Tempting Darkness

Gerald jumped as the ring around us caught fire, the heat warming us while my eyes glowed with excitement. How I had missed having magic.

"That's the best you got?" Gerald taunted. I smirked before feeling the tether to my power strengthen, morphing it before I lifted my hands out to the sides above my head before tossing them down.

The flames exploded in a cylinder-shaped wall around us. The fire flew toward the sky, higher than the castle's tallest point, and I chuckled while Gerald's mouth fell open. I couldn't see those standing outside our circle, but the murmurs at my reach with the flames had them gasping in shock.

"Pretty sure I just broke the record for highest," I giggled.

"Not the hottest," Gerald said with a cocky grin.

"How hot is cutting fire again?" I asked him.

"Yeah, right, three thousand seven hundred?" he murmured, admiring my towering wall of flames.

"I burn hotter," I whispered, and his smile fell as he looked over at me. Moving my hand, he watched as I turned my palm up before the flames burned brightly, turning purple and blue. I watched as he squinted from the harsh rays of light it emanated. Clenching my fist, the wall of fire plunged toward the earth, burrowing deep into the rock's surface. However, maintaining it on the ring's outer edge took some concentration as I cut the circle out, burning a hole through the ground and turning the rock into molten lava. It bubbled up, spewing out of the gaps as I cut a ring around us, leaving us in the center.

In contrast, lava bubbled and bled from the earth. Everyone jumped back, as did Gerald, before nearly tumbling into the gap behind him before jumping toward me.

It stopped with a twist of my wrist as I felt myself growing weaker from not having used that much power in so long. Gerald noticed my exhaustion as the lava darkened as it cooled, and he smirked.

"What's wrong, Aleera? Can't hold it long?" he chirped before shrieking as I flicked my fingers toward him and engulfed him in flames.

He danced, trying to extinguish the flames covering him as I controlled the fire enough not to touch his skin, only burning his clothes and hair. Still, the shriek of terror from him had everyone laughing as he jumped around like his a*s was on fire. As he shrieked, patting himself down before rolling on the ground, my own giggles made the flames cut out, momentarily distracting me.

He stopped thrashing, only to see he wasn't burned, just very naked and looking like a hairless cat. Even his eyebrows were gone. I snickered, and Gerald glared at me.

"Pretty sure I just broke your record. Do you want another demonstration, Gerald? I'm pretty sure I can melt you down. Shall we see what you're really made of?" I challenged him.

Gerald growled and jumped to his feet, rushing toward me like an enraged rhino. Lycus stepped over the gap. I cut into the ground and into his path. He halted instantly, nearly tripping over himself in his effort not to run into Lycus's wall of muscle. Gerald growled, glaring at me over Lycus's shoulder.

"Issue Gerald?" Lycus asked, and Gerald looked between Lycus and me before sneering and turning on his heel. He stalked off while cursing under his breath.

Lycus then turned to face me, a grin on his face. "So you're a fire element," he said, his eyes sparkling with the knowledge. That made me a little nervous because they might start questioning if I showed any ability in any other element. Lycus held his hand out, and I sighed, knowing he wanted me to give it back, or what was left of it anyway.

"I would let you keep it, but-"

"But Darius," I answered for him, and he nodded. I rolled my eyes before brushing my fingertips over his palm and giving his magic back to him. Turning around to follow him back inside, I stopped when I noticed Darius standing by the edge of the field with Tobias and Kalen. Looking over at Lycus, he shrugged.

"They came to see if you were indeed a fire element like all of us," Lycus shrugged.

"You're all fire?" I asked.

"Yes, we all have a low ability in all elements. Fire is our strongest manifestation, except for Darius. He is a dark elemental. Tobias has a few other gifts, the compulsion and his ability to tell if someone is lying. He can also manipulate a person's emotions," Lycus explained as we walked toward them.

"What about Kalen?" I asked, already knowing he could read auras.

"Fire, but he is a lot weaker, being that he is just a pure dark fae. He can also read auras better than anyone I have ever met. Tobias's twin was almost as good as Kalen at reading auras."

"Tobias's twin? The one who died?" I asked.

"What makes you think he is dead?" Lycus asked, and I shrugged.

"The way Tobias acted when I asked about him but also, I think I have seen him before," I murmured, trying to remember why I felt that way. Lycus said nothing, or maybe he wasn't allowed to answer the underlying question for that one.

"So, Kalen... besides the auras?" I asked, and he shrugged.

"He has a low manifestation in all. He seemed like he had never manifested. Maybe it was his upbringing? Although he's a strong empath which is unusual for dark fae. It makes him a better observer of emotions," Lycus said, and my brows furrowed. We stopped by Darius and the others.

"I looked through all of your records. I didn't find anything that indicated you were strong with this element or any other for that matter," Darius said. I shrugged, and he studied my face intently for a moment.

"Do you have any other gifts besides being able to harness the fire element?" Lycus asked curiously.

I cleared my throat, especially knowing Tobias was right there, and I wouldn't be able to lie without him noticing straight away. I couldn't risk questions that would let them know I was a harmony elemental. That would really grind Darius's gears if he knew I would be as strong as him with magic, possibly stronger, seeing as I still wasn't aware of the limits of my magic if given a chance to use them.