Something Immortal

54

MAXINE

"Concentrate," Seleus says calmly once more. It has been so many times that I lost count by now. I had no idea how my training exactly would be but I assume we start from the basics.

My stomach started to roar as our breakfast had been abruptly interrupted by Rey's confession for the meaning of this ceremony – in which I so easily offered my help - and then the appearance of the centaurs. With the threat of the vampires still in the air – although we haven't had any incident since the attack on Luke – all must be prepared for anything, including me.

My physical training would be conducted by Luke – at least that was the plan before learning about Gina's pregnancy as Rey told me. So, Rey would be the one to train me. Well, apart from his other training that takes place behind closed doors when we are alone.

Now, I'm sitting on the fresh grass, surrounded by dense plantation with Seleus moving with a steady tempo in circles around me, of course under the watchful gaze of Rey who's standing somewhere hidden between the trees - not to distract me - with Toral. He was unyielding in letting me do this alone. He wanted to stay close and make sure I'm kept safe in case something happens.

The spot we are in is a bit further away from the pack houses but it provides us with the isolation we need for now. Seleus said that we may have to move deeper into the forest when the training gets more intense.

"Don't forget your breathing." Seleus's voice, calm and poised, echoes around us.

I close my eyes tightly shut and begin to inhale and exhale, steady and calm as he told me, unleashing my senses to concentrate on the rhythm of the forest. But I don't hear anything apart from his hoofs hitting the ground and my breaths.

"Remove all the other noises and focus. Focus Maxine. Nature is calling you, you just have to hear it."

Lines form on my forehead as I squeeze myself, my palms turning into feasts pressing so hard until my knuckles are white resting by my sides. But I don't hear a thing of nature's call he says. I open my eyes letting out a long breath and dropping my shoulders down from disappointment. We've been doing this for almost all day. The sun has taken its path downwards as the darkness began to emerge from the opposite edge of the sky.

"I can't do it." I sigh leaning back my head and looking at the trees and sky above me. I feel tired although I've done nothing all day. I was just sitting, trying to be one with nature and concentrate as hard as I could to hear its call.

"Don't let your faith go away so easily Maxine. Finding the source of your power is not easy when you're not trained to know how to do it. As far as I know, Thesians trained their young ones even after a few months from their birth. It was more like an instinct then, until they could communicate with each other and start proper training. You, on the other hand, were not trained to do anything of this. Your parents wanted to hide their aura and stop their souls from shining so vampires couldn't find them."

"Wait, my soul is shining? Do you see it?" I ask awestruck by his words.

"I've been trained to read the aura so yes, I can also see your soul shining Maxine. And it's the brightest I've ever seen and pure silver-white as the light of the goddess washing over us every night."

I stand still watching him in silence, trying to figure out if his playing with me, trying to motivate me, or if he means it. But then again, I've never seen Seleus or heard anyone saying that he's a humorist.

"Can... Can everyone see it?"

"No," he answers sharply. "Only I can see it and any other Thesian left alive, but I'm afraid I'd disappoint you on that matter. But vampires can sense it. That's how Vincent found you. They're attracted to the power hidden within it."

The mention of Vincent makes my skin crawl with fear and disgust. Unfortunately, the piece of my memory from that night has come back intact, though sometimes I wish to keep it locked in the abyss of my amnesia. Blood starts pumping in my veins faster as my breathing became the same as well and rage fills my insides. A familiar heat wave starts making my blood boil from hate for all the things vampires have done to my family and me without me even considering their existence.

I bring my hands in front of me, palms looking down as I swear I can see the energy spreading from my shoulders and all the way down my arms until it surges with a white beam, emerging out of my palms, hitting hard the ground in front of me.

This may have been incurred in a matter of a couple of seconds but for me, it was like time had stopped as I watched everything happening in slow motion. But it was more than enough to be a sign for all of them to approach me the moment the light was gone. Rey is the first to reach my side though it was further away from the rest of the group.

"Are you okay? Did you hurt?" he breathes out catching my hands in his and examining them thoroughly. I try to take my hands away from him – afraid that the light will strike again and I don't want to hit him. I know what it did to Julia.

But he suddenly stops as he turns my hands looking at the upper side of them with a sharp breath taken in his lungs. I lower my face and gasp at the sight in front of my eyes. There is a strange pattern of lines and spirals formed around my fingers palm up to my wrists.

"That didn't happen before," I whisper, fear threatening to silence my voice.

"We'll figure it out, love. Trust me, everything is going to be all right." His soothing voice washes over me as though he sensed my feelings, caging me in his arms, as the cold air blows through the forest.