Round 1: Amber Eyes Vs Orphans

[Silence Sei]

You have 2 weeks to complete this battle. May the best (wo)man win!

[Amber Eyes]

“Look alive, Kyla!” The words reached her moments before an arrow narrowly missed grazing her left ear. The rush of wind blew her hair into her face and shocked her for a moment before she realized what was going on. The young mystic’s baby blue eyes grew cold as she looked up to find her would-be attacker. Five feet and seven inches tall, dark brown hair reaching her shoulders and wearing a dress and two inch heels on the training grounds; this was not the first time the girl had been underestimated. She could only hope depending on how loudly she made this idiot scream it might be the last. As she looked around her she noticed several groups of men all busily working on one battle plan or another, but nothing suspicious registered.

The grassy field she stood in needed to be cut, and it took a bit of looking before she could find the projectile that nearly hit her. She reached into the still-damp greenery and pulled out a plastic child’s arrow. Her surprise was evident as she leaned over and examined the item, complete with a harmless suction cup tip and bright pink paint job. As she puzzled over the toy a distant voice screamed, “Two hundred points if I can hit her in the ass!” Kyla's muscles tensed as she quickly turned around to face the castle windows. She spotted another arrow rushing towards her, and quickly brought her hand to her chest to catch the harmless item.

She smiled and twirled the arrow between her fingers slowly as she looked at each window before finally seeing Jensen Ambrose two stories up holding a pink bow and laughing uncontrollably. His laughter echoed throughout the training grounds and Kyla blushed a bit at the thought. Finally she smiled up at him and waved her goodbyes; what she was about to do would hurt the immortal more than anything she could physically do to him.

She picked up her small bag and bit her lip in an effort to control her temper. The young woman walked across the grounds, enjoying the feeling of the sun warming her skin and the cool wind whipping at her hair. The mystic smiled to herself and hummed a favorite tune as she pulled her soft hair back into the hair-tie she kept on her wrist. She pulled it tight and twisted it around itself until it formed a tight bun. She then secured it with the tie and used both hands to feel for loose strands. There weren’t any of course, the girl had been fixing her hair the same way since she joined the army and by now this was second-nature.

She reached the gardens and sat upon the first stone bench on the trail barely noticing the exquisite carvings that adorned the seat. The warm seat burned the back of her lower thighs slightly and she adjusted her bright pink cotton dress to cover the skin. She opened her bag and pulled out a pair of tennis shoes and a pair of black leggings before she removed her heels and stretched her legs. She scrutinized her appearance, the muscles in her calves were beginning to cut a bit too much through her skin as she flexed them, and her toe-nails were badly in need of paint. This war would turn her into a boy if it had its way, and it seemed Kyla had run out of steam to fight it.

She pulled the leggings slowly up the length of her legs before standing and pulling it to her waist. The girl then sat back down and pulled her shoes on, making sure the laces were tied tightly. Kyla put the heels in her bag and stood, smiling as she took in the beautiful gardens Sei had built for her. This was the reason the girl asked Azza to meet her here for this particular lesson; the bright blues, yellows, and pinks that surrounded them were magical in their own right. She inhaled the beautiful aroma and thanked the Thaynes that even if her thighs looked like those of a warrior, at least her garden remained perfect in every way. She reached the very center of the large nursery, and there as requested sat Azza Ambrose.

Kyla smiled at the small teen who always seemed to come across as younger than she was. The girl sat quietly on a bench that mirrored the one Kyla had used mere minutes ago, patiently waiting for her ‘teacher’. Her white hair set off her dark red eyes, something that had taken some getting used to. Kyla barely noticed the horns that nearly met just in front of the young girl’s head; they were just as much a part of Azza as her sweet sprit and pretty smile. The girl’s wings lay resting against her shoulders and Kyla smiled as she remember how much trouble Stephanie had trying to find suitable garments for her little princess.

Kyla cleared her throat to call Azza’s attention to her before walking quickly towards a small cast iron gate at the edge of the clearing. The gate was barely noticeable buried behind flower vines and beautiful rose blossoms; Kyla pulled a key from her bag and opened the rusted lock, opening the small door. She ducked down to allow herself to go through, hoping Azza could feel the magic in the hidden paradise. When she lifted her face the sight took her breath away as it always had.

Here stood Kyla’s very own training ground. There were two keys to this place; one was held by Sei and the other Kyla. The lush grass filled every inch of the floor, while on all sides the walls were covered in only Kyla’s favorite blooms. Even the ceiling was covered in hanging ivy with one large opening to allow her to see the sun. Two large oak trees filed the space, each with its own swing and a secret nook carved in for placing journals and things. A small hut sat on the far side, with another padlock securing the door. Kyla caught her breath and turned around to face her young friend. “What do you think Azza? I figured if you wanted to learn about magic I should surround you with it.” Without waiting for a response Kyla quickly hurried back to the iron gate and made sure it was locked.

[orphans]

At first, Azza had been nervous about meeting Kyla at the nursery gardens. The apprehension turned to calm when she realized it was she who had asked Kyla to teach her magic. Then her calm turned to excitement upon the understanding of one fact: she was going to learn magic!

The plant nursery of the Ixian Castle was almost the same as Azza’s back hand. Every corner and inch she had explored and uncovered their mystery, all except the locked garden that she now stood in with Kyla. Azza’s curious crimson eyes took in every sight the hidden grove had to offer, absorbing the smells and committing the songs of birds to memory. Above the girls’ heads, vivid greens of leaves were complemented by soft pinks speckled with white; blossoms of apple trees. There, a few red cardinals sang in a harmonious chorus with chittering dust-brown sparrows. Beneath their feet, emerald green grass gave way to a carpet of blue forget-me-nots that imitated the ocean sway in every breeze.

All of this reminded Azza of the forest glades of the Concordia woods where she had spent the majority of her childhood and it felt wonderful to be back. Despite this, Azza found herself confused momentarily when Kyla mentioned being surrounded by magic. Here, in this grove, Azza felt none of what Kyla talked about until it dawned upon the young girl that her teacher hadn’t meant it literally.

Still, Azza smiled and admitted quietly to herself that the beauty of plants and nature had a different sort of magic to them. Either way, when the lock to the gate grated shut, Azza found her eyes once more and focused them upon Kyla.

Kyla…

On more than one occasion, Kyla had taken care of Azza. Mostly it was just to watch over her while her parents were away on an assignment, were busy with meetings, or out of commission for the time being due to circumstances out of their control (at least, that’s how they explained it to her when they couldn’t get up in the morning).

There had always been a strange vibe between Azza’s parents, Stephanie and Jensen, and Kyla Orlouge. Had the small girl actually cared enough to pay attention she might have noticed the oddities, but to her carefree style of life, it was enough to know that everyone is healthy with no real issues abound.

Well, save for the looming threat of death in everyone’s line of profession at the Ixian Castle. Azza on the other hand was part of the group of people in the castle that didn’t know how to fight well but they had useful skills to allow a supportive line of work. Azza didn't even have that and was thus, redundantly useless. Of course, no one would actually say that to her, but she had felt it. Even Talen Shadowalker, who was about the same age as Azza, had a rather important role in the knights. What that was, Azza was clueless to, but she knew well enough that it was something useful.

The grim reality was, Azza was afraid of losing those close to her and instinctively, she wanted to help. She wanted to do something to saving those she cared about, should they need it. After all, candy bribes are only effective on those who like you in the first place.

The sound of the lock closing was the final step in her mind. She had learned a bit of sword fighting and had even fought her own father to prove her determination to grow up. But, she wanted something more.

By habit, Azza withdrew her arms behind her back and tilted her head to one side as she asked tentatively, as if having not even heard Kyla’s words from before, “Don’t we need a book to learn magic?”

[Amber Eyes]

Kyla turned at the sound of the young girl’s voice. 'Do we need a book to learn magic?' The point struck the mystic as odd, perhaps normal people did require texts to use the art. The thought had not crossed her mind before this moment though, and she was not going to let on quite how little she knew just yet.

The site of Azza standing inside of her private sanctuary made Kyla smile. She had never shown this space to anyone before though at times she had dreamed of bringing Azza’s father here, but somehow letting him know her that deeply never seemed to sit well within her heart. Azza’s presence for some reason or another just seemed right, as though her innocence just melded in with the beauty surrounding them. Kyla shook her head to pull herself back to the moment. “I think there is a lot more to magic than books. Think about what you consider magical in this world. When we came in I told you this place was magic didn’t I? Do you think this place is magic?”

Azza looked down at the ground shyly, as though her response might anger the elder girl. “I don’t feel any magic.”

Kyla smiled as she noticed a butterfly floating inches above a yellow tulip nearby, stretching its wings in the sunlight. Kyla had expected Azza’s answer, but she still had to think of another way to explain her point. “What about the feeling you get when Steph…your mom tucks you in at night? Do you think her love for you is magic?” Excitement built inside the mystic as more ideas popped into her head. “Or what about the first time Mother Holly trusted you to run errands by yourself? I’m sure you were nervous, but you did what she asked and I bet you were proud of yourself when you finished, weren’t you? Is it magic when you overcome something that scares you?”

Kyla turned away from the young girl and threw her arms into the air. “There are people all over Althanas who pull magic from all sorts of places. Some, like me, pull from a place that they love. Others take it from the wind and the sea; there are people who pull it from the sun and the moon, and people who pull it from within themselves. Before you can learn magic Azza, you have to decide, where will your magic come from?”

“When mystics are born they only have one spell, Mystic protection.” Kyla noticed a large fallen tree branch underneath an oak and lifted it slowly with her mind. The leaves rustled quietly as they were moved through the air, and the scent of damp wood filled the area. “We have that spell because the temple of Saldar gives it to us because we are born from it. It is only to keep us alive until we are of age to take the shadow or light trials and earn our right to pull from the temple.” The girl paused for a moment and noticed Azza’s eyes glued to the branch that now floated a few feet above their heads.

Kyla stepped back, pulling her young friend with her and slowly lowered the branch to the ground. She then walked over to it and took a seat upon the hard wood, motioning for Azza to do the same. She broke of a smaller branch about the size of her index finger and laid it in her lap. As she continued she peeled the bark back slowly. “When we are older we must choose which type of magic we will have for the rest of our lives. I’m not sure if you know this Azza, but like you I am adopted. I didn’t know very much about the trials and I took both of them not understanding what it could do to me. I should have died that day, but my uncles saved me by giving me this.”

Kyla lifted her legs to the top of the branch and rested them upon its edge; she pulled her left legging up a few inches so that Azza could see the golden anklet that glimmered in sunlight upon her skin. “Certain magics don’t mix Azza and I contain two that were never meant to be in one place. Without this anklet I would die by the power of the temple fighting within me.” The mystic gripped the clasp on the anklet and pulled it apart, letting it fall into the thick grass as she stood. “This place is magical to me because it is the only place in the world I can take that anklet off. Sei and his brothers spent months designing the structure, to allow me to test what I can do without being held back.”

Kyla paused for a moment before forming a ball of light within her hands and releasing it into the air where it floated slowly towards the ceiling. The mystic then formed her shadow sword and thrust it with all her might into the ball, sending light in all directions, making a rainbow of colors above their heads. Her shadow sword dissipated on impact and she turned to face Azza whose light skin was a myriad of colors.

“Where do you think your magic will come from?”

[orphans]

Every word that poured from Kyla’s mouth Azza gripped with an eager mind and although confusing, made sense in a strange way. Gazing to the kaleidoscope of colors that played upon her skin, Azza felt a sort of kinship with Kyla. Being adopted, she too would know how it felt to be alone while surrounded by people. Yet at the same time, Kyla’s words tugged at a fear deep inside the growing child and only drove her more earnestly to learn the craft being offered. It was as Kyla said; the Mystic race earned their magic through a trial of either light or dark, both in Kyla’s case.

But, what am I? was the only thought that passed through Azza’s mind. Where was she supposed to start? For the longest time, she had deluded herself to be merely human with odd deformities, “Extra things,” as she would always fondly say when asked. However, she now knows it was a dream to be human.


To be truly human...



To belong, somewhere.


Azza's eyes traced a splash of violet colored light upon her delicate skin, making it look bruised while she continued to drown in her own mind in search of an answer for Kyla. Where did she think her magic would come from? Wouldn’t that require her knowing what she was first?

And what of the memories mingling and threatening to overcome her with every passing day? Ever since that morning Azza awoke with Kyla, Sei and Jensen all by her bedside, she hadn’t felt the same. Visions of a monastery high in a frozen mountain waste plagued her at night while hallucinations of familiar voices chased her in the day. Despite all of it, Azza knew she wasn’t becoming insane. The voices were never threatening and the recognizable scenery felt oddly comforting. Still, the chills and prickling that always ran down her neck at those thoughts made her wings ruffle anxiously.

Eventually, Azza’s eyes drifted to the anklet that Kyla wore and felt a tinge of jealousy inside her heart. Kyla’s cage that limited her was a physical one and perhaps with enough time, Kyla would be able to master herself and be free of its need. Azza on the other hand, had caged her own insecurities behind a mask of grins and laughter with slivers of hope hidden from sight. While it wasn’t entirely a false act, it was becoming more and more grueling task as time dragged on. So far the mask held, but for how long Azza could keep it from cracking, she didn’t know.

I don’t want everyone to hate me if I won’t smile anymore...


“Magic,” Azza finally began, her voice wavering as a breeze curled about her body, “I want to try every possible way. I want to find hints to what I am, Kyla.” Her crimson orbs rounded to Kyla suddenly, burning with purpose. “I will learn so I can find my own kind, wherever they may be on Althanas.”

[Amber Eyes]

The grown-up tone in little Azza’s voice caused Kyla to stand a bit straighter. A strange chill shivered up her spine as she looked deep into the young girl’s face. The innocence typically present in her deep ruby eyes was replaced by sheer determination and something about that scared the mystic. Kyla looked up to avoid meeting the girl's gaze and attempted to regain a bit of her composure, her eyes landing on the small square through which the sun shone down on the duo. The bright light blinded her for a moment before she lifted her hand to cover her face.

“Alright,” Kyla’s voice cracked slightly as she motioned with her free hand for Azza to come closer. “I can tell you are eager to get started but first I want you to understand something.” The mystic bent down so that her eyes were level with the younger girl. “I told you that the first thing would be to figure out where your power came from, but before we get started we should cover something perhaps even more important in the long run.”

Azza’s determination seemed to stall for a moment and Kyla gently placed both hands on the girl’s shoulders. “Nothing is free Azza, nothing. Every spell you cast will have some toll. Mystics are rather lucky in this, we are drained physically by our spells, but even that is lessened because we are supported by the temple. There are beings out there who pay with their blood, their life-force, even their very own souls to accomplish spells.” The white-haired youth’s eyes were wide by this point and Kyla removed her hands and stood again. “What you need to remember Azza is that everything you do has an effect. Big spells come at big sacrifice.” Kyla’s eyes filled with tears, causing her to turn away as her mind filled with the memories of her own big spell that cost more than she could pay. “Just make sure that once you learn this power, you use it wisely and don’t go into anything naïve. There is always a cost, even if it doesn’t feel like it. You never know when you’ll wake up one day and not know how you got to where you are.” The elder girl pulled both of her hands to her eyes and wiped away the remaining tears before plastering on a smile and turning to face her young friend. “Now, let’s get started shall we?”

Kyla took Azza’s hand and pulled her gently to the center of the large clearing before gripping her shoulders and facing her towards a large tree. The mystic cupped her hands together in front of her and created a small ball of light, smiling as the warmth filled her hands. She opened her palms and showed the creation to Azza before flicking her wrist and sending the light magic towards the old oak. Upon impact the ball left behind a small burn mark no bigger than Kyla’s fist. “Close your eyes Azza,” The words came out barely a whisper. “I want you to start off by thinking of the time in your life when you felt happiest. Pick anything, take that moment and hold it in your mind.” Kyla stared intently at the girl’s face, watching for clues as to what she was feeling. “When you think you’ve pulled all the strength from that emotion I want you to close your hands and imagine it all moving there. When you think you are ready I want you to throw the ball you’ve created as hard as you can at that tree. Got it Azza?”

[orphans]

There was truth in Kyla’s words, enticing a memory from her former life to surface. However, words alone weren’t enough. Instead, it left Azza anxious as she studied Kyla’s attempts to hide her tears. The girl was wise enough not to comment upon it and simply left it as is, tucking the image into the corners of her mind.

To be guided by her shoulders sent a small jolt of sparks that raced along Azza’s spine. It was an all too familiar feel to be directed, forcing Kyla’s voice to blend with that of another’s in Azza’s mind – a foreign, but memorable tongue.

Azza ignored it, and focused on Kyla’s instructions, closing her eyes. That was the easy part as she racked her mind for the happiest moment in her life. Were there any? There was plenty of joy, but one that she could call her happiest was beyond her. Hence, simply stood there for a moment with her hands outstretched, feeling foolish. As she was on the verge of asking for another method, the memory of how her father Jensen and mother Stephanie came to her cropped up in her mind.

They had been complete strangers when they first met Azza, and yet they formed a strong bond instantaneously. Misfortune attempted to separate them, but they returned in the end and took her back. It was that moment when she felt she had finally found a true home that her heart soared.

Without meaning to, sparks danced between her outstretched fingertips as a small sphere of white light began to take shape. Right away, Azza knew something was wrong by sound alone. Kyla’s magic had no crackle or sinister hum to it.

And although it felt natural to call forth the innate magic inside her, panic gripped Azza and at once the sphere bled to a sickly shade of green. Arcs of fire replaced the giddy sparks, threatening to singe her finger tips. However, Azza dared not look and frantically tried to regain focus.

She failed, miserably, as her emotions cycled rapidly and forcibly added themselves to the concoction forming in her hands.

Though Kyla may not have been the most knowledgeable of teachers, she knew enough and instinctively felt the danger growing. “Azza, you have to stop!”

Azza snapped her eyes open and gazed upon the small vortex of colors, each a distorted version of their true hue. “How?!”

“Throw it!”

Perhaps not the best option, but between the young Mystic and Dovicarus, it was the only option. Fear coated the orb in a drab grey before that too was absorbed into the swirling mixture. Quickly, Azza pushed the sphere away from herself and towards the tree, surprising herself at how… easy it was to release it.

The emotion-infused abomination that was Azza’s first spell, accelerated suddenly about half way and impacted the tree.

Then it disappeared.


For a long while, nothing stirred as both Kyla and Azza stared intently, not knowing what would ensue. The whistling chirp of a nearby bird did little to cut the tension and even the ballet of two butterflies in the breeze did nothing to alleviate their concerns.


Suddenly the foliage changed rapidly to the golden yellows and autumn reds of fall before falling away. Immediately, spring revealed itself through the growth of new sprouts that burst into full bloom. The tree seemingly cared little to the fact it wasn’t a flowering tree before winter’s grasp took hold, withering away the blossoms.

“That’s… different,” Kyla managed to offer in encouragement when the two thought the effects had run its course.

A screaming wail from the tree proved otherwise as a maw splintered open, spewing white fire between amber encrusted teeth. Eyes pushed through the bark and blinked at the unaccustomed sight of light before rounding to the two girls, ripping its roots clear out of the ground. Just as Azza thought to pull Kyla with her and run, the newly formed tree-creature combusted with a final screech, reducing itself to ash within seconds.

“I,” Azza began cautiously, “don’t think I like magic that much anymore…”

[Amber Eyes]

As Kyla watched Azza concentrating on her memories the mystics own favorite filled her mind. Anita stood cemented in place as Sei spoke to a man stuck in a giant spider web. The man was Zander, the man who had rescued Kyla from a forest near her home as a small child. Zander had taken part in the brutal slaying of the inhabitants of Cheateau Orlouge that ended in the death of nearly all the mystics living there including much of her own family.

Kyla had run out of sheer instinct moments after her mother was killed. With Sei’s help Kyla made the connection between her rescue and the attack on her hometown and Sei had caught the man. That was not the happy part of the memory though; nor the reason Kyla would never take for granted the kind of man who had taken her in. Sei could have killed the thief and liar before him, but instead he took the time to help Zander find a future. It was at that moment Kyla realized that there was still good in the world, and that someone could forgive everything she had done and take her in.

She was brought back to reality at the sound of crackling fire reverberating throughout the enclosure. Her eyes snapped to Azza’s hands where the strange spell seemed to be changing colors moment to moment. Something about it scared the hell out of the mystic and it took every bit of her maternal instinct not to run for it and leave little Azza to deal with it herself. Kyla could see the changes in Azza’s facial expression changing with the colors and she quickly put the pieces together. “Throw it!”

Azza hesitated for a mere moment before following the instruction and sending the unstable spell hurtling towards a tree. When nothing happened Kyla breathed a sigh of relief, laughing to herself about the unreasonable fear of a child’s spell. The smile nearly reached her lips when everything happened. Kyla watched as her beloved oak tree seemed to spring to life before her eyes and began the trek towards the two young girls. Its towering branches seemed larger than normal now that they moved at their own will and the swing that had calmed the girl hundreds of times now more so resembled a slingshot in the hands of a giant.

Kyla stood frozen in place, racking her brains for any spell that might save them from their fate, when the tree simply burst into flames and then just as quickly became no more than dust before their eyes. Kyla pulled her hand to her chest, half expecting the ashes to re-form into something even more terrifying than their earlier incarnation. Her shallow breathes brought with them the smell of singed wood and it burned the mystic’s nose.

It took a few moments before Kyla looked at Azza, who quickly announced her refusal to continue the lesson. Kyla’s heart slowed at the thought of Azza giving up something as amazing as magic just because her teacher was an idiot.

“No Azza, we aren’t giving up. I shouldn’t have had you do that. I know better than anyone that the only thing more unstable than a fourteen year old girl’s emotions is a twenty-one year old girl’s emotions. We’re going to pull from something more constant now. You did amazingly well with pulling the energy from your memory. I know you can do this.”

Kyla smiled encouragingly at the white-haired child, hoping she could somehow salvage this lesson. Kyla looked around for a place that Azza could focus on, desperate to lose no more of her paradise to the hands of a mistaken attempt. Perhaps bringing Azza into her most sacred grounds was a poor choice while the girl was trying to master such a dangerous art. Azza seemed wary of continuing, but something in her eyes said that on some level she still trusted her friend. “This time I want you to focus on that log.” The mystic pointed her index finger towards the seat they shared earlier. “This time I want you to pull from the energy around you. Think about the sun and the wind; take whatever power you can from those places and use it.” Kyla forced herself to stand directly next to Azza and watched the younger girl’s movements closely in hopes that she could intervene should anything go awry. “I’m right here Azza, don’t be scared.” She whispered the words as Azza closed her eyes.

[orphans]

Reluctance riveted Azza’s features and at the same time seemed to be the only thing holding together a half-hearted and tattered smile to her face. Kyla’s encouragement helped to patch Azza’s own bearing, making the small girl nod slowly to the older girl. Azza never had another magic teacher, but to her, Kyla was doing a good enough job. Instructions were simple, if a bit short.

Short enough that, even though it filled Azza with confidence at her newly found abilities, she didn’t know what to do after she had drawn the elements to herself. Such things were only a thought after the fact.

Azza focused upon the log as she was told and studied it quietly, taking in its features. Long creases ran along the bark of their former seat while the lingering branches still clung to some of the leaves. Withered leaves. Dying dry leaves.


“Think about the sun and the wind; take whatever power you can from those places and use it.”


The sun was hot and fiery, but also ushered in light for life. The wind was cool on the skin and carried the seeds of plants to new places, but could also brew into mighty tempests.

Draw their strengths was what Azza echoed in her mind. Focus them upon the log…

Azza raised her hands out before herself once more as a gather point for the magic she would draw. Reflexively, her wings fanned out as if to gather the touch of the sun and the caress of a passing breeze. Life giving fiery light entwined with a life carrying tempests.

Her Dovicarian mind latched onto those thoughts instantly. Coils of bent light danced with sparks before her while wispy tendrils of air climbed along her wings and rushed forward. The energies collided and spiraled slowly into a sphere of pale yellow light, reminiscent of the sun hiding behind a thin cloud.

Never once did the sphere grow larger than the space between her hands, gently swirling together the energies. It was a calm feeling, making the young girl nearly lose sight of why she had even focused in the first place. The log…

It was a pitiful thing. It had once been alive and it still desperately clung to what remained. A hopeless effort as the cycle of nature demanded its compliance. But what if it can change? So lost was Azza in her focus that any words Kyla had said were lost as Azza released the spell towards the dying oak log.

It drifted forward a couple of feet awkwardly as one would when greeting the light upon leaving a dark cave. Without warning, it shot forward with the speed of an arrow loosed in flight, cleaving a straight path through the air before it struck with a dull thud.

As before, nothing seemed to happen. After another minute, Azza turned to Kyla, hoping to see the woman’s expression. Whatever it was, a sharp crack from the log commanded Azza’s attention as she turned her head back quickly.

Hellfire sprung for the spot Azza’s magic had hit, lashing the wood with long tongues of heat. Strong gusts billowed in from an unseen source, bending and lifting the log upright. As soon as it stood straight and proud as any of the other oaks, the fire poured into the ground and twisted into gnarled roots. The wind rushed up along the trunk and spread along the branches to usher in new and tender leaf sprouts.

Then, the fire faded and the air departed, leaving behind a revived oak tree. A bit burnt, but clearly alive as jade green leaves stretched in the light.

This time, Azza smiled brightly to Kyla. Surely this was a much better improvement than... whatever she cast before. In secret, Azza hoped that Kyla wouldn’t want a repeat demonstration, considering she had no idea of how she accomplished what she just managed.

[Amber Eyes]

Kyla watched eagerly as Azza concentrated. The coppery taste of blood filled her mouth before she became aware that she bit her lip in anticipation. She lifted her hand to her mouth and rubbed away the blue droplets before wiping the liquid on her dress. A cool breeze blew against her skin and for a moment the mystic forgot that wind in an enclosed space was not natural. Azza’s spell became stronger in her hands, the bright light causing Kyla to turn away for a mere second as the child released her built up magic.

Kyla opened her mouth to compliment Azza on her control when the branch shot into the air. The mystic looked back and forth between the child and the large limb repeatedly to be sure that Azza was no longer controlling the possessed item. The loud thud that followed left Kyla squatting in fear with her hands clasped hard against her ears. A scream may have left her lips, but it was impossible to tell if it was merely in her mind. When she opened her eyes the branch had begun to grow and within moments there stood a majestic oak. Kyla stood slowly, hoping Azza had missed her spectacle and turned to the smaller girl. Azza pulled her eyes away from her creation and gave a prideful grin. The mystic returned the smile, “I knew you could do it.” Of course the spell the child had managed was not the ‘it’ Kyla had planned, but no one could say it was not progress. An awkward silence filled the garden as Kyla tried to wrap her mind around what Azza had just accomplished.

The slightly burnt tree seemed to stare down at the girl. “Well, thanks for bringing my tree back. I always enjoyed having the pair.” A laugh mingled with the end of the sentence as Kyla stepped toward the tree quizzically. A small shiver shot down her spine and it seemed as though time stood still. Her muscles tensed just in case as she continued to slowly creep towards the growth, wringing her hands slightly in front of her. When she was within touching distance she reached out and placed her hand lightly on the bark, smiling at the warmth radiating from the plant. The mystic turned around and smiled at her young friend.

“Well Azza, I think you learned a little something about magic. With a bit of practice I think you can control it a bit more. I’m going to be honest with you though, I’m not sure I’m the right teacher for you from here on out. Obviously you are going to be quite powerful one day and I only have a basic understanding of the art myself. I’d be happy to train with you anytime, but perhaps Sei or Rehtul would be better suited to helping you advance.”

Kyla trailed off, struck by how grown up little Azza looked as she listened to the mystic’s words. How had she overlooked the child growing so quickly? Sure she had seen the horns growing, and the girl gaining enough weight to not look like a stick anymore, but something else she had missed entirely. It seemed to the young woman that Azza had grown almost overnight, something she had always feared in her own son. Traveling quite often kept Kyla away and little Akiv already amazed her with his everyday advances.

“I’m glad we did this though.” The words stuck in Kyla’s throat; perhaps Azza had been the one teaching today. Kyla walked to the young girl and put a hand on her shoulder, “I just have one more thing to ask of you.” Azza looked into her eyes expectantly, awaiting her instructions. Kyla pulled a small item from her bag and placed it into the small girl’s hand before closing the small fist around the item and squeezing tightly. “Use this key to come back here and train anytime you want to.”

The mystic smiled at Azza one final time before she quietly gathered her things and opened the small doorway to the larger gardens, leaving the teen to what was now their secret garden. As she walked through the pathways surrounded by bright blossoms and perfectly manicured greenery Kyla smiled to herself. She had started this adventure as merely a way to upset Azza’s father who was not much a fan of magic, but so much more had come from their encounter.

The sound of the Jensen's laugh reached her ears followed by the screaming of Stephanie from deep inside the castle. It seemed the immortal had once again found Stephanie a better suited target. The mystic could not help but chuckle. Things were changing every day. Relationships ended and made way for new ones, flowers died and fertilized the soil for new ones to grow, and children grow and begin to teach their elders. Pain is almost always followed by growth and perhaps that’s the ways things were supposed to work.