Rowen crouched behind the tree line, his knuckles white as he gripped his spear. In the clearing, the group of bullies continued tormenting the smaller boy.
"Come on, Marcus, don't go easy on him!" the lanky boy with wind-blown hair taunted, sending another sharp gust of wind that knocked the smaller boy to the ground.
"I'm not going easy, Darren," Marcus snapped, stomping his foot and sending another fissure toward the boy, making him yelp and scramble away. "He' might be pathetic, but he refuses to stay down!"
"Stay away from me!" the young boy shouted while attempting to use his newfound powers to keep them at a distance.
The girl with electric-blue hair laughed, sparks dancing between her fingers. "Pathetic doesn't even begin to cover it," she said, firing a bolt of electricity that struck the boy's arm. He cried out, clutching at his wrist.
The last member of the group, a tall, pale girl with glowing blue eyes, stood back with a faint smirk. She extended a hand, and a fine mist swirled around her fingers, coalescing into shards of ice that hovered ominously in the air.
"You're wasting my time," she said coolly, her voice sharp and precise. "If you can't handle him, I'll do it myself."
Rowen's breath hitched. Her presence felt heavier than the others, and though she hadn't moved much, her casual display of power made it clear who was in charge.
"You're outnumbered, inexperienced, and entirely out of your depth," Zoreth said in his head. "So what's the plan, hero?"
"I… I don't know," Rowen admitted, his voice shaky.
"Don't freeze up now," Zoreth said, his tone unusually steady. "Start with the loud ones. Windy over there won't even hear you coming."
Rowen gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on the spear. "Okay. Here goes nothing."
He burst from the trees with a loud yell, catching the group off guard. Darren turned first, his eyes widening in surprise.
"What the?" Darren started, but Rowen was already sprinting at him.
His spear came down in a wide arc. It was clumsy and easily telegraphed, but Darren's surprise worked to Rowen's advantage. The blade scraped against Darren's leg, making him yelp and stumble.
"Not bad," Zoreth said. "But don't just stand there, follow through!"
Rowen didn't hesitate, swinging the butt of the spear into Darren's chest. The lanky boy hit the ground with a grunt.
"Marcus!" Darren gasped, clutching his side.
"I've got him!" Marcus shouted, stomping his foot again. The ground trembled, and a jagged crack opened under Rowen's feet.
"Move!" Zoreth barked, and Rowen leapt sideways, narrowly avoiding a twisted ankle.
The dodge threw him off balance, and Marcus charged, slamming a fist into Rowen's shoulder. Pain shot down Rowen's arm, but he gritted his teeth and shoved Marcus with all his weight.
Marcus staggered, and Rowen jabbed his spear at the boy's legs. The strike wasn't clean, but it was enough to trip Marcus, sending him crashing to the ground.
"Stay down," Rowen growled, panting heavily.
"Not bad," Zoreth commented. "Still sloppy, though."
Rowen barely had time to react before a bolt of electricity streaked past his head, sizzling as it struck a tree behind him.
"Watch out!" Zoreth warned.
Rowen turned to see the blue-haired girl, Lina, advancing with sparks flying from her fingertips.
"You're going to regret that," she snarled, firing another bolt.
Rowen dropped to the ground, the electricity zipping overhead. He scrambled to his feet and rushed her, gripping his spear tightly.
Lina tried to back away, but Rowen was faster. He swung the spear clumsily, catching her shoulder. She cried out, sparks flickering weakly around her hand as she stumbled.
"Darren, Marcus, get up!" Lina screamed, her voice shrill.
Before Rowen could press his advantage, the temperature in the clearing dropped sharply. A cold wind swept over him, and he turned to see the glowing-eyed girl stepping forward.
"I've had enough of this," she said icily.
She raised her hand, and the mist swirling around her solidified into razor sharp icicles. With a flick of her wrist, they launched toward Rowen.
Rowen barely managed to raise his spear in time to deflect the first shard. The second grazed his arm, leaving a stinging cut.
"Stay calm!" Zoreth said urgently. "She's strong, but she's also showing off. Use the trees as cover."
Rowen darted behind a nearby tree, his breath fogging in the freezing air.
"You think hiding will help?" the girl taunted. She flicked her wrist again, and another barrage of ice shards shattered against the tree trunk.
"You've got to close the distance," Zoreth said. "She can't hit you if you're too close for her to aim."
"Easy for you to say," Rowen muttered, clutching his side.
He took a deep breath and sprinted out from behind the tree, zigzagging to avoid the ice shards she sent his way.
The glowing-eyed girl's smirk faltered as Rowen closed the distance. She raised her hand again, but Rowen swung his spear at her wrist, forcing her to drop the forming shard.
She stepped back quickly, but not before Rowen's shoulder clipped her, sending her stumbling.
"Lina, Marcus, Darren-now!" she shouted, her voice sharper than before, but Lina and Marcus were already retreating, clutching their injuries, and Darren was barely managing to sit up.
Frustrated and slightly scared, "You've made your point," the girl said coldly, ice forming around her feet as she glared at Rowen. "I'll be seeing you again real soon."
With that, she turned and walked away, the other bullies following her with limps and glares.
Rowen collapsed to his knees, his chest heaving as the freezing air began to dissipate.
"You're alive," Zoreth said, his tone lighter now. "And better yet, you actually won."
"Barely," Rowen muttered, wincing as he touched the cut on his arm.
"Still counts," Zoreth said cheerfully. "You even managed to not completely embarrass yourself. That's progress if you ask me!" Rowen shook his head, a small, tired smile tugging at his lips. He turned to the smaller boy, who was still huddled near the edge of the clearing.
"Are you okay?" Rowen asked, his voice hoarse.
The boy nodded shakily. "Y-yeah. Are you?"
Rowen let out a small laugh. "I think so."
The boy's wide eyes shone with gratitude as Rowen helped him to his feet.
"You didn't have to do that," the boy said quietly.
Rowen gave him a reassuring smile. "Yeah, I did. Come on, let's get out of here." As they disappeared into the woods, Zoreth's voice rang out in Rowen's head.
"You're getting better, kid," he said. "But next time, let's work on that aim. You still fight like a drunk bear." Rowen chuckled weakly. "I'll take it."