CHRONICLES OF THE LOST ORACLE: BOOK ONE - SHADOWS

Chapter five

Dawn broke as my second month with Xavior started.

As usual I woke up before Zanepher and snuck out of the tent to not wake her. As I stepped outside I looked up, the stars were a little faded from the full moon but they were still as bright and beautiful as ever. I looked around the meadow - all was quiet save for the morning sounds of the surrounding woods. All the other soldiers were still sleeping I guessed. I walked over to the middle of the field and did my warm up stretches and started going through the all the movements I have learned so far as a basic warm up routine - concentrating on trying to channel my energy through me body. Zanepher had mentioned once that all soldiers can throw fireballs and that meant me too. It was because I was intrigued be the idea of having great power that I agreed to become Xavior's student but so far the only active power I've been training is telepathy.

Every soldier had three kinds of powers. There was the innate powers that every soldier had in one form or the other like the ability to generate either energy balls or fireballs, mental shields, the power to see into the soles of others known as channeling. Then there was the innate-acquired powers. The unique set of powers that every soldier is born with such as telepathy, projection, mind control and so on. And finally there is the acquired-acquired powers. Basically what it come down to is that a soldier could learn a power that he wasn't born with but this was something not all soldiers could do.

By the position of the stars I estimated that it was still an hour before the moon would set and so was much too early for me to be awake. It was as if - even though I was still blocking any pain I might be in - my body aching body had woken me.

Done with my warm up, crossing my arms in a circular movement in front of my chest - taking in a deep breath - before bringing them down to my side with my fists clenched - breathing out. I unclenched my fists as n stepped forward with my left leg - knee bent at a ninety degree angle - and my right leg strait. At the same time, turning my body slightly side ways and from my chest stretched out my left arm - palm facing forward - right hand at my side. Also as I made this movement I concentrated on feeling the power behind such a slow movement. I brought my hand to my chest again and without lifting my feet turned, transferring my body weight from my left leg to the right, I repeated the movement to the other side with my right arm. I straitened up by repeating the movement that I started with.

"Good form. Strong movements. Your making good progress, my pet." I heard Xavior behind me. I immediately, on the spot, turned to face him.

"You really shouldn't sneak up on people like that, sir."

"I wasn't sneaking... It's quite beautiful out here this time of the night, isn't it." he said as he looked up at the stars.

"Yeah it is." I had been meaning to have a word with him for some time now but I haven't had the time. "What are you doing out here so early. I thought I was the only one crazy enough to be up at this hour."

"Of all my soldiers, you are. But I've been awake for hours. You've been working hard this last month. I thought I might give you a week off to rest and have some fun. After that I will make good on our deal to train you. What do you say?" him training me was what I wanted to talk to him about but a week off sounded great.

"Sounds good but I can't. Not now when I am so close to finding the door to a new power." It was my craving for power that drove me.

"I'm sorry you feel that way but it wasn't really a suggestion. It was an order and not one where you get to choose either. You are exhausted and since you've been blocking the pain you aren't a where of this but your body is close to reaching the limit of abuse it can take. You are close to breaking point, both spiritually and physically. I'm sorry my pet but you need a break and you need to stop blocking your pain and allow your body to feel it so that you can heal." What he was saying made sense and protesting was not going to do much good.