The Death Bridge

Brongr woke up at the sound of a deep voice calling out repeatedly.

He got up, confused. He saw Axil and Raven sitting opposite each other, holding hands. Slowly he realized that it was Axil's voice he heard. He walked over and saw the white-haired man repeatedly yanking Raven by her hands as he kept saying her name over and over.

"Whit is goin' on lad?", Brongr asked, his face filled with worry.

Axil briefly explained what happened. "And now she's still stuck in there. And I can't break the connection…If I do, she'll be lost in her own mind…"

"Can't ye go back?", Brongr asked with a frown.

"No…That would be too dangerous"

Suddenly a light appeared in his hands and when he glanced down, he nearly let go of Raven's hands in surprise.

Her hands were glowing. The golden glow slowly spread further and her skin looked almost transparent.

"Whit in the warld!?", Brongr exclaimed.

The glow faded and Raven's skin returned to normal. Axil recovered from his dazed state and he called out to Raven.

Her eyes fluttered open, revealing her glowing eyes.

Raven looked at the two shocked and surprised men. "What are you looking at?", she asked, confused.

A shocked silence followed her words.

"Yer…yer eyes…glowed lass!", Brongr stammered.

"Glowed? Oh…", Raven murmured.

She looked down at her hands.

"Axil, you can let go of my hands now"

Axil glanced down, still a bit dazed. He suddenly let go of Raven's hands after realizing he had clutched them tightly in his own.

"Sorry", he said softly.

He looked back up and the dazed expression on his face disappeared.

"What happened? I returned…but you…you were nearly stuck in your own mind"

Raven adverted her gaze.

"I think…I may have…I don't know, met my power?", Raven said, uncertain.

"Met your power?"

"Yeah…I saw a golden flame surrounded by a bright light. And when I touched it…it was as if I absorbed it…"

A small smile tugged the corners of Axil's mouth. "You connected with your magic. That usually takes years of practice before one can fully connect with one's magic. It took me five years…but you! I don't know how you did it…"

Brongr cleared his throat. "Well, I'm glad you're fine now. Ye scared me, lass!"

Raven chuckled. "Thank you, kind bandit!", she said as she stood up, smiling at Brongr.

She turned to face the white-haired man. "So, what does it mean for me? Connecting with my magic?"

"It means your magic is even stronger than before and it is now completely part of you...you cannot ignore your magic anymore. And it changes everything. You should be able to feel your magic with ease now. All you need to learn is what it feels like in order to summon it."Axil explained as he stood up.

"Does that mean I have to forget the things you taught me earlier?"

"Not everything…If you are ready, we can continue your training", he said as he walked towards his satchel.

Brongr stared glanced at Axil and the turned his gaze towards Raven. He softly patted her on the head and turned around. "I think I'll go back…I don't trust magic...", Brongr said as he walked away.

Raven stared at Brongr's disappearing back. {"You oaf…don't leave me alone with this man! Not now!"}, she silently pleaded.

But Brongr kept on walking.

She sighed, turning her gaze back to the white-haired man. She saw him walking towards her with a scroll in his hand.

"What's that for?", she asked.

"Notes…", he answered as he sat down on the grass.

Raven followed his lead and sat down opposite him. She stared at him silently.

His head was turned to the scroll in his hands and his face seemed to be made out of stone, unreadable. A few strands of white hair fell across his handsome face, giving him an almost soft and kind appearance.

But Raven didn't notice, her mind full of questions.

{"How much of my memories did he see? Does he know?"}, she thought as her eyes remained fixed on the white-haired man's stony face.

Axil felt Raven's gaze on him and looked up from the scroll in his hands.

He saw her staring at him, absentmindedly. His sharp eyes didn't fail to notice the questions brimming in the dark eyes. He could guess what she was thinking about.

A soft smile tugged on the corners of his mouth.

"You are wondering how much of your memories I saw…"

Raven's attention snapped back to the present. She lowered her head, not knowing how to answer.

"I saw everything you saw…the bridge, your parents…", Axil softly said.

Raven looked up at him. The look in his eyes confused her.

"I know what you are thinking…and you are wrong"

"What am I thinking?", Raven asked and adverted her eyes.

"You are thinking that everything is your fault."

Raven's eyes instantly met the silver ones.

"You are thinking that every person that had died at that bridge is your fault, that you could've saved them", he said as his eyes held hers.

"What makes you think that?", Raven said as she looked down at her hands, trying to avoid the silver eyes that could so easily see through her.

"It is obvious, Raven. Why else would you care about what I saw?"

"It's just that I don't like people looking into my mind, alright?", Raven protested.

Axil lowered his gaze for a few seconds. "I know what guilt looks like…", he said as he turned his gaze back to Raven. "I've seen it so many times in my life. I saw it in the eyes of my fellow brothers in arms, in the eyes of my enemies…and I've seen it in my own eyes."

Raven looked up at him and her eyes locked with his.

"And I can see it your eyes, now…"

Raven sighed before she spoke "It is true though…those things were my fault. I could've-."

"Could you?", Axil interrupted Raven. "Think about it carefully. From what I've seen, I can definitely say that there was nothing you could've done…", he continued. "You just need to see that for yourself", he said in a gentle tone.

"Don't say such things when you don't even know me", Raven said, looking down at her hands.

"Tell me then…", Axil said softly.

Raven looked up at him, a sudden anger washing over her. "And why should I? I know nothing of you…you want me to be honest to you but you don't want to be honest with me! All I know about you is that you are here to kill Beastie, that you have magic and are creeping me out!", Raven snapped at him.

Axil raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Raven jumped up and walked away from the white-haired man. She grabbed her bundle of clothes and walked towards the stream. She tossed the clothes down on the ground and started to wash them vigorously.

She felt embarrassed and angry that a complete stranger could read her so easily.

{"I knew he was trouble from the moment I saw him! Why did I even…oh don't bother…"}, she thought as she fiercely scrubbed the shirt in her hands. {"Why can't I keep my guard up when he is nearby? What is wrong with me!?"}, she thought.

Axil dazedly sat on the grass. He couldn't understand his own words.

{"What is wrong with me? I've never cared much about other people…so why can't I just finish my mission?"}, he thought as his gaze rested on the grass in front of him.

He sighed.

{"I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for…"}, his thoughts trailed off as he stared out in front of him.