Page 6 of The Scars Within
My thoughts of the Battle for Mareki were interrupted when I ran face-first into something that felt like a brick wall and smelled likecashmere sandalwood and vanilla. Heat instantly rushed through my cheeks as I looked up and saw the storm that I had absentmindedly walked into. His eyes were the most contrasted shade of gray I have ever seen. They were dark to almost blackened on the outer rims, fading to bright gray towards the center.
Wait, no, they are light blue? My eyes went back and forth swiftly as I tried to determine what color this man’s eyes were. A quarter of his right eye is light blue, contrasting against the cool gray.
“Did you hear what I said, cadet?” he asked with a deep, almost bored, voice.
He blinked slowly, and I realized I was just staring.
I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out.
The man stood there, his dark hair falling slightly over his forehead, accentuating the sharp angles of his face. His gaze was unwavering, as if he was trying to decipher how I could possibly be so clueless. As if I should already know who he is. I’ve never met this man before, let alone ever met someone with two different colored eyes.
He has a deep red, almost black, dragon mark going up his right forearm like a tattooed sleeve. It starts on his knuckles, covering the top of his hand, but his leather jacket stops my view. There’s no telling how far this mark goes. Dragons mark their chosen riders with some form of reddened mark. Whether it’s similar to a tattoo, a scar, or sometimes a red streak of hair.
Fire wielders are the only elementals capable of bonding with a dragon. It’s said that fire runs deep in their blood, marking them as touched by dragon fire and allowing them to bind their magic to the dragon that chooses them.
Binding their magic is an unbreakable vow.
“Shayde, keep an eye on this one,” he grunted to someone coming from behind him without breaking my gaze.
“Do we already have a troublemaker in our midst?” the voice of the guy giving us a history lesson, I’m assuming Shayde, stepped through thecrowd. His features were similar, but his expression was the complete opposite. “There’s no way this one could be causing you harm on day one, brother.”
Brother. That makes sense.
Standing next to each other, I could tell they were kin. They are so similar but so different at the same time. They’re almost identical with their dark hair, although they wear it differently. Shayde’s hair has a slightly lighter hue, giving him a brown tint. He has it shaved close to his scalp on the sides and a little longer on the top. The front barely touches his forehead, thanks to a cow lick. When he tilts his chin, I can see his dragon mark on the left side of his head like a stripe. He probably keeps his hair shaved to show off the mark.
His brother seems to have more important things to do than worry about how he styled his hair. He wears his onyx-colored hair slightly longer, the tousled strands framing his face with a casual, rakish charm.
“I’m sorry. I, uh... I was just taking in the history along the walk to our chambers,” I blurted out, trying to appear calm and undisturbed by their presence.
“Hey, don’t worry about it. We know how overwhelming initiation day can be. I’m Shayde. Shayde Wylder,” He nodded with a perpetual smirk, a mischievous grin that hinted at a playful, perhaps rebellious nature.
“Noted,” I nodded in response. “I’m Scarlet Thorne. Scar for short.” I awkwardly reached my hand out to shake, but quickly pulled it back, swiping it behind my back when a passing cadet called his name, stealing his attention for a moment.
Why am I so awkward?
I clenched my teeth, willing myself to regain composure and shaking it off. But my skin prickled from the feeling of someone watching me, and my breath caught as I realized Shayde’s brother was still staring.
My heartbeat thudded in my chest as I waited for him to speak, but instead, he just crossed his arms and turned on his heel, shaking his head at Shayde before walking away.
Okay, asshole.
“And that’s Rhodes,” Shayde said without dropping his boyish grin.
“Shayde, someone up ahead is asking for you,” Delaney spoke up between us.
Shayde nodded and walked away.
“Are they our...” I asked her.
“Team leaders? Yep. Shayde is easier to talk to. Rhodes is... different. Just try to consult Shayde if you need anything.”
Noted.
The group continued walking as I started doing the math in my head. Being brothers in the same year, they are either incredibly close in age or…
Twins.
Twins in Kalymdor are an extremely powerful force, especially in the war legion. Two elementals of the same genealogy can wield their magic together as one when on the same playing field. But twin elementals also possess a unique and profound connection beyond mere sibling bonds—as if they share a single soul. This connection is referred to as themarekem. It allows them to see, feel, and experience everything the other does when the connection is utilized, creating an unparalleled unity in mind and magic.
