(Feydon’s point of view)

Even with my arm intact, climbing down the mountainside proved difficult. There wasn’t a proper path and I wasn’t willing to risk screwing up mudslide from this height.

Halfway down, I stepped on a loose rock, slipped, and fell off the mountain.

“Air burst, levitate, FUCK!”

Both spells failed, leaving me only a few seconds to straighten my posture.

I failed to straighten out in time. My back slammed into the water with a deafening smack that sent birds flying from the trees.

From above, it was difficult to gauge the depth of the water. I’d expected it would be three or four yards deep; however, after sinking beneath the surface, I noticed what appeared to be a network of caves stemming from the deeper reaches.

I sank into a strong current near the cave mouth. The current was warm and soothed my throbbing back, and fortunately, Instead of flowing into the cave, water was rushing out.

I swam up for air then to the edge of the lake and laid in the grass. Five deep breaths later, I was hearing X’s voice again.

“Well, that’s one way to get off a mountain.”

I rolled my eyes and chuckled at his words. “Nice to know you’re still alive. What happened to you and what exactly was that place?”

“That was one entrance to the legacy. However, despite improvements—”

“What improvements?”

“Your human body is a weak vessel. Since our joining, I’ve worked to make it stronger, though it seems you still couldn’t handle my abilities. In the end I’ll need to procure a body of my own, before I can open the legacy.”

I shook my head. “Whatever. Can I use your powers now? Since you’re awake?”

I’d tried a few times since hearing him, but the spirit energy still wouldn’t respond to my will.

“No, if you use my power anymore, your body will give out. At this point you’ll have to rely on what you call-–magic… I hoped to avoid that, but there’s no better choice.”

“There’s a lot about magic I still don’t know, including my limits and what affinity I have. Casting spells recklessly could just as easily see me dead.”

“That would be true for most, but not you. You already know I took away your magic, but it wasn’t just because of your age. You have an affinity for all twelve elements.”

“How is that even possible? Is it because you’re inside me?”

“Partially… I think it might be something to do with the compound Zeri used to kill us. If I hadn’t been inside you, then you wouldn’t have come back.”

“Considering everything else your presence has caused, maybe that would’ve been better.”

I wanted Xander out of me probably more than he wanted out. I was done being manipulated and used, angry that I had to leave my life behind, pissed that he’d ruined my potential, and not looking forward to being hunted simply because of his existence.

I wasn’t quite sure how our mental link worked, but I made no attempt to hide my contempt.

“At least we share the same goal. We’ll go to the mantis and meet your friends, then we’ll find a new vessel for me; but first, you need training, and this is a perfect place for it.”

I considered his suggestion. I couldn’t think of any valid reason he’d want to visit the mantis or my friends, so I chalked it up to good will and because he knew I was going to go whether he wanted me to or not.

“Fine,” I said, “but only because it’s what I want to do.”

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As X suggested, I stayed near the lake for several days. Because of the atmosphere, the ambient energy created the perfect training ground for me. Every element was present and in balance so I could practice however I pleased.

“You haven’t asked much about what you saw in my memories.” X observed.

“There’s no point in asking questions I know you won’t answer… still, it is odd to think that you’ve been with me all this time.”

X remained predictably silent.

I’d tried keeping track of time, but after a few days out in the wild everything just started to run together.

I’d used magic to build a rudimentary shelter near the wide lake. Its surface sparkled with the light of the stars at night.

X insisted I start with the basic elements. Mainly because they were easier, and also because understanding them would give insight that would make the more advanced elements easier to grasp.

Due to the years spent watching my sister, I had a firm understanding of fire magic. I knew quite a few spells and I could use them with relative ease. I’d had exposure to wind and earth as well, but water was a struggle.

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Most of my time was spent focused on deepening my understanding of water. I spent hours each day just watching the lake. It was boring but apparently necessary for me to understand how water interacted with other elements.

Days of observation and reflection taught me that water carried traits from each of the other elements, but was different from all of them.

Like fire, water could be destructive, but it wasn’t purely so; mostly, water was calm, soothing, and nurturing.

Like earth, water could be hard, obstinate and unyielding, but it was also soft, malleable, and giving.

Water and wind shared many things, but the primary difference was that water possessed physical form.

Those insights formed the basis of my understanding. Since I didn’t know any water spells, I had to look them up on my comm. Tomorrow would be spent practicing and if all went well, I’d start the journey to find the Mantis the day after that.

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After so many days sleeping on the ground, my body ached.

There were many different fish in the lake, none of them dangerous; so, I decided before my practice, I’d take a dip in the lake.

The water was warmer than I was expecting, but I didn’t mind because it helped ease the pain and tension in my tired body. It was such an enjoyable experience that I closed my eyes to practice feeling the flow of nature’s energy while floating.

“Do you really think this is the best place for that?” X chided.

“Yea, why not? You said I need to get used to feeling the flow, right? The energy here is so easy to feel and I was able to relax right away. It’s perfect.”

“Alright. If you think so…”

Then, sometime later, as I lay floating on the water's surface, I heard a low warbling sound that was distinctly different from the usual chirps, squeaks, and squeals of nature's usual choir.

At first I ignored the sound, but when it repeated again I realized that there were actually no other sounds. Then several drops of something thick, dribbled on my face. I opened my eyes and right above me, looking down into my eyes, was a long slender reptilian snout. It’s mouth was hanging open just enough to show the tips of its bloodstained teeth. Its small eyes were filled with desire and hunger as it flicked its tongue across my face. Then the creature looked up to the sky and let out a series of loud noises, likely announcing to its friends that it had found a tasty snack.

In the water I was at a severe disadvantage, but fortunately I had been able to sense the flow of energy.

“Glacial wind. Levitate.”

With the first spell, I intend to freeze the water around the creature. Levitate was meant to lift me into the air and carry me to shore.

Things didn’t go quite as I had planned. The water around the creature froze, trapping it in place, but I was also frozen in place just beneath the beast's hungry fangs. The cold air and frozen water caused the beast to stiffen, but before I could free myself from the ice, we were both lifted into the air.

Ice in my bare skin bit and stung like a bad burn, but the sensation didn’t last long. We slammed into the rocky ground bordering the lake. Lucky for me, the raptor hit the ground first. The ice shattered and I was sent tumbling across the grass.

“Still think it was a good idea?” X laughed.

“Shut up” I shouted while trying to push myself up from the ground. “If I die, so do you, right?”

His sounds of amusement died, replaced by an agonized groan.

I didn’t have time to appreciate his frustration. The large reptile was trying to get to its feet. I contemplated trying to immobilize it again, but decided against it. Instead, I raced toward my belongings and grabbed my CAD as I flipped over the rock where my things rested.

At this point the creature was on its feet, charging towards me. The beast had two short forelimbs with impressively sharp claws. Its two legs were long and powerful, giving it enough speed that outrunning it definitely wouldn’t be possible without magic, and I hadn’t practiced any speed spells.

The raptor stretched its head towards me, snapping at my head and spreading its legs to slow itself. I dove between its legs, suffering scraps from its razor sharp claws as it tried to grab me with its tiny forelimbs.

As I stood up, I couldn’t avoid a swipe of its spiny tail. Violet scales slammed into my ribs mercilessly, scraping away a large patch of skin, and throwing me, naked, into a distant tree.

I was still taking stock of myself when a roar grabbed my attention.

The spine tailed raptor was charging right at me.

“Use fire!” X shouted while trying to share an image, or an idea of what specifically he wanted me to do.

Pain taxed my brain. It was a struggle just to stand. I slumped against the same tree I’d just been flung into, but I couldn’t process whatever X was trying to share.

“Fla…” I paused to catch my breath. “Flare shot.” I muttered lazily while still struggling to breathe. Aiming was impossible because I could barely hold my arm up, let alone keep it steady or pointed at any object in particular.

A ball of fire blasted from my palm toward the beast, but flew past it and crashed into the side of the mountain with a large explosion. The blast launched several large rocks into the lake, but the lizard was hardly affected at all.

I twisted around the tree and began running as quickly as I could—it was more like a hurried clamber. There was no need to look back and check the distance, because I knew it wouldn’t take long for the beast to catch me.

Its powerful feet pounded against the ground with a steady rhythm. I could hear its teeth grind and scrape against each other as it got closer and closer to me.

“You’re about to get us eaten!”

I shuddered at the thought of reptilian jaws snapping shut around me. I lost my footing, and fell forward.

The beast ran right over me, barely missing as it snapped its powerful jaws shut above my head.

I scrambled back to my feet and took off in a different direction while the raptor was trying to shift its momentum.

“You’d be dead by now if its friends had showed up.” X scolded, frustrated by my inability to defend myself.

“Maybe I just need a better magic teacher.” I quipped.

The raptor’s warbling and throaty noises were again right behind me. Then I was thirty feet in the air, suspended upside down by my ankle. Again, I watched as the beast just barely missed sinking its teeth into my flesh.

Dangling helplessly, and having dropped my CAD sometime earlier, I tried to think of a spell to dispatch the beast. Soon, a group of adventurers who were likely the ones that set the trap, encircled the raptor.

“Gravity” a woman’s voice cut through the air, pulling everything toward a spot on the ground.

The raptor was affected most strongly. It was practically pressed flat, and posed no threat when a man stepped over and sliced its head off.