Academy of Elements: Water

Chapter 23: The Beginning of the End

I fell. The shards of air prickled at my face as the wind embraced me in a turbulent gust of anguish. Then the world froze. Or I froze. I floated in the air, two or three feet above the dark waters of the river flowing in a grave speed from the waterfall.

I looked around. Aira stood on the bank of the river with John, Brennen, Denen, and Haley. My body floated over to the bank, my feet touching the course ground.

"Where's Ella!?" John yelled pushing towards me. I looked down.

"She-" I didn't have to finish the sentence. They all knew what I meant. She had been taken. Because of me. I hadn't brought her down with me.

"It's my fault." I whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. "W-we were jumping and her hand slipped and-" I trailed off fighting back my emotions. "We have to save Ella."

"That's suicide Jaxon." John said stepping forward.

"She's your girlfriend, you should be the one wanting to go get her." I sneered.

"That would mean getting through the Dark Forest!" John anguished. "Then penetrating the Domain of Darkness!"

"The Domain of Darkness?" I asked.

"What used to be the Pit of Hell-"

"But-" Aira stated.

"He took it over centuries ago." John cut off.

"We have to save her. She'll be killed if we don't." I stammered.

"That's what he wants you to think!" John yelled.

"Guys!" Brennen interrupted. "The Skleirs." That's all we needed to hear before we ran. The forest ate us whole, the trees like teeth, their dark thin trunks like shadows.

The trees became more dense, the sky and the thick leaves becoming one in the same. We stopped running when we came to the cliff. It toward upwards, the lands of the Academy invisible from down hear. The sound of the roaring waterfall had faded now just low hum in the background of the silent forest.

The sound of the Skleirs loomed over head like phantoms.

"Here." Haley whispered. She stretched her hands out the light of Denen's lightning just bright enough to see. Vines and wood whispered from the ground rising up creating a hill of earth. Haley lead us to a small hole, just big enough to crawl through.

It was cozy inside. The ground had been lined with luxuriously soft leaves. Haley closed the entrance hole and the world went dark.

***
I awoke in darkness. The world was silent. Quietly I fished my pool from my pocket checking the time. My phone glowed like a star in an infinite sea of darkness, the numbers on it reading: 7:27am. The world was as silent as being underwater.

"Guys." I whispered. Brennen, Denen, Aira, and John shot up.

"What!" They whisper/screamed.

"We should head out now." I replied. "Its quiet."
"Haley!" Aira tried. I pushed her shoulder a loud snore ringing out as she twisted over. Another snore rung out from Haley.

"Haley!!" I whispered shoving her.

"Denen!" Aira whispered motioning to Haley.

Denen crawled for touching Haley's ribs. His fingers lit up and Haley shot up vines wrapping around Denens neck. Haley released the vines from Denens neck with a sigh.

"Sorry..." Denen mumbled. Haley shot him a stare that could stop a charging bull in its track. Haley unravelled the makeshift hut, the dark sky looming over the darkest shade of black imaginable.

"What do we do?" Denen whispered standing.

"Rescue Ella of course." I replied.

"Jaxon!" John argued. "You don't seam to get it! You will die."
"So be it." I spitted.

"Jaxon don't be dumb! The Guardians-"

I sent a blast of ice at him. It sparkled in the infinite sea of dark blue. He flew from his feet smashing into a tree behind him. 

"Jax-" I heard Aira yell but I sent a blast of Ice behind me erecting a wall of ice.

"We are-" John sent a blast at me before I could finish. I dodged it easily. He may have attended the best Elemental Combat school but I was a member of the Gifted Six with training as high as a Guardian. I had been trained in sword combat, bow combat, and especially duels.

The last time I dueled John I had put him in a comma. This time like the last I was stating a point. He would never understand something. I was not a piece of shit. I was not dumb. I was worth something. And I had been rightfully chosen as the Ice Member of the Gifted Six.

I slashed my hand sending a streak at John. He stood putting his hands in a defensive position. The star lightened into a sea of the darkest shade of navy imaginable. I saw John clearly, almost, with the glow of our ice. I shoved my hand forward sending a ball of light at John. he dodged, sending a blast like mine. I flew back into the wall of Ice I had created.

Falling to the ground he stalked over to me. "It is suic-" I sweaped my leg under his and he fell to the snow covered ground. I stood walking to where he once stood. He stood slowly but before he could do anything I realised my fury.

With a flick and push of my wrist Ice flew from my palm hitting him in the stomach. He hit the crystal wall of ice I had erected. With both my hands I blasted at his arms. Ice wrapped around his around. I stalked forward.

He grunted as I sent the wall into a shatter of crystal and glass showering down on him.

"We are rescuing Ella." I ordered. "And I am well aware that it is suicide."

And with that an orb of blood rose from the inky horizon casting its crimson stain across the sky.

***

There ya go!!!

Again its late... My first copy didn't save... so I took a break to get my mind cleared of frustration.

Anyway... Jaxon and the others are going towards death... Almost literally...

Question of the Chapter:

If you could only eat one type of treat (chocolate, gummies, etc...) for the rest of your life what would it be.

Simple milk chocolate... It would never get tiring...