Author's Corner
Happy November everyone! I hope you all had a good spooky night! Don't forget to review!
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 that Cyril had given her. 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, 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 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.
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 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 under the lake.
"That's it," Cyril praised. "Don't let go yet."
She 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. The orb darkened and Octavia's right eye pulsed.
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 unharmed. The ground beneath them was another story. 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 with apprehensive eyes.
"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."
"Maybe I just need to practice more," Octavia suggested.
"Maybe," he agreed. "We'll 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, watching them from the centre of the lake. It soon tired of waiting and swam down to the bottom, where it remained until they'd vacated the area.
Cyril studied the eight-pointed star on the ground with a pensive expression. "Incomplete," he murmured. "But that's impossible. Unless . . ."
"Are you coming?" Octavia yelled.
"In a moment!" he shouted back. The more he looked at the star, the more it reminded him of the sun.
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Rin was lying on her back in the gardens when they returned to the stronghold. Jaken sat several paces away from her with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. "What's up with you?" Octavia asked, plopping herself down next to him.
He didn't respond.
"My tutor quit yesterday," Rin answered for him. "He has to play chaperone until Sesshoumaru-sama finds me a new one."
"But that's the fourth one you've had this week," said Cyril.
"That's what I said!" Jaken screeched. "It's not fair! Why do I always have to do it? It's not my fault that she's unteachable!"
"Actually, it is," Rin countered. "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 never taught you to be such a brat!"
She snorted. "You so did! Just look at yourself, Jaken-sama. We're like two peas in a pod."
"You take that back!"
"Make me."
She swiped his hat and fled. The imp's face turned 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 tree 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 said.
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 altogether. 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. "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 be satisfied, because in the end, it's not 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."
"What do you mean?"
"He liked unusual names."
"He must have loved yours."
The warlock smiled. "He did, yes."
Octavia watched Jaken grapple with Rin for his hat. "Your name is pretty unusual. I hope you don't mind me asking, but are you a native?"
"No," he said. "I was born overseas like you were. 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?"
He shook his head. "Here, it's not unheard of to change your name once you come of age. When I first arrived in Nihon, I was still using my yomyo—the name my parents gave me. After meeting Touga-sama, I abandoned my childhood name and chose a new one. A true name, so to speak. The tradition is less common among the lower classes, though."
"What was your childhood name?"
He averted his eyes. "I'd rather not say. Truth be told, I never liked it much."
"You're lucky, then. I always hated my name."
He seemed surprised to hear that. "Why?"
She shrugged. "It was just another thing that made me stand out from everyone else."
Cyril laid a 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 said.
"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, my dear. Don't close your eyes yet. You'll be able to see it soon."
Rin squealed as Jaken reclaimed his hat and cackled. 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. Not without Rin and the others. Maybe that was what belonging was – wanting to be with someone forever.
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Author's Corner
Yomyo = childhood name (more on this later)