Page 28 of Gift from the Source
Those acts bled out into the foundation.
Tainting these dolled up prisons forever.
My gaze travels back and forth between the two estates. You can barely see Franklin’s through the tree line, but I don’t need to see it all to know every inch of it.
I never want to see it again after today.
I never wish for anyone to pass through those doors again after today.
Air, earth, water, fire.
Be free.
The sound of branches cracking booms around us as my air crashes through the trees separating the estates to get to the many windows. The glass shattering is a piercing shriek but is soon drowned out by the roots of the trees snapping under the strength of my earth element. With those out of the way, the two estates are in clear view for everyone to see.
One last time.
With a gentle command, my water floods from my outstretched palms, creating a protective wave around the entire perimeter. Its readiness to protect the innocent inhabitants nearby warms my heart. Just because it can be deadly and destructive doesn’t mean it’ll ever be that way toward things that don’t deserve it.
A deep rumble starts in my chest and my dragon raises her beautiful head, ready to declare war. I let her roar ring free as purple flames coat my fingers, waiting patiently for their order.
Pointing a hand at each structure, I give my fire what it’s desperate for.
Burn it down.
My flames surge forward like blowtorches ready to turn everything in its path to ash. It singes the immaculate grass and engulfs the crystal-clear water of the pool, leaving it dry as the desert as it continues its pursuit. The glowing purple crawls up the brick walls, devouring the shrubs and swallowing the shutters.
Then it dives inside.
All you can see streaming through the open windows is wave after wave of purple. It overflows from every crevice like lava as my earth joins in its destructive path.
As the first floor begins to crumble, a crack viciously crawls its way up through the stories of bricks, but it doesn’t fall to ruin like I want it to. My teeth grind together as I shove my earth hard enough at the foundation it makes the ground beneath me shake.
The bricks can’t stand the weight of my command and with a deafening boom, each one shatters to mere pebbles. That’s not enough for me, though.
My elements continue their ruthless attack, ensuring not a single particle survives.
I watch in complete satisfaction as they continue into the hidden chambers below the surface. The sound of glass exploding tells me they’ve made their way to the room that held my blood.
A room that is nothing anymore.
When my eyes can’t find a hint of gray left amongst the rubble, I command my wave of water to flood the soil. Wash away any remnants of the haunted houses left over. In seconds, the element settles beneath the scorched earth, leaving the new clearing a muddy, soggy mess.
I blow out a slow, relieved breath as I drop down to my knees and call my water and fire to me. The vastly different elements snuggle back in my chest appreciatively and I smirk at how they work so perfectly together.
Digging my feverish fingers into the cool earth causes calm to settle over me and I grip a handful of the soft, gritty dirt. My heart swells with the rightness of this moment, and I whisper one last command to my air and earth.
Breathe new life into the land.
Grass as green as what I see every day in Elementra bursts through the destroyed soil, covering it in a gorgeous, fresh blanket. Trees with full canopies sprout out rapidly toward the sun, ready and waiting for its new inhabitants.
My hair blows around my face as a breeze rushes from behind me, shaking the leaves enough to dust the new forest floor with its first fallen foliage. The sight of the new, untainted habitat in front of me nearly takes my breath away and a small, watery laugh slips through my lips.
My elements didn’t just destroy my physical prison. Together, the four of them just cleansed the stain on my soul.
Pushing myself off my knees, I lift my face to the sky and fill my lungs with a fresh, invigorating scent that reminds me of home.
Elementra.
