Clang!

Magic flows through my veins as I shoot bolts of fire from my fingertips, hitting metal targets around the cellar. I extend my hand with the gestures illustrated in my kata scrolls, moving my arms in the patterns described in the text. Crude sketches demonstrate the required position for each finger. Each kata provides instructions for when and how to use it.

Clang!

As I practice the fire bolt kata, the magic affects my body. Lines of soft, red light create arcane runes on my arms and hands, illuminating my dark gray skin. My long, straight, black hair recoils from the force produced by the bolts. My long, thin, pointed tail instinctively repositions to provide counterbalance to the blast. My eyes and horns emit a red light that waxes and wanes with each bolt. Smoke rises from my extended index and middle fingers, as is typical with fire-forms.

Clang!

My father set up this practice space when I discovered my magical powers eight years ago. Ten-year-old me was so excited. That day was the first time I set Dad’s pants on fire. Good times! I haven’t had an accident like that in several —

Boom!

A low, thunderous bellow echoes through the cellar. Then a faint scream. I bound up the cellar stairs into the main hallway that cuts through the house. It sounded like it came from the front of the house, likely from my baby sister, Hope.

At eight years old, she’s not really a baby anymore, especially since she developed her own magical powers last year. But on stormy nights like this, she still sleeps in my room, which I pass by on the way to the den. Looks like she left her art supplies in my room. Ugh. If she spills her paint on my floor again, I’m going to practice those fire-form katas on her next time!

As I enter the den, I scan the yard through a haze of thick rain. My mother trudges through the mud, carrying Hope toward the house. Hope’s arms and tail whip wildly in the air while Mom carries her like a sack of flour over her shoulder.

When did this storm roll in? The sky was clear when I went to the cellar an hour ago.

“Joye! Take Hope to the cellar. I’m going to help your father find Sorrowe.” Mom sets Hope down next to me then rushes back into the torrential downpour. Lightning strikes the ground near her as thunder follows with a boom that shakes our patchwork roof, which is barely hanging on as a gust of wind rips pieces off like a snarlbeast hunting bunnylugs.

I pull Hope close to me. “It’s gonna be alright, sis. Why don’t we get you dried off and warmed up?” She crosses her arms, chatters her teeth, and gives a stiff nod.

After a few steps, she stumbles into me, then looks up and grabs my arms. “S- Sorrowe’s still out there. Dad and I c- couldn’t find her. Is she g- gonna be alright?” Even with all the rainwater dripping from her short, wavy, black hair, I see tears on her cheeks. I’m not sure what to tell her. Sorrowe began a hunt in the nearby Silkmoon Forest early this morning. We haven’t seen her since.

I cup Hope’s face with my hands. “Mom and Dad are both looking for her, I’m sure she’ll be fine. Let’s get to the cellar and —”

Crack!

I turn around just in time to see the central beam of our roof snap.

I swivel Hope behind me, taking the brunt of the force from the falling debris.

Crack!

This time it’s not the roof that snapped.

“Arrgh! Hope! I’m hurt! I know you’re scared, but I need your help. My ribs! I —” I can’t finish my sentence because a sharp pain shoots through my stomach, causing me to wince. Freezing rain pours through the new hole in the roof. The instant cold takes my breath away. I claw myself away from the downpour towards Hope, breathing heavily to catch up on air.

“Don’t worry, I’m on it!” Hope scrambles to her feet, eyes and hands glowing with a bright, white light. “I’ll get you patched up, sis.” The next few moments are a blur as she performs a restorative light-form over my body. Her dark gray skin lights up with soft white runes as her hands and horns shine with bright white light. She runs her glowing, open palms slowly over my torso. The shooting pain dulls and eventually ceases.

My breathing slows as I lie on my back and rest my head on the floor. Unfortunately, this is no time to take a break. We have to get to the cellar. I let out a frustrated sigh as I notice that the debris from the fallen support beam blocks the hallway to the back of the house.

I stand slowly as Hope’s restoration magic takes full effect. Usually, she only has to fix small things like cuts and bruises or broken tools. I wonder if she’ll be alright after repairing multiple broken ribs. She needs to conserve her energy. No, this isn’t her fault. I need to be more careful. I could have avoided getting hurt if I had been paying attention.

“Joye!” Hope tugs on my sleeve, yelling over the din of the storm. “Can you just use some of your blasty magic to make a path? The beam is ruined anyway. Could you, I don’t know, blow it out of the way?”

For someone who specializes in fixing things, it’s funny to hear her suggest we break something. I can’t help but smile.

I wipe my face with my handsand push my hair back. “That’s a great idea! Let’s see if I can manage to break something other than my ribs.”

Her petite smile and soft giggle give me a jolt of courage. I step toward the mountain of debris and take a deep breath.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

I raise my fists toward the pile of rubble, thumbs to the side, as is traditional for earth-form magic. I move my right hand in a circle parallel to the ground as I pull my left fist back by my shoulder. I feel the floorboards rumble beneath my soggy shoes as a magical current flows up from the ground through my feet and builds in my fists.

I can shoot fire bolts on a whim, but earth-forms require patience and tension. The earth does not like to be moved. Or so my kata scrolls say… I’m not as well-versed in earth-forms on account of them being extremely boring. Unfortunately, this debris is too big for my simple fire bolts to take care of, and even if it were smaller, the rain pouring in from the hole in the roof would put a damper on any fire-form.

My right arm struggles to make circles now. The tension from the magical earthen current pulls against me like a knot that’s tied too tight. My left hand shakes a few inches from my face. I won’t be able to build this much more, and I need to conserve my energy in case we run into any more problems.

I hold my right fist in place as I throw the entire left side of my body into a punch that unleashes a shockwave. It travels like a rock from a sling, propelled by the tension of the magical current I pooled in my body. Floorboards creek and bend in quick succession as it travels from me to the rubble.

Whoosh!

Boom!

Crash!

The center of the large support beam shatters, sending chips of wood and other shrapnel flying down the hallway.

“Let’s go!”

I step back to grab Hope’s hand and pull her through the downpour and into the dry hallway where the beam used to be. The cellar door lies at the end of the hallway. Almost there.

To my right, the door to my room hangs loosely on one hinge, the other blasted off by the shockwave. Wood chips mixed with paint cover the floor. I clench my fists, but the chill of my wet clothes reminds me I have bigger problems than a little spilled paint.

I lead Hope toward the cellar, careful to avoid the debris of the shattered beam. The air wreaks of sour milk and rotten eggs. As we reach the door, I hear a roar like living thunder rumble over the house. Hope lets out a weak yelp before clutching my leg.

I put a hand on her wet, shivering shoulder. “Stay brave, sis. We’re almost there.”

As I reach for the cellar door, a thin purple tendril slips through the crack of the door and coils around my wrist, stinging like frostbite. I stumble back, tripping over Hope and knocking us both to the floor. The coil pulls on my arm as a dark purple blob twice my size bursts through the cellar door.

Hope screams. Her eyes and horns glow white as a translucent white barrier emanates from outstretched hands, repelling the sludgy blob. I take the opportunity to use my free hand to create a fire bolt and zap the coil around my restrained wrist. It severs the end of the tendril which drops to the floor. The blob slams against Hope’s barrier..

“Hope! Hold it just a little longer.” I plant my feet and begin the movements for a flame wave, a heavier fire-form than the bolts I’ve been using.

Hope stands up and braces for another slam. “What is that thing?! It’s disgusting!” She grimaces at the sight of a crack forming in her barrier.

I need to focus. Fire-forms require precision. I can’t let the circumstances distract me. I must—

Crash!

A third slam breaks through Hope’s barrier. She screams.

No time for a slow, heavy fire-form. I interpose myself between her and the blob, unleashing a few fire bolts on the sludgy creature. Hazy purple smoke rises from two new holes in the blob. It rears back and unleashes a gurgly shriek. Two more tendrils dart toward my feet. I manage to zap one with a fire bolt, but the other grabs my ankle and pulls my foot out from under me, knocking me prone.

From my new perspective on the floor, I see Hope’s open palms swirl in a light-form, her eyes burning with a bright white light that nearly blinds me. Her slender, vertical horns also emit a white light.

“Go away you freaky jelly monster!”

She completes the form by bringing her outstretched arms down with palms facing the blob. A wide column of light that matches her eyes descends on the blob, burning it with a loud sizzle. A purple smog fills the air.

The coil around my ankle loosens as the foul creature slinks back into the cellar, its tendrils closing the door behind it. I rise to my hands and knees, choking on the smoke overhead. When I turn around, I see Hope unconscious on the floor. She must have pushed herself past her limit. I’ve only seen her this way once before. If only I’d acted faster…

I scoop one arm around her body and drag her back to my room, slamming the door and bolting the latch behind me. It won’t be safe for long, but at least I can take a second to think. I sit with my back to the door, holding Hope close and stroking her cheek with my thumb.

What was that thing? And how did it get into the cellar? I was just there! All of my kata scrolls are down there, too… Deep breath. Sigh. It’s no use worrying about that now; we have to get out of here and find the rest of our family!

Outside my bedroom window, a figure crests the hill that leads to Silkmoon Forest. The thick rain distorts my view, but even through the haze, two distinct curled horns frame a dark gray face under a hooded cloak. The hands of the figure grip a spear made from a single piece of dark metal.

Sorrowe.

What is she doing out there?!

And where’s Mom and Dad? She should be with them. Why aren’t they back yet?

Sorrowe runs down the hill toward the house, tail whipping about to balance against the rushing wind. I set Hope on my bed and crack my window enough to beckon Sorrowe with a shout. I’m greeted by a splash of icy rainwater. It’s colder than any rain I’ve ever felt.

I begin a utility fire-form designed to create a contained fire. Typically, I use fire-forms for destruction magic, but as my kata scrolls always made sure to point out, fire can bring life, too. I build a small flame in my hand which I release in front of me. It hovers in the center of the room, producing enough heat to warm every corner.

The heat of the fire comforts my face as I take a deep breath. Whew. I lower my shoulders as my heartbeat slows. Practicing fire bolts is one thing when I’m in a controlled space like my training ring in the cellar, but using magic in a real-world situation with high stakes like this is a lot more taxing.

Sorrowe approaches the window, so I open it the rest of the way and reach out to give her a hand. The chill of the icy water makes me grimace. She ignores my hand and uses her spear to vault feet-first through the window.

As she stands, I put my hand on her cold shoulder. “Sorrowe, are you alright?! We’ve been worried about you. Not that we’ve had much time to worry. We’ve been dealing with our own problems…”

She scoffs and shrugs off my hand. “Yeah, of course I am. It’s just a little rain.”

Chattering teeth and heavy breathing betray her true emotions. Messy locks of short, curly, black hair drip water on her horns that curl back in a spiral.

I clench my teeth. “It’s not just a little rain — a freaky blob thing attacked us from the cellar!”

Her body stiffens as her eyes lock with mine. “You mean they’re in the house, too? I saw something like that in the forest, but I didn’t stick around to find out what it was. I heard a roar from the sky, and then they bubbled up from the ground. I started running when — wait, where’s Dad?”

I look at my feet. “I don’t know. He went looking for you.”

“And Mom?”

“After Dad didn’t come back, she ran into the storm to find you, too. Where were you? Didn’t you see them on your way back?”

“No, I never saw them. I was too busy running from those creepy sludge creatures — or maybe you forgot that part.”

I feel her glaring at me even though I’m still staring at my feet. I clench my fists and take a heavy breath in and out.

This doesn’t make sense. I saw Dad and Mom run toward the forest at two different times. How could she not have seen either one of them? I guess it doesn’t matter now. We just need to figure out what to do next.

Sorrowe kneels by the bed and strokes Hope’s hair.

“What happened to Hope? Is she alright?”

From the corner of my eye, I think I see an expression of compassion on Sorrowe’s face. I almost forgot she was capable of that.

“Yeah, I think so. She used a strong, destructive light-form against one of those blobs in the cellar, and it must have wiped her out.” I pause for a moment before adding, “She really saved my butt back there.”

Sorrowe’s soft expression turns into a smirk. “Aren’t you supposed to be the destruction specialist? And you let a restoration specialist outdo you? Pfff…”

“It all happened so fast! I hit it with a lot of fire bolts, but they weren’t very effective. I was going to try something more powerful, but it caught me off guard and knocked me down. That’s when Hope drove it back into the cellar. It was amazing to watch. She was terrified of the storm, but as soon as I was in trouble, she jumped into action.”

I smile as I look down at Hope’s delicate head on my pillow, her slender, vertical horns hanging off the end of my bed.

I shake my head and turn back to Sorrowe. “Anyway, it’s not a competition. This was a real fight with real magic.” I pause for a second, then mumble under my breath, “Not that you’d know anything about that.”

Sorrowe jumps up and scowls, slamming the butt of her spear on the floor.. “What did you say?! Well not all of us can be little magical prodigies! I have to actually work for what I have.” She pauses for a second then adds in a mocking tone, “Not that you’d know anything about that.”

Now is not the time for this. We need to focus. The last time I got distracted, I was knocked on my back. We have to work together if we’re going to make it through this storm. The rain has slowed to a drizzle and the thunder is off in the distance.

Hope’s eyes flutter, and she slowly sits up. “Wha- What happened? Did I get the blob?”

I jump onto the bed with a wide smile.

“Hope! You did so great!”

I grab her shoulders and look her straight in the eyes. Her tender, golden eyes sparkle in contrast with the black, stormy sky outside my window.

“I’m so proud of you! I’m sorry I put you in that situation. Thanks for having my back.”

I wrap my arms around her and give her a light squeeze as she leans into me.

Sorrowe clears her throat and steps forward. “Ok, great, you did the thing. Congratulations. Yeah yeah yeah. Can we go now? I don’t wanna be around when that blob thing comes back out of the cellar.”

A loud thud comes from the door.

Then a sloshing sound.

Another thud.

I jump to my feet, pulling Hope up with me. “It might be a little late for that. Sorrowe, bolster the door while I prepare a flame wave. On three, open the door.”

I begin building the energy needed for the heaviest fire-form I know by squaring my feet with the door and extending my middle and index fingers with outstretched arms. Sorrowe braces herself against the door, hand on the doorknob.

“One…”

I swirl my hands in the air, pulling a magical current into my fingertips. My eyes and horns glow bright red as a ball of fire builds before me.

“Two…”

The light spills from the corners of my eyes down my arms, forming arcane runes. I bring my hands to my chest, pulling the fire close, preparing to launch.

“Three!”

Sorrowe yanks the door open and a sludgy, purple mass fills the doorway. Several thin tendrils race through the air toward me. I push the fire forward in a wave, directing the flame with my extended fingers. My fingers meet the tendrils mid-air. A wave of fire pours from me and envolops the blob.

It sizzles and shakes violently before exploding, sending sludgy bits all over the room. A barrier of light emerges from my right, protecting me from the full brunt of the explosion. However, the freezing splatter covers my left arm. Sorrowe remains untouched behind the door which is now covered in thick, purple slime.

I take a few deep breaths before lowering my left arm which is now shaking from the cold. And it stings. Not like cold. Acid. I can barely move my fingers. The pain sets in.

“Argh! I- I think I have a f- fire-form that can h- help with this.”

I use my right hand to perform a utility fire-form that lights up my palm with a red glow. I move my right hand over my left arm in an attempt to thaw it out.

“Joye, let me!” Hope leaps out of bed. She places both hands, still alight, on my frozen arm. She closes her eyes. As the light of her horns swells, the sting of the acid dulls, but my arm remains frozen.

It’s hard to concentrate with the bite of the cold growing across my arm. I close my eyes. It’s so cold. It’s not like anything I’ve ever felt. It’s —

I feel a hand on my shoulder and open my eyes with a start. It’s Sorrowe. The firm look in her eyes says, You’ve got this. I nod. With renewed focus, I concentrate not on the cold, but on the heat. My right hand surges with energy, and it glows even brighter, producing more heat. The warmth brings feeling back to my arm, and after a few moments, to my wrist. I hold my left fist in my right hand, slowly warming each finger until I can move all five.

For the first time since I left the cellar, I can finally rest. But not for long. The storm rages outside. This room is uninhabitable. Who knows what that thing did to the cellar.

I join Sorrowe who’s already setting up a makeshift shelter for the three of us amongst the wreckage of our home. It’s going to be a long night.

Compare this with the previous version of Chapter 1

Continue the story with Chapter 4 (this passage was previously split into three chapters)

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