CHAPTER 8

Training with Lena was kinda fun. Who am I kidding? She wakes me up every day after curfew for extra training. She makes me train so hard, sometimes I don't feel my legs afterward. It makes me sick. The only thing that made my stay here better was Audrey. I found out that she knew she had powers but her parents thought training during her evil phase would make her even eviler and join Zuka's minions.

Fofo also helped me work on my magic. I've been able to do more magic.

I'm supposed to be at camp for 1 week but it felt like a month. Magically, time is slower in the magic realm. So when the world has spent 1 week, we are here for one month. Crazy? I know.

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"I'm not so good at archery. It's frustrating."

"You need to be patient. You are doing very well. You know, archery is as easy as talking."

"It's hard. If it was, I could have gotten it by now."

"It's not. The only problem is that the arrows and bows aren't ordinary, they're magical. Didn't Lena tell you that?"

"She told me."

"So you just have to clear your mind and use it to aim the arrows."

"It still sounds hard."

Fofo put the magic book in front of me. We were in my room in what was supposed to be a week after my arrival. Fofo was visible now and he looked serious than he sounded.

"I can help you train but be warned, I can be a little harsh and competitive."

"Oh no! More of Lena!" I groaned.

He ignored me and opened a page with a bookmark on it.

"I think I should teach you the invisibility spell."

"Why am I learning these spells again?"

"You don't need it."

"Then why am I learning it?"

"Because you need to know them by heart. You may be a goddess but you also need basic skills."

"But why haven't I practiced it, like for real?"

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Come on."

We went out to the training field.

"Now, before you start, I need to tell you that magic is not a game. It is science and art. More like science art or art-science..."

"Get to the point."

"I'm getting there. You have to be serious with it and never abuse it."

I groaned. Everything about magic sounds so boring.

"It's not boring. I'm telling you this because if you abuse it, it could backfire."

"Ohh."

The field was deserted and peaceful. I felt better knowing that if I fail, there's no one to laugh at me.

"You ready?"

"Yeah. Let's do this."

"Levitate me."

I shut my eyes, clearing my head, and then muttered the spell. I felt power flow through me to my fingertips. I opened my eyes and found Fofo floating on hair my hands directing him.

"I did it," I whispered.

He smiled down at me. "Now make me disappear."

"I'll try."

I muttered the spell but it didn't work. I tried and tried but nothing happened. I dropped Fofo on his feet.

"It didn't work. Why didn't it work?"

"Try again."

"Don't you get it? I tried and it didn't work."

I walked to a bench and sat on it.

"You're quick to give up, you're not patient. That's not an attribute of a goddess."

"Always with the goddess thing. I'm not a goddess, I can't even make you disappear."

"You're just like Diana. Always wanting to push away responsibilities, well at first."

I looked at him. "What do you mean at first?"

"Once you see what's going to happen, if you're not a lazy person, you'll push more than you are doing now."

I rolled my eyes. "Like it's as bad as the terrorism happening in the world today."

"Well then, would you like to see?"

"Why not? Let me know the point of all this training."

He held out his hands, muttering words. He opened one of his eyes.

"Could you shut your eyes and clear your mind."

I rolled my eyes before shutting them tight. Then I saw a fearful monster with three eyes and weapons stuck to its skin launching at me. I squealed and ran as fast as my legs could. After running to a certain distance, I felt my hands were grabbed by someone and my entire body came to a halt. I was pulled aside, slamming my body to it. The next thing that I blurted was out of fear of being in the hands of another monster. My eyes were still shut tight when I blurted out. 

"Please, don't eat me!"

There was silence except for the occasional snapping.

"It's me." 

I opened my eyes slowly. Instead of the beast I thought was about to kill me, it was a smiling Fofo.

"I'm sorry," I said standing upright.

"It's okay."

I turned and saw the monster staring at us.

"Uhm, Fofo?"

Fofo sighed and went over to the monster jumping and making noises. He turned to me with a smug expression on his face. 

"So, he can't see us."

"Yes, now SHHH..."

I turned to the monster. It looked like it was looking for something.

From nowhere, a lady flew in front of it. Her eyes looked like they had a pink film in them. The monster growled and launched after her. She held out her hands, shooting pink plasma balls at it. As the balls hit its face, It moved back, trying to protect itself.

It growled again and It grew bigger and for the first time, It spoke.

"Diana, we both know that you can't do anything to stop me."

"I know. But the goddess that is destined to stop you will come. Till she does I can only try to put you in your place and protect my people."

He got angrier with her response and ran after her. Diana lifted her hands and began to say a spell. 

"Smorus expollus nisata setrona."

Diana's hands showed bright pink light. the beast began to rise from the ground, shrinking and getting smaller. I heard it groan, trying to break free. It kept on shrinking till it was a pink mist that entered into Diana's mouth.

"No." I unconciously whispered

I knew what she had done and the consequences. Diana fell to the ground. Her face lost its color, her eyes turned darker. She was fighting with something bigger than her, inside her. She was losing energy as the beast struggled to release itself. With the last strength in her, she whispered another spell.

"Exonorus splittrusa gracialous...expellus." And she disappeared.

"Where did she go?" I whispered asking Fofo.

"A place no one knows, no one except the goddess herself and the fragments of the goddess."

"Like me?"I said turning to him.

He nodded. He still looked ahead with sadness in his eyes.

"And that was just the beginning. the goddess couldn't contain Zuka for too long. Zuka used her weakness as an opportunity to escape and now he is ruling Wester land."

The scene changed. The plants and the trees withered, the brook close to us ceased and the bushes around us died. A woman was running towards us and ran through us. Another man was using magic to fight off the beast. The beast came closer and closer. The man turned to face the beast but all effort was futile. Another man joined him. They both fought but it was not enough. the first man turned and I saw his eyes. They were green, just like...mine?