The institute was filled with anticipation of the upcoming pre tournament celebration for all those who had done well and made it to the next round. Zeus covertly scoured the open grounds, the lecture halls, and the armory halls for Merva but did not find her. He gave up and went to his private locker room, to rest his head, and wait for when the party will begin in the evening.
As Zeus entered the hall where the celebration was in full swing, the clamor of sounds, and the many smiling faces hit him like a wave. The drinks, the glasses, the laughter... All of it was too much.
Zeus endured it because he had to.
A son of the house of Hera did not slip from attention. The upcoming tournament was not just sport, it was a declaration. A measure of which bloodline would rise, and which would fracture.
It had to be him, his father would accept nothing less.
Much of the crowd came to him.
They told him they were cheering for him.
They always did.
He smiled when expected. Nodded when required, but beneath the polished calm, the shadows stirred.
They had been restless all evening. Not yet violent. Just there. Like something listening from beneath his skin.
He saw Merva leave. She did not walk out of the hall, she exited quickly and with purpose. He noticed the tension in her shoulders, and the way her jaw was set tight. It was clear that she was trying to control her emotions.
"My father said it would be a great honor to host your victory banquet after you win, as long as your father..." He did not hear the rest of what was said. With a polite smile, he excused himself and slipped through the doors, following her.
The corridor beyond the hall was quiet, lined with tall arched windows where moonlight spilled in silver sheets across the stone floor.
She stopped midway down it, her back to him. The corridor darkened a bit, and then fire bloomed in her palm.
Not wild or flaring. It was a globe.
Small, perfect, suspended in the air, rotating slowly.
Zeus went still.
He knew she had somehow unlocked her power, but he did not think she had mastered it to this level. A warm smile spread across his face. 'It was impressive.'
Footsteps approached from the far end of the corridor. It was a guard, and someone else. Judging from the tone of voice, it was a scribe.
Zeus crossed the space within two strides, and pulled her into his arms, vanishing with her.
The fire flickered, but did not vanish.
She fought him immediately. "Let go..."
Then she saw his face, and her resistance doubled. "You. Leave me."
The fire brightened slightly in her palm.
"Are you planning to set the building ablaze?" He asked letting go of her.
Her eyes flashed. "Do not be ridiculous."
"Then why practice here? During a gathering?"
"I wasn't going to burn anything," she said through her teeth. "I was controlling it."
Silence ensued.
The globe of fire dimmed as she dismissed it, darkness dispersing into nothing along with it.
It all came to her like a bulb lit in her head. She locked eyes with him, not angry. Suspicious.
"Since when did you know?"
He frowned slightly. "Know what?"
"That I've cracked the seal." The question wasn't dramatic, it was sharp.
Only she and Serine know.
The air shifted between them.
He held her gaze.
"Since the day you said the Atlantian was going to meet you. And the incident with Hero made it more obvious."
Her breath stilled, her fingers curling slightly.
"You knew," she stated quietly, shocked.
He looked at her confused. "I thought you knew that I did."
"Why didn't you confront me?" She asked.
"It wasn't my place to do that. Besides we both know you did not want it mentioned."
Her expression softened for a fraction of a second before hardening again.
"I called you days ago, and yesterday. You did not answer."
It had been her birthday yesterday. She had spent it all alone, like most times.
"I was dealing with something." He replied. Not as an excuse, but the truth.
The shadows reacted finally, surging up his spine like cold water. Merva noticed it, her gaze sharpening, as the room darkened.
It swallowed them both, the floor beneath them dissolving, giving way. And then they stood in shadow.
It stretched endlessly before them in all directions, layered, moving like something alive. Merva inhaled slowly, her eyes widening in astonishment. "This... Is what you have been dealing with?" She whispered, finally noticing the exhaustion he had tried to mask, on his face.
"Yes," he replied, briefly glancing at his feet his face covered in shock. He was standing. "This is what I've been dealing with."
Her gaze traveled upwards, studying the endless expanse. "Has it been tearing at you?" She asked.
He watched her skeptically. "You feel it too?"
"It hums," she said softly. "Like heat before ignition."
She turned around in wonder, fascination overtaking her features. 'It is different from the one in my dream.'
She stepped forward, her fingers reaching out to touch them. The shadows shifted almost shyly, returning back to her touch.
Zeus noticed that the further away from him she went, the more he levitated. He made his way to her quickly.
It was drawn to her, responding to her presence in a way it hadn't with him.
"What is this place?" She asked in wonder, her voice barely above a whisper.
He noticed the shadows coalescing around her, forming tendrils that wrapped around her arms, and legs. Merva didn't notice it, her attention focused on the way it moved before her.
"Be careful." Zeus warned, dusting them off of her. "We don't know what this is, or what its capable of."
Merva turned to him, her eyes glowing. "Its okay," she said, her voice distant. "Its trying to communicate with us."
"You're not afraid?" He asked her.
"Why should I be?" He did not answer.
The shadows pulled at them again.
He held firmly onto her hand, letting it take them.
The world shifted around them, the shadows parting to reveal a vast city of light and stone. The streets alive with the movement of people. "Is this... Another continent?" She asked looking at him. "Or is it a mirage?"
He was not sure either.
She tried to walk to it, but the shadows pulled her back in. They had more to show them.
It showed them different places in different seasons, in slow cinematic sweeps. Autumn in different places, bleeding into spring in different places, fields of exotic blossoms, and other flowers.
Merva laughed, enjoying the wonders it revealed, while Zeus observed them cautiously.
It pulled them back suddenly.
They watched scenes of the ancient battles reenacted before them, history that could only be read in the scrolls. Battle fields covered in blood, weapons of the supremes that were not fully captured by words.
He was impressed, but not nearly as much as she was.
He felt drained out, his power well felt depleted. The shadows faded, and they were in the corridor, the footsteps of the guard, and the scribe retreating.
Zeus's back was against the wall, his hand still holding onto Merva's. She was still reeling from the experience, a look of wonder on her face.
He gazed at her, his eyes drinking in her beauty, and for a moment he forgot to breathe.
Their gazes locked, and time froze. The air thick with unspoken emotions, the tension between them hung heavy in the air, making breathing difficult. It was as if the world had melted away, leaving only the two of them.
Without thinking, they leaned in, their faces inches apart. The distance between them shrunk, like two magnets drawn together by an irresistible force. But just as their lips were about to touch, she jerked back, her eyes wide with realization.
She pulled her hand free, her face flushing with a mixture of surprise and embarrassment.
"Ah, sorry." She muttered, clearing her throat as she stepped back to create space between them.
They stood that way for a moment, the tension between them refusing to dissipate, the silence oppressive.
His eyes never left hers, while hers was on the floor. Then she spoke, her eyes meeting his, her voice barely above a whisper. "Why didn't you tell me about all that?"
His expression turned wry, a small smile playing on his lips. "How could I? I wasn't exactly in control of myself when you saw me. I am sure you would not have liked a blood seeking version of me."
She laughed, the sound breaking the tension. "I guess." She said, a small smile on her lips.
"I should return back to the party," she said gesturing down the corridor, and he nodded in understanding. "
You should too." She added quickly.
"I was heading home. My father is returning today. Good bye."
She nodded, looking down at the floor, and looking back at him. "Then, bye." She said walking away.
He watched her leave, his face taut with tension as he recalled his father's arrival today.