No problemos with this one, just straight forward.
"Oh shoot! I overslept!" I throw on my clothes in a hurry. Mr. Daniel always makes sure that I'm up and ready for training, I wonder why he didn't stop by. Doing this double training thing is going to be the death of me. As I step out the door, I rub my sore arms and start running out of the inn. At least I'm getting all that I can from both spirits, but this is really exhausting. It would be nice if I could tell Master Wisp and Master Shade that I'm getting trained by the other-then maybe they wouldn't train me so hard. Who am I kidding? If they found out, I'd be in big trouble.
When I enter the ornate hallway, I spot a familiar figure five feet away from me-Mr. Daniel's. "Mr. Daniel!" I catch up with him, but he continues walking as if he never heard me. The smaller Wisp spirits usually reside in the hallways to say hello, but a few of them are gone."Mr. Daniel, are you okay?"
When I get a better look at his face, he scowls. "What?"
"I'm sorry if I'm bothering-"
"You are."
I shoot him one more sympathetic glance before dropping my head. Together, but not really together, we walk towards to the training room. Flaming balls of light accumulate to form Master Wisp at the door. "Why good morning Mia. You're late, what happened?" she asks earnestly, but in a gentle tone.
"I overslept, my apologies." Mr. Daniel is certainly not to blame for this. The responsibility is mine alone and depending on other people is what got me here in the first place.
"You said that yesterday. Are you getting enough sleep at the inn?"
"Yes, that's not-"
"Master, can you practice with me? Some of my Light moves need to be corrected," Mr. Daniel cuts in rather rudely. Master Wisp can sense that too as she sighs and floats toward Mr. Daniel.
"Mia, start the warm ups. I'll join you in a second," Master Wisp takes Mr. Daniel into the hallway, which I find a little odd because everyone else does training below the altar. Did I do something to Mr. Daniel? Is that why he's been glaring at me ever since I caught up with him?
"What move do you need help with?" Master Wisp asks once in the hallway and far away from Mia. I stare at my boots, unsure if I should tell Master Wisp the truth. If I did tell her the truth, it would just make her mad, but she can tell when I'm lying.
"Master, why do you always train with Mia?" I blurt out angrily. "It's not fair."
"Daniel," she places a crystallized hand on my shoulder. "Jealousy creates Darkness in your heart. It is that Darkness that Mia lacks, which is what makes her an outstanding pupil." When she takes notice of my pout, she adds pitifully, "You can be like her too. Get rid of the Darkness that's holding you back. When you can do that, I'll treat you like Mia."
"Fine." Mia just got here and she gets to be treated like a grandmaster. I've been training under the Light for five years already-how did she make so much progress in a matter of two weeks? She's slept with the lights off more than once, so obviously she's a Shade follower. "I'll try to get rid of it for you Master."
"I like the sound of that."
Spheres and rays of light are exchanged between me and Master Wisp. Very suddenly, she ceases attacking and stares at the reminiscent of my last Light Sphere. "Master Wisp?" The concerns grow the longer she scrutinizes the Light. Her blank expression builds sores of worry on my heart. Finally, she descends from the ceiling like an angel about to execute divine retribution.
"Your Light isn't as concentrated as it was a week ago," she sullenly informs me. "I can't see them, but I know there are traces of Darkness infecting your purity." I'm too stunned to speak. Whenever I'm training with Master Wisp, I always make sure that Darkness doesn't slip out-was I being careless this time?
"H-ho-?" I still can't utter a single word.
"I started to notice this about a week ago," adds Master Wisp, unfazed by my shock. "Your Light is beginning to dim, Mia. What have you been doing?"
Sweat rolls down the side of my cheek as I push my hair back. It's been a week-I haven't noticed anything weird when I practiced. "Maybe it's…" I carefully mutter under my breath, biting my lip. Just maybe…it has to do with my training with Master Shade. Could his Darkness-my Darkness-
"Mia, did you ever come in contact with Shade?" What do I say? What do I do? There's no way I'm going to lie, but telling her the truth isn't an option. Why, oh why, did I have to talk to Master Shade? "Mia," Master Wisp's tone suddenly becomes cold. "You have to tell me if you did or did not come in contact with Shade, because then I'll have to-did he attack you or threaten you? Did he threaten to do something if you told me?"
I swallow hard and inhale deeply. "Well-"
The door behind me slams open so hard, the chandeliers tremble like scared children. I turn to see one of the Light Monks panting heavily at the door. His worried face and haggard appearance startles both of us. "Master, I'm so sorry to barge in like this…"
"What's the matter?" she asks him, but keeping her eyes on me. "Out with it already."
"...the Wisp…Shade-" he never finishes his sentence because he collapses on the floor.
"Oh dear!" I hover over to Ephesus, readying my Healing Light for him. I told him to look for the missing Wisp and he comes back half-dead! Floating over his body, my Light emanates from my crystals like water, and pours into his chest. He must have found something having to do with Shade-I knew it all along!
"Mia, do you see now what Shade is all about?" I turn to face her but she's no longer in the room. Oh, her Light used to be so pure, I wonder what happened. Perhaps she's been sleeping with the lights off and doing strange activities after her training with me. Whatever it is, it irks me. Monk Ephesus's eyes jut open along with a loud inhale as my Light flows through him.
"Ephesus, how are you?"
"Shade, he…"
