The Prodigy Antaris - a secret World of magic #1
Chapter 10

We all sat in the living area of the big mansion and waited for the king to tell us what was going on. He seemed like he didn't know where to begin and opened his mouth a few times only to close it again. He seemed to be looking for the right words.

"Iris....I hoped we had a few days for you to settle in and look for your memories. To remember everything..." the king began to talk.He looked nervous and kept glancing from me to Avery.

Avery hugged me to show he was there for me and his presence seemed to make everything more bearable.

"Your powers...are...well...surely you've noticed that no one here has a red aura around them?" he asked with sympathy.

I thought about it for a moment and had to realize that I actually didn't see a red aura. I've seen purple, green and yellow and recently blue from inna, white aura from Keijou and orange from Mana. And other colors too but not red. I nodded my head and furrowed my eyebrows. What is he trying to tell me? What is wrong with my powers?

"Well that's because your powers are different than all of ours here." said King Elior.

"What do you mean?" I asked worried.

"When you were little, you harnessed your powers before you learned to walk...or talk.The powers you have are unique and very powerful.And they aren't powers that are known to us...at least to the 'good guys.' beings'" he explained further.

" What.. what do you mean by that? Am I evil?" I asked angrily.

"No! No, Iris, you are not evil. Otherwise you could not come through the portal to Antaris." answered the king in a calm voice.

"When you got your powers back... you certainly got memories of people and places that you couldn't allocate anywhere... You remembered, but you still don't know everything... do you?" King asked Elior.

And as I thought about the event when I said that spell and the red mist surrounded me, I actually had memories that meant nothing to me.

"Now, my dear child, I must explain to you why..." the king said as he sat down next to me.

"After you were born, we all quickly realized that your powers are demonic. And that's no wonder, because your father was one. However, we didn't know what your powers can do and what powers you possess.” the king added while he looked at me reassuringly.

"After you used your powers a few times as a kid, we were attacked by the Reapers several times. Your father immediately understood that you were the reason for the attacks. Obviously, they also knew your powers are different, so they tried to attack you and take you to their side."

he continued.

" In order to protect you from their attacks, your father decided on a drastic tactic. He taught you to combust your powers and this brought us a few years of rest... But your powers became stronger when you found your amicus. And the Outburst of your full strength was only then visible." he said while looking at me.

"My amicus? I have an amicus? Where is he? " I asked surprised.

“Yes… you found him and your combined powers shook both worlds. That's why the Reapers went into battle to replace you... and your parents knew they could only protect you when you were far away from everything... and no one knew who you are. Even yourself." said the worried king.

" The Reapers captured your Amicus. And he's been the source of their powers ever since." Avery said .

What was that supposed to mean? Am I the reason why my parents died? For the deaths of so many good beings who fought to protect Antaris? A tear rolled down my cheek and Avery hugged me even tighter.

"You are not the reason your parents died." Jade said as she read my thoughts.

I bowed my head and cried into my hands, confused and sad.

"My dear child... you are not the cause of your parents' deaths... Because if anyone is to blame, it's us... me and your parents. We didn't know how to protect you, so obviously it was the wrong decision. But we realized that too late.” the king said sadly while stroking my head.

What should I think of that?

"The Reapers are obviously after me for my gift, and they've been looking for me for so long. Now that they've found me, they'll attack us again. And I don't even know how to defend myself... Or you! I don't want to be the cause of death anymore." I said crying.

The king looked into my eyes and smiled sympathetically at me.

"They know you're here and they'll be looking for an entrance. But until then, we'll work to reacquaint you with your powers. Teach and strengthen you and prepare you for battle." the king said hopefully.

"But my father is dead... who is going to teach me? Are there still demons here? Or someone who knows about these powers?" I asked worried.

"I know someone here in Antaris who can help you. We will go to him in the morning." replied the king.

I was overwhelmed with all the information I was given. I found out so much in such a short time, how am I supposed to keep up.

" We're taking you to Devas. He was a good friend of your father. Devas is a demon who chose to be by your father's side. However, he has long lived in isolation and far from everyone here in Antaris. We'll see if he can help you" Avery said while comforting me.

I agree, what choice do I have?

The king sent his guards home and decided to stay with us and go straight to Devas in the morning. The few hours of sleep we had should be enough to be fit for our visit. And so we retired to our rooms and prepared for the morning.

Avery stayed with me and calmed me down. I felt sad and had pangs of conscience. Could I have prevented all this? Could I have saved my parents?

I asked Avery to stay with me because his presence was all I needed to comfort me. And he wanted to stay even though he knew we could only rest for a few hours, he was willing to spend those with me. We lay next to each other on my bed and he talked to me sensitively.Avery stroked my hair and pulled me into his arms as he kissed my forehead and I felt safe.

After a while I found peace and fell asleep in Avery's arms.And in the dream I heard the voice in my head calling me again.

ˋ Iris...you must replace me...search for me´ I heard the familiar voice in my dream.And again I walked on red flowers in an unfamiliar environment.I looked around and sought the voice calling me.The noises around me were creepy and terrifying.As if wild animals were attacking me from several directions at once.However,that growl sounded far more dangerous than any predator I knew. ˋ Iris...replace me´ called the voice again.

ˋBut where are you?Tell me where you are!´ I shouted loudly.

And then I heard all that growling rushing in my direction.

I woke up from my dream and Avery calmed me down immediately after realizing I was having a nightmare.

"It's fine my love. I'm here. It was just a dream," Avery whispered while pulling me towards him.

I hugged him while I cried and he kissed my cheeks. His kisses spread across my face and I just focused on him. The horrible dream was quickly forgotten as Avery kissed my lips. His lips were made for mine and felt so tender. I pulled my head back and gave him a startled look.

"No Avery! What if I hurt you again?" I whispered.

"You won't hurt me, my love." he whispered back.

And so I allowed myself another kiss from him. His hand tangled in my hair and he pulled me even closer.

His body pressed against mine was the best thing I've ever felt in my life. I inhaled his scent and my senses were dulled by the attraction I was feeling.

He broke the kiss and rested his forehead against mine.

"Once you harness your power, we can connect and have all the perks that soulmates have." he said softly.

" How do you mean that?" I asked confused.

He bit his lower lip and looked into my eyes.

"Only after we are one is the bond complete." he said..

Oh... oh!! I widened my eyes and my mouth stayed open in realization.

Avery kissed the tip of my nose and laughed.

"Don't worry, my love. I'll wait for you until you're ready," he said reassuringly.

The knock on the door saved me from blushing. And Ava's voice could be heard saying from the other side "It's time to get up, we're leaving soon"