Will took a step back, the shock of her words crashing over him, stunning him in place. “My powers? What do you mean?”

“Oh come on,” Olivia said, beaming at him. “You didn’t expect four Fire Nexians to get into Florida without being noticed, did you?”

Will opened his mouth to reply, but couldn’t form the words. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of movement and turned around. All of a sudden, a dozen Water Nexians were visible. Will could tell at once that they were Water Nexians because of how cold the air got around them. They were spread out too, not offering a single good target. James, Emmet, and Joseph were looking around with alarm at the presence of enemies. Olivia lifted one hand, and Will immediately jumped back out of reach. Flames burst out of his hands, flaring up the length of his arms and burning away the sleeves of his shirt.

“Don’t touch me!” He shouted instinctively, his hands up, ready to fight. “We’ll just leave then. No need for you to get hurt.”

A peal of laughter rang out, making him turn. It had been such a gentle sound, like a creek whispering over smooth stones. Even before he saw her, he felt the presence, and knew that it was an Alpha approaching him. Still, he turned on his heel to face the newcomer. Tall and willowy like her daughter, Rachel Smith was clad in a simple but beautiful blue dress. It clung to her figure, highlighting it to great effect, while also flowing in the slight breeze. Even her clothing brought to mind the ocean, and its gentle nature. Her eyes, and her very stance, reminded Will that the ocean was also dangerous.

“If you think you can win with these circumstances,” Rachel Smith said, smiling down at him as she drew close. “Then I encourage you to try. But please, let’s not do anything rash. We’re not going to harm you, Will.”

Just the simple action of speaking his name sent a shiver of terror down Will’s spine. He remembered the sheer horror when he’d met Edward, the mortal fear and certainty that he was nothing to the man. But this was even worse, as Rachel Smith could never be considered a friendly entity. She chilled him to the bone, as if her aura had permeated his body. As if in rebellion, he increased the power of his flames. They reached nearly six feet into the air from his arms, and he knew his shoes would be smoldering as well. He could smell the smoke coming from them. Rachel looked him up and down in silence for a minute, then let out a sigh.

“Very well,” she said. She made a gesture with one hand, then brushed her long white hair over the shoulder. “If you insist on fighting.”

There was a great rushing sound, and a wave of water burst out of a nearby fountain. It soared high into the air, arcing gracefully before it crashed down onto the dry concrete. There was a boy riding the wave of water, his stance as graceful as if he were part of it. Will just barely managed to catch a glimpse of the stranger’s hair, ice-white like his mother and sister’s, before he raised his arms protectively over his head. The heat of his flames reassured him. He’d weather this attack, then strike out with as much power as he could, targeting Olivia and her mother. He doubted very much that he could take them out, but maybe he could stun them long enough to get away.

But as he sat, muscles tensed to survive an impact, nothing came. After about three seconds, he lowered his arms. The boy, who appeared to be no more than a year younger than him, hadn’t moved to attack him. Instead, he crouched low at his mother’s side, suspended about two feet off the ground by a large sphere of water that spun constantly, supporting his weight. He grinned up at Will, his teeth brilliant against the darker tone of his skin.

“My son, Felix,” Rachel said, waving one hand elegantly. “Felix, dear, this is Will.”

“Oh, I know,” Felix said. His pale blue eyes were fixed intently on Will. “You’re a very good fighter. You practice Okuri Kendo, don’t you?”

Will, caught completely by surprise, remembered what Olivia had said. So this was the brother who knew about him, then. He proved his knowledge of the obscure parts by mentioning Okuri, one of the three main styles of Kendo, which focused on rapid attacks to break down an opponent’s defense. Will could tell at once that he was much more skilled than his elder sister. For a start, his poise and grace on the uncertain surface of the water was remarkable. For another, Will could see the lean, powerful muscles under his simple blue tunic that hugged his frame so tightly.

“Hiraki, actually,” Will said. “I’m not nearly fast enough to reliably use Okuri.”

Felix grinned at him. “Right. I’m clearly Ayumi, as you can see.”

Will nodded in agreement, but didn’t say anymore to it. He turned to Rachel. “You want me to fight your son?”

“I do,” she replied smoothly. “Just a simple sparring match. Using your powers, of course. If you are victorious, you can leave freely and uninjured.”

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

“And if you win?” he asked abruptly. “You’ll take us captive?”

“Not at all. If Felix wins, I should like you to join me for lunch.”

Will blinked at the woman, then turned his head to glance at James. He could see the same fear and uncertainty he felt in his friend’s face. But as he saw Will looking, he made eye contact, and offered a small shrug. Might as well, the gesture seemed to say. Will frowned thoughtfully, and looked back to Felix, who looked more than willing. He even looked eager. Will knew that look. It showed in every martial artist who grew to love the craft. It was the thirst for a challenge, for the chance to prove oneself worthy against an opponent.

“Alright,” he said suddenly. He was pleased to see that Rachel looked a little taken aback. Felix, however, showed no sign of surprise. With a faint pop, the bubble under him simply vanished into thin air, and he dropped to his feet. Rising, he extended a hand. Will shook it firmly, noting the strength of the grip there. Strange, he thought. If they weren’t enemies, he’d quite like the chance to get to know Felix. They seemed to be of a similar type.

“Move aside, people!” Rachel called, addressing the civilians around them. “We’ve got a match!”

Will glanced around as well, surprised to see so many ordinary people still around them. With the fire and rushing water, the obvious signs of tension between two groups of opposing Nexians, there was no denying the danger in the area. Yet they’d all stayed put, watching the proceedings with interest. Now, as Rachel called out the match, quite a few of them let out excited cheers, clapping as they moved back.

“Shall we use single strike rules?” Felix asked. “First to land a decisive blow?”

“Sounds good,” Will said tensely. He gave Emmet and Joseph a discreet tilt of the head, directing them to James. They wasted no time in moving, and they looked more comfortable standing beside a trusted ally. Will rolled his shoulders, stretching his arms. He had to calm his mind if he wanted to stand a chance. Some small, barely trained instinct in his mind told him that, in both martial and elemental, they were reasonably even. The key difference that he could see would be experience. Felix was clearly used to using his element, whereas he was still new to the entire thing.

“Fake it ‘til you make it,” he said quietly. Felix seemed to have heard, and his grin widened. “Let’s do this.”

They paced away from each other until there was about thirty feet of space between them, then turned to face each other. It was a bit further than the traditional dueling start distance, but it made more sense for their powers. He extinguished the flames on his arms, and closed his eyes. An idea had struck him just then, a particular way he could use his limited powers to win this contest. He only needed to hit Felix once, with a decisive, clear hit. He just hoped that Felix and his mother were honest about it, when that moment came.

“He looks like one of the Soul Nexians preparing to fight,” Someone muttered in an audible whisper. “Maybe that’s just the martial arts thing.”

“Shh,” someone hissed, quieting the first person. Will smirked in spite of himself. He wasn’t going to be offended by a comparison to elite fighters like that.

He heard Rachel asking him if he was ready, and made a positive hand gesture. She asked the same of Felix, who apparently nodded. In the tiny space of time before she gave the command to start, he let out all the breath he was holding. He forced the heat field in his body to condense as tightly as he could manage, tighter than it had ever gone. He imagined his energy condensing as he’d done in the demonstration for Hitori and Edward, then his eyes snapped open.

“Begin!”

With a grunt of effort, Will thrust his hands forward, putting them together with his palms facing outward. The fire burst from with hands with so much force that it actually scared him, a dense, red-hot jet of energy that shot straight for its target, the wide-eyed youth. The fire was across the space between them in a flash, nearly too fast for Feix to react. But still, he made one quick swiping gesture, and water formed out of thin air around him, creating a thin layer between himself and the fireball. Then Will’s attack exploded.

Felix was sent flying back by the explosion, yelling in surprise as he sailed. But, to Will’s disappointment, he saw that he wasn’t actually disabled. Sure, his clothes were smoking, but he’d avoided the worst of the blast. And on top, by the time he touched the ground, his feet were already encased in a wave of water that splashed down and forward, carrying him swiftly back at Will. He still looked a little shook, but his confidence was returning fast, and he moved towards Will with a whoop of joy. With only ten feet between them, he lifted the wave of water, then spun in mid-air. A stream of the liquid followed behind his foot, which crashed down on Will like the wave it had just been.

Will just barely managed to get an arm up in time to block the kick, but it was a close thing. Still, the power behind that move was enough to knock him down to one knee. If he’d been ordinary, that would have shattered his arm. He hurriedly stepped back now, too overwhelmed to have any chance of countering. Felix took advantage of that quickly. The wave of water reformed before he could even touch the ground, and it carried him in a half-circle behind Will, who was too stunned to react in time. With a powerful lunge, Felix actually jumped off the water as if it were solid. He slammed into Will, tackling him to the ground.

In a matter of seconds, Felix had pinned him in place. He was ridiculously skinny, Will noticed. He could have picked him up with ease. But before could make such an attempt, Felix had struck with his fist. Will winced in anticipation of the blow, but it didn’t come. Felix had stopped his hand mere centimeters from the nose. His entire fist was coated in water, Will saw. Even as he watched, the water solidified until it was ice.

“What the-” he asked, staring at the ice coating Felix’s hand. “How did you-”

“Felix wins!” Rachel called out, to loud cheers from the crowd. Then, much more quietly, she added, “Dear, get off Will. We have a lunch date.”