Chapter 48
The Blue Siren lifted a boulder with her powers then put it down gently. How many times that she did the same thing, she lost count. Her eyes were covered with a piece of cloth, she does not see what's in front of her or the boulder. Searcher Kharkov had taught her before about this, a mixture of Naraane and Nonua can help her feel what's in front of her. She took a deep breath and exhaled, she used her power again and lifted the boulder again. It was easier to lift and let lift until the powers were gone. Now such a simple action was complex. Host Akari was beside her and observed the whole process together. Maya's expression turned sour as she lowered the boulder gently, it was obviously painful as her left hand was shaking rigorously.
"You are rushing Little One, slow your pace." Akari said.
Maya's brow ceased together and she squeezed her left shoulder to endure the pain. The boulder descended slower than before.
"Make sure to not make a sound while it lands." Akari ordered. Akari looked at Maya with a blank expression, she was not worried but was close to her if anything were to happen.
The descent of the boulder was even slower to a point that could not determine whether it was moving or merely being lifted. Maya gritted her teeth together. Breathing in and out at a panicking pace and wobbling a little more; her left hand was quivering mad.
The boulder was delicately put down, not a loud sound was heard aside from the moving grass that was pushed down by the juggernaut weight of the boulder.
"Splendidly done." Akari nodded.
Maya collapsed to the ground and vomited all the contents in her stomach. Splattered around the green grass. She coughed and coughed; her mouth was opened to vomit even more. She finally stopped when her stomach was empty. She panted heavily and fell down to her left shoulder, beside her pool of vomit. Nauseated and shivering.
Host Akari lowered down and put her hands on Maya's head. Lifted it from the ground and wore off the cloth that blinded Maya's sight. They looked at each other for a moment, unfortunately not longer. Maya was in and out of consciousness as her eyes lifted up then focused back the next moment. Akari held her with care and moved her body away from her vomit.
"You did well Maya." Akari said. "You've improved so much."
She looked at Maya again and was sure that Maya didn't realize she complimented. Maya coughed even more, wanting to say a few words but simply was not able to. She closed her eyes slowly, wanting to rest for a few minutes. In reality, she passed out because of exhaustion.
When she opened her eyes again, it was no longer the blue sky but the brown roof of her room. Her head felt heavy, her left arm immensely sore. She wanted to sit up but she could only move her head. Shifting her head to the left, Host Akari was at her side, seated on her chair with her eyes closed. Akari's Channels were glowing bright meaning that she was deep in her meditations. Maya then realized that Akari was holding her left hand. Just like water, it seemed Akari's energy was flowing into her. Maya's blue marks were also glowing in tandem with Akari's golden marks. It was a new discovery for Maya. Oscillating in intensity like lights during festivals or perhaps electronics in the real world. It was a sight very alien to Maya.
"Good morning Maya." The Host spoke but her eyes remained closed. "Or rather, good evening seeing the time now."
"How long did I pass out this time?" Maya looked at the window outside.
"Shorter than usual but it remains that you were out a day and a half." The Host opened her eyes and looked at Maya with a smile. "But still, you remain rather resilient regardless of the challenges."
Someone knocked the door, Akari turned back to see. "Who is there?"
"Searcher Red." He came with food and a water. "Is she awake yet, Host?"
"I'm awe- uhum." Maya adjusted her dry throat. "I'm awake, Red. You can come in."
"Well, good news." Searcher Red entered the room and put down the food and water on Maya's desk, it seemed Red expected Maya to wake up at this moment. "Food fresh from the pan, eat it while it's still hot. I bought some food for you too, Host."
"Don't forget to put into your notes, Searcher Red." Host Akari glanced at him. "In with the many other details that you take in."
"Thank you for reminding me, Host Akari." He greeted both of them with a slight nod. "I leave you both be, if there is anything that needs to be done, Kharkov and I are at the waterfalls."
"Enjoying the evening air it seems." Akari said. "Don't forget to rest, Red. Reading and studying all day is not good for the mind. It needs its time to be bored."
Red nodded. "Understood."
There was nothing to say and the man left the room. Akari and Maya were all alone, mentor and mentee. Akari held Maya's hand, one laced together with Maya's fingers while the other gently lay at the wrist. Maya could not move her body yet but in time, she would regain back to form. Host Akari was certainly helping to haste the pace.
"Do you feel any better?" Host Akari looked at Maya.
"I do. What are you doing, Host Akari? Is this your power?" Maya looked at her.
"I can only give you a certain amount of 'boost' if that makes sense. But at a cost of mine." Akari put down Maya's hand. "After this, I need rest."
"Thank you." Maya raised her head as a sign of gratitude. "You don't have to do it if it hurts you. I can recover. Just give me time."
"It would take a long time. Who knows what will happen in the future. Even though I'm your mentor, there's something I cannot expect."
Maya moved her hand to Akari's Siren hand, regaining some control of her body. "Is there something that you worry about, Host?"
"I never thought I would see the day where my successor lies in front of me." Akari held Maya's hand again with both of hers. Continue to give some energy to the Blue Siren. "There was a time before you were here, The Searchers were already exhausted with their exploration and training. One Siren to the other, rejecting each one. Some of them died in the process.
Akari had a somber look and stared at the window.
"Sometimes I fear that maybe, our race is doomed to die. There was a chance that I might be gone before I ever met you."
A moment of silence, Maya could feel Akari's quiet desperation.
"Suddenly you came." The Host then looked at Maya with a smile. She held Maya's hand even tighter. "Now training to be Prophetess, I never thought I would see the day. So for that, I thank you Maya."
"I uhmm…" Maya looked to the side to think what to say then she looked at Akari. "You're welcome."
"Now, we don't want the food to turn cold do we?" Akari put her apprentice's hand and stood up. "Let's eat."
Her body was sore but now she could move. Maya slowly and carefully sat up. She turned to face Akari then leaned at the wall beside the window. Akari went to get the food and pass it to Maya. The two Siren ate together. Akari had a glass of hot tea and bread while Maya had a proper meal with carbohydrates, protein and fibre and the likes. Both Maya and Akari were impressed with Searcher Red cooking skill.
"As tempered as Red is, he is a great cook." Akari sipped her tea. "He's very weird."
Maya smiled. "Well I think he's the good type of weird. He's playing hard to get."
"And you have a soft spot for him." Akari ate some part of the bread.
"Well… I do." Maya shrugged.
They both giggled together and continued to talk and gossip about things. Ever since the new phase of training, Maya and Akari bonded even more. Before this, there was a slight interference with Akari, like an invincible wall that made it more difficult. The Host was always focusing on how to train Maya's Nonua and non-stop meditation. Akari was more supportive than ever and spent more time with Maya. At night, she would visit Maya and have small talk. Telling stories about the old Siren Society or legends involving Hewina and her husband Sirenos.
Akari was like an elder sister that Maya never had. Maya was very grateful that she had one today.
The two Searchers in their downtime, at the shack near the waterfalls. They shared the table and sat at the benches, opposite sides. Admiring the waterfall and breathing the fresh air. The crickets and the cool temperature made it astonishingly comfortable. Tea and biscuits for Searcher Red. A glass of water and cooked fish by the fire for the athletic Searcher Kharkov. The training session was taxing for The Searchers too and they too need rest from time to time. They have their own individual work they'd do and have their own respective place but having company never hurts.
Kharkov sat quietly while staring at his late wife's picture, reminiscing the sweet moments of the past. Smiling alone. It was times like these that calmed his heart. The former Maliwan soldier was different, the complete opposite. He was busy with his notes, his pen constantly writing words, his thoughts digesting the information that he took. His serious expression was reflective of his focus.
"You know my brother, if you smile more, more women would be interested in you." Kharkov said.
"Excuse me." Red stopped and looked at the older man.
"Smile more, relax." Kharkov took one fried fish and ate it, eyes still at the picture. "Maybe you get a girlfriend faster."
"I'm busy, I'm pretty sure I like it to stay that way."
The pair usually start the conversation as such, they would screw around with each other, talking meaningless topics. A way to kill time. Both in reality and in Tretho.
"Alright, give me some fun facts my brother." Kharkov put the picture away and looked at Red. "Surprise me with facts."
"Hmm…" Red thought for a moment. "This year will be your fifth year sober. So yeah, congratulations Blondie."
"Woah… wait. Are you sure?!?" Kharkov raised his brows. "It's already been five years? Time truly passes quickly."
"Five years Kharkov, that means you can go another five." Red looked over his notes again and quickly wrote down something. "Give me a moment to finish things up."
Kharkov looked at his late wife again and smiled. "It's been five years huh? You hear that Kristina? Quite an achievement."
"Anyways, what were we talking about?" Red put down his pen.
"I was curious, what are you writing about there? So much focus on a calm night."
"It's about Maya. I mean what else would I be writing if not about Blue?"
"It's about her performance as of late right? She's been performing greatly, I'm proud of her. Any good reason?"
"Hmm.. What do you call it, Kharkov? It's at the tip of my tongue." Red snapped his fingers. "Ah yes. The power of love."
"Hahaha." Kharkov smiled wide and laughed loudly. "Alright, alright, I get it my brother. I say it a bit too much. But in all honesty, it must be said that Maya truly deserves some praise for what she had done in the past month. I wonder why you always doubt her."
"I wonder why you both see her so special." Red eat one biscuit. "Like, you both are devoted to her.
"Her lineage says it all. Is the purest that we have ever seen Red. So pure, there should be one Nia in her bloodline. How can anyone deny that?"
"If lineage was everything, then I think I should be more disappointed with her performance. There's a few Minoris that performed better than her. Again, I'm not trying to discredit her."
"But you cannot say that the Minoris before will outperform Maya in the long term. Again, her lineage made her different. That's where we get in, we help Maya to achieve her fullest potential. No average Minoris could ever be a prophetess if you think about it."
"Fair point." Red nodded. "I honestly thought Layla would be The Chosen One. She bested every single candidate that we had, better than Maya in every place. Yet in one decision, she was deemed unworthy."
"Both of us expected the same, Layla was… special. I was also confident about her but then again, The Host is full of surprises." Kharkov recollected about a particular Siren of the past. "Same as Alesia. Who knows what she could achieve if she were alive. Perhaps if she managed to save her daughter, we would have a total of four Sirens. Isn't that crazy?"
"Nah I don't think The Host likes her." Red reached Kharkov's fish. "She got a lot of steam with Alesia. Some kind of rivalry."
"You know that from her personally?"
"I dare you to say her name in front of her." Red chewed his food. "Did you inform her how she died yet?"
"Not yet, looks like she keeps postponing it." Kharkov grimaced. "I mean she's been busy and gotten closer with Maya, I gave her the space. Though in the past, The Host is very clear on Alesia which is stay away."
"Thundalya, that one I can't wrap my head around." Red leaned at his bench.
"The boogeywoman." Kharkov drinked his glass of water. "Thundalya has always been dangerous. But we need to remind ourselves that she's also a Siren. She's well deserved help despite her infamous reputation."
"I dare you say her name in front of Akari."
"Da. I will." Kharkov grinned. "I have no problem with that."
"I'll wait for the reaction."
"I can't wait to tell you what I discover by then."
They both looked at the waterfalls and drank their drinks. A moment of quietness. Seven years after they officially became Searchers, they finally felt this settling sensation. The conclusion of searching led them to Maya; the new prophetess. It was something new for the two Searchers. Something foreign.
"After this." Red spoke. "After Maya becomes the leader, what does that make us? What's next?"
"Searchers." Kharkov said. "We will search for Sirens all across the galaxy but full time. Recruiting more Searchers. A new beginning for all of us."
"Recalling back the past Siren we found or just moving on to new ones?"
"I think both. Hopefully, Nyriad won't be bothering us while we do our work."
"By the way, I got a new hunch of a Siren, she's a comer. Name's Amara, still young and very promising."
"Guess things will go smoothly this time." Kharkov took a deep breath of gratitude. "It's coming together very well."
"And who knows, you will find a new Siren wife." Red gave a roguish smile.
"Blyat!" Kharkov was shocked to hear. "Are you serious Red?"
"A new beginning, just like you said."