Chapter 128: Blasting bear
The witches circled around Rieka forming a ring. Reika was already standing opposite across the ring, she could feel herself wrapped by candles with flames. Kael stood silently around them, with arms folded across his chest, furrows in his brow as Reika gazed down, fisting his hands.
"Focus, Reika," Elira said, her voice soft yet firm. "The magic is inside you. I promise You just have to reach for it."
Reika had her fists clenched tight at her sides, her jaw tense. "I have been trying, Elira but nothing is happening. Perhaps the Moon Goddess was wrong. Perhaps I don't have any powers at all.
Elira raised an eyebrow; the self-pitying tone she used did not impress her in the least. "The Moon Goddess is never wrong. You block your way, Reika. You are caught in the circle of your doubts. Magic's not all about power; it's about trust. Trust yourself."
She took a deep breath, extended her hands, and tried again. Whispering othe incantation Elira had taught her but nothing happened. no spark, no shimmer of light, not to the least stir from surrounding candles."
Kael stepped closer, his voice soft and yet encouraging. "Reika, don't give up. You have faced worse than this one. You will do well. You need time."
"I haven't got time!" Reika snarled in irritation . "Lleus is out there, and every single moment I waste is another moment Araidne wins, and I just can't do even a simple spell! How will I defeat her?"
Elira let out a small sigh as she walked closer. "This isn't competition, Reika. Magic is not to force but to allow the magic to take its turn. Rest, clear your mind for tomorrow."
But Reika was not about to be patient. She charged out of the circle in frustration, she disappeared into the night, ignoring calls from Kael and Elira.
She quite faster than usual but she had no idea. Racing Up to the mountain not far from El'goroth.
She was telling herself, she was too weak for any sort, "What's the use when I can do nothing?"
At last she sank down on her knees, her breast heaving with sobs, in that cold, silver moonlight.
"Lleus." she stammered out, her teeth chattering. "Why am I so weak? You were always so strong, so sure. How did you? How could you bear so much and never break?."
Soon she heard steps coming from behind her back, and she whirled. There, a few paces away, was a figure she knew too well- Alpha Lleus.
He was as she remembered, tall, proud and bold. Eyes of golden brightness shone in the light of the moon, and tugged at the single corner of his lip was a little smile.
"Lleus?" Reika breathed, scrambling to her feet. "Is it truly you?"
And then he didn't reply, but he kept smiling at her.
"Why do you just stand there?" she cried, her voice breaking. "Why won't you answer me? I need you. I am lost without you, Lleus. Tell me what to do. Tell me how to be strong."
But Lleus said nothing.
Reika's knees gave, and she sank to the ground, sobbing. "Please," she pleaded. "I don't know what to do. I feel so weak, so useless. Everybody is depending upon me, and I am failing them. Please, just tell me how to fix this."
Lleus smiled deeper for one swift instant, and then, like an shadow fleeing at dawn, he was gone.
"No! Don't go away!" Reika had cried, reaching out as if she could pull him back. But the space where he had stood was empty, the only sound the howling wind.
A low growl of a predator cut into Reika's anguish. Her head jerked up, and her heart sank as she saw a massive bear emerge from the shadows. Its eyes glinted with menace, and its powerful frame loomed over her.
"No," she whispered, scrambling backward. "Not now."
It charged downhill with powerful strokes, paws pounding down upon the rocky ground. Turning at this, Reika ran-bracing herself and pounding her chest. Limbs aching, breathing in ragged gasps, she ran on-desperate to be away.
Pitiless, the bear gained with every step. Thrown off, Reika tumbled forward on her hands and knees across rough and rugged ground. It loomed above her with teeth bared in its snarl.
And in that instant, something inside just snapped.
In Reika, her fear turned into anger, and energy began to surge through her body. She clenched her fists, and the very air around her started to ripple with power.
"No more running," she snarled, her voice shaking in her rage.
The bear charged, but before it could strike, Reika threw out her hands. From them exploded a surge of crimson energy, slamming into the bear with the power of destruction. It let out a pained roar as it was reduced to nothingness, its remains turned to dust by the raw power of the spell.
Shocked, Reika stood up and watched the place where the bear disappeared. She froze in that pose, her chest heaving. Her hands were shining bright with inner light, and even her eyes looked afire red in their reflections in the nearby pool.
She fell on her knees, deeply thinking, and stared onward in astonishment. "Wh-what. what just happened?
But after a while, as the light in her eyes faded, Reika dried her tears and rose. She was shaking, but not with fear: an act of will.
"Lleus," she whispered, her face up to the moon. "Thank you. I don't know if that was really you, but… I think I understand now."
She went down the mountain, having nothing more to say to any being in the universe.
It wasn't until the first light of dawn trickled over the horizon that she finally arrived at the coven. Elira and Kael were already there, waiting; their faces equal turmoil of relief and concern.
Reika," Kael said, hurrying to her side. "Where have you been? We have been worried sick."
Reika looked up to his eyes, her own shining a different surety in them. "I had something that needed attention. Now I'm ready. Let's get on with training.
Elira looked at her a moment longer before nodding. "Good. Because from now on, it's the real work has began."