Awakening [GxG]

21a

Watching Trixan capture that demon so easily had given Narvari the impression that it was that easy. She couldn't have been more wrong about anything. It took her one hundred and fifty-four tries in a span of five hours before she successfully captured a seventh-order demon for the first time. She died one hundred and fifty-three times in the simulation.

Narvari closed her eyes as the warm shower poured over her aching body. She would have been dead a long time if that had been real life. She still had a lot to learn until her missions in the real world began. Trixan, however, had assured her that her Finals would begin in two weeks, which meant she had until two weeks to practice everything she had learned.

There had not been a time when Narvari had had to study so hard for an exam. Not even for her Captain's Test, which involved rigorous physical and mental exercises. Training to become a vanquisher was definitely the hardest thing she had ever done. She sighed, feeling the warmth of the water on her face.

She soon got out of the shower and curled herself up in bed. She'd had a long week, and all she wanted to do was sleep. As soon as she fell onto the bed, her body and mind just shut down. She woke up three days later feeling more energetic than ever. Now she understood why Trixan insisted on the need for rest.

Narvari used the short time she had until her Finals to keep practicing sacred combat. Trixan permitted her to do her training in the simulation in order to refine her skills at capturing demons. In the evenings, when she was in her room resting, she would often think about her friends. She had not seen Pheera and Yanvirrak in a month. It made Narvari wonder what kind of mission they were on.

Two days before her Finals, there was a knock on her door. Her tired eyes glanced at the clock. It was five minutes past 10 pm. She groaned. Trixan had made it a habit of sending people to her room at the oddest hours. Boundaries meant nothing to the Elder. The knock came again.

"Christ, I'm coming." She dragged herself out of her bed, her eyes heavy with slumber. She opened the door with a scowl. "Okay, what do you–"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you."

Narvari froze, gazing at the sparkling blue eyes staring back at her. Her mouth twitched in embarrassment, all words eluding her. "What? No, no," she finally said when she found her voice. She opened the door wider to invite Pheera in. "Sorry about that. I thought you were someone else." She took a closer look at Pheera. It was hard to believe that the girl was actually here in her room. She wasn't imagining this, was she? She had hit her head pretty hard back in the simulation while fighting a demon that looked a lot like a T-Rex. Was that making her hallucinate?

"Are you alright?" Pheera asked.

Realizing she had been caught staring, Narvari cleared her throat awkwardly. "I'm fine. When did you arrive?"

"Right now." She bit her lips. "I'm sorry I woke you."

Narvari smiled. "Don't be. I'm actually wide awake now." The sleep had utterly disappeared now that Pheera was here. "How was your mission?"

"It was," Pheera paused as if looking for the right word, "educational. Things got a little complicated so we took longer than expected."

"You didn't get hurt, did you?" Narvari wanted to hide in embarrassment as soon as the words fled her mouth. Pheera was a trained vanquisher who knew how to handle herself. Narvari had had the pleasure of seeing for herself firsthand. So what the hell was this cheesy ass question?

"I'm okay." Pheera smiled softly. "It's just..." She stared at her feet in silence.

"What is it, Pheera?" Narvari lifted Pheera's chin until they were both staring into each other's eyes.