They Were Born Upon Ashes (8 page)

“You recognized the woman you love?” asked Andrew.

“Yes, I recognized her,” said Nick. “I knew her. I remembered everything about her. I remembered how I felt about her. I also remembered Poloski and everything evil about him.”

“Very interesting. Go on,” said Andrew.

“I tried to run and jump up onto the balcony. It was no use. I did it over and over but I was about six feet shy with my arms completely extended. I finally jumped one time and moved my arms up and down. I stood there floating in mid air. My arms had turned into black scaled wings. Poloski threw her from the balcony and I flew down and caught her before she hit the floor. I flew back up to the balcony, opened my mouth, and breathed a ball of fire onto Poloski. I defeated him and saved my love. Next thing I knew, I was free falling through the various levels of my tests. Then, at last, I was awake.”

“Very rare and unique,” said Andrew. “There is only one other man I have encountered who has had four tests like you did, Nick.”

“Who was it?” asked Nick.

“It was me,” said Jeffrey. “I grew wings to save a woman just like you did, Nick. The only difference was that I had no idea who she was. I just saw that she was facing an imminent death, so I intervened.”

“We all still don’t know what it means,” said Andrew. “Or if it means anything at all. However, it is very interesting that you both grew scaled wings. There is such a thing called a coincidence. I do not believe this would be one of them.”

“Truly remarkable story,” said Tyler. “I wish I could take the psychedelic plant. For recreational use, of course. It sounds like a good time.”

Ron was standing next to Tyler and he punched him on his shoulder. “You are truly a remarkable idiot, Tyler,” he said.

“Yes, I am jealous you ate the plant and had fun, too, my dear, raspy Ron,” replied Tyler. “Maybe the shango plant has a relative that’ll work on Paplon. Maybe I’ll find it and become the first ever supreme Paplon.”

“Call me raspy Ron one more time, dagger fairy,” he said.

“Dagger fairy. Hmm, that’s a good one,” said Tyler. “I’ll let everyone know that raspy Ron was the one who came up with it.”

Ron grunted and shoved Tyler with great force. He readied his hands as if he was going to send an attack at Tyler’s face.

“Enough!” shouted Jeffrey. “We have no time for this nonsense. You two will act like grown adults and you will act like leaders. There are thousands of people who are scared, hungry, and sad. They just left their entire lives because they believe in what we are doing here. If either of you wish to act like children you can do so in the back end of the faction.”

“Apologies,” said Tyler.

“Yes, apologies,” said Ron.

“Good,” said Jeffrey. “Now onto the next order of business; training. Nick, we will start as soon as you are feeling one hundred percent.”

“I’m feeling as good as I ever have,” replied Nick. “But I thought going through the levels and finding my powers was my training.”

“No, that wasn’t your training, Nick,” said Andrew. “It was like you just said, a way to find your powers. Now you must be taught how to execute your attacks properly, how to make them as powerful as possible, and how to access them with ease.”

“Sounds like training I had not too long ago when I discovered I had the powers of a Reza.”

“Similar, yes,” said Andrew. “But not quite the same. You and I shall begin after our meal.”

“Perfect,” said Nick. “I just wanted to make sure of one thing though.”

“Yes?” asked Jeffrey.

“Were you able to send out the raven with the message about my friends?”

“Yes, I personally did.”

“And did you send a message to the leaders of our neighboring cities warning them of what had happened in Genold City?”

“Yes, I did,” said Jeffrey. “And thank you for your concern. Your friend should be released from the arena by tomorrow. I do not know how the leaders will react to the news. I’m sure we are branded as enemies of the crown. There is no doubt in my mind that the six have sent their own messages to the leaders as well.”

“Time will tell,” said Nick.

The rabbits were fully cooked and the members around the fire took turns scraping every last piece of edible food. All that remained were bones and the guts. Ron even took the liberty of eating the eyeballs and tongues. Nick’s stomach still growled. It reminded him of the countless nights he was left hungry in the arena. It was a strange comfort to once again have the same feeling.

He had a few thoughts constantly on his mind. As he stood there above the fire he wondered about Penny and how she was doing. He wondered if Thomas was safe and if the six would soon try to recruit him as well. He also wondered about Phillip’s safety. Everyday in the arena was another day living with the possibility of death.

***

Nick, Andrew, and Dani walked into the great forest that was next to the dirt road the group traveled on. The sun had fallen and a black sky resided overhead.

Andrew gathered up a bundle of sticks and weaved a dry plant through the top of it. He used fire conjured from his hands and lit the top of the bundle. The three of them traversed under the thick canopy of the forest. They walked for a good while until they came across a giant boulder that sat in the middle of the forest. There was a small pond at the base of the boulder. There were no trees that stood above the boulder. The moon glistened and reflected on the pond’s surface.

The constant buzzing of the millions of insects soon became background noise for Nick. His brain could simply tune out the annoying buzz.

“This is truly the perfect spot,” said Andrew.

“This should be entertaining,” said Dani.

“I hope it will be,” said Nick.

He looked at Dani with a stern look on his face and said, “I don’t think we have formally met yet.”

“My name is Dani Mastro,” she said.

“My name is Nick Bint. It is nice to finally meet you.

She laughed and rolled her eyes at Nick.

“Get on with the show, you two,” she said.

“Nick, this training is not hard at all,” said Andrew. “Or it can be one of the hardest things you can ever do. It all depends on the power of this.”

He took his right hand and pointed it at Nick’s brain.

“If you don’t focus properly it will take you years to realize your full potential. If you focus like I’ve seen some of my previous students do, then you can master your powers in as little as a few weeks.”

“Seems fair enough,” said Nick.”

“We will start with the easiest of the three powers to harness; levitating and controlling objects with your mind,” said Andrew.

Nick nodded in agreement.

“All you have to do is control this object.”

He picked up a rock about the size of his fist and opened up his palm. He looked at it for a second, it elevated from his palm, and then it stood still in midair.

“I can never get to used to seeing that,” said Nick.

Andrew placed the rock into Nick’s palm.

“Now all you truly have to do is think back to your experience of when you harnessed the power within your dream state,” said Andrew. “You must relive it to understand how the power can flow from your brain and through your arms. Close your eyes and watch the sharp rocks plummet towards you as you hang from the mountain side.”

Nick closed his eyes and tried to see it all.

“I can only see parts of it,” said Nick.

“You have to focus, Nick. It’s all there; you just have to focus.”

Nick tried harder. He even shut his eyes harder in an attempt to bring it all back.

“It’s really hard,” said Nick. “This is next to impossible. It’s like trying to remember every part of a dream from two nights ago.”

“It’s only as hard as your mind makes it out to be,” said Jeffrey. “If you truly believe it is that hard, then, yes, it will be that hard. If you truly believe it to be that hard then we will be out here for a year before you lift that rock.”

“This is anti-climactic,” said Dani.

“Shh, total silence now,” said Andrew.

Nick studied the rock. He looked at it from every angle. He then closed his eyes and took his mind to the place he would always go when he meditated. He sat there on a grassy green hill, a blooming tree next to him, and a flowing blue river below him. After he was in this state he was able to clear his mind of everything. There were no thoughts and no images.

Dani and Andrew looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders after ten minutes of Nick standing completely still. He did not sway his arms in the slightest.

Nick could not even hear the busyness that resided in the forest. He did not feel the cold breeze as it flew past the three companions. He was quite simply in another state of being.

Then all of the sudden it came flooding back to him. He was there hanging on the side of the mountain. He heard a crack and looked up to find the tumbling avalanche of sharp edged rocks. He put his right hand up and instantaneously stopped the perilous rocks from landing upon him.

Andrew and Dani watched Nick as he did not flinch or move his muscles an inch in any direction. They saw a man completely frozen in place and the rock in his hand levitate and stay suspended in the air.

“Remarkable, Nick, truly,” said Andrew.

Nick’s eyes jolted open and the rock fell back down onto his open palm.

“You are quite the gifted individual, Nick,” said Andrew.

“Well thank you, but I’m only doing what you’re teaching me.”

“Yes, I understand that, but you are the fastest pupil I have ever seen to accomplish what you just did. Did you feel the power flow through you?”

“I did,” said Nick. “It almost felt like my palm extended with the rock. But I know my hand stayed rested in the same place.”

“Yes, yes, that is exactly how it feels,” said Andrew. “No matter how close, far, small, or big the object is, the feeling is always the same. However, the weight of the object and its size will determine whether or not you will be able to control the object. Everyone has their own limits depending on their own strength. For example, realistically, no one can control a massive tree. Now give it another shot with the rock, Nick.”

Time after time Nick was able to successfully levitate the rock. He could soon move it further and closer in space as his mind commanded. A simple flick of his wrist resulted in the rock moving either left or right depending upon his actions.

Andrew had few instructions to give to Nick after a little while. He would rather watched Nick explore his new power. It was fascinating to Andrew that Nick could get the hang of the power so quickly. Andrew knew that controlling objects was the easiest of a supreme to learn, though he still had great promise for Nick in the coming days.

The hour became late and the three called it a night. They began the short walk back into camp through the thick forest.

When they reached the camp Nick realized just how late it really was. Most of the camp were already fast asleep. They stepped out of the forest and were at the back end of the camp. Everyone was in front of them. Nick looked back at the barren and dark dirt road that stretched down as far as his eyes cold see.

Andrew patted Nick on the shoulder and said, “Good first day, boy. Tomorrow will be even better.”

He walked off with Dani.

Nick simply stood there and appreciated the silence. He appreciated the cold breeze in the night. But most importantly he smiled at the sweet gift of life.

“Hey, you.”

Nick heard the voice of a girl from a nearby fire pit. He walked over and soon recognized who it was.

“Elizabeth, from Castle Teon,” said Nick. “I’m glad you are part of this group.”

“Of course, I am,” said Elizabeth. “There is no way I could live in such of a cold and hostile place those men imposed upon the great people of Genold City. Plus what I experienced that night in the castle still makes it hard for me to sleep.”

“I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

“I’m good; I’m perfectly fine even,” said Elizabeth. “The men in hoods didn’t hurt me. They barely even put a hand on me. But I saw them put their blades through a few of my friends that worked in the castle with me. All they did was fight back. But they were good people. They did not deserve to die just because they fought and defended themselves from whom they believed to be an evil and hostile force.”

“Those images are always hard to deal with,” said Nick. “Some will fade in time. Others will resonate with you. You see that person die over and over. That is something I might carry with me for the rest of my life.”

“That’s not exactly a comforting observation to tell me, my friend,” said Elizabeth.

“It’s the truth,” said Nick. “Another thing that is true is the power of meditation. If you can master meditation you can ease the traumatic experiences you’ve encountered. I used meditation when I felt alone in the arena. I used it when I couldn’t get the images of what I had done in order to survive out of my head. Meditation is a practice that you can use to unlock the greatest power in each and every one of us. I’m not talking about the power of a human, a Reza, or a Paplon. I’m talking about a power that we all share. The power of your mind. It is more powerful than any of us could ever imagine. You can conquer anything so long as you realize the full potential of what your brain can do for you.”

“And how do I do this meditation thing?” asked Elizabeth.

“You’ve never even heard of it?”

She shook her head.

“Well, all you do is breath deeply. The most important thing is to learn to control your breath. Consistent and slow exhales and inhales. Once that is done, allow your mind to travel to the most comfortable place you can ever be in. Once you are there and your breathing is controlled, you must let go. When you let go just allow yourself to get lost.”

Elizabeth closed her eyes and did exactly as Nick had instructed. After a few minutes she smirked slightly. That was all he needed to see to know that she was capable of meditating. She was on her first step to recovering from what she had experienced.

He heard the familiar faint clacking of feet in the distance behind him. First they very faint, but then they grew louder. He turned around to see the shadow of a horse and a person riding on top of it.