Crimson Oasis

✧ iv. ✧

"Well done. Now, follow me to perform your fourth and final elemental starter spell; fire."
Kari held her breath as she followed the instructor, tensing slightly. The trainee bracelets were itchy and she longed to get them replaced with her true Goldarts Bracelets, but she knew she had to complete the trial first. Just one more spell.
It shouldn't be that hard.
The earth, air and water spells were easy enough...
She had some kind of longing feeling to see all her friends cheering her on with their familiar faces, but she knew the trial was hidden from the eyes of the public. Instead, she slipped the image of them into her head and made sure their reassuring looks stayed on her.
The instructor led her to a small room covered with some sort of shiny material. Scorch marks scored the walls all over, and in the center stood some kind of doll, hanging from the wall, a scary smile painted on its face, as if begging for Kari to burn it.
The instructor walked over to it and placed a sheet of paper on the wall behind it, which displayed the arm movements for the ember spell. "This is the hardest spell of the trial," he told her, "good luck."
With those words he slipped out of the chamber, shutting the door behind him.
Kari took a deep breath and glanced back down at her wrists. You can do this. You can, I know you can. You will do it. You will. You will burn that doll. Burn it.
Suddenly. Unexpectedly.
Kari's jaw dropped to the ground.
The doll had just set on fire.
Without her doing anything.
Panicking, Kari looked down at her wrists. They were glowing a strange white-blue-purple colour combination, and stinging her muscles like a hoard of wasps. Jumping in alarm, Kari darted at the door, slamming her fists at it in an attempt to unlock it. "OPEN THE DOOR!" she yelped.
As if it was listening to her, the door flung open and Kari tripped forward, landing on her front. She hissed through her teeth before leaping up again and and darting away, worry and panic circling all through her body.
"Wait!" called the instructor. "Where are you going, Kari? Come back!"
Biting her lip to stop herself from yelling, she ignored him and kept running for the trapdoor. I gotta escape! As soon as she reached the trapdoor, she fastened her hands on the handle and tugged at it. The trapdoor refused to open. Darn! It's locked. Unlock it!
And, just like that...
The trapdoor swung open.
Shocked yet again, Kari sped up the trapdoor, darting up the ladder, glancing down every now and then to make sure nobody was behind her. Sweat gripped her all over and the tingling in her wrists was growing to an extent that Kari would call unbearable but she was still running and she would not stop running because she refused to.
The sky was darkening; it was now red like it always is at sunset. The brilliant blue of midday was gone. Kari raced up the dunes, as far away as she possibly could, anything to avoid looks from the town and its kiroccos.