51 — New Beginnings

Book 2 has started!!! I just wrote this chapter today, and I only have the half dead corpse of an outline so some edits may be happening, but I'm HYPE! Fun stuff to come in the future, lots of new abilities, and training thingies and uhh. I'll just let you read. (Also, as in true procrastination fashion, I haven't gotten to edit this chapter. Typo spotting is appreciated!)

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The clanks of spoons and forks cutting through food filled the otherwise quiet room. Jennifer stared at her family, as they celebrated her entrance into the academy. For the fifth time. Perhaps the sixth. She didn’t remember.

A feast lay in front of her, food she loved. And her family sat around her, celebrating the success of their daughter. Unaware of everything that had occurred.

Jennifer shook her head, trying to pull her mind off the future. She’d seen the invasion. Twice now. The end that awaited her if she sat around doing nothing and let fate take its course.

“Why’re you frowning dear? Don’t like the food?” her mother asked as her jovial expression started to turn into a frown.

“No, the food’s good. I’m just a bit tired,” Jennifer replied, lifting a forkful of diced yeshek to her mouth and attempting to force a smile.

“Nervous about your entrance? Your dad won’t say it but he’s been extremely nervous too, maybe even more so than you. See? He even has his book out during dinner. You think he hasn’t read that a hundred times by now?” Her mother said, giving her a reassuring smile.

“Not a hundred yet,” her father replied. But Jenn could see the quiet smile, despite how he tried to put on his stoic face.

“Hey hey, Jenn! Can you show me some magic?” Keith asked excitedly, the savoury gravy from the yeshek covering his face in a mess. Jennifer smiled quietly as she extended her hand, and called for her magic. Her soul ached, but the pain was subdued, as if covered beneath a thick blanket. A small shard of glass formed over her hand as she worked past the pain. She let it float and shatter into sprinkling dust that swirled in a beautiful pattern.

Jennifer smiled. She had to admit, no matter how many times she repeated it, this never got old. She felt a bit of her anxiety fade. Only a bit. The rest lurked deep in her soul, as much a part of her as the cracks rippling through her power. Steel-bright determination to face the future and find some way to make real change.

Not to mention, she had Xar now too-

The thought had Jennifer freeze. Xar? Where was he? Jennifer tried to sense for him, but found the link empty. A dark presence crept in through their bond, gushing forth.

She stood up, slamming her chair rocking when she felt an arm pat her shoulder, setting her down in her chair.

“What’s wrong Jennifer?” Rumina asked, smiling gently. “Why do you look so pale?”

“I-I was, I can’t find… him. Xar. I can’t find Xar,” Jennifer whispered, feeling unease building in her mind. Her gaze shifted in front of her, and she found her parents gone, an empty room awaiting her.

“There’s no Xar, Jennifer. Stop daydreaming. I’m the only one here,” Rumina whispered in her ear as a spell manifested beneath her feet.

Her soul began to pull on itself, the crack spreading unspeakable agony through her being as Jennifer collapsed once again.

Clawed hands clutched her throat. Rumina’s face stared into her eyes, starting to shift. The cold green eyes of the [Sand mage] stared at her, as sand began to leech her dry. A merciless death all that awaited her within them.

“Why… How… did you... “Jennifer groaned, unable to speak as her throat was crushed underneath the pulsating arm.

The world erupted in white fire as a dragon replaced the mage. She heard her father scream, his voice soon overpowered by the sound of slicing flesh. Jennifer squeezed her eyes shut, wishing she could block the world out. She heard her mothers scream next, her voice broken and hollow before it too was silenced abruptly.

Tears poured down her eyes as the monster’s face blurred, the agony in her soul the only thing she felt anymore.

“You are alone Jennifer,” The monster growled in its distorted voice, clutching harder at her throat. “All alone, and slowly dying. There’s no one here but you and me. Stop lying to yourself and Wake up.”

The word turned white, as fire consumed her whole.

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<Dream/Nightmare. Wake up>

Jennifer gasped as she felt hairy legs crawl across her face. She jerked, abruptly sitting in her bed as Xar spoke in her mind. Her heart thundered wildly and she could feel the cold sticky sweat clinging to her back.

A Nightmare. It was just a bad dream.

<Gone. Awake now. Good morning> Xar sent, climbing onto her arm and up to her shoulder.

Jennifer took a few moments to calm down as she ran her hand through her hair, trying to remember what had happened. She found her memories a jumble, and she struggled to differentiate her dream from the actual events. She wasn't sure which ones were worse.

She felt Xar’s mark pulse as their Marks worked as one. Her memories began to sort themselves as she finally remembered the events of the prior night.

The dinner had been real. I had the dinner with mom and dad as usual and then I went to get Xar from the dungeon. Rumina was home too and I couldn’t sense any demon activities or magic spells being activated.

<Tired/Sleep after coming back to Jennifer’s Home. Xar was worried Jennifer was sick>

Xar added and she smiled apologetically. She had been pretty exhausted after everything, crashing as soon as she’d snuck back into her room. Which was a lot easier when she could use some Telekinesis.

Jennifer brushed her messy hair to the side, tugging at her shirt. Her clothes were drenched from sweat, and she’d need to change out of them before heading out. She grabbed her hair, freeing it from the clinging sweat at her neck as she tried to get it sorted.

“Ouch,” Jennifer exclaimed as a couple strands broke off. She frowned as she looked at her hand, finding several strands of dark brown hair in her hand.

That's not… This is… my hair?

She brushed her hair to the front, finding her light brown hair had taken on a darker shade. Jennifer stared at the bundle of hair peeking from over her shoulder, wondering when the change had happened and how she’d managed to miss something so pronounced.

<Xar’s fur changed too!> Xar exclaimed, jumping onto her hand. She saw his white fur, and found the black mark on his back had changed shape. Three curving crescents ran out from a central diamond with little lines cutting into the shape, connecting them together.

Which drew her attention to her own arm, finding her own Mark’s shape changed as well. Jagged lines ran through her mark, as her crescents had shifted, the one holding Xar’s bond now spread across her mark evenly.

Jennifer got off her bed, walking towards the mirror. She stared at herself, ignoring her disheveled and tired state. Her eyes shone with a semi-translucent sheen, and she saw little streaks of black running through her now darker hair.

“Why… did my hair change color?” Jennifer muttered out loud, staring at her image. She felt Xar’s confusion at her question through their link.

<Mark bond merge? Change in Soul-Essence-Being?> Xar sent.

Jennifer continued to stare. If there was a better explanation, then she couldn't think of one. “How am I gonna explain this to mom… or dad…” Jennifer muttered, frowning as she continued to play with her hair.

I’ll sort the mess out first. And come up with an explanation later.

Absent-mindedly she reached for her brush as it floated towards her. Jennifer started to brush her hair into a more orderly state, pausing mid-stroke when she realised what she’d just done.

<Shared powers. You can do what Xar does now too!> Xar exclaimed, clicking his jaws excitedly. Jennifer stared at the brush in her hand for a moment.

Then her eyes lifted as she cast them about the room. She focused on the schedule on the edge of her desk, the one telling her what to expect at the academy. There was a new, strange sense to it. To everything she looked at. If she wanted, she could pull and push on any of them. As if an invisible and far reaching limb extended from her in all directions all at once.

Even...

“I’m not as strong as you,” Jennifer muttered, as her attempt to grab Xar with her telekinesis was easily deflected.

<And Xar cannot go back in time> Xar sent back in reply.

“We don’t know that yet,” Jennifer said before she understood the implications and paused. “We won’t be testing that either.”

Xar sent an acknowledgement to her, before his thought process shifted. <New skills, strengths, powers for Jenn. For Xar too. Xar kept the not voice this time> Xar replied.

“You kept your… levels?” she muttered.

<Let me show you! Xar is more magnificent than ever!> Jenn barely had time to nod as the skills floated to her one after the other, alongside the description of his class.

A level 5 [Telepath]. Not a surprise, although I’d expected the description to be mind mage. I wonder if there’s a difference between the two. Three skills [Mind Perception], [Natural Telepathy] and…

“[Witness of the End]” Jennifer muttered the skill out loud, its color a dark green. She shared the skill with Xar. And the title. The first she’d ever seen.

Jennifer tried to reach out for her own skill, yet found it dormant. The skill didn’t react in any way, refusing to respond to her thoughts whatsoever.

“Strange… a green skill. A title nonetheless. And one that Xar got too,” Jennifer muttered out loud. She felt for her other skill, one that burned with a blue color.

“[A Moment of Eternity]” Jennifer said out loud, feeling the gap in her soul where [Eternity] continued to rebuild itself.

The skill felt different. It felt like her. It felt as if a part of her had been poured into the world, to form the skill. She could feel the strength in this skill, the ability to stop all around her, to stop time itself, and to build an eternal moment. It was a powerful skill. More powerful than any she’d seen before. Yet as all power, it too came with a cost.

Jennifer felt a quiet ache in her soul. It wasn't a skill she could use lightly. She wasn’t sure if [Eternity] would survive the brunt of the skill either. Or how often she was going to bring her blade back.

<Power/Growth. Jennifer has grown. Soul damaged. But will heal. With time and help,> Xar sent, his words reassuring her.

A knock at her door interrupted her response. “Jenn, are you awake?” her mother’s voice came from outside the door.

She broke out of her thoughts, realising her hair had changed colors and she had no feasible explanation to give to her mother. In a panic, she reached out to her mind, creating her voice from down stairs with her telepathy.

“Mom, I'm down here!” her voice came from downstairs and she sensed her mom hesitate for a few moments before she turned and began to walk downstairs.

Jennifer puller her clothes out using telekinesis, a part of her joyfully enjoying her new abilities while the other panicked. She changed out of her clothes, straightening her hair while, without having to prompt Xar, he opened the window.

Smiling, Jennifer climbed onto her window before jumping out. Xar slowed her descent as she cast agile wind, cutting down on her fall as she landed in a flashy show of swirling debris before shooting off. Her magic moved with a dull ache in her core, yet one that she could easily ignore.

<Where is Jennifer going?> Xar asked, grabbing tightly onto her shoulder.

Jennifer smiled as she raced through the city. <I need to get my hair fixed. Reach out to Laiken and Nathaniel now that I, sorry, we can detect the Demon Mark. But before all of that, I plan to introduce you to my master.>

She sensed a wary hesitation from Xar as Jennifer sent him every memory she had of her master. Xar chose to focus on the times he was being strict on her, with increasing alarm and she laughed silently as she raced through the city.

It was time to call on her allies.