Academy of Elements: Earth

Chapter 43: Earth

The setting sun streams through the pillars, the shafts of light fragment as clouds pass over the sun. Ella lets go of the gem and she meets my gaze.Slowly she outstretches her hand and...And hope shatters.

Ella's numbness burns me. Her body goes limp as she falls to the ground. I had built her hope in a tower, and a simple touch of a gem sent that tower crashing down. 

"Ella... I..." My voice cracks as tears threaten to fall, She looks up at me."

This makes no sense." Haley murmurs. "Can you not feel the energy in here?"

I shake my head as Ella looks to Haley. Curiously Haley touches the gem.

A single touch and the world explodes. I fly from my feet hitting the staircase, Ella sliding into a wall. Haley's tattoo pulses through her shirt as emerald light encases her like a second skin. It burns and pulses on her as greenery blossoms around her. Grass and thorns curl from the floorboards, the vines extending as flowers the colour of snow blooms. Haley tips back her head and a blinding light fills the room. Large green crystal burst from the ground, the floorboards flying away. The iron chandeliers curl in on themselves as the world around us breaks apart.

Pieces of iron float in the air as the gold banisters float. Gems burst from the walls and ceiling and as Haley takes a large breath in, the world stills.

With a thud, Haley falls to the ground. I run for her, the marking on her shoulder glowing but...

Within the borderline of the circle, markings burn that hadn't been there before, scribing plants and wildlife. All of our markings had the same empty borderline about a centimetre thick going around the intricate emblem. I help Haley up and she looks around.

"What was that?" Ella questions.

"The Affilatorian Gem." I murmur. I look to the gem, the once livid green and brown swirls slowly still as if Haley has sucked the energy from it. 

"But why didn't it work for me?" Ella questions.

"Because there are six of them... each one corresponds with a different element."

"Are you okay?" Ella questions.

Haley nods simply and extends her hand. Flowers bloom along with her and with the simple twist of her hand the iron chandelier, now broken on the ground raises slowly.

"It..." Haley's words fade. "It's like the bottom of my powers just broke apart revealing a new depth to my powers..."

Haley claps her hands together and gems shoot from the walls forming into a blizzard of colour in the center of the room.

"I feel..."

"Infinite," Ella whispers looking at Haley a smile on her face. "This means the gems are real and that they work... It means I can get my powers back."

Haley nods. "Let's go get the others." 

With the rise of her hand's stones shoot from the floor making a new staircase. Climbing the perfectly even stairs I look at Haley. She wears olive cargo pants and a black tank top, a gray jacket over it. Power seems to radiate from her. Haley leads us through the darkness, behind us glowing gems and grass punching through the stone. As the strongest Earth Elemental in the world walked through a place of torture and death she breathes beauty and life into it. Archways become home to vines, the ground sporting flowers of various colours. As we come to the circular where the ladder is Haley looks back on the place.

"I would like to destroy this place." She says simply. "It is a part of our past that I don't believe should still exist.

"I nod and Haley points for Ella and me to go. I smile at my friend as Ella starts to climb. The cold hilts of the ladder shake with the world as Haley brings Herta Cavahr to an end. I hear a boom as earth cracks and the room beneath me caves in. Haley starts her climb seconds later.