The Beginning Ch. 25-26

"I—"

"I don't know if I'm actually good enough to do this, Chris. Today showed me just how much I still need to grow, still need to learn. What would happen if I went up against a Dark who was as powerful as what's-her-name, who I just fought? What if I go up against someone who's stronger? What—"

In a move that was straight out of a trashy, clichéd romance novel, I pulled her down, into a kiss, to shut her up. She sort of just shrieked in protest, but eventually relaxed and kissed me back.

"You are amazing," I said to her, as we broke off, both of us panting slightly as we lay on the arena. "You're one of the most innovative and inspiring fighters that I've seen during this Proving. You always find a way out, and even if Anaya hadn't fucked up, I'm sure you would have found a way to beat her. Just as you will find a way to beat your other opponents."

"Why do you know her name?" she asked in a teasing voice, one eyebrow raised. "Should I be worried?"

"Naa!" I exclaimed, reaching down and squeezing her ass. "You know I'm in love with this butt!"

She just laughed and batted at my shoulder, before kissing me passionately again.

"For real though," I continued, when we broke off again, "you shouldn't worry. You won this match. Take note of what you did wrong, what you could do differently, and learn from it.

"As for when you face the Darks, you know that you won't be facing them alone. You'll be with a squad, part of a team. Do you really think any of the commanders here would send you into a fight they didn't think you were prepared for?"

"Chris Michaelson," she mock gasped, "when did you get so wise?"

"I suppose my time with you is teaching me more than how to be an amazing lay!"

"Oh?" she asked with a sultry expression on her face. "Maybe I need to test you to see just how much you've learned."

"Right here?" I countered, gulping loudly as she sneaked her hand down my torso.

"Why not?" she whispered into my ear. "I don't see anybody else in here. Do you?"

"No, but—"

"But what?" she prodded, as her warm hand found its way into my pants and grasped my stiffening shaft.

"Oh, fuck it!" I exclaimed, rolling her onto her back.

"That's the plan!" she giggled, as she helped me get her top off.

I kissed her passionately as she brought her legs up around me, using them to slide my pants off. Following her lead, I slid hers off as well, moaning as her pelvis brushed against mine when she lifted her hips off the ground to help me out. She wasted no time at all, guiding me into her welcoming wetness straight away. Reading what she wanted from me from the way her tongue was playing with mine, I sheathed myself in her completely.

We started moving at a leisurely pace, my hands holding her hips as hers roamed across my back, seemingly unsure of where to rest. I broke the kiss to suckle and bite at her neck, her soft moans as I moved spurring me on.

"Harder," she moaned, her hands gripping my hair tightly and pushing my face into her chest.

Happy to oblige, I started pounding into her, my lips and teeth playing across the skin of her breasts as a wet slapping sound filled the room. Her moans continued to rise till she hit her crescendo, yanking me into a hot, passionate kiss as her quim spasmed around me, trying to milk me for all I had.

I thrust into her all through her orgasm, the focus required to keep my movements forceful and steady providing the distraction that I needed to keep my own peak at bay. She rode it all like a surfer catching a monster wave, her entire body starting to quiver and shake with pleasure.

"Over," she gasped, breaking the kiss and putting her hands on my shoulders. "From behind."

Nodding my understanding, I pulled out of her and helped her turn over and get on her knees, before pushing myself all the way in again. Taking her from behind allowed me to hit whole other areas inside her, and she tensed up into another orgasm as I did. This time, I stayed still till she was done, clenching and unclenching her waist in time with the undulations of her womanhood.

I almost came when she looked back at me, her eyes filled with lust, but I managed to stave it off by tightening my grip on her hip again, enough to leave a handprint there. I started moving back and forth slowly, though it wasn't long before I was slamming into her as hard as I could. She just fell limply to the ground, her back arched in an expression of absolute pleasure. As she did, I reached for her hair with my left hand, my right staying on her hip, and gathered it around my fist, knowing that she loved the feeling of having her hair pulled like that.

"I'm close," I grunted, as another wave of pleasure washed over me.

"Cum!" she yelled, throwing her head back and squeezing my member as I thrust into her again.

I roared through my release, my whole body stiffening up as I pulsated inside her. I could feel another orgasm washing across her as well, and we stayed locked in place as both of us found bliss.

When I could move again, I just collapsed to her right, and she rolled around to cuddle into me. It was like my entire body was numb but bursting with sensation at the same time, and every bit of me tingled with pleasure.

"That was something else," I gasped out, when I could finally spare the breath to say anything.

She just nodded in response, and we lay there for a while, content and at peace.

"I wish you could come, too," she mumbled after a while.

"Umm, pretty sure I did!"

"Not that," she protested, with a chuckle. "I meant out there. I know how much you wanted to be deployed. I'm sorry I was the one to take that away from you."

"You didn't take it away," I told her, my tone stern to drive the message home. "You gave our battle your all, just like I did. It's what we promised to do out of love and respect for each other, remember? Only one of us could have won. If I had to lose to anybody, I'm glad it was to you."

"I suppose you're right."

"And I'm being deployed, anyway," I said, kissing the top of her head.

"What do you mean?" she asked, sitting up and looking at me in confusion.

"Let's get dressed and head out to lunch," I suggested. "Those two are honestly too distracting!"

She covered her breasts with a hand, mock shock on her face. I laughed as I got to my feet, using a combination of Water and Air spells to get all the dirt and dust off my body. Activating the cleaning spells embedded in my clothes, I pulled them on as well, waiting as she did the same.

When we were presentable again, we made our way out of the Training Room, and I let out a sigh of relief that made her giggle, when I noticed that there was absolutely nobody around. We enabled our Augmentations and sped out of the Academy, and I led the way, taking us to one of the many lakes that dotted the forest around us.

She squealed in joy when she saw what I'd packed us, and as we ate, I told her about Byrav's visit that morning, and what Ronald had said.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked, when I'd brought her up to speed.

"I am," I assured her. "I know that serving under Byrav isn't what I'd what— ever— but this seems to be the right way to go. It allows me to be deployed, and unless you were willing to leave the Academy and run away with me, I don't have much of a choice, anyway."

"I love you, Chris, but leaving—"

"I know," I interrupted her, the conflicted look on her face telling me all I needed to know. "The Academy is your home. Your world. Being banished, or risking banishment, is something I'd never ask you to do."

"I do love you, Chris Michaelson."

"I know. I love you too, Rayka Morkitov. That is why I'm doing this."

We sat in silence for the remainder of our meal, the serenity and silence around the lake helping me find a measure of peace within myself as well. I didn't even really notice as time flew by, and if it wasn't for her sense of punctuality, Rayka and I would definitely have been late to her next battle.

Vince and Byrav had kept their word, it seemed, and while Rayka's Tier 3, Cougar-Bonded opponent was tough, she ultimately managed to beat him. That victory restored the last of her deflated spirits, which she was all too happy to share with me that night. As we fell asleep, sweaty but contented, I finally managed to quell my inner turmoil. My guilt at keeping my meeting with Vince, and the ramifications of it, a secret from Rayka finally aligned with my urge to protect her, and I knew that I'd made the right call.

Or so I hoped.

Chapter 26- Dharma

22^nd March, 2017
7:20 a.m.
My Abode

"Ronald?" Rayka asked, surprised, as she pulled our door open. "Hi! What are you doing here?"

"Ronald?" I parroted, walking up behind her to see him standing at our gate, likely having just arrived. "Is everything okay? Rayka and I were about to leave for the Academy."

"It's all grand," he responded, grinning at using what had come to be my "trademark" phrase. "I figured that with Rayka having another battle today morning, you might appreciate some company while heading to the Forge."

"Oh yeah," I agreed, "that would be grand!"

It took me a second to figure out why the two of them started giggling, after which, I let out a petulant huff and stormed out via the barrier. They caught up to me in the forest, Rayka giving me an apologetic peck on the cheek and Ronald just smiling at me. I smiled at them both, revealing that I was just overreacting to join in the fun, and we walked along in silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts.

"We're running a little late," Rayka spoke up after a bit, and with a start, I realized that we'd been walking at a regular pace for almost a half-hour.

"Shall we synchronize augmentations?" Ronald asked, and following affirmative nods from myself and Rayka, we did just that.

A couple of minutes later, we were running up the Academy's steps, slowly dropping out of our augmented states. By the time we got to the Training Rooms, we were back to our base states, coming to a stop with a slow jog.

"Best of luck today, my love," I said to Rayka, pulling her into a tight hug. "Give them hell!"

"I will!" she enthused, nodding at Ronald's wishes of success as well, before turning around to head into Training Room 1.

She'd warned me that I'd probably spend most of the day in the Forge, so we'd agreed that once I was done, it would be best for me to head straight home and wait for her there. While it might have been the first time I missed her matches, both of us knew that my being deployed in five days meant that I would miss all the others. Since there simply no way around it, we'd also agreed to make the best out of all the time we had left together, especially because neither of us even knew where I was being deployed to.

"Shall we?" Ronald asked, jarring me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah, let's move," I agreed, turning to follow him through the Academy.

I knew that there was a lot more to the Academy, but in my four years there, I hadn't really ventured in far beyond the Training Rooms. Ronald's classroom and the Hospital were both closer to the entrance, as was the Library. We walked along for twenty minutes or so, passing numerous classrooms and nondescript offices.

Even though the ceiling of the Academy building was high enough to accommodate whole adult trees within the building, all the rooms were situated on the ground floor. Nobody seemed to know why that was, and I chalked it up to another ancient mystery whose answer had been lost to the ages.

We suddenly passed the last of the trees, emerging out into a clear space, facing the back wall. A single rectangular door interrupted an otherwise plain, concrete wall, an engraved plaque declaring that it was the entrance to the "Hall of Heroes". The door itself was unadorned, seemingly made out of some dark wood.

"I thought we were heading to the Forge," I commented, as we continued walking towards the Hall.

"We are," Ronald clarified. "It's past the Hall of Heroes. I think it's high time you visited it, anyway."

"I suppose so. I don't really know what I haven't been here before, to be honest. It just never really screamed out to me as a place I should visit."

"That's understandable, Chris. You never grew up here, steeped in the history of the Academy and our legacies as Wielders. Most of us visit the Hall numerous times as kids, so by the time you joined us, all of your peers had grown accustomed to it as just 'another room'."

"The mystique must have worn off, huh?" I asked, as we finally got to the door.

I'd expected it to be more spectacular up close, engraved with details that I hadn't been able to spot from afar; larger than two men standing, up close; anything, really. I was a little disappointed to find that it really was just a plain wooden door, and a normal-sized one, at that!

Ronald just nodded in response to my question, reaching out to push the door open. It swung back noiselessly, and I understood just why it was so plain: The Academy loved its theatrics.

The hall itself was resplendent, marble flooring and pillars that were veined with gold supporting a ceiling that was inlaid with precious stones and metals. The walls were similarly embedded with gemstones, a thick band of lapis lazuli running down the middle of the wall, framing each of the portraits on the walls. Even before we stepped in, I could see that the portraits on each wall had glass-encased pedestals in front of them, each of which housed weapons.

"Gets them every time," Ronald said with a chuckle, before leading me in.

The very first portrait on our right was actually one of two, and I recognized them instantly. I'd spent most of my life waking up and wishing them a good morning, after all.

"Dad," I whispered, walking closer to take it all in. "Mum."

Dad had been painted in a ready stance, clad in Armor that marked him as Agrayodhin, alongside a Tiger. He was wielding a double-edged sword, as his Companion stood poised to attack by his side. Mom was painted differently, dressed in a Healer's robes, positioned to look like she was reaching out from the portrait to help heal someone. A Dove was poised like it was coming in for a landing behind her, and the entire portrait radiated a sense of tranquility that I associated intimately with her.

The glass case in front of the portraits held the same double-edged sword, though the dagger resting next to it seemed too small for him. I could read the names inscribed on the blades from where I was. The sword was named "Jayagarva", which translates into "pride in conquest", while the dagger was named "Ananyagati", which meant "last resort". That's when I figured it out.

"They each bore one weapon," I murmured, brushing a hand across the top of the case. "The sword is his, but even as a Healer, she kept a dagger on her, as a last resort."

"She might have been Bhisaj Swamini," Ronald said, softly, walking up to stand beside me, "but she was still a ferocious warrior in her own right."

"Every time that I think that I know them, I discover something more."

"They lived for centuries, Chris," Ronald said, consolingly. "I think that every single person they knew will have a new story for you, a new fact that paints them in a whole other light."

"I don't even know all of yours," I responded, my hand tightening into a fist. "I've been here for four years. Known the truth about them for four years. Till today, it never even occurred to me to ask which animals they'd been Bonded to, or what weapons they carried. Where did they live? Is their old Abode still unoccupied? I could have learned so much about them from you, from Vaishnavi, from Swati... four years of memories that I could have gathered."

"And what of the memories you've made in those years?" he asked softly, placing a hand on my arm. "What of the time you've spent bonding with Rayka and your friends? I understand your desire to know more about your parents, Chris, but four years ago, you were thrown headfirst into a whole other world that you never even knew about.

"It's taken you so long to learn about the things you need to know; about your own abilities and your own magic. About everyday life around you. If you'd spent that time learning about them, instead, you'd still be as incapable of surviving in the world of Wielders as you were on the day you arrived."

"Maybe, but—"

"Cut yourself some slack, Chris. Not learning about them isn't some disservice to their memories. They lived for centuries, and you'll have centuries more to hear all about them. Each of them touched countless lives on their own, and even more lives together, and you'll have the time to learn all about it. You're going to lead a long, long life, Chris; four years will be but the blink of an eye for you."

"Rayka didn't 'not think about' showing me this place, did she? You or Vaishnavi, or both of you, asked her not to."

"You really are becoming more astute with time, aren't you?" he asked in response, and I turned to see him sporting a soft smile. "To answer your question, yes, we did ask her not to bring you here. It was my idea, not Vaish's, and it was because I was afraid that you'd react like you just did. I knew that you'd grow so focused on them that you'd forget all about yourself.

"But now, I think you're ready, Chris. After today, you'll have your own weapons and armor. You'll truly be a Wielder. Once this period of conflict is over, I'd be happy to sit down with you and tell you everything I can remember about your parents. The good and the bad. But until then, Chris, your focus needs to be on staying alive."

"I understand," I responded, nodding slightly.

Steeling myself, I took one last look at their portraits before stuffing my thoughts about them into a little box, and setting it aside for the time being. I started walking down the Hall of Heroes, taking in all the names, faces, and weapons that lined the walls. With a start, I realized that I hadn't even paid any attention to the plaque that bore Mum and Dad's names, resolving to do so on my way out.

As we walked down the Hall, I realized that the inlay in the ceiling formed the Academy's logo. Four years ago, my mind would have boggled at the sheer opulence and wealth that surrounded me, but in a society where material wealth had no standing and discs of precious metals were used to cast spells on a daily basis, I'd come to accept it as part of the norm.

It took us a while, but we finally reached the last portrait. It depicted a dark-skinned man with South Indian features, clothed in the same garb that formed the Indian Academy's uniform. He was sitting in a meditative posture, his eyes closed, and his hands nestled near his stomach. His left palm was below his right, both of them loosely cupped and facing the sky.

A spear rested on the ground on his right, and what looked like a loosely-bound book was on his left. A massive white Dragon was curled up behind him, a mountain range visible in the background. The portrait was also larger than all the others, extending from floor to ceiling in the massive room. It was hard to tell whether the portrait had been painted to fill the wall, or whether the walls had been planned based on the size of the portrait.

A glimmering golden plaque left no doubt as to who the portrait was of.

"Sage Pruthvish, The First."

"We don't know if he actually wielded a spear," Ronald said, pointing at the spear that was on display below the portrait. "By the time the Hall of Heroes was planned, The First's weapons had long been lost. The accounts of his battles are very vague on his weapon of choice, but some of the attacks they describe led people to believe that he might have preferred something like a spear.