Chapter 2 A New Feeling

CHAPTER 2

The other day, we had no classes. It was a sacred day, the weekly rest.

Shantai and Rajan had gone out for an afternoon at the lake. The lake was a huge, crystal clear waterfall on the outskirts of the Pantheon. There was always sunshine there. The students gathered there on their days off for swimming, picnics, and sports. These were our rare moments of fun.

I didn't want to go. I told my friends that I would study. They believed me.

The truth was that I was still not fully recovered from yesterday. I felt trembling and shivering. Every now and then I caught myself looking around - fearful of seeing something scary.

Thank you, Captain, for the delicious emotional trauma.

Demigods didn't get sick. If I told my friends about post-traumatic stress, they would be suspicious. And no, I didn't want to make a fuss about it.

The peace between Daktis and Shikrams was very fragile. Any reason would ignite a fight.

I was already thinking like a guardian. If two factions of guardians fought each other, it would weaken our defenses. The demons would have their way, and the human world would suffer. Natural disasters, waves of violence, and many suicides...

In other words, our unity was our strength.

Aryan's resignation - and a war between factions - benefits no one. Only the demons.

The Pantheon was practically empty. So I took advantage of the occasion and went to the Sanctuary.

The Shrine was a large chapel where the students said their prayers. Most came here to pray and to cast blessings on their human relatives. Those who raised them and those they left behind.

I took advantage of this and said a prayer for my grandmother. I also said a little blessing for her.

I was a student and didn't have much influence on human life. But whenever I could, I sent little blessings to Grandma. Health, financial bonanza, good omens and luck. I wanted her last years of life to be as smooth as possible.

After I died, Grandma suffered a lot. So, once I learned about guardian blessings, I made her life much better.

I would still be in the Pantheon for another twenty-three years. Grandma wouldn't live that long. Guardians didn't go to the human paradise, so we would never see each other again.

At first, the grieving process was complicated. But now my heart had accepted it. Life in the Pantheon was hectic and full of responsibilities. There was not much time to think about what I had left behind.

After praying, I went to the dining hall and had dinner. I went back to my room, took a shower, and read a few pages of "The Story of the Hidden Guard. "

With nothing else to do, I went to sleep.

That night I dreamed of my newest nightmare.

Dark, cold eyes. Deadly muscles and treacherous little smile.

I woke up with mixed emotions. I put on my uniform and went to class.

All the way through, I rubbed my chest, feeling anguish.

The feelings were conflicting. First, there was hatred. You're going to pay for what you did to me, you stupid captain.

However, deeper inside, there was another feeling that I couldn't name...

Was it curiosity? Obsession?

When our skins touched, I felt a strange electricity. The spark between a Dakti and a Shikram. Suddenly, all my nerve endings seemed alive.

Yes, our parents were sworn enemies. But, before everything collapsed, they were lovers. An explosive and destructive love that never ended.

To this day, her children bear the scars of that unresolved romance.

The truth was embarrassing. Sons of Dakti and Shikram hated each other because they did not want to love each other. The spark of hatred between the two could easily be mistaken for something else. A centuries-old obsession... A fatal attraction...

I had strong feelings for the captain. However, I couldn't say for sure if it was hatred.

And that was very, very disturbing.

***

Later, all freshmen were summoned to the auditorium. We would be introduced to the new professor of Fighting Underworld Darkness.

Shantai and I sat in the crowded auditorium. Rajan got a seat two rows back.

I twiddled my fingers, distressed. I murmured to Shantai:

- Do you think the teacher will be Aryan Razam?

- Logical. Our old teacher was great. They wouldn't fire him for anyone less.

- It is not a certainty. Any other member of the Hidden Guard would be a great master.

- That is true. But think with me... The captain will need to spend a few years in the Pantheon to re-energize himself, and his talents are too precious to waste. It is an obvious choice.

I hoped she was wrong.

The auditorium held some two hundred students. All freshmen. The place was circular in shape, with raised bleachers. The center was square and usually acted as a stage. Here professors gave speeches on special occasions.

However, that morning, the stage was replaced by a fighting ring.

I grunted, bitterly. Surely the director wanted to boast about Aryan's fighting skills.

Clapping for the arrogant captain was the last thing I wanted to do.

Some time later, the director arrived. He stopped in the middle of the ring and spoke:

"My dears, I am sorry to interrupt the class schedule, but the Pantheon has urgent news. We have just welcomed the most promising Hidden Guardian to our teaching staff. He graduated from the Pantheon twenty years ago, and his name has become a legend in our halls. He single-handedly metamorphosed the method of fighting demons. He has led combat teams in the darkest spheres of the underworld, and is a true prodigy. His presence is a prize for our school and an honor for the Pantheon. Please give a warm welcome to the new Underworld Combat Darkness teacher! The captain of the Hidden Guard, Aryan Razam!"

The auditorium erupted in a round of applause.

From the locker room, a shadowy figure emerged.

Aryan wore a military uniform and black, as usual. Chin raised in arrogance, hands behind his back. Poisonous eyes, quick and deadly steps, just like a tiger.

He pushed the rubber band away from the side of the ring and stepped inside.

Around us, the girls began to murmur, excitedly.

- By the gods. - Shantai elbowed me. - Do you see this? Nobody said the guy was beautiful.

Argh. He didn't deserve those perfect features.

- I don't think so - I lied. - The scar is scary.

- Come on, it's a battle mark. It's not scary, it's sexy.

Two girls were whispering in the row behind us.

"Fuck, Captain Razam. What a delight you are..."

Another disagreed.

"Do you think? I don't know. It's not my style."

"Of course not. You like the slender and gentle ones, and the captain is a wild and angry mass of muscle." She sighed, delighted. "I'm not going to lie... It made me wet."

Her friend laughed.

"Dream on. He's a teacher, and teachers don't eat students."

"Too bad. Everyone here has sex with everyone. This rule is a waste."

Unable to contain himself, Shantai turned around and entered the conversation.

"Make no mistake, girls. He won't eat any of us. The captain is celibate."

One of them gasped.

"How do you know?"

"There's a rumor going around."

"It must be a lie."

"I don't think so. Veterans remember when he graduated. He took the vow of celibacy twenty years ago, so that nothing could get in the way of his missions. The guy is totally dedicated to the Hidden Guard."

One of them groaned, devastated.

"Delicious, wild and untouchable. That only makes me hornier."

In the meantime, the director introduced Aryan.

- Would you like to say a few words to your new students, Captain?

Aryan raised an eyebrow, cold. He took the microphone from the director's hands. He looked at us, soldierly.

- Good morning. I am Aryan Razam, but you can call me Captain. - It was dry and rude. The students looked at each other, surprised. - I will be the new Combat Darkness teacher, and I expect one hundred percent dedication from my students. I don't intend to take it lightly because they are fledglings. You need to learn from an early age the dangers that await you out there. Demons will not be gentle. So neither will I. If you think you can't handle it, don't sign up for my classes. That's all. - And he passed the microphone to the principal.

A stunned silence filled the auditorium.

The director was embarrassed.

- Uh, that was the introduction of our new teacher. His official classes will start tomorrow. There will be few openings. So if you want to enroll this year, please come to the office as soon as possible. It will not be an easy subject. Only enroll if you are completely committed. Now I will leave you with a presentation by our captain. He will teach us some new fighting maneuvers. We will need an opponent for the demonstration. Any volunteers?

The impetus took me. My heart beat, fierce. A voice in my head commanded: go.

By the time I saw it, I was already on my feet. I raised a hand without realizing it. I was panting and alert.

Aryumand said that "I should wear the necklace against him on a special occasion." And when the time came, I would know.

The time was now. I simply knew. The intuition came from deep within my body. Surely it was Dakti acting through me.

From his seat, Shantai babbled, voice strangled.

- What the hell...? Sit down, you crazy woman.

Everyone was looking at me.

What a nut. Do you want to be humiliated in front of the whole Pantheon?

But it was too late to turn back. The director called me to the stage.

"Ah, we have a brave volunteer! You there, miss of the Dakti faction! Please come to the ring!"

I started to head there. My heart, in my throat.

What am I doing?

It was crazy! Aryan would finish me off! Getting caught in front of the entire Pantheon would earn me a good few years of bullying and mocking laughter....

Around here, they only valued strength. Nobody would let me forget.

Anesthetized, I walked down the stairs to the center of the auditorium. As I did so, I muttered in between:

"Mom, why are you doing this to me?"

Aryan was waiting for me in the ring. Hands behind his back, sarcastic smile.

Stupid girl. I'll slaughter you.

And I would.

I entered the ring. Aryan denied with his head, frowning. Bad idea.

An assistant handed us two swords. The director left the ring.

Aryan needed no microphone. He spoke loudly, and his timbre reverberated throughout the auditorium.

- Now that we have a volunteer, I will begin the demonstration of a new attack tactic. When you face the lower levels of the underworld, you will need these techniques. Whoever joins my classes will learn step by step.

All the students sat on the edges of their chairs, anxious. Aryan was the foremost expert in combat techniques. Learning from him would be an honor.

He raised an eyebrow at me:

- Are you ready, fledgling?

No, I wasn't. But it was what my mother wanted from me.

- You can come. - I raised my sword in a defensive position.

With a wicked smile, he turned and attacked me. His sword stopped inches from my throat.

The students gasped, full of adrenaline.

Aryan applied the blows without actually stabbing me. At each movement, he explained the techniques to the audience. My job was to stand still, and that was it.

Just when I thought I would end the episode without humiliation, he proposed:

- Great, now that we have detailed the moves, let's fight. I taught you the defenses. Try to apply them.

What?

- It won't be a fair fight, professor. - I swallowed hard. - I think I should train first.

He tried to hide his satisfaction.

- Come on, fledgling. I'm not going to hurt you. Show me what you know.

All around, people were murmuring, anxious.

A fight between teacher and student? It would be a massacre!

The director closed his expression, annoyed. He knew it was not a good idea. Nevertheless, he had learned to stay out of Aryan's business.

I knew he didn't mean to hurt me. It was against the rules. He only intended to humiliate me and bury my reputation in the trash. Yay.

Everyone expected my answer. Denial would have been considered cowardice.

I sighed.

- All right. - And I went to my side of the ring.

- No swords. - Aryan dropped his weapon on the ground. - It will only be a demonstration, not a real fight.

I dropped my sword as well.

- Now, you must attack me," he advised. - Try to apply the blows I taught you.

I just wanted to get it over with.

I ran up to him and threw a punch. He caught my hand in the air. He spun it around and twisted my arm. I felt my bones crack, but I gritted my teeth. I wasn't going to scream.

People clapped for him.

He let go of me, expression defiant.

- Again. Attack me.

Furious, I obeyed. Again he disarmed me, making me fall to the ground.

He came to the middle of the ring and held out his hand.

- Are you okay - pretending to be a civilized opponent.

Annoyed, I accepted his help.

- Yes.

He lifted me up. We ended up inches away from each other. He took advantage of the proximity to whisper in my ear - inaudible and poisonous.

- Are you enjoying the humiliation, Dakti's bitch?

I exhaled, shocked. What a sneaky bastard...

Without giving him a taste of an answer, I turned around and went back to my side of the ring. I muttered in between.

"Mom, if you have a plan, this is the time."

On the other side of the ring, Aryan held up two fingers and called out to me. The expression, mocking.

- Come.

Suddenly it happened. Dakti's cord warmed up around my neck, and I had an inspiration. I don't know where it came from. The idea just welled up in me.

With unshakable certainty, I picked up my sword from the ground. I advanced toward him with a war cry.

Aryan was surprised for a millisecond, but soon reacted. He picked up his own sword from the ground and knelt, defending himself against my blow. Our blades touched with a sharp thud.

The audience stood up.

"What? She's crazy," they said.

The director went to the side of the ring, startled.

- Hey, student! No weapons!

Aryan just raised one hand - staring at me.

- Leave us, director. I know what I am doing.

I didn't fight or talk to myself. The cord burned against my chest, suddenly warm. It was my mother speaking through me.

Resigned, the director returned to his seat.

I spat at Aryan:

- Are you enjoying the humiliation, son of Shikram?

He narrowed his eyes.

- Don't tease me.

I lowered my sword and walked backwards, eyes fixed on him.

- Don't be a crybaby.

Aryan stood up. He raised his sword, murderous expression.

- Do you want to fight for real? Very well. You're the one who asked for it.

He came forward and attacked me. Surprisingly, I managed to fend off all his blows. I looked like a professional guardian!

No... She looked like a guardian of the Hidden Guard. A specialist.

He attacked and I retorted boldly. My blade nearly tore through his skin several times. It was a deadly dance inside the ring.

I had never fought like this in my life! What was happening to me? I didn't even know the punches I was throwing! It wasn't me in that ring! It was as if I was receiving divine guidance.

Aryan spun around and threw me a kick. I dodged, crouching down - almost as if I could see the blow coming before it happened.

The audience was in shock. Many were standing. Others, with their hands over their mouths. There was no way a freshman could fight on equal terms with the captain.

Bizarre! Incomprehensible!

Our blows were furious and deadly. His blade was inches from my throat. He could scratch my skin, but I could also hit him. We were full of scratches.

I was a force of nature. Unstoppable.

We both gasped and sweated. Aryan had an incredulous look on his face. He couldn't understand my sudden ability.

At a certain point in the fight, he could no longer attack me - only defend himself.

If it were a real fight, he would die.

I screamed and hit him non-stop - until I left him completely trapped in a corner of the ring. The tip of my blade stopped at his jugular. He raised his hands and dropped the sword, surrendering. His expression, shocked.

We were both breathing heavily.

Aryan was not an idiot. He knew there was something wrong with me. He frowned.

- Who is helping you?

Blind rage seized me.

- Shut up and fight. - I dropped my sword and stepped forward.

In a split second, I grabbed his collar and threw him to the ground. His body spun in the air. That physical force was not mine.

We ended up in the middle of the ring, lying on the floor. Aryan countered - spinning around and stopping on top of me.

But I wasn't scared. I knew what to do.

All the students carried concealed weapons on their bodies. The habit of guardians.

Aryan was on top of me, thinking he had won. As he grinned treacherously, I reached for my dagger hidden in my ankle holster inside my boot. Within seconds, my blade appeared against his throat.

- Surprise. - Poisonous spit.

- What the fuck? - he narrowed his eyes. - You're not fighting alone.

- You can't prove it.

We were glued to each other. Our faces were centimeters apart. His arms were around my head, and I had both legs hooked around his waist. We were entwined, panting and sweating. We didn't know where one ended and the other began.

There, so close, her scar was more frightening - and her features even more beautiful. The smell that emanated from his body was delicious. I could feel his breath against my mouth.

It was then that something unexpected happened.

I felt something pressing against my hip. Something stiff, hard, and huge. My mouth opened and I looked down.

Aryan was excited! Very, very excited.

When he realized this, his eyes widened. He looked at me mortally embarrassed.

The director came to the edge of the ring.

- All right, enough of this fighting. We've had enough demonstrations, professor.

With a jump, Aryan got off me. He stood up and ran his hand through his hair, unable to face me.

I slowly stood up. I could only look at the captain's pants. The bulge between his legs was clear. That wasn't adrenaline from the fight - that was a hard-on.

I couldn't help but remember...

The captain was celibate. He had not had sex with anyone for years. He had immense self-control over his body. I doubted that he got horny every time he fought.

So, why?

The audience was too far away to notice his condition. They clapped their hands, outraged by the struggle. How could a freshman do this?

Aryan took off his jacket and put it in front of his body. Embarrassed, he tried to hide his erection.

The director entered the ring.

- Please shake hands. Let's end this demonstration right here.

We met in the middle of the ring. I held out my hand, smiling victoriously.

- Good fight, professor.

His teeth were gritted and his eyes sparkled with hatred. He squeezed my hand hard.

- I say the same - he grunted.

- Good," the director was relieved. - Now that we're done, you may leave the ring. - And he turned to leave.

When the director walked away, we untied our hands. I murmured softly:

- If you want to fuck me, captain, just ask. No need to pretend you hate me. The strategy didn't work for your father and it won't work for you.

His jaw dropped. Even I couldn't believe my audacity.

Before I heard a response, I turned my back and walked out of the ring. A smile tore across my face.

As I left, the captain's scandalized gaze fanned my back.

You will pay me for this.

***

IN ARYAN'S VIEW

Aryan rushed into his room. He closed the door violently. He huffed in anger.

How the fuck did this happen?

No, he didn't mind being beaten by a fledgling. It was clear that this Kali girl had received help from her mother - or from some other enemy god of Shikram. Those skills were not hers. It took decades to learn them. Aryan forged her techniques with twenty years of dedication, self-denial and discipline. She gave up much to know what she knew. He knew himself and his abilities.

No, he did not have a fragile ego. Humiliation was nothing to him, for he experienced far more frightening things.

However, Aryan was shocked at himself.

She ran to the bathroom, took off her clothes, and opened the shower. He needed to calm down. He turned on the cold water and got in under there. He hoped that the shower would wash away his sins.

His member was throbbing, huge, hard and thick. It even hurt. The hard-on was inexplicable.

An obsessive thought overwhelmed him. That daughter of Dakti was simply delicious.

She fought like a goddess. Murderous, deadly, and invincible. Honestly, Aryan just wanted to kneel down and revere her.

Its smell was intoxicating. It penetrated his pores and drove him crazy.

Damn. Why did he feel such a hard-on for his enemy?

That was terribly inopportune! Mortifying! Embarrassing!

When they were both on the floor, he felt her soft body against his... And God, it was heaven. He wanted to take off his clothes and fuck her right there.

It had been years since he had seen a daughter of Dakti. It was overwhelming. How could Shikram's other sons live with her? How could they not fall at her feet, in love or mad?

The girl, Kali, was right. Every damn right.

Not all men are at my feet. But you and your father are.

Aryan felt his heart reverberating memories and feelings that were not born from him. They were born from his parents' unresolved love.

However, that hard-on and attraction was very real. The terrible, awkward spark between a Dakti and a Shikram.

Aryan could not stay in the Pantheon. Not in the presence of that girl. It would drive him mad. He would end up killing her or loving her. He didn't know yet which one.

Aryan couldn't stop teasing her. His compact and unapproachable personality was completely ruined when she was around. She triggered deep-rooted emotional wounds and triggers inside him. A deep resentment - angry and unexplained.

He wanted to hurt her, yes, but he also wanted to fall at her feet and cry.

Why did you leave me? The lack of your love has ruined me...

Teasing her was a tactic. As long as they were fighting, she would be around. And Aryan wanted to orbit around her desperately.

Rationally, Aryan knew that this was not instant passion. It was just his Shikram spirit reacting to the girl's Dakti spirit. He understood that these feelings were not his, they were his father's.

But damn... They seemed so vivid and real...

Aryan leaned his hands on the wall. He let the cold water fall on his shoulders. He breathed deeply, trying to calm his body.

He had been celibate for twenty years. Celibacy was a prerequisite for being a captain in the Hidden Guard.

Aryan knew that being the captain was what he wanted most in life. So he gave up sex.

At first, it was horrible. He had always been a legendary libertine in the Pantheon. He ate as many demigodesses as he could. But as the years went by, he created strategies of self-control. He managed to master his own body. It had been years since he had been this horny. Years since he had lost complete control.

But that little girl awakened something inside him. Some angry, repressed yearning.

Sexual energy pulsed through every fiber of his being. His member throbbed, hard and aching. He didn't want to fuck anyone else. It had to be her.

Aryan knew his own history. Her parents had a complicated past, and often their children could not stay in the same room. Often these mixed feelings were resolved with ugly fights or wild sex. The greatest lovers between demigods were the sons of Shikram and Dakti.

And all loves between them, without exception, ended badly.

The history of the parents repeated itself. Betrayals, broken hearts, and abandonment. A fate, a karma that happened again and again.

Were your parents really mortal enemies? Or just lovers who hated to love each other?

Aryan did not know. As long as their father did not resolve his own feelings, his children would not either.

After ten years away from the Pantheon, he had forgotten what it was like to have a Dakti so close.

The indomitable and senseless rage... The obsessive thought... The borderline compulsion between hate and love... After so long without seeing a copy, the feelings came flooding back.

He ran his fingers through his hair.

- Stay the fuck calm. - He hissed to himself. - Just stay calm.

Damn. The damn girl saw his erection under his pants-and she wouldn't let him get away with it. She saw him out of control, horny and vulnerable. And that was very humiliating.

Aryan was a teacher. He shouldn't care about the opinion of a simple student.

But he cared.

Nothing made a man more blind than a maddening sexual attraction.

Aryan put his hand around the member and held it. He gritted his teeth, trying to contain the urge to masturbate. He knew that if he did, it would be worse. He would become addicted. The sexual energy would only hinder his concentration on his work, and twenty years of dedication would go down the drain.

Kali, Kali, Kali. Her name was like a drug.

She wasn't even the most attractive one in the place, but he didn't have eyes for anyone else.

Kali obviously fought with the help of her mother. Days ago, Aryan challenged the goddess. Did Dakti return the favor by throwing a curse of attraction on him? So that it would drive him mad and ruin him?

No. There were no spells that inspired attraction. If there were, he would know. Aryan recognized spells from afar. He could sniff them out in the air.

No spell messed with his head. Kali messed with his head.

Aryan turned off the shower and dried himself off. As he did so, he tried to convince himself that the attraction would not be repeated. Only then would he remain sane.

He put on some clothes, got into bed, and reflected.

The first time he saw Kali, he felt hatred. Something deep and maddening. The hatred took away his reason and almost made him commit a madness. He almost killed a student in the middle of the hall. Rationally, he would never do this. But the feelings between a Dakti and a Shikram were fierce.

In the fight, however, the potent feeling did not come in the form of hate - but of attraction.

And that was much worse.

Aryan listed the reasons to forget that feeling.

First, he wouldn't stay with a daughter of Dakti! Not after the goddess had broken his father's fucking heart. He couldn't give her that taste.

Second, Aryan was a teacher. Kali, a student. An involvement would be immoral and forbidden.

Third, he was celibate and could not have sex. Otherwise he would lose his position as captain in the Guard. And his work was the most important thing in his life.

Even if there weren't so many cons... Even if it wasn't a forbidden attraction...

He didn't know if Kali would reciprocate.

Did she also feel that torrent of sensations when their bodies touched?

Shit. Not knowing was torture.

Aryan decided that he would stay as far away from the girl as possible. She was his particular ordeal.

The captain has been to the depths of hell, and he would not let a simple girl ruin him. Not now. Not after all he had faced to get here.

He would pluck that daughter of Dakti from his memory and heart.

At least, that is what he repeated to himself for days.