Chapter 51 - Goodbye Masters

While Christopher rushed to prepare for his father's arrival, Amanda was still in a daze, sprawling naked in her bed and letting the time pass. She had a wide grin on her face, just recalling the night she has with the man helplessly fallen in love with.

Just as she was about to get up, she heard a voice inside her head. "Amanda, we are coming to you."

Her eyes grew wide in horror, and she frantically changed into another set of tunic and pants. Within just minutes, the two masters appeared before her. Amanda could tell by their expression that they knew... They knew about Christopher.

'This is it. The moment of truth,' Amanda said to herself.

"Trisha, what - what brings you here," said Amanda, and while she addressed the master of the heart, her head was looking down with guilt.

"Don't you think... we should be asking you that question, Amanda?" Trisha asked.

With an evasive look, Amanda said, "I figured living in stone walls is safer. It - it doesn't easily burn."

"Oh, please, Amanda. Let's cut to the chase." It was Abasi who spoke this time around. "We know about that man whom you just slept with!"

Trisha quickly held Abasi's hand, realizing he was losing his control over his tone. They glared at each other for a second before Trisha turned to Amanda. She said, "So it's the same boy we saw you with at the forest - the one whom Abasi brought with you by mistake."

Amanda remained silent. She was trying to find the courage to tell them of her decision. She wanted to be with Christopher, and that was what she desired.

"Amanda, we need you - the earth needs you," said Trisha. "Can you please come back with us?"

"I can't - I love Christopher and I wanted to be with him. I can't live a life the way you expect me to anymore. The more I use my powers the more it goes out of control - "

Her words were cut off by Abasi. He said, "But Amanda, you will end up falling in love with the blue crystal master and he - that boy you call Christopher. He is not the blue crystal master!"

"Amanda, we tried to check him. Even the spirit of the heart came out of my crystal. Kardia, she recognized that Christopher is special, but even the spirit herself did not feel the presence of the crystal within him," said Trisha.

"Amanda, you will only hurt Christopher. When you find the blue crystal master, you will wind up falling in love with him helplessly and you will. Trust me on this. You will leave Christopher behind," said Trisha.

She walked up to Amanda and reasoned with her more. She made it clear to her, "If you keep staying with him, both of you will be invested emotionally and you will still end up leaving him. The red crystal and the blue crystal masters are fated. It is the will of the spirits. Those whoever hosts these crystals are meant to find each other."

"Amanda, let us leave now before it's too late," Trisha added, looking sincerely into Amanda's sad eyes.

Trisha tried to hold Amanda, but the master of fire stepped back in avoidance. Seconds of being mute, Amanda finally spoke, "I love Christopher and if you say that the being the host of my power is preventing me to be with him, then there is only one solution."

Amanda raised her palms and revealed the red crystal that had long lived inside of her. Her eyes started to glow as she said, "Take the crystal, Trisha. Take it with you and leave it afloat in the cave. Take it until the fire element is born or is chosen!"

"No - "

"I insist! You have to respect my decision because I no longer want the life of loneliness! I finally found someone who I can share my feelings with - touch and make love - feel love! I don't want to throw it away! If it meant relieving myself of the powers, I would rather be normal."

Once again, Amanda let out her inner desire and the masters, Abasi and Trisha knew, it was a longing they could not help her with, not unless the blue crystal master is found.

"Amanda, you are making a mistake!" said Abasi with a frown on his face.

"But I am happy," Amanda said. "I am happy for the first time in my life! If happy means being powerless, then - then I'd rather be the latter."

"Take the crystal, Trisha. Take it with you and lets hope the spirit would choose another host for its power."

Trisha was so shaken by Amanda's decision that her confrontation with Amanda became shared with the other masters. Through their heads, Brody and Taara spoke.

"Set her free," said Taara, the master of the wind. "Amanda deserves a better life than she had been living over the years."

"Amanda, so you have finally found someone you can love?" Brody asked, sighing in the end.

Amanda's eyes studied her surroundings. She realized Brody and Taara were not there, but merely speaking through the crystals within her. She felt touched by Taara, standing up to her.

"Take us there, Abasi. Bring us to where Amanda is," requested Brody.

In seconds, the two other masters appeared before Amanda, and it was there that they resumed their earlier conversations. Two sides argued for what they thought was right and with Taara and Brody understanding Amanda's situation, she further asserted on what she wished.

"I have already made my decision. Take the crystal. I want to be with Christopher and that is final." A tear fell down her cheek, but like always, it quickly dried.

"Please take it, Trisha. Please," Amanda pleaded again.

Trisha's heart was the most broken among the masters, hearing of Amanda's resolution. She looked at Abasi and even he was dismayed.

Abasi declared, "I thought you'd be better and stronger than this, Amanda. I'm very disappointed."

"It's fine, Abasi. I suppose, if Amanda keeps having these thoughts, she would be half-hearted to fight alongside us," Trisha finally spoke. Reluctantly, she raised her hand and said, "Give me the crystal."

Amanda let out a heavy sigh and spoke to the crystal inside of her, "Spirit of fire, Fiena. I part with you now. I chose to be with the man I love, so let me be as he is not the master of the blue crystal. Please travel with Trisha back to earth."

The rest of the masters watched with heavy hearts as the red crystal gradually jumped from Amanda to Trisha. When the red crystal rested on Trisha's palm, she closed her hand, and gone was the bright red power before them.

Finally, Amanda cried, seeing the masters ready to leave and this time, with the crystal gone, her tears flowed down her cheeks without drying.. She softly said, "Goodbye, masters."