Blind Fury

Ares left the temple again; his attention was needed in Thessalonica. Eden and Seth continued their studies together, meditating regularly every day. Then Seth would have some words of insight and a mind exercise for Eden to do. She had progressed so well that she didn’t even need Leader to take her from room to room any longer, yet the dog traveled with her nonetheless.

On the way to the meditation room one morning, Eden sensed that Seth was following behind her, yet he had not spoken to her.

“So, great master, when do you think I will be ready for the next level?” she asked him.

“You knew it was me behind you?”

“Yes.”

“How did you know it was me and not one of the servants?”

“I sensed your familiarity.”

“Then you are ready to proceed to the next level. We will start this morning.”


***********


Eden sat on the floor, cross-legged, taking in deep breaths and focused on clearing her mind. She was able to quickly relax her body for the exercise, as she had done so many times lately. The sound of Seth’s voice instructing her seemed like it was fading further away with each word, until it was just a slight whisper echoing in her mind.

“Can you see the room we are in, Eden?”

She nodded.

“Good. Now relax yourself even further. Separate your body from your mind. Can you do that?”

She nodded again.

“Excellent. Eden, I want you to step outside of your body with your conscience mind and look at yourself sitting there.”

He waited a few moments to allow her time to perform this part of the exercise. “Can you see yourself, yet?”

She shook her head no.

“Eden, focus on releasing your inner spirit. It is it’s own separate entity. Let the line between consciousness and unconsciousness dissolve. Let your mind wander freely on it’s own. Do not attempt to control it or hold it to you, as is natural. Release it.”

He stayed silent for a few moments, watching her closely. Then he saw it happening. She had released her spirit. He could tell by her body language.

“Can you see yourself now, Eden?”

She nodded yes.

“Good. Explore the room, but do not leave it.”

He waited a few more minutes and then instructed Eden’s spirit to return to her body. When she was reintegrated, she slowly opened her eyes and smiled largely.

“Wow! Seth, I did it! I could actually see myself sitting right here. I could see you. Are you wearing something red?”

“Why, yes, I am, Eden. How does it feel to be able to see again?”

“It blows me away, Seth. You are truly amazing!”

“No, Eden. I am only a good instructor. It is the student that is truly amazing. Never before, in all of my years of practicing and teaching this art, have I even come across someone who has taken to this as easily as you have. You must have been born with a natural ability to do so. I feely truly honored to be in your presence.”

Eden blushed. “Oh, Seth. Cut it out, will you. I am but a simple girl. I have nothing special, nothing different than the next person.”

“You couldn’t be farther from the truth, dear lady. You must have something special about you, otherwise how could you have captured the heart of a gg..od – good man, such as Aaron?” he stumbled, nearly giving away Ares’ secret.

“That was more like luck, Seth!” She stood; seemingly not to have picked up on Seth’s near blunder of words.

“Time to rest now, student. We will do this again after dinner. Okay?”

“I look forward to it.”


**********


Seth increased his sessions with Eden to twice a day. Each session taking her spirit further and further away from her body, into adjoining rooms or out onto the patio. By the time Ares returned, Seth had concluded that Eden needed no further instruction from him. He informed the god of this, and Ares allowed him to return home.

Ares spent the next few weeks with Eden detailing her fighting style. She was even better than she had ever been with her sight. She gave the war god a run for his dinar, becoming quite a competent opponent in practice.

Ever since he had approached her about taking up her training again, Ares had entertained fantasies of her fighting at his side in battle, becoming filled with the power of blood lust, slashing enemies. They would be covered in the blood of the dead, and then he would take her right there – in the midst of all the fighting, unable to stop, their passion too strong for either of them to control. Truly, the best of both worlds for him. He could keep her within his sight and he could do his job at the same time. The perfect answer!

But he knew he would have to be honest with her sooner or later. Maybe she would take to the idea of fighting at his side. No matter if she did or not, he thought that when the time came, maybe he would heal her scars and restore her sight before telling her who he really Ma Maybe if he healed her, it would be enough to cancel out the fact that he had been lying to her from the day he fell in the forest.

Then again, maybe it wouldn’t.


*********

A sudden outbreak of war ignited along the Balkanize and Greek border and Ares was called away from the temple unexpectedly, leaving Eden alone with only the servants.

She decided to put her new meditation skills to the test and see if she could locate Aaron along the roadside with his troops, believing that he couldn’t have been too far away since he hadn’t been gone long. She went to the meditation room, sat down, and began her exercise.

Her mind ventured out into the surrounding fields and valleys at a pace that no man or animal could match. Only the gods could travel faster, both physically and spiritually. Unable to locate her love in the vicinity, she ventured out even further – through the cities and villages, down frequently traveled roads – searching and searching. At first, she started to panic, thinking that something happened to him, but she quickly regained control over her fears, telling herself that perhaps she was too far away from her body to feel his presence. Then she picked up on him and followed the feeling up through Macedonia, to an area along the border.

Eden was amazed at the amount of distance Aaron had traveled in such a short time. She stopped at the top of a hill, resting in a group of trees and observed the violent scene below.
There in the middle of this terrible battle, was Aaron. He seemed to be directing the soldiers, inspiring them, urging them to battle on. She knew he held high rank and so his command did not strike her as odd. What did strike her, though, was the fact that no harm seemed to come to him. Groups of men would rush up to him, charging with all their might, four, sometimes five at once. He would slay them all, and not receive a scratch.

Aaron’s troops seemed to be getting the upper hand in this conflict, and soon enough, the other side fell back, pulling their injured off the field as they retreated. The men cheered, yelling out there thanks to Ares, God of War, gathering in a circle around Aaron. “Why are they kneeling down?” Eden thought as all the men dropped to their knees, one by one, in front of their leader and praised him.

Aaron just stood there and closed his eyes, listening to their words of worship – absorbing them. Eden then witnessed something strange. It was like she could almost see him absorbing their praise. How each man’s cry would take form, like the wind, and enter Aaron. And each time an entry occurred; Aaron seemed to get a little bigger, a little taller. Then suddenly, he began to omit a strange glow, as if his spirit had now been replenished to the fullest. He raised his hands up to indicate silence to the troops and immediately all was quiet.

“My good men. It pleases me that you have served your god so well today, yet there is still much more war to be dealt to these inferiors who dare to pass into our paradise. But for tonight, you have earned a feast – a celebration. Indulge.”

And with that final word, Aaron lifted his hands once again, and suddenly there were tents everywhere, food and drink were up up on a huge table in the center, and many scantly dressed slave girls with pitchers of wine were walking around, hanging on the soldiers.

Eden was astonished at the sight before her. She thought she should return quickly, that she had to be dreaming since these things were not possible unless you are a god. She watched as another solder of high command approached Aaron, slightly bowing to him.

“My Lord, you reward us too much, sire.”

“I am pleased with the outcome, Balicus. It put me in a good mood, so I thought I would share a little with the men. Do you have a problem with that, general?”

“No, Lord Ares. Of course I would never question you, my God. Please excuse me, Lord Ares.” He bowed and backed away from the god.

“Ares?” Eden whispered.

As if he heard her, suddenly Ares turned around and looked directly at Eden, where she was hidden by the trees. His eyes were wide, and his jaw dropped open, as if he was shocked at her presence. As if he could see her.

Eden gasped, and quickly turned and traveled back, over the land, through the valleys and the villages, down the dirt roads, until she came back to where her body was resting. She jumped back into herself so quickly that she fell over onto her side. As she came back together, she picked up on a presence in the room with her. She knew immediately who it was.

“Aaron?” she said softly, then continued, “Or should I call you, Ares?” she said more harshly.

“Eden, I can explain this,” Ares said with a voice as sweet as syrup, “I understand that you are probably upset with me, but you had to find out, one way or another. I would have rather preferred it hadn’t happened like this. Especially since I was going to tell you myself. It was never my intention to deceive you.”

As soon as the god had realized that Eden had seen him on the battlefield, he disappeared and materialized back at his temple, arriving even before Eden’s spirit had made it back to her body.

Eden was still seated on the floor with her back to him. She said nothing in response to his words. He approached her, squatting down and placing both hands on her shoulders.

“I was going to tell you many times, but things kept happening; it was never the right time. I even was going to tell you the other day, but then I got called away unexpectedly. I had it all planned out in my head. I was going to tell you who I was, and then when you didn’t believe me, I would do this...”

His hands started to glow and emanate an intense heat. He moved them over Eden’s body; her scars vanished beneath his touch. Once he treated her body, he moved his hand to her forehead and slowly covered her eyes. He concentrated for a few moments and then removed his hand from her face. She blinked quickly a number of times and then shaded her eyes with her arm from the sunlight coming through the window. Her sight had returned.