• ~Begin Chapter 10~

    Nico threw himself to the left, scrambling to dodge the enormous boulder racing towards him. Scraping his face on the rough, rocky ground, he tried to stand up, only to duck down again as the rock came crashing down and burst into countless stones.

    Nico crawled forward, head down, trying to avoid the worst of the debris. Still dozens of fist sized rocks slammed into his back. He tried to ignore the pain pulsing through his back while he looked for a way out.

    There! He saw Loki, curled into a comfy sitting position, an almost bored look on his face. Nico would have been mad under normal circumstances, but for now he felt nothing but relief at having found a way out of danger.

    Before he could stand and run, another boulder slammed into the ground less than a yard from him, forcing him to duck as another explosion of rocks came raining down. One rock connected with his head and his vision went black. Moments later, light returned and Nico covered the back of his head with his hands. His hair was already sticky with blood.

    Dizzily standing up Nico searched again for Loki, but the cat had disappeared.

    "Help me!" Nico shouted out stumbling from the pain in his head. "Loki! Help!"

    No answer.

    The ground began to rumble. The shaking sent Nico off his feet again. Nico turned his head, trying to search out Loki in the dome-shaped cave. As he did so, a spear of gleaming green crystal erupted from the ground inches from his face.

    Nico didn't think, his body moved on pure instinct. Though woozy, injured and terrified, he launched himself up and ran as fast as he could. He didn't care where, jus as long as he was out of this frightful place. A second crystal spear shot out of the ground and Nico skidded to a stop, narrowly avoiding it.

    Urging himself up he re-initiated his mad dash, keeping his eyes peeled for more spikes.

    He forgot to look out for the boulders.

    A boulder, enormous even by the standards of the others, crashed down in front of him and shattered. A piece of rubble larger than his head rammed into his stomach, sending the adolescent to the cave floor, winded.

    Nico managed to shove the crag off of him, but as he caught his breath, a razor sharp spear pierced air, slicing through his inner thigh. Howling in agony, shoved his battered and beaten self away from the now blood smeared spike.

    "Please, make it stop," Nico cried out.

    But the torturous chamber granted him no reprieve. As Nico looked up, another rock, this one jagged and and pointed, began it's hurtling descent towards it's target, Nico.

    His heart stopped for a moment, time seemed to slow down. As the boulder came closer, Nico raised his right hand. Impulse again controlling his actions.

    The jagged tip made contact with Nico's palm. Instantaneously, pure, raw power pulsed through him. A glorious flash of light surged up his arm.

    In less than a second, before the sharp stone could even pierce his hand's soft flesh, the boulder exploded. Not into a shower of deadly rocks, but into dust.

    The dust coated Nico from head to toe, but Nico barely noticed. He looked at his hands, eyes wide with shock.

    The same feeling as when he dispersed the storm, a sense of something deep inside him, stirring.

    He had done this.

    "And the first lesson is complete," Loki said, suddenly directly next to the boy. "I have to admit, you did have me concerned for a moment. You wouldn't have been the first elemental to die during phase 1."

    Nico could answer, the mysterious power still encompassing his every thought.

    What the creature said next shook Nico from his reverie.

    "Time for lesson 2."

    ~End chapter 10~