Threyja Verse 3 - A heart of Lust & Love

Threyja

Her half closed eyelids softly awoke to the soft sounds of crackling fire. To her left side, she saw a small bowl filled with dancing flames searing crushed herbs and wildflowers, whilst also casting smokey blue fumes into the air. She lightly tilts her head back, catching a benevolent sight of silvery dust clouds glimmering ominously against the wicker made ceiling above. When Threyja had first encountered the peculiar smog, she initially thought they were ghosts trapped within the walls of her masters hut. Several Qi Purification attempts later and those same dust clouds had become somewhat of a marvel to her ever watching gaze.

Threyja had gotten used to inhaling the heavy scent of countless burning herbs continuinly invading her nostrils. By now she could isolate each of one the herbs her master used by smell. Although she dared to not make a single move during the purification process. Her master had warned her many times before of the many dangers when disturbing the Qi purification process.

Threyja had already sensed significant changes within her body. Although still quite feint, the tempest of desire was quickly retreating into its violet coloured shell. She still struggled during the long nights, often times she was **** to result to her fingers to relieve her of the burning desires. But mentally she was finding somewhat of a stable footing amidst the trying storms.

After her last encounter with Marco, she dreaded to think what the outcome might be if things continued the way they were going. Thorjens return felt like a beacon of hope, personally delivered to her crying soul from one of her guardian angels. Her mother used to always sing to her the songs of the Elven folk. The ones who danced and sang across the vast jade meadows beside the Gods and the fairies. During those days, her mother told her that Elves used to believe each one of them was blessed with a specific guardian angel. Much similar to the blessing ceremony which was said to grace power to an Elf upon reaching a certain age.

An abnormal amount of key continued flowing through her meridians. The pure qi she was forming had gathered in her stomach and she felt the blueish Qi finally changing into a sparkling pink hue. A familiar energy broke free from the milky gas condensed into a pink ball, no larger than a babys fist at first but had now swell into the size of a ripe melon. Steadily the Pure Qi started to flow through her veins like a shallow brook.

Seated behind her was an old women with silver silken strands falling down to her shoulders, she also carried noticeable sharply pointed ears poised on the side of her helm.

Her two leathery aged palms pressed firmly against Threyja’s upper back. Her poise was arrayed as sturdy as a short boulder, and despite signs of perspiration dotted against her leathery skin the old woman had not slackened her straight arms since the 4th hour when the purification process had begun.

Threyja continued performing the breathing technique her master had taught her. Slowly...very slowly she found her conscious fading into a peaceful embrace. She had arrived at this point many times before, only this time around, Threyja felt a true sense of her old powers surrounding her.

Threyja heard the soft droplets of water meeting a clear basin.

"Huh?" a faint gasp broke free from between her lips, whilst her eyes flashed open.

Threyja felt slightly disorientated finding herself floating in a peculiar dark realm. She observed her surroundings, quickly making sense of where she had arrived at.

"This is...my sea of consciousness."

The vast expanse above her helm was a dazzling starry night filled with countless stars which traversed as far as her eyes could see. Threyja traced the falling moonlight, where she discovered the existence of a vibrantly arrayed garden with rivers sliced through the forest beds, and tall plum coloured leaved trees gently sat on the edges of the peaceful waters.

'I can feel my Qi surrounding this entire place...it feels quite strange but also somewhat comforting.'

This would be the first time Threyja had successfully crossed over the veil and managed to find her sea of consciousness. The feeling exceeded her expectations, and the peaceful flow of Qi within the air had placed her in a tranquil mood as the peaceful plume rivers beneath her. Her master had already warned her about interacting with anything she considers a living being within this space. She was deemed too weak to handle the potential blowback of her Qi going haywire, so after a while she decided it was time to leave this space. Threyja heard something strange rustling between the bushes beneath her, she remained idle within the air for a few moments before soft laughter begun flowing into her ears. Her heart stiffened, she could already sense that familiar heat stirring in her stomach. The feeling she sought to reject, the one who relished in the joys of such depravity. That creature was slowly unearthing from between the violet coloured bushes.

Once Threyja locked eyes with the obsidian skinned Elf, she felt those dampened coals she had fought so hard to keep at bay immediately fill with life again.

The pink haired creature creased a lecherous grin as she simply stared at her from the edge of the enchanting river bank.

"H-e-e-y there...I've missed you" she blew a kiss towards the skies. Threyja felt her entire body but she now felt a confidence unlike the first time she had met the creature behind the curse of lust.

"I...I...I" she stammered

"Don't be shy cutie. Speak what your heart desires fufufu"

Threyja steadied her breathing, her masters words returned to her thoughts. And her fears were stifled by a rise of confidence swiftly bloomed as she narrowed her gaze and declared. "I will win...You wont control me."

"Fufufu...little dear...I have already won..."

Threyja jolted upright, discovering she had returned back to her masters hut.

Miraculously her aura was flowing in a more controlled manner . And she felt somewhat proud of herself for making it this far. Although her mind still felt fractured by that innate urge which tended to arrive in the dreary hours of the night. Forcing her to use her fingers to relieve the sensation of lust which almost swallowed her whole, day by day.

Because of which she nestled the deep thorn within her chest, memories of her shameful acts during these last few months still plagued her at times. And after reuniting with Thorjen again, she felt even more at odds within herself. Disbelieving that the things she held dear to her had been taken away by another man.

‘If I was strong enough…I…Could I kill him?’ Her thoughts disturbed the patient flow as she imagined an alternative measure to dealing with Marco. Her master broke away, coughing blood which splattered against the ground in response to her sudden chaotic flow.

“M-master! Are you alright?” Her voice exclaimed with worry

The elderly elf quickly wiped the traces of blood away from her mouth using her loose sleeves. Waving away the scared girl’s protests.

“I’m fine child. This old body of mine struggles to complete a full purification process these days. But enough about me…your body…it’s improving a great deal these days. If this continues you’ll be back to 2/3rds of what your peak was before the poison. Whatever it is you’ve been doing child, keep it up.” She said with a slightly ugly smile.

Threyja was delighted her master reinforced what she herself was beginning to realise about her cultivation.

She could feel the subtle changes within her body and the easiness cultivating was becoming again. At this point she held no real idea as to what had changed, but she was grateful nonetheless for it.

'I can't think of any changes in the way I cultivate, although...'

Marco’s face flashed against her thoughts and she immediately felt her heartstrings being pulled.

The words 'Dual cultivation.' Struck out against her thoughts.

In a bid to dispel away the distractions she shook her head from side to side and quickly searched the room for anything to distract her.

In the corner of her eyes Threya noticed a gathering of heavy looking brass trunks sat in one corner of the small sized room. She felt a little uneasy realising what that probably entailed.

“Master, will you be leaving the citadel soon?” She inquired, the aged Elf was folding some of her plain robes away when she was halted on her heels by the expected query.

“Y-yes my dear. I’m returning further east. Towards the hills where the immortals sleep.” Her voice almost sung this delightfully.

‘The five hidden sects.’

Threyja knew the legends well, the immortal martial sects they were commonly known as. Prior to the successful scourge of the Demon hordes, the immortals were considered the kings of the world at one point. During the time when several kings carved parts of the mainland for themselves.

Threyja always wondered what a world where Elves rules might’ve looked like, but she also understood the very reason why they lost the kingdom in the first place…greed.

“How long will you be away for?” Her voice high pitched out of anxiety, trying her hardest to keep her emotions from spilling fourth.

Sensing her students unsteady thoughts, a knowing smile creased against her aged face.

“My dear, there will come a time when myself along with my generation shall be no more. There is a season for all things my dear, a time when the heroes of the old ran amok across these lands. A time when the demons reigned swallowed the seas. And of course, a time when the immortal Taoists held the four corners of the world. Let your heart be still Threyja. For understanding this is the key to inner peace my dear.”

Threyja watched quietly whilst her master finished placing away the robes they would always use when undergoing the purification Qi ritual. The old woman then moved gingerly to one particular corner of her room where a small shelf filled with old scrolls were kept.

After busying her hands around the two shelves, she took out a small jade box and handed it to Threyja. The box was tiny, weightless almost and carried the faintest of inscriptions drawn against it. Threyja gently pried the box open using her slender fingers. A strong fragrance bloomed fourth, a burst of sweet magnolia filled the air. Threyja slightly narrowed her curious gaze, whilst she inspected the four petalled flower tucked securely inside of the box. She eventually lifted her gaze towards the silver haired woman, whom softly beheld her as though she was her very own child.

“W-what is it master?” she asked softly

There was a gentle pause before her master finally opened her wrinkled mouth.

“Be courageous... my dear, there are dark things lying in wait to consume your heart. But you must stay strong and fight it with all your might. One day, you may encounter a darkness so potent that wherever you look, all you see is the dreaded full night. If such a day ever comes, eat this... but my d-dear...I hope a day never comes when you must make that choice.”

Her voice carried such emotion that Threyja felt tense just standing there and listening. She wasn’t a child when it came down to the matters of herbs and flowers. In fact she was quite keen on understanding how to brew the basic body nourishing potions and Qi replenishing liquids when she was still a member of the azure feather sect. And so Threyja understood by the lack of clear response, that this flower was perhaps something highly potent. A poison? Or perhaps something even more dangerous.

Whilst her thoughts traversed into a swirl of infinite possibilities, she felt a gentle and rather bony hand caress her shoulders. Threyja snapped awake from her daydreams, seeing the slightly broken but warm smile creased against her master's face. Within that moment she remembered the first time she met the lady known as the 'witch doctor.’ After she passed the exam to be officially known as a Bronze knight, she was introduced to this peculiar old woman who hardly mixed with the locals, was hardly seen out in public, and rather spent her days locked inside of her modest sized hut behind the hill.

Threyja connected with the silver haired Elf almost immediately, and rather than the scary old lady some of the towns folk had painted her out to be. Threyja discovered a gentle old woman who shared love in cultivation and potioneering. She became her disciple shortly after that initial greeting and never left her side

“Remember my dear. Wherever we both are. Through our memories of one another, together we will always be.”

And with those lasting words, Threyja soon left her old masters hut, for what felt to her to be the last time.

Other POV

She watched with a complex expression whilst her disciple finally left. A weight of discomfort finally fell from her shoulders. She had done her best, truly she believed that.

“I leave the rest to you...” Her heart was filled with many things, but peace was at the forefront of those emotions. She gazed around her familiar home,

“Over the many years these walls have seen untold things” a soft chuckle escaped through her slightly opened lips but were quickly drowned away by the sounds of the front door behind her opening, allowing the morning sunlight to walk through. She decided there was no reason to turn around, the hurried sounds of stiff iron boots revealed who these fellows were.

Instead, her eyes moved across the walls again, a broken smile formed.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to bear witness to one more...” her voice spoke towards the still walls.

The sounds of iron being pulled free from dozens of sheaths filled the room. She heard firm footsteps gradually approaching. A hoarse breath arrived dutifully upon her shadow carrying the musk of sweat and boiled leathers with him.

“You don’t need to be so vigilant. I just would like to understand a single thing? What are my charges?” she asked the visitors plainly.

“Treason against the royals” spoke a gruff voice muffled behind a visor. The silver haired Elf couldn’t hold her laughter in, “I see...well, you tell them this, to the so called false Queen of Lucien and that Chief Razziel who shames the sacred mountains which he crawled down from. If they believe their secrets die with me fufufu. They are more stupid than I thought! But...do with me what you will. My time in this world has been plenty.”

A surge of mixed auras surged wildly from her rear bringing a slight smile against the corners of her mouth, “to think they sent so many Gold ranks...let me guess you five are part of the 13 Holy swords...Don't bother answering...it makes no difference.”

Threyja

The citadel’s central plaza was always known to be bustling with life. When Threyja first arrived here, they called this place the city which never slept. The streets were filled with vibrancy whilst throngs of people went about their businesses. Threyja felt a warmth blossoming within her heart, as though one of the most important things she had lost had finally returned and she knew there was only one person to thank for that.

‘I wonder how his training is going? Has he eaten? Or-or maybe he might still be injured from the duel. I wonder if I should see him? N-no Threy you need to be strong. I need to sort some things out before I can...’ Threyja felt her body stiffen, there was a lot of things she needed to handle before she could show her face again. Her relationship with Marco was one which festered a shameful spirit within her. Each time Threyja closed her eyes, she saw that obsidian skinned doppelganger of hers, licking her full lips whilst she whispered curses into her ears.

‘A heart demon...’ she grimaced whilst she strolled along the cobbled streets clutching at her chest. Now that her cultivation was miraculously improving, Threyja was feeling confident again in the decisions she needed to make.

‘I have to end...wh-whatever it is we was doing.’ There was too much festered guilt within her heart for her not to understand it was wrong. She still felt those lustful urges gnawing at her mind randomly, and forgetting Marco proved to be one of the hardest things she had ever done. The whole situation was bizarre, just as it was terrifying. _‘He seemed to strangely arrive whenever I was at my most ****,’ _and whenever she met his gaze, his touch, all reasoning would fall into a bottomless pit.

‘That couldn’t be love? N-no...Thorjen...I... I love...’

“Oh my why look...look who it is!”

Threyja heard a familiar voice which brought her free from her own caged thoughts. A look of surprise flashed against her face as she saw two of her old companions from the Valkyrie company standing in her way. Her heart immediately soured once she noticed the mocking gaze one of them carried.

‘Ah, they must know then...’ She steadied her heart before softly exhaling a warm breath.

“H-hello there, long time” Threyja spoke slightly brokenly.

“Puahaha is that it? Long time? See told you she wouldn’t dare show her face. We heard you were kicked out of the company? Rumors started to circle that you tried sleeping with someone very important to the leader? Is it true then?”

Threyja’s brows lowered upon hearing that,

“what are you spouting out of your mouth? How could you even say that?”

“Don't look so surprised, most of us always thought you Elves were just big boobed sluts who would spread your legs for just about any high lord who would pay you enough. Hahaha, I warned them about you the first time you showed up here. My mother already told me your kind were nothing but whores and cowards. Hmph, soon the Queen will see it and rid the land of your kind once and for all.”

“Hey! That's enough you don’t need to be so rude!” The other girl objected

“No! That whore needs to hear this, she doesn’t understand how much hard work we put...”

Threyja didn’t have the patient for words, she darted forwards with Qi surrounding her two palms and tossed a flurry of quick moving attacks directly at the girl. The girl in question was startled at first but her quick footedness managed to save her from incurring any real damage. After a few parries she managed to find her form and circled around Threyja who felt her energy zapped away at a sudden, just like before.

“HAHAHA! Was that it? The mighty Elf Threyja who our leader doted upon as her heir? I heard you were having troubles sustaining any type of aura. But to think you were this bad puahaha how fun.”

Threyja remained rooted in the centre of what felt like a cyclone encircling around her at a terrifying speed. Her eyes couldn’t hope to keep up with her, especially where her Qi had plummeted at such a crucial time. Sweat beaded across her forehead whilst she tried to steady herself and use her senses to maintain some sort of presence in this fight.

“You’re going to die...weak Elf.” she heard a string of voices echoing around her, ‘I know this is an illusion, I need to focus...focus...’ Threyja allowed the fading Qi against her palms to simmer down into a wisp. She then concentrated the wisp into a single point against a finger. She steadied her breathing again and managed to form a thin needle of Qi against her forefinger. She counted her breaths before suddenly flashing her eyes open and throwing the needle to the side.

*PING* *BOOOOM*

The girl was sent flying back until she crashed into a merchant's stall a few meters' behind and splitting the entire wooden placement in half. The onlookers were startled but quickly scattered away from the fight. Threyja slowly sunk to one knee. Despite her pitiful appearance on the outside, she felt very proud that she could inflict such damage with all things considering. ‘Thorjen...that’s something you would’ve done isnt it?’

She heard the rumble of the debris being forcefully shifted followed by a heavy aura roaring towards the skies.

“YOU FUCKING BITCH!” howled the girl who had blown aside all the chips of wood surrounding her with a single roar. A thick smoky azure flame was burning wildly around her, signifying her aura was being melded.

Threyja bit her lower lip understanding this was her limit right now. She needed to escape for now, fighting in her current state would only bring ****. So she gently lifted herself from the ground, but suddenly she felt a burning desire playfully dancing against her bosom.

“n-no...n-not now please...”

She knew this feeling all too well by this point, an urge like no other had started burning against her abdomen. Threyja keeled back to the ground again, unable to move as freely as she desired. Before she could blink she felt a tremendous **** falling upon her. Out of instinct she made a cross guard but felt the full **** of a kick fuelled by aura slamming against the side of her head.

Threyja felt her world spin and was sent flying across the streets. She slammed heavily against the ground before bouncing a few yards until she stopped right beside the entrance of a short bridge. Once she finally found her bearing again, the distance between her and the girl was around 70 meters. Again, she merely blinked before seeing a flashing blue light roaring towards her, Threyja knew if she took another hit, that would be the end of things.

But she remained poised, her eyes never faltering as she refused to give in. Whilst her body continued to scream out in agony, something flashed across her gaze. A chain coated in the most illustrious gold that she had ever seen appeared from the skies above. The chain wrapped around the girls neck and forcefully yanked her to one side.

The ground tremored with a resounding thud as Threyja was shocked to see that raging aura quenched in mere seconds. Before she had the chance to follow the origin of the chain a voice erupted from above. Shaking her entire bones much worse than the strong kick she had just taken.

“You dared to lay a finger on my woman...let this be a lesson to all who don’t know. That I...Ser Marco the 14th Weilder! Will not tolerate such impudence's.”

Threyja tossed her gaze above and her eyes visibly shook when she saw Marco descending from the air without any flying mount nor flying sword beneath his feet. He was flying? Just like an immortal at his peak. Her voice was choked within her throat, but her mind couldn’t deny the sheer awe she felt watching him appear at the crucial moment.

‘M-marco? He...he’s so...’

“wh-what do you think...gyuk!” He pulled the chain cutting the girl off from speaking, at this point the weapon had somehow pulled her upwards until she was dangling in the air beside him. Fighting for breath.

“You can see she is in no state to fight, so why not fight me instead. I am one of those elves after all...a coward you said no?”

Threyja felt coldness crawling up her spine. She had no idea how this was happening. ‘When did he become so strong’ her earlier marvel had quickly been replaced with a chilling truth. One that made her briefly reconsider if she could break free from his grasp after all. Inwardly, despite the lack of evidence, she knew it deep down that Marco was somehow involved in this problem she was having. Be it his impromptu arrival, or the strange urges which rose whenever he touched her.

Somehow surely...she had always known he had cursed her.

Threyja had never been one to remain idle about things. She almost instantly placed her ego to one side and lowered herself towards the ground. She crossed her legs and assumed the lotus position.

Her aim was simple. To recover and purify as much Qi as her body possibly allowed too within a short time. For Threyja was under no illusion that her next big fight...was just about to begin.