Lunae woke up the next day with a pounding headache. The night was filled with laughter and a lot of dancing. She looked over to Fulch, who was still fast asleep. She then saw the Master standing at the altar. He was looking right at her with a look of dread in his eyes.
“Lunae, get up and follow me,” The Master said in such a demanding voice that Lunae best thought it wasn’t the time to argue. They went outside, and Linth was there waiting for them.
“I have secured the spot for you Master,” Linth said, beckoning them to follow. They went to the forest, and when they reached the opening, there were lanterns in a circle, an altar in the middle.
“Now, Lunae, you seem to hold a lot of power, untamed and instinctual power. Which is good since you and Fulch are right. I am dying, and the water needs me to prepare you,” the Master said. This came as a shock to Lunae; she didn’t know why, but deep down, she was hoping for more time.
“How long do you have?” She asked, praying for a hopeful answer. The Master sighed and placed his hand on the altar.
“The water tells me not long; the longer I stay away from the temple, the shorter my time gets. I doubt I’ll be going back with you when the time comes,” he said. This brought tears to Lunae’s eyes.
“Isn’t there something the water can do?” Lunae asked, holding back tears.
“Not anymore, so listen up, I have much to show you,” The Master said as Lunae pulled herself together. Linth was then dispatched to grab something. Lunae did not know what. The Master then told Lunae to take a deep breath. She did so, and immediately after, she started to feel pain as if something was being pulled out of her veins. She was then released and fell to the floor.
“What the fusht was that?” She demanded. The Master, looking tired, was breathing hard.
“I just was about to rip out the water inside your body. Which would have killed you. That is what you need to learn next,” Lunae was angry.
“Why the fusht would you do it to me! Why do I need to learn how to kill someone like that?” The Master was getting irritated.
“Because your life depends on it!” He yelled at her, which startled Lunae. That’s when she saw how desperate he looked.
“There is a faction of the Porpura that has been given the gift to manipulate water, but the general of the Rhudons has turned them to his side. You must learn to stop the attack before they kill you!” This brought Lunae to reality, and she remembered how dangerous her situation was.
“Okay, so how do I stop it?” Lunae said, getting back up. This brought a smile to the Master’s face.
“You must remember that we are stronger than they are, and that we can reverse it and also cause it at the same time. Now try to resist. Remember to pull water to you,” The Master said. Lunae tried to prepare herself. The pain was worse this time; she struggled to think, and by the time she came to, she realized she was on the ground, and the Master was hovering over her.
“You must look past the pain, get up, we’re doing this again,” the Master said. They went at it for hours. Lunae didn’t even realize they soon had an audience.
“Please give me a break!” Lunae pleaded.
“Do you think the enemy will give you a break? Look at them!” The Master pointed at the two men shackled on the ground, smiles on their faces. Lunae felt angry and embarrassed that these people had been watching, for how long she could not say.
“She is supposed to be the next Master! Please, I could kill her in my sleep,” the Porpura stated. This gave the Master an idea.
“If you think you can, you’re free to try!” The Master said, grabbing the man, breaking his shackles, and throwing him towards Lunae.
“What the fusht are you doing?” Lunae screamed before the warriors on guard could stop the Master. He held them where they stood and put his arm up to the Porpura, who was at the moment trying to kill the Master, who just manipulated the man like he was a rag doll.
“Try to kill her, and I might spare your life!” The Master stated, the warriors protested, but the Master made them cough up water.
“Listen here, Lunae, I will not come to your aid. Either you figure it out or die!” The Master said. Lunae was terrified; she saw how the Master manipulated so many people with such ease, and she really did believe him. If she didn’t figure it out, she would die. The Porpura fixed his eyes on her and was ready to strike. Lunae tried to prepare herself as best she could, but soon the pain started. She could hear her heart beat in her ears getting faster with the pain, but slowly fading as the water was being filtered out. She then felt the water; she grabbed a hold of it with her mind, which seemed to put a damper on the man’s face. She grabbed the water all around her and started to pull back. To her surprise, she saw the water flow through the man, and she started to pull the water from him. She realized she could see the water in all things living and not. She pulled all towards her. The man screamed in agony as the water was pulled out of him. But Lunae couldn’t stop, she started pulling from all around people, trees, and the ground. The Master yelled for her to stop, but she couldn’t listen.
Finally, Fulch ran up from behind her and knocked her unconscious. When Lunae woke up, they were still in the clearing. The Master looked like he was going to pass out, and Fulch was there to help her up. Her head hurt from where Fulch hit her, and she placed her hand over it.
“Ouch you jerk,” Lunae said, smiling at Fulch.
“You could have killed a lot of people, including the Master, so sorry, not sorry,” Fulch said as he helped her up. That’s when she saw him. The man was lying there lifeless. The Master walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder.
“You did well. It’s intoxicating, isn’t it? You must now learn when to hold back,” He led her to the Rhudon man chained up and beckoned Linth to bring him forward. Lunae didn’t like this. She knew how to kill in self defense, but to purposefully kill was another matter.
“I don’t think I can do this,” Lunae said. Linth then walked up, holding the chains.
“This man is already sentenced to die if not by your hand, someone else's,” the Master said. This didn’t seem to settle Lunae’s heart; she wasn’t accustomed to this much violence.
“Lunae, you’ll have to execute for the water for many different reasons. Best you start now,” The Master said, knowing full well what he was asking of her. Lunae was afraid.
“What if I lose control again?” Lunae asked. Fulch laughed and stated
“Then you’ll have another bump from me!” He said gleefully. This made Lunae smile, but it was the Master who put a stop to the fun.
“You have to do it yourself, or you’ll always be out of control.” This put a serious vibe to the whole situation. The Rhudon looked scared and angry. Lunae just stared at him, knowing his life was about to be forfeit.
“What did he do?” Lunae asked, hoping to find the courage to take his life. Linth pulled on the chains of the man, bringing him closer.
“He was commissioned to kill you and the Master. That’s why the Porpura was with them. He had great power. Clearly not great enough,” Linth said. The Rhudon tried to get up, but Linth kicked him down.
“The water will not have power over us; we will take over planets and kill water!” The man screamed. Lunae couldn’t comprehend why they wanted to kill off water; it’s so essential. So she decided to ask him. He laughed at her.
“When you marry our general, you’ll be powerless, and we will control water, and then we will eradicate it,” The man said. Lunae was confused, marry the general? Lunae thought.
“What is he talking about?” Lunae said, staring at the Master. The Master looked like a puppy that had just gotten in trouble, and right at that moment, Lunae finally figured out what the Master had been keeping from her.
“Please tell me it’s not true,” Lunae said. The Master was staying quiet, and this infuriated Lunae. Fulch also seemed angry; it was he who pushed the Master and yelled for him to say something.
“I had no choice; that was the only way the Rhudonians would accept a treaty. If they could have a union with the water,” The Master said, hoping for some mercy.
“But the general isn’t keeping the peace. What the fusht was the ceremony for if not for that?” Fulch said. The man began to laugh, and Fulch punched him in the face, resulting in the man’s fall.
“The water won’t allow this!” Lunae finally said. This caught the Master’s attention.
“The water is being quiet about who you need to marry, so I did what I had to do,” The Master said. Fulch walked off, and Linth seemed visibly upset as well, the Rhudon sitting back up now, still laughing.
“Now do what you have to do and take this man's life,” The Master yelled. Lunae looked at this man, and so much hatred was spewing from her pores.
“Listen here, I will not marry your general, and I will eradicate your species. Your kind will not hurt another species again,” Lunae said as she stretched out her hands to pull the water out of the man. She took her time envisioning the water, and when she saw it, she decided to make it as painful as possible. Her anger guided it, and the man began to scream. His screams comforted Lunae, and when it was finished, she was calm enough not to lose control. She breathed heavily, staring at the body.
“That shouldn’t have taken so long; you didn’t need to be cruel,” The Master said to Lunae as he walked past her. She didn’t care what he had to say anymore; she was bitter towards him. She then saw Fulch’s face; he seemed satisfied by the death, and she gave him a nod. Linth then came up to her and put his hand over her shoulder.
“You did well, I hope you will make better choices than your Master,” Linth said.