Put Out My Fire

"How exactly do you achieve immortality?" Christopher asked Amanda as they walked along the halls of Aeros' castle. 

Amanda turned to him with an uncertain smile. She looked around and seeing nobody following them; she pulled Christopher by the hand and ran to the nearest tower. 

She let the guard on watch be excused before she walked to see Aeros, looking past acres of land. She sighed and said, "We can only base it from what Hades did, the first master to come about. He used to hold all six crystals at once."

Amanda looked straight in Christopher's eyes and said, "Promise me, you will never go down that road."

Christopher chuckled and said, "Why would I want to go down that road, Amanda?" He pushed back a lock of hair behind her ear before adding, "I want to grow old with you and have a family."

Amanda looked down and said, "Because you have the power to heal. You have a bloodline ability to heal moderate wounds, and that means you'll only need a little more force to reach forever youth - immortality."

With brows drawn together, he asked, "Is this a puzzle I am supposed to answer? Because we can do unity right now and I can get the answer out of you - Ahh!"

"You! Why are you getting naughty every day?" She asked before smirking.

Wrinkling her nose, she let out a giggle and said, "Having all six crystals is a step. With the power of the earth, you can heal and keep yourself younger. The combined strength of all six crystals will further fuel the power of the brown crystal, but... it isn't really enough."

"Mahli can show you if you seek the knowledge of the past. He can show you from the past how he remembers it," told Amanda, "It would be a good practice to reach out to the spirit dwelling inside you. He may not respond. Most of the time, they do not answer but will show you what you ask for."

Amanda grabbed Christopher's right hand and opened his palm. She looked into his eyes and said, "Mahli, the spirit of water, lend me your strength... Show Christopher the answer he seeks. Tell him about Hades and how he reached an immortality state."

With Christopher's hand sitting on top of Amanda's, it was as if they shared the power of the blue crystal. It came about on top of their hands and their eyes glittered in the shade of blue. 

It was the same as he had witnessed when Trisha arrived to introduce the masters of the earth. He had a visual narration of the worlds that Hades conquered - the powerful beings he had to kill in order to acquire the strength he sought. 

In another realm, he saw Hades eradicate an entire family of who held an amulet with the power to heal. The family fought with their lives, but Hades was too powerful, holding all six crystals in his hands. 

Christopher saw how Hades jumped from one world to another, seeking those with the power to heal and resurrect.

In a world with imps, Hades fought against giant dragons whose eyes were said to be capable of giving life to the dead. 

In his lifetime, Hades accumulated more than twenty artifacts and gems, all with the power to heal or give a gift of life. It all granted him the reward of immortality. He could heal himself repeatedly and resurrect himself again and again. 

When Christopher's eyes opened, he gulped, learning the revelation. He asked, "Are we in danger? Us who could heal?"

Amanda smiled. She first let go of Christopher's hand and said, "Not necessarily, you can't pass on your ability." She then shot him an add stare before asking, "Can you?"

He shook his head and said, "No... No, we can't. It's a bloodline ability."

Pursing his lips, he gazed back to Amanda and asked, "But during Trisha's telling of the past, it was said that the spirits flew away from Hades and resulted in his death?"

"Yes, the image that Trisha let you see was a brief tale, but that internal battle within Hades between him and the spirits lasted for years. The spirits had to kill him repeatedly in order for him to lose the gift of immortality," said Amanda. 

"Wow... So there isn't really real immortality," expressed Christopher. 

She smirked and said, "Hey, vamps can still be killed, striking against their hearts or taking off their heads!"

He nodded and said, "Right. Catwoman only had nine lives."

"Yeah, that too," she said before chuckling. "But from what Abasi revealed to us, The Venusian sword is powerful enough to kill a person who has multiple lives or has achieved the level of immortality - just with one strike!"

Only after getting a full understanding of what Khalid could most likely be doing in the future, did Christopher shifted to another topic.

They would up cuddling with each other while watching the sunset before their eyes.

In the evening, they joined Christopher's family for dinner along with the general and the advisers. Their guest, Keelan, was also present, eager to see Amanda. 

The dinner was set in the castle's huge dining room, meant for special occasions. Since Keelan came to visit, Theo offered a feast. 

Finding a seat for himself, Keelan said, "I'd like to sit next to the young master of Aeros and his future wife." He looked at the couple and said, "I really had a very informative day with them and I'd like to learn more."

Before Amanda or Christopher could react, Keelan eyed the seat next to Amanda, but Christopher got up and pushed his woman to the same seat. He moved with her and said, "You can sit with me, Keelan."

"Oh... haha. That works too," said Keelan. 

While enjoying various kinds of dishes, Keelan leaned closer to where Amanda was at. Even if Christopher stood in his way, he listened attentively to her; the rise and fall, as well as, the softness of her voice.

Keelan acquired a gift to shift into different forms. He could also copy a person's voice, but he needed time to perfect it. Going back to his plan and that of Diana, he meant to use it and lure Christopher to a trap. 

When Amanda would stop speaking, Keelan would initiate a topic. He asked, "So, Amanda, you are from Aeros? How come I do not see your family in this gathering."

With a weak smile, Amanda said, "I'm... I'm not really from here and... I am an orphan."

Hearing Amanda's voice diminished towards her last words, Christopher helped her out. He turned to Keelan and said, "Amanda is from the earth. I brought her here to be my wife." He glanced at everyone before adding, "Everyone here in Aeros knows this about Amanda."

The shock in Keelan's face became apparent, his mouth fell open, and said, "Oh, so you are just an ordinary girl - I understand."

Christopher meant to correct his assumptions, but Amanda held his arm and she even looked at Theo and the others who were present. She shook her head and said, "Let him be."

"No, he has to know, being our guests and it would be a good idea to let Terene know the strength that our nation holds," insisted Theo. "Tell him, Amanda. He did come here to find out how we won the battle against Oscoria."

For seconds, the two masters looked at each other before Amanda revealed, "We - me and Christopher have special spirits, granting us powers. I can control fire and Christopher can control water." She leaned closer to Keeland and said, "That was how we defeated the Oscorians and the Plethorans."

'Control fire and water?' Keelan asked himself with a frown. Diana and Delila told of a power that dwelled in Christopher. It was able to control water, but there was no mention of fire. 

Moreover, the soldiers of Plethora was not able to report back to them, merely dying as they walked back after the battle.

Keelan felt his hands turn cold. He realized he did not really understand what he was getting himself into. He gulped before asking, "Can - can you show me a little by what you mean exactly?"

Speaking to Christopher's head, Amanda said, "I don't know Chris, I don't trust this guy at all."

Christopher smiled at Keelan. He drank from his cup of wine while responding to Amanda, merely speaking through her head, "Tell me about it. Just the way he keeps on studying you, I feel he has something up his sleeves."

"Don't show him too much, I want to know what he is up to," said Amanda, giving her man a wink and pecking on his cheek.

She got up and initiated. Speaking loudly this time, she raised her hand and said, "By fire, I mean, fire!" Her hand immediately lit with fire in seconds. It was ready to spread across her arm and down to her clothes, but Christopher held her other hand promptly. 

Amanda's fire was put out in an instant. That was how effective Christopher's touch was with her. 

She sat back, giving Christopher a kiss on the lips and said, "Thank you."

"Wwwoooaaaahhhh! That was.... amazing magic! Which circus did you learn that?!!!" Asked Keelan with a very loud voice. He stood up clapping his hands, but at the back of his head he was screaming, 'That's it? Haha! That is nothing compared to what I can do!'