Cloud is one of the few remaining Acolytes to step through a gateway portal, standing by nervously as he watches another student step through the looking glass and disappear.
He snaps his fingers twice to spark a flame, getting in some last minute channelling practice to avoid embarrassing himself in front of all these people.
He breathes a sigh of relief, grateful to see that all his practice with Helel hasn’t gone to waste, now able to sustain a flame without much effort at all.
However, his small moment of accomplishment is swiftly interrupted by a chilling breeze that makes the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end before extinguishing his work.
His immunity to the cold never really made sense until he started channelling flames so of course it comes as some concern to now feel it creeping into his bones and biting at his skin, watching as the air leaving his nostrils turns into mist.
Cloud crosses his eyes as he observes a single snowflake gracefully float down from the ceiling and land on the tip of his nose, melting on impact and dropping to the ground.
“I was expecting more."
Cloud follows the sound of the soft voice, wondering how he had missed seeing the guy with cold blue eyes and striking chalk white hair staring at him with dead eyes.
"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Cloud smiles to ease some of the tension but it doesn't help to calm his nerves.
"Not yet."
Cloud feels the power inside him fight against the sudden intrusion, the colour in his face gradually returning as the ache in his limbs fades.
"You probably know my name...only fair that I know yours." he remarks, wearily observing the stranger, noting how still he seems, not even taking a moment to blink.
That’s when Cloud realises that he too is being observed by the unwavering gaze of the boy with crystal like eyes.
“Arden Snow.” he replies, avoiding direct eye contact but still searching for weaknesses. “Or at least, that is who I am now.”
"What about your real name?"
"If I'm ever sent after you, you'll find out." he replies, every word leaving Arden’s mouth sounding soft and tired.
It doesn't matter that Cloud is half a head taller, something tells Cloud that height wouldn't be a factor in their eventual fight.
Arden places his hand over the nearest gateway portal, uttering the enchantment to activate the gate. "Ladies first." he offers, his voice still lacking any energy at all.
Cloud tightens his jaw to prevent himself from smiling, already warming up to his cold aura. "You know, you’re kind of a jerk."
"I've been called much worse." he confesses, his irises shifting into a unique shade of pale blue whilst shards of ice creeping up the back of his pale hands and over the surface of his gateway.
“I bet."
The tension reaches its climax but before anything can occur between the two, the Professor waves his hand, sending both boys hurtling through opposite gateways.
"Rafaela, keep an eye on those two." he commands, peering down at the dark raven resting on his right arm whose wings dissolve like cigarette smoke.
Rafaela croaks a reply before she soars into the sky, disappearing as soon as she hits the shadows in a dark corner of the ceiling.
“Shall we?” the Professor asks, leading the rest of the faculty members to the game room, arriving just in time to see Cloud and Arden land in a shallow river, drenched from head to toe before they even landed in the water.
YOU ARE READING
The Initials | Nanowrimo 2023
Fantasy[Book 1 in the Displaced Angels Series] "You took the life of my best friend, made her life a living hell...so I took your building and everything inside, and turned it into ash." °°° Being abducted the first time was already crazy enough, but twice...
