The Elementiels

Ch. 20: THE STORM WITHIN

Adam and Cynthia stood frozen in place, their breaths ragged as they watched Jason, his silhouette framed by swirling flames and crackling lightning. Their minds struggled to process the raw power radiating from him.

“Is that really… baker boy?!” Cynthia’s voice trembled, disbelief threading her words. 

Jason turned his gaze over to the battlefield. His eyes darkened with fury as they fell upon the wounded knights and fallen comrades strewn across the blood-soaked ground.

“You’ll pay for this,” Jason muttered under his breath, his voice low, but it reverberated through the air like thunder. 

In an instant, Jason launched himself forward, a blur of movement too fast for the eye to follow. Dragons shrieked in surprise as he cut through their ranks with deadly precision.

Bolts of lightning erupted from his hands, arcing through the beasts and exploding upon impact. The flames that surrounded him twisted and roared, spiraling like living serpents that burned through dragon scales as if they were paper. 

The sky became a theater of violence. Jason danced among the beasts, jumping as if gravity itself had yielded to his power. No claw could touch him, no flame could singe him, and every strike of his fist or burst of his energy sent dragons crashing to the earth. 

From the ground, Commander Elijah and the captains watched in stunned silence. 

“Who is that?!” Captain Sasha demanded, her voice tinged with awe and disbelief. “He’s fighting without enhanced armor. That speed… that strength… it’s impossible!” 

Captain Will’s eyes narrowed as he watched the fire and lightning ripple across Jason’s body. “That power… it’s not human.” He swallowed hard before adding, “Could he be… an elementiel?!” 

Jason landed hard atop a dragon, his fist driving through its skull in a flash of lightning. He straightened, his eyes locking onto the massive black dragon with the red crystal embedded in its head. The beast hovered in the sky, its wings blotting out what remained of the sun.   

The black dragon let out a guttural snarl, its massive form diving toward him. Its maw opened wide, unleashing a torrent of blue flames that roared across the battlefield, scorching everything in its path. 

Jason leapt skyward, dodging effortlessly. His body blurred in motion as he twisted mid-air and drove a fist into the dragon’s snout with extreme force. The beast roared in agony, its massive form crashing to the earth with a tremor that shook the ground. 

Jason descended after it, landing with controlled precision just feet away. He advanced cautiously, his eyes fixed on the glowing crystal embedded in the dragon’s forehead. 

Jason tilted his head, his sharp gaze narrowing as he studied it. “This one is odd. Its energy… it’s much stronger than the others. I’d say… its even stronger than the one I fought back at the kingdom.”

The dragon regarded him in eerie silence, its crimson crystal pulsing ominously. Then, with a beat of its massive wings, the beast launched into the air, turning its back on Jason. 

“Hey! Come back here!” Jason shouted, his voice carrying over the sound of flapping wings. Without hesitation, he prepared to give chase, lightning sparking from his feet as he pushed off the ground. 

But before he could close the distance, something erupted from the earth. A thick vine, shot up and coiled around the dragon’s wing, dragging it forcefully back toward the ground. The beast bellowed in frustration, thrashing against its restraint. 

Jason hesitated, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the vine. “Where did that come from?” 

The black dragon turned its head in desperation, flames building in its throat. Jason surged forward, flying straight through the torrent of fire as if it were nothing but wind. Flames curled harmlessly off his body, and in one swift motion, he thrust his hand forward, a crackling bolt of lightning piercing the beast’s gaping maw.