Short absence quickens love; long absence kills it.
~ Mirabeau
Jiya held her Whisper Wand in both her hand. She had no idea how the wand would look in its highest glory, but she let her imagination run wild for a little while. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the object in her hand, drawing its picture mentally. She felt her gloves turn warmer and warmer, and felt the energy flowing through them. She imagined light filling the entire room until the brightness burned one's vision. And suddenly, the energy stopped flowing.
Did something go wrong? She thought. Her hands trembled, but she held her ground firmly. She winked open an eye to check. Nothing. She slowly but surely opened her other eye. No orbs, no astral halo. But there it was. The Whisper Wand was activated, standing in its full glory.
Jiya gave the wand the once over. It was as tall as her, its wooden brown hue had changed into silver. Fronds curved and coiled in its handgrip. The upper portion ended with three gremlins holding their hands high in the air as if holding an illusory ball.
She felt the slight tremors dancing under her feet, accompanied by an electric hiss. She looked up at the tiny light bulb that was lighting up the entire chamber. Yes, there was the presence of an electric source. She walked across the room, opened the door and stepped outside. The mini wax museum was unobtrusive. A buzzing hum came fluctuating in her ears, convoyed by the slight vibrations under her feet. It gave her a ticklish feeling. She steadied her breathing and her wand in her right hand. Except for the cadenced footfalls and her breathing, the entire place was silent.
Alex! She echoed in her head and held her horses. One second, two seconds, three seconds passed. There was no riposte. Was he out of range or something? The silence in her head and her ambiences was sinister and petrifying. This time, the pulsating hiss returned, pounding in her ears, earsplitting and furious than the prior ones. It came at a standstill and then everything turned black. Jiya's steps came to a standstill. She was not exceptionally fond of the darkness, but she was not nyctophobic. She stood to catch her breath before resuming her walk in the dark. She warily moved forward, coveting for some light.
Suddenly, a glowing white orb popped up on the raised hands of the three gremlins. She was stunned but relaxed when she remembered Vladimir and Alex's words. That wand's power was fueled by the user's willpower, thoughts and determination. She grinned as the orb illuminated the way and it became easier to move ahead. She crossed the wax museum and stepped into the room of boiling flasks. The room was eerily still, devoid of any bubbling sounds as she had expected. Under the light of the orb, she saw the colourful liquids sitting still inside the flasks as if they had hardened into solid-state. Jiya took a deep breath.
She walked into the room, at a snail's pace and as cautiously as possible. Her grip tightened around the Whisper Wand making the orb glow brighter. Her breath hitched as the room was in peril of darkness. Who knew what surprises would spring up from the corners? Her breath trembled with every step she took. And along with that, the orb trembled from time to time. Keeping her eyes trained on the orb, she fought the rising panic in her heart. Now was not the time to lose against horrible panic attacks she had fought all through her life. Her lips trembled as she felt the growing agony press into her chest.
What seemed like an eternity to Jiya, she finally stepped out of the room. Her chest rose and fall with her rapid movements. She held her breath once she was outside. The entire city was bathed in darkness. It seemed as if the city was devoid of human civilization. She looked around and it seemed to her as if the time had frozen. She gulped when she felt panic fill her chest. Her vision began tunnelling. She panted for air and the familiar feeling of someone twisting her heart into a mush, set in. She shook her head. She cannot let the panic attacks defeat her.
Just then, she hard some tired grunts. It sounded human enough! But, could she trust it? It was coming from behind the building of the Fool's Inventory. Another grunt. Jiya's imagination ran wild. What if someone was doing what someone was supposed to do in a closed room? She facepalmed for she thought she was overreacting. What if some evil forces were out there in the dark that came to destroy her? She sucked in a huge breath. Another grunt. She squared her shoulders and turned towards the course of the sound. She took a careful step, one at a time. The orb glowed brighter and brighter until she reached a dead end. What she saw made her face twist with irritation.
Her eyes met with Alex and Vladimir trying to fix something in the darkness. She had a searching look in her eyes as her jaw dropped.
"What in the world are you two doing here?" she asked with a dour face.
"We were trying to add some coal here", Vladimir waved his hand sardonically.
"The generator ran out of coal", Alex smiled, "And it became dark."
Jiya gave a dark and petulant look. Alex's eyes moved towards the wand. His etched face showed surprise, "Did you activate the wand already?"
Jiya looked at her wand and gave a bleak nod, "Yes." She had really overestimated this guy.
"Well done", Vladimir said, "See if you can help with it."
After hearing the old man, she darted a dull glance at the wand as if asking, 'can you do it?'
To her surprise, an illuminated holographic head of a lion sprang up from the glowing orb. It soared a little high and swayed gently like a flying kite. She took a deep breath and carefully tilted the wand at the generator. The Leo seized the opportunity as it soared ahead. The next moment, it dominated the darkness by its own splendid light.
The lights flickered in the distance, and one by one, all the lights started glowing, as far as the eyes could see.
"You did it", Alex exclaimed.
Jiya turned her head to look at him. She waved her hand and let out a yawn, "Whatever."
She turned on her heels and walked her chin up and chest out. Without realizing, an enigmatic smile spread across her face.