Greys III - Revelations

Chapter 40 - Chaotic Neutral or True

Though Malachi wasn't easy to see the good in, one of his distinct admirable traits was his resilience. After so many years with my father, I wouldn't expect anything less. But the fact that he could be close to panic on the floor of the gym in one session, and rearing to begin training in the next was impressive regardless, if a little saddening. I knew he probably used training as an escape, the only light in his life, or at least the lightest dark, but I didn't see the harm in that coping skill. I enjoyed training too, as did Jordan. It gave purpose while still allowing us an outlet to do what we craved. And though Malachi now watched Jordan like he wanted to step on her neck, he hadn't triggered his collar again, so he apparently wasn't scheming too seriously.

Kael and Nevaeh were not with us for the next session either, and I guessed they wouldn't be for most. If we wanted to train together, it would be on our own time in the evenings. And as much as I didn't want to admit it, that made sense. Our skills were vastly different, and somehow, sparring with Kael or Nevaeh didn't sit well with me. Maybe I was worried they would be afraid of me, of fighting me, even if it was just for practice. Plus, I knew most of what Kael wanted to learn from the mages would be of little use to me. I had next to no healing abilities without using so much of my own blood it was hardly even healing. I had no natural magic either, my powers were more inclined toward other goals - namely destruction, not creation. It was probably better for my brother if we kept our trainings separate, and geared for our individual strengths and goals.

I originally thought that Malachi and I would clash constantly, but it turned out, after our initial days of adjustment, the real interactions that needed to be supervised were between my Pair and him. They could barely be in the same room without poking at each other or having a full-on battle of wills like they had in our Signs training. Their fights always seemed to go a step too far too.

So, when Malachi approached Jordan in our next session, an open sparring slot, I already knew they were going to be at each others' throats soon. He had a look on his face that said he was itching for a fight. And while Malachi and I simply fought physically, Jordan and Malachi seemed to prefer putting on a show and trying to rip the other one down, either with their words or their powers. Their fights didn't seem as much about hurting the other as dominating them. The fact that their powers were essentially opposites wasn't lost on me either. Malachi being able to force emotions on others and Jordan being able to strip them away, it was curious. And then there was whatever connection Jordan felt to him, to know when he was being attacked in his dreams, to know when he was in trouble.

Malachi went straight for the weapons closet when we arrived at our second 'classroom' - a gym that our schedule stated would always be left open to us and our kind in the Vault. He neared Jordan with two daggers in his hands, clearly planning on playing the 'training' angle so he could wet them without having the collar stop him. I saw his footwork, saw his weight shift forward before Jordan did, but to her credit, she didn't flinch when he appeared an inch in front of her faster than any man of his size should be able to move.

Instead of giving him the reaction he clearly wanted, she merely smiled serenely at him, leaning forward as she spoke.

"I'm not afraid of you."

"Liar liar."

He growled in his deep, gravel voice, the one that had always mismatched his fine features. Then his eyes blacked out and I could feel his power like it changed the very air in the room. But though he stood close, knives gripped in his fists, Jordan remained calm before him. I saw her tense after his Shift and I felt fear growing in her mind, but I knew it was just a trick of Malachi's power. She recognized it too and scowled.