The Training: Fear

~Lyrielle~

Six months. I didn’t see or hear from Arineth for six months. It was as if he had disappeared without a trace, leaving me behind in the abandoned building with the masked women. I knew he must have been communicating with them, but I got no response when I asked. It was as if they were trained not to talk to me. For the first two months, they came silently in the morning after breakfast, healed me, and left until evening, repeating the same process.

Two months passed quickly, and the healers were done with my body. It was as if my body was brand new. The burnt scars disappeared, and there was no sign my body had ever been set on fire. The masked women used magical potions to heal me, and though it was strange, I didn’t question them.

What else could be strange after time froze and I saw that portal?

The third month was when it all started. I had expected my breakfast to be brought to me like every other morning, but instead, I woke up to a loud banging noise at the front of the house. My eyes fluttered open, and my wolf, Cara, reacted immediately, crying out in my head.

“Is everything alright, Lyrielle?” she growled, her voice sharp with alarm.

“I have no idea,” I muttered, jumping out of bed and rushing outside to see what was happening. I thought the enemies had found this hideout, that I hadn’t died after all, but that was not the case. When I got out, one of the masked women stood there holding two sticks and there was no enemy in sight. “What is happening?” I questioned her, even though I knew I wouldn’t get an answer. “Why are you—”

She gave no response, as expected, and threw one of the sticks at my feet. “Pick it up,” she spoke, and even though it wasn’t the first time hearing them talk, I was surprised.

“So you’re talking to me,” I chuckled, picking up the stick with no idea what to do with it. “I—” My words were cut short as she swung her stick at me, aiming for my shoulder. I stumbled back, barely dodging, but her next move was faster and I got hit. I fell to one knee, shocked by the sudden attack.

“Why—” I tried to speak, but she swung again, clipping my arm as I scrambled to block it.

“Fight back, you pathetic thing!” Cara snarled.

I groaned, clutching the stick tighter but my hands were shaking. “Why are you doing this?” The question came out as a whisper. “Why—”

She gave no response and stepped closer. “Block my attack, child,” she said, her voice cold, and lunged at me again, aiming for my shoulder. I saw it coming this time and raised my stick, but I was too slow. The blow landed hard, sending a jolt of pain through me

“What the hell is happening? Why am I suddenly getting attacked?” I demanded, screaming out as I rubbed my throbbing shoulder. “You woke me up this early just to hit me?”

“It is your first training,” she responded, turning away. “I have to say I’m disappointed in you. I can’t help but think what our master wants from a broken thing like you.”

He is my mate. I wished I could tell her that but Arineth doesn't want me because of that. He is with me because of revenge.

“I…” I tried to speak but my words were cut short by a purple portal that opened before her. She headed inside and turned back to face me. “Survive me, then the others, and maybe you will be worthy of our master but until then, I”ll watch as you continue to call on your knees and being pathetic,”  she said in such a condescending tone that it made me remember Arineth’s words.

Survive this, and I’ll return. Die and meet yourself in hell where you belong. Those words made me shiver. While I was recovering from the pain inflicted by the attacks, another portal opened and another masked woman walked out.  When I saw her, my heart started pounding, wondering what would happen next. Fearlessly, I stepped backward, tripped, and fell to the ground.

“No wonder Natty doesn’t like you,” the new woman said, and unlike the first, her voice was softer, not condescending.

Natty. It was the first time I’d ever heard their names, the first time they took turns speaking to me. “Here,” she stretched forth her hand for me to take. I had doubts at first about what could happen if I took it. I didn’t trust any of them but when she stretched it out longer, I took it and let go of the doubt in my mind.

“Are you also here to train me?” I asked her.

“Yes,” she responded, pulling me toward the opened portal. “Natty’s just the start.” she said as we both enetered into the portal.

When it opened again, it was inside a completely different building. The first thing I noticed was the strong, pungent smell that made me want to throw up, even though I hadn’t eaten anything for breakfast. It smelled like a home of concoctions, and of course, it was. We stepped through a door into a room filled with potions—high shelves, each one lined with bottles of strange liquids. “This is where you’ll train as a healer.”

“A healer?” I frowned. I didn’t think I needed to be a healer to get revenge on my enemies. Why would Arineth make me train to heal? “Does Arin—I mean, Prince Arineth—want me to do this?”

She said nothing, turning toward one of the shelves. She picked up a potion and showed it to me. “This is one of our rarest medicines, known to heal all kinds of wounds. We used this on you.”She purposely ignored my question about Arineth, and it made me wonder what she could or couldn’t say, but I asked no more. If Arineth wanted me to train to be a healer , there must be a reason. “He sees more in you than you know,” she added softly, almost as an afterthought, before returning to the shelf.

“What’s your name?” I asked because, unlike Natty, she seemed friendly.

“My name is Belle,” she responded, dropping the potion back in place. “Shall we begin?” she declared, and I nodded, hoping this training would be less brutal than Natty’s. It was crazier than the physical training, but at least I wasn’t getting beaten up.

“Cara, you awake?” I whispered in my mind as Belle started explaining the potions.

“Always,” she rumbled back, calmer now. “This might be useful. Don’t mess it up.” Cara’s tone of speaking to me was out of the anger she felt after being betrayed and I couldn't blame her.

The healing training went on for a few hours and soon as it ended, another portal opened, and a third masked woman stepped out. She didn’t say anything to me; she just pointed toward the portal with a silent command. I entered without a word, waving goodbye to Belle.

When the portal opened again, it was inside a dark room. It was pitch black, and I couldn’t see anything, making my heart race in fright because I had no idea what kind of training I was about to face.

“What is happening? I can feel your fear, and it’s growing powerful,” A voice muttered behind me. It was low and sharp.

Before I could speak, Torchlight suddenly lit up the room in every corner, and then I saw two large tubs at the center. There were no windows, and the tubs were the only things in the room—cold iron, stained with rust like they’d held worse than water. I turned to my side to look for the masked woman but she was nowhere in sight. “Hello? Where are you?” Suddenly, I felt a touch on my shoulder. Shaking, I spun around and saw her right in front of me. I let out a deafening scream and fell to the ground. “Wha—”

“Fear,” she muttered. “Your mind is filled with fear and regrets, which makes you weak. You’ll train here to eliminate it—to become ruthless and strong.”

I blinked, unsure what she meant until she pointed to the tubs. I stood up slowly and walked toward the first one. What I saw inside was not what I expected. Snakes—dozens of them, slithering and hissing, their scales glinting like wet blades. I screamed again and jumped backward, landing on my butt.