Chapter 22: Show and Tell

Tyler reaches into his jacket pocket, pulling out a silver shaft lined with a turquoise crystal band on both ends from his pocket. Thalia's eyes lit up. "Wow, it's beautiful. What is that?" Tyler puts his hands in the grooves etched into the shaft. He Twisted the band on the top of the shaft. Thalia could feel the shaft hum with power. "Vijaya, Release Parshuma," Tyler whispers. The shaft grows broader and expands from both ends, forming curved edges. A thin gold strand manifested from the ends of each curved edge connecting the shaft. The silver shaft has transitioned into the form of a bow.

"This is my Relic Vijaya Parshuma. Its ego is a bit temperamental, but I believe we work well together." Thalia couldn't help but be impressed. The bow was not only humming with immense power but it was also very beautiful. "So, where do you keep the arrows?" Theo asked, looking around Tyler, half expecting him to pull some out of his other pocket.

"My bow does not require arrows to function or to be more precise. It does not require physical ones." Theo examines the bow closer. "I'm confused. Then what do you use to shoot with stones?" Theo chuckles.

Obviously irritated by that comment, Tyler spins around and pulls his bow up. He grabs the golden bowstring. Taking a deep breath, Tyler pulls the string back. Tyler's entire body glows a brilliant white. "While holding the bowstrings, I am immune to any damage. Go on, try and attack me."

Thalia's interest was piqued. Also, she was never going to pass up a free chance to hurt the pompous asshole. "Okay, but don't get mad at me later." Thalia sends a small jolt of electricity towards Tyler. It not only didn't harm him, but it went straight through him. His body was glowing a brilliant white as the bow encased him in its aura. Her electricity went through him like he were a ghost. Thalia reaches her hand towards him, and it goes right through him. "Wow, that's kind of cool and creepy. "Thalia sighed as her hand passed through the area where the blonde boy's arm should be.

As Tyler pulled the bowstring back, a blue light began manifesting in the shape of an arrowhead. The further he pulled the bowstring, the larger and more defined the arrow became. Now, the arrowhead was attached to a complete arrow, the form no longer flickering but appearing solid.

"The ego I have bonded with is none other than the mighty warrior Purushna. It was believed that when Indra used the bow, he was able to conquer the world 21 times. Indra gifted the bow to the mighty warrior purushna. Who later became the embodiment of the mightiest bowman, and now his soul and ego reside inside the "Vijaya Parshuma." It has gifted me its awesome power." Tyler's short blonde hair stood up as the air around him felt charged with power.

"Wow that's awesome a bow that creates its own arrows." Tyler, now smiling, releases the arrow from the bowstring, sending it sailing towards the tree line. As the arrow collided with the tree, a huge explosion went off. The smoke cleared, revealing the remnants of the tree. It was split right through the middle as if someone had taken the world's largest chainsaw and dropped it on the tree.

"Holy shit," Thalia said. She could not help but be impressed. Tyler was already a menace when it came to close-quartered combat. However, now it seems he will be unmatched in long-distance battles. "That's only a fraction of the Vijaya's true power." Theo clapped his hands. "Sheesh, well, I'm glad you're on our side then." Tyler twisted the band on the shaft once more, and the bow receded into the form of just a simple silver shaft.

"Okay, your turn," Tyler says, putting the stuff back into his pocket. Theo takes a deep breath. "Okay, both of you take a step back." Thalia has been waiting this entire time to see the powers of the necklace Theo bonded and contracted. Thalia could only imagine what he must've picked from Pandora's Vault. It had to be something good, she thought. The vice-captain was showing and explaining something. It had to be about what relic would best suit him and his personality.

"My relic is called the Three Braves." Theo rips his necklace from his neck and yells out. "Give me shield!" A ginormous shield drops down to the earth, creating a crater in the ground. Tyler jumps back, almost falling outside the chalked line and leaving the sound barrier. "What the fuck is that? How are you going to even lift that thing?" Thalia just took a few steps back to avoid the impact. She was so intrigued by her brother's new relic she forgot to act shocked.

"Theo, pick this thing up." Theo nodded at Thalia. He steps up to the shield's handle, grabbing the handle with all his might. "There is no way anyone would be able to lift that thing," Tyler said, still shocked at the sheer size of the thing. "Tyler, I have to apologize in advance. I may have lied to you a bit. I do, in fact, have a bloodline trait." Theo's concentration doubled as he began to flex every muscle in his arms, trying to lift the shield. He felt his arm tighten and the vein on the side of his head strain under the weight.

Theo began to remember how he felt earlier today at Pandora's Vault. He could recall how scared he was when his sister passed out. Also, how angry the thought of his sister in pain made him. He could remember the rage he felt and how he never really stopped feeling it. His chest began to swell, and his muscles ripped and expanded. A red aura surrounded Theo as his body began to grow larger. Thalia was always stunned at how much taller he became using his power. Theo lifted the ginormous great shield with one hand, his arms three times their original size. He was standing at least a couple of inches taller.

"Now give me axe!" Suddenly, the enormous shield transformed into a ten-foot-tall battle axe. Theo continued to change as his leg muscles began to grow. The more he embraced his anger, the more difficult it became to maintain his reason and sense. His aura swelled along with his physique, making it increasingly harder for Thalia to breathe.

"Theo, that's enough." Thalia lightly places her hand on her brother's huge back. I hate when you use this power. "It's okay, calm down. We have seen enough." Thalia's voice soft and low.

Theo violently shook his head, smacking it repeatedly until his aura started to diminish. The surrounding air normalized as Theo's relic reverted to a silver necklace, which Thalia picked up. Meanwhile, smoke emitted from Theo's body as he shrank back to his usual dorky size. His clothes were still torn as he scratched his head and laughed, saying, "My bad. I got a bit carried away. But that's my relic."

Tyler takes a step forward slowly and cautiously, still a bit wary of Theo's sudden transformation. "So your relic is dope and all. But, um...what exactly was that transformation? It gives off the same ominous feeling Valerie gave off when I asked her about her age." Tyler grabs his stomach reflexively, remembering how hard she punched him in the gut.

Theo ripped the pieces of his shirt that were falling apart off to try and salvage the shirt. "What you just saw was my curse. Or as my Tia calls it my bloodline trait "Berserker". It is a transformation that is triggered by my rage and anger. It causes the muscles in my body to expand in size and stature, increasing my strength 100 to 500-fold times the normal human."

Tyler looked genuinely shocked. "So wait, if you have this amazing power. Why have I had to prevent people from bullying you or picking on you in school? All it would take would be one demonstration of your power, and no one would ever dare to bother you."

Thalia cut in her face, riddled with concern. " No, if Theo were to ever lose control, no one around him would survive. Trust me on that fact." Theo interjects, "Sis, it's okay. That won't happen. I am in control." She quickly places her hands in her pockets. Once she realized how badly they were shaking at the thought.

Tyler started to wrap his head around this new information. It meant that Theo was not a coward but a literal sleeping giant. His sister was not always protecting Theo from people. She was instead protecting people from Theo. He starts to wonder what would have happened if his sister wasn't there to prevent Theo from losing his temper. The way she was shaking had Tyler curious about how powerful his transformation truly was.

Tyler decided not to push the matter any further. "Okay, Thalia, you're up next." Thalia pulled her fan from her leather jacket pocket. She was grateful that they were moving on to another subject. She was even more happy that the subject matter was her.

She beckons the wind to lift her into the sky. "Alright, boys, pay close attention to my new powers. Thalia invokes the clouds to shift and rumble in. Her green eyes glowed with power. The clouds begin to crackle, and the sky above the dome darkens as if it were going to rain. Thunder booms above them. Thalia raises the fan into the air and, with one motion, opens the fan and waives it toward the group of trees, "Wind Scythe." The wind consolidated around the fan and was sent flying toward the trees in the form of large invisible blades cutting through the Forest and leaving shallow marks in the earth.

Thalia shuts the fan and glances at Tyler and her brother, both of whom look stunned. She figured they were taken aback by the immense destructive power she now possesses. "This is the storm fan, Arashi Sensi," she declares with a satisfied smile. She floats down to the boys, who wear expressions mingled with astonishment and fear. "I know I'm awesome," she adds confidently.

Theo shakes his head in disbelief. Tyler slaps his forehead, letting out a low groan. "You are by far the strongest idiot I know."

Thalia's smile fades, and anger rises in its place. "Watch yourself four eyes. Or next time, I will aim my new power at you." Tyler runs his hand down his face slowly. The anger on his face was evident. "Speaking of aiming, look where you hit."

He points at the tree line. Thalia follows his finger, and her heart drops. "No, I didn't mean to..." A feeling of dread and impending doom cut her off. "Do you think he dodged the blow right? I mean, there's no way the bloodhound of the infamous predators got hit by my silly attack, right?"

Theo bends down in a fetal position. "You better hope he didn't because if he did. Lord only knows what he will do to us with his personality."

Thalia's heart raced wildly. "We are completely doomed." Theo glances up from his curled-up position. "Why?" Tyler gestures toward the tree line, now scattered with debris, broken branches, and swirling dust.