Alright, here is the third instalment in the Playing with Fire story. I'm hoping to finish this story before the end of the year, although that seems unlikely. Still, I really just want to finish a story instead of just letting it drift off and working on it when I get inspired.
So, without further ado, chapter three of Playing with Fire!
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The next week all classes were put on hold for the celebration and welcoming of Master Reed. Parties were had, food was consumed, music was played. It was the most fun I'd had since Jamie was brought in when I was seven. Even then, I was only young and couldn't enjoy it as much as I did now.
All throughout the ceremonies, a spot was empty. The spot to my right, the chair reserved for the Brown Dragon Master, never once had an occupant. All Dragon Masters alive were supposed to return to the islands for the welcoming. I wasn't surprised Master George hadn't shown up, considering he'd been missing for over seven years and surely wasn't up to date on information concerning the Dragon Masters.
I considered myself lucky that I got to sit next to the tiny baby all throughout the week. He was delightful, always laughing or grinning at the antics of our entertainers. Being a Xuétú meant that I'd only seen a few babies in my life, and was always too young to appreciate their charm.
After the last ceremony was over it was well past midnight on the seventh day of welcoming. Hayden and I were hiding from everyone else. There was a ledge on the cliffside of Qīpiàn dǎo, hidden by what seemed to be moss and dipping into the island slightly to form a pleasant cave.
I can still remember the day we discovered it, seeing as it was one of the scariest experiences of my life. Hayden and I were standing at the edge of the island, letting our toes dangle over the sharp cliff. Hayden was ten, I was eight. It was back when the height difference between us was maybe an inch.
"Betcha I can lean over further than you," Haden had teased. I accepted the challenge happily; balance was the one thing I prided myself on before the discovery of the bond between Yín sè and I.
"What are you, chicken?" I'd mocked, putting my entire upper half over the edge. Hayden only had his head and part of his chest over open air.
"No, I can do that too! Just gimme a sec!" Carefully, he tilted forward until his position mimicked mine. Then he went one inch further. His lanky body couldn't balance itself out, and he'd toppled headfirst over the cliff.
"Hayden!" I'd screamed, dropping to my knees and peering at the moss attached to the side of the cliff. Panicked thoughts had raced through my mind, none of them registering. I couldn't call anyone to help immediately; everyone was surely asleep.
"Reiara! Look at this! You gotta come down and check this out!" I was so startled by the sound of his voice that I almost jolted over into the water. A thin, pale hand reached through the moss that later turned out to be trees, beckoning me to climb down.
It took only a moment to scramble down the rocky cliff and land on the ledge that was about twenty feet down. Hayden was standing there, relief clear in his eyes even through the smug smile on his face.
"Isn't this neat?" He'd asked, showing me the tiny cave with crystals embedded in the walls that seemed to glow. We'd shared a hug in that cave, both of glad that he was alive and not broken apart on the rocks at the base of the island.
"Here, Rei," Hayden called from inside the glowing cave, jolting me back to the present. He leaned out and tossed me a moonfruit, a sort of juicy orange that only grew in the cool light from the crystals that so resembled moonlight.
"Come 'ere, it's raining," I said to him, dangling my bare feet in the open air. He left the cave and joined me, crossing his legs and biting into his own moonfruit. We stared out at the view before Hayden turned to me.
"You are such a girl."
"What? Get bent, Hayden, you jerk. I'm only a girl in body. In fact, I'm sure you're the one who came up with that phrase."
"No, really, you are. When that baby was there, you were always cooing-"
"I DO NOT COO!"
"Fine, but you still showered it with attention."
"Probably because he's the Master of Confidence. It isn't my fault that as a female-"
"Aha!"
"As a female, it worked better on me. I mean, you like girls, I assume-"
"You assume right."
"So the charm from a male probably isn't as strong for you as it is for someone who likes guys."
Hayden was silent for a minute, sticking out his tongue like he was thinking of something to say that would contradict my words. Finally, he came up with, "Damn, I hate it when you're right."
"Get used to it," I sighed, then leaned back one my hands and closed my eyes. For a few minutes all was calm. Then I felt a strange tugging on my subconscious, but I couldn't place what it was from. I decided to just ignore it. I needed a break to just relax and soak up the moonlight.
"What the HELL?!" Hayden's scream brought me back. I followed his eyes to whatever had cause him to curse, then let out an oath myself. Right in front of us were two silver eyes, slowly flowing out to form part of a face, then a whole face, then-
"STOP!" The expansion of my Dragon halted as soon as I'd uttered the words. I gave a push with my Néngyuán and she disappeared, as though sucked into a vortex. After the whole ordeal was over, I was breathing hard even though I'd hardly expended any Néngyuán.
"Are you okay?" Hayden placed his large hand on my shoulder, rubbing my arm with his thumb. I nodded, sucking in one gulp of air before letting the Néngyuán I'd gathered into my mind flow evenly throughout my body.
"That was Yín sè," I murmured, pulling out tufts of grass with cramped fingers. "I know it. But how did she start materializing? I was just relaxing, and suddenly she starts entering the Substance World! I didn't even know I could summon her!"
"Well, if it helps, she's beautiful," Hayden said, a grin on his face.
"How in the world is that supposed to be helpful, Hayden?"
He shrugged. "I dunno, maybe because she's supposed to represent your soul. And you may be in shock, but I'm much more experienced and older-"
"By two years, Drake."
"Meh. Still, it's pretty amazing that you not only began summoning her, you did it by accident."
I looked at him with angry eyes. "Amazing? Hayden, I'll be killed if anyone finds out." He shook his head.
"Nah, you're too powerful. They'll keep you, if only just to study the bond and your powers. But they won't kill you." His eyes turned fierce. "I won't let them. They have to do what I say; I'm the Grand High Emperor."
"You sound just like Yín sè with her 'unknown powers' spiel. You two should meet, I'm sure you'd get along great."
"Well, if you summoned her again we could meet..."
"Are you kidding?" I demanded quietly, spinning to look at him so fast my braids hit him on the arm. "I'm not going to try again. Not until I'm twenty-five, which is when I'm supposed to do it."
Hayden made a face. "Never knew you to be a stickler for the rules, Reiara. I just think that if you have the power, you should use it. Nobody would have to know about it."
"Are you sure you aren't the one talking to me in the Core? Seriously, you guys are identical."
Hayden puffed out his chest and gave what he obviously thought was a winning smile. "It really is a compliment to be told that you're as wise as a Dragon, a creature that has been alive since the very beginning of time..."
"I didn't actually say you were as wise as her," I pointed out. "The two of you just have almost the exact same personalities." He scooted to sit close to me, letting me lean my head against his shoulder as I breathed in and out evenly, calming the Běnzhí that raced through my chest like wind through the trees.
* * * * *
"Dragon Power is very difficult to manipulate. Some Masters cannot even use it unless they know the name of their Dragon, which is learned at the graduation of Xuétú to Zhǔ." Trainer Logan was explaining the hardships of manipulating Néngyuán from the Other World to Lee, Mark, Lucas and I.
"Now, Néngyuán from the Other World can be used for almost anything. Whether it be increasing your senses, fighting powers, or manipulating the wills of those weaker than you, bringing the Néngyuán into your body is the most difficult part. Most Dragons do not willingly give up Other World Néngyuán to mere mortals, and even Masters have a hard time convincing their Dragon to respond to their request."
I raised my hand. Why not ask a question that seemed innocent but was actually related directly to my life?
"Yes, Master Reiara?"
"Trainer Logan, when should we be expecting to be able to use Néngyuán that is not ours but our Dragon's?"
Trainer Logan acknowledged my question with a quick nod. "Most Masters begin using Dragon Power at the age of nineteen, but it might be a little later for you, considering your... condition." He said the word like it was the name of a disease, like being female was a curse and I should not have been brought here. He was part of the group that had wanted me killed at the beginning.
I clenched my fists at my sides, trying to diffuse the anger that was growing inside me. If only he knew how powerful I really was. Maybe, if I just gave a little demonstration of what I could really do... No, little one. That was definitely Yín sè's voice. I wasn't aware she could communicate with me outside of the Core. The ability to speak to you outside the Core is new. I've never know a Dragon Master who could do that with their Dragon. Wait, I thought you were all for me showing my powers. Why the change of heart? I admit I wish you would show them what you can do, but I also know that it isn't what you want. You're just angry right now; the urge will pass.
Sure enough, I was already calming down due to the silvery sound of my Dragon's voice. I refocused my attention to Trainer Logan, clenching my teeth every time he told us that doing such and such was very difficult, even though I'd already done it.
I raised my hand again. "Why don't Dragons like giving up their Néngyuán?"
Trainer Logan shook his head. "Because, you silly girl, Dragons aren't a very grateful bunch. Masters give them the chance to manifest in the Substance World, yet they still don't want to give up their Néngyuán to the only people who can bring them here."
A scoff inside my head. What? Those are just excuses and lies. We Dragons are perfectly happy to give up our Néngyuán to our masters; we form great emotional bonds with them. An angry Master made that up years ago to hide the excuse that Masters are in general weak and have a hard time contacting the Other World to take the Néngyuán we are so freely offering. Huh. I wonder what Trainer Logan would say if I told him that. It probably wouldn't be pretty. For him, of course.
"Alright, Mark, tell me how far you've come in using Dragon Power." Before Mark, Blue Dragon Master, Master of Joy, could give his answer, the bell rang to signal the end of the day. I left quickly, wanting to catch Hayden on his way back from Lǐmào.
We met halfway and went back to Xíngdòng dǎoyǔ to hang out in his room. It was my turn to get the snacks, so I grabbed more iceberry tea and snuck some sweet rice back to The Red Dragon Master's quarters.
"Have I ever told you how much I despise Trainer Logan," I said casually, after swallowing a spoonful of sweet rice.
"Several times, actually. Have you thought about summoning Yín sè again?"
"No, I'm not going to. Speaking of Yín sè, she spoke to me without me needing to be in the Core. She said it's never happened to any Dragon before."
That's right. My Master the all-powerful.
"Listen, Hayden, do you really think I should summon her? Because you could get hurt too. I just don't want to be discovered."
Hayden stared into my eyes seriously. "Honestly, Reiara? I think you should. If anything happens, they can't kill me and I won't allow them to kill you. You have too little faith in my power."
Your boy's right. He won't let anything happen to you, and nothing will happen anyway. I just want to be brought into the Substance World and be able to see you as an actual object, and not just as Línghún.
"Oh, fine you two!" I shook my head sharply. "I'll do it. Tonight."
Hayden grinned widely, and then put his arms around me for a brief second. "I knew you would, Rei. I'll come get you at two o'clock. This is gonna be awesome!"
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Oooh, not so cliffhangery-cliffhanger! I'm having a lot of fun writing this and am trying to take it slow so it isn't all rushed. I think next chapter should have a lot of action, and I actually mean it this time. Summoning a Dragon nine years before you're supposed to is never a good idea.
Tune in next time for more tales of Reiara, Hayden and Yín sè!