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Happy November everyone! I hope you all had a good spooky night! Don't forget to leave a review once you're done and please enjoy your read!

EIGHTH BLOOD

Chapter 40: The power of names

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Mist tumbled down from the mountains and covered the land in a blanket of white. The ground was wet and sludgy from the previous night's rain, making it difficult to traverse in the flimsy straw boots Cyril had given her to wear.

Buttery sunshine broke through the mist and warmed her face as they trudged through the mud towards a large grassy plain with a lake next to it. Octavia dropped her pack beside Cyril's and yawned as the warlock closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, tasting the fresh morning air.

"Tired, eh?" he asked when she yawned again.

"Only because you woke me up before dawn," she grumbled.

"Maybe this will help rouse you."

He snapped his clawed fingers and a praying mantis appeared on her shoulder. She shrieked as it scurried into her kosode and wreaked havoc underneath. Cyril snorted as she smacked her clothes and flailed on the spot, trying to shake the creature loose. Satisfied, he snapped his fingers a second time and the sensation of something crawling across her skin suddenly vanished.

She stopped moving and shot him a fierce glare. "That was a dirty trick."

"Forgive me. I meant no harm."

"You picked a bad day to decide to be a prankster. I haven't even had breakfast yet."

"It's a good thing I came prepared, then."

He took a seat on the edge of a boulder and revealed the contents of his pack. Octavia almost cried when she saw that most of it was food. They ate in silence, watching the remainder of the mist roll away, unveiling the beautiful countryside that had been hidden by it.

Once they'd finished eating, Cyril rose from the boulder and walked through the tall grass towards the lake. Octavia followed him and waited for the lesson to begin, but he ignored her as she joined him by the water, busy staring at his own reflection. Wondering if it was some kind of warm-up activity, she did the same. The lake water was green and murky. She concentrated on clearing her mind of distractions whilst she waited for Cyril to speak.

Her pulse quickened as the surface of the water became disturbed.

"Can you feel it?" Cyril whispered.

She nodded slowly.

The water sloshed and bubbled. Octavia raised her hands in preparation and took a deep breath, willing the youki closer. The creature it belonged to responded to her call and broke the surface of the water, revealing a body covered in blue and black stripes, a mane of inky hair, and bloodshot yellow eyes. The youkai moaned and opened its mouth to show a set of sharp teeth and a pointed tongue, which slithered out past its lips and moved from side to side like a pendulum.

Octavia immediately latched onto its youki and pulled it into her. Her eyes turned a dark shade of purple as the youki fuelled her magic, before being expelled from her body in a burst of energy. The youkai screamed and retreated back under the lake, not wanting to be vaporised.

"That's it," Cyril praised. "Don't let go yet."

Octavia closed her eyes and focused on the way the youki flowed through her body. She pressed her hands together and exhaled, pushing the youki out but keeping it tethered to her. The power manifested as a small orb that was about the size and colour of a plum. She fought to keep her breathing steady as she fed it more youki, making the orb grow larger in her cupped hands.

Cyril's jaws curved into a smile. "Keep going."

Her body rebelled, but she ignored it and kept on feeding the orb until it was as big as a watermelon. It wasn't as strong as Sesshoumaru's youki, but it was still dangerously unpredictable. The orb darkened and Octavia's right eye pulsed painfully.

Sensing that he'd pushed her too far, Cyril reached out to stop the flow of energy, but it was already too late. The orb exploded, throwing him backwards and creating a colossal wave that swept across the lake. Octavia fell to her knees and gasped for air. Cyril scrambled to his feet and rushed over to her, checking for injuries, but she was completely unharmed.

The ground beneath them, however, was another story entirely. An eight-pointed star had been burned into the grass. Coughing, Octavia laid her hands over the mark and tried to heal it, but her efforts were in vain. Cyril helped her to her feet, and they stared down at it apprehensively.

"That's strange," he muttered. "You should be used to it by now. Especially after carrying Sesshoumaru-sama's youki for so long. I wonder what the problem is."

Octavia met his gaze and said, "Maybe I just need to practice more."

"Maybe," he agreed. "Let's try something smaller next time."

She nodded and strolled over to where they'd left their packs. The youkai from before poked its head out of the water fearfully, watching them from the centre of the lake. Eventually, it tired of waiting and swam down to the bottom, where it remained until they vacated the area.

Cyril studied the eight-pointed star on the ground with a pensive expression on his face. "Incomplete . . ." he murmured to himself. "But that's impossible. Unless—"

"Are you coming?" yelled Octavia.

"I'll only be a moment!" he shouted back.

The more he looked at the star, the more it reminded him of the sun.

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Upon returning, Octavia and Cyril met up with Rin in the gardens. Jaken was there, too, but he was in a foul mood and therefore refusing to talk.

"What's up with you?" Octavia asked, plopping herself down next to him.

He crossed his arms and turned away.

"He's mad because my tutor quit yesterday," Rin explained. "It means he has to play chaperone until Sesshoumaru-sama finds me a new one."

"But that's the fourth one you've had," said Cyril.

"That's what I said!" Jaken screeched, breaking his silence. "It's not fair! Why do I always have to do it? It's not my fault that she's unteachable!"

"Actually, it kind of is," countered Rin. "You should have been a better role model to me."

"Don't try and pin this on me, you monstrous girl! I was an exceptional mentor!"

"The only thing you were exceptional at was letting me get kidnapped. It's a miracle I survived as long as I did with you as my guardian."

"Well, I certainly never taught you to be such a brat!"

She snorted loudly. "You so did! Look at you now! We're like two peas in a pod."

"You take that back!"

"Make me."

She swiped his hat and fled. The imp's face was red with fury as he leapt to his feet and chased after her, shouting reprimands. Octavia couldn't help but chuckle as he tripped over a root and landed face-first on the grass. Rin stopped running to point her finger at him and laugh – which made him even angrier – before resuming her escape.

"She's an unusual girl, isn't she?" Cyril mused.

Octavia smiled. "You could say that."

"Sesshoumaru-sama has changed since meeting her. I can see why now. When you've lived for as long as we have, it becomes harder to see beauty in the world. Eventually, we stop seeing it . . . But you don't. You and Rin-chama can still see it. It's what makes you special."

"What do you mean you stop seeing it?"

He sighed sadly. "After hundreds of years, things lose their impact. They become routine. Tedious, even. That's the part of immortality that no one talks about. How meaningless everything is. You can live a thousand lifetimes and never truly be satisfied, because in the end, it isn't the time that matters, it's the person. Longevity isn't a gift. It's a curse."

"Is that why Touga loved Izayoi? Because she could see what he couldn't?"

"I suspect that factored into it. I think he was more drawn to her name, though."

"Her name? Why?"

"He liked unconventional names."

"He must have loved yours, then."

The warlock smiled faintly. "He did, yes."

Octavia watched Jaken grapple with Rin for his hat. "Your name is pretty unconventional," she said. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but are you a native?"

"No," he replied. "I was born overseas like you. My name is more common there. That's why I chose it. I wanted to honour all the great men who came before me."

"You chose it yourself? It wasn't your parents?"

"In our community, it wasn't unheard of to change your name once you came of age. Our elders believed that it separates the boy from the man. Hence why I chose to become Cyril."

"What was your name before?"

"I'd rather not say. Truth be told, I never liked it much."

"You're lucky, then. I always hated my name."

He seemed genuinely surprised to hear that. "Why?" he asked.

She shrugged. "It's just another thing that makes you different from everyone else. When I was growing up, the last thing I wanted was more reasons to stand out."

Cyril smiled and laid a scaly hand over hers. "You should be proud of your name. It is a strong name for a strong woman. Why would you want to be like everyone else?"

"I can think of a few reasons," she mumbled.

"You want to belong," he realised.

"Who doesn't?"

He cradled her hand in his. "Being unremarkable doesn't make it any easier, you know."

"So what does?"

"You've been looking in the wrong places. The love you seek isn't behind you. It's ahead. You're almost there, Octavia-san. Don't close your eyes yet. You'll be able to see it soon."

Rin squealed as Jaken reclaimed his hat and cackled triumphantly. Octavia's chest tightened as she began to understand the meaning behind Cyril's words. You're almost there. All she'd ever wanted was somewhere to call her home. It sounded crazy, but this was the closest she'd ever felt to belonging anywhere. She didn't want to leave. At least, not without Rin and the others.

Maybe that was what belonging was – wanting to be with someone forever.

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