Monday Morning at 7am –
Psyiah was sitting on the bed and she saw her wife leave the room. Annimae was heading to her master’s. Anni seemed worried as her tone seemed unsure of the severity of the punishment. Psyiah felt she was at fault at what happened, putting her into her predicament, but she shrugged off the feeling with her wife’s words. She remained quiet on the edge of the bed as she remained in the room thinking. She stared at the battle axe and pondered. Psyiah was beginning to feel a yearning form it, as if it was calling to her.
It was a calling, a calling like no other.
Later that morning she found herself deep in the mountains of La Noscea, running with her axe on her back, pushing her limits on her training day. She wanted to prove she could go further, push harder, and become better at wielding the battle axe. Her limited were being tested, and did not want to stop. She was discovering a new passion within her life. Psyiah felt pain in her lungs, she felt strains on her legs, and found she gained blisters on her hand. It reminded her she is alive. She reflected as she ran, thinking of how she has been as of late; weak, and always playing it safe. She was beginning to taste a new rush, a rush of adrenaline and she loves it.
Deep down she was feeling an inner beast, begging to get released. This feeling was new to her and she was not really sure on how to harness it. She began to feel a warmth within her chest, in her heart… a rage.
‘I miss the feeling of always being confident… I want it back… I want that feeling… that flame, that desire back…’ She thought to herself.
She stopped at the top of her cliff and noticed a large stone. She instantly remembered a tale she once heard while in the Maelstrom.
‘A tale of a fierce warrior who once could crack a large bolder with one axe swing. How the warrior took their axe and made one swift swing and chopped the stone bolder in two.’
Psyiah grinned and welcomed the challenge, as she was on her runners high. She felt a bit exhausted but wanted to prove herself. She drew her battle axe and prepared for the swing.
<CLANG!> came the sound of the battle axe hitting and bouncing off of the stone. The vibration of her axe caught her off guard. She shook it off and swung again. <CLANG!> the axe bounced again and this time flew from her hands. The edge of her axe barely missed her face. She realized then that if she does not control her axe, she might get hurt by her own hand. On the third swing she hesitated and heard a voice in her head “You sniveling rat!” she hit the stone softly and failed on the third attempt.
She panted and looked at the stone. She was starting to have a feeling on giving up on the endeavor.
“You sniveling rat!!” She heard again in her head. She gripped the axe with a tight grip and grunted as she swung on the fourth time. She hit the stone and her axe bounced back with fierce rebellion and the axe flies past her face, slicing a bit of her skin. She winces in pain as she falls back from the pain and the axe flying past her face. She sat up, and felt a warmness go down her head. ‘Blood’ she thought. A nasty voice comes back into her head.
“You sniveling RAT!! YOU WON’T EVER BE ANYTHING!”
Psyiah spit some of the blood as it entered her mouth. She grabbed her axe and stood up. She grunted and charged at the axe. The sound resonated once more as it bounced off the stone. She maintinaed her grip on the axe and swung again. She repeated this over and over. Her hands began to feel as if they were on fire. She looked down at her hands and noticed blood running from them. Her blisters popped. She panted and began to lose motivation. “I… can’t…” She panted. Her arms feeling weak, her lungs burning, and blood dripping from her hands and head… she was feeling like quitting.
“Weak… pathetic… GET UP!” I heard as I tried to catch my breath. “Weak… pathetic… GET UP!”
Psyiah heard again. She gripped the axe and prepared for the next swing.
“Sniveling rat! Look at you! Nothing but a weak pathetic rat!!”
Psyiah’s vision became blurred as she began to see red. She screamed loudly letting out a large burst of rage as she hit the stone. Nothing. The familiar voice came back. “You won’t EVER be anything… You keep crying… you are pathetic… look at you… in your self-pity… give up! Quit! You won’t EVER get that job! She will leave you!! YOU WILL LOSE!!” She swung with all her might, not letting anything or anyone stop her. Her screams loud and her vision only red. The axe made contact…
A large crack resonated through the forest and mountains in La Noscea. The ringing was no more and the axe remained still. The dust settled and Psyiah panted. Her hands were covered in blood. One of her eyes was closed from the blood as it ran down her face. The stone was in half and a small grin covered her face. She moved away from her axe as it stayed lodged in the ground.
Her lungs burned, her arms felt like good, and she was fully out of breath. She was a mess but was able to prove to herself she could do it. Her rage… her inner beast pushed her.
She fell to her knees and the voices remained quiet. Darkness surrounded her as she fell to the ground…
The Nalanis 