TF Chapter 33 Scorched

Ten minutes... 

That was how long I could stay in the vision now. Even though the duration had kept on becoming longer and longer, I still hadn't tried to make my way towards the center of the city.

And it wasn't because I couldn't, but because of fear. The fear of uncertainty! After that incident where my body had temporarily been hijacked, I had gotten cold feet. What if something happened while I entered the academy grounds? I couldn't get rid of the thought that there was a possibility that my body could once again be taken over...leading to the slaughtering of Bora and Danny.

She had tried very hard to hide it with her cold and stoic veneer, but I had managed to see through it. Bora's gaze sometimes contained a hint of fear when she gazed at me. One day, I managed to gather up enough courage to ask, only for Danny to butt in and tell me that after the slaughter, my hijacked body had apparently invaded her private space, just a few inches away and gazed into her eyes with intensity.

It had been a very terrifying experience!

I didn't want to put my companions through that once again, so I had opted to hold off on exploring the center of the city, the academy.

Yet, ultimately, here I was standing in front of the open gates, with many aliens passing through my spiritual self. I had spent two minutes on the road, and now had 8 of them left. That was a reassuring number, considering that at the start, I could barely catch a glimpse of the entrance before I was kicked out.

My current exploration had already been divulged to them by me since I wanted to warn them in advance...also, we still had to link up in order for me to access this vision, a hassle I would honestly want to do without...

I stood in place and took in the magnificence of the entrance. Even with the gates open and with me being a spiritual body, I still felt the warmth from the sun pattern on both sides of the gates. 

It was surprising, considering that I hadn't been feeling anything from the rest of the city. Nothing had had the power to affect me before, yet now, something was causing me to feel warm? Caution was highly needed.

I wonder how powerful I would have to become in order to be capable of manufacturing such an artifact! 

Even though I hadn't yet met those powerful forgers on the council, I had a feeling that they hadn't reached such a level.

I took in a much warranted deep breath after which I strolled towards the gates, cautious of the two incomplete suns on their faces, after all, if something can affect my spirit, no matter how minute the effect, I had to be on my toes.

As I passed between the open gates, my gaze alternating between the two, they brightened up simultaneously, coupled with an instant rise in temperature!

I didn't even have any time to scream out before my spiritual body was annihilated, a bright light taking up my vision.

-----

"Your pale face tells me that something went horribly wrong, what is it?" A question was directed at me by Danny, but I wasn't in the mood or capacity to answer as I could feel a powerful migraine enslaving my brain. 

There were many questions which needed answers within, but I knew for sure that there was no one who would be capable of answering them.

I simply lay there, on the hard rocky ground, gasping, trying to make sure that I didn't embarrass myself by screaming.

This headache had surpassed all the previous ones, with my mind giving me a signal that something had been scorched, yet it didn't exist in the material world, my spirit. Apart from the pain, terror had also engulfed my being, with my body spasming at the last memory, the one which ended with the intense pain. 

I bit my lower lip hard, feeling the taste of iron in my mouth. The nano suit shielding that had been invisible before materialised and sealed half my face, but my mind was occupied by other things to dwell upon the matter.

"What's wrong?" This time, it was Bora and her voice contained genuine concern. Those purple petalled pupils of hers bore into mine, trying to analyse my expression. During our daily interactions, this expression of hers somehow always managed to piss me off. It gave the feeling that something far more powerful and aloof was scanning me, an uncomfortable feeling. Her gaze always gave the feeling that she was staring straight into the soul, weird!

Anyway, as we locked gazes, I simply signaled with my eyes. I needed them to leave me alone for a moment. Even their words were irritating to me, causing a spike in the pain I was feeling.

She appeared to have understood the underlying meaning, since I saw her drag Danny away.

I made a vow to myself as I endured the excruciatingly scorching pain...that I will never go close to the academy gates before I advance to the first level of the forger path!

-----

"My spirit was scorched. Right now I don't feel anything. It looks like we will have to wait for it to recover...I am sorry for slowing down our training once again." I apologised with a lowered head. Though, if I was being honest, the person I was most frustrated with was myself. Why had I gotten impulsive all of a sudden? Couldn't I have held on for a few months? I would have ultimately gotten used to the boredom, yet here I was, having gone and slowed down our training once again!

"Its...okay. I don't know how you managed to not scream in that situation, but I think I understand a little." Bora spoke with some hesitation and uncertainity. There was a hint of blame within those purple petal patterned eyes of hers, something that only increased my guilt. I was slowing them down.

There was also something else to ponder upon. What if we failed and were booted out of this city at the end of the year? Wouldn't all the fault be mine?