Elementals Book one Light and Shadow

Oh! So That's What Her Torch Is For!

I opened a portal to the Statue and we jogged through, coming out at the base as I was hit with another vision mid stride. My last one only showed the Statue. This one also focused on The Statue of Liberty, there was no specific person it focused on, although the statue was surrounded by hundreds of tourists. Instead it seemed to focus on the Statue itself. I didn't understand, until I noticed the torch was surrounded by a black aura. The vision ended, and I was still there at the statue, lying on the ground on my back staring up at the sky.

"Are you alright?" Pax asked, offering a hand to help me up. I took it and he hauled me to my feet.

"I'm alright, thanks. Does anybody have asthma?"

"What?" Cruz asked,

"We have a long way to go."

"I thought you said we needed to come here."

"We do," I pointed up at the torch, "just, not this exact spot." a few muffled groans, and I put the hundreds of tourists around us in stasis. I was only partially concerned about how stupid I looked with my eyes pulsating different colors as I once again looked at the group and put them in a trance. This time though, I sped up the pulsation so that every part of their expression was vacant. "You will not grow tired until we have won the battle." I now realise that I could have just used mind control, but a little late to do anything about that now. I stopped the pulsation, and I found it annoyingly repetitive how people always seemed to shake as they came out of their trance. "Let's do this." We entered the base of the statue and climbed the stairs to the top, ignoring the signs that warned us to not go up to the torch. I do have to admit that there are a lot of stairs. When we finally reached the door to the torch, I was the only one out of breath. I put a time freeze over everyone except Reggie, he could use a little training. I entered his mind, ready to use mind control. But decided against it, although there was something in his mind, affection, although for whom I wasn't sure.

"Reggie, come here." he walked over and asked,

"What's up?"

"Can I trust you?"

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just answer me."

"Yes."

"This is a quick lesson. I need to teach you this quickly."

"Uh, okay?" I realised that I did need mind control but not yet. I still entered his mind and built up his resistance to my magic temporarily, hoping I could show him how to put people in a trance without putting him in one.

"This is something I need you to do, I am going to show and tell so you need to pay attention.

"Okay, but-"

"Hush, watch and listen, okay?" he nodded, and I started the pulsation in my eyes. And I saw confusion in Reggie's. "No, Okay, I need you to stay grounded." I could see his eyes focus on me. "Good, Okay, do you understand what is happening right now?"

"Are your eyes changing colors?" I was losing him again,

"Yes," I tore down the resistance I had built up to try a different strategy. All focus in his eyes clouded over as the trance took full effect "And it doesn't affect you for now, okay?" he nodded, and I could see the focus in his eyes return and I could tell his mind was sharp and ready to focus, even when I sped up the pulsation.

"Woah, your eyes-"

"Changing colors, I know, and I am going to teach you how to do it."

"Really? But the battle-"

"We are good for now, pay attention. You know how to use mind control, this isn't quite mind control. But it is similar." as I talked I built up a strong magic resistance. I would dissolve it soon, but for now, I needed to be able to teach. "It's like a trance, like hypnosis."

"Cool."

"Yeah, what you need to do is-'' before I could even finish talking, Reggie's eyes were pulsing shades of red, orange, and yellow, like flames. I had to concentrate, I could feel my brain trying to fall asleep. But I fought it and entered Reggie's mind. Tell me that I will not grow tired until the battle is won. I tore down my resistance and my mind drifted off. It was a strange feeling, like I was dreaming about what was happening in the real world. I saw the pulsating colors in Reggies eyes, our allies behind him frozen in time, but it didn't seem real, it seemed like a dream. But I was awake at the same time, I don't know, it's hard to explain. I could faintly register that Reggie was speaking. But I didn't hear his words. I felt them, like they were seared into my soul. I saw the colors fade from Reggie's eyes, and a moment later, found I could focus again.

"Why me?" my brain was still a little fuzzy when Reggie asked the question.

"What?"

"Why did you choose me to do this?"

"I- I don't know, to train you? Or maybe Some part of me knew you were the most powerful out of the shadow magic trio. I don't know."

"Do- do you really think I am more powerful than Nessa and Khonsu?"

"Uh- yeah, I think you are."

"Cool, no pressure then." I laughed, and found I could do so without suffocating. "Okay, now we really do need to save the world."

"Yeah. Let's go." I unfroze the group and opened the door, ignoring the questions and confused looks. The blazing sunlight blinded me for a moment as I opened the door. And I blinked to clear my vision. When I could finally see again, I was looking at the green handle of the torch. And I could sense that the torch was full of magic. I held my hand up toward the flame, and could feel the shadow magic, it resonated within me, but it was dormant. I could feel the difference between my magic and the magic within the torch, a sense of life. I focused on bringing that life out in the torch, making it real. Suddenly, a black aura burst out around the torch's flame.

"I think," I said, " the Statue of Liberty has a more complicated story than we think." and as soon as I finished that sentence, the world went black.