by Beth Hodgson
I wonder if Em felt the same way being in the lower levels.
Geeta led him through the floor’s connecting hub, exiting through large glass doors out onto an open platform, then stopped by the platform railing outside, where the corner of the platform and the building met.
Kyle leaned against the railing, wishing they were in the upper levels, wanting to see the palace where Emerald was at. Instead, he saw nothing but giant buildings towering before him, overshadowing the bright, sunny sky.
“Ready?” Geeta asked, waiting for him.
“Sure as hell am,” Kyle stated, looking down at the city beneath their platform. “You wanna jump?”
“No, I don’t. It makes me sick.” Geeta gave him a look of disgust. “Fly up to the top with your elements,” she said. “I’ll meet you up there.” She paused for a moment, glancing at him. “You can fly, can’t you?”
Kyle nodded. “I did it yesterday.”
“Good. Then I will see you up there. And don’t come flying up until you have made yourself invisible with the gift of the orange. We don’t want you to cause any more of a ruckus than you already have.”
“Well, how in the hell am I supposed to do that? I have red magic, remember?”
“You have the ability. Just think happy thoughts,” Geeta said. With that, a purple glow emitted from her, and she was gone.
Her magic was very similar to Prince Derek’s, in how she flashed before Kyle’s eyes. He somehow felt in his life-force that she didn’t go invisible with her magic, but instead used her power to appear in another place.
Just think happy thoughts. Geeta’s words echoed in his head. “Really helpful,” Kyle said sarcastically under his breath.
Kyle glanced around at the people that filled the platform, wondering if anyone was paying any attention to him. There were too many people to single him out, as there was too much traffic between the air transports, people riding the escalators, and crowds walking the skyways for anyone to notice. He could just fly up there anyway and meet Geeta. But a feeling stopped him, reminding him that he had to learn the full power of his abilities.
What made him happy? Well, shit, Emerald, by far. His music and his motorcycle did too, but those things couldn’t fill the void compared to how Emerald made him feel. More alive than his music, that was for sure.
Closing his eyes, he thought of Emerald. Her smile. The innocence that radiated from her. Her touch.
A warmness flowed within him, stirring his soul. Drawing upon the feeling with the power behind it, he focused it within, letting it flow through him.
Kyle felt his body fading away. Upon opening his eyes, he saw that he was melting into the background with a transparent red-orange color surrounding him, like rippling water. Satisfied, Kyle beckoned the elements to him so he could be airborne.
Immediately, Kyle rippled back into view, the red-orange magic dissipating.
Shit! I just had it!
Again, Kyle turned his focus to Emerald, thinking of the times they were together. The red-orange magic came over him again, wavering in and out of existence. The more Kyle tried, the harder it became, with the magic distracting his focus.
Grunting, Kyle ignored the magic and returned his thoughts to Emerald, continuing to find the times when they were happy. The red-orange magic flowed through him steadily, dissolving him once again. Pictures of Emerald flooded his mind—the time they met, taking Emerald to the beach at night, having sex after the paint fight. Damn, that was a hot memory. The time where they were in the open desert, Emerald being taken away by the authorities… Emerald dressed in white satin, being married off against her will to a motherfucking asshole…
With that thought, Kyle’s body returned to the visible world as the magic wafted away.
“Fuck!” he yelled. Frustrated, he kicked a nearby trashcan, catching a few glances from nearby people making their way to the air transports. “Goddammit!” Kyle furiously kicked a trash can again, then lit a cigarette and slumped to the ground, resting his back on the trash can. The thought of Emerald being unknowingly being forced to kiss the world’s biggest dick infuriated him, causing him to make a fist, swinging his hand back and punching the metallic bin a few more times. God, he hated that guy. Kyle pulled out his pocket flask and, realizing it was empty, chucked it across the platform, still aggravated.
At this point, I’ll be spending all damn day down here, and I only have two days to learn as much as I can!
Kyle smoked his cigarette until the cherry met the filter, then he got up, trying his luck again. What he met instead was failure. Complete fucking failure. He continued to fail for hours. Every so often, he had to wait for people to come and go until it was safe to attempt summoning the orange magic. Luckily, the corner where he practiced was tucked away and out of sight for the majority of the passersby.
The bright sun’s rays that shone between the small cracks of the buildings began to deepen to a warm orange. The sun was setting, and soon the day would give way to night. Kyle wasn’t even close to mastering orange magic, and Geeta hadn’t even bothered to check on him. What a master she was, leaving him to figure it out for himself. Wasn’t she supposed to be training him? He was burning daylight trying to figure out how to turn invisible, with no help from her whatsoever.
All Kyle wanted to do was forgo all this bullshit and rescue Emerald. None of this magic stuff. No random punk chick from some random time telling him that he was the one in some damn prophecy. No palace, no royals, no king, no sorceress, no prince… none of that. He just wanted Emerald with him, cheering him on at his show on some of the nights, the two of them alone on vacant platforms, drinking and watching the city from afar on other nights. Motorcycle rides, stealing kisses from her in the darkness of the night. Was that all too damn much to ask?
Those thoughts continued to flow through Kyle’s mind, giving him a sense of ease within his soul. The more he dwelled on the thoughts, the more he aware he became of the magic flowing through him. Both magics were present, growing stronger and more powerful with each second. The red and the orange began to fuse together, working in harmony as one.
The new magic awaited his command.
What are you waiting for? he told the power within his mind. Let’s do this!
The magic was suddenly unleashed, and the bright red-orange magic quickly faded him away, the winds swirling around his invisible body. The strong current held him within its power, giving Kyle the authority over it.
He flew up in the air, rapidly approaching the top of the building.
Geeta waited patiently, arms crossed. Kyle released the red-orange power of illusion, appearing before her.
“About time,” she said, walking toward the edge of the building.
“That’s it? That’s all you have to say? No ‘hey, good job, Kyle’?”
Ignoring him, Geeta continued. “We need to keep going higher, to the northwestern part of the city. We can practice on the Unimark Corporation building, since it’s one of the tallest ones. It has no guards at the top and is also so high up that no one will see us up there. I will fly with you for just a few minutes, then meet up with you.”
“Just out of curiosity, how many damn powers do you have?” Kyle asked, gathering the wind with him once again.
“Enough to make me unclean,” she said, gathering her own violet wind around her.
What the hell does she mean by that? Kyle wondered.
They both took off, soaring through the skies. Kyle had his red wind, Geeta had her violet cyclone.
“It would probably be best if you disappear again. We don’t want to startle the air transports,” she yelled as they flew. He nodded in agreement, fading away into nothingness. He still saw her violet wind disappear entirely, and her presence was gone. As for Kyle, his red gusts were still visible, but at least the pilots wouldn’t see his body within the storm.
Reaching the Unimark building, Kyle released his magic, settling on the rooftop. He looked around to see where G
eeta had landed. Within a split second, Geeta flashed a violet-blue magic, appearing instantly before him, the staff in her hand.
“There,” Geeta said, stooping to retie a boot lace. “This will keep us out of sight from all of the air traffic below.”
“When did you grab the staff?”
“Just now. I didn’t want people to give questioning looks when I rode the elevator with you. I decided it was best to grab it while we were on our way over here.” She pointed to a large duct. “Stand over there.”
Kyle complied, having no idea what Geeta was about to do. If it was going to help him rescue Emerald somehow, he was willing to learn whatever Geeta had planned.
Geeta leaned the staff against an outcropping of the building gently, letting it rest for the time being. “You are already aware of your main color, red, which gifts you the power of the elements. However, you are extremely sloppy with it.”
Kyle flashed her a look. “What do you mean sloppy?”
“You need to learn to control your anger,” she stated coolly. “Otherwise it will get you killed.”
“Doesn’t the red power fuel off my anger?”
“Yes. But without controlling it, it could turn into wrath, which leads to a darker magic. The magic you saw the sorceress use at the cathedral, most of it radiated with a dark force,” Geeta said, flashing her deep-purple eyes.
“Well, she was using black magic.”
“That is not what I meant.”
“What’s wrong with it, anyway?” Kyle asked, confused.
“Everything! When you call upon the darkness of the colors, it can change you. The darkness twists you to do terrible things,” Geeta said as her face hardened, her eyes full of pain. She flinched. “The perfect example is Prince Derek.”
“You think he’s influenced by dark magic?” Kyle asked. Not like he cared in any way for that piece of shit.
“Yes. I heard his thoughts and his struggles,” Geeta said. “He is so wrapped up in his desire for the princess that it caused him to be influenced by dark thoughts, and now, dark magic. He has openly given his mind over to the sorceress, without even knowing it. She can possess him at any moment, and in a single heartbeat.” Geeta shivered, then turned away. “When you draw your strength from within, remember to keep it to the lighter side of the emotion, not the darker. Now come, let’s duel.”
What Geeta said sounded more like a philosophy than practice. Geeta motioned to him from across the building, silently telling him to go.
Kyle ignited the fires within him, gathering them in his hands, then instantly stretched out his arms. His muscles flexed with the iron strength of the ruby flames, and he cast them toward Geeta.
She swung her hands in a side-sweeping motion. Violet waters shot directly to the flames, counteracting the heat and dousing them into nothingness.
Determined, Kyle decided to summon the storms, casting red lightning toward her. The sparks shot across the building, with Geeta suddenly dodging it with magic, sliding her body ten feet to the side. Kyle gathered the winds, sending them dancing through his fingertips, then shot them toward her. Geeta instantly cast a reflective purple shield. The sparks completely absorbed into it as the winds bounced off.
“I see what you mean. You get to use pretty much any damned power, while I have just the red,” he said, frustrated.
“So does Ikaria,” Geeta shot back. “You must figure out ways around her power, as she has even more colors than I do in the spectrum.”
“How many do you have, exactly? You never answered me earlier.”
“Four. But you can almost say five. I have nearly the full potential of one of my adjacent colors.”
“Adjacent colors? What the hell is that?”
“Adjacent colors are the colors next to your main color. In your case, it would be violet and orange. You are able to tap into those as well, as I had you do in your exercise earlier with the orange magic, but you will never have the full potential of that magic as a person born with them, unless you are extremely powerful. You will need to explore those powers and learn to hone your red magic as well. For now, you’re able to utilize your analogous colors, which is basically calling upon a small portion of the violet and orange magic, it being characterized as red-violet and red-orange.”
“Adjacent colors… analogous colors… great,” Kyle muttered. “This is beginning to sound like a damn art lesson.”
Geeta ignored him, then cocked her head. “Come at me again.”
Summoning red ice shards, Kyle quickly shot them at Geeta. In response, Geeta held out one hand, stopping them in midair. Within seconds, they melted, falling from the air into a puddle on the ground. Kyle again hurled larger ones, then she quickly dodged them, her body completely evading the ice.
Kyle grasped the invisible air, pulling it up with his muscles as if lifting something incredibly heavy. A huge red wall of ice shot up in front of him. Kyle swung his hands, and the wall of ice began to be pushed by a powerful force. Kyle’s force. Geeta countered with her force, her native color of violet, controlling the wall of ice. They both fought, pushing the oversized giant ice wall, but she was too strong. Finally, he lost control, and the ice wall was hurled off the rooftop. Immediately, Geeta summoned violet fire, shooting it at the falling ice. The fire made contact, and the ice dissipated in the atmosphere and drizzled down on Arcadia’s recipients.
Damn. She was more powerful than he’d thought. He was amazed at her abilities when he first came across her, but he’d no idea the extent of it. Geeta was beyond powerful. And she was only able to hold off the sorceress for just a moment? Perhaps Geeta was right, and maybe this future priest had made a mistake on him. More and more, Kyle was feeling fucked. But at least he would be fucked trying to get Emerald back. He would go to hell and back for her.
Breathing heavily, Kyle collapsed to the ground, sweating. His energy was spent. Geeta was too powerful. He heard her footsteps approaching him as he rolled over.
“You have talent, I will give you that. But it’s not enough to go defeat Ikaria,” her voice said evenly.
Scowling, Kyle spat. “Well, what do you suggest? I am open to ideas.”
“Practice. Every day. Until you have mastered your abilities,” she said as her one long metal earring jingled.
Kyle laughed. “Every day, huh? Well, according to you, we only have two days until whoever the hell shows up to help us.”
Geeta shook her head. “Not unless I freeze time.”
“Freeze time?”
“You need all the help you can get at this point,” Geeta said. She walked over to the staff, then clutched it within her hands. Closing her eyes, her body began to glow a vibrant purple color while the prismatic orb mimicked her. Each second, the power intensified within her body, and within the orb, the white-hot violet magic funneled between each other. Suddenly, Geeta let out a loud roar, releasing the magic between her and the staff. Not even within a blink of an eye, the whole world froze, and everything was painted in violet-blue hues.
All was still, besides Kyle and Geeta, who were in full color.
CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN
GREEN
Suresh’s magic wafted away, leaving him in complete darkness. There was no light from his surroundings. Not from the sun, nor from any object, magical or not. Only screams. Screams of millions of people crying out in agony.
What is happening?
Suresh spun around, trying to get a grasp of his whereabouts. Finally, moonlight peeked out from dark clouds that blanketed the sky. But the moonlight was not normal; it was deep red, as if the moon itself was weeping blood.
A massive dark object came into view, blocking the moon’s eerie red light. No, it was not one, but many objects. Too many to even count.
A sizzling sound ensued, and moment by moment, the sound became louder. An aura enveloped the objects, and Suresh finally understood what they were—meteors. The meteors grew larger, streaking across the sky, and several were heading right toward him.
With no time to think, Suresh launched himself into a full sprint, looking for any sort of shelter. Through the darkness, he barely made out the red outlines of thousands of destroyed buildings toppled over. He tripped over tangles of metal debris from the destruction of the buildings.
“Hurry!” cried a woman from a nearby mass of large debris. “In here!”
Running in the direction of the voice, Suresh saw a bright flash of the woman’s sparkling fabrics glittering against the darkness, capturing the light emitted from the magical crimson meteors.
Dodging underneath a large beam of what looked like an old building, Suresh slid inside, making it just in time. At that moment, one of the meteorites stuck the earth nearby, quaking the ground. A loud boom shattered his ears, rattling the beams of the destroyed building.
Suresh turned back to the woman, noticing she had two young children hiding behind her.
“What is happening?” Suresh asked the woman, shaking his hair free of dirt.
The woman gave a confused look. “Surely you can see for yourself,” she replied, eyeing Suresh as if he was crazy. The ground shook again.
Trying to better word it without sounding completely mad, he tried to come up with a better question. “How long has this been going on? I… I just awoke from a deep sleep…”
“And you have been sleeping through the showers this whole time?”
“Yes…”
The woman studied him, then one of her children nudged her arm, forcing her to stop staring. She wrapped her arms around her son, hugging him closely. “It’s been happening for at least two days. It first was reported that the meteorites hit on the other side of the world, until all transmissions and devices blacked out. Now no one knows what happened after that besides what we see here. But they said before everything went dark that most of the meteorites landed on the other side, and we are getting the straggler shards of the comet.”
