Evolve: Chapter 3 Part 3

Venril

Venril promised his brother before he left to see Srel that he'd show him how to make portal in his room as well as learn a few basic magick techniques that he learned in his first days of learning the craft. Nexyl was a natural at magick, able to grasp it right away and harness incredible power. His light was even brighter today from his good long night of sleep and Venril could tell his brother was much more energetic and calm than he was the day before. 

Venril showed Nexyl how to levitate objects and cause the elements in his hand to form with only a few basic materials from the ground. He also showed Nexyl how become invisible which was a hard technique to learn. Venril hasn't fully perfected it. 

"So let me get this straight, the body is the easy part to make invisible but the clothes are harder to make invisible at the same time?" Nexyl questioned.

"That's right. Remember that time that vase fell and broke without anyone near it?" He asked looking a little embarrassed.

"That was you!?" Nexyl said before he understood why Venril was so embarrassed. "Oh. Not very becoming but as long as no one saw you." He said almost smiling.

"Yeah, I know. I couldn't figure out how to do the clothes as well as the body at the same time. It takes a lot of concentration and many hours to perfect the technique. I finally got most of it down but overall, I am not fully able to perfect it." He said before sighing.

Nexyl understood his brother's concern but maybe there was something Venril wasn't seeing. He smiled and realized the pun he just made. 

"I can't understand what it means to make the clothes a part of your body. Am I suppose to fuse them together first before going invisible?" Venril asked curiously.

"Hmm. I think what it means is to see yourself as you are and as what you are suppose to be. Like for example. We are princes, we are born to look and act like high class, professional leaders who need to dress well. Think of your clothes are part of who you are. That they are an extension of yourself.

"Hmm. So is it like when a person is nervous, that old tactic of picturing everyone naked to help calm yourself down? That it makes you feel like you belong just as you are because everyone is in the same boat as you are?"

"I guess so. A weird way to see it but okay we'll go with that. Think of your clothes as a part of yourself, what makes you you. Your identity and structure. Without them you are an internal part of yourself that no one else will see, so they can't see you. The true you is invisible to them because of the clothes you wear." 

Venril nodded then he stood up and thought of his clothes as an extension of himself. His clothes reminded me of something he masked, something he forced people to see rather than what was underneath. He didn't think of clothes as just something he wore, but what he was forced to show to hide who he really was. And with that realization and the want of turning invisible, he was able to go completely invisible with ease. He smiled when he couldn't see his own body and he noticed Nexyl clapping and smiling.

"Good job." He said before a flower ended up in his hair without his knowledge of anyone putting it there. "Haha, very funny." He said before Venril hugged him from behind.

"Thank you brother! I'm glad you are here to do this with me." He said happily.

Nexyl smiled and patted Venril's arm that was around his neck. "No problem little one. Now what else did you want to learn or could show me?"

"There is a teleportation spell I want to show you." He said before he did it and he teleported to the other side of the room. He then looked dizzy, making Nexyl get up and worry about him and catch him before he fell to his knees.

"What's wrong!?" Nexyl shouted looking worried and confused.

"Oh, that one just takes a lot of energy. Especially with how much you have practiced with and how far you teleport." He said exhausted and pointing to a chair to sit down in.

Nexyl helped Venril into the chair and knelt by him. "Let's take a break." 

"No it's alright." Venril said with a smile. "I'm good to try again." He started to get up but was still too weak to do so.

Nexyl looked angry and he pushed his brother back down in the seat. "No. Stop that!" 

"Stop what?" Venril asked.

"Acting like you don't matter and that your problems and pain are less than that of someone else. Think of yourself for once rather than the sake of others for a change. It pisses me off that you don't consider yourself sometimes." Nexyl said looking annoyed but then sighed and looked worried. "You are my brother and I love you. If anything happened to you because you tried to save someone for their sake rather than your own, I would be devastated. So stop pushing yourself to do stuff that is out of your control to do." He said as he placed his hand on Venril's arm and looked at him sincerely.

Venril was shocked to see his brother so worried but then he smiled placed his hand on Nexyl's and then leaned in to kiss his brother on the cheek. "Don't worry brother. I'm alright. If you want me to worry more about myself sometimes I will. But honestly, I am alright. I just put too much thought in where I was going and used too much energy to teleport in such a short distance with all that energy. I over exerted myself, that's all." He said calmly and smiled, waiting for Nexyl to smile back so he could finish.

"You're right. I'm sorry I shouted at you." Nexyl said sadly.

"It's okay. Besides, I know you can handle the spell. Just remember to picture where you are going and put only that amount of energy in getting there or you can always put little energy into shorter distance teleports and get there quicker but in parts." He said with a smile before he stood up and stretched, feeling his energy return.

Nexyl smiled. "I'll be sure to remember that." He said with a smile.

Evolve: Chapter 2 Part 3 (End) - Chapter 3 Part 1

Venril

Venril awoke in the middle of night, stirring abruptly and deep in thought. He never did that before. What was eating away at him so important that it woke him up in the middle of night. He was dreaming rather well and it seemed like he had someone on his mind. The name, what was the name in his dream? Srel. Yes, his dear friend in the west among the Dwarves. This Dwarf, quite wise and strong and easy to tease, for Srel's temper was as easy to stir as the ripples in the water from a single touch. Why was Srel on his mind? He knew that magick could affect ones psychic connections to someone close, but was Srel that close to him that he had to tell him about something. Something important it seemed. Did it deal with his brother? Yes, that was it. His brother had become rather annoying it seemed to him, the kind of annoying that bugs you until you tell someone to let it off your chest. He needed to confide in his friend, to understand what should be done about his brother and why he was even questioning his brother in the first place. 

He needed the companionship of his friend, Srel. They had many sleepovers together, some he dare not say in public company, for it was too intimate to really speak aloud but it was common between the two of them. They were close enough to have such a relationship and still stay friends. It was nothing but companionship between friends that appeared to be close to a consort's passion. It was weird to talk bout and a little too private to discuss among someone other than the two who took part in. He enjoyed it all the same because he cared for Srel. He thought about the Dwarf almost every day and wondered when was the next day he would see him and how long he had to be with him. Hopefully he will get the chance to be with him for a good long while.

He sighed, knowing that staying awake thinking about Srel wouldn't bring Srel to him. He did, however, want to create a portal in Srel's closet in his little humble home and connect it to his so he could visit Srel quickly as much as they both liked. That gave him some peace and helped him go to sleep a little easier knowing that he was able to harness such power in order to see his friend more. Hopefully, he remembered to bring the book of spells with him when he went on his little trip to Srel. 

Chapter 3

Srel

Srel woke up, naturally hungry and grumpy. The dwarf was always grumpy, yet not entirely hostile. His temper, usually quick and agile, would rise whenever he felt threatened, tense, pressured or teased usually by a clique of friends who knew they could get a rise out of him and they thought it was humorous. Never did he show violence or hostility towards the people close to him. He dealt with the issue with his own family where his uncle would come over, drunk on ale and usually not very wise when visiting. He'd hit on his mother, who was his uncle's own sister, and his father would control the situation by putting an end to his uncle's behavior quickly and roughly. They would then consider straightening him out the same day but it still did not force his uncle to change his ways. The attitude and character his uncle displayed, always rose in him. He hated to see his mother hurt and distraught. He almost wanted to join his father and punch his uncle's lights out, even at the young age of five. Since then, he has always despised drunks, whether happy or angry, he hated people going nuts on drinking and then lose control with their inhibitions. He drank, but responsibility. The other Dwarves saw him as weak and unwilling to take risk but then they realized who they were dealing with. The Dwarf who could snap them into two if they ever dare mess with him. He trained to defend himself and the ones he cared for, so punching a guy upside the head was no problem. For him, that is. 

Srel was a proud and hardworking dwarf, one that knew a lot about fighting and how to provide an extra hand to his village west of the Elf Kingdom, which he visited often, knowing one of the princes there. Venril visited him often and they had a friendship like no other, one that was close and trusted. Srel respected Venril and they have been friends since childhood. Since they were young, they played together in the Elven Garden of the Kingdom and traveled over the wall into the fields on the southern side, picking flowers and swimming in the nearby lake. 

As they grew up, they started to practice hand-to-hand combat with one another in defensive training. Srel instinctively wanted to in case he dealt with someone like his Uncle. He believed that immoral acts were a sign of weakness in people and could easily be handled if dealt with properly like to put people in their place who need to be knocked down a few pegs from their ego. He even thought that there would be more people like his Uncle and that they should learn for the future how to protect themselves and the people close to them. Venril agreed, also thinking the same way, it was hard enough being a prince and having servants doing everything for you. It would be nice to fight your own battles rather than force someone else to fight for you.

Srel was one of the Dwarves whose height exceeded that of any normal Dwarf. Being taller than the rest, yet not nearly as tall as Venril was, was sometimes a challenge. He was sometimes not even considered a Dwarf at times, and he could feel his anger boiling until he was reminded that his father was also tall and that it probably was the cause of his own giantism for a dwarf . Venril had a good foot on him which was a short distance apart considering a Dwarf and an Elf standing next to each other. A Dwarf was usually half the same or smaller than that of an Elf but for some reason Srel was much taller than the rest of his people. He was sometimes called a Giant in comparison to his friends, which he never mind. He liked to feel taller and stronger than the rest. It showed he was the alpha in the group as well as the one to turn to if someone ever dared to belittle his people. 

Srel got out of bed and started to make breakfast. He knew how to cook thanks to his sister and his mother. He was a mama's boy at heart but never dare admit it to his friends. He started to fix a good deal of food, just for himself. For a Dwarf's size, it was hard to believe they could eat so much. Srel remembered Venril mentioning that all that meat and bread would go straight to Srel's sides and he'd be a good sphere and easy to to roll around. Srel grumbled at the thought of being pushed around like a ball. He didn't want to get fat, so sometimes he usually fixed half of what his stomach had ordered and called it a meal fit for two, two for cat kittens that is. He smiled, knowing quite well he made a joke, but soon turned the smile upside down in order to hide it.

He sat down at the table with his mutton and mushroom soup. The mutton was of course from a sheep, a good source of proteins which he knew he needed to get through the day. He remember giving some to Venril once, Elves being vegetarian and how sick Venril was afterwards. It was a good payback for calling him a midget the day before, but he did feel bad afterwards knowing how much he hurt Venril in the end. 

Venril was his best friend. They were lovers too. They had many intimate nights together and at the same time able to stay friends or hide it from the rest of their friends. He knew Venril's brother, Nexyl, suspected that Venril had a consort and perhaps it being a Dwarf in the West, but Nexyl couldn't say who it was in particular. Nexyl. That Elf was as quick-tempered as he was but was always able to hide it so beautifully for the sake of his image. He despised that Elf. He thought Nexyl belittled Venril half the time and didn't respect thin as a prince, let alone his own brother. He saw a hollow darkness in Nexyl, one that was fueled by pride and politics. He knew Nexyl to be the logical, practical type but that was no reason to shun away your brother with work or to act as if you are better than everyone else. What an asshole. How dare he treat Venril like that when all Venril has been is kind, generous, thoughtful, and caring. Venril was a good soul and Srel knew that he'd do anything for him, let alone protect him from whoever treated Venril unfairly.