'One, two… one, two…' Rian Cole thought as he knelt, scrubbing the floor with a damp cloth. His hands, hardened by years of chores, moved with mechanical precision.
The clothes Rian wore were little more than a grey rag, faded and patched, a stark contrast to the gold-and-red embroidered tunics donned by the other members of his clan.
Rian didn't look up. His deep blue eyes stayed fixed on the cloth as he slid it across the wooden boards.
'Nearly done here… after this, I can finally grab some food,' Rian Cole thought, picturing himself eating his favourite fruit bread.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed down the corridor. Two figures appeared at the temple's threshold.
They were lads from another clan, sons of lesser families. Their blue tunics, trimmed with silver thread, billowed with each step. The taller one, a boy with black hair and a crooked grin, pointed at Rian.
"Hey, check that out," he said, his voice dripping with mockery as he crossed his arms. "That's Rian Cole, innit? The one who killed his own mum?"
The other, a shorter lad with flushed cheeks and restless eyes, let out a nervous giggle and elbowed him.
"Shh, don't say that so loud, you prat. What if someone from his clan hears?"
"What? It's not true, then?" the first shot back, raising an eyebrow as his grin widened and he leaned forward, like he wanted Rian to hear him better. "He's the rumoured cursed son of the clan leader. Look at him, scrubbing the floor like a mutt. Some punishment, eh? His dad must proper hate him."
Rian Cole gripped the cloth so hard he felt the anger swelling inside him.
'These bastards…' Rian Cole thought as his heart started pounding harder. 'No, calm down…'
With a sharp motion, Rian dropped the rag and plunged a hand into the bucket. The cold water enveloped him, and for a moment, he felt relief.
'Damn it, if I hadn't forgotten to take my pills… good thing there's water nearby…' Rian Cole thought as a blue spark flared from his palm; tiny crackles scattered across the water's surface. 'Shit, that stings…'
The pain stabbed through him, a sharp jolt that barely made him blink. The lads noticed Rian Cole's odd behaviour. The one with the crooked grin let out a dry laugh, jabbing a finger at him.
"What? Gonna play about now while you clean? Pathetic."
Rian Cole looked up, and for a second, his eyes blazed with intensity.
'These bastards…'
The shorter lad took a step back, but the other didn't flinch. He stepped closer, leaning down until his face was just inches from Rian's.
"What's up, Cole? Got a problem?" he said, taunting and defiant. His lips curled. "Come on, say something."
Silence.
Rian didn't reply.
Slowly, Rian pulled his hand from the bucket, water dripping onto the floor as his fingers trembled. He reached for his cloth again to carry on, hoping it'd make the lads sod off, but with a quick move, the boy kicked the rag, sending it flying out of the temple. It landed in the muddy courtyard outside with a wet splat.
"Whoops!" he exclaimed, clapping a hand to his mouth in an over-the-top show of surprise. "Looks like you'll have to fetch it, pup."
Rian stood slowly, his movements stiff.
'Seriously… what's their problem?' Rian thought, annoyed, as he took a step towards the mud, but the lads weren't done.
"Oi, but is it true what they say?" the shorter one asked, finding some courage now that his mate was leading the charge. "You don't have powers, unlike your brothers?"
Rian stopped.
His eyes locked onto them again, this time itching to deck them. The shorter lad gulped, stepping back once more, but the other let out a laugh that echoed through the temple.
"What? The clan leader's son really doesn't have powers?" he jeered, edging closer. "No wonder you don't get training—you're useless. What you gonna do, eh? Kill me with a glare? Please!"
Rian's heart raced faster.
He wanted to throttle them.
The electricity inside Rian started to build, a hum filling his ears and making his hands shake faintly.
'Shit, not again,' Rian thought as he lunged back towards the bucket to dunk his hand in, desperate to discharge the energy into the water, but the lad was quicker.
With a swift kick, he knocked the bucket over, spilling its contents across the wooden floor. The water seeped between the boards, slipping through Rian's fingers.
"What? Can't get your hands wet?" the boy said, laughing as he pointed at the puddle. His eyes gleamed with amusement and scorn.
Rian dropped to his knees, plunging his hands into what little water remained, but…
The electricity wouldn't fade.
It kept building, growing, and even…
It felt like it was roaring.
Rian's breathing turned ragged, his fingers clawing at the floor as he tried to rein it in.
The lads laughed louder, oblivious to the danger.
To them, Rian was just a clown, a pathetic sideshow for their entertainment.
"What's wrong, Cole? Gonna start blubbing?" the boy said, stepping forward. "If you want water that bad, go fetch more from the well, don't be daft."
With a reflex he didn't even see coming, Rian twisted his body, dodging a kick one of the lads aimed at him by mere inches. He'd had enough.
Sure, his uncle had told him to avoid trouble at all costs within the clan…
Rian's hand shot up, instinctively, just to shove the boy, to tell him that was enough.
But when his fingers brushed the boy's tunic, it happened.
A blue bolt erupted from Rian's hand, a wild surge that lit up the temple like an angry dawn.
BANG!
The lad flew backwards, his body slamming into a pillar with a sharp crack.
"What the hell!?" the other boy yelped, terrified.
It had all happened so fast.
The air reeked of ozone and singed flesh.
Silence dropped like a guillotine.
Rian stood there, panting, his eyes wide as he stared at the hand that had unleashed the lightning.
He was shaking.
The other lad screamed and bolted, shouting something, but Rian didn't hear it. All he could hear was a buzzing.
'Damn it, not again…' Rian cursed to himself.