Elementals

Chapter 56-A "Little Chat"

Zielo put on a shocked expression. "I... I don't know what you're talking about."

"And yet deep down you're not ready to tell your best friend how much you cried the night you had to leave him behind." The King said cruelly.

My eyes widened. "Zielo, what?" I muttered. I turned to him. Zielo stared at the ground for a bit, holding on to the sides of his arms.

"Zee- Did leaving hurt you that much...?" I asked. He turned away, not replying at all.

"I'm...I don't wanna go there." He whispered to me. I felt a wave of hurt and anger and confusion hit me all at once. I looked around at my friends, all of them looking down with a look of shame or reliving past mistakes and traumas. And the Corrupted King's sinister smile as he disappeared made it obvious that he was enjoying every second of it. Seeing my friends hurt was hard enough, but knowing that this was intentional was infuriating. I locked eyes with him as he reappeared on top of his throne. I took a few steps towards him stoically.

"Apologise." I said to the King in a low, menacing tone. He tilted his head in amusement.

"I'm sorry, are you talking to me?" The Corrupted King laughed a sickening laugh. "You? A boy who knew nothing of his magical heritage for his entire life, a boy so ignorant and nosy that he allowed himself to get captured and almost killed by my henchman, a boy who spiralled out of control with the magic he thought he finally got the hang of? You, are telling me to apologise?"

My anger bubbled as he laughed more atop his throne. I clenched my fists and small sparks flew out. Once he'd finally stopped laughing, he looked me dead in the eyes.

"You, Alexander Fier, are a mere boy. A child who is void of the experience and authority to even speak to a being such as myself." He boasted.

"A being that chooses to waste his time picking on a bunch of teenagers, yeah, right." I muttered just loud enough for him to hear. I heard giggling behind me. The Corrupted King furrowed his brows and frowned.

"You've got some nerve, Alexander. Just remember that my patience and tolerance are finite." He said menacingly. I smirked.

"And so was your reign, apparently." I said. I heard more giggling and chuckling from behind me. I turned my head to my friends. Damian's eyes glowed, and the moment I turned back, he smiled.

"Al, you genius!" He mouthed. I stared at him confused at first, but quickly realized what he meant. I nodded before turning back to the Corrupted King.

"What game are you playing at, boy?" He growled.

"Hey, you said you wanted to chat, right?" I shrugged. "Though, belittling a couple of teens isn't gonna make you any more likeable."

He gripped onto the armrests of his throne tightly, snarling. If his gloves weren't on, I'm sure his knuckles would've been white. I noticed a crack forming on the back of his throne.

"You've got quite the audacity, my boy." He growled. I shot him an angry, unapologetic glare.

"And so do you, digging up parts of our pasts that we intended to stay buried. I may be a kid, an elemental who didn't know about this realm or my magic, but I do know that stooping so low as to hurt a bunch of teenagers isn't anywhere near acceptable, even for someone as cruel and sadistic as you." I growled. I opened my hand and a small spark quickly caught alight. The flame danced as its temperature rose with my anger.

"So I'll tell you again. Apologise." My voice was low and threatening to a point where even the King himself seemed afraid for a second. But whatever fear he might've felt was stripped away faster than it appeared.

"You dare speak that way to a King!?" He roared as he stood from his throne, his eyes glowing slightly. "A child as insignificant as yourself should know his place when standing before a titan!"

"And a titan as egotistical and twisted as yourself should reconsider his choice of words when standing before his ruin!"

His eyes widened in enraged surprise. He growled, showing his teeth, clenching his fists tightly. A dull magenta haze started to surround his fists, black glowing cracks spread put from where he stood. The ground started to shake.

"I will make you swallow those words you fatuous, sanctimonious, vacuous little gnat!"

He locked eyes with me and prepared to keep, but just as he got up off the ground, I hurled the fireball right into his chest. Then, before the flame went out, my friends and I ducked.

"Flamewave!"

The fireball started to spark and burn violently, then, before the Corrupted King could react, an explosion of flames and firery rings rang throughout the throne room. The King flew backward into the back wall with a devastating *crash*. I quickly straightened up and turned to my friends, who were all staring at me in pure surprise.

"Quick! While he's down!" I said nothing to the door.

"How the hell did you-" I cut Zielo off.

"Special training. But I'll explain it later. Let's just go!"

Without another word, we all darted to the door. But just as we got close, I felt my body being held in place, then pulled back violently. Before I knew it, the Corrupted King held me by the back of the neck. I tried loosening his grip, failing dismally.

"You've got guts, I'll tell you that. But that was very unwise of yo-"

The King was cut off by a flurry of yellow sparks that flew right into his side, sending him flying once again and letting me go in the process. I turned to Zack and flashed him a smile.

"Thanks." I said as he helped me to my feet.

"Don't mention it." He smiled back. The rest of the team came to join us as the Corrupted King got to his feet.

"Oh, you've gone and done it now, kids. You already ensured your demise my setting foot in my castle, but now, I will personally ensure that you all die by my hands!"

The ground shook violently as more cracks started to spread through the walls and floor of the castle. I got into my fighting position, fireball in hand. The King's eyes emitted a violent glow as he looked at us.

"NONE OF YOU WILL LEAVE THIS CASTLE ALIVE!" He roared.

I looked to my friends for reassurance. They all nodded. 'Alright.' I thought. 'Let's hope that the Guardians get here soon.'

The time struck 12:00. Our battle with the most powerful elemental in the realm had just begun.

~~~~~

Author's Notes

This was such a fun one to finish! I'm extremely happy with how it came out, and I hope you enjoyed reading it. I especially had a lot of fun exposing the team's traumas and behaviours in this chapter, as, in my opinion, it makes them a lot more interesting. I mean, now there's trauma, divorce and sketchy pasts involved (which will probably get explained later on, or maybe in a bonus chapter, still haven't decided yet).

I especially has fun showcasing the playful yet sadistic side of the Corrupted King. I've always loved characters that hurt people just for the fun of it, so you could imagine how much I enjoyed writing this. But anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading, catch you in the next chapter.

-BlueBoyHalo14