John pried the lid off the storage container, then stopped and stared distractedly at the glossy white block of Alyssium. His eyes picked up the sparkling silvery flecks in the otherwise unblemished surface, and he was entranced by the sparkling lustre, while his mind was pre-occupied with worrying thoughts. He heard footsteps behind him, and turned to see Alyssa and Jade walking over to his side.
"She'll be alright," Alyssa said with a comforting smile.
Jade nodded, and said buoyantly, "Rachel's with her, and she's very smart. If anyone can figure out what's happening to Irillith, she can!"
He nodded, and leaned into the container to lift out the cube of Crystal Alyssium, surprised at how light the block of alloy was. Edraele had been terribly worried about her daughter, and had immediately ordered the transfer of the Maliri Medical database archives to the Invictus. Their brilliant young doctor was currently up in their bedroom going through the data, while keeping a close eye on the unconscious Maliri girl who was tucked up in their bed. The block of Crystal Alyssium suddenly floated up and out of his hands, before levitating over to land with a barely audible clink on the deck of the Cargo Bay. He looked up at Alyssa, and she gave him a playful wink.
"Worrying isn't going to help anyone," she said firmly. "Rachel's already checked Irillith, and she's confirmed our blue-skinned beauty is in perfect physical health. She'll let us know the moment anything changes, so keep thinking nice thoughts about Irillith, but for the time being, there's nothing else you can do."
John nodded, and said, "You're right, but I just feel bad for the girl. She's made such great progress recently, it seems particularly unfair for her to be going through this as a reward."
Jade slipped an arm around him, then squeezed gently, and said, "I know you won't let anything bad happen to her. We'll keep her tummy nice and full, then you can make sure she'll be okay."
"I'll do my best," he replied, then leaned down to give the Nymph a tender kiss. When he straightened, he saw Alyssa watching him affectionately, and he gave her a nod before saying, "Alright let's do this."
Alyssa turned to the snowy white cube, and raising her right hand, levitated it effortlessly off the ground. The solid geometric shape suddenly trembled, them melted like a block of ice before the glare of the midday sun. The ball of sparkling white liquid quickly reshaped itself into a perfect representation of Irillith's beautiful face, depicting her as she lay fast asleep upstairs. The image froze into place, then after a couple of seconds, Alyssa sent her will into the Crystal Alyssium, carefully manipulating the alloy with her mind.
The delicate features of the Maliri girl shifted, and she appeared to yawn, as the face rotated upright, looking peaceful and sleepy. The image froze in place again, as Alyssa let the Etherite lattice harden and strengthen once more. She concentrated on the alloy again, and the glossy white face rippled as the expression changed, her full mouth lifting up into a sparkling smile.
"That was beautiful," Jade remarked, her voice full of admiration. "Would you do one of me sometime too? You're very creative, and I'd love to see how I look in your eyes."
Alyssa smiled at her, and replied, "Of course! You'd be a perfect muse." She turned back to the representation of Irillith's face, and carefully melted the Crystal Alyssium into a large number four. The strange material started to move more sluggishly now, and she frowned before she said, "OK, that's quad shaped."
She melted the sparkling white number into a roiling sphere, which turned lazily in the air, held in place by her will alone. Making a slight gesture with her hand, the orb shuddered, then flowed languidly into a number five.
John glanced at her with a frown, and said cautiously, "How was that? Don't overdo it now, you're up to quint-shaped and this Crystal Alyssium is meant to be tougher to manipulate isn't it?"
"Yeah, it's getting a lot harder," she replied with a curt nod, focusing on the five and melting it into a slowly rotating sphere of sparkling white metal.
He stepped closer, then gave her a loving kiss on the cheek, and sounding concerned he said, "That's enough now. You've already proved how impressive you are, I don't want you overexerting yourself."
Alyssa smiled, enjoying his protectiveness, but she nodded obediently, realising she was pushing her limits as it was. After taking a long, steadying breath, she focused her concentration on the orb, forcing it to flow into the form she held in her mind. The Crystal Alyssium was torpid now, moving at a glacial pace as if deliberately resisting her efforts to reshape it for a sixth time. Ever so indolently, it flattened out, then elongated into the five foot length that would form the new sword.
The psychic blonde was rapidly tiring now, her breathing growing more laboured with the physical and mental effort involved. John could see her getting visibly more tired, and he ordered her sternly, "Tap the girls for power! You're just using your own energy!"
Immediately doing as John asked, Alyssa reached out to Dana, Calara, and Rachel, gently drawing psychic energy from them as she struggled to bend the alloy to her will. She felt fortified by the refreshing waves of power as they washed over her, and narrowing her eyes with steely determination, she renewed her efforts on the sword. Her original plan was to make some embellishments to the original design, but shaping it had proven far harder than she anticipated. In the end, she settled for copying the previous design, and it was with a great sigh of relief that she finally finished her psychic forging, gently laying the sword to rest on the deck of the cargo bay.
Pulling her into his arms, John held her close, and said, "You need to be careful, honey. That looked like it took a lot out of you!"
Alyssa nodded looking abashed, and admitted, "Yeah, it got exponentially harder. That last one was a real strain."
Jade leaned in to give her a hug too, and said tentatively, "I didn't feel you draw any energy from me. Why didn't you let me help you as well?"
Giving her an affectionate smile, Alyssa replied, "I know you wanted to help John practice his powers. I didn't want to tire you out."
Jade gave her a tender kiss, and hugged her tighter as she said, "That was very thoughtful, but please don't strain yourself like that again if I can help you."
John and Jade held Alyssa for a while, until she protested that she felt fine, and was clearly impatient to see the results of her mental manipulations of the Crystal Alyssium. John gave her a quick kiss, then released her, and walked over to the blade that lay on the deck. Reaching down, he picked it up, smiling appreciatively at the lighter weight. He held it effortlessly in one hand, turning it slightly and then back again, admiring the way the tiny silver flecks in the glossy white sword caught the light.
Jade stared at it entranced, and said in a hushed voice, "It looks so beautiful."
