Thethia: Heather Palace, Training Grounds in the Woods

• Elianna •

"Again!" Jason called out.

Elianna huffed breathlessly, almost unable to move with her trembling limbs. Training had lasted for the entire afternoon and Jason refused to give her a break. Although spellcasting had been her weakest, she worked very hard on them for the past few months and this afternoon, they spent the entire time casting protective spells. At the start, she couldn't even get anything right, but she managed to cast a barrier which covered at least half of the training ground. It was fortunate that she was a quick learner and Jason had been sharp to pick out her mistakes. Otherwise, it would probably take her years to finally figure something out. 

Concentrating on the energy within her, she allowed it to flow through her arms while commanding another wave of magic. A magic circle expanded beneath her and purple light shone from the lines, forming a barrier over them. It was slightly bigger than the last and she smiled satisfyingly at the improvement she made once again. Yet, Jason said, "You can do better, Elianna. Again." 

The soreness all over her body ached and she felt terribly worn out from having her magic energy fully depleted. Elianna knew that if she were to continue, she would pass out undoubtedly. She refused, "I need a break." 

"Elianna," Jason frowned in disapproval. 

Not understanding why he had been pushing her harder with each subsequent training these few months, the child felt annoyed and uneasy. Unintentionally, her temper showed and she raised her voice, "I need a break, Jason!" 

"Stand up," Jason said, almost impatiently and restlessly. "This is exactly why I kept reminding you not to cut slack on your stamina training." 

At this point, Elianna couldn't be bothered to stand anymore. She had exhausted all her strength and her vision had begun to blur. Her legs stumbled forward and she simply let herself fall to the ground. A sudden surge of emotions within her worsened her dizziness but the child still snapped, "I'm only eight! Why are you being so harsh on me?" 

"You don't understand!" Jason retorted. "It is exactly because you are turning nine!"

Elianna wanted to retaliate but she couldn't even steady herself enough to speak another word. Her upper body swayed forward, but Jason caught her before she hit the ground. In one swift motion, he held her up and helped her to the nearest bench. Jason tried to offer her water, but she was too angry at him and slapped his arm away. The container hit the ground and water from within spilt into the snow, solidifying into ice almost immediately. Elianna squeezed her eyes close, afraid that Jason would take it out on her since he had been in a foul mood since morning. 

Instead, there was silence. 

Her eyes peeled open slowly, peeking towards Jason carefully. She only saw a pair of grey eyes that were filled with hurt and sorrow staring towards her. It was the same expression she saw in Lylia. He broke off the eye contact immediately, turning his head to the side, avoiding her gaze. Speaking in a voice that was void of any emotions, he apologised, "I'm sorry, I should've noticed you were not feeling well. We'll stop here for today." 

"Jason?" Elianna became frantic and her hands shot out to grip onto his wrist. Her head shot up, urgently hoping that he would look at her and tell her what was bothering him. 

However, not only did he not look at her, but he also held onto her hands, removing her grip on him. He stood up and walked away, never turning his head back even once. She jumped off the bench wanting to chase after Jason, but the sudden movement made her head spin and she fell straight to the ground. Thunder quickly went to her aid but unease crept into her as she kept her eyes on Jason's back. He looked sad and anxious, as though there were many things weighing him down. 

Why is everyone acting differently?

Thunder carried Elianna on its back after Jason left and brought her back to the palace. Lylia received them at the entrance and rushed over to help to bring her back to her bedchamber. Quickly, Lylia changed her out of her training gear before leaving her to rest. Elianna's chest still felt tight from the encounter with Jason but sleep was fast to take over the moment her head touched the pillow. Unable to withstand the weariness, her leaden eyelids fell over and invited her into dreamless darkness. 

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When Elianna regained consciousness again, it was already past midnight. Staring up into the blank, yellowed ceiling with chipped paint, she thought about what happened during training today. For someone that always had his emotions perfectly concealed, it was the first time she ever saw Jason wearing that kind of expression. The hurt and sorrow etched in his expression flashed across her mind like a painful memory. Once again, her chest tightened to the point that it was difficult to breathe. 

The doors to her bedchamber creaked opened and unexpectedly, she heard a familiar voice that spoke in a low voice, "You're awake." 

Her head turned immediately and saw Jason walking right up to the side of her bed. Bending at his waist, his hand reached to touch her forehead as he checked on her temperature. She quickly held onto his hand and jolted up from the bed. Elianna didn't even care that her head was spinning or that she was seeing double in her vision, a wave of insecurity in her heart told her that if she doesn't hold onto him, Jason may just disappear right before her. 

"Do not sit up so suddenly!" he scolded, but his voice was no longer cold and distant. Instead, it was gentle and warm, in the familiar tone that she'd always known. 

Elianna was feeling a lot of different emotions at this point, unsure whether to ask him what made him sad or why had he left her alone. She also wanted to know if he was still angry with her or that she should've really tried harder during training instead of blaming it on him. Yet, all the words that she brimmed within her turned into noisy sobs and she only gripped hard on Jason's hand till she was shaking. She cried, "J-Jason—"

"Elianna," Jason mumbled, remorseful. 

When he called her Elianna, it only made her cry more intensely. The child thought about how everyone was supposed to be her family but no one was telling her what had happened to them. Was it perhaps that they thought that she wasn't mature enough to help them shoulder the burdens they carried? Helplessness overwhelmed her but she felt Jason's large hand reaching for her underarm and he carried her easily into his embrace and rested her head against his shoulder. He walked around the room while patting gently on her back, comforting her like how he always did when she was younger. 

"I'm really sorry. Please don't cry anymore," Jason's voice seemed to reach her as her sobs slowly ceased. Eventually, she fell asleep in his arms. 

※

• Jason •

Jason wished he knew how to comfort a crying child, especially one who was bawling her eyes out because he had been too harsh towards her. He felt remorseful and out of panic, he had picked her up and cooed her to sleep as though she was still a toddler. He knew that Elianna was mature beyond her age but he couldn't think of any other ways to comfort her. Though thankfully, his attempt worked and she fell back asleep after feeling tired from all the crying. 

He paced a little longer around her bedchamber, ensuring that she had fully fallen asleep before he placed her back on the bed slowly. Pulling the blanket over her shoulder, he tucked her in and dimmed the lights. 

He combed small strands of hair away from the child's face and smiled at how much she resembled Nadia when she was young. The mother and child was an exact replica, even their eyes were the brightest shade of gold — the lovely colour of a divine blessing. The more he looked at Elianna, the sadder he felt. He would also hate to part with her. After all, Jason had watched her grow up, he had listened to her first words and he had held onto her hand as she learned how to walk. 

How could I bear to part with a child who I've treated like my own? 

"I only hope that one day, you will understand that all that we've done was because we love you. We love you so much, Eli," Jason whispered softly as tears traced down his cheeks.   

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'Thethiac' is the magic language that Thethians use to cast spells.