Birth of the Queen

Chapter Eight: Agony

Tristan P.O.V.

I walked out of Prita’s house. I could feel Nadia run after me. but I’m not in the state of mind to acknowledge her devotion. In spite of being my half-sister, she had done enough throughout the years. But all I could think about was Pri’s words. I did not know she had gone through so much. Trust me, if I knew I would never let her go through this alone. Hell, I never wanted to leave her in the first place, let alone hurt her. But I had to. I had to prepare myself. For her. The memories came rushing to me.

 I was 10 when I got to know that I was different from my classmates. I was scared, really scared. But then my mom told me that it was expected and my father gave his life for this cause. I dreamt of death and monsters that night. but I got used to it eventually. I was 14 when the high council contacted me. I was to be assigned as the member of the league of Bhana. I had to get myself testified and I knew what I had to do, though I was anxious. I remember how the gates suddenly appeared out of nowhere. I still remember the moment I stepped in, I could feel a storm brewing at the back of my mind. I didn’t stop for once. I strode down to the chief ballroom where the ceremony was supposed to take place. I saw several other teens like me. I grew more nervous by the second. When I  entered the ballroom I could see seats laid for us. There were people at the centre of the room. Thank Lord, my mom accompanied me, otherwise I would have fainted by them. I looked around the room and saw many teens were seated along with their guardians. The people at the center were calling us by name. the first one was a girl. She looked like she was about to pass out. I knew why. Because if any of us fail to testify properly, we would be ripped of our memories and we’ll be homeless and orphan. I really didn’t like that part. But mom said I had enough talent to prove to them that I was a true Bhana like my father. The girl who was called first was told to step onto the circle at the center. As soon as she stepped in there was a quake. The earth shook violently. She created soil just by moving her wrists. “Welcome to the league of Teren,” one of the council members declared. A smile broke through her lips. She went back to her seat. I could see the joy in her family’s eyes. About 20 to 25 people were to be tested that day. Some got into the league of Bhana as well. Some got into the league of Ilma, the keepers of water. Some were declared to be Silvic league members. Some got both teren and Bhana. Only one boy got into the league of Ignia. Everyone in the hall eyed him with caution. These were the dangerous sort. They could be of immense help unless they had reasons to rebel. My number came at 10th. I got up, my heart pumping violently inside my chest. I didn’t look back, but strode forward. The moment I stepped inside the circle, I felt the whole ballroom had faded. Everything was a blur. A huge tornedo was on rise around me. I stood silently. I concentrated on the tornedo and it started to diminish. I was happy that I succeeded, then something happened that I did not expect. When the whirlwind was almost gone, I could feel a scorching heat above my head. I looked up and saw fire. I could not believe my eyes. I was Bhana and Bhanas are only the keeper of the air. Nobody, even my mom, told me about the fire. How could fire exist in the circle of a Bhana? But I did not have enough time. I didn’t know how to stop that fire. It came poring down to me and I felt like my flesh was burning away. I screamed for help but no one was there. I sat down and tried to cover myself with my hands. But I was burning. I gave out a last cry of help before darkness consumed me. When I opened my eyes I saw my mom hovering over me with a sad smile. I tried to sit up but I could still feel the burns. “What happened, mom?” I asked feebly. “Don’t worry, baby. Everything’s fine.” I was not strong enough to ask questions. Mom gave me some food and I ate silently. I went to sleep after that. When I woke up, I saw my mom still sitting beside me. “Are you feeling well, baby?” She asked. I got up and realized I was fine. I actually felt quite energetic. I asked mom, “What happened at the circle?” I stopped for a minute and formed my next words slowly, “Mom, Di..Did I fail?” Mom brushed my hair with her hand and smiled, “No. No, baby. You did very well.” I frowned a little, “Mom, why didn’t you tell me that Bhanas get fire tests at the trial?” Mom smiled sadly at my question and said, “No. They don’t.” She stopped and looked at my eyes and spoke slowly, “You’re a Bhana just like your father, baby. But you’re also an Ignian.” I felt like someone hit me in the ribs. I fell silent for some time. Then I cleared my throat and asked, “That’s not possible. The league of Ignia does not accept keepers of other leagues.” She held my hands in hers and said calmly, “I know, baby. That’s what I knew until yesterday. You’re unique.” Mom stopped, probably because she could feel my fear. She squeezed my hands and said, “Baby, don’t be afraid. You’re unique and it’s a good thing. But you’re not alone. There are others like you. Few in numbers but there are keepers like you. You’ll just have to wait until tomorrow to know them. You’ll have some duties. The high council will announce them to you tomorrow when you visit. Be a brave boy, Tris.” She cupped my face in her hands and hugged me. I said feebly, “Mom, I don’t wanna do this. I don’t wanna go to the council. Please.” My mom croaked, tears making her voice groggy, “I know, baby. But it’s our duty. It’s your duty. It’ll be fine. You’re very strong. Very powerful. You have to trust yourself.” She left for her room kissing my forehead. I lied down staring at the ceiling until sleep took me. I woke up with a strong smell. I sniffed the air, still sleepy and realized something was burning. I sat straight and called for mom, “Mom! Mom! Something’s burning at the stove.” She didn’t answer. So, I got out of the bed and went to the kitchen to see the milk pouring out on the stove. I switched it off. I was a bit annoyed. “Mom, how many times do I have to tell…” I walked into my mother’s room blabbering and then my breath hitched. My mom lied there on her bed, blood streaming from her wrist which was cut open by at least two and a half inches. I rushed towards her and cried out, “Mom! Mom! Wake up. Mom!”

Everything happened in a blur. I didn’t know how I called the cops. They asked me a few questions about the incident. I answered. One of our neighbors arrived at the scene and assured the cops that he would take care of me. I didn’t even know him that well. I heard the cops saying that I would need a legal guardian. I told them I had no relatives that I knew of. They assured me and left. The neighbor said he would take care. He said he would adopt me. I didn’t know what to say. It took me back to reality when he mentioned the  Council. He said, “Okay, son. Whatever may have happened, you have to get ready to go to the council.” I was beyond shocked. “How do you…” I started saying before he stopped me. “There’s no time. You’ll know everything.”

I was a wreck. My mom was dead and I was something that I didn’t understand. When I walked into the Ballroom, it had only four or five members of the council. The man who announced yesterday smiled at me and said, “Welcome, Tristan. We are sorry for your loss.” He stopped for a while, his eyes were hard. “But, your duties are more important than your emotions. Remember that.” He continued, “You are aware that you’ve been accepted as both a Bhana and an Ignian. Am I right?” I nodded. He started walking towards me, saying, “ You must know what that means. You’re an anomaly. You’re different, so you’ll have very different duties.” He beckoned me towards the circle. I obeyed him like a puppet and once, I stepped in I felt like my body was on fire and my flesh was gonna fall out. I screamed, “What’s going on? Aaaaaaa…It hurts. Please, it hurts. Make it stop.”  He stepped closer but didn’t enter the circle. He said with what I assumed a hint of a grin, “It’ll be less with time. But you’ll have this pain until you find your Soul-companion.” I asked through the pain, “What? What is that?” “He said, “That, my dear boy, is part of a prophecy. You have been chosen as the seeker and protector of the ‘Eterna’.” I looked at him with confusion. He continued, “You have to bear this pain until you find her. Eterna is the queen of all the keepers and creatures combined. Now, there had not been an Eterna for 500 years. Your pain won’t go away until you succeed.” I screamed as I felt the heat rising. “Please. Please. I’ll do anything. Make it stop. I’ll find her. Where is she?” He instructed me to get out of the circle but it didn’t help much with the constant feeling of burning. He coldly continued, “She can appear any moment. You have to train. You need to be prepared all the time.” I said, “Okay. But how would I know it’s her?” “You’ll know. You’ll feel it.” He said, turning away from me. “What do I do when I meet her?” He looked back at me and grinned, “Transfer all the heat to her. She’ll take away your pain.”

For two years, I learned to channel my powers and waited. I went to high school. I always had a very few friends. Everyone though that I was some kind of a freak. I didn’t care much, mostly. I had to go to several council meet-ups and they humiliated me for not finding the Eterna. Gradually, I started to despise this duty. This girl. I had a feeling that I lost mom because of my duty, though I had no proof. There was a time when nobody would talk to me because I was being called the self-mutilating weirdo. It was true. I cut myself several times. I had many bruises all over my hands and feet and stomach. I did this to drown the feeling of constant burning. It didn’t help much but it became a habit. One day, everything changed. It was monsoon and the first day of a new class seemed more than difficult due to constant rain. I was sitting at my usual bench when a girl walked in. She was simply dressed in her uniform and had a dripping umbrella. She put the umbrella at the front and sat at the front row. She must be a good student, then.  She looked back for a second and I saw a shadow pass through her face before she turned back. I didn’t know what I was thinking but I rose from my seat and made my way forward and stopped beside her seat. I asked, “Hi! Is this seat taken?”, pointing to the seat next to her. She shrugged and I sat down without further ado. I could hear people from the back saying, “Creep.” The class started and I found out that she was really good in literature. Well, that was something we had in common. During class, I had to borrow an eraser from her. She slid it towards me and accidentally touched my hand. And for a second, I felt like my pain was much less. I looked at her, flabbergasted. She clearly didn’t know what just had happened. I kept staring at her trying to take in the incident. She must have felt it. She frowned, still looking forward. After the class was over, I got up and left. I went to the school garden and thought, ‘I need to confirm.’ I left the school for that day. I didn’t care whether I was missing classes or not. This was much more important.