The Beautiful Monster

Elias couldn't agree more. Breaking up with Alyssa and just leaving her behind crushed him, but he knew that it hurt Alyssa more.

He would never forgive himself for how he went about breaking up with her, but he had been too weak to say a proper goodbye. He knew that it would've killed him. Now, he swore to never hurt her like that again.

"Or watching them get hurt and not being able to do anything about it," Elias added.

"That's why we're doing this. I want to protect the people around me," Melina said.

Elias nodded, giving Alyssa's hand a squeeze.

"I just hope this works. I don't really know how to go about training with you," Elias admitted.

"Well, we have to get to know each other first. Our strengths. Our weaknesses. I have to be strong where you're weak and vice versa," Melina replied. "It's more about strategy than anything."

"He can be incredibly stubborn. That's one of his weaknesses," Alyssa said, coaxing a light laugh from Melina. She gave Elias a sweet smile. "You know that it's true."

"Yeah, yeah. You can be just as stubborn too," Elias fired back before turning to Melina. "How powerful are you?"

"Hmm I haven't fully developed yet but I have some that are unique to me. My healing capabilities are better," Melina explained. "I can also control some elements ."

"Like fire and stuff?" Alyssa asked with a curious look.

Melina smiled and nodded.

"Witches can specialize in certain powers, but we can always learn new ones too. It just takes a lot of time and patience," she replied.

"Demons are more clear cut. We're born with the powers that we'll have, but we can strengthen them throughout time," Elias added.

"I have human healing capabilities," Alyssa said with a light laugh.

"Which is a power in its own. She's one of the best pediatric surgeons," Elias told Melina.

"That's incredible. You have power in your hands and in your mind," Melina told Alyssa.

Alyssa smiled brightly.

"Thanks," she told them.

Elias turned to Melina.

"There's one element that I can control," he told her. "I haven't told our parents."

"What is it?" Melina asked with an intrigued look. It's rare for demons to be able to control elements."

"Maybe it's where the witch and demon blood mingle in me. I can control fire. Sort of. I can start it, but I don't have a lot of control over it,"

Elias explained to her. He didn't try to mess with it much besides lighting candles because he didn't want it to rage out of control. Too much fire could even kill him.

Melina's eyes widened.

"We might be able to do something with that. I think we finally have somewhere to start."

*******

Elias stirred faintly, sliding open one eye to peer across the sofa from where he was laying. He vaguely remembered laying down for a nap since road life was already wearing him down a little.

There was nothing to do but to talk and sleep right now. When they got farther away from New York, they could make more stops. For now, they had to put more distance between them and Alaric.

When his vision sharpened, he saw Melina and Alyssa talking to each other in the chairs across from him.

He closed his eye, listening to them instead as he tried to fully wake up from his deep nap. He didn't even know how long he had been sleeping for.

"I personally love healing magic. I not only draw it from within me, but I can also conjure it through spells and herbs," Melina explained to Alyssa.

"Really? Herbs?" Alyssa asked, sounding surprised.

Melina nodded.

"There are so many healing herbs. If you mix them right, you can create powerful poultices to heal all sorts of ailments and injuries. Mixing spells with herbs can help too," she told Alyssa.

"But only witches can use those things," Alyssa said.

"Not necessarily. If you believe in your ability to heal and the power of the Earth, you can use spells and herbs that work," Melina replied. "But it comes from spiritual energy. You have to believe in what you're doing."

Alyssa nodded her understanding.

"Wow. I had no idea that it worked like that. I mean, I've heard of people using herbs and spiritual forms of healing, but people write them off as crazy or something," she explained.

Melina laughed softly.

"Some of them are, but there are true healers that are human. I've met them before, and I've even learned some things from them," Melina told her. "As long as you're open to learning and believing, you can use that form of magic."

"That sounds really interesting. All I know is the scientific ways of healing. Stuff I learned in medical school and in textbooks," Alyssa said.

"That's a good form of healing too. It works. As long as it works, nothing else matters," Melina replied. "I'd be happy to show you some of the herbs and spells sometime."

"You brought some with you?" Alyssa asked her with wide eyes.

Melina cracked an amused smile.

"I'm a witch. I always have my things with me. They give me reassurance and strength," she replied as she motioned to one of her bags.

"That's so cool," Alyssa said with an excited laugh.

Elias couldn't help but smile slightly to himself. It was nice hearing Alyssa get giddy over learning something new.

It would be really interesting to see if she could hear in a spiritual way as well as in her usual way. He knew how smart she was, so he had no doubt that she could figure it out.

He decided that it was time to wake up and stop eavesdropping. He stretched his arms out above his head before slowly sitting up, blinking his eyes open.

"How long have I been asleep?" he asked them.

"A few hours," Melina told him. "It's night already."

I I I I

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