Chapter 16 - Energy

Chapter 16

Energy

"Okay, now that everyone is here and accounted for, from which I can see, we can begin our basic lesson on using your abilities to the fullest advantage," Allura began speaking during her lecture.

"Mer have a distinct feature about themselves that set apart from the terra. And I am not talking about physical features either. At birth, mer have a voice, but not just your typical speaking voice or dialect from language speaking creatures. When they begin to talk, young mer go through an experimental period of using their voice ranges. Why I emphasize on a mer's voice? Well, my pupils, mer can use their singing abilities to do incantations in which can be used to create and perform spells."

"What's that have to do with us with these ice, earth, and telepath powers?" Meredith asked.

"Excellent question. You three know that you are the reincarnates of part of the great royal fratirum. Related by blood is still unknown at this time, but you do possess their abilities that are outside of the regular mer's potential naturally. To understand your power better, you must first go through what every mergirl and merboy learns while in school. You must first learn how to control your energy that flows through your body and through your voice."

Allura then instructed them to sit on the bend of their tails and relax.

"Don't think of the surroundings, don't think of the type of current that is coming through, and don't even think of where you are at. Focus on your breathing. Concentrate on it and try to slow it down as much as possible. Once you've done that, focus on something that would give your full attention to. In this case, the magisters use happy thoughts for an example for the children. But if you don't want to focus on that happy thought, that's fine as well. But focus on something that would draw your attention to the most and do not lose focus on it. Draw yourself to it. Think nothing other than that thought or that memory."

Meredith was struggling to channel her breathing because she would not stay still.

"I can't sit still, I've never been able to, I'm always up and at it everywhere," Meredith complained.

"Try these," Allura offered with the palm of her hand opened with a parchment bag slightly open.

"What are these?"

"It's Nirmal Lettuce. It grows in the region where your ascendant ruled. He used this to calm him down after gruesome training and a fierce battle. I keep some because I can't sleep at night. Don't eat too much of it or you'll find yourself asleep," Allura explained.

"Thank you,"

Meredith took a little bit of the lettuce and ate it. A few minutes later, she felt her heart rate slowly sank, and she was able to breathe calmly. Few more minutes later, each girl had an aura surrounding them while they were still meditating. Lynae's aura was blue and white. Amelia's was purple and yellow. Then, Meredith's was green and brown like the earth.

"Good, keep focusing. You are almost there,"

The light of the aura grew stronger and brighter as the girls focused in more of their energy in. Then before it grew even more, Allura cried out instructing them.

"Finis" Allura shouted in her native tongue.

To the girls' surprise, they understood what Allura meant and stopped meditating.

"Did that mean stop? Were we suppose to stop?"

"Yes, I forgot that you girls don't speak Latin tongue. We'll jot that into our lesson plan for next time. Rimulus, I'm counting on you to teach Coronum Reginae on the language," Allura pointed to Rimulus who was at a distance.

"Of course, anything for my lady," Rimulus bowed.

"I will take the teaching of the language to a tutor I know in the Oceano realm. He's strict but he'll teach you everything you need to know about the language,"

"Latin?" Lynae grimaced.

"Yes, how else are you going to rule a kingdom if you do not know the merpeople's universal native tongue. There will be who will speak other common languages yes, but Latin is a must you need to learn." Allura explained.

"Kingdom?!" Meredith looked at Allura shockingly.

"Yes, you must reclaim your right to the throne of your realm. You have these powers for a reason and that is to finish what is started, reincarnates of Cirra, Eira, and Lachlan,"

"Whoa, we didn't sign up to reign as queens here!" Lynae detested the idea.

"You do not have a choice. Each of you were chosen by the great rulers to carry on their duties by bestowing these powers to you. Even if you tried to fight your path, you will still find your way back to it,"

"Well their royal highnesses can have their stupid powers back then. I want to go to college, I want to have a normal life, I want...anything but this!" Lynae swam away furiously.

"Lyn, wait..." Mere swam after her.

"I guess that will be it for today's lesson,"

"How do you know they'll come back?" Amelia asked Allura.

"They'll come back... at least one of them will much sooner than the other," Allura said while seeing the two girls swim off.

"So, what do you want me to do?" Amelia asked.

"Practice channeling your energy throughout each day, then use it on some light creatures and some inanimate objects around the sea. But you must listen when I say this, Amelia. Do not attempt to use your powers on other people yet. You cannot risk anyone else's lives while using your powers at its unbalanced nature. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I do,"

"Good, Rimulus, take good care of our crown princess until we meet again, see to it that she is well looked after,"

"Of course, madam,"

"I'll be waiting to see what progress you have made for next week," Allura said farewell as her mirrored image disappeared.

"Shall I show you around the town, your grace?" Rimulus opened up after some silence had passed.

"Y-yes, of course, I should learn how the culture is around here if I am to stay here for long periods of time,"

"Are you moving here?"

"I don't know yet, but I know I want to come here more often. I just can't help coming back to the water,"

"It's normal for all of us, your grace. You're starting to show normal characteristics on what us merfolk have in connection with the water,"

"I suppose, I don't know if my cousins will feel the same way as I do,"

"Each person has a different reaction to a certain change in their life. For some reason, you are acclimating to it almost immediately for some reason I do not know. But I can probably say why the other girls are not accepting their new reality. My theory is that they were comfortable with the lives they once had, but now it has been taken away and morphed into something they are not familiar with. It's not just from the metamorphosis – it's just change overall."

"I guess I was happy with it since it made my seizures go away, but now I have a new problem,"

"What's that?"

"I can't get people to shut up in my head,"

Both Rimulus and Amelia were laughing as they swam towards the town nearby.

Meanwhile, Lynae started to get winded after swimming for miles away from where she once stood for training. Meredith was struggling to catch up. Then she spoke up trying to get Lynae to stop.

"Lynae, come on, stop, I'm exhausted from chasing you,"

All of a sudden, a blaze of fire shot up in the distance. Lynae and Meredith stopped dead in their tracks at the distant scene.

"That can't be good,"

"We gotta help them," Meredith started to rush.

"Hold on, what if it just a volcanic eruption happening, you may be overreacting,"

"Where do you see fire like that underwater?"

"You don't want to attract yourself unwanted attention. Quit being such a hero, you don't even know your own abilities and what if you get hurt,"

"Then that's a chance I'm willing to take if it'll save a life,"

"Meredith! God, that girl..." Lynae rolled her eyes as she followed her.

Meredith dashed down where the fire was coming from and it was burning rocks with screaming inside. Meredith looked at the corner of her eye and saw two men in hoods with torches lighting the home. She started dashing after them.

"Extinguish the fire and get whoever is in there out of there, I'll go catch the culprits,"

"Wait, what?! Meredith!"

Before she could say anything else to her, Meredith started dashing in that direction where the mer in hoods were heading. Lynae started getting close to the fire.

"Whoa, missy, you don't want to get near there. That stuff is hot," A merman held her by the arm.

"I know, that's why I'm going towards it,"

"Are you crazy?! It's suicide in there!"

"It won't be for much longer,"

Lynae jerked the merman's grasp and started inching slowly towards the fire. She gathered her focus all in one place. Then slowly stretching her arm out she mustered all of her strength toward her arm and ice began dispensing from her hand. The merfolk gathered were astonished and didn't know what to think. Lynae then moved to target other parts of the burning rock formation and extinguished it with her ice. She then went inside to contain the fire. In one of the rooms, a mother and her infant was in there cramped and scared.

"What happened to the fire? It was just coming to the door just a minute ago," The mother asked.

"It won't get you now. Let's get you and your child somewhere safe," Lynae offered her hand to the woman holding her child.

The woman didn't hesitate to grab it, and Lynae directed them out of one of the window openings of the house. Then another merman shouted out.

"Kalika!"

"Mizuko!" The woman cried out to the man holding her child.

"This...this mermaid saved me and Ronan!" Kalika said while happily explaining to her husband.

"Oh thank you, miss, I don't know how I can ever repay you!"

"You can by telling me who those men are that were burning your house down,"

"They're a mercenary pack. They try regulating this area by making us supply them with food and comfort. If we don't give them what they want, they start their terror by tormenting and killing," Mizuko explained.

"How long has this been going on?"

"I can tell you that one. They've been here for nearly twenty years in and out. Once the town has been run down, they leave and terrorize another. Once they hear that the town if functioning and thriving, they come back and terrorize some more. We never had a moment's peace around these parts," The merman said who was restraining Lynae earlier.

"She's a venefica! She must leave before she turns us into icicles!" One of the mermen exclaimed.

"Now hold on, this maiden may have supernatural powers, but she's a hero in our eyes! Now I suggest you all show some respect as this woman did not have to save this family from their burning down home," The merman continued to defend her.

The merfolk in the crowd were discussing with one another about what had transpired and took in the elder merman's words as well.

"You must be tired, come, we'll get your rested up and fed,"

"But I must find my sister, she's out here somewhere!" Lynae said worryingly.

"We'll send out a search party and escort her back here. What does she look like?"

"Dark, long, blonde hair and she has a green and brown tail," Lynae answered.

"Is she a venefica too?!" A mermaid asked.

"Does she have ice powers too?!"

"No, she doesn't have ice powers," Lynae tried answering to the hysterical mer.

"Come, my neighbors will bring her to my house," the elder merman ushered her away.

While on the hunt, Meredith grabbed a hold of one of the hooded mer. She fought him unarmed while he had a dagger in one hand. She managed to dodge it swiftly and take him down while grabbing the dagger out of his possession. She then pinned him down on the sand.

"Why did you burn down that house?"

"You have no idea who you're messing with," the merman hissed at Meredith.

She held the dagger up to his throat.

"And you don't know who you're messing with either," Meredith stared him down.

While she was doing that, the merman thought he found a clear to get out of the hold Meredith had him in, but he found himself unable to move. He mustered all of his strength to try to throw her off of him, but he couldn't budge.

"That's impossible, you're a mermaid. How can you be so heavy?"

"It's not a matter of weight that should be concerning you," Meredith began cutting into the merman's skin.

"Go ahead and kill me, my pack will come and slaughter every last one of you in that village,"

"Who said I was from that village?"

"I never said you were. If you were, you'd have never dare lay a finger on me, let alone my own dagger. You're strong, I'll give you that. How about I make a deal with you?"

Meredith stared at him silently.

"We need mer like you in our pack. You take me back to my hut, and I'll let you in our little group where you can have whatever your heart desires. Jewels, food, flesh, blood – you name your price, it's yours,"

She then pressed the dagger up further cutting deeper in his neck.

"The only price I want is you to tell your groupies to leave this village alone and all the other villages you can swim to. If I find you near by again, I won't hesitate on killing you, and it won't be by this blade either. I'll even make your head a trophy so that any other pack that dares try to terrorize another town will remember what will happen if they do it. That is my only and final warning to you," Meredith threatened him by slowly unleashing him but keeping the dagger.

The merman swiftly swam in the opposite direction of where Meredith was facing him. Then a swarm of merfolk came from behind Meredith, and she swiftly turned ready to fight.

"We were ordered to bring you back to our village. Your sister is waiting for you over there,"

"My sister? What did you do with her?"

"My neighbor is showing her hospitality at his home and would like to invite you over as well for a feast for what you girls did for one of our fellow merfamilies in our community,"

Meredith lowered the dagger learning slowly as they were no threat to her.

"Just as long as she's okay, I'll go with you," Meredith submitted.