Immortali

Chapter 11: Bad News

"Raina!" an accented voice cried. Blinking away the darkness, Raina saw Arriana shaking her, the woman's yellow eyes wide with concern. When she saw that Raina was awake and safe, her worried expression became angry. "What were you thinking, taking the amulet off like that? Were you trying to use your Gift? Do you know how dangerous that is? You could've gotten lost in memory." It took Raina little more than three seconds for her to realise that Arriana was rambling. "You would've found it difficult to come back. I mean, there I was, talking to Alrick about a crisis, and then I sense your power. Raina, I don't think you know just how powerful you are. I didn't realise until just yesterday when you broke the cryo-stasis spell your cousin had placed on you-ˮ

"Cryo-what?" Raina asked. Arriana gave her a frustrated sigh.

"The spell your cousin put on you- the one that encased you in an orb of ice. It should've frozen you, putting you into stasis, but you broke it. Only trained Immortali can break a spell like that. It's very rare to find an Immortali who has both strong willpower and magical power, especially someone who hasn't even been Initiated for a week. Therefore, I come to the conclusion that you have some very powerful magic, and I sensed it yesterday when you broke that spell. That's why I came in the first place. And I sensed the same thing today, but it was a lot stronger, and now I know why."

"Wait... are you saying that I have powerful magic?" Arriana blinked, as though she thought Raina was stupid. Ignoring her, Raina continued. "Ok, yeah, I get it. Stupid question. It's just that Claire said that she couldn't sense my power. She said I didn't have any."

At this, Arriana snorted. "Your cousin," she began. "Is an idiot. Surely someone who's been training for as long as she would have recognized a protection amulet when they see one. The amulet doesn't just block your Gift; it also shields your magic so that it's difficult for anyone else to sense it. Technically, people shouldn't be able to sense it at all, but your case is... unique. Your power is so strong that it can overcome the protective layers of the amulet. And that's why I'm so angry at you for taking it off! You've probably revealed your location to every magical being within a 50km radius."

"Oh," was all Raina managed to say. For a long moment, silence engulfed the room, making it feel thick with awkwardness. All that could be heard were bangs from other parts of the house (courtesy of the Mads family) and the whisper of paper as a breeze blew around the room. Suddenly, a bright light flashed in front of Raina's eyes. With a gasp, she shielded them from the unnaturally bright light. A few moments later, Alrick appeared in the middle of the room. Raina watched with interest as he removed some sunglasses and began talking to Arriana. And he didn't look happy.

"Arriana, I've got some bad news..." he then noticed Raina. Frowning, he finally took in his surroundings. "Ah, right," he mumbled to himself before turning to Raina, an awkward smile lighting up his unshaven face. "Nice room, Raina."

Unable to hold it back anymore, Raina let out a giggle. Here was a who-knows-how-old immortal looking apologetic for appearing in a fourteen-year-old's room. After she regained her composure, she shook her head. She didn't think her life could get any weirder.

Arriana however, didn't seem to find it funny. She stood there with her hands on her hips, waiting for Alrick to say something, and when he didn't, she hastened him with an irritated "Well?"

"Oh, right. Um... yes, you're not going to be very happy..."

It was then that Raina noticed how pale Alrick was, and, in spite of his Immortal youth, the lines and crinkles on his face seemed to stand out more than they had a minute ago, and serious expression replaced his childish smile. He looked like a completely different person.