Emerald fire crackled in Elias's eyes as they met Adam's, a silent storm brewing in their depths. The burly Inferno boy flinched, his clenched fist forgotten, while Adam stood resolute, a granite statue resisting the tide of inferno rage.
"Juvenile," Adam remarked, voice firm but laced with a hint of disappointment. "Is this your idea of dominance?"
"L-lord A-Adam, please forgive me!" The red-haired giant quivered beneath the intensity of those penetrating blue eyes, hastily retreating to the safety of his companions. The influence of House Sapphire from Azura weighed heavily, a force he dared not challenge.
Elias, slight and limping, shuffled to Adam's side. "You didn't have to…"
A grin, brighter than a midday sun, split Adam's face and Elias suddenly forgot how to breathe. He retrieved the fallen clutch for Elias, his touch surprisingly gentle. "Bullying is an action I do not condone. Can you walk on your own?"
"I'm... fine," Elias croaked, the word as rough as pebbles in his throat. He cradled the clutch close, its familiar scent a beacon in the storm of emotions that churned within him. "I'm used to it. Different, from the rest." His parents, fearing the whispers that followed him like a shadow, had shipped him off to the prestigious Terravale boarding school at the tender age of seven.
Adam's smile broadened. "But you know," he said, his voice tinged with a familiar melancholy, "all the brightest stars shine a little differently."
Elias couldn't help but chuckle. "Nerd," he teased, as they strolled back to class together, a burgeoning friendship buzzing in the air before them.
Over the years, Elias watched the embers of sunshine in Adam's eyes dwindle to cold ash. Once the brightest star in their year, Adam's magical prowess lagged far behind his intellect. The confident boy with ambitious dreams turning into a mere spectre of his former self, a transformation that pricked Elias like a million needles.
Meanwhile, puberty sculpted Elias with an iron fist. He grew exceptionally taller, his body, lean and fit, jaw hardening into a granite wall that earned him more admiring glances than he knew what to do with. But it was beneath his skin, in the tangled roots of his soul, that the true storm raged. Magic, raw and untamed, pulsed within him – a chaotic orchestra of wind and leaf and the echo of unseen eyes.
The Sylvanwood nobility's bond with nature revealed itself in diverse expressions. Some coaxed roses with whispered promises, while others commanded wolves with a flick of the wrist. However, the rarest and most coveted dance was the one Elias teetered on the precipice of – the all-seeing, all-hearing power entwined with the very pulse of the land. Information, a valuable commodity coveted even by the empire, was a unique power that House Sylvanwood wielded. A power that would have made him a strong contender to the Duke's title, despite being a third son of a mere count.
After all, in this land, power was all that mattered, and so was passing it down the line.
It was a position Elias hesitated to embrace, for it meant a death sentence to his feelings—the kind of forbidden longing he dared not name. As Adam retreated into the depths of his shell, Elias pretended to be just as weak, a shadow trailing a fading star. His gift was a secret he planned to carry to his grave. He limped no more, yet he walked a step behind, a silent guardian watching the world swallow his beloved whole.
Then, an opportunity arose—the prestigious Grand Trial, a chance for Adam to prove himself, his beacon of hope gifted by the ever-elusive Dean Swans. Elias, the ever-protective shadow, clawed at the dean's feet for inclusion, despite his modest performance in both arcane and theories. Yet, instead of the tournament, they found themselves ensnared in a deadly game, mere pawns in a perilous gambit.
Red Hill, the tournament grounds, pulsed with the primal energy of untamed beasts. Elias felt it thrumming in his veins, a primal song echoing the chaos within. He guided Adam through the blood-soaked maze, his senses stretched to their limits. That's when he saw it, a flash of silver and violet against the emerald canvas of leaves. A blinding light, brighter than a thousand suns, shattered, revealing a fleeting glimpse of golden freckles before vanishing like a whispered dream.
Elias' gaze lingered on Eydis, her slender form nestled in the carriage seat. Her eyes, full of mischief, a carefree mask that seemed to hold the whispers of the wind. He could almost feel the prickle of her awareness on his skin, a spider sensing the tremor of prey.
Eydis' words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken meaning. Could she see it – the eyes of nature churning within him? Had she steered him towards the gannets, those exceptional divers, for a reason? Sylvanwood's power wouldn't reach the creatures of the deep, but these birds, skimming the crests like feathered arrows, were whispers of the sea he could command.
Through their eyes, he saw the ocean unfold. And then, it was there – a glimmer, not sunlight, but something deeper, older. Gates, like shadows cast beneath the waves, located not far from the shore, within reach.
But something felt off. Too easy, too obvious. His gut clenched. Why, he wondered, would the key to the Kraken's lair lie so close to the surface? What lurked in the shadows of those gates, meant to mislead? Pulling back from the birds' vision, a knot of tension twisted in his stomach. The real prize, the eight-armed monster of legend, would hide deeper, guarded by secrets of its own. And out there, veiled in mist and whispers, loomed the forsaken lighthouse, positioned a kilometre from the shore—a prize they had to attain. Its submerged doors, eight in number, pulsed with arcane energy, and Elias knew, just knew it was exactly what they were looking for.
Could she have known from the start?
She, the whirlwind of dark brown locks, expressive brown eyes, and enigmatic smiles. If so, why? Why had she played along with Adam's feverish quest for the temple, fully aware it was in the wrong direction? With each step, Elias swore he glimpsed a flicker of amusement in her eyes, a glint of knowledge far exceeding their journey's supposed goal.
But what game was she playing? Was she an ally, offering him a lifeline to Adam's fading confidence, or was she a viper in their midst, manipulating them toward a fate neither could envision? If so, what did she have to gain by agreeing to such a significant detour just so that Adam could regain a little confidence in his directive? As Elias watched her across the carriage, her lips curved up, as if to answer his unspoken question. "I did you a favor, Elias. You owed me once."
Can he trust her?
He wished he could.
**
As thunder torn through the sky, droplets of rain splash on their faces. The sea, no longer warm and inviting, under the red dawn, an eerie feeling washed over them.
Melissa stood tall, her beauty eclipsed by a haughty arrogance. She took in the power of water, flowing through her veins. Her arms stretched open, taking into the cold droplets with excitement in her blue eyes. With a deafening crack, the sky fractured, mirroring the ocean's sudden split.
"Magnificent," breathed Natalia, awe momentarily eclipsing her irritation at Melissa's insufferable aura. How many Azura nobles could command the very waters like this?
"Let's go," Melissa declared, her voice echoing with power, her sapphire eyes shimmering like a sea goddess.
Careful footsteps touched the ocean floor, as they ventured further away from the shore, sea creatures fled in panic circles as the current shifted. The dampness in the air, the raging rain and stormy night was not ideal for them to go through this ordeal. Yet, as the top contenders, even this inconvenience served as a spotlight, a chance to outshine the rest.
Reaching a massive stone door submerged in the depths, their Terravale teammate strained against it, pouring his mana into the opening mechanism. But the door remained unyielding, a silent mockery of his efforts.
"Ugh, looks like we're stuck with this annoying riddle. Seriously, Eydis' genius brain would've come in handy," Natalia grumbled. A quick glance caught Astra's eye twitch at the mention of Eydis, a reaction too swift to decipher.
A cold laugh, slithered through the quiet depth of the Ocean ran through, Melissa cocked her head, "Big brain on a mountain quest for a water challenge, really?"
Natalia's jaw clenched. "The passage misled us, but we still found our way here, thanks to your..." she cut herself off, catching Melissa's playful glint. Blue was trying to lure her into an ego trip, and Natalia wouldn't take the bait.
Instead, she pivoted towards Astra, their silver-haired enigma. "So, how do we crack this oyster?"
Astra's eyebrow twitched at the metaphor, then a smirk played on her lips. "Water isn't my forte. You figure it out." With a languid shrug, she sank down beside the door, eyes closed, the picture of serene detachment.
Billy, shivering in his threadbare cloak, watched the exchange with a sigh. Their 'brightest star,' as everyone liked to call her, was living up to her reputation as a top-tier slacker. He rubbed his nose, the icy rain seeping through his clothes. Being stuck with these powerful, slightly manic nobles – was it destiny or cruel amusement?
"It's gonna be a looong night," he muttered, pulling his cloak tighter around him. This underwater riddle-fest was just the beginning, he just knew it.