5. Training

The blow to her head was enough to darken everything around her for a moment before she opened her eyes and looked around her. Alexielle noticed she was at home, surrounded by familiar things. Her hands wrapped around her, rubbing her arms and she shivered slightly, goose pimples rising on her smooth surface. She exhaled and realized it had all been a dream; it was a nightmare in which she was the weaker link and failing miserably. She smoothed out her dress and felt a bump at her belly. 

She was with child? But, that was impossible.

Alexielle turned around, eagerly searching for Will, for Aelle. She ran down the halls of her home, finding empty room after empty room. Leaning against a wall, and rather frightened, she breathed small, shallow breaths, gasping for air. Instantly, she reached for her head and grabbing her hair, she screamed loudly.

This time, when she opened her eyes, she saw the blurry image of a succubus in front of her. With enough energy to lift her hand, she furiously blasted the demon against the wall and she turned onto her back, gasping for air. The dark dungeon looked familiar and she heard footsteps walking toward her. 

“What the fuck was that?” a low, dark rumble asked. It was followed by Raziel’s face above her. “For someone as experienced as you, succumbing to a demon’s mind-bending delusions should not be happening.” He lifted his head and sighed, “Get up.”

Alexielle quickly rose and hugged herself, her fingertips feeling the scars on her arms. “I don’t know what happened,” she said softly. 

“You lost concentration!” Raziel yelled at her, making Alexielle wince. 

“I don’t understand…”

He gestured toward her and a long, green tendril whipped out, burning her arm and back. Alexielle had stopped wearing her normal robes and dresses to training, opting for something simple, in case they ripped due to his punishments. The plain dress she wore today was already shredded in several places, including her back and skirt. She whimpered a little, but she did not cry. Her training had already lasted three weeks and she learned that tears were pointless. 

“No, you don’t understand!” Raziel rubbed his eyes and shook his head. “I’ll inform the council that you’re not capable of taking this challenge on.”

Alexielle’s eyes widened and she rushed toward him, “Please don’t! I can do this. Please, master.” Raziel, who had turned away from her, smiled at her pleas. 

“I suppose we can try again tomorrow.” He straightened his face and looked at her. “Clean yourself up. You have students waiting for you.”

Bowing slightly, Alexielle turned away and walked toward her belongings behind the sheer curtain. She carefully removed her ragged dress and looked at the wounds within her sight. Will had noticed and she was able to dodge the questions the first few days, but she knew the day would come when she could no longer do that. With a sigh, she reached for her robe and began to slowly pull it on her. 

His eyes were always staring at the curtain. He rather enjoyed that part of their training, although he wasn’t sure what he enjoyed more: watching her hurt from the lashes, or watching her body. Once she was almost done, he walked toward the curtain and reached out to touch one of the new wounds on her back. 

Alexielle stopped, wincing before she realized that he was beside her. She clutched the robe at her chest. 

“You’ll heal.” He said softly. “Come now, get dressed.” She did as she was told, slipping her arms into the long sleeves and pulling the dress over her shoulders. Raziel stayed behind the curtain, but he slipped his hands behind it, reaching over to button Alexielle’s dress. He took his time, his fingertips slightly touching the skin between wounds as he fastened her dress. When he was done, he arranged her hair and slipped his hands back. “Be back tomorrow. And do try to focus your powers.”

Alexielle turned around to respond, but he was quickly gone, so she emerged from behind the curtain and tried her best to put her pain behind her. She was an instructor, after all.