Chapter 10: Chapter 10
Colter
Training Grounds, Kingdom of Howard
The sun was up, a new day is in progress, Colter was surrounded by a small mob of Ecanus, some younger than him, some were almost as old as him. It was due to him being one of the best Fotiá-ecanus types. He may come off as a lazy, irresponsible person but many of the citizens still looked up to him for his skills and even his devil may care kind of attitude. There were some who envied his prowess, as he was born with latent powers that made him easily control the flames and his other powers.
“It may sound hard but look at this.” He said casually, he snapped his fingers and a flame lit itself up on the tip of his fingertips. The trainees around him gasped at how easily he can manipulate the energy within himself to conjure these flames.
Another snap of his fingers and the flame disappeared, “It’s all about focusing your thoughts as you try to summon the flames.” The trainees gasped and laughed, wanting to learn as much from him.
“Alright, anybody wants to step up?” He motioned at the people around him, “The rest can watch while we spar, and you can learn how to manipulate your energies even more”
A dark haired youth stepped forward, “Excuse me, Prince Colter, I would be honored to spar with you, my name is-“
The prince shook his head with a grin, “No names, not yet land a hit on me and I’ll learn your name. Does that sound like a deal?” The youth nodded shyly and stepped closer.
“Now then, everybody else make sure to watch carefully, take notes if you must.”
With his hand, he gestured to the youth to come across, tauntingly. “Come at me then!”
His hands were crossed while the youth took up a fighting stance. He darted forward, trying to land a right hook on the prince, but Colter moved an inch at the last moment, cleanly dodging the blow.
“Too predictable.” Colter said with a smile and tripped his opponent as he moved past him. The youth landed on the ground face first with a dull thud. “Focus, how can you conjure your energies when your thoughts are all over the place? Get up and try again.”
The youth leapt upward, gaining a bit of airtime, his face was wracked with sweat and dirt, but flames sparked out of his hands, enveloping his fists. He dove downwards fist first while Colter simply grinned at what was happening.
With minimal effort, his bare hands caught the youth’s burning fists and extinguished them with a small twist of his fingers, “Too weak! I’m not even focusing and yet my energies can still extinguish your flames. Do not give in to any emotion!” Colter shifted his weight to one side, while using the youth’s momentum, he slammed him into the ground. A dust cloud built up from the impact and left a slight crater. “You show promise with your flames, but do not under any circumstance give in to your anger.” He raised his fist over the youth’s prone body and moved downwards, “Now dodge!”
The youth responded to his command and pushed himself forward as Colter’s descended on the place where he lay. His fist collided with the ground and chunks of the earth burst into the air. The crowd gasped at the show of power, even though they were being splattered by dirt and grass.
“By infusing the magic within you, you can also use it to increase your own strength. I don’t even need to use my flames!”
He chased after his opponent, who was not quick on the uptake and grabbed him by the shirt. Colter yanked him upward and as he hung helplessly in his arms; he clenched his right fist and connected a blow towards his torso.
The impact was intense that the youth was flung a small distance from him. “To all of you watching,” Prince Colter announced, “Know that in a heated battle, you will be forced to resort to these kinds of fights. You will have little time to conjure your powers, and if you aren’t able to respond or summon your flames, then compensate for it by having hand-to-hand skills!”
Colter pointed his palm at his opponent and let his energies flow into it, a fireball appeared out of nowhere and with a flick of his hand, it sped towards its intended target. The dark-haired youth stared like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming bus but gathered his wits immediately. Flames were wrapped around his arm as he made a face that showed pure concentration and discomfort. As Colter’s fireball sped towards him, he batted it away with his blazing arm. The fireball shot into the sky and dissipated into nonbeing.
“Great job!” Colter complimented him, “I put a bit of my energy into that fireball and for you to bat it away, you show promise.”
The youth grinned, “Thank you, my prince. It is an honor to receive praise from you.” His sleeve was completely tattered and burned, the flesh in his arm was also slightly burned.
“Intensify your flames even more, and it can protect you like an armor.” Colter commented, “Your panic allowed you to manipulate your power into some kind of sleeve, with a bit more training you can use it in combat without being burned.”
He turned to the spectators, “To you lot, are you learning from this? Experience is the best teacher for you guys, the thrill of battle, the fear of the unknown, will you walk away from it alive, or will you perish? These are the things that will go through your head. If you give in to your panic, you will pay for it dearly. Master the feeling that flows through your veins when you are in a heated battle.”
Realizing he had droned on too much, his sparring partner was now missing, he felt a presence behind him and there he was. His fist was cocked and wrapped in burning flames, determination was in the boy’s face as he launched his fist towards Colter’s face.
“Oh, shit.” The prince muttered before blocking with his hands. He was pushed backward by the impact, and it was almost a clean hit.
“Close. But not close enough!” Colter taunted and kicked the boy to make distance between them.
“Now that was a lesson in paying attention during battle” he shouted at the crowd without taking his eyes off his opponent. He wrung his hands, as if to flick away the bruise that accumulated when he blocked the punch. “You pack quite a punch, and I know you can even go further beyond your limits! Now come at me as if you were in a death match with me!”
“Your will be done, Prince Colter!” the youth shouted at him and focused all his energy into his hands once more. With a primal roar, the flames in his hands blazed in fury and he launched himself at the prince.
Suddenly, thoughts of the old man, the portal and the brown-haired lady filled Colter’s mind. He had stolen a glance into the forest that was around them and one thing led to another. “Oh yes, the forbidden po-“
His thoughts were cut short as the youth landed a clean hit on his face. His brain was rocked as he felt the boy’s fist connect with his jaw. The flames had intensified the damage it could cause, and he was distracted by the recent happenings in his life. Prince Colter found himself hurtling backward, his brain was sending out signals of immense pain all over his body, but mostly on his face.
He managed to stifle the momentum by floating in the air and concentrating. “Ouch, that was a good one.” He managed to spit out, caressing the place where the fist landed. It had left a mark and the prince could only grin at this development.
“Again, you honor me my prince, but you were distracted. I felt like it was an unfair advantage given to me.” The boy replied shamefully, wringing his hands.
“It was my own damn fault” He said shaking his head, “These things are part of battle, so pay them no heed.”
“If you please, could you attack me with your full power. I would be honored.”
The crowd had unfrozen themselves and tried to inch closer to their battle area.
“You sure?” Colter asked with worry in his voice.
“Please, Prince Colter.” The youth replied, his tone adamant and willing.
The other trainees watched closely, curious about the full power of the younger prince of their kingdom. Colter put himself in a unique combat stance, he lowered his right arm and cocked his fist back with his elbow jutting out, his left hand was raised at eye-level and he smirked.
“Here I come then.”
In a flash, flames erupted and consumed his whole body. Colter then propelled himself forward with a bang that apparently broke the sound barrier. With a battle cry, he used his flight skills to control his speed and launched himself towards the boy. The youth’s eyes widened as he tried to block the full power attack, and in his panic, he manifested flames that erupted in front of him. But it was way too weak.
The youth felt an immense pain, as if something blunt and hot was piercing through his torso. He felt a part of his armor melting from the sheer intensity of the prince’s flames. Colter pulled his fist back and the boy clutched at his stomach, as if trying to staunch a wound there.
“Good job.” He whispered to the boy as fell to the ground unconscious.
The crowd gasped in amazement at witnessing the prince’s full power. The spot that he stood on as he launched his attack created a massive crater on the ground. “Well, as you can see, combat can be unpredictable, but with enough training, will, and focus you can reach my level.”
“But, Prince Colter, you don’t even train. Isn’t that a bit unfair?”
The prince grinned, “It is, and it isn’t. Think of it as this way, you will still reach your peak while I am already past that. Some of you might even surpass me because I never gave a shit about training. So take all of that in and-“
His partner stirred from unconscious, which stopped him in his tracks. He smiled benignly and offered a hand to the still half-unconscious youth. “Hey, good job there, taking my hit head on and even managing to block some of it off with your own flames. What’s your name?”
“Ravi, my prince.” The youth muttered, still trying to clear his head from the pain he just felt.
“Good job, Ravi. You’re going to go far in this life.”
Colter was well-liked because of his approach with the common folk, he may look like his brother, but they vastly differ in personalities. He was down-to-earth and will take the time to talk to people, while his older brother will simply ignore them as they are lower born folk. It made the difference, which irked Gian. He trained citizens who approach him, he listened to their stories and taught them how to handle the things they weren’t able to handle, as long as he had some knowledge of it. To some, this may be a breach of protocol as royalty should not mingle with the common folk. But he couldn’t help it and was well-loved for it.
A few hours later, he let them go and do their own thing while he rested underneath the shade. As the crowd of trainees disappeared, he got up, dusted his clothes and prepared to go his own back home when something caught his eye. It was that magical rabbit the old man was talking about. It was staring at him, as if daring him to follow.
The young prince looked around and saw that there wasn’t anyone looking at him. So with a grin, and a slight grunt of pain as Ravi indeed managed to actually hurt him, he ran after the rabbit. “Hey buddy, wait for me!” Colter shouted as he disappeared into the forest. Not realizing there was someone watching him from behind a great oak tree.
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Gian
Training Grounds, Kingdom of Howard
The elder prince grinned as his brother dove into the forest, chasing after a small white pest. “Bingo” he murmured with a sick smile and gave chase after the younger prince.
Thoughts filled Gian’s mind as he followed his brother into the forest, he took enough care to not be heard or seen, his footsteps were lithe and nimble. His power over the forest allowed him to force them to give way, to not make a sound as he passed through bushes and plants.
Deeper they went into the woods, “This idiot still hasn’t noticed me. But why the hell is he following this damned rodent?” Gian said sinisterly, it was due to the fact that Colter has been obsessing over the portal that he hadn’t noticed his surroundings. He was still chasing the rabbit, while Gian chased Colter.
Time passed and they finally stopped at a clearing, Colter immediately froze, and the rabbit had darted off somewhere. Gian slid behind a tree to see what is it that his brother was gazing upon. Then it hit him like a pile of bricks, it mesmerized him as it had mesmerized his brother. Here it was again, pulsating and giving off a magical wave that sent shockwaves all over his body. It looked like a mirror that changed colors embedded into a wall of bricks. It was magical, it lured the elder prince as much as his younger brother.
Gian’s eyes bulged as he gasped “What the fuck is this?!” This had to be the portal that everybody talked about, the forbidden area for all Ecanus. All his life, all the journeys he had partaken, all the things he had experienced, despite having control over the forests of Howard, he was unable to find this mythical location. He had believed it to be a myth, a story told by parents to scare their child from wandering off into the forest. But it was real. It was right in front of him.
“What in the name of-?” Gian uttered
His brother turned to stare at him, but he didn’t notice. He was still gazing at the portal. He hadn’t heard his brother’s accusatory questions of: “What the hell are you doing here?!”, “Were you following me like a creep?!”. Slowly, with a devil’s smile upon his face, Gian craned his neck and looked at Colter straight in the eyes. Colter took a step back; he had seen this face many times before. The glint in his eyes, the way his mouth was fixed in an evil smile. The words that came out of his mouth next would haunt his younger brother, “I shall tell father all about this”
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Colter
The Forbidden Portal Clearing, Kingdom of Howard
His elder brother took off flying, panic found itself all over Colter’s existence, staggering and calling out his brother, he followed suite. Piercing through the air like a bullet
“Gian, you fucking asshole!” he shouted at his brother who was laughing gleefully, Colter tried to grab at him but he somehow managed to slip past his grasp. His desperation grew as they flew in the air, if this kept up, they were going to reach the boundaries of the Kingdom soon and it would be too late to stop his brother. With a desperate lunge in the air, he finally grabbed his brother who stopped in mid-air. The thoughts of his father, yet again, being angry and disappointed with him filled his mind and he wanted to stop that from happening.
“Afraid, dear brother?!” Gian taunted him, his eyes still gleaming with hatred for his younger brother. “Our old man doesn’t have to know about this, Gian!” Colter pleaded with his brother, but it fell on deaf ears. His laughter echoed throughout the forest.
This time, with Colter hanging on to him, Gian zoomed towards the vicinity of the kingdom, Colter held on until they landed.
“Brother, he doesn’t have to know!” he begged, the now grinning Gian.
Gian yanked Colter’s hands away from him and stared him straight in the eyes, “Say that to yourself, curiosity could kill, my dear brother.” After dropping those words, we walked away and headed towards the palace.
“FUCK YOU!” he roared at his brother who was already a distance away, he was shaking with rage and fear. But he had no choice but to follow his brother inside. As he stepped into the throne room, he found Gian standing in front of their father, as he closed in King Malik’s eyes descended on Colter…
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Vida
New York City, Earth
“Hello? Earth to Vida? Vida are you there? Knock, knock!” a familiar voice rang in her ears, Vida was spacing out, still trying to make sense of what happened in her dreams. She then saw a hand in front of her face, and they snapped. She was yanked out of her reverie. Tessa had brought her back to reality.
“Welcome back, Vida.” Tessa said teasingly, a playful smile spreading over her face, “What was it? A dragon? A unicorn? A beast?”
Vida chuckled and decided to spill the beans on the dream she’s been having for a while now. The rapist, the assault, being hurt and a prince saving her from out of nowhere and kissing her. All with the vivid details she can remember.
“It’s like that prince in my dream has invaded my thoughts, I can’t get him out of my mind. Dark hair, tall, well built, well spoken and very strong. The way his eyes softens when they find mine.” Vida sighed longingly, starting to space off again. Chasing after this mysterious hero and lover.
“Hey!” Tessa said right in her face, “Don’t go off to Neverland again, Vida. I’m still here.” She let out a boisterous laugh that made the customers stare at them. “You been doing drugs recently? Been drinking? Or have you successfully managed to delude yourself into thinking you’re in one of those fantasy stories you like so much!”
Vida frowned at this kind of teasing by her friend, “Again with the damned fantasy novels. It’s not like I can choose the dreams that I-“ She felt her lips close up as Tessa reached out and squished her cheeks midsentence , putting Vida in a pouting position.
“You know what, I’m pretty sure this is just you wanting some sex in your life. Time to find someone to heat up that body of yours, girl! Let’s find someone who can fulfill your fantasies and desires. You’ll never know, he might even be willing to wear a prince costume” Vida rolled her eyes at this, but Tessa laughed and continued. “I know just the place, there’s a club in the city and we can go there after work. We’ll find a guy, you get your brains fucked out and everybody will be happy! Period!”