The Seventh Element

The day of the year-end presentation had arrived. The performances would be held in the open space between the dorms, the only space big enough to manage the entire school without potential damage. We had all been given our performance order. We all sat now either in the grass or on chairs, ready for the presentations to begin.

Ema and Zopa, the third year Terra girls, would start us off.

"For our presentation, we will need a volunteer," Ema said.

A murmur of surprise rippled through the crowd, students exchanging curious glances.

"How about you, Vana?" Zopa asked.

Vana's eyes widened in surprise and she pointed at herself in a silent me? gesture. She looked at her fellow Nox.

"Yeah!"

"Do it, Vana!"

"Go!"

With their encouragement, she rose to her feet and joined the Terra girls.

"Don't worry, Vana. You don't have to do anything except stand right here," Zopa reassured.

Vana raised her eyebrows in surprise but nodded.

That's when things got interesting.

The two Terrans began to work together. Before our astonished eyes, they raised a column of earth and began to shape it. Slowly, a larger-than-life figure took form. Not just a random silhouette but Vana! The Nox girl's deep, raised hood, long sleeves, gloved hands and pants were all there. The Terra girls didn't stop there; Vana's oval face, straight nose and firm chin were all apparent.

Finished, Ema and Zopa looked at their High Mage, Quake.

High Quake gave a small dip of her head.

Ema and Zopa beamed at this approval. Zopa flattened her palm and the earthen sculpture melted back into the ground, as smooth as if it had never been disturbed. Then, all three girls resumed their seats in the crowd.

And so it went.

The second- and third-year Aria girls worked together and created cloud figures. These weren't the typical cloud shapes one saw in the sky. These were fully formed creatures that moved. There was a bunny, a cat and a bird. The bunny hopped across the grass, the cat wove amongst the crowd (albeit at our head level) and the bird flew overhead.

The crowd awed with delight at this display.

Some students reached out a hand to touch the cloud figures, their hands passing harmlessly through. I certainly But, for obvious reasons, I kept my hands to myself. I had no desire to ruin their presentation. The cloud cat brushed past me, feeling almost like mist before returning to the Aria girls. They finished their presentation with the cloud animals, spiraling up into the sky before dissipating entirely. The crowd broke out in thunderous applause.

The girls beamed at the response of their schoolmates and skipped back to their seats.

Another presentation I was impressed by was the one done by Vidya, Vasha, Vana and Varina. They created a shadowscape. This was more complex than a shadow on a wall and even more than animating clouds. Living in the dorm all year, I was familiar with what Nox can do. This, however, was on another level entirely.

They extended a floor and backdrop of thin shadow that allowed the sky behind them and the grass floor to peek through. From this foundation, they built up a life-size woodland scene, trees and a bubbling brook spreading out before our eyes. Having recently experienced it for myself, I knew that this was an accurate portrayal of Dhark Forest. And, like the real forest, this one had more to it than met the eye. The more one looked, the more there was to see.

A deer picked its way across the grass. A raven flew through the trees, coming to rest on a branch. A bunny raised up on its hind legs, before hopping away into the forest. A fox leapt over the brook before disappearing into the trees on the other side. Then, the scene faded, leaving the four girls standing facing the audience once more.

There was a moment of hushed silence.

It was broken by the rest of the Nox who broke out into enthusiastic applause. The rest of the audience did the same, except for the Lux who sat in stony silence. Not that that was a surprise. They had offered polite, disinterested applause for every other element but no one expected them to do the same for Nox. Of course, the girls didn't care; they resumed their seats, pleased with their performance.

So, the presentations continued.

About halfway through, my turn finally arrived.

I had briefly considered presenting privately to Val but ultimately decided against it.

I was already ostracized enough. I didn't need to add more fuel to their fire. Besides, I had worked hard and knew that this was something I needed to do. After the year I'd had and everything I'd been through, I wanted to show them all what I could really do.

I was after Noah, one of the Aqua fins. He had made it rain, literally. It was unheard of for Aqua nova to cause rain but they did it accidently and always localized to themselves. Noah had willfully done it, complete with clouds and none touched the audience. He stood in the center of the shower without a drop touching him, either.

Now I was supposed to follow that.

Had I not already known that our performance order was random, I would have believed that this had been done on purpose to make me look bad. But no, this was just my life.

Vic quickly squeezed my shoulder and gave me an encouraging smile.

I rose to my feet and took my place on the field. The entire Academy looked back at me. Some of them looked uneasy, leaning away, as if ready to bolt. The Lux's eyes gleamed with barely suppressed glee, clearly expecting me to fail.

Who could blame them?

I had had a negative experience with each of them at some point. I had earned their fear and contempt. I had no desire to gain their admiration or friendship. All I wanted was to show that I wasn't a failure. It had been a long, rough road to get here but I did have something to show for all of that.

With all of that facing me, I knew I needed to take a moment to clear my head. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, dispelling everything within me and around me that could distract me. I couldn't afford to let anything get in the way, not here, not now. Once I felt absolutely nothing, my powers came to the fore. This time, however, my powers weren't in charge, I was.

I opened my eyes and began. With a sweep of my hands, as if I were dramatically opening curtains, I spread a flat sheet of ice over the ground, about the size of the Nox dinner table. Then, using each hand separately, I built up the mountainscape I knew so well. Within moments, the landscape was finished. I had successfully created the land of my childhood in miniature. Was it enough?

I looked at Val. The Nox High Mage beamed ear to ear, tears streaming down her cheeks. I had never seen her so emotional. She rose to her feet, clapping enthusiastically.

In an instant, the rest of the Nox did the same, cheering for me.

The rest of the Academy seemed shocked but they grudgingly offered their own applause.

I had done it.