“What are you talking about?! I never used that when I was alive!”
“You used telekinesis to pick the dagger up. It has to be psychic energy.”
“No way! That’s my new specialty.”
“Bullshit! There’s no way psychic powers existed in those times. Name a famous mage who used psychic powers then.”
“Never heard of them...” Gwen said while turning away in sheer bashfulness.
“See I told you. You must’ve developed psychic powers at some point after death. Am I right? Come on tell me the truth.”
“Okay fine you got me. I do have psychic powers. But I didn’t know before now. I was simply using these powers. All my skills were gone when I died. As a spirit, I need to possess and lift things, so I had to develop these powers. I wasn’t trained for them. They just happened.”
Okay, I get it now. That makes sense.
“Are psychic powers part of the Light, Dark, Elemental, or Spiritual Arts?”
“Psychic powers weren’t a thing there, so it doesn’t fit any of the above.”
“Do you think I have psychic powers?”
“Probably...”
After a bit of awkward silence, we resume our training. Gwen uses her psychic energy to wield the dagger to which I block with my blade. It’s so weird training this way. It’s as if I’m fighting a ghost... literally.
Date: May 19
Time: Morning
Hurray for Friday! Today’s the last day before taking the week off, so I figured I take it easy. Right now, I’m doing stretching exercises before training. I’m lifting a split leg over my head.
“Hey, Gwen! I’m ready!” I wipe the dust off my shorts as I wait for Gwen to show up. Yet, my stomach tightens. Someone is watching me. I know it isn’t either Gwen or Aster because they show up. I hope it’s not an enemy.
Then I spot a young woman from afar. She seems to be hidden among the trees. Shoot! Someone saw us. I better bail before she takes pics and posts on some social media site. She saw me spotting her and steps forward into the light.
Her appearance is somewhat familiar. Have I seen her before? She’s average-looking like wearing some cardigan and capris.
Well, there’s no time to answer because she’s charging me at full speed!
Say what?!
Unlike Aster who used his weapon, she’s fighting me unarmed. Worse still is her silence. But I can’t stand to ponder because I need to dodge her blows.
If this were a joke, I would just scoff it off; but she's damn serious, so I must fight back. Where’s Gwen when I need her now?!
The gal threw a fist right at my face, but I was fast enough to react and catch it in my palm. I thought this was enough. Yet the weight forced me off balance, and I fell to the floor with my palm still clenched in her fist.
What the...?!
The gal fell too, but she wouldn’t let go of my palm. She’s still determined to hit me. What the hell did I do to this bitch?!
“Hey! Who the hell are you?!” I asked, demanding an answer. She didn’t speak. Nah, it’s more like she completely ignored my question.
Shit! Both my arm and palm are beginning to hurt. I can’t hold much longer. Thankfully, my other arm is still free, so I try my hardest to reach for my opened tote. I could hit her head with a stone
, but it could potentially kill her.
I reach for the wooden dagger inside my tote and quickly swing towards her wrist. She backs right away landing in a kneeled position. What a relief!
I stood up and approached, pointing the dagger at her face. I know this thing is made of wood, but it can do okay damage. “You don’t want to mess with me. Just leave.”
“You should be more careful. You almost cut my hand off... or rather her hand.” She spoke. This will make things easier.
“Her hand? What are you talking about?”
“Um, well...”
I shrug with a sweatdrop. I don’t get this.
“I’m sorry for challenging you to a fight, but I can tell you are well trained,” she said. I kneeled to get a closer look at her. Now that I think about it, I’ve seen her before. It’s the professor I met two months ago. I know it’s her (except for the eyeglasses), but her voice and pitch is somewhat different.
I’m tempted to ask why she’s here, but I stand to lecture her instead. “Look, bitch, don’t think you’re above anyone just because you’re perfect.”
“What are you talking about?” she asked with her brow in confusion.
“What? Don’t play stupid with me. You treat Aster like a piece of shit just because he’s a monster. Or are you going to deny and say something else?”
“I still don’t understand what are you talking about,” she said, now with her gaze fixed.
“We’re not going anywhere with this. I’m gonna delete your contact info from my phone because I don’t do friends with snobs. I’ll drag Aster to live with me by force, so I don’t give a shit you lose your job. Serves you right!”
“I see what it is, but you must listen to everything I have to tell you.”
“So, you’re finally going to defend yourself. Fine, I’ll listen but no funny business.”
The two of us sit under a tree, but I sit across from her in case she snaps again.
“Truth is I am the woman from the painting,” she confessed with utter sincerity.
I wonder what painting she’s talking about. But then I remember the professor taking me to this place where I saw a large portrait of a royal family. Wait a sec... She’s not referring she is Queen Lizabeth, right?
“Bitch, you high? You insane? Or you’re just a pathetic nerd with no friends, and you use someone’s name to make yourself feel better?”
“I am telling the truth. This body is obviously not the same as the painting. And even then, that is not how I looked when it was made.”
“Who are you? You are the professor, right?”
I’m so confused right now.
“This body belongs to the one called Agnes. I, Lizabeth, have taken over.”
No way! The presence I sensed from the professor back at the college was her spirit.
“She knows about this? The possession?”
“Yes. I’ve been inside her for three years.”
Again, the three years. Is this a trend?
“What happened to her? Is she dead?”
“No. Her consciousness simply goes away.”
I let out a breath of relief.
She may be a snob, but I don’t want her dead.
“Are you certain you are the real deal?”
Sensing my discomfort, she replies, “If it makes you more comfortable, ask me anything you need to know.” It seems she’s willing to answer anything. This is my chance. I should think my questions carefully. I can’t question what I can find on the Internet.
“Did you know Gwendolyn?”
“Gwen?!” She perked up. “She was my best friend! We traveled together!”
Gotcha! Queen Lizabeth knew Gwen. I make a mental note to ask Gwen about Lizabeth later.
“Did you use magic?”
“Yes, I did. I specialized in the Eastern and Spiritual Arts of magic.”
Ever since I was a kid, I heard rumor after rumor of the Queen using magic. Many historians tried to prove this rumor without success. That is until now... She shows me by summoning a simple light spell.
Say what?! Liz can use magic?!
“But can she—?”
“No,” she said, lightly shaking her head, “only I use magic.” That’s incredible!
Alright, next question: “Gwen mentioned I was born with special powers. Do you know what those are?” I braced in hopes of an answer.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know. In fact, I never heard of mages born with magic.”
Bummer, but at least she didn’t lie.
“Do you know Aster?” I asked.
“I’ve heard of him, but I never met him.”
“Seriously? You never met Aster?”
“Yes, we never met but he is described as someone I used to know.”
I asked how she and the professor talk, so she replied it’s through a mirror by using the professor’s image as her avatar.
Okay, I’m betting she is the real deal. She is the real Queen Lizabeth. The in-depth voice, pitch, and mannerisms cannot be a mistake. That's how they describe her in history books. She is famous as well as her husband, the king. They had three kids during her lifetime. But one of her sons had many kids by different women—though he married five times. Her other kids weren’t better, so Liz was known as the mother who spoiled her children.
“Hey, your highness...”
“No!” she barked. “The only time you say is on castle grounds and when they wear the royal crown. Just say my name.”
I was taken aback by her sternness.
“Is Liz okay for you? I’m Glendolyn.”
“We don’t need to be formal. I’ve been dead for a long time after all,” she said.
I take it as a yes. “I’ve heard rumors of you being a bad mom because your kids were spoiled. That’s not true, right?” I asked out of curiosity.
“I don’t understand why historical records are being used to spread lies. No, not true! I gave my children the best education. But they changed. I think that’s because they’ve been privileged with wealth since childhood. Yet it didn’t matter. I got all the blame and shame simply because I was the mother.”
I knew it. I can tell Liz loved her kids. They did it to themselves. It is horrible people use wrong information to blame somebody.
“I take you are curious, yes?” Liz asked as she stands up. She is ready to leave.
“You’re leaving? I still have questions to ask.”
“Don’t worry. It’s not like we’re not going to see each other again.” She kneeled and lifted my chin, shifting my face closer towards hers.
“I could tell you this and more” —she whispered— “even the ones not published in history books.” Her gaze is intense. These aren’t eyes of insecurity as seen with the professor. They were eyes of a woman who knew real life as she saw it. They were eyes of intense life experience. My heart pranced as her breath touches my skin. I blushed with my face deep red.
And she leaves. I wanted to reach out, but she disappeared. Gwen shows up and sees a look of confusion on my face.
“Hey, Glen... What happened here?”
Should I tell Gwen that I saw her friend who’s a spirit like her?
Nah!
“Nothing... Let’s train!”
“Um, okay...” Gwen furrowed but shrugged.
The two of us train until dusk.
Date: May 20
Time: Afternoon
Ah, the weather is perfect! I’m out shopping for groceries. I left Gwen at home so she can look over the place.
I’m still a bit stiff as result of yesterday’s struggle with the professor. Sorry, I meant the spirit of the Queen inside the professor. If I were to confess on TV that I spoke to the Queen’s ghost, I'd be famous... um, never mind.
Anyway, I’m taking a brief break by sitting on a nearby bench. I’ve been buying more groceries than usual lately. Why? Because I’ve been eating a lot! Moving around and using fireball magic consumes a lot of energy. I can’t even imagine the amount of e
nergy I’ll spend when I get to use higher level magic.
I didn’t eat much because I didn’t want to get fat. But for some reason, I eat a lot, and my weight remains the same. I should be gaining a pound or two by now.
I guess this is a good thing. If I can move around, use magic, eat like a horse, and still have the same weight, I’ll be set for life. I’ll never fear to get fat ever!
Date: May 30
Time: Morning
This is it. Today is the last day of training. Gwen and I start right away.
Bring it on, bitch!
As usual, she used her psychic energy to lift the wooden dagger. She swings it back and forth to which I blocked its blows with my wooden blade.
Ha!
I dash further into the woods with the dagger following me. I couldn’t let my guard down as I know the blade would strike at any time.
I skid and turned in the other direction. Gwen was caught off-guard. But alas, that didn’t stay for long as the dagger turned to my course.
The dagger flies towards me to which I spring to a tree trunk. Wait! Did I jump to a tree? Wow, that is so cool!
I hope this trunk doesn’t break.
I figured if I can hop from tree to tree, I could escape the kinetic dagger. And I did! I leap again and again! I took the thickness of the trunks into consideration, of course. I didn’t want to fall...
Hey, can I levitate? Levitation and flying spells are staples of fantasy RPGs. I hope so because the trunks I keep jumping into go higher and higher like an upward staircase. I don’t want to end up too high, so I had to think a way to safely land to the ground.
Then it hit me!
This tree I’m on happens to be tall and thick. If I can run down the trunk and leap off, then my rising powers should activate.
You may be thinking that no such thing exists as it violates rules of physics. I suspended my disbelief when I started my training.
I rush down the exact moment the kinetic dagger aimed at me. I leaped at mid-point as Gwen watched from afar. “Sheesh! What a show-off!”
But she didn’t stop moving the kinetic dagger. The thing makes a sharp U-turn. But I rely on my fast reflex to knock a home run straight deep into the opposite tree with a hole fit for the thing. The dagger wedged right into it.
YES!!
Although quick, I focused. I knew exactly where I needed to swing the kinetic dagger.
Legacy of Dolyn Page 5