AMETHYST: The rise of Tetra

Chapter 23

    The challenges that lay ahead for the couple were that of a new kind. Rejection, fighting, death, jealousy, they had been through it all, though the cause of their upcoming separation would be rules. It was a kind of separator they could not even fight, for they needed the support of the Warmecks to move forward with their fight. Why something or the other kept pulling them apart was a question left unanswered, even by the flame, the very being that wanted to push the pair to maximum togetherness. Though obstacles were a part of the journey, and the ones they were facing now were absolutely nothing compared to the ones they would face when the real threat came forward. 

    Remo led the couple around the vast grounds of the Warmecks, introducing them to every corner and providing every single detail. 

    ‘This spot right here is called The matery. Named after the only spot where mates can come and do mischief without Paulina realising or interrupting. The rules are exempt here,  discreetly, of course.  If you begin crowding it surely the leader will know, so sacrifices have to be made by all Warmecks, and the system runs by bookings only. It’s an entire inside operation, if someone of higher power were to find out that we were breaking the rules they would most probably banish us. Only one pair or two are allowed in per night, and if you are caught it’s by your own risk’ revealed the top guard, fulfilling his role as a tour guide. It had not been consolation to the pair that yet again for who knew how long, the pair would have to spend their time apart, and fight to spend a few moments in the day together to themselves, and as they shared a glance with each other, they knew it would be hard, but worth it. They said nothing as they nodded, and Remo took that as a sign of their terror. ‘Look, I know this sounds horrible, and I can’t deny that it certainly is going to be challenging. I don’t know what it’s like to have a mate, so I’m not going to pretend like I understand what you’ll be going through, even in the slightest, though the one thing I do know is that we have to win this war. Like I said, that means you must do everything it takes. My leader, she will test you upon everything, including on your ability to control your urges around your mate, you must be resilient, you must be strong and you must be able to somewhat control the sense of hyperdrive your animal instincts will drive you to. Just trust me’ he spoke gently, carrying on with the tour. The pair had no words to say upon instance, only processing to do as they realised that this part of their journey would be more challenging than they had originally envisioned. Having to train had been an exasperating enough thought, though having to do it in the toughest conditions and not even having each other around after it was something they did not wish to go through. Did they have a choice, however? Absolutely not. 

    Razaar had been more against the thought than the Hybrid leader, though knowing his mate,  he was aware that he too, would have no choice but to reluctantly keep his distance. 

    ‘Why does everyone here have something against mating, Remo? Isn’t the mate bond supposed to make you fight better? What if you mate and mark your mate before marriage? What happens then? What do people do then?’ Asked Eliana, accepting the terms though not quite understanding the perspective that had allowed it to remain in the era she was living in. Having experienced a roller coaster of emotions herself with her own mate, she had known the feeling of valor and courage, and knew that fighting to protect your mate, community and pack was greater than fighting to be at the top. The Warmecks were certainly blessed with the ability to fight, though why weren’t they blessed with the ability to feel, and love?

    ‘From the time of Ray’s dictatorship the rules have remained. They have loosened, of course, our leaders now know that it is important for mates to be with each other. However, as I said before, fighting is the only important thing to Warmecks, we need to be ready for anything, and if we waste our time fooling around with our mates, we won’t train. These rules have been created to keep us focused on training and getting stronger. Most of the Warmeck population ends up getting married sooner, that’s the only way to maintain a normal relationship with your mate and the only way you can spend more time with them outside training grounds. If you are caught doing something you shouldn’t be, then you suffer the punishments’ he responded, in turn silencing the pair that had nothing they could say against rules that had been in place for centuries now. They could not fight the system that belonged to another kind, it was not their own to battle, so they accepted their fate and moved on.

    ‘This is the men’s cafeteria room, and this is the women’s cafeteria room. Men’s training grounds to the left and women’s training grounds to the right. The one in the very center at the end is where men and women train together, only after commander Stem has instructed so. No one is allowed to fight with the opposite gender until commanded’ he mentioned, demonstrating the real extent at which the Warmecks were protective of their training. The look on Eliana’s face had said it all, and the poor man was left yet again to explain a topic he had been going around in circles with. ‘I know, seems bizarre, but like I said, just go with it. It’s how we get stronger. Our commander has a certain theory about fighting our own gender, one she will explain to you, and it works, just trust her’ he mentioned, moving past rapidly to the next part of their grounds. ‘Locker rooms are inside the training centers that correspond to each gender. The stone houses on grounds only belong to mates who are married and have earned the right to live with their partners. It’s so they can… procreate. The rest live in shared accommodations. Women live in the housing to your right and ment to the left. There is no concept of roommates, sometimes women can be mated amongst themselves and so can men, and the whole point is to avoid getting distracted so everyone gets their own room and bathroom, kitchens are shared. Guards ensure that everyone remains in their chambers after lights out so no one can sneak around. Though some guards can be tricked, not all of them can’ he explained, picking on every single detail possible. The amount of information they had to digest had been more than they could ever imagine, and the prospects of the future were certainly not looking good, at least not for Razaar. In his mind the man had already mapped a route to sneak around to where his mate would be staying, to cheat the system in a way they would not notice. Would he succeed, however? They would only find out after the risks would be taken.

    ‘What happens to people who are caught sneaking around to meet their mate?’ Blurted Razaar, quite evidently revealing his sneaky intention. Eliana contained her laughter as the question was posed, and Remo tensed up, knowing as top guard it was probably best not to hear the rest of the details of this conversation as he would no doubt have to report it. 

    ‘For both our sakes I’m going to pretend you didn’t just ask me that’ he stated, moving forward. Feeling awkward by the tension her mate’s words had just created, the Hybrid leader glared at her mate before attempting to soothe things out. 

    ‘He’s only joking Remo, he won’t do such things. We don’t want to get into trouble’  the woman said, though she wasn’t quite sure if she herself believed it yet. She had hoped that he would sneak into her room, though also wished to push aside the consequences of those actions, and slid the thought right out of her head. Remo nodded, masking his disbelief as he then walked back towards the entrance, stopping by the waterfalls. Squinting their eyes, the pair took note of the several people that sat right below the waterfall, on the rocks, their eyes closed as a lump of water descended upon their half naked bodies. How these individuals were not discomforted or freezing was yet another question that came to mind, and it was one their very own personal tour guide would clarify for them soon. 

    ‘Eventually, when you get to the deepest part of mental training this is where you will be sent. The waterfall allows you to block the physical from the mental, so you can practice focusing on what you need to’ he introduced, a concept far too mind blowing for the pair. 

    ‘Mental training? For what?’ Posed Razaar, now piecing together exactly how strict the atmosphere around them was going to be like. 

    ‘Yeah, there are several parts of training. Physical training isn’t the only thing you’ll be doing. You will have scenario based theory and practical training, physical training -which is perhaps going to be the easiest of them all- and then you have mental training, which delves into torture training, to prepare for any scenario where an individual is kidn*pped and put through a tough time’ he explained, leaving the pair absolutely speechless. The more they thought about it the more they realised how much sense it made. All this time, their heads had only pondered upon the possibilities of physical training and the torture that would be, though the reality of what they would be doing -despite making full sense- not seemed a lot longer and worrying than they anticipated. 

    ‘Just to clarify, are we going to be put through mental and physical torture as a means of torture training?’ Asked Eliana, fear taking over instantly over the scars left behind from the previous incidents she had experienced with Balthazar. The look of horror on her face had made Remo hesitant to reveal the truth, though it was better they knew now and were prepared before it would all come crashing down upon them like an unexpected tsunami. 

    ‘Look, I know it sounds terrifying, and given everything you’ve been through I know that you’re worried, but frankly it’s for the best, you need to trust the process. Trust Paulina, she knows what she’s doing. Everything you will go through will be completely secure, no real harm will come to you. You’ve already seen what the Vermillion can do, if we can be ready to face that, then you won’t have anything to be afraid of, and we will be invincible’ he responded, not quite getting to the blatant truth, which was that a long journey lay ahead for the pair. 

    Digesting the truth, however, was a completely different thing, and as Razaar grabbed onto the hand of his worried mate, the mere look they received was the first step they had taken towards their obstacles. Nevertheless, Remo restrained himself from saying anything, giving the couple a mere moment of freedom before they would have no choice but to obey the rules strictly.

    Next to the waterfall, lay an open area, where only one member had been training, in a way that the pair had never seen, one that terrified them just by looking at it. The weaponry that lay around was unfamiliar and quite scary looking. The mere sight had made them realise just how many differences lay between the barriers of Gloarian and Tetra, and from then onwards their respect for the Warmecks had risen to the max, not understanding how they all remained patient and vigilant of everything around them. 

    ‘What are these weapons?’ Asked the Hybrid leader, feeling less powerful than ever, despite being immortal. 

    ‘These are weapons that only Warmecks have. We have the ability to morph real human weapons, though they’re not really human weapons, they can’t inflict any damage because we don’t have the material to fully create them. Some of them are useful but we adapt them to our style, and do the best we can with them to make them powerful. You will be introduced to it all in due time, and you will train with them too’ he revealed with a certain nonchalance that was worrying to the core. Human weapons had been another event of trauma for the Hybrid that seemed to be experiencing her entire past in a mere moment. Nevertheless she kept it together remarkably, and with the comfort of her mate’s hand in hers, she proceeded to calm herself down, and carry on as if everything around her had not terrified her to the core. It had had the same effect on the great Alpha of Gloarian, of course, though for his mate’s sake he masked it to the best of his abilities, knowing that there was nothing else he could do to eliminate the hardships around him. 

    Without the training the Warmecks could provide them with, or their support, there was no way they were going to win the upcoming war, and having seen all that they had only reassured them that the contribution of the Warmecks was the most crucial one of them all, more than any other species on Zaleon. The flame had been proud of his creation, and despite their rules that slightly went against the flame’s concept of mates, he respected the decision of this kind, knowing that at least it had not completely been banished or overlooked. Though the Warmecks had been by far the hardest species on the planet to create, needing to implement all the warcraft, anger and passion within them that Leopold had held onto for so long, along with his grudges against his own family. 

    Time was speeding in every way possible around them, and soon Remo reached the end of his tour as they arrived back at the spot they had started in, and it was time for the pair to embrace their new temporary status, and stick to it. 

    ‘This is where you will bid each other farewell, and go your separate ways. Eliana, you will be escorted to the female accommodation center, given a room and be explained all that you need to know, and Razaar, I will show you the way to the men’s center. My commander is away at the moment on important business around Tetran borders, when she returns, you will be introduced and your training will begin’ he announced, and despite having expected it, the words raised a certain panic within the great Alpha and Luna of Gloarian. 

    ‘Will we be training separately?’ Questioned Eliana, all too quickly. 

    ‘I don’t know. Given the circumstances, you might not, but it’s all up to my commander’ he stated, having nothing else to say. Glancing between each other, the pair gave each other a last peck, wanting to hold on more but knowing they could not, before a female guard arrived the scene, and escorted the Hybrid leader towards the accommodation center where she would be staying. The guard remained silent the whole time, not uttering a word until the building had arrived. A petite, well-built, figure sat at a desk, wearing the armour that all around the territory had seemed to be wearing as a uniform, and she stood up at the arrival of the immortal woman. Though as intimidating as Eliana thought she was, it had all collapsed whilst facing the Warmecks, who had all been 10 times as intimidating as the woman herself. 

    ‘Your keys, your room is on the 10th floor. Stairs are to the right. Breakfast is at daylight, lunch is in the afternoon and dinner is just before nightfall. Lights out is at nightfall, be back before then’ she announced, handing the keys over to the woman without a second glance. ‘Here is your uniform’ she added, pulling out a similar set of armoured clothing from below and handing it to Eliana before seating herself back down to continue with her work. 

    The flabbergasted leader collected her stuff before heading up in her lonesome, climbing to the tenth floor whilst only wondering what her life would look like for how much ever time she decided to spend on Warmeck grounds. As much as the thought terrified her the woman knew there was nothing else she could do, and taking a deep breath she processed it all, making a vow to herself that she would be strong, and train to the best of her abilities. She reminded herself of her immortality, and the powers she had inherited from the flame, and refreshed that she was born for greatness, that she was born for this cause and that she would fulfill her duty as a warrior. With that in mind she advanced towards her room, noticing the lack of introductions she had received from individuals passing by her in the hallway where her room had been. 

    As a leader she had always humbled herself, obtaining the same, standard cottage that everyone else had on her grounds, and so she had not expected her room to be any fancier than it was. It was something she had accepted pretty quickly, and knew that she would be alright with whatever they gave her. 

    The Alpha, however, had a certain luxury within his pack house that the Hybrid had not, and so as he entered his own chambers realised the room ended where it began, he accepted that this would certainly be harder than expected. 

    It took the pair no time to get fresh and settled into their new lodging, and soon they descended to eat a meal without the usual company of each other, and instead came to face the rest of the Warmecks that had already been giving the pair dirty looks just by the identification that they were Ivory. Their story and cause for appearance on Amethyst lands had yet to be unravelled, though in the meantime they accepted the prejudices that had somehow followed them from the borders of Tetra. 

    Nevertheless, their generalisation had been proved wrong, and as with the Amethyst Witches and Yolegs, soon enough the exceptions of the Warmecks came through, and a certain individual had appeared from the shadows to be the only friend Eliana would have. Razaar remained in the company of Remo, though the lonely Eliana would soon realise that she would not be left alone. 

    The woman went by the name Tiria Lian, and despite being a fierce warrior, she was a woman with an open mind, and a large heart. Observing the strong leader take a seat on her own with her food, she dared to advance forward, placing herself right opposite the member of Ivory to initiate conversation. 

    ‘You must be the talk of today, the Ivory?’ She questioned, in a way that had not settled well with the leader, acknowledging the lack of respect the question came with, though the woman’s intentions had not been to come across that way. 

    ‘I am Eliana Genova, leader of Hybrids and great Luna of Gloarian. The Ivory’ she snapped back, surprised to see Tiria chuckle at the response. 

    ‘Tiria Lian, nice to meet you Luna. Welcome to Warmecks lands’ she introduced herself, carrying on with her meal casually, and making it evident to Eliana that she was no threat at all. As the thought settled within her, she continued eating the meal she had been given, taking her time to realise that not everyone would be against her on these lands after all. 

    With a smile, she continued making small talk with the woman as she ate, and with the punctuality it had been stated with, she soon returned to her chambers to follow through with lights out. 

    Though for Razaar the thought of sleeping without his beloved had been unacceptable, and so the Alpha set out to be the rebel he was on his very first day, using the exact plan he had mapped at the beginning to get to the female accommodation center, using her scent to make his way up to the tenth floor by sneaking around the guards around. The Alpha used his powers of fire to mask his scent, and create the necessary distractions to get past the guards and into the room of his mate, where his laying figure had brought peace and joy to his heart, and he advanced forward to sneak in and lay with her for the rest of the night. 

    The Alpha had yet to realise the severity of his actions, though within his own thoughts he believed he was safe, and that he had made it without creating any scenes and alarming anyone at all. 

    As he slid into the bed, Eliana jumped with a startle, and turned around instantly to calm down, before processing what her mate had done. 

    ‘Razaar, what are you doing here?’