I could hear it clearly now... The low rumble of thunder that announced the coming of a great storm. Distant, but rising.
Above , the sky darkened. Storm clouds twisted and rged into each other, swallowing the sun whole. The once-blue sky quickly turned into a dark, ominous shade of grey.
The dim-lit forest grew dimr, and an icy wind swept through the trees, swaying and bending each branch to its cruel will, like it was dragging the entire forest into a bow.
Then, I felt it... The slight buzzing hum in the air... The weight of the atmosphere pressing on my back... The sll of humid air wafting through my nostrils...
No. The storm wasn’t coming... I was causing it.
My heart began to beat loudly, as it aligned with the thunderous rhythm of the clouds above. Each rumble sent a cold shiver down my spine, until my blood itself began to hum – quietly at first, then louder, roaring like a wave crashing inside my veins.
Sothing within snapped again... Like lightning breaking through a cloud.
Then, within the silence of my mind, I heard a voice.
Not Drey’s, or Aldrin’s...
Mine.
A vocal culmination of two distinct personalities, now perfectly rged into one character.
A gentle whisper, and a loud roar all at once.
"Wake up!"
My eyes snapped open, glowing with a pale, electric violet light. I exhaled forcefully, and the mont I did, a clap of thunder echoed across the entire forest.
The heavens above were now tethered to my will.
No puny spell could keep down.
The air around ward up, reacting to the powerful surge of mana that erupted from my body.
My fingers twitched, followed by my wrist, and my arm. Then, I broke out of the ti freeze, with a bright purple burst of energy radiating outward.
The clouds thundered again, as if acknowledging my newfound strength.
Then, I embraced the truth.
I didn’t have to summon the storm...
I was the storm.
*****
The entire ti, Si Ya kept her gaze fixed on , her expression shifting from amazent, to wonder, to fear. Then she smiled again, trying to mask the terror within her heart.
"Amazing!" she bead. "No one has ever broken out my ti spell before!"
A pathetic statent. Her freeze was rely a C-Tier spell, and any B-Rank mage with sufficient mana could break out of it.
"Your opponents must have been pretty weak."
"Bold talk coming from you," she retorted.
Clever girl.
"Of all the things you said today, you were right about one thing."
"Yeah?" she asked. "What’s that?"
I smiled.
"I am... All-powerful."
The clouds above thundered in affirmation, and the glow in my eyes grew brighter.
"You have my respect, Belford," Si Ya grinned, slowly rising to her feet, trying to draw my attention away from the dagger she wielded behind her back.
Then, she made a quick dash for .
Quick, I call it, out of respect. But to , her movents were extrely slow, predictable.
She had lost most of her speed, or perhaps, I was moving too fast.
Regardless, her efforts were in vain.
I didn’t need to chant spells anymore... but saying the words out loud made it feel all too surreal.
I raised a finger.
"Weather Affinity: Wind Rush."
A powerful blast of air headed for Si Ya, tossing her far into the trees. I didn’t intend to push her that hard, but my magic seed to have gotten the better of .
She crashed into the thick trunk of a large tree, and fell to the ground, but returned to her feet soon after.
Then she made a counter-spell.
"Elental: Wind Vortex," she yelled.
A wild whirlwind suddenly erged, more powerful than the one she created during the contest. It gradually picked up speed, ripping off branches, picking up debris, and spinning them all at incredible speeds.
Getting caught within would result in a thousand cuts and piercings, and the thought of it made my heart lurch a bit.
However, Si Ya made one grave mistake.
She used a wind spell... against a Stormborn.
I closed my eyes, releasing mana outwards. Then, I gently whispered to the wind.
"Retreat."
The wind obeyed, and altered its path, heading back toward Si Ya.
"No!" she yelled in horror, trying to make a run for it.
But it was too late.
The pull of the wind intensified, picking her up and dragging her towards its centre.
Stuck in the middle of the whirlwind, Si Ya scread in pain, as a thousand sticks and stones cut and pierced through her flesh.
Amusing as the sight was, I decided to end it quickly.
"Weather Affinity: Lightning Bolt."
A clap of thunder rippled above, quickly followed by a blazing flash of lightning. It plunged right into the center of the whirlwind, electrocuting Si Ya with the magnitude of a thousand volts.
Then, I snapped my fingers, and everything disappeared. The storm clouds above dissipated, and the rays of sunlight returned to the forest.
Si Ya fell to the floor, a broken, bloodied heap. A thousand cuts had decorated her skin, and her clothes were charred and ripped to shreds.
She was still breathing... barely.
I summoned a gentle gale which lifted her in the air and brought her straight to .
"The only reason I kept you alive, is to offer you a choice."
I pointed to Lucy’s body, a few tres away.
"Heal her, or suffer."
In defiance, Si Ya spat on the ground.
"I’d rather die," she declared.
"No... Death is a fate far too rciful."
I touched her left arm slightly, and shattered the bone within.
Her painful scream rang horribly in my ears, but I was determined to break every bone in her arm until my wish was fulfilled.
So, I reached for her right arm.
"Stop!" she whimpered painfully. "I’ll do it... I’ll do what you want... Just stop... Please."
I heaved a sigh.
Without further delay, I led Si Ya to Lucy’s body and dropped her to her knees.
Slowly, Si Ya raised her right arm and placed it over Lucy.
"Ti Affinity: Reverse."
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