Ascension - (Alarian Warriors)

Erisena had taken Aveyon and Damon to a building on the edge of town, it was away from the hustle and bustle of the main streets. It provided a well-needed quiet atmosphere for the training Aveyon was to receive.

It was a small wooden shack; well-furnished with exquisitely carved decorations lining the walls. It also had an entrance to an underground training area in which Vincent was told he needed to wait for Kirra. Erisena very sternly ordered him to stay out of her training.

With Vincent heading down the stairs, Aveyon was now left alone with the elf. Only then did she remove her veil after securing the demon to a chair to the far side of the room. She enchanted his bindings and turned to face the Princess.

“I will not treat you any different from any other student of mine.” She stated.

“I would expect nothing less.” Aveyon replied glancing at Damon who appeared to be frothing from the mouth. “Where do we start?”

“From the beginning.” She motioned for her to sit down in a chair in front of her.

Damon let out a monstrous growl, his eyes looked on her. She glanced over, the noise catching her attention.

“Pay him no mind, we will free him when your training calls for it.”

Aveyon obliged, moving to take her seat she found she was not prepared for what was to come. The moment her body was about to sit down, her mind was attacked. It was a violent and sharp feeling in her temples, leaving her gasping for air. She stumbled, seeing white and fell to the floor unable to make it to the chair at all. With a loud crash the sound of wood meeting wood rang out as the chair toppled over, it seemed her training had begun.

“Again!” Erisena ordered, picking up the discarded chair and placing it behind her slumped form once again.

Aveyon did what was asked of her. She thought she would be ready, though she could pre-empt it. She attempted to build a barrier in her mind to keep the elf out. Her defenses only worked for a second. Her mouth gaped open as her head exploded with pain, she was once again on the floor, stars in her eyes.

Erisena chuckled. “Your weak, that won’t stop anyone.” She picked up the chair a second time. “Again.” She ordered clearly ready to push her way beyond her limits.

Aveyon narrowed her eyes on the elf. Her teeth ground together as she picked herself up off the ground, anger beginning to flare. A feeling she knew all too well. Erisena was simply attacking her mind with a weak command. Aveyon locked eyes with her teacher, she began to slowly lower herself down onto the chair.

The pain in her mind came again, but she held firm. She didn’t try to build a barrier or even try to reject the feeling. Instead, she wanted to study it. She grimaced as more blinding pain exploded in her temples. When her body halted with a jolt she heard it, the faintest command.

You are not allowed to sit. Erisena’s voice echoed faintly in her mind.

Aveyon’s brow creased as she fought against the voice, she steeled her body and willed it to move against the invisible force stopping her limps from obeying her.

Erisena’s brow raised. “Good, you are beginning to understand, and much faster than I expected.” While Aveyon was still struggling against her lingering command as she continued to speak. “Your mind is not strong enough to put up barriers, they will merely shatter. You must learn to resist, in doing this your mind will grow stronger. Then, and only then can you build barriers.”

“I cannot feel you in my mind, only the pain.” Aveyon managed through greeted teeth.

Erisena nodded. “The pain is your mind resisting the invasion, if you are not feeling pain, you are not training. You have not encountered someone with the same abilities as you until now. There are not many of us left. Our element is spirit, the hardest element to master.” She explained.

Erisena eased up seeing that Aveyon had questions and allowing her to speak easier.

“Why did I faint before? What you’re doing feels different somehow, different to when Ashera attacked.” She asked.

“When you project images to someone you must connect to a certain part of their brain. The same part that allows you to dream, the hippocampus in the temporal lope. Once you take control of that you are essentially linked. In your case, having no training, your mind tried to fend of the invasion by pooling all your essence to that part and forcing it out, much like antibodies attacking diseases.” She circled Aveyon gracefully waving her hands in the air as she explained. “Our training will help you pinpoint the invasion without linking with the attacker and unintentionally draining you.”

“Will I be able to defend against Ashera?” She asked.

“I will teach you in time, but we must start with the basics. You are not ready for me to link with you, you will faint. In the meantime, I and my students will provide protection while you stay here, until such time you can protect yourself that is.”

Aveyon was flung to the floor again as the elf concluded her speech. Erisena had hit her mind harder, forcing a stronger command on the Alarian Princess. Sweat began to bead down Aveyon’s forehead as she focused hard on trying to get to her feet under the onslaught of the elf’s mind.

Erisena was immensely powerful, Aveyon knew she was only using the smallest faction of her abilities. That realization was frightening, but the elf was also careful not to drain her as she had said. Though Aveyon’s body was far stronger than it had been at the start of her journey, maybe even in her life, all thanks to the blood awaking within her. Her essence pool was also larger than her last training session with Emerald, however she still didn’t know how to use it properly.

The door to the dwelling opened and Aveyon’s body was flooded with freedom as Erisena’s attention divided, breaking the attack. “Ah, Priestess, he is waiting down in the training grounds.” She heard the elf communicate.

Kneeling Aveyon looked to Kirra as the elf headed deeper into the building and downstairs. She hadn’t even acknowledged her presence, any other royal would have been furious. But Aveyon felt a weight had been lifted from her shoulders at that very moment. The simple act of being ignored was oddly satisfying.

Mere seconds later, a howling scream sounded from a far-off distance, coming from the stairs Kirra had disappeared down. The Priestess didn’t take her time. Aveyon was still disconnected from Vincent; the bond was still there but it was frayed. Stretched thin due to her resent change in blood type.

He was going through his own hell right now. Her eyes snapped open as her determination grew. “Again.” She practically ordered Erisena, who smiled in response.

Aveyon didn’t let out any sounds of protest or defiance as the next attack came. She closed her eyes and focused on trying to disobey the commands that were thrown her way. She jerked as she desperately fought against her own body. Constantly having to remind herself that she was training and not to panic. She wasn’t trapped. If she asked Erisena to stop, she would.

She dug her nails into the wooden floor and pushed her hunched form up onto her feet. Her body felt as though it were made of lead, moving only a small amount was exhausting. Aveyon’s gaze met Erisena’s, and the elf let go of her mind. Aveyon reeled backwards unprepared for the sudden change in her body. Falling to the ground once again in total surprise.

The elf laughed clearly enjoying herself. Reaching forward she held out her hand for the Princess, Aveyon took it thinking it was a gesture to help her up. Their hands touched and Aveyon’s mind exploded. Her eyes rolled back, and her body fell limply on the floor.

Aveyon... Can you hear me?

What in the world was that? Aveyon could see only white. She spun around unsure of what she was seeing or hearing, where was she?

Its disorientating I know, we are inside your mind. Visualize something that is easy to move through and it shall appear.

The voice was clearly Erisena’s. The elf had not only completely invaded her mind, making her lose all sense of self, but had also trapped her inside. What an incredible ability. She took a moment to think of a place she most enjoyed. Slowly like a vision coming into focus a forest appeared around her, the moon shining high. She smiled, yes this was a nice and peaceful place.

“Ah, lovely. The Earth is indeed a beautiful place.” Erisena also came into focus and floated down to the ground before her.

Roots protruded from the soil around the tree trunks, reaching up to merge with branches and foliage. What looked like doors started to form at the base of the trees.

“What are those?” She asked.

“The doorways to your memories.” Erisena answered. “This is generally how we would find information from hostages. Normally I force my way through, creating the doors myself, but I was curious as to see what you would invasion for yourself.”

Walking around the mildly shocked Aveyon she studied the surroundings. “Besides, if I forced you to create this dream space our training would be over for today.”

“Will I be able to do this to others?” she asked in awe.

“And probably much, much more. My powers do not increase with touch.” She said, opening a door. Behind it she watched Aveyon commanding Bevan as he touched her. “Interestingly, yours do.” she muttered.

Aveyon turned away from the scene, not wanting to remember.

“Your past, though it may be harsh, is not to be forgotten.”

Erisena could clearly read her mind in this state. “Yes, you’re correct I can.”

Aveyon half laughed, shaking her head.

“Your biggest weakness at the moment is your memories.” A scream echoed from behind a door as the elf spoke, Aveyon cringed, knowing it was her own.

“You never once cried while in front of the warlock. You only screamed once, and that was when your eye was taken.” She pondered. “Keeping your emotions in isn’t a good thing. They hold purpose and meaning and can fuel us. They can give us strength in the darkest of times.”

“Anger is all I need.” Aveyon could feel a slight tingling sensation in her mind as the elf shifted through her memories, gaining more knowledge, and understanding of her and her past.

“That’s not true, I can sense connections with people. You have locked away your emotions, but they still creep in.” She paused, tilting her head. “Emerald, is it? You have a strong sense of love for that one. More concern for her then your own wellbeing.”

Aveyon didn’t enjoy the fact that her mind, feelings and emotions were all lined up for Erisena to sift through, but she respected that this was a part of her training.

“She’s not yours?” The elf raised a brow at the Princess, repeating the last words that her mother had spoken to the King. “Curious, your mother knew of your linage, why did she not speak up. What was her connection to the goddess I wonder?”

Aveyon hadn’t thought about that for some time, it only led to more unanswered questions.

Shaking her head, Erisena looked sternly at Aveyon. “Another time. Now, your task is to expel me from your mind.”

Aveyon tilted her head, how was she to do that?

“You can feel me, can’t you?” The elf questioned while pointing a finger to her temple.

Aveyon nodded, indeed she could, the small tingling under her skin was evident of that. It wasn’t as bad as the onslaught of pain from the commands, she was trapped-

She froze, her mind going blank as that realization set in only just now.

“Steel yourself, you need only ask to be freed and I will grant it.” Erisena extended a gently hand, all she needed to do was take it if she wanted out.

The gesture oddly allowed her to breathe, but a nervous shake set in. “This is something I need to face.” she admitted.

Erisena smiled sadly. “You are stronger than I first thought, you are determined. That is good. Use it.”

Aveyon spent the next few hours trying to remove Erisena from her mind, but to no avail. The best she could manage was to turn her form transparent. Which the elf just laughed at, saying she wasn’t really here to begin with, so what good was that?

However, she was starting to understand how to control the space around her, to warp and change it. It was making it harder for Erisena to maintain her footing and she even flicked in and out of vision a few times. Aveyon soon collapsed to the soft ground exhausted, her breathing heavy.

Erisena huffed. “You don’t know how to use essence do you?”

“I only just started learning the basic’s from-”

“Emerald, yes I see.” Erisena finished for her as she shifted through more memories uncovering what she needed to. “We will stop for today, I will need to have someone start your essence wielding training, the two go hand in hand. But combat will be forbidden until I am content that you can handle it.”

Aveyon nodded still trying to catch her breath when she was suddenly jolted back to her body. Erisena held her firm making sure she was not thrown harshly backwards. She noticed then that the sun had long set, her body ached from the stress and constant use. A dull ache remained in her temples as her mind was also exhausted.

The faint sound of footsteps had Aveyon blinking rapidly to try to focus her vision. Kirra was helping Vincent climb the stairs, they reached the top as she made it to her feet. Aveyon’s gaze locked with his and her eyes widened.

He smiled wide, his exhaustion and excitement flooding her sensors, they were connected again. She hadn’t noticed it until now as she only just returned to her body having been locked in her mind.

“Training hard I see.” His voice cracked as he forced himself to speak. He was extremely pale, covered in sweat and leaning heavily on Kirra for support.

“As I’m sure you’re aware, the purification was a success. Now, Princess if you can help it, no more Ichor for this man please. Unless you wish to kill him.” Kirra incurred.

They were both helped to the inn that night and ordered to return to the training grounds at first light. This left them with very few hours for actual sleep. Closing the door behind them they both collapsed on the floor their backs pressed against each other.

“So, it begins...” Vincent muttered.

Aveyon laughed softly. “So, it does.” She placed her hand on top of his, their backs still turned to each other. “Thank you, Vincent.”

He glanced over his shoulder. “For what?”

“For getting me here.” She finally felt like she was getting somewhere, the wheels were turning on her plans, it was only a matter of time now.