Chapter 10 ∞ Deliverer

After filling my stomach with breakfast, I holed myself up in my room and sank into mixing oils. It had just been a few days, a week at most, since our day out. I have become so engrossed in my new hobby. I felt it was also my way of reconnecting with my old self—something that I still wasn't ready to get over.

My materials were insufficient, even so. I needed a weighing scale to determine how much I'm putting in. So far, I'm getting by with the dropper while taking down notes on how much I think I'm putting in.

I found it hard to retrace the same methods I was taught before. There were moments in the past week that I have questioned my decision with the oils. I was not talented in mixing scents like my previous life's mother have been. She taught me things, and I have helped her out a couple of times. I did not, however, dedicate a lot of my time to it. Not to mention things were not so the same in this world.

Good grace, who was I even kidding? Why was I even doing this in the first place?

Yet no matter how many times I questioned and doubted my decisions, I somehow kept myself from giving up and persisted.

Sometimes I wondered why I was making myself suffer this way. Then again, no reward came without suffering.

Plops echoed in my ears. I carefully poured small drops of the rose oil into the porcelain bowl. In my head, I counted, "One, two, thre—"

Swift, gentle knocks resounded on my door. Startled, I squeezed a little too firmly.

I gasped. "No." After the moment of horror passed, disappointment and weariness took the stage. I sighed, a little disgruntled from being disturbed.

Broken from my concentration, I rose, holding a dropper in one hand.

"What is it?" I asked towards the door.

It slid open and my Mistress Veronika peeked in. "Evyionne," she said.

"Mistress." I stood.

"Dragon's mercy…this place reeks!" She reached up to pinch her nose close, fanning out the air in front of her—as though that would really make a difference. "Open the windows!"

"They already are!" I said, pointing to my only pair of windows in the room.

"Come on out, Evyionne, and leave the doors open. We need to air out this place. What are you even doing in here?" Veronika's voice had turned nasal. It made the situation a little more comical compared to how serious she was.

"But I'm not finished…" I muttered in protest.

"It doesn't matter. Clean up and proceed to the garden with me. I have much to show you."

I scratched my head. Mistress Veronika showing me something?

In my past six years here in the House of Oblivion, Mistress Veronika and Mistress Lamia were the only ones who I've never had anything impart to me. I learned that Mistress Veronika was talented for…violent things. And when I say violent things, I meant that she knew how to wield blades. She had a knack for all things sharp. In fact, she was assigned to do most of the slicing and dicing in the kitchen.

'Quite a disappointing thing to use it on,' was what I first thought.

"And change your clothes." Her voice sharply cut through my reverie, pulling me out of another stupor I had fallen into. "Something more comfortable. And where you can move in."

Ooh. This wasn't looking good. If I was anything, I was lazy. I could sit in my ass all day—and I would if it weren't for the fact that I had to go to the bathroom once in a while. I definitely would not even think about exercising.

'Change into comfortable clothes I can move in?' This wasn't a good sign!

"Evyionne."

I jumped. Seeing Mistress Veronika's pointed look, I quickly moved, running into my closet and pulling out some loose clothes I could wear. If anything, these were my most comfortable wear. I don't see anything special with this country's clothes—not that they lacked flavor, really. The seasons here had four phases, and so they often opted for flexible attires. The first layer would be worn during warm days, and they would put another layer on top of it during cold seasons. Quite practical, really.

I pulled on some pants and a soft and comfortable blouse. I still have trouble with mobility at this age so dressing us by myself was laborious. They were both a plain, white color and fit me just right. Mistress Neilly sewed most of my clothes—a past time she really liked doing. I think she loved dressing me up.

"Evyionne, what's the holdup?" Veronika hollered.

"I'm coming!"

I put away my tools. After making sure the plugs on my bottles were plugged, I ran out of my room and towards the garden. My mother Hellenia caught me running across the halls. She gave a warm smile just as I was passing and bent down to grab me into her arms to pull me in for a kiss.

"Come here, my Evy."

"Mama, Mistress Veronika is going to kill me."

"She dares!"

I laughed and planted a kiss on her cheek. "I'm going. I'm going."

I quickly squirmed out of my mother's embrace and continued running until, finally, I came to the garden. I sank on the porch stairs to change shoes, leaving my indoor ones on the corner by the column and taking the ones for the outdoors. Mistress Veronika was tapping her foot, watching me. And while she didn't look impressed, she had a quirked brow that told me she was amused.

"I'm sorry, mistress…" I stumbled down the stairs, breathing a little shallow as I walked up to her.

"Stand right there, Evyionne," she said, pointing to the spot in front of her.

I stood still and straight like steel, mustering the most serious look on my face as I looked at her.

To my surprise, she burst out laughing. "Evy, darling, why in the world do you look so serious?" she asked, stepping forward and kneeling before me with a bemused smile. "Where do you think you are, the military?"

I scratched my head. "I'm not?"

"No, of course not." Mistress Veronika patted my head, midnight blue eyes shining with glee. "The other mistresses and I talked. It's about time you begin learning things much more seriously. Specifically, find out more about what you can do."

I stuck out my lower lip, a little bummed.

"Evy," she began, brushing back strands of her navy blue hair as she took both my shoulders and stared into my eyes. "You are about to grow up in a much too complicated world. We want you to be ready for it, alright?"

"I know that," I said. "What are you going to teach me today?"

"Well, Evy, my area of expertise isn't always needed in the House of Oblivion. But, today, I think I'll be able to pass some of what I know down to you."

I wasn't very enthusiastic about this, but I couldn't help but feel excited about what I was about to learn. I took summer classes in martial arts in my past life—just so that I knew how to defend myself. That was only one summer though, and I learned how to kick someone properly. Nothing more than that, unfortunately.

"You've heard many stories from your other mistresses, I'm sure. Normally, you would be sent to a school to learn this. However, your mother is not very keen on that idea. Neither were the others." She took a deep breath. "How do I begin this?" she muttered. "What do you know about latent talents, Evyionne?"

"Latent talents?" I repeated. "I don't think I know anything…"

"For example, we are suspecting that you have a latent talent for language," she told me. "You always seem to easily adapt to anything we're speaking. For example, right now."

"Right now?"

"Do you know what language we're speaking?"

My eyes popped a little. I was speaking another language? "No…"

"I come from the province of Lalenir in the country of Ovanol, domain of the Emperor Aech."

My head spun a little. Wait. What?

"You are speaking my language, Evyionne. And it is not that easy. Ovanolish is the warrior tongue. It is the strongest, probably the most potent of all the Erindalian languages you will encounter. This is because every intonation channels the energy of the universe. It has the power to bring down the mightiest of thunders—the most ruthless of waves. And those who speak it basically have the entire world at their bidding. You, young lady, have no clue."

Damn right I don't. For all I knew, everyone was talking the same way.

I knew it. This must be Amber's doing. How do I go from being very clueless about what language was being spoken around me to understanding it immediately? There must be some sorcery involved in that.

It was a blessing, yes, but I see it had its downsides. There must be a way to distinguish these languages. I wasn't equipped with the same level of discernment as someone learning the language from ground zero.

I need to put a barrier and learn the distinctions. If I continue this way, I would have many suspicions. They wouldn't think this was a latent talent—they would think it's sorcery.

Unless.

"Are latent talents like magical powers?" I asked, eyes lighting up. "Like how those beasts fly and breathe fire?"

"I guess. The dragons are…magical. Just probably not in the way you think they do. Talents are that. They're talents. It's the aptitude for something that gives you a boost in learning it. But the work is still there. Right now, I need you to open your ears. The languages of this continent are related in many ways. They are very similar. They work very differently, however."

I nodded. "Okay, I understand."

"However, I will leave that to your other mistresses. I don't speak all the languages in this House."

I nodded understandingly once more. "So what will you teach me today?"

"I can't teach you anything yet. I will have to show you first." She took several steps back, looking at me straight in the eye that pinned me in place.

Once she was a reasonable distance away, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. For a few, still seconds I watched. The air stirred. Warm energy appeared in the vicinity. I felt it, and every hair in my body stood—as though saluting this new presence that swept in. It was made of all things holy and all things pure, but there was indeed no way to describe how it felt to me except, maybe…sublime. It had a similarity to walking through that galactic sky in the in-between. However, it was like comparing the flame of a candle to a burning sun. Whatever this was was no more than a crumb from the whole pie. Maybe not even that much.

I continued watching. The energy gathered. Thickened. It came to the point that clouds seemed to converge in the sky. I looked up. Shadows seemed to build up above, painting the blue horizon a dusty shade of grey. The sun was covered, and everything turned dark. She continued with her chant to the point that she was almost singing it. I strained to hear the song, but my ears deafened for reasons I could not understand.

It was then that lightning branched down. My mistress held up two fingers to the direction of the clouds, and it struck perfectly at her like she was an antenna. The charge made my hair rise to all directions, and I stood back, gaping. I could see little snakes of electricity snapping on her skin.

"Wow," I muttered. "That's awesome!"

She opened her eyes. They glowed. Blue—like her hair. She took a deep breath, said a word, and shot the lightning back into the sky. The energy died down and, slowly, the clouds dispersed to reveal the blue sky it covered up. It was as though nothing happened at all.

A small smile pulled on her lips. "This is the Dragon of the Third Night, Balasea. He is my Deliverer," she said. "And also the wielder of light and flames. Your Deliverer will show himself to you very soon. He will tell you about your gifts, and you will learn the true nature of your three fates."

"I don't know what that means, but it sounds amazing," I said, fist pumping high in the air. "Can you show me how to do it? Can I do it?"

"Very few can do what I did, Evyionne. Very rare. However, if you are blessed, we will see."

I pouted. If it was rare, what guarantee was there that I was just as lucky?

"Come walk with me," she said, beckoning me to her side.

I hesitated.

"Come on, Evyionne."

I swung my arms and followed after her. Mistress Veronika was a fantastic woman. I could not help but think of all the asses she kicked.

"Mistress," I began. "You said it was rare."

"Yes, it is," she replied. "People like me are called Conduits. We are the few who can help specific energies materialize. If you try and focus, you can see that there are many spots around you that pool a certain kind of force. These forces are responsible for all the things in the world—the birds, the trees, the people…and, of course, you."

"But what do the three fates have to do with anything?"

She gazed at me and smiled. "You, as a being of this world, this universe, is rooted to the three different dimensions."

"Dimensions?"

"Yes. I heard your mother mentioned it. There are three—the mind, body, and the soul. Your connection to these three dimensions is crucial to your identity and purpose here in this life."

I thought for a moment. They considered the mind, body, and the soul as different 'dimensions.' I was making some sense out of it. The body was a temple of many things mysterious and also, in my opinion, the most earthly and accessible. This concept posed similarities to, if I wasn't mistaken, meditative practices in esoteric traditions found in India—like the chakra. I expected that they had their own beliefs and spirituality, but this one seemed to have strong manifestations in the corporeal plane.

"What do the dragons or the serpent have anything to do with it?" I asked.

"Well, what links us to all of these dimensions are extraordinary energy binds—the same kind I just summoned. The dragons guard over certain domains that are responsible for these energies. Balasea, my Deliverer, is the dragon who rules over the domain of light and fire. He is capable of wielding flames among other things."

"So you can control flames?"

"No. Just lightning. It can be useful, but then again…not always."

"What else is there?" I eagerly asked.

"There is Azurine. She is the Dragon of the First Night who guards over life and rebirth, appearing when the moon is full. Having her as a patron of the body, for example, symbolizes fertility, good health, and abundance. These people will most likely never die of illness and only pass away once they reach old age."

I took a deep breath as I pictured the concept in my mind. I had to do some more research on these dragons. I remember passing through some information about them some time ago, but I hadn't had enough time so far to dig into the higher books. They were too high up the shelf in the library also. So many things to read, so little time.

"How do you come to be a Conduit, then? Is it possible to have three different Deliverers?"

"That's right. For example, your mother Hellenia has Azurine as a Deliverer for the soul and mind. Her patron of the body, on the other hand, is Galatea. Now, this dragon is very interesting." She told me, leaning down a bit as though to encourage me to raise a question. "You know why?"

I shook my head.

"She is notorious for ruling over two nights."

My brow rose.

"Ruling over two domains, she is often portrayed as greedy and ravenous—the mistress of the sky and sea. I would've wanted her as a patron if I could choose. I do not think she is as bad as everyone thinks her to be."

I gave a small shrug. "I think she's awesome."

"I do too. Anyhow, going back to your other question, there are rare times when a person has the same patron for all three dimensions. One Deliverer. That is like the perfect alignment of the stars. This alignment gives them the ability to channel the energy of the patron efficiently and bend it to their will to a certain degree."

She took a deep breath as a breeze blew by. We continued to stroll down the path, and I brushed the flowers with the palm of my hand. The garden was beautiful. The foliage blossomed a rich, maple gold. Paired with the pearly bricks layering the path, it seemed almost surreal. Mistress Kora had prepared this place so wonderfully for this season.

"Mistress, why are you here in the Oblivion then?" I inquired. "Don't you want to be someplace else? It seems a little wasteful you're keeping this to yourself…"

"It's a long story." She patted my head. "I guess I was shooting for a sky I could not reach. If there is anything I've learned in my efforts, it's that a ceiling that doesn't want to be broken is not easily torn down. No matter how hard you try, no matter your will, sometimes you won't win. It's not always a happy ending for each one of us."

I was speechless but did not halt as we continued strolling.

We finally stopped before the pond. The House of Oblivion enjoyed immense space. This was one of the most beautiful places around. A dainty, little bridge hopped over to the other side, and the water was tinged a little green. The fishes cast soft splashes in the water when they took sudden turns, startled as I threw in a tiny pebble from the bank. They took shelter under the lily pads that had started taking that carroty color from the changing seasons just as a small frog was passing through.

"Over here, Evyionne."

I was led away by Mistress Veronika to take shade under the weeping willow that leaned down towards the pond.

"Take a seat." The mistress nodded at the base of the tree.

I looked at her for a moment before obeying, taking a casual crisscross applesauce and gazing up at her inquiringly.

"Good. Stay there until I call you."

I watched her leave, wondering what in the world this was all about. What was I supposed to do here? If I had a book, I would be reading. Then again, I was told not to move.