Rae

"Rae you've got to see this!" Vera shouted, enthusiastically with an abrupt pull on my hand. "I finally learnt it after so many tries!" she squealed, whizzing past the other trainees as we made our way from the Airian training grounds and towards the pond below.

"Slow down a little," I chuckled, marvelling at the power that the youngster wielded.

She was but a hybrid in her seventh year of existence with an abundance of aurulent coloured matted-locks and facial features that encapsulated the epitome of innocence. However, her energy was unmatched as was her resilience to be one of the top students.

"I can't because it's of paramount importance that you witness my show of unprecedented skills and awesomeness," she sassed, halting when we got to the banks of the pond.

"And what would that be Miss literary reading is my favourite pastime?" I questioned, taking a jab at her with a cross of my arms and an eye roll.

I wouldn't be surprised if the child had the whole encyclopaedia mastered already.

"The aqua patterns," she breathed with a giddy smile, ignoring my sarcastic comment.

"Hmm," I shrugged, unconvinced much to her slight annoyance.

"Is that really all you have to say?" she sulked, quite disappointed that I hadn't shown an ounce of interest. "You know what never mind, I'll show you," she added, hastily, not waiting for my reply as she closed her eyes, determinedly.

I had always taught her that actions were much more powerful than words just as self-assurance was much golden than outer validation. My deliberate expressionless demeanour was not due to the fact that I doubted her abilities, however, I wanted her success not to be founded, solely, on my encouragement. My support was to act merely as an acknowledgment of the adroitness which she harnessed, nothing more. Her accomplishments had to be spurred purely by her drive.

An internal drive which had no doubt being ignited as she now sought to prove me wrong.

Observing the silence that descended upon the surroundings of the picturesque pond, I watched as a ball of water arose to morph into levitated masses of large circular rings, arranged one after the other in a line of procession. These rings would occasionally gravitate towards each other to form spiral strings before they disassembled to assume their prior structure. There was a five second interval between each pattern change and they moved rhythmically against the wind current that she channelled.

This ancient hybrid technique, originating from the Nyrlian and Airian fraction, was an elaborate battle strategy used to confound an opponent into a hypnotic trance that distracted the individual away from the heinous plans of the hybrid. The manoeuvres required a great deal of strength and concentration. Hence, it wasn't employed often.

On one fateful day, however, Vera had witnessed me perform the intricate trick and had subsequently begged to learn it. Knowing her persistence, I had agreed to enlighten her on the technique, albeit reluctantly. It had been three months since she had been practicing the technique but to no avail. Now as I looked at her, I wondered if after all her hard work she had finally managed to master the skill.

Lifting her lithe frame, effortlessly, to the mouth of the water rings, she arched her back and backflipped into the first three levitated mass of aqua. With each action, she dispersed whirl blows through the loops and towards a line of dummies on the other side of the grassland. The harsh impact caused a splinter of wood particles to scatter into the atmosphere, signalling that she had hit the target.

In the blink of an eye, the water loops assumed the form of spiral strings. Sensing the change, she landed on the balls of her feet, momentarily, before she propelled herself into a side flip with the aid of a forward momentum and a quarter turn. Encompassing herself in a horizontal air-casing, she weaved through the spirals, speedily and shot out icicles at another line of dummies.

Coming up to the last water ring, she burst out of the protective air casing and rolled onto the floor. However, a hasty vault manoeuvre over an obstacle meant that she crashed into the levitated water mass as opposed to taking control over its form and directing it towards a dummy to administer the final blow.

"Dammit!" She cussed, channelling a rush of wind towards the pond in frustration. The current caused a ripple on the calm waters and pushed the banks slightly, backwards. The ducks quacked their distaste and waddled further away from where we stood. "I've been at this for three months now and I'm no closer to mastering it than I was when I started," she ground out, biting the insides of her cheek to refrain from crying.

I walked, slowly, towards her and crouched down to her level. She angled her face away from mine so that I wouldn't see her tears and fisted her palms, tightly.

"Vera, look at me," I whispered, softly but she refused to heed to my words and rigidly stood her ground. "That technique is one of the hardest elemental battle strategies and that's why it's obsolete. I only learnt it because as a child, I spent an awful amount of time out in the woods and for some reason I got a high from indulging in risky behaviour," I chuckled, lightly, reminiscing on my younger days and I caught her soft snort at my comment.

"And in all honesty, it took me two years to perfect the technique," I admitted as she whipped her head towards me in surprise. "What? Awesomeness isn't built in a day," I sassed with an arm flex and this earned a giggle from her. "You were brilliant just now and with more practice, unfortunately..." I smiled when she facepalmed. "...I can guarantee you'll be much better," I assured her, and she sighed, softly.

"I really could have gotten that last hoop," she grumbled, chucking a pebble into the pond.

"Practice makes perfect V," I drawled, watching the pebble skim across the water's surface before it sank to the bottom of the pond. "Also, missy you have to seriously check your language," I remembered her earlier cuss and faced her.

"Oh, about that?" She laughed, scratching her scalp, nervously.

"Yes, about that," I re-emphasized with a quirked eyebrow.

"I mean, I would love to stay and have a free psychological assessment of my childhood and the possible enablers that fuel my abrupt cussing tendencies," she waved her hand this way and that way as she walked, backwards, away from me. "Unfortunately, my mom says I have to be home at this time," she feigned a sweet parting smile and ran in the direction of the fighting arena before I could even put so much as a word in.

"You do know you suck at lying," I tutted, quite sure she wouldn't hear me.

She wasn't expected at home until later this evening and her cabin was certainly not in that direction. In fact, the little rascal reminded me so much of a certain argent-haired troublemaker who had made the better part of my life a rocky rollercoaster.

I had fallen into quicksand trying to dissuade her from venturing deeper into the woods and had to endure long hours posing on a palm tree as her muse. I remembered not feeling any of my muscles after that. Also, how could I forget the one time when I was almost swallowed by the Kraken because she had thought late night skinny dipping by the faerie sea was a great idea.

Just about everything you could think of, she had put me through. Nevertheless, in that rollercoaster that defined most of my life, I had come to find an intoxicating light in her. One that soon became as dear to me as my breath was.

My heart clenched, painfully, at the remembrance and I doubled over with excruciating pain. I would like to think that I'd been faring well ever since she left me with nothing as little as a note. However, the resolution to repress my feelings, that had amassed steadily over a decade, for her proved to be a difficult feat. Especially, when every little thing reminded me of her.

The trees in the Wonderan Forest, the birds in the sky, the glint of the sunray, the adrenalin pumping atmosphere of the fighting arena. Every single thing.

I channelled a gust of wind towards one of the targets in frustration and the resounding crack signified that it had been thoroughly destroyed. I despised the fact that I still yearned to hear her laughter and craved her touch, earnestly.

The day she had left, I had woken up hurt and desolate at the abandonment. I'd have appreciated her honesty if she had told me that she wanted to be with her mate. Afterall, they were destined to be together. So, my initial feeling of rejection had quickly escalated into anger and resentment. I had shown her nothing but love and utmost adoration but, in the end, she had left me with a shattered heart.

To top it all off, she had always known of her mate and decided to string me along. Even going as far as agreeing to a marking that was doomed from the very beginning. I was taken for a fool. A fool drunk on love.

I couldn't even bear to say her name, anymore. I had been hurt, badly.

An involuntary sniffle drew my attention to the fact that I had shed a few tears and wiping them away, furiously, I settled down, softly, to watch the ducks swim about on the clear celeste waters.

I wouldn't mourn her loss again. Not today. Not tomorrow. Never.

The melodious laughter of excited children wafted over to where I sat and despite my tears, I smiled and inhaled deeply. They were the reason I lived now. For I could live vicariously through them. Their smiles would light up my own and their joy would gladden my heart.

I was now the head hybrid Measer of the Arian and Nyrlian fraction after all, they were my responsibility.

Through her, I had experienced love and for that I was grateful. However, this was where it all ended. Xavier had blocked me out ever since her departure but eventually he would also come to realize that we could live, perfectly fine, without her.

It seems impossible but I'll try for our peace of mind, I mind-linked Xavier as my heart cramped, painfully, again. As usual, he didn't reply.

"Boo!" A soft palm pushed me forward, unexpectedly. Turning swiftly despite my pain, I captured the individual's wrists in my hand and tackled the person to the ground.

"Nara," I groaned as she burst out in rambunctious laughter. "That is so not funny," I frowned, sitting astride her.

"You should have seen your face," she breathed, giving into another round of laughter. "It was priceless and cute," she grinned, supporting herself on her elbows before she gave me a quick peck on the tip of my nose. I breathed in mild annoyance at her brazen behaviour and rose from the ground, pulling her up with me.

"What?" She questioned, mimicking my sour expression. "You straddled me, and I pecked your nose. Fair deal," she shrugged before dusting off her hot shorts.

"That wasn't on purpose," I argued, frowning.

"Doesn't matter," she countered with a wink before she placed both hands on her hips in frustration at my countenance. "Smile a little Raymond. You've got nice dimples, but you won't even show them off," she put her fingers by both sides of my lips and angled it in resemblance of a smile.

I didn't register her actions but instead the fact that she had called me by my full name, Raymond.

"Your birth was like an illuminating ray of warm sunshine in our previously bleak lives. The resilient fruit of our loins who would grow up to be a wise protector,"

My parents would always say this whenever they reminisced on the decade of countless miscarriages that they had endured before they bore me.

It was such an irony, however, that despite the meaning behind my name, I had failed to protect the dearest asset of all living beings, the heart.

I rid myself, internally, of my troubled thoughts and removed her fingers, gently, from my lips. "There really is no time for this. We have to get going so we don't come back late," I reminded her and promptly made my way towards the bridge.

"All I'm trying to get at is that you were much more jovial before Yil left and all of a sudden it's like the light has been snuffed out of you," she caught up to me and walked backwards in front of me with her arms swinging, freely. "Your quiet laughter and chuckles aren't doing a great job at hiding your tiredness and pain. You know?" She added before she backflipped over a shallow ditch.

Her only response was my silence as I continued to walk on, resolute on not dwelling on the compelling, holographic facial features that had been summoned into my consciousness upon the mention of her name. She stood before me in all her glory, bedecked by a red figure-hugging evening gown and the detachable heart jewellery that I had never given her.

The necklace felt heavy around my neck where it was tucked, hidden under my shirt. For some reason I could never part with the gold ornament which bore the engravements of our initials. It was going to stand as my eternal promise to her upon our successful marking ceremony. However, that never became a reality.

Instinctively, I faced Nara just in time to catch her words. "I know you might have borne feelings for her and maybe still do but she has a...."

"You must be mistaken," I interrupted, stopping to take in a shaky breath, discreetly, before I faced her. "She was but a friend, nothing more," I finished, gutturally. Her claret-coloured eyes shone with repressed pity at my state and obvious lie but she, fortunately, didn't comment more on the subject. "Where are you going to open the portal, anyway?" I diverted the conversation, feeling increasingly repulsed by the image of myself reflected within her intelligent orbs.

My mirrored image was one of utmost weakness and sorrow. Black, dull eyes stared back at me, lifelessly just as the dark circles beautifying them reiterated the story of many a sleepless nights and quiet tears. My blonde locks were past neck length now and the long days without any source of nourishment were beginning to take a toll on my physical appearance.

Come on Rae, pull yourself together dammit!

"I'll open it just ahead," she answered, pointing to a sturdy oak tree decorated by an array of lighted string lockets, hanging from its branches.

By now we had ventured deep into the Wonderan forest, far away from the pack. The familiar tree used to harbour a treehouse which I had subsequently transformed into a dome-structured botanical conservatory. In addition, a suspension bridge had been built to connect it to an elaborately designed house where I did most of my studying. I had sought to purge myself of the sweet memories that had now turned sour but instead of destroying it, I had decided to alter its allure. It now stood for a new meaning and hopefully with each change, I would gradually but surely forget her.

My fingers moved of their own accord to caress the pendent around my neck as we neared the tree. It was time I disposed of this too and I knew just how.

"I'll forever be in awe of what you've done to this tree," Nara praised, angling her face upward to stare at the imposing structures.

"It is a beauty if I do say so myself," I whispered, softly before I levitated to the window of the observatory in search of a certain item.

"Of course, you'd say that. You built it," she chuckled, caressing a lighted string locket. "A master craftsman, lord over the elements of air and water, beauty with brains...." She moved back and made finger frames with me as the sole focus and I cracked a small smile at her antics. ".... oh, and a great cook! My perfect man," she swooned with a hand to her forehead as the glow of the sun illuminated her rich caramel-coloured skin.

I quirked an eyebrow at her theatrics and peering from a small space between her fingers, she laughed at my countenance and I couldn't help but chuckle.

Nara Vanidestine was an Ortion with power over the element of earth. An outspoken individual with the abilities of a well-trained fighter. We met on one of my expeditions to the faerie world in pursuit of more understanding on elemental magic.

Being a hybrid meant that I could never be a druid as I was limited in my inability to open portals and access other worlds. However, my persistence to learn about the intricacies of magic and spells saw a relaxation of the pack rules and further enablement of my continued studies into the forbidden sphere. It was the mutual drive for adventure, magic and thirst for knowledge that forged the beginning of our friendship.

"Well here's your reward for all those praises," My eyes finally sighted the item that I was looking for and descending from the window, I placed a flower garland on her short purple curls. "It's made from alstroemeria which symbolizes friendship," I explained, landing on my feet.

"Aww I'm quite touched that you spent all night making this for me and now you're trying to cover up your feelings for me with that shy explanation. It's okay Rae, I understand your heart," she cooed, patting my chest softly in understanding before she turned to open the portal.

I shook my head in amusement and stood next to her as the portal began to amass. "Whatever explanation helps you sleep at night is fine by me," I shrugged, and she laughed.

"I love it though. Thank you," she smiled, briefly looking towards me before she turned back to the task at hand.
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