Chapter 35

Pairings

  “Today we will begin pairing you off with an ideal candidate. This will be your permanent partner while here at Thessia Academy of Excellence.” General Fellina began, though apparently, she was not known as General Fellina in this Universe. Here she was just called Pouncing Tiger, or Tigran for short. For me though I still had her as Fellina due to the Russians butchering her name in their first translation and the subsequent re-translation into my native language of English. This was but just one of many subtle differences between this universe and my own.

  “The ideal minimum pairing is a team of two that possesses both Mage and Mental abilities. This means that the more you two works with each other, the less residual resonance from your individual class will build up. You will no doubt be taught more about this as time goes on, but for the moment we wish to take a moment and pair you with the operative who will be your bonded partner for all eternity. At least during your stay here at Thessia Academy, and hopefully during your time in service as well.” General Fellina, or Tigran said.

  I nodded. This made sense to me. I knew I had a particularly hard time with my Psionic resonance, so I wondered if they were in fact able to find someone who would be on the same power level as me, at least magically. From what I observed Rayquel was a Mental Magic specialist. Idly I wondered who her partner is, no doubt she had already gone through this very training with someone who was her paired bond. No doubt I could use her experiences to help me with my career.

  Looking at it rationally I could logically be linked up with a Mage or Mental user, though a mage would make the most sense. Again, they would just have to be exceptionally powerful and able to notice the signs of mental strain early. When thinking about it, the only real candidate who came to mind was me. Well not me, but the me from this universe. Wizard me.

  I looked out amongst the crowd of human cadets and saw that this universes version of me, wizard me, was already getting close to Jess. Seeing that, a pang of sadness filled my heart. That was a seemingly perfect pairing, as Jess too had mental powers. It turns out she wasn’t supposed to have been at the Mage Breaking class, but apparently after my performance as a teacher no one objected. In fact, I had been asked to give a larger demonstration to everyone later on. By everyone, I mean everyone. All the cadre, Endarian cadets near graduating, special operatives who were being called back for the eye-opening experience, everyone. It was sort of intimidating, but I didn’t think it would be that bad. What’s the worse that happens? I teach a few people the number one biggest defense we humans have against mage practitioners.

  I look at the pairing students and suddenly I realize one very important thing. Just like playing neighborhood games as a kid, when I tagged along with my brother, I was once again the odd kid out.

  Looking around, I saw that the number of human cadets were exactly even. There were fifty mages, who were pairing with the fifty mind users, then there was me.

  I look around and my pheromones must have given me away, as Rayquel moves in by my side.

  “Don’t worry. We have a special assignment for you.” She states.

  I look at her, a slightly puzzled expression on my face. One that I think is also mirrored in my pheromones.

  “Also know that we have a special announcement. No doubt many of you have noticed that several your classes are done as a language immersion. This speech is likely a welcome reprieve to your day thus far. Don’t worry we have made plans to help your integration be as seamless as possible.” The general began but paused as fifty paired groups of humans all stared up in confusion. I too stared on in confusion.

  “As of this day we have an official language immersion expert. No doubt you all have noticed the talented human representative with you.” General Fell…Tigran said.

  I was in the middle of thinking about how Tigran was a terrible name. Not as bad as Tigger, or something else that was equally absurd, but still terrible.

  “…Goldman-X…” The word caught me by surprise. Suddenly my mind which had been passively listening in the background suddenly raced forward and tried to rewind the conversation that had just happened. In a second my mind recreated the speech almost exactly.

  “We are hereby recognizing one of you as an official Endarian Officer, hereby promoting him to the rank of Lieutenant. This person will now be your official human Cadre member related to linguistic questions and cultural integration. We of course are referring to the easily identifiable Cadre member Goldman-X.” The general says, while gesturing to me with one hand. “You will no doubt have an easy time identifying him around campus due to his noticeable characteristics. If you do not know what I am talking about, take a quick look at him there. There you will see he is next to his permanent partner, known to many of you as the Iron Butterfly.”

  With that, several things hit me all at once. I feel like I am being thrown for a loop. Rayquel, the Iron Butterfly, smiles as she comes over to me, and removes my cadet straps that are over my shoulder.

  “We had these made specially for you.” Rayquel says as she slides off my shoulder sheaths that mark me as a five-month-old cadet in good standing. Then they are replaced by the Endarian Military officer rank of Lieutenant. Or the equivalent of Lieutenant, it is something that translates to blind child of the military, but really the meaning translates flawlessly to English. There is no distinction of second Lieutenant or first Lieutenant in the Endarians military either. Either you are a blind child of the military, or you are one that has eyes and can react. That is what the rank of Captain at least translates to. Looking at Rayquel, it is clear that she is a Captain plus two distinction marks. I’m not quite certain what that means exactly, other than she is overly qualified to be a Captain and should be promoted here shortly.

  As soon as Rayquel places the sheaths over my uniform’s shoulder straps, she pins them each in place with the customary button at the top of my shoulder. Then proceeds to slam her fist down hard into the buttons. She then proceeds to slap me across the face twice, a sign that she has taken me as her junior partner. Then gives the customary kiss, to show that we can make up at the end of the day.

  Mentally I am going through the different steps in a clinical approach. I have heard about the pairing rituals of the Endarians. But to read about them, and then experience them is an entirely different circumstance entirely.

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  I am so lost in thought, especially at what only needs to be a slight peck of a kiss on the lips, that I am distracted when the kiss goes deeper. A flash of moisture against my lips, and then before I know it, I am kissing Rayquel again. I don’t want to protest this, first protesting your partner is a sign of bad relationships. Also, it is customary to have a longer kiss to signify the lengths we are willing to go for one another. But still my mind is going blank as I feel sucker punched again by the Endarians and their overly expressive shows of emotion.

  I am so lost in the moment that it takes a few seconds for my brain to kick in, as to how wrong I am reacting. Parts of my body are awakening and reacting to this alien form of bonding that I suddenly feel like we are one step from going too far. As soon as this thought comes to mind, my pheromones likely tell of my sudden distress as Rayquel stops and stares at me.

  She trembles slightly as our eyes lock.

  I half wonder if it is just the sight of my odd glowing purple eyes that cause her to tremble or if there is something more to the stare. Still, she seems to pause for a brief second before she takes a half step back.

  “This one is worthy. I shall take him under my wing to be as my shadow. So that he will learn to walk by mirroring my paces.” Rayquel says in Endarian.

  Badump.

  My heart races, I’m not quite certain why exactly. The kiss had something to do with this, but really, I feel something deep inside me call forth at this sacred rite of passage. A rite of passage that to my knowledge has only been done between two Endarians. This is the sacred blending of souls, a contract to always have one another’s backs regardless of what happens on the battlefield. I realize I am likely being chosen for several reasons, likely political, likely something to do with my being half-human, and likely due to my overwhelming Psionic powers. Yet, I still can’t help but feel the faint lines of energy tugging at me from deep within.

  Not wanting to be rude. Or maybe, because I truly feel compelled to do so, I complete my end of the ritual. Normally it is not necessary for the junior in the relationship to complete the quote. Just being claimed by the senior in the combat pairing is enough for a minor bond to form. Yet, I feel…

  Honestly, I don’t know how I feel. I feel something deep within stirring inside me. I feel like an unused part of me has suddenly found its purpose, a purpose that must be utilized as quickly and efficiently as possible. Before I even realize what is happening my mind draws upon the sacred words that are my portion of this ceremony. I am saying my portion before I even truly grasp what they mean. When I first read them, they were just words on a page. But once they are spoken, they suddenly became meaning to my existence.

  “As your shadow, I will learn to walk and be a warrior. I will follow you though all fields knowing you will lead the way to the light. As your shadow I will always have your back, so that you can focus on constantly moving us forward as a team. From this day forward, I am no more...” I trail off.

  The more I speak, the more the dormant part inside of me begins to burn with something bright. I can feel energy growing inside me. My eyes that are normally just a constant brightness even to me, suddenly surge to life with blinding purple light. So much that Rayquel and her uniform are all in different shades of purple.

  “For we are eternal.” Rayquel says, as she places her right hand on my shoulder, while bowing her head slightly. Again, this is more than enough. More than anyone could expect to have happen from a human taking on the ritual of soldier pairing with an Endarian. Still, I continue, feeling that I need do to more. That I am so close to awakening, to fully awakening a darkened part of me.

  Without even thinking my body moves on its own. I mirror her movements. My right hand goes up to rest on her left shoulder. My head leans forward, until our heads are touching. Then as soon as our skulls touch, I feel a surge of energy flow up from me into her. Then I feel a similar current of energy flow from her into me. I am reminded of the balls dangling from a Newton Pendulum, where the energy gets transferred through the different balls at the same time. Where it doesn’t matter if energy forces one ball to move seemingly independently of another, the balls are merely conduits for the energy that is being transferred from one direction to another.

  With that transfer of energy, I feel a warmth enter me and anchor itself to my very soul. Just as I feel my energy bounce and attach itself to a portion of her soul. That is if we even have souls to begin with. I don’t rightly know. All I do know is that part of me is forever resonating within Rayquel. I now know that no matter how far apart we are, I will always be able to guess the direction she is in, her general health, and her overall status. I will know this, as I am now a part of her.

  I pause, taking a step back. With a shock I realize that Rayquel too took a step back at the exact same time. Part of me knows we are mirroring each other, as we both look on suddenly shocked at what just happened. We are bonded, that much is evident. She and I are both physically and mentally the same. Again, I didn’t lose anything. At least I didn’t lose anything I was previously aware of before. Instead, I now have a new part of me that is alive and awakened in another.

  It is an odd feeling, one that slightly tingles as we both try to stretch out and move our new phantom limb. To describe the sensation is the same thing as suddenly realizing that you have a third eye. The only problem is that the third eyes isn’t attached to you and can’t truly be used to glimpse anything other than the life of your military partner.

  This is a deep connection, but one that is wholly separated from a romantic relationship.

  I am still feeling the new glowing sensation within my own body and my own glowing sensation within her body when words cut us off.

  “As I live and breathe, may I never see another miracle quite so astounding.” General Tigran says in Endarian. The saying is a lot shorter in Endarian, but the translation to English takes a bit more explanation.

  Taking a moment General Tigran quickly composes herself. As she speaks, I once again see her eyes glowing brightly, again I take this as a sign that she is somehow seeing the future. Did she know such a bond would happen?

  I had of course read about the bonding of Endarian soldiers and how truly bonded pairs were amazingly difficult to vanquish. I also remember how in all my previous lives Rayquel never had such a pairing.

  Looking back, I am glad she never had a pairing, feeling the connection between us even in this initial phase is impressive. I could only imagine how fierce she would have been if she had a truly bonded pair during some of our encounters.

  “In case any of you still have doubts about this alliance between ourselves and the humans, we need look no further.” General Tigran said twice, first in English to the students. Then a second time to the cadre and the numerous recording devices that were all around the open room.

  Now that I have a moment to think, I realize my cheeks still sting slightly. Well, my cheeks still sting, and my lips still burn. In a second, I realize it is my body’s way of telling me where I last made physical contact with my bonded partner. It is an odd sensation.

  “Now I will let you all perform the bonding ritual with your chosen partner.” General Tigran says. With that the fifty human pairs all turn to each other and look confused for a second. Then almost as one they begin to shrug and then go through the ritual’s motions.

  I look to Rayquel, or eyes lock and I have so many questions rolling through my mind that I don’t know exactly where to begin. Finally, I ask what is on my mind.

  “Is this only because I am half-human?” I ask. The unspoken part of my question being about our bond that even now pulses strangely within me.

  “I don’t know.”

  FLASH!

  A burst of light shines out from the middle of the gathered students. My eyes, much like everyone else’s are attracted to the pure light. Within a second the surge of light dwindles slightly, allowing me to make out two forms. Two human forms, that look like a photograph I had on my refrigerator so many lifetimes ago.

  I am lost in the moment as I remember the picture fondly, it was when Jess and I had both passed our practical psychic exams in our first lifetime together. We were so happy for each other that we just stared at each other. A friend of ours happened to take the picture and offer it to us. We liked it so much that it was our good luck picture that we used when we first moved into our military housing together.

  Then the glare of the light fully fades, allowing me to see Jess and me holding hands. Well, it is not me, at least not the real me. This is Wizard Kyle, who seems to somehow be blessed with the perfect life. And for the second time that day, I felt jealous of what Kyle has, a future that is bright as the sky is wide. Part of me wishes him well, while another part of me that I try to squash almost immediately wishes his life would face a little bit of adversity.

  A gentle hand pats my back. Within a second, I realize it is my military partner comforting me.

  “Don’t worry. This doesn’t mean we are anything more than warriors who are linked on the same mission.” Rayquel says reassuringly.

  Then looking at her, I once again feel saddened as I realize she is holding back on her true feelings, because of me. Realizing her own personal sacrifice, I ask possibly the stupidest question I can think of.

  “Do you have anyone you are committed to?”

  Pain.

  There is a faint pain coming from my chest. Within a second, I realize it comes from the open spot that houses Rayquel’s personal spark within me. From that pulse of pain alone, I know this is a sore subject.

  “Never mind.” I say, but it is already too late.