Page 13 of Elemasters

More striking than his appearance, though, was the way the room seemed to breathe around him. The lanterns hanging above flickered as he moved. Even the air felt more deliberate, like it was holding its breath in his presence.

“I apologize for the abrupt transition,” the figure said, bowing with impeccable grace, “but it was my only chance to bring you here somewhat discreetly,”

His voice in the air matched what they’d heard in their minds; soft, slow, but with an undercurrent of command.

“W-who are you, and why did you bring us here?” Chloe asked, clinging onto Bailey’s arm like a lifeline with one hand, and holding her purse like a weapon in the other, “we need answers right now!”

The young man bowed deeply to each of them once more, before clearing his throat to speak again.

“I am Sima Yao, former recordkeeper for his majesty Qin Shi Huang, and currently the guardian and attendant of The Palace of Radiant Clouds and the Five-Element Rings,”

“Qin Shi Huang?!” Dustin gasped before he could stop himself, “the first emperor of China?!”

“The very same,” Sima Yao confirmed with a nod, “Lady Li is correct; you are owed answers, and I will provide them,”

The pentagram pedestal began to glow ominously, before images projected from it like a hologram or laser light show; five constellations in the shape of animals, each burning with a different color. Sima Yao drifted across the floor like a specter, coming to a stop just in front of the pedestal.

“These constellations are not mere stars, but representations of the Five Phases and the cosmic powers that are now awakening within each of you,” Sima Yao began. His gaze shifted to Chloe as he gestured to the tiger constellation that glowed with nearly blinding white light, “Lady Li commands the element of Metal, embodied by the White Tiger and defined by rigidity,”

Chloe finally lowered her purse-weapon, her eyes locked onto the White Tiger like it could see something within her; possibly something she struggled to see within herself.

“Rigidity?” she mumbled to herself, “that’s bullshit. I’m not rigid, I know how to be flexible,”

“You’re literally resisting right now. That’s the opposite of flexible,” James teased, though his words died in his throat when Chloe shot him a death glare.

“Lady Yu,” Sima Yao continued, now standing in front of the glowing yellow dragon in the center of the other constellations, “you command the element of Earth, embodied by the Yellow Dragon and a grounding force to strengthen your allies,”

Bailey’s cheeks reddened as she glanced around at the others.

“I’m supposed to ground them? I can barely keep my own head on straight,”

“We all know that’s bullshit,” Chris said, slinging his arm around her shoulder with a smile, “you’ve always been the sturdiest of all of us, no matter what happens,”

For once, Bailey didn’t shrug him off, and she didn’t argue… though she didn’t quite meet his eyes either.

Sima Yao drifted to the next constellation; another dragon, this one glowing a greenish blue.

“Master Zhang, the element of wood is yours to command. Embodied by the Azure Dragon, and brimming with limitless energy and potential,”

James’s eyes zeroed in on the Azure Dragon, before they lit up with pure childlike wonder.

“This… is the coolest moment of my fucking life. You’re telling me I get magical superpowers? Like, real ones?”

Sima Yao smiled at James with a sort of familiarity; like he recognized the excitement and even potentially related to it in some way.

“Yes Master Zhang. But I must warn you to not let the promise of power consume your sense of responsibility,” Sima Yao said, before moving on to the next constellation, a blazing red bird.

“That one’s gotta be mine,” Chris spoke up with a wild grin, “it’s the prettiest one of all of them, just like me,”

Dustin playfully shoved him, and Bailey rolled her eyes as Sima Yao continued.

“Astute observation indeed, Master Ying. You command the element of fire, embodied by the Vermillion Bird and just as explosive, passionate, and lively as you’ve proven yourself to be,” something flickered in Sima Yao’s eyes as he spoke, and he glanced over at the mural engraved into the wall; the same one Dustin had noticed before, with the five warriors standing against the armored figure, “but fire, while dazzling, must be tended carefully. For it may burn indiscriminately… even those it means to protect,”

Chris quirked an eyebrow, clearly a bit unnerved by the implication of Sima Yao’s words, but he didn’t let it shake him too much; he was still riding the high of feeling chosen. Feeling special.

“And for you, Second Master Ying,” Sima Yao moved in front of the final constellation; what appeared to be a bulky tortoise with a snake wrapped around its shell, glowing with deep purple light, “you now command the element of water, embodied by the Black Tortoise. Fluid, introspective, and wise. Just as water may freeze into ice, disperse into steam, or erode stone with patience and persistence, you too will find yourself shaped into the leader that any situation may require,”

Dustin’s heart hammered in his ears as Sima Yao’s words washed over him. It all made perfect sense; he’d always been connected to water, sure. But he had no idea how deeply it encompassed his nature; that inner sense of unrest and stagnation that had come with trying to push down the past version of himself, like a river blocked by a dam. The bonfire was the first time in a long time that he felt anything like his old self; the one who used to belt out rock ballads on stage with perfect pitch, who loved swimming as an escape, not for the respectable future it promised…