Priscilla''s breath was a hastened rasp, her eyes chillingly icy, while her flesh burned with heat. The Shademauls shrieked frantically, the sound of their wings flapping thundered within the narrow tunnel. Brightness was not their closest friend, and the fire was as bright as anything else to their eyes.


    Zae-Rin grinned widely within the comfort of her gazebo; her back arched forward as her arms rested on the table. "Yes, yes!" She uttered happily, "You must always embrace your emotions, child. There is no escaping the past, but if you learn to harness your emotions, no one will ever betray your freedom again." The flowers rustled as a gentle breeze shifted through Zae-Rin''s garden, her energy fluttering gleefully along her emotional state.


    The Shademauls erupted into berserk carnage; the creatures lashed out at one another, their echoing shrieks violently crescendoing through the tunnel and attracting their fellow kin. They loathed fire and the light; they pitted themselves against one another, devouring in a frenzy. Priscilla jolted, rushing toward the gluttonous creatures and their pincered maws. She weaved through the overhanging stalactites, feeling the vibrating force of the impending creatures against her skin. She moved with swiftness as the currents of wind carried her forward. "Let''s dance, you ugly wing-rats!" Priscilla yelled with a violent grin spread across her face.


    Shademauls were mindless creatures but were also easily provoked because of it. Hearing Priscilla''s shout, their beady eyes flinched, focusing their full intent on the lone woman. Priscilla''s heartbeat quivered from their frenzied stares; a tingle of fear coursed through her, but the determination dormant inside her flared earnestly. She gritted her teeth and slammed her flared grip at the creature closest to her as the wind carried her forward. She slapped her hand against one of the Shademauls, the flame leeching onto it as it erupted into a blaze of glory. The creatures swarmed at her, but Priscilla flicked her body backward, moving with agility as the wind thrust her away from the bared fangs of the Shademauls.


    Priscilla floated backward as the creatures approached her; the woman''s instincts kicked in, a subconscious tug that convinced her to stretch her hand out and spread her palm facing the Shademauls. The flames congealed in her palm, stretching and thinning until they turned needle-like. Priscilla roared, her eyes brimming with a reddish-orange glow that only strengthened as the markings on her body expanded, forming intricate patterns that embodied the flames. With a thrust of her palm, Priscilla''s flame needles burst forward; within an instant, they clashed against the Shademauls. The needles pierced into their flesh without hesitation and lit the creatures ablaze.


    "That''s good, child!" Zae-Rin''s praise echoed in Priscilla''s mind as the dozen Shademauls before her became ash. "I told you you''ll have the courage to face them."


    Priscilla''s vision blurred as she found herself floating downward onto Zae-Rin''s garden; her feet touched down against the soft grass, giving her stability. "Is it over?" Priscilla questioned as she breathed out a long sigh. "I can''t imagine the world if those creatures were on the loose, always bringing terror to people," Priscilla uttered as she lay herself on the grass.


    Zae-Rin laughed, brushing her hair behind her ear, "Hopefully, you''ll never need to witness a world overrun by them." She said lightly. "You did amazingly well, though— how did it feel resonating with the elements?"


    "It was incredible! I don''t really understand it. I felt my emotions surge; the Shademauls were nerve-racking, and after that, I felt a snap as the wind and flame answered my call."


    "But the power... was immense; it toyed with my instincts and enhanced them. I could feel its guidance as it pushed me toward the creatures. It was strange but amazing." She added with awestruck awareness.


    "It is a great power. One that you''ve barely touched upon; it will take time, but you will master it." Zae-Rin reassured warmly, "We''ll repeat this until it comes naturally to you."


    "Would you like to take a break and eat before you go again?"


    Priscilla shook her head, "No, I''m ready! Let''s go again while I still have the feeling coursing through my fingertips!"


    As such, time flew by, and the dread of purgatory washed away into a meaningful warmth between Priscilla and Zae-Rin. Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. The cycle of learning repeated itself, and Priscilla grew to understand the energies within her. It became an enjoyable and fulfilling cycle that remedied much of Priscilla''s scarred mental state.


    There was a sad irony in the fact that flame was the energy she resonated with the most strongly; it was the thing that took her life, but it also set her on this journey through purgatory. Next came the wind that fueled her freedom, unlike anything else. Together, they created a foundation for Priscilla, giving her the agility to remain safe— and the raw power to vanquish the evil that stood before her.


    Priscilla muttered under her breath with annoyance; she cursed her bad luck to have stumbled upon the Shademaul''s breeding room in a moment of carelessness. Now she had some seriously nasty Shademauls hungering for her. Priscilla flicked her wrist, sending a torrent of flaming needles toward the largest Shademaul, but it flapped its wings, shifting behind a far smaller Shademaul that took the brunt of Priscilla''s attack.


    A fatal problem that Priscilla had was that her stamina was not infinite; even though she had trained herself to the brink of exhaustion countless times these past four months, it was still difficult for her to engage in long battles and chases while using two elements. Her body was still adapting to the power; Zae-Rin was hardly kidding when she said that the power was greater than one can imagine. Priscilla reengaged with the Shademaul, her body thrusting forward as the wind bounced her off the wall at incredible speed; the Shademaul reacted quickly despite its large stature and mindless state. It dodged her movement with ease and slashed down at her back with its bony wing-tip. Priscilla grunted; she felt the stinging pain of the creature''s attack cutting into her flesh before she rolled in the air, sending a blazing kick aimed at the creature''s wing.


    Priscilla''s emotional stability was still fragile, so when she was thrown face-first into a dilemma, the flames within her burned with increased fervor. Her body propelled off the cavern walls, striking the stalactites with every twirl of her body through the stifling air that filled the cave. As the stalactites fell, thudding loudly against the stony floor, the Shademauls reactively pounced. Their muddled confusion gave Priscilla moments of respite where she could pace herself and position herself. Flames roiled around her limbs as she swept out her arms, the glowing marks that cradled her flesh illuminating the darkened cave as Priscilla struck out like an inferno. Blasting her flames throughout the cave until nothing remained. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Zae-Rin, on the other hand, remained a spectator. She leisurely sat in her gazebo, watching with a smile. Priscilla may have lived a difficult life that left the girl dispirited and fragile around the edges, but despite it, she was impressive to behold. To Zae-Rin, Priscilla was really a good sapling; she wasn''t as brutal as a warrior and didn''t have the stamina of someone born on a battlefield, but she was ingenious nonetheless.


    "Are you ready to change the scenery?" Zae-Rin asked, her voice echoing in Priscilla''s mind.


    "Yes! Finally! I''m sick of these winged rats!" Priscilla snorted with frustration.


    <hr>


    A sprawling nightscape illuminated Priscilla''s sight, her feet flattened against the loose grains of sand that blanketed the coastline. The calming tune of waves rustling filled her ears as the ocean unfurled in front of her, stretching out beyond the horizon, looming under an eerily bright full moon.


    "Do you remember what I said about the Pelagonites, child?" Zae-Rin''s voice sounded, "They rule the seas, founding entire nations and civilizations in the depths beyond humanity''s dominion. Humans will have soldiers, knights, and other classifications. So too will the Pelagonites have their classifications that create the foundation of their society." Zae-Rin lectured, her voice swirling softly in Priscilla''s mind.


    "They may have retreated long ago, but there is never a guarantee that they will never return. Their numbers are unknown, their society in the current era is unknown, and their opinion of humanity... is unknown!"


    "Face the Sythmorans, child. They are but one of the Pelagonite''s foot soldiers; do your best and learn!" After Zae-Rin spoke, an eerie death rattle melodiously piped, carried by the chilling wind that pushed the waves rapidly toward the coast.


    The waves crashed against the coast, and from it, the Sythmorans came. Their shriveled-up rubbery flesh deteriorated from water erosion, and the sinister creatures snickered as they wobbled toward Priscilla. Their webbed hands clenched spiked tools of coral and shellfish; they were resourceful and used what they had available, but it was clear they were not kind. One of the Sythmorans threw its speared instrument, aiming ruthlessly for Priscilla''s face. It whizzed toward her; Priscilla in return, twisted her body, dodging it by a hair''s breadth.


    Priscilla focused, snorting audibly as the markings on her body lit up. The wind swirled around her rapidly, picking the sand up around her and pushing out, blinding the Sythmorans in their approach. The Sythmorans were clever; they sensed the shift in the wind and threw barbed shells coated in a nerve-numbing toxin. It was a brilliant thought; as the shells spiraled toward Priscilla despite their blindness, she had to swirl her arm, calling the wind to her aid as it lifted the sand in a tightly compacted stream that the shells slammed into. The jutting barbs poked out from the sand, but their reach remained distant as Priscilla thrust her arm out, forcing the sand to burst, sending the shells flying and impaling into several of the Sythmorans.


    Priscilla found herself having a delightful time in combat; the Sythmorans were far more defiant and capable than the Shademauls, but figuring out how to best utilize her powers against them proved to be something Priscilla enjoyed. Several times, the creatures managed to surround her or betray her senses and land several heavy blows, which resulted in her returning to Zae-Rin''s garden. However, after several lectures from Zae-Rin, Priscilla found herself smoothing out her strategies more and more with each battle. The fact that these were the weakest of the sea-folk wasn''t enough to hamper Priscilla''s joy but only motivated her to work harder.


    "Onto the next one!" Zae-Rin''s voice echoed before Priscilla found herself floating freely underwater.


    "The Pelagonites believe in the draconic deities that are said to have ruled the seas thousands of years before the history we knew came to be. If you ever come across their nations, they''ll always have a draconic pearl altar that you can use to negotiate with them in an unlikely worst-case scenario." Zae-Rin lectured as the icy depths of the ocean caressed Priscilla''s flesh.


    "The problem you face now is that the altar is swarming with Sharnac guardians. They''re vicious aquatic serpents hungry for blood." Zae-Rin added with a chuckle, "So, good luck! You will need it for this one!"


    Priscilla wanted to roll her eyes; she thought that Zae-Rin was sometimes strangely playful with her teaching methods, but at the same time, she did consider it rather charming. In her sight, a brightly luminescent pearl appeared; it shined with a multi-colored light as it floated majestically atop a draconic altar that lay nested in the blackened water that surrounded her. It pulsed with a harmonious rhythm that seemed to beckon her toward it. As Priscilla approached, her hair fluttered behind her; the wind swirled lightly around her body as it propelled her and kept the water somewhat at a distance.


    Before Priscilla could reach the pearl, the Sharlacs appeared, blindsiding her as they rushed out from the depths of the murky water. One of the Sharlacs gnashed its teeth ferociously as it snapped at Priscilla''s legs, but she twirled with incredulous fluidity before she kicked the Sharlac into the head, sending it reeling backward. It roared with indignation as its body curled; it sent its tail slamming at Priscilla''s waist. She lunged back, avoiding it just barely, and then she sent herself toward the creature, launching a downward kick toward its temple. This battlefield was the Sharlac''s home ground, so it retaliated easily, wriggling free and striking Priscilla hard, causing her to hurl violently toward a coral formation that blanketed the belly of the sea.


    As Priscilla''s body slammed against the rigid coral, blood flowed down her lips. Her eyes squinted as she stared at the serpents that swam mocking circles above her head. The Sharlacs weren''t aware that Priscilla had developed a temper in her life, and the provocation was enough to set her off. Her body glowed as markings slid down her arms and legs, a large one forming at the center of her chest as it swirled into a golden spiral. The sea roiled, mimicking Priscilla''s fury. The Sharlacs hissed their tongues, their slit pupils flickering as they focused on the strange woman.


    Priscilla scoffed at their empty bluster. Priscilla felt the sea resonating with her as her eyes burned; she moved through the water with fluid agility that made her seem a part of the sea itself; every beat of her heart thrummed with power that caused the water to quake and quiver, giving her a free passage through its embrace. Her body moved with ease, approaching the closest Sharlac, and she slammed her fist upward, sending a torrential deluge of water slicing in the same direction. The Sharlac whipped its tail at her fist, but the water clashed with it first, carving through its scaly hide with deadly precision as its blood sprayed through the murky water.


    "Come on! Is that all you can do?" Priscilla roared as she glared at the remaining Sharlacs. The creatures skittered through the water, slithering violently with mixed emotions. Their movements distracted Priscilla while another Sharlac approached from her blind spot; it slapped at her with its tail, shocking her in the process. She retaliated with ease, slamming another churning blade of water at it, dicing it into chunks, but she still felt the pain of the attack as she slammed into another cluster of coral. "Damn it!" Priscilla uttered through bloodied teeth.


    Before Priscilla could move and continue her assault, she returned to Zae-Rin''s garden in an all too familiar way. Zae-Rin sat with her arms crossed in front of her chest, a tinge of disappointment painted on her face.


    "You got careless, child. How many times must I repeat that you must keep your focus broad; otherwise, you will end up blindsided by your opponents all of the time." Zae-Rin chided, causing Priscilla to slink down on the grass and slump her shoulders dejectedly.


    "I''m sorry, Rin." Priscilla replied softly.


    Bonus Image, Priscilla Jones and the Snakey Pearl