Okay, first things first. I never expected to write a second chapter to
this. I kind of always wanted to, but I decided against it, even when it
was requested.
But THEN I got really pissed off at...well, life in general. And so I
pulled this story out and just started writing.
So, this story WILL be updated, but only when I'm in the proper mood.
Which might be quite often.
Anywho, that said, on with the story!
Simple and Clean
Chapter 2
"Focus, Garet!"
He WAS focusing, that was why the cave hadn't been turned into a raging
inferno. If Alex would stop YELLING, then he would probably be having an
easier time.
He narrowed his eyes, his entire world narrowing to the wick of the
candle. Setting things on fire usually wasn't a problem for him, but
focusing enough to only light the tiny piece of string...it was a
different matter entirely. It was nearly painful to direct the tiniest
bit of Psynergy at the candle, to let only the smallest amount of power
to take hold on the flammable string...
The air around him was becoming hot, the icicles and snow clinging to the
entrance began to melt...
"That's enough, Garet," Alex shrugged when he was certain he almost had
it. Something restrained him from lighting his "teacher" on fire.
"We'll work again tomorrow."
"Fine," Garet shrugged, trying to get the kinks out of his shoulders.
After he had explained to Mia about his uncontrollable Psynergy, she had
quickly brought him here, to Imil. She believed that the snow and cold
could help him keep his own element in check. While that was fine with
him, he wasn't sure he approved her choice of a teacher.
Alex had been forgiven by the town, but only because of his explanation
that he had only lit the Mercury Lighthouse for the good of everyone. He
had yet to explain his other actions. The Mercury Adept spent the
majority of his time in meditation, but he used some of his time trying
to help Garet.
Not that Garet trusted him in the least bit.
They left the cave to be nearly blinded by sun on pure white snow. Mia
was walking towards them, bundled in her cloak.
"How did it go?" she asked, hope in her voice until she noticed Garet's
expression.
"Oh...not good, huh?"
"Garet still needs help with his control," Alex explained. "He's a VERY
powerful Adept, but unless those powers can be harnessed, then-"
The Mars Adept nearly growled in frustration. They were talking like he
was a small child who couldn't understand what they were saying. It was
back to how it had been in Vale, he was the oaf. The idiot.
Getting angrier the more that was said, Garet strode past them, towards
the home he had to share with Alex.
His room was small, uncomfortably small, but it had become something of a
sanctuary to him. Ever since he had come to Imil, people skirted him,
treated him different. He knew it was because he was a Mars Adept. He
didn't know WHY the Imilians were afraid of him, but that fear had only
increased the first time he had trained out in the open.
It had been a simple thing, really. Alex would launch chunks of ice big
enough to kill him upon impact towards him, and he would destroy them
with fireballs. He hadn't even lost control...until the crowd had broke
his concentration.
The fire inside of him had been begging to come out, pushing him with
each fireball he created. And after the first scream...
He hadn't had much of a choice.
The fire hadn't been big, but it melted through the snow and was quickly
catching onto the dead growth beneath the ice before Alex put it out with
Deluge. But the villagers had been afraid.
He had been shunned, and kept mostly to himself after that. His training
had even been moved into a small cave behind a waterfall. He didn't
really mind, but he shuddered to think what it would be like going into
the cave when the waterfall wasn't a solid sheet of ice. He didn't seem
to be getting any better at control. If anything, he seemed worse.
Ignoring the people on the street staring at him, ignoring the meant to
be overheard rude comments, Garet stalked up to his own door. he
wrenched it open, stepped inside, and slammed it closed behind them.
He leaned against the door, allowing his anger to course through him. It
was almost irrational, becoming so pissed off at something so small, but
when it happened again...and again...and again...
He only started to calm down when he realized his fingers were smoking.
That was something new, usually he just burned everything in sight to
ashes.
"Maybe I am getting better," he muttered to himself. After a few
minutes, he managed to calm down, and push himself away from the door.
He walked into the kitchen, before he realized he really wasn't all that
hungry.
*What Isaac would give to see me now...*
Alex was probably running home now. The Mercury Adept thought he
couldn't survive a single minute alone, especially without reducing
something to cinders.
"Damnit," Garet growled, collapsing in a chair and kicked off his boots.
*It doesn't matter where I go. People still treat me the same,
no matter what I do...no matter where I am...*
He stopped that train of thought immediatly when the air around him
started to get warm.
*Might as well try doing something useful,* he got up and moved to the
fireplace. He began stacking twigs and logs on top of the charred
remains of the previous day's fire. Accomplishing that task, he set his
fingers lightly on the wood, and pulled Psynergy from himself, pushing
into the logs, leaving a tiny signature mark that would light up
instantly when he took his hands away.
It was simple, really. He had done it hundreds of times.
Today seemed to be a different matter.
Each bit of Psynergy he forced from himself took an eternity to use. The
fire kept on pushing at his mind, begging to be used. It was painful to
keep it at bay.
Finally, he removed his hands, and the logs began blazing cheerfully.
He stared into that blaze, feeling a hunger for the flames, to engulf
everything in flames...
*What is wrong with me...?* he sat back and blinked. *Why can't I
control it? Why CAN'T I?*
He sighed, pulling back from the fire and curling up into the chair
again.
*When I told Mia I wanted things simple and clean...I meant it. But
every day it just seems to get worse here...but what can I do? I can't
keep running, but I can't just STAY here...*
His gaze strayed back to the flames again. *What can I do...?*
*****
Yup. And stuff. Well, I might continue this soon, I might not. And
flames are VERY welcome, maybe they'll get me in the mood to write
another chapter. ^_^ Plus, Garet likes to eat them, you know. And we
all want to make Garet happy, right? Right. ^_^
this. I kind of always wanted to, but I decided against it, even when it
was requested.
But THEN I got really pissed off at...well, life in general. And so I
pulled this story out and just started writing.
So, this story WILL be updated, but only when I'm in the proper mood.
Which might be quite often.
Anywho, that said, on with the story!
Simple and Clean
Chapter 2
"Focus, Garet!"
He WAS focusing, that was why the cave hadn't been turned into a raging
inferno. If Alex would stop YELLING, then he would probably be having an
easier time.
He narrowed his eyes, his entire world narrowing to the wick of the
candle. Setting things on fire usually wasn't a problem for him, but
focusing enough to only light the tiny piece of string...it was a
different matter entirely. It was nearly painful to direct the tiniest
bit of Psynergy at the candle, to let only the smallest amount of power
to take hold on the flammable string...
The air around him was becoming hot, the icicles and snow clinging to the
entrance began to melt...
"That's enough, Garet," Alex shrugged when he was certain he almost had
it. Something restrained him from lighting his "teacher" on fire.
"We'll work again tomorrow."
"Fine," Garet shrugged, trying to get the kinks out of his shoulders.
After he had explained to Mia about his uncontrollable Psynergy, she had
quickly brought him here, to Imil. She believed that the snow and cold
could help him keep his own element in check. While that was fine with
him, he wasn't sure he approved her choice of a teacher.
Alex had been forgiven by the town, but only because of his explanation
that he had only lit the Mercury Lighthouse for the good of everyone. He
had yet to explain his other actions. The Mercury Adept spent the
majority of his time in meditation, but he used some of his time trying
to help Garet.
Not that Garet trusted him in the least bit.
They left the cave to be nearly blinded by sun on pure white snow. Mia
was walking towards them, bundled in her cloak.
"How did it go?" she asked, hope in her voice until she noticed Garet's
expression.
"Oh...not good, huh?"
"Garet still needs help with his control," Alex explained. "He's a VERY
powerful Adept, but unless those powers can be harnessed, then-"
The Mars Adept nearly growled in frustration. They were talking like he
was a small child who couldn't understand what they were saying. It was
back to how it had been in Vale, he was the oaf. The idiot.
Getting angrier the more that was said, Garet strode past them, towards
the home he had to share with Alex.
His room was small, uncomfortably small, but it had become something of a
sanctuary to him. Ever since he had come to Imil, people skirted him,
treated him different. He knew it was because he was a Mars Adept. He
didn't know WHY the Imilians were afraid of him, but that fear had only
increased the first time he had trained out in the open.
It had been a simple thing, really. Alex would launch chunks of ice big
enough to kill him upon impact towards him, and he would destroy them
with fireballs. He hadn't even lost control...until the crowd had broke
his concentration.
The fire inside of him had been begging to come out, pushing him with
each fireball he created. And after the first scream...
He hadn't had much of a choice.
The fire hadn't been big, but it melted through the snow and was quickly
catching onto the dead growth beneath the ice before Alex put it out with
Deluge. But the villagers had been afraid.
He had been shunned, and kept mostly to himself after that. His training
had even been moved into a small cave behind a waterfall. He didn't
really mind, but he shuddered to think what it would be like going into
the cave when the waterfall wasn't a solid sheet of ice. He didn't seem
to be getting any better at control. If anything, he seemed worse.
Ignoring the people on the street staring at him, ignoring the meant to
be overheard rude comments, Garet stalked up to his own door. he
wrenched it open, stepped inside, and slammed it closed behind them.
He leaned against the door, allowing his anger to course through him. It
was almost irrational, becoming so pissed off at something so small, but
when it happened again...and again...and again...
He only started to calm down when he realized his fingers were smoking.
That was something new, usually he just burned everything in sight to
ashes.
"Maybe I am getting better," he muttered to himself. After a few
minutes, he managed to calm down, and push himself away from the door.
He walked into the kitchen, before he realized he really wasn't all that
hungry.
*What Isaac would give to see me now...*
Alex was probably running home now. The Mercury Adept thought he
couldn't survive a single minute alone, especially without reducing
something to cinders.
"Damnit," Garet growled, collapsing in a chair and kicked off his boots.
*It doesn't matter where I go. People still treat me the same,
no matter what I do...no matter where I am...*
He stopped that train of thought immediatly when the air around him
started to get warm.
*Might as well try doing something useful,* he got up and moved to the
fireplace. He began stacking twigs and logs on top of the charred
remains of the previous day's fire. Accomplishing that task, he set his
fingers lightly on the wood, and pulled Psynergy from himself, pushing
into the logs, leaving a tiny signature mark that would light up
instantly when he took his hands away.
It was simple, really. He had done it hundreds of times.
Today seemed to be a different matter.
Each bit of Psynergy he forced from himself took an eternity to use. The
fire kept on pushing at his mind, begging to be used. It was painful to
keep it at bay.
Finally, he removed his hands, and the logs began blazing cheerfully.
He stared into that blaze, feeling a hunger for the flames, to engulf
everything in flames...
*What is wrong with me...?* he sat back and blinked. *Why can't I
control it? Why CAN'T I?*
He sighed, pulling back from the fire and curling up into the chair
again.
*When I told Mia I wanted things simple and clean...I meant it. But
every day it just seems to get worse here...but what can I do? I can't
keep running, but I can't just STAY here...*
His gaze strayed back to the flames again. *What can I do...?*
*****
Yup. And stuff. Well, I might continue this soon, I might not. And
flames are VERY welcome, maybe they'll get me in the mood to write
another chapter. ^_^ Plus, Garet likes to eat them, you know. And we
all want to make Garet happy, right? Right. ^_^