Chapter 152 - Being Purified (part Two)

"What is happening?" Francis asked to her. Worry gnawed at him as he saw the struggle that Ander was going through.

The water was as black as a moonless night. The strings were only getting tighter holding him down into the water. Ander seemed to be fighting whatever was holding him. He was trying to get free and get away from the water.

"The purification is taking place. The strings will lose as soon as he lets go of all the bitterness and darkness that he is holding onto," Zazel explained sipping her tea very calmly.

Francis had only then realised that the woman had tea in her hands. From before her hands were empty, he dared not ask her where the tea came from. He didn't have a suicide mission.

"What happens if he doesn't let go of the darkness?" he inquired in case it was bad then he would jump in the water and save Ander.

"That is not possible," Zazel uttered.

"Oh," he heaved a sigh of relief. He found that he was worrying for no reason and felt better with her assurance.

"I meant you can't enter the water to get him out at this point," she said and threw her cup of tea to the pool of water.

The glass shattered before it could even touch the water and the pieces scattered in the room with not a single one dropping on the water.

"If anything touches the water then it would interfere with the process and endanger his life. So the water makes certain that it isn't interrupted," she said. "Anyone goes near the pool would be killed instantly," she added.

Francis turned to look at her not sure if it was a good idea for Ander to enter the water before learning the dangers of the water.

He found her drinking tea, his head moved from the broken cup to the one in her hand wondering what sorcery she was using to get the tea.

He also had a bad feeling about the water, if it could kill people for going near, what of those in it. He panicked, fear clawed through his heart causing him immense worry.

The bells kept ringing and the strings were starting to cut through Ander's body. Ander was lost in the memory of the day that he met his father and the things that Alex had said about him.

It was hard of him to let go of the hatred that his father had for him. He tried to look away from the memory but his feet were rooted to the ground as he watched that incident.

Before he could ask his father to stop, his mind took him to when Avan kissed him for the first time, it was a memory that he could never forget. It had left such a big hole in his heart that he couldn't bear it.

Just one kiss had sentenced him to a life of heart breaks and loneliness. He hated Avan for it, he screamed at the top of his lungs for him to stop but the boy kept walking until he kissed him.

Ander yelled to himself to burn him. To kill Avan before the boy cursed him down a path of pain but that too didn't work.

Francis appeared and the memory just got worse. Every word that Francis said to him pierced his heart like a million tiny needles. With the truth that he know knew he could Avan and Francis saying those words to him.

The pain they inflicted on his heart on that day was one that he had not ever been able to forget. Every painful moment from then on just kept on replaying in his mind and he tried to give himself advise but failed.

The bells made the strings so tight that soon Ander's blood started flowing from his body. It wasn't visible to Francis the water was too black to see through.

Ander felt tired if fighting a losing battle and instead, he decided against fighting what had happened. He decided to just out it behind him and move on from it.

When he saw Francis at his birthday, it hurt him but he let it go. With him stopping to fight the bad memories a golden light passed through the strings to his body and the strings started loosening.

"He is letting go. Now we are passed the bad parts," the Queen said with a smile.

She always found this part to be very satisfying. Seeing souls freed from all the bounds that held them back from truly pursuing their lives to the fullest always made her happy.

When Ander saw the moments play in his head, he told himself that what happened had to happened and their was no need to hold a grudge over spilt milk.

It mattered not how much one held on to something they had already lost, it wouldn't come back and holding on was just futile.

The black water began to clear up. All the bitter feelings that Ander felt was lifted off his chest. He had never felt more at ease with himself, he saw no need to hate as disappointment was to life and the sooner he accepted it the better.

He felt the need to just let go and move on, find a new purpose in life that was only his. One that he would find joy in and would not hurt other people.

"It is best to leave glass broken than to hurt yourself trying to fix it," the Queen let out.

The golden light made Ander glow in the water as he was freed. It was a sign that he was now purified.The strings that held Ander released him and disappeared. Ander's body raised to the surface of the pool before he opened his eyes.

It was all gone, even when he looked back to his past the memories didn't make him angry. It was experience that will guide him to a better future.

"How do you feel?" Zazel asked him reaching her hand to help him out.

"Brand new," he said to her. He took her hand and got out of the water to stand by her side. "It's like nothing can hold me back now," he said.

He took a step towards Francis, Zazel moved and lifted Francis from the ground before Ander could touch him.

He noticed that the spot he stepped on had become ice and the ice had spread to the rest of the room. The water remained unfrozen but all else in the room was turned to ice.

"Now that all the spells on your body are lifted, you are in your true form and that is an ice dragon. Which means that until you learn to control your ice, it would be good idea to start away from others," the queen said to him.

She snapped his fingers and the ice beneath Ander's feet lifted him off the ground. That was when he placed Francis on the ground.

Normally a situation like this where he was told what to do would have made him mad but he didn't feel any of that. He was calm enough to understand what the Queen meant and remained on the ice.

"The seers are not here yet, so we do have time for you to go in," she said to Francis.

Francis looked at the water that looked as same as before when they had arrived at the pool. Even the petals had returned and they looked more beautiful as before.

Seeing as the purification was good for Ander he was tempted to go in.

"I have a request before I do this," he spoke thinking of those that he left behind.

"Sure, your family can come for the purification too," Zazel replied seeing on her glass that had a blue substance in it.

Francis watched her cup wondering where it came from and where the tea she was drinking was. What more was the fact that it felt as though the woman could read his mind. She had done it before when he thought of jumping to save Ander and again now.

"Yes, I can read your mind. And no, I am not a wizard or a god or that, stop thinking," Zazel advised when his thoughts began to wonder off.

"I am sorry but how can you read my mind?" he questioned.

"Are you getting purified or not?" she asked him taking a bite of a donut.

"Before I do that, how are you getting your food?"

"First of all, you are wasting my time and secondly, it is rude to ask a girl about her food. So mind your business and get in the water," Zazel let out to him feeling offended that he dared ask about her food.

That was her secret that not even her son knew, if she shared the secret then the store that could be accessed by the secret invincible window would be empty the next time she sneaked her hand in.

Francis entered the water and did as Ander had done. "The seer is here," Royan informed.