Elements : Book One

Chapter Twenty Five

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It is more quiet than usual. The buzzing sound of students roaming around, no birds chirping in the trees. Just silence. I fasten my pace as I try to reach the Training Grounds as fast as possible. The bone-deep chilling sensation is running through me, freezing every single cell inside of me.

When I approach the grounds, I spot three unfamiliar faces among the crowd. One of them has long black, sleeked hair with long hooked nose, dull green eyes and pale skin. He is skinny and tall with dark tattered clothes clung on his body. When he looks up, fear creeps down my spine making me shudder. On either side of him are standing men with bulkier bodies. One has sandy blonde, chopped hair with oak brown eyes, his lips are in thin line. The other looks chirpier with large smile plastered on his face. His brown hair is longer, reaching his shoulders. His apple green eyes are sparkling in the sun.

"Ah, Miss Stewart." I look confused at Sebastian as he greets me with large smile on his lips. "This." He points at the pale man standing between the other two. "Is Alvin Reed. Mister Reed will help you control your...Fear Element." Suddenly, Alvin's appearance makes sense. Fear and Darkness Elementalists are often casted in the prisons, if not killed, thus it all explains why the man in front of me looks half dead. "They will guard you all the time." Sebastian points at the bodyguards next to Alvin.

"My name is Paul Simons." The blonde states in formal tone. "Pleasure to meet you, Miss Stewart."

"Quinton Arnolds." The browned haired one states with another large smile. "Pleased to meet you. We have heard quite a lot about you, Miss Stewart." I blush at his statement and look away, just to see Alvin Reed rolling his eyes.

"You will be starting your lesson in short." Sebastian informs me with small smile. "We will just observe in the first lesson, but later after you gain some control you two will be alone with Quinton and Paul nearby." I nod at his explanation and turn back to Alvin, who just sighs.

I bet he was not even given a choice.

Well, maybe helping me is providing better future for him. I don't know... I just... I feel uncomfortable knowing that he is suffering, while I am praised for using exact same element.

If anything, you are not praised. You are being weaponized.

"Okay." Alvin starts in awkward tone. He looks around, before his gaze finally settles on me. "Sit." He motions on the ground and I obey. Alvin sits in front of me, his eyes solemnly on me. His gaze is cold, caring not even an ounce of warmth. "Cassie, what is fear to you?"

The question startles me. I look at him confused, but he does not elaborates what he means. Yet, the question is self-explaining itself. Yet, I don't know what to answer to his question.

"You can take your time." Alvin adds seeing my state. "But you have to be sure of what you are saying. Because your understanding of fear is going to influence your control over the element."

"Fear is response." I whisper in a low, meek voice. Alvin motions for me to continue talking. "Um, fear depending on individual, empowers or weakens them." I whisper once again. I remember the feeling that I had, when they attacked. The fear that was floating inside of me, empowering me even more. "Fear is reaction to certain events. Cutting them off entirely is giving others bravery and more power, yet it makes them even more reckless."

"And how are you cutting the fear?" Alvin asks me intrigued, leaning forward as if I am about to share a secret with him.

"By eating it." I whisper in a daze. I remember the feeling inside of me. Feeling of nothing being impossible. I remember the power fear gave me. "But...when you eat others' fear away, it keeps enhancing your own powers." Alvin nods, satisfied with my answer.

"The technique you used against Dark Ones is called Fear Empowerment." Alvin smiles at me, which seems unnatural against his features. "I can feel power vibrating off of your body." He adds with slight hesitation. "Your natural affinity for Fear is rare even among the Fear Elementalists." He explains his surprise and then looks around. "Now, Cassie... You have to close your eyes and concentrate on fear inside people's bodies." Alvin states the order. "Even if they are not scared in this exact second, it does not mean that fear is not inside of them. You have to find them and activate it inside humans." He adds. "But sometimes, you can also invoke fear into others, and there are plenty of techniques to do so." He adds with knowing smirk plastered on his face.

He knows that he is playing with fire. I am against his people. I am against his element altogether, yet he is standing in front of me, having no other choice, but to teach me everything he knows. He is supposed to make me dangerous for his people.

I close my eyes. I try concentrating on the people around me, trying to feel their energies and fears inside of me. But I can't. Instead, I keep focusing on my own fear floating inside of me. Fear of being used. I don't want to be used in the slightest of ways. I know that whichever side I choose, will kill off the other. And I don't want to take part in it. Yet, my powers will give me no other choice. And it scares me.

"Cassie." Alvin whispers once again, gaining my attention. "Concentrate on others' fears not yours." He explains once again. "You have to remember that it is everywhere around you. Get inside their heads, their hearts...See what they desire and what they fear and use it to your advantage."

I do realize now why people feared The Fear Elementalists. They can turn you insane in the matter of seconds. They can get inside your head and make you see the things that are not even there. Fear.

I close my eyes. I tune out the sounds around me, trying to hear from my mind and not my ears. The sounds that come inside my head are not heard by others. The blubbering that makes no sense unless you concentrate on it. The slow, soothing murmurs, or loud screeching screams, they are all here, around me.

"Fear Perception." I whisper the word out without giving it much of a thought. The voices become lucid, vivid, clear. I can link them back to the people, it belongs to.

"Stop, please." She whispers with tears sliding down her face. Her voice is raspy from screaming loudly continuingly. Her body is shaking, trembling. Yet, the boy in front of her is not stopping. If anything, he continues tearing off her clothes. He puts his hand around her neck, squeezing it hard, making it difficult for her to breath.

"P-Please." She chokes the words out, saliva and blood mixing together, when she manages to spit at him. "S-Stop." She whispers again, energy leaving her body entirely.

I blink and look at Chloe. Her face is stoic, but her eyes are wild. She is staring at me with fear inside her orbs. Fear, that I know her secret, her fear.

The night is dark. No light is nearby, but the moonlight. Yet, I can make things out. I can see and hear the loud screams coming from the downstairs. A little boy is kneeling in front of the door, leaning against the white wood. He has his hands on his head, trembling furiously. Tears have stained his face, continuing to slide down his face.

"Where is he?!" A loud voice shouts from other side of the bedroom door. The boy flinches once again.

"Stop it." Michael shakes his head. Small, sad smile playing on his lips. "Just stop it, Cassie." He adds in calm tone, his voice cracked by the end. I nod, ashamed.

"You did a good job." Alvin whispers in barely audible voice. My attention switches from Michael to him. "Actually, you did better than I expected. Fear Perception is understanding one's deepest and greatest fear. Usually, people have trouble reaching that stage of element." Alvin adds with slight hesitation.

No one says a word. They know that I have seen Michael's deepest fear. That I know his deepest secret. They don't know about Chloe, though. And her fear is equally bad. I have trouble looking at any of them. I know that I have reopened their traumas.

"I am sorry." I whisper with tears glittering in my eyes. "I did not mean to." I add again with guilt heaving down on me. Chloe averts my gaze, looking away from me. Michael offers me a small smile, as if he is trying to forgive me for prying inside his head.