Chapter 17

The room was full of strangers. The silver haired man had returned with a brown leather bag in hand. Ever since his arrival he hadn't stopped looking at Reyna, his excitement clearly written in his eyes. Serena had already briefed her about his coming that morning when she brought food and clothes for Reyna to change into.

From what Reyna had gathered, the man had once been a keeper of knowledge in the Guardian realm and had come to earth for retirement. Reyna silently dared him to poke her with one of the metal things he was pulling out of his bag. She didn't care who he was, he would lose his arm that very second.

The spirit next to Miran, sat in a rigid posture and stared off into a distant place. The Sage's presence in the room prevented Reyna from asking her the questions that burned inside her. For some complicated reason only Miran and herself could see the spirit. Having met one of them, Reyna was familiar with their ethereal beauty and overpowering aura but unlike Izzy, the Light spirit was cold in comparison. She wore a beautiful dark dress that would have made Izzy cringe at first glance.

As for Miran, Reyna wasn't sure of how to put it. Physically he hadn't changed, his skin of polished ivory gleamed in the spirit's golden aura and his obsidian eyes as dark as ever. Yet at the same time, he was different. The Miran she knew, always had a warmth to him that could be felt even from a distance but the stranger in front of her was basically a living stone.

His dark hair was held back in a tie and his hands that had a habit of running through it were busy with a document hand to him by the Sage. Reyna wasn't sure whether she liked the new Miran but she could already tell that she preferred the old one. The strong pulses coming off him were making her skin crawl and if she had to live with him like this for another day, she would rather die or better still kill him and be done with it.

Serena had disappeared as soon as Miran came in, leaving Reyna to fend for herself against the weird looking Sage. Reyna had to admit the man had beautiful odd eyes that almost resembled stained glass. She wasn't sure about his age but felt the same way she would, if she had been holding a ancient book.

"Let's begin with something simple, hold out your palm and direct your energy to float over it and maintain the position for about ten minutes."

The Sage's voice reminded Reyna of a warm breeze and she found herself actually eager to know what he was talking about. As instructed she willed her Darkness into a sphere and held it just a few inches from the cup of her hand.

"How about using your energy to break this?"

He took out a rock from his bag, placed it on the floor then stared at Reyna expectantly. The temptation to show off was there but Reyna held back, she needed a few tricks up her sleeve just in case.

She made a show of stretching her hand and sending out a strand of Darkness towards the rock and watched as it shattered into pieces.

"This is meaningless. The mortal child has Darkness, a lot of it."

The spirit spoke in a tone that emphasized her boredom.

After a few more rounds of tests, the Sage was done. Luckily for him he still had both his arms intact and as he packed his bag he requested Miran to step out with him for a few minutes.

"You have met her."

The soft words turned Reyna's attention to the spirit. Their identical eyes met and instantly she knew what the spirit was talking about.

"Yes,"

"Once again she has done the impossible, infusing a human with her energy, who would have thought?"

Though the tone of her voice was still indifferent, Reyna saw something flash across the spirit's eyes. It left before she could put a finger on it.

"She has shielded your mind from any intrusion, I can't reach her."

Miran chose that moment to enter, saving Reyna from replying to what might have been the spirit's loud thoughts.

"I have invited the Sage for dinner to give him the chance to explain what he has analyzed so far."

This was the Miran she recognized. Reyna wondered just how many layers were there to the Guardian.

"Reyna, I think it would be best if you go refresh yourself before the meal. I'll ask Serena to come and fetch you."

His smile was back in place and Reyna thought maybe she had imagined his Stony nature or perhaps it was an effect of the spirit's closeness. All in all she got up and made her way past him to her room.

The mirror was foggy from the steam that came from the shower but Reyna could still see herself in it. A face that was foreign and familiar stared back. The woman in the mirror was soft around the edges, though the outline of her muscles was still evident.

She turned around and loosened the towel she had on until it only covered half of her back. Taking her wet hair in hand, she placed it on her right shoulder before looking at the woman in the mirror.

A black mark ran down her spine and smaller veins erupted from it covering the rest of her skin. She didn't need to remove the rest of the covering to know that the scars went down to the small of her back. Even though the woman's eyes were staring at her from inside the mirror, her mind was back in the Magi camp she couldn't seem to escape from.

******

"For twenty years I have tolerated your so called defiance but not anymore. Your mission was simple, kill the target and get back here but you chose to rescue a stupid brat in the street instead, how heroic of you."

It was the fourth time Reyna had faced the Master and judging from his tone it might as well be the last. He held her face in his icy hand and squeezed hard.

"It will be my pleasure to break every single bone in your body and make your you heal just so that I can break them all over again."

From where she was kneeling, Reyna didn't struggle against the man holding her down, she knew he wouldn't budge. She used all her energy to peel away the blurry cover that always hovered around the Master. It was a trick of the mind, he was still able to move around the room and she could feel the imprint left by his cold skin.

The pressure of tearing through the layers of illusion constricted her mind. She felt something warm trail down to her mouth and her tongue tasted the metallic flavour of blood.

"You really do want to die, don't you? Worry not my little darkness, that can as well be arranged."

Without warning something heavy connected with the side of her head and all she saw was black. How she wished she had just died then and there, it would have saved her so much trouble.

She had woken up tied to a pole on the roof of some tall building. She wasn't familiar with her surroundings and with the throbbing ache in her skull did not allow her to think. The cold surface of the pole pressed against her back while the ropes used to bind he bit into the skin of her hands and legs. The flimsy gear did nothing to protect her against the chilly weather and the wind kept blowing her hair around.

"You really can't help yourself, can you? But then you were born a hero, you will die sooner or later."

She didn't look up, didn't want to see his ghostly eyes that were dead to the world. If this was her fate then so be it, her consciousness was at peace. In the end, death was the only way out of the Magi.

A storm came with thunder and flashes of lightening. Reyna was soaked in the heavy downpour, her breath short and erratic. A blinding streak shot straight for the pole she was chained to. She had only felt the pain for just more than a second before she blocked out but the excruciating force of it would live with her forever. It was as if her bones were melting and every single inch of her skin was on fire. Reyna didn't even get the chance to scream as no sound came from her throat.

She had woken up bedridden in the infirmary and hadn't been to move for weeks. Only the scars on her back remained as proof that her punishment had not been an illusion. The mystery of how she had survived was one she wasn't able to solve but she now figured it must have had something to do with Izzy.

The woman in the mirror had already accepted the truth, that the scars were a part of her. No remorse or pity could be found on her face.

"You don't have to hide, Serena."

The door opened and in the mirror, the other woman's reflection joined hers. The woman stared directly into Reyna's eyes.

"I did not mean to intrude. I have brought clothes for you to change into, let's go downstairs first."

Serena paused, her fist clenching at her side while the other hand still held the door open.

"After dinner, we will talk then you'll tell me who it is I have to freeze to death."