Initiation's A Bitch (Khal'iah)

by **Aren** on April 14th, 2013, 9:59 am

Aren was concerned, for a second, that his assessment of Khal'iah's current physical state may have been in error, and as the young man fell back, his kinsman's eyes closed in despondent anger. The boy was dead, certainly. The student had been worthy, but the teacher was another matter. He had simply not been ready for the responsibility of Initiating another, and someone had paid for his mistake with their life.

"Don't worry, I'll find your family, and tell them what happened here..." The older Akalak whispered, his words meant to comfort the spirit of the deceased, rather than his lifeless corpse.

Already, Aren was thinking about what he would say to the boy's parents, or more likely, his parent. Since Akalaks often mated with shorter-lived species, it was common for the child to only have their father left by the time he was fully grown. In addition, giving birth to one of his kind was not generally easy on the mothers, and they often did not survive the trauma of labor.

Fortunately, before Aren could get too far into trying to think of a sutiably contrite monologue, Khal found a way to inform him that he wasn't dead at all. Breathing a sigh of relief, the teacher smiled at his student's consideration.

"Don't be such a baby..." The Akalak replied sternly, before grunting approvingly to let his pupil know that he had performed admirably.

Inside, he felt extremely satisfied with how the entire matter had turned out, though. No one seemed permanently messed up by the experience, and best of all, no one was dead. Now, all that remained to be seen was whether or not they had done all of this in vain.

"But tell me, can you sense... anything? Inside you I mean. Something new?" Aren asked, eager to find out if the process had been a success. Of course, even if Khal couldn't feel anything, he wouldn't be rightly sure what that meant; since every person was different, it wouldn't necessarily indicate that the ritual had failed.

by **Khal'iah** on April 15th, 2013, 2:56 am

When the azure-skinned warrior instructed his pupil to stop being a baby, the first instinct that rippled through the violet-skinned youth's mind was to respond with a retort of some sort. Yet, in light of all that had transpired, the young warrior simply let that one slide; especially after hearing his Mentor's grunt of approval. "Yeah Yeah..." he said softly, before inhaling a deep breath in order to further steady himself. Then, Aren posed a question that caused the young Khal'iah to examine himself. At first, he wanted to state the truth: he could not feel much of anything, aside from numbness all across his limbs and everywhere in between. Yet, perhaps that was the sensation he was looking for? Khal'iah's shimmering eyes came to a close as he set about mentally checking himself over. He flexed his fingers, wiggled his toes, tightened his muscles...

...and the numbness washed away, replaced by a sudden pulse that snapped the youth's eyes open. The pulse originated in the pit of his stomach and reverberated all throughout his being, rippling over every sinew, every vein, every fiber of his being. The reverberations flooded him, filling him to the brim with what the Akalak could only identify as a sort of energy, similar to that which had invaded his body only moments before. However, unlike the enigmatic power wielded by his Mentor, this energy was as native to his body as his blood and felt perfectly in place to the youth; as if acknowleding the presence of something that was already there. To say the very least about how it felt...it felt warm.

Khal'iah could not resist the smile that soon came to plaster itself upon his countenance in response to this sensation. In the best way he could, the young warrior then proceeded to articulate to his azure-skinned Mentor just exactly how he felt. "I...At first, all I could feel was numbness...but then, there was a pulse within me. It flooded my entire body and I can feel a new energy within me, but it doesn't 'feel' new at all. It feels like it's always been there...it's warm, comfortable, and natural. Is that what I'm supposed to be feeling?"

by **Aren** on April 15th, 2013, 9:39 am

Aren knew, from the moment Khal'iah smiled, that the young man could feel it. That strange sensation of something long forgotten, now remembered. It was like meeting an old friend you didn't even know you had.

"What you're feeling is your Djed, your essence," The older Akalak informed his student, "From your description, it seems you're inclined towards the element of fire," he added, creating a tiny orb of Res above his outstretched index finger.

"It's chaotic and unpredictable. Mercurial and devious," Lighting the orb on fire, Aren wanted to show Khal what he was going to be dealing with, because the more familiar a Reimancer was with the nature of a particular element, the better they could control it.

"It twists and bends like it has a life of it's own, an intelligence of it's own. You must respect that, or one day it will turn on you like a rabid dog," The warrior explained, having had his own difficulties handling the element not too long ago. That wasn't Aren's natural element though, so it was to be expected, and his student probably wouldn't have the same problem. Even so, the teacher wanted to make sure his pupil had the best possible start he could give him, and a little advice from a more experienced practitioner never hurt.

"Because it's power is extremely destructive, you must always be mindful of it, but it will prove a potent ally once you understand it," The Akalak explained, suspecting that Khal'iah would probably come to terms with all this his in own time, and in his own way.

The teacher, in Aren's view, should merely offer a guideline that the student could rely on. Unlike the people who had instructed him, he did not believe in the rigidity of a traditional education. Some students might respond well to being told exactly what to do and how to do it, but those with real talent generally did not; they wanted to test their own limits, try their own methods, and make their own mistakes... and as far as Aren was concerned, that was exactly the way it should be.

by **Khal'iah** on April 15th, 2013, 11:55 pm

The bright smile upon the young warrior's countenance only grew and grew whilst he listened to his Mentor's words, culminating in the form of a toothy smile. His eyes shone with a mingle of excitement and apprehension while he hearkened to the azure-skinned Akalak's words concerning what was within him, and the nature of the element Fire. To be perfectly honest, his native element fascinated him. It was chaotic, unpredictable, untamed, destructive...oddly enough, it reminded him of a particular someone who resided in the rear of his psyche. 'You and the element Fire have numerous things in common Brother.' Khal'iah stated to the silent darkness. 'I can only hope that, just like Fire, you'll become an ally of mine someday.'

To this, the being known as Ha'lik chuckled aloud. 'Don't get all sentimental on me ya sack of shyke. Keep our body in one piece while you're playing with this magic.' he stated flatly. A chuckle then escaped Khal'iah's lips, one that was quickly stifled by his hand. He looked embarassed, as he had literally just chuckled while his teacher was explaining the dangers of Fire magic. "I'm so sorry!" he stammered out, "Ha'lik was being...himself...erm...I completely understand all that you're saying." At this point, since the numbness was gone, the young Akalak managed to lean forward and force himself, shakily, to his feet.

"Fire is unlike anything in this world. It cannot be simply waved about like a sword. It cannot simply be broken like a steed. No, it is as unpredictable as the weather; potentially as deadly as the gods, or as comforting as a mother's embrace. It is not something that I can ever hope to tame, but I can work with it. Right?"

He hoped his explanation was apt and would excuse the behavior he had demonstrated at the expense of his darker half...whom took to cackling like a bemused hyena all the while.

by **Aren** on April 16th, 2013, 4:37 am

Often having the same issues, Aren immediately recognized when Khal'iah was having an internal debate with his Other. Even so, the urge to smack him right upside the head for being so foolishly distracted proved powerful for his teacher. Fortunately for him, the older Akalak was simply too tired to be bothered with reaching all the way over there to dole out the punishment.

At his pupil's assessment that fire was a substance one could "work with", Aren merely smiled in response. The way the Reimancer saw it, making such an attempt was foolhardy. One couldn't hope to come to terms with the flame; the day you screwed up it wouldn't just not burn you simply because you were it's friend. The best relationship you could hope for, in his experience, was to learn when exactly it was a good idea to unleash it's power, because that's really all you could do. Once it was loose, fire would do it's best to consume whatever was in it's path, friend or foe alike.

That was a lesson Khal'iah would have to understand on his own, however. At least, that's what Aren believed. He had already been told just what kind of "personality" he could expect from the flame, but now it was up to him to grasp the concept. To KNOW exactly what it meant.

"Go home, rest. Come back here in two days, if you want some practical lessons. Until then, don't play with your Djed, you'll go blind," The Reimancer advised, issuing a bit of hyperbole to make sure his student took the advice to heart. It would certainly be tempting to exercise this new limb he had discovered, but it was crucial he didn't over-stress his nascent abilities.

In Khal'iah's current state, overgiving could result from the most minor usage of magic, which might rapidly spiral into a cascade of casting that could end in disaster.

by **Khal'iah** on April 16th, 2013, 7:18 am

The young warrior was surprised that his senior had not reprimanded him for his outburst, but this was a pleasant surprise and Khal'iah would more than happily take it. When the azure-skinned warrior ordered the young Akalak to return home in order to rest, there was no argument, as Khal'iah was almost ready to fall asleep on the spot. Before turning on his heel and departing for the day, grinning from ear to ear in the wake of his success, he gave his Mentor a polite bow of thanks. "Thank you for everything Aren. I'll see you in two days, same time, same place." With that said, the young warrior rose to his full height and strode off, heading for his home.

And thus, a new Reimancer had emerged.