Chapter Six: Learning

Primine awakens Athena

Chapter Six: Learning

Athena’s beautifully luscious hair was concealed under a beige hood. The fabric was as rough as rattan. It almost felt as wearing a burlap sack, and it looked about the same. She assured that her eyes met no one else’s as she followed Primine’s feet. Primine had focused himself on a goal and he was silent in determination. The thing that snapped him from the unbreakable focus was the grip of Athena. She was sluggishly struggling to keep up with his determination.

He laughed gently, forgetting that she was even at his company. “I’m sorry.”

She returned a weak smile.

“Once we leave town, we’ll be fine to relax, but this is a wretched place to expose beauty,” He slid his hand into hers. “Especially beauty with such power.”

Her confidence rose as he added such a compliment. She assumed he was speaking of her royalty, and she then recollected her family and her people. The place they were now, Caro, was on the coast of Nyrillia. The salty ocean could be felt in mists through the sandy town. Though it was beautiful, it was as its atmosphere was, rough and gritty. Athena missed the lush green of home. Septire was a lusciously healthy green land in the west.

Primine could feel the tone of her mindset. He could feel the aching of her stomach. She was homesick, and to such an extent that he could taste it. When she acknowledged him with a depressed glance, he knew that she longed for the trees that signified her home. He felt for her, but he knew, in order to surely save himself and to save her, he must press onward. Wars may wage, but the strategic shall survive. Or so he believed… The outlook, in his opinion, was not so fair.

Caro eyed Athena. The town could sense her power, completely oblivious to the power wielded beside her. Caro craved what Athena was and all the people in town knew that they wanted this being, they just knew not why. One man did not question it. He wrapped his burly arms around the tiny tight waist and ran.

“Athena!” Primine screamed, attempting to restrain his subconscious powers. 

He immediately pursued the man. His eyes were building flames that warmed his body inside. He grew angrier and angrier the harder the man ran. It enraged him that though he shouted, and Athena cried to be released, the man pushed further. Finally, they were chased into a lantern-lit alley. The dusk was falling and the city streets were darkening, but the alleyways were as black as night. 

Under the concealing darkness with limited view, Primine threw his hand down to his side, cupping it against his hip as he ran. He allowed water to spout from his veins as if activating a spigot. His hands chilled the water to ice immediately, and in the form of a hardened hailstone. He threw the ice ball; unfortunately it shattered against the wall in front of him. The man had made a sudden turn through the alley. 

“Stop!” Primine yelled breathlessly.

Of course, what was Primine expecting? The man did not stop, he continued. 

Primine could go no further, though the screams of Athena encouraged him to continue. Athena! Exactly! 

“Athena!” He screamed to the disappearing duo. “Just let it out! I can’t save you!”

“No! Primine! No!” She shrieked as the man turned another corner.

She could not believe him! He was going to let her go! She was a princess and a peasant was to allow some ruffian to carry her off to rape and slaughter her! How dare he? How dare he?

The man’s screams could be heard in the distance. Primine dared not look up. He could smell the wretched odor. He smirked, his hands holding onto his knees as his chest compressed excellently large breaths. Finally, the man, whose bloodcurdling screaming continued, appeared from behind the corner with flesh aflame. It was not just feeble flames; it was one of a great blast- an unexplainable blast. It was unlike any that even Primine had performed. 

The flames that devoured his clothing were of a green and purple tint. They were literally melting his flesh from his bones. Primine attempted to eye the man in his eyes to determine the degree of his pain, and to absorb what masochistically enjoyed pleasure he could from them, but they had already melted from the sockets. Primine could feel his pain through his horrified shrieks. His cries were unnatural. 

Behind the falling body, walked a girl with her golden blonde hair exposed and whitened eyes, eyes that were hollow and exposed the magic within her. Her face was stern, as if to explain that the kidnapper reaped what he sowed. Primine for moments feared the power. He had definitely never seen anything so odd. His eyes changed to white orbs, but he still could interact and had emotion. 

Athena’s eyes closed and she fell to the dirt ground. Primine stretched his arm forth, but missed her completely. He, however, assisted her from the ground. She did not awaken, however; nevertheless, he continued on, with her on his shoulder. No one in Caro questioned the man walking with a swooned girl on his shoulder. No one should. It was the nature in Caro. Though he was strangely eyed, Primine tried to ignore the persecuting glances. But when it came down to it, he was the same as that slaughtered kidnapper.

The boat was exquisite. Primine enjoyed the sea. He loved to watch the waves because they seemed endless. The seemed to care less of what anything else thought or even existed. It was all about how they drifted upon the ocean, not how anything else did, and when something would interrupt their path, they would simply crash and dissipate. Once they did so, they would soon revive themselves. They were a chain that could not be broken. Primine envied their story and craved one alike to theirs. 

Athena was awake, but she was watching Primine more than the waves. She always wondered what he thought of when he was silent. She could feel that he was never absent of mind. He had always some matter pressing against his thick skull, but that is what made Primine Primine. He was always plotting and strategizing.

As the night turned, his eyes were beginning to strain themselves against the fine white waves. Athena could see the fatigue drawn under his eyes. He hadn’t truly gotten a good sleep since the farmer’s shelter. She put her back against the side of the railing, awaiting him to pay attention.

She sighed, very “ladily.” 

There was no response to the blue eyes that devoured the majesty of the ocean and the moon that reflected from it.

She sighed a bit louder and little more aggressively.

He still paid her no mind.

Athena looked to him smiling. She could not help but feel the warmth in her chest. His eyes were honest and caring, though his expression was focused, she could not help but feel blissful.

Music… Music was heard and that caught her attention. A boy, about the age of twelve was playing under the stars. He was paying no attention to anyone, but he was making love to the atmosphere. The boy had not noticed those who had noticed him. His bow was crafted of something ordinary as was the violin itself, but he was crafted from something magical. But not the type that bore its way in Primine’s and Athena’s hearts. 

This boy was his own type of magic. He had a power through passion. It was with the violin that he told of his power and prayed to what he believed in. The power of his story compelled Athena. She smiled as a tear ran down her face. The boy was obviously below a peasant, due to his raggedy clothing, but that did not matter. His passion translated through slow, beautiful tone with certain emphasized strokes of power destroyed all barriers that should have withheld the child from any power. 

His music captivated Athena strongly. Her ears fed from the emotion and it softened her heart. She seized the moment. She turned Primine’s face toward her and eyed him for a few seconds. His eyes were surprised and even more so as she planted a kiss upon his lips. She withdrew, and he watched her. She did not place another one upon him, so he took the pleasure, returning the passion with more!

And that night was their second night… This one was to be meant. This one was not for pure fun or purely the curiosity of it.