25 Chapter XXV

The next morning, Prince Ayaan pretended to have a headache. Emress knew he was trying to avoid fighting Reem. So after breakfast, she offered to give him some medicine.

"Take this you'd feel better," Emress said.

"No... No, thank you. I'll be fine," he said.

"You don't want to fight Reem do you?" Emress asked funnily.

"She's a girl," Ayaan said.

"Don't underestimate her, she might be stronger than she looks." Emress said.

"If you said so," He returned.

Reem and Dzemis arrived early. She had told him about the fight and he approved. He followed her to make sure she was safe and see how she'd put all her training into use.

Dzemis and Emress were among the those assigned by the guild of mages to help people gifted with the rare powers, they've known each other since a long time.

"Good morning Emress," Reem said.

"Morning Reem," Emress returned.

"Hello Dzem, how are you?" She asked.

"I'm very well thank you," Dzemis replied.

"Here to watch the fight?" Emress asked.

"I sure am," Dzemis returned.

Ayaan came out of the house some minutes after they arrived.

"Good morning Dzemis, Reem." He said.

"Good morning Prince Ayaan," Dzemis returned with a smile.

"Prince Ayaan, Princess Reem," Dzemis called.

"We'll create a barrier between you and the umbworld," Emress said.

"That's so you both can fight without your powers affecting things around you," Dzemis said.

"Just like a mirage?" Ayaan asked.

"Exactly Prince Ayaan, an illusion of space," Dzemis said.

"Seems he's a bit smart after all." Reem smirked as she thought.

Emress brought her wand out for the first time since Ayaan had been with her. Together, she and Dzemis created the barrier.

"Are you both ready?" Emress asked.

"Yes Emress," Reem said.

"I'm ready if she is," Ayaan said.

"Then you may begin," Emress said.

Reem waited for Ayaan to attack but he didn't. "It's a friendly fight, why wasn't he making any attempts?" She thought.

"Prince Ayaan, let's dance." She said and threw a punch of fire at him.

"Fire, Reem's rare power is fire?" Emress thought as she and Dzemis watched them.

He dodged it successfully. She threw another one and he did same. He kept trying to keep his cool. Then she increased the speed of her attacks.

"If I keep going at this rate, I'll be roasted before we're done," he thought when it was getting too much.

Reem threw another punch of fire but she missed as Ayaan somersaulted and sent ice crystals in her with a kick as he landed.

"That's what I'm talking about! Stop holding back, just go with the flow." Reem said excitedly.

Now the fight had really begun. It began raining punches and kicks of fire and ice as it grew fierce.

For every attack Reem attempted at Ayaan, he countered it with one that had as much intensity as hers. It seemed like fighting yourself, only that the other you had a different power.

"Attacks with the same strength! Could it be? Reem..." Emress thought, suprised to see their powers were a match.

"They're pushing themselves too hard," Dzemis said.

"Let them vent. That's the only way they can be at peace," Emress said as she watched them carefully.

Ayaan's eyes turned grey. Reem's eyes too lost their brown color and appeared tan as they both unleashed an even more powerful attack. They poured out all the anger in their hearts but still thought about not hurting each other.

The emotions that propelled the attacks caused their powers to merge as they were a match. It's intensity causing them both to fall into a trance.

Now they were in separate dimensions. Ayaan saw himself from years ago. He watched carefully as he, Liam and Raphael struggled to free themselves from the men. Now his most dreaded moment was before him.

"Ayaan, no!" He cried.

This time his eyes were open as he watched his little self unleash those ice crystals once again. The crystals pierced the man's arm. He watched with tears in his eyes, the other man's dagger was still in his hands as he held Liam by the chest. The man's dagger cut Liam as he pushed them to the ground and ran to help his friend.

"The dagger!" He said in a shaky tone.

"It wasn't the crystals!" He cried.

"All these years, I had to live with this guilt and fear..." He said.

"But not anymore, now I can let go," he added and everything vanished.

Priya Ayaan had forgiven himself.

Meanwhile, Reem saw herself from the day she ran away from home to Dzemis.

Queen Zarina, her stepmother had always hated the fact that King Zafar loved her late mother, Queen Adila more and could never match up to her. Reem's powers too intimidated Zarina.

Reem watched herself as she heard some noises coming from her father's chambers and went to listen from the little space the door left as it wasn't properly locked. She could only see Zarina and didn't want to make a sound so she stood quitely.

Speaking to someone and it had to be her father because she never spoke to anyone there except the King.

"Reem's powers are to dangerous," Zarina said.

"Then let's send her away," the other voice said.

Her heart shattered into pieces at the sound of that. She turned and ran to hide in anger with the thought that her father and stepmother planned to send her away.

Reem watched as she ran. Zarina opened the door to leave and Anwar, her brother followed.

Tears rolled down her cheeks on seeing who the other person was.

"An... Anwar. No! It can't be!" She cried.

"It was Anwar in the room all that time, it wasn't Father!" She said.

"If only I had been patient enough to see who she was talking to," she cried.

"All these years I've been angry at father, I didn't even say goodbye. It must have hurt him so much and I didn't care." She said sadly.

"I have to go back home," she said and wiped her tears and it all vanished.

His fear and her anger everything was justified. Ayaan and Reem regained consciousness and Dzemis and Emress removed the barrier. The barrier could only be maintained as long as the powers weren't out of control.

When Ayaan and Reem unleashed the attack that sent them into a trance, they were fully in control of their abilities.

"You did it Ayaan! You tamed your powers!" Emress said happily and hugged him.

"Well done Reem! Well done!" Dzemis said.

Ayaan was so happy and he had to thank Reem for that.

"Thank you Reem, I couldn't have done this without you" he said.

"Thank you too," Reem smiled.

"Does this mean I'm done training?" Ayaan remembered and asked.

"Hahha yes Ayaan. But there's one more thing," Emress said.

"You still have to go into the Ayara forest and bring leaves of the golden glow." Emress added and Dzemis nodded in agreement.

"The Ayara forest! How on earth will I know where it is?" Ayaan asked his eyes widening.

"Dzemis you have got to be kidding!" Reem said.

The mages laughed.

"Three hundred steps from the ropes you were supposed to swing." Emress said.

"No way. There's no way this is the Ayara forest." Ayaan said.

"It surely is." Dzemis said and smiled.

"Is it just me or does the pendant on Reem's neck look like my medallion?" He asked when he clearly saw a replica of his medallion hanging from the necklace she was wearing.

"Huh? Yours looks like mine and it's glowing." Reem said she checked his neck for his.

"It's Reem. Her medallion was the second glow in the crystal." Emress thought and smiled.

"Bring back the leaves from the golden glow, you'll understand everything afterwards." Emress said.

Ayaan and Reem went into the forest. When they got to the ropes they felt reluctant two swing, afraid it would burn them again.

"I hate these ropes, they gave me blisters everytime." Reem said.

"You've come here too?" He asked.

"Yes, a lot. It's been the only keeping me from finishing my training," Reem said.

Then Ayaan remembered the groans he heard.

"It was you. You were the one crying from the other side of the forest?" Ayaan asked.

"Yes everytime I grabbed a rope it went stinging cold even I couldn't make it warm with all my fire." Reem said.

"The same thing happened to me, it was so hot. I couldn't cool it," he said.

"Dzemis's house is located at the other side, I just had to run the course from there here." She added.

"Alright we can do this. Let's grab a rope on three," Ayaan suggested.

"Okay," she returned.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Three!" She said an grabbed one.

"Hey! I didn't even count to three," Ayaan said.

"Quit whining and just grab one already. It doesn't sting anymore." Reem said happily.

"Really?" He asked and grabbed one himself.

They swung over the mud, landing firlmy on the ground. The three hundred steps began from the whichever spot they were in. Walking nonstop till they got to the Golden glow. It's stood out in the crowd of sunflowers and roses.

"Wow!" Reem said amazed at the sight .

"That must be it, it's the only different one." She pointed and they moved closer.

"It's beautiful," Ayaan said his eyes twinkling with delight.

"It really is," Reem said.

They took turns and each plucked a leaf from it.

"I could stay here gazing at these flowers forever," Ayaan said still dazzled.

"Even I could but it's a forest there might be ghosts around you know and I'm not ready to lose my hair..." She teased.

"Fine, I think we should get going." Ayaan said quickly.

As they went back the way they came Reem kept going on and on about him being afraid.

"Yes you are. You're scared of little ghosts," she said as they reached the door to Emress's house.

"Well I am but just a little," he said finally giving in.

"Didn't seem like it the first time I met you," she said laughingly.

"I have nothing more to say," he said and opened the door.

They entered and walked in silently till they were standing in front of Emress and Dzemis. The two awaited a response eagerly as they sat in suspense.

"We got the leaves!" Reem said.

"Oh thank goodness," Emress said, letting out a sigh of relief.

"You've both earned it. Well done," Dzemis said.

"You two need to rest," Emress said.

"We'll be on our way now. Goodnight" Dzemis said.

"Alright goodnight." Emress said.

"Goodbye Ayaan," Reem said.

"Bye," Ayaan returned.