The Mark of Aether

Aboard The Ship~Part II

I stood on the stern, drowning my sights in the blue of the sea, the gentle breeze rummaging through my hair, sending it playing with each stirring zephyr.

I breathed in the smell of the sea several times, staring with a clear mind at the endless brine enclosing me. Some seagulls screeched in the clear cerulean firmament, racing each other, their screaking voices reverberating in the open air.

Occasionally, I would stare absentmindedly at my right palm, remembering the shape of the Ardorian symbol on my skin. From time to time, I would like to see it once again. To allow it to appear and let my soul merge better with the nature, but I didn't. For our sake, it was better to keep it deeply wrapped and hidden, nowhere near the radar of our enemies.

Several times, I would feel that itchy sensation in my fingertips, as though sparks were igniting in my blood. I knew that this was the effect of my magic on my body. Ramos warned me about this long before we left.

He explained to me that day that my powers were seemingly infinite, capable of defying the place and time. But it was a blessing and a curse. While my potential was endless, my body suffers from the continuous waves of magic rebirthing in it. Using too much of energy might weaken me, but not using it at all would make my body burn from inside out.

Extending my hand, I allowed my water elemental to merge with that endless blue, creating some playful waves that splashed right and left, some droplets hitting the birds that flew away in fear.

Augmenting the force that I was using, I started lifting water in the air, moving it around.

But this time, unlike all others, my spell wavered and broke. I stared confusedly at what happened, willing to try again when I felt a presence behind me.

A hand rested suddenly on mine, opening it completely, facing down the sea while another one gently squeezed my shoulder.

''Release yourself to the sea; don't make it bend to you. You should be the one bending to it,'' said Carter, moving away, reclining back on the handrails I was leaning on.

"I guess that's something I will always forget to do.''

"You will get used to it.''

"Where is Mayra?''

''She's somewhere bossing over some poor sailors. Most probably bringing the hell out of their lives.''

I laughed at that, knowing how my friend could be polite and everything a lady should be, and then metamorphose into a wild, untamable person.

"Are you alright?'' he asked, leaning next to me.

''I am, I was just thinking.''

''About our mission?''

I nodded, playing with the ring around my index, remembering Siltheres.

"You should stop worrying about this. What is meant to happen will happen, no matter what. You should start enjoying the moment as it is. This is when you use your sense of adventure.''

"I fear I lost it somewhere buried underneath the avalanche,'' I answered, making him smile.

"Have you seen Leon?''

''Not since this morning, no. The traveling is not leaving him in his best forms. The absence of his elemental diminishes his force.''

''I know. Thankfully, I have both elementals to balance each other,'' I said, remembering the lesson we took with Miss Aria when she explained that our energy was tied to our elementals.

Water was no good to fire and vice versa. But when two elementals with differences in intensity met, like fire and air, the strongest would mask the weaker.