Equilibrium
Chapter 6
Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans, or Blackfire, Starfire or Luand'r. But I do however own Fayetilfire! *grins all around*
The raw energy and power coursed through Blackfire, twisting and writhing its way into her skin, into her soul. Pain seared across her flesh as if an electric storm were striking her over and over. Her lungs seemed to tighten in hopes of choking her and halting the shocking transference as her ribs compressed tightly, her shoulder-blades had begun to ache—cramped in the uncomfortable constriction. A scream crept up her throat but she held it back with what little control she had, for her aunt's life-force was wresting all of her strength from her.
The tendrils of power wriggled with agonizing slowness through her muscles, working its way down all of her limbs. A light exploded behind Blackfire's eyes and she swooned under the pressure that had built beneath it. Her legs began to buckle under the creeping velocity; Blackfire struggled not to succumb to the burden. She fiercely clenched her jaw and ground her teeth in stubborn diligence.
Her hands were suddenly released and she clenched them instinctively into fists to contain the life-force. Her finger-nails dug into her palms so severely that they had begun to bleed; her knuckles as white as a newborn sleet cat. Beads of sweat streaked down her face, for she was beginning to tire. An impression on her forehead, which Blackfire could barely decipher as fingers, pressed firmly into her brow. A piercing scream reached Blackfire's ears, but she was not sure if it was she who had shrieked or her aunt. The pressure on her forehead lifted and a sickening thump shook Blackfire to the marrow of her bones.
Dazed and fatigued from the endeavor, Blackfire stood shuddering in the cool night air. Her eyes cracked open slowly, a hum resounding in her ears. The raven-haired girl raised a hand to massage her temples to ease the pain and proceeded to rub the weight from her eyes. When her vision had finally cleared and the ringing in her ears had died down, Blackfire saw that her aunt lay motionless at her feet. Fearing the worst, Blackfire bit her lower lip unconsciously and knelt beside her relative.
"A-aunt Fayetilfire?" her voice was raspy and hoarse in her dry throat. When her aunt did not respond, Blackfire felt a burning sensation sweep her body. This woman had been the closest entity to a mother Blackfire had ever known. Pain seared through her mind and a hot anger flashed across her dark eyes. Her aunt had warned her, but Blackfire had not expected such an abrupt conclusion. This was hardly fair! Fayetilfire should have been left another course of action, but the only choice she had of escape was that of death.
Blackfire's hands balled into fists and a light shrouded her vision. Heat rippled through her as a strange gust of tepid wind wafted around her face, swirling her raven hair across her shoulders and back. Her hands grew uncomfortably warm and everything in her line of vision had an odd purple aura around it. Her feet felt peculiar, there was no pressure on her legs; her weight seemed to have vanished. It was as if...as if she was no longer on the ground. Blackfire gazed down to see that she was several arm lengths in the air. In alarm, Blackfire involuntarily released her hold on the new- found power and she faltered in mid-air. Panic seized her for an instant and she called upon the feeling she had felt only a moment before, and then she had it again.
A chuckle rose in her throat and she released it, not caring if anyone heard. The chuckle mounted to a hysterical laughter that echoed across the dark abyss. Without thinking, Blackfire shifted her focus on her motions to push her into a summersault, then a spin, then a barrel-roll—each movement more fluid and nimble than the last. Oh, what a joy it was to fly! To soar in an endless sky with naught but the wind to your back and the air rushing past your ears, with not a care in the world! Did her fellow Tamaranian's truly appreciate this pure bliss? Certainly not. They had all been born with this power; had all taken advantage of this force. She and only she could possibly comprehend the ultimate rapture that it gave the holder.
She abruptly observed that the crimson light of her aunt had altered to a deep violet in her hands. This power belonged to her now. It was as if she had always possessed it, as if nothing had been different otherwise. It felt so right. Finally, there was something that she herself could claim her own. And it was not even a little something; this was the power of the Tamaranian people. It was hers at last. Had it not been for her curiosity...for her stumbling upon the Pool...had it not been for her aunt...
Blackfire gently released her power and touched lightly to the earth, her eyes falling upon the body that lay at rest there. She humbly knelt beside her deceased aunt and placed a chaste kiss of gratitude upon her sleek brow. With one last look for her aunt, Blackfire returned to the Pool, no longer so foreboding, but more an object of welcome. She knelt by its edge and placed her palms on the surface as she had before. She closed her eyes and could feel the Pool accept her in its depths.
The journey passed quickly this time around and Blackfire found herself standing on the shores of her home, gazing upward at the palace. The raven- haired girl released the power once more, to ensure it was not all just a wonderful dream she had had the gall to experience, but indeed the truth. With a satisfying whirr, the life-force ran down her arms swiftly and erupted into existence on her palms. Her eyes glowing the deep shade of purple she was already beginning to idolize, she lifted a triumphant gaze to the palace, her accustomed and welcomed smirk returning to curl the edges of her lips.
You were right mother; I shall not deny this truth now. Everything in nature has a balance. A perfect balance. I realize now what mother nature has intended for me. I know my place. I thank her for that which she has left me. The Equilibrium.
Blackfire dispelled her glorious power and set a path for home, the Tamaranian sun glaring crimson rays at her back.
Fin.
AN: To all of those who stuck with my story to the end and to all who reviewed: You have my utmost in gratitude. You can still review this chapter to tell me what you thought of the whole shebang and I will just love you all the more! I hope you all enjoyed my little tale and perhaps find more works to you liking I will post in the future. (And just as a side note, this story was greatly inspired by Loreena Mckennitt's "The Mystic's Dream".) So there you all have it. Thank you all again for your devotion (and admiration!)Thank you!
Chapter 6
Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans, or Blackfire, Starfire or Luand'r. But I do however own Fayetilfire! *grins all around*
The raw energy and power coursed through Blackfire, twisting and writhing its way into her skin, into her soul. Pain seared across her flesh as if an electric storm were striking her over and over. Her lungs seemed to tighten in hopes of choking her and halting the shocking transference as her ribs compressed tightly, her shoulder-blades had begun to ache—cramped in the uncomfortable constriction. A scream crept up her throat but she held it back with what little control she had, for her aunt's life-force was wresting all of her strength from her.
The tendrils of power wriggled with agonizing slowness through her muscles, working its way down all of her limbs. A light exploded behind Blackfire's eyes and she swooned under the pressure that had built beneath it. Her legs began to buckle under the creeping velocity; Blackfire struggled not to succumb to the burden. She fiercely clenched her jaw and ground her teeth in stubborn diligence.
Her hands were suddenly released and she clenched them instinctively into fists to contain the life-force. Her finger-nails dug into her palms so severely that they had begun to bleed; her knuckles as white as a newborn sleet cat. Beads of sweat streaked down her face, for she was beginning to tire. An impression on her forehead, which Blackfire could barely decipher as fingers, pressed firmly into her brow. A piercing scream reached Blackfire's ears, but she was not sure if it was she who had shrieked or her aunt. The pressure on her forehead lifted and a sickening thump shook Blackfire to the marrow of her bones.
Dazed and fatigued from the endeavor, Blackfire stood shuddering in the cool night air. Her eyes cracked open slowly, a hum resounding in her ears. The raven-haired girl raised a hand to massage her temples to ease the pain and proceeded to rub the weight from her eyes. When her vision had finally cleared and the ringing in her ears had died down, Blackfire saw that her aunt lay motionless at her feet. Fearing the worst, Blackfire bit her lower lip unconsciously and knelt beside her relative.
"A-aunt Fayetilfire?" her voice was raspy and hoarse in her dry throat. When her aunt did not respond, Blackfire felt a burning sensation sweep her body. This woman had been the closest entity to a mother Blackfire had ever known. Pain seared through her mind and a hot anger flashed across her dark eyes. Her aunt had warned her, but Blackfire had not expected such an abrupt conclusion. This was hardly fair! Fayetilfire should have been left another course of action, but the only choice she had of escape was that of death.
Blackfire's hands balled into fists and a light shrouded her vision. Heat rippled through her as a strange gust of tepid wind wafted around her face, swirling her raven hair across her shoulders and back. Her hands grew uncomfortably warm and everything in her line of vision had an odd purple aura around it. Her feet felt peculiar, there was no pressure on her legs; her weight seemed to have vanished. It was as if...as if she was no longer on the ground. Blackfire gazed down to see that she was several arm lengths in the air. In alarm, Blackfire involuntarily released her hold on the new- found power and she faltered in mid-air. Panic seized her for an instant and she called upon the feeling she had felt only a moment before, and then she had it again.
A chuckle rose in her throat and she released it, not caring if anyone heard. The chuckle mounted to a hysterical laughter that echoed across the dark abyss. Without thinking, Blackfire shifted her focus on her motions to push her into a summersault, then a spin, then a barrel-roll—each movement more fluid and nimble than the last. Oh, what a joy it was to fly! To soar in an endless sky with naught but the wind to your back and the air rushing past your ears, with not a care in the world! Did her fellow Tamaranian's truly appreciate this pure bliss? Certainly not. They had all been born with this power; had all taken advantage of this force. She and only she could possibly comprehend the ultimate rapture that it gave the holder.
She abruptly observed that the crimson light of her aunt had altered to a deep violet in her hands. This power belonged to her now. It was as if she had always possessed it, as if nothing had been different otherwise. It felt so right. Finally, there was something that she herself could claim her own. And it was not even a little something; this was the power of the Tamaranian people. It was hers at last. Had it not been for her curiosity...for her stumbling upon the Pool...had it not been for her aunt...
Blackfire gently released her power and touched lightly to the earth, her eyes falling upon the body that lay at rest there. She humbly knelt beside her deceased aunt and placed a chaste kiss of gratitude upon her sleek brow. With one last look for her aunt, Blackfire returned to the Pool, no longer so foreboding, but more an object of welcome. She knelt by its edge and placed her palms on the surface as she had before. She closed her eyes and could feel the Pool accept her in its depths.
The journey passed quickly this time around and Blackfire found herself standing on the shores of her home, gazing upward at the palace. The raven- haired girl released the power once more, to ensure it was not all just a wonderful dream she had had the gall to experience, but indeed the truth. With a satisfying whirr, the life-force ran down her arms swiftly and erupted into existence on her palms. Her eyes glowing the deep shade of purple she was already beginning to idolize, she lifted a triumphant gaze to the palace, her accustomed and welcomed smirk returning to curl the edges of her lips.
You were right mother; I shall not deny this truth now. Everything in nature has a balance. A perfect balance. I realize now what mother nature has intended for me. I know my place. I thank her for that which she has left me. The Equilibrium.
Blackfire dispelled her glorious power and set a path for home, the Tamaranian sun glaring crimson rays at her back.
Fin.
AN: To all of those who stuck with my story to the end and to all who reviewed: You have my utmost in gratitude. You can still review this chapter to tell me what you thought of the whole shebang and I will just love you all the more! I hope you all enjoyed my little tale and perhaps find more works to you liking I will post in the future. (And just as a side note, this story was greatly inspired by Loreena Mckennitt's "The Mystic's Dream".) So there you all have it. Thank you all again for your devotion (and admiration!)Thank you!