So she tried again what she did last night, slowly calling and asking that it awaken. It was time she said to it. It was finally time.
As if that was the thread tying it down as soon as it heard those words, it awoke.
Power rushed through her like a storm, picking up a hurricane ready to ravage and take everything with it.
"Control it," she had the Keeper say from a distance, "you are its master, little one, not the other way. Make sure it knows that"
Her words felt calm and steady, but her magic was desperate for release.
"Lyla!" she called from that far place, "listen to my voice, I want you to concentrate fully on it. Understand"
She tried
"Lyla! Listen. You are in control. You… Do you hear me? You are the master," she sounded alarmed.
Lyla did not know that the air around them had grown denser than the tunnels, as if her power took all of it to itself. Nothing was damaged yet, but with the thrumming they could hear, if they did not stop her, it would happen.
"Follow my voice, Lyla, you can do it." The woman's voice became an anchor, a tether to reality. So she lurched onto it. Held it like a leash, which she used around the beast. She was its master; she would not allow what happened here to happen again. She would not hurt these people.
With all her will, she commanded the beast to stay down, to heed her instructions and do as she said. She wrangled the leash tighter while the beast gritted its teeth, but slowly, oh so slowly… the beast relented
Lowering its head and curving its left front paw behind while its right one remained at the front. It bowed
Lyla opened her eyes to find the light from the stone shining on her, not on her, but towards her. It was stopped halfway, but something that looked like mist and light combined. It was emerald green, the color of her eyes, and she realized then that that was her power, her magic.
It danced around the stone's red where they met like a curious child drawn to something new. Touching, exploring, but cautiously
The Paisios moved closer to where the two powers met, eyes studying them before turning to the stone and channeling his magic to it. Lyla watched silently, making sure the leash on her magic was still tight.
"Astral projection," the man said aloud, and the people in the room inched closer, "Illusion," he continued.
"That…isn't that from Umbraeth," Darius said
"Well, it makes sense that she'll have gifts from both sides," the Keeper said almost in a scolding way.
Darius gave her a bored look, making Lyla chuckle. The two seemed to do that whenever they were around each other, playfully arguing. Darius gave her a smirk before mouthing to her, 'annoying'. She was about to mouth something to him when the Paisios sucked in a breath. They all turned to him.
"What?" the keeper asked cautiously
"She has both Alexander and Nikandros' magic."
Everyone's gaze landed on her in complete shock and disbelief.
"Are you sure?" the Keeper asked. This was the most shocked she had ever seen the woman. The Paisios gave a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
Alexander and Nikandros weren't they the two princes? The ones who fought on opposite sides during the war. She had read about it. The book had mentioned their powers, although it never went into detail.
Alexander was skilled in Creation and recreation magic, which was classified as one thing, while Nikandros had Destruction magic. Two opposites of the same coin
"No one has ever borne that gift except them," Darius said. Well, that explained the looks.
"There's something else," even she whipped her head in his direction. She already had four, two of which had not even been considered a possibility, and now there was more?
"What is it?"
"I can't…I don't know"
"What do you mean?"
"There's something else, but the Astralyte doesn't seem to recognize it."
"What? How is that possible?"
"I don't know. I'll need time to determine what it is. We might have to do this again," the Paisios gave her an apologetic smile, and she simply nodded.
"Okay," the Keeper said aloud, "well, at least we can start her training."
The journey back was filled with discussions on her training, how they would go about it, and what would be required. Lyla tried to concentrate; she heard some of the words, but couldn't help but wonder about the bit of magic they couldn't discover. Was it because it was something completely new?
She wouldn't worry about that now, not when the Keeper smirked at her when she dropped her at her door and said, Rest well, little one, you'll need it.
She had tried and failed miserably at that. Too many thoughts filled her mind, chasing away sleep.
She lifted her hand in front of her face, moving it around as if she were twirling something between her fingers and palm, her mind wandering back to the moment she had tamed her power. Different emotions rushed through her; relief, joy, and pride were to be expected, but then others slammed into her.
It was like an awakening, not just of her power but of her, like she had become a whole new being. She could feel the different kinds of magic swirling within her even before the Paisios had mentioned them, and they were…they were fighting.
A silent, cautious battle was going on within her, like two sides had been chosen and they were now standing against each other, watching, surveying, gauging. It had only lasted for a few seconds, but what she felt was nothing she could explain except associating it with Luminaraeth's current state.
She thought about both sides and wondered about so many things that only made her worry.
That night, when she finally slept, she dreamt of the two figures embracing her.
*
Lyla awoke earlier than usual for her training with Aeneas since she had to make time for the newly added lessons on her magic. She would start with her physical training, then proceed with lessons on Astral projection with the Keeper, and later have lessons with the Paisios on the gifts from the two princes.
They were yet to know who would teach her about illusion, magic. But in the meantime, they would just have to feed her with enough knowledge about the gift.
Lyla had just finished dressing when a knock came at the door. One of the workers she had seen around stood there
"The Keeper is calling for you. Please follow me."
"Okay?"
The woman turned and led her to a large room that held different instruments on one end, and in the middle, next to a chaise and a chair, was the Keeper.
"This is where we'll be having your lessons," the woman declared
Here, where there were giant glass doors leading to the garden, where workers moved around, going about their chores
"Here?"
An evil smirk, "Yes, here."
Oh, she had planned this. She wanted to put her in a compromising position. Was this her sick way of ensuring she would do anything not to lose control and possibly hurt anyone
"Lie down, face up," she instructed, without caring about her concerns.
She reluctantly obeyed