"I really don't think this will work!" I yelp as one of the pupils I've been studying with swings his sword at my tunic. I found out on my first day of training that my clothes will shift to whatever I need in the moment. A dress would not be helpful for me in a fight. A tunic and leggings are. The master of Illusion swordsmanship watches nearby.
"You must believe. Part of illusions is to make your opponent believe in them and stop themselves from fighting. Now make them believe!" He barks out. I throw my illusions again. I feel my clothes dampen with my sweat as I struggle to keep up. The boy in front of me swings his sword and slices through it like butter.
"I really don't have time to make it real enough for me to believe in it!" I yell at him. The student in front of me freezes for a moment before going at me harder. I'm the only student in the school that can actually get away with yelling at their senseis. None of the others like it, especially the boy attacking me.
"You will not always have time. Believe you will stop his swing!" My sensei yells. I duck under his weapon and cast freeze at his feet. His swing pulls him off balance since his feet can't move and he topples forward. I lean against my knees, gasping for breath. My sensei comes to us, seeing our spar is over.
"That was not the task at hand, Leilah." He tells me sternly.
"I'm… really… trying here… It's just… He swings...so fast." I huff and puff. My sensei makes a noise in his throat before I see him reach for the sword at his side. My eyes widen and I quickly get ready to dodge.
"If you think his swings are so fast, perhaps you should try mine." He calmly states before pulling out his sword. I widen my eyes to see so many versions of Sensei surrounding me. I gulp. "Perhaps through fear, you can learn." He starts an attack behind me. I dodge to the left, where a Sensei is slashing at me. I throw my magic at the illusion. It turns into nothing, but that doesn't mean I don't get hurt from his attacks. There's a new cut on my right arm, my dominant arm. I grit my teeth and just keep doing my best to dodge. Swing, duck. Downward strike, sidestep. Stab, cut. It's a never ending cycle. I can feel more and more cuts landing on my skin, all light enough to cause a scratch, but not enough to kill me. All his attacks irritate me to the point where I feel my magic build with my frustration.
"ENOUGH!" I scream, my magic bursting out of me like the blizzard on Targon. I collapse to the ground, sore from the massive amount of magic I just used. Even with all the magic I used that froze all the Sensei's, there's one sensei that got away. That one Sensei is pointing his sword at my chest. Of course Sensei dodged it.
"You need to learn control, young one!" He scolds me and taps the top of my head.
"I'm not a combat person, Sensei. I don't like fighting." I moan.
"You will not always meet people that do not honor your desire to remain peaceful. Learn how to freeze an attack and use less magic with it." He smacks the top of my head again.
"Fine." I groan, feeling nauseous. It's weird. I never had this much trouble with magic from Mount Targon until I touched the ring. That's when everything started to go wrong. I miss when my magic didn't make me sick, but I also know that without the ring's magic, there would be no physical part to my spells. It's a lose-lose situation.
"Why are you so sick, Leilah?" Sensei asks me.
"I really don't know. My best guess, Aspect magic does not merge with whatever else I touched." I groan. It takes a while, but the nausea eventually fades. "I found a ring in the middle of the woods near my home. I touched it, and then everything went crazy." I reveal. I haven't even told the brothers about how I got my weird eye, just ignoring that it truly affects me until I can't anymore.
"Our spars will be put on hold then." Sensei declares. "Come. You would learn best from someone who has mastered meditation." I take my sweet time climbing to my feet and following him through the halls. Other disciples look at me angrily. I rub the back of my head. I'm well known for somehow not being able to hold a sword properly and swing it, yet still being a part of the school. These monks must really want the prestige of mentoring an Aspect, or they just see something in me that others don't. We come to a meditation chamber. My eyes widen in shock at seeing Yone and my snake in deep conversation.
"I promise I will guard her to the best of my ability." Yone tells him.
"That's not good enough. Until you can't lift up your sword anymore." Starshadow says vehemently.
"Who are you protecting?" I interrupt. Starshadow squeals and whips himself off of Yone and onto the ground. I laugh at his misfortune.
"The greatest treasure of all. A special Ionian dessert." Starshadow grumbles. I roll my eyes.
"You've had almost every single meal possible that the monks have prepared for you. What else can you possibly want, you glutton?" I tease him.
Sensei coughs. I stand up straight and quiet down.
"I shall let him teach you how to meditate. Do not come back to my side until you no longer feel weakened by a small spell." He orders me before leaving. I wince at his directness. "Yone, the child before you has neglected to add that something has been afflicting her since you have met. Do your best to help her." He walks off. I turn towards Yone with a tense smile. Yone does not look amused.
"He has a point. You feel sick by a small spell?" He asks me. Both Yone and Starshadow have a disapproving face.
"It's only been recently?" I try to defend myself.
"How recently?" Starshadow demands.
"You can tell, you overgrown serpent." I snap.
"Answer me then." Yone interrupts.
"Since I pushed myself too far showing stories to Yasuo. It wasn't so bad until I got to Ionia." I tell him. Yone looks intrigued.
"Take a seat, Leilah." He instructs. I sit down in front of him. He holds my hands gently. "Close your eyes." I follow his instructions. "Feel your body, your mind, slow down, and be at peace." I let myself float in his instructions. My nose starts to itch. I desperately want to scratch it. I feel Starshadow's tail scratch my nose and I feel better. "Focus Leilah." I relax back into my mind. "Can you see your magic?" I frown, doing my best to see it. There's a light, but it's so dim and cut up.
"It looks so sick." I murmur, concerned.
"How does it look sick?" Yone asks.
"The lights, they are dim and disappearing, but it doesn't look like it's dimming on its own?" I try to figure it out.
"Can you help the lights so they no longer disappear?" Yone's voice reappears. I look to the dim light and touch it. The light glows a little brighter for a moment before a wave of blackness overwhelms it. At the same time, the nausea comes back. I glare at the substance.
"Starshadow, can you help?" I murmur. Not even seconds later, Starshadow's in my mind. He gasps at seeing how weak it looks. I can't help but be surprised at his form in my mind. It's the beautiful bright light that he was on Mount Targon. He hisses at the darkness. I finally realize that the darkness is black ooze that's overwhelming me. It's very similar to the ooze that came out of the ring.
"Sorry, Leilah. It appears that the ring is affecting you more than I wanted it to. One second." Starshadow snaps at the ooze. It backs up from his fangs, and I don't feel so sick. Starshadow continues to snap at the ooze, backing it into a small corner of my borealis. I feel better than I have in ages. Starshadow looks like he's about to eat it. For some reason, I feel fear shoot through my body.
"Wait a moment, Starshadow." I hold him back. He stops his attack and looks at me. I kneel down in front of the little darkness. It shivers. "Hello there. Are you the magic that's been messing with me?" I ask it. It stops shaking for a bit. It bobs up and down. "Are you lonely?" It bobs again. "I'm sorry. You're lonely, but you're making me feel really sick whenever I use magic." I tell it. It somehow shrinks even smaller. Starshadow is his glorious huge self in my mind watching this tiny speck of black carefully. "Don't go!" I yelp. I feel both nonhumans stare at me.
"Are you crazy, Leilah? This thing is messing with you!" Starshadow snaps.
"It's messing with me, but it hasn't been actively hurting me, have you?" I ask the speck. It weaves side to side frantically. Starshadow hisses bitterly at it.
"Go back to where you belong!" He snaps with his fangs. The speck shivered violently before diving under the now glowing lights. I glare at him.
"What was that for?" I snap.
"It's not welcome here." He hisses before he gazes at my magic. He relaxes and shrinks down to the size I've always known him to be.
"I don't like how you're keeping things from me." I warn him. He sighs.
"Sorry, Leilah. It's the thing that's afflicting both of us. I've been trying to keep it in check. This part snuck out while I was distracted and decided to hurt you." He coils into my magic and sighs happily. "I took the brunt of it, but some of it's magic is still in you. It's been making you sick this whole time. Maybe with this cleansing, you'll feel much better." He hums in the stream and relaxes. I roll my eyes.
"You are so overdramatic!" I sigh. Something starts to shake my shoulder and I come back to the meditation chamber. I see Yone before me, looking worried. I smile and shake it off. "Starshadow helped me fix my magic, see?" I try to speak energetically and use some illusions. An icicle forms in front of me and I don't feel sick, but when I try to put my hand on it, I go right through. I frown and keep swiping it before sighing.
"It appears that whatever was afflicting you was also the thing that was making your illusions more solid." Yone observes.
"No kidding. Ugh, this is going to be really tricky." I moan. Sensei rushes back into the room.
"Apologies for the interruption, but the monsoons are in sight. Leilah, as this is the first time you have encountered a monsoon, I must ask that you stay by Yone's side." He tells me.
"Yes, Sensei." I nod respectfully. Sensei leaves. Yone takes me back to my room to watch over me. I look to the storms in the distance and gulp. They look a lot bigger than storms in Targon.
"Do not worry, Leilah. I will be by your side for the entirety of the storm." Yone comforts me. Starshadow peaks out from his sleeve.
EXCUSE ME! DID YOU COMPLETELY FORGET ABOUT LITTLE OLD ME? Starshadow shrieks in my head. I instinctively cover my ears from how loud he is.
"There's no need to scream in my head, Starshadow! It's hard to forget about a talking serpent that only ever wants to eat food now anyway!" I yell at him.
No need to be so loud. Starshadow whines.
"Why you…" I try and grab him. The slippery annoyance just dives right into Yone's clothes to avoid being caught. Yone looks surprised and a bit uncomfortable with Starshadow's choice of hiding. "I hope I get to try that dessert right in front of you!" I snap.
You wouldn't dare. Starshadow challenges.
"Try me."
"You are certainly close, are you not?" Yone observes.
"Well, as close as we can be when we've only met each other a few months ago." I reply absentmindedly as I wait for Starshadow to appear.
"Well, she remembers a few months. I've known her for centuries." Starshadow says muffled.
"How is that possible?" Yone asks.
"Something about soul cycles. I don't care, get your butt out here!" I snap and try to pin his body to Yone's. I never realized how close I had gotten to Yone until I plant my palms firmly on his pecs. I freeze and turn a bright red. Literally bright as my emotions were high and apparently I started to use my magic unconsciously. I hastily pull my hands off. Starshadow laughs in my head. I throw him a glare in his general direction. "I will take that dessert." I threaten.
Worth it! Starshadow falls out of Yone's sleeve, writhing in laughter. I dive for him. If Yone just stood aside, I would have managed to strangle the serpent. Of course, Yone has to intervene. He grabs my waist and pulls me away. I struggle for a moment, trying some hand to hand fighting techniques I've learned. Of course, Yone's a skilled fighter, and easily pins my arms to my chest. I glow even brighter when I realize that I am essentially wrapped in Yone's arms. That sets off Starshadow off again. Both Yone and I glare at the snake.
"Do you mind? This is your fault!" I hiss at him.
I am loving this! Starshadow keeps laughing. I hear him start struggling to breath with how much he's laughing. You are blushing so hard! Oh, This is priceless, I never imagined you as a blushing girl! He cackles.
"Well, I'm surprised you couldn't imagine me as a blushing girl, considering I am one!" I blurt out angrily. Starshadow laughs harder. It takes a moment, but I finally realize that I just said I am blushing and struggle even harder to get out.
"Leilah, calm down. You know he is just riling you up." Yone whispers in my ear. I glow so brightly I have to close my eyes slightly.
"Sure I know that, but it really doesn't help the situation." I mutter. I feel Yone nod his head.
"Let me take you somewhere more peaceful, ok?" He murmurs. I feel really warm and nod, resigned to doing whatever Yone suggests in order to not deal with Starshadow right now. He releases me from the hold, but keeps my hand. We are about to leave Starshadow behind when his laughter stops.
"Where are you going?" Starshadow demands.
"To let her see her first Ionian rainfall." Yone calls over his shoulder.
"Can I-" I quickly slam the door in his face before he can join us.
"Perhaps not when you have aggravated her so." I can hear a small smirk in Yone's voice. He takes me to a little courtyard. I lean against a fence and just enjoy the view, even if the clouds are not comforting to me. "It seems you do not have a good handle on dealing with him when he is excitable." Yone speaks softly behind me.
"No, I do. It amuses us both really. He's like a brother to me, even if I've only known him a short time. He's my best friend and when called for, he'll protect me. He also knows when he pushes me too far." I respond. Yone comes over to my side.
"I can see that in him. He does care for you." Yone watches the clouds with me
"I'd guess that it's because of our bond." I shrug my shoulders.
"Bond?"
"I met him on the mountain. I gave him his name when he first fell. Since that happened, I kinda accessed his magic until I got my own. I thought you already heard it." I note. Yone looks at me with a very soft smile.
"I heard the mindsplitter and beyond. I did not know you gave him his name." He comments.
"Honestly, if I knew how much trouble he'd be, I'd have named him Trouble." I joke. We both chuckle for a moment. Yone touches my face tenderly. I freeze, not knowing where this is going.
"How is your life at the temple?" He whispers.
"Uh, not too bad. Besides everyone hating that I'm at a sword school and a dagger is dangerous for me to hold, Sensei's been on my case quite a bit, and I sometimes wonder how Yasuo is doing."
"Why do you wonder what my brother is doing?" There's an odd note in his voice.
"Because he's still a child and looks up to you. He loves you so much. I don't like the feeling in my chest the longer he's not here." I clutch my heart. "Every day, my heart feels heavier, like I've failed. And I can't help but think it's because of him not being in the school." Yone's hand slips from my cheek.
"You care more about Yasuo than me?" Yone's voice sounds a little bit clipped.
"I care about him like a friend would. What are you talking about?" I state, feeling very confused.
"Only a friend?" Yone inquires. I roll my eyes.
"Yes, only a friend." I repeat exasperated. He sighs.
"Interesting." He's looking at his hand in confusion.
"I'm sorry?"
"Look." Yone distracts me as the monsoon rains start to fall. My eyes widen at how thick the rain falls. I reach my hand out and laugh when I hold a puddle in less than a second. My body starts to glow in my joy. I lean over the rail and get soaked. I glow brighter.
"This is amazing!" I start to laugh. Yone just watches me. I get the feeling that he's amused by my joy of the rain.
I hear a yelp towards the gates of the temple. I frown for a moment before gasping. Yasuo! I leap over the railing and land on my feet. I hear Yone call for me to stop, but I don't. I race towards the entrance and out the door. There, I see Yasuo in the rain, soaking wet. I quickly try using my magic to create some sort of cover, but the rain just falls through it. I groan before shaking my head. I don't have a choice. I need to use that black speck of magic. As quickly as I can, I look into my magic core. I see my magic flowing very brightly, but I seek out the speck of black. It's hard to spot, but when I call out for it, it comes through the flow. I offer it my hand. "Please, I need your help for one task. Will you let me use you?" I ask it. The speck reaches out to me and immediately coats my magic. I snap out of my mind and quickly make a cover for Yasuo to stay dry under and dry his clothes. Oddly enough, these are no illusions, but I still have to concentrate like I would for my illusions. The nausea sets in as quickly as my spells do. I collapse, nearly blacking out. Only through sheer stubbornness and concern for Yasuo keeps me conscious. Even then, Yasuo has to dash out from under shelter and pull my limp body to where I could be dry. Once I'm safely under the cloth, Yasuo rests my head in his lap.
"Help!" Yasuo yells. He cries out for a little bit, begging for someone to help me. Yone comes running, followed by some of the other students and monks of the school. Yone is quick to try to scoop me up. I struggle to hold onto Yasuo's tunic, fearful that if I let go, he would be gone again.
"Why, Leilah?" Sensei demands.
"He's needed here." I groan. My vision is starting to black, but I refuse to let go.
"We did not accept him here for a reason." Another monk protests.
"He's Yone's brother… He's strong… He deserves… a chance." I breath out. I can see Yone's eyes widen and yell something, but my ears don't work. Eventually, neither does my vision.
You stupid girl! How reckless can one girl be? 'Oh, I have a great idea! Let's use the magic that Starshadow fought back to help Yasuo!' Great idea, you bloody idiot! Starshadow's rant wakes me up. I can feel two people holding my hands and a snake coiled around my neck. I crack open my eyes. It's night time. Yasuo's head rests on my lap. Yone's seems to be in deep thought, but he holds my other hand. When that girl wakes up, I'm tearing her a new one. She is in so much trouble, out cold for a week. Idiotic child. I let out a strangled noise when I hear how long I've been out.
Yone's eyes snap open and look towards me. Starshadow's rant pauses the moment he hears me. Yasuo shifts a little bit, but remains asleep. Starshadow sticks his head right into my face. I jerk weakly away from him.
"You are in so much trouble, young lady." Starshadow hisses quietly. "I told you I had the power covered. Instead, you woke it up and could have killed yourself." I close my eyes and pretend to go back to sleep. Starshadow's tail smacks my cheek. I groan quietly in pain.
"Starshadow, I do not think that that is needed." Yone chastises my snake.
"Maybe it'll sink into the stubborn skull of hers that she is not to use that magic!" Starshadow snarls. Yasuo moans and shifts again. The boys who are awake tense for a moment. Yasuo settles back to sleep and everyone breathes out a sigh of relief.
"Perhaps this is the lesson that she needs. Let her rest." Yone reasons. Starshadow grumbles but nods in the end. He returns to a relaxed coil around my neck. Soon, I hear him sleeping.
'Thank you' I mouth to Yone. Yone gives a soft smile and leans over to kiss my forehead. I blink slightly from it. Yone returns to his seat and relaxes.
"Thank you for saving my brother. Rest now, Leilah. Yasuo and I will still be here when you wake up." He whispers to me before I hear his breathing slow. My eyes still feel heavy, so I close them and try to sleep. Only problem is that there's a thought that's bothering me.
What is that magic that is making me so sick?
Hello my wonderful readers! Sorry, but she's not learning how to fight with a sword just yet. Maybe she will, maybe she won't. First thing to focus on is what is causing Leilah to be unable to swing a sword? Would that affect others?
I also threw in a little Yone Leilah moment. Before I hear about how guys and girls don't fall for each other that fast, remember when you were a teenager. Younger ones, you'll see this soon. Do you remember your first crush? How fast you fell for someone? That is essentailly what is happening here. Yone and Leilah are both teenagers, so this is kinda their attraction moment. Who knows how the future will pan out. Will Leilah and Yone actually get together, or will they choose to remain friends?
I also started a poll on my profile. I'm asking you guys if you would like to hear oneshots from other characters views. Like, What was Yasuo thinking when he saw Leilah appear? Starshadow's panic on Mount Targon? And since it's so new, there are so many one shot possibilities to come! Just submit your vote and I'll close it next Sunday!
Thank you for keeping up with my story! I'll post another one Thursday!