Beyond MxB

Chapter 14

---Thorn's POV---

When I opened my eyes, I was feeling slightly confused, since I didn't recall ever falling asleep in the woods. My memories only reached to the point where Bidziil and his brother had been talking with that strange woman, Karma. My eyes had felt heavier with the second and I ended up leaning my head against Bidziil's shoulder. I blinked the sleep away and jumped up, instantly on alert. What was happening here?

"Bidziil?" I shouted out, trying to get a good view on my surroundings. The forest seemed darker than before, unnaturally so. My heart was thudding in my chest as my voice echoed through the woods, without gaining a response.

Or rather, not the response I hoped for. What I first thought to be a forest soon exploded into several entities, which screeched and rushed forwards. "What the-" I stumbled back and ducked, trying to get away from them before I fell down.

They were on me in an instant but when I tried to summon my own spirits, nothing happened. It only served to make the existing entities angrier than before and with an earsplitting screech, they launched their attack.

With a jerking motion, I woke up in my bed and panted, gasping for air as I looked around the room. Dream. It was all just a dream. Bidziil was looking at me worriedly, my father standing beside him as the shared a pointed look.

"What, where- I..." I sighed and rubbed over my face, slowly sitting up. The covers dropped from my chest and allowed the cool morning air to cool the sweat on my body. I shivered slightly and groaned, feeling nauseous. "I thought the elixir had done its job." I managed to grunt.

Father sighed deeply as he walked closer and shook his head. Bidziil on the other hand took his place beside me and checked my temperature. He frowned as father slowly started his explanation, almost hesitantly so. "Not quite, since your unnatural awakening, your powers will be...fluctuating."

"Huh, that's the least you could say." Bidziil bit out as he pushed me back underneath the covers and sidled right down beside me. A headache was thumping away, feeling as if someone had cracked my skull open but I still needed to understand what these two were talking about.

The lights flickered a bit before an entity swooshed through the room with an earsplitting shriek, making me groan and grab for my head. As I went to glare at the thing, I suddenly realized that it was one of my own. And I couldn't make it disappear.

"What the hell is going on with me?" I could feel the cold bite of fear and panic as it took delight in gnawing at my confidence and happiness. My eyes shot out towards Bidziil as he pulled me closer against his chest before I placed my hands on his to stop the motion. His eyebrows rose slightly before he glanced at my father.

"I guess you're right."

"Right? Right about what?" I asked, feeling confused and a bit annoyed that they were holding something back. Leaning back and looking up to Bidziil, my frown and confusion only deepened when he shared a look with my dad.

At my father's voice, my head swiveled around and I felt myself relax when he explained, "You weren't meant to have your powers this early. You were born from an Angel and me, and I am a being that is even older than these Precursors. If things went normally, your power would've starting to show in maybe a decade or two."

I nodded once to show I understood as he wetted his lips and sat down on the edge of the bed. My eyes flashed to the entity that was drifting through the room before I looked back down as dad continued, "When they gave you that...elixir," he spat out in disgust, eyes burning with suppressed anger, "They jumpstarted your powers, but without the knowledge and self-control that comes with it."