The Bonfire

Some of the kids were swimming in the lake, others were playing volleyball and some were just enjoying the sun. Kazen and Loretta were sitting, watching them.

“I mean, if you stop to think it is a miracle you were not fired before.”

“I know, but now I want to continue here!” Said the man sad.

“These kids already had your help, even in your own weird ways, maybe you can find others who are more needed.”

He sighed watching Lapis destroying Fulgor and Auron in a match of volleyball.

“Are you nervous to tell them?” Asked Loretta.

“I think they hate me, but yes.”

“They don’t hate you! I’m sure they all care a lot for you.”

Kazen stood up and started walking to the trio.

“So, no need to tell them during the trip. And I still have to teach them one more thing.”

The elementals noticed Kazen and stopped playing.

“Are you guys ready to learn the Third Release?”

It was clear the excitement in the kids’ eyes. Before they went to a more recluse place, Lapis approached Scar. The girl was in the shadow of a tree wearing all black and with a straw doll with a familiar red hair.

“Scar, do you want to learn the third release with us?”

The girl stared back, not showing any emotion.

“I’m good. Thanks for the invite though.”

Leaving the girl, the trio and their teacher entered the woods until they found a clearing. Kazen seated on a rock looking at the three.

“What is the Third Release?” Asked Fulgor.

“It is not that climatic. The Third Release is just the first and the second at the same time. You have to fuse with your familiar and connect to the elements.”

“Just that?” Asked Auron.

“It is not as easy. It requires a lot of concentration to do it, at least on the first time, but with that, your strength grows exponentially. You don’t need to hurry to master the technique though, we can go slowly.”

The kids ignored his last comment, and tried their best immediately, to mixed results. They would normally enter in one of the releases and fail to use both at the same time. They kept doing it for hours when they became tired, and the sun was setting.

“We must go now. There is going to be a bonfire and you all should take a bath before that.”

They accepted but continued to try the transformation during the way.

The team of Salazar reunited a bunch of wood logs, making a giant pile of them and the owner approached Kazen.

“Hi. Do you think you can help us with the fire?”

In one instant Kazen ignited all the logs making an enormous bonfire illuminating the dark night.

After they were ready, the kids sat around the bonfire eating snacks and talking.

“Were you happy to see your father?” Asked Lapis to Fulgor while eating a marshmellow.

“Of course! He is the coolest! But his job made him stay away for a long time.”

The comment made Lapis melancholic.

“I miss my dad. He was the best. He was the one who taught me how use my powers when I was a kid, I miss him so much.”

Auron put a hand on her shoulder.

“I think it is different, but I miss my mom too. Somehow I think with her my life would be way better, even with my dad still around.”

The kids were opening themselves in the bonfire when a huge blue lighting appeared close on the forest.

“Fulgor! Watch out with your powers!” Scolded Kazen.

The boy seemed as confused as everybody else, looking at the direction of the lighting.

“I wasn’t me.”

The thunder echoed and Kazen entered his third release, feeling something was about to happen. A blue lighting went in the direction of Fulgor, but Kazen put himself on the way, holding the person inside the lightning.

He was thirty year old, with messy blue hair and an evil grim. On his arms were blue fur leading to claws and blue stripes on his face. Kazen immediately noticed he was on his third release.

“Get out of my way!” Screamed the man kicking Kazen on the side. The teacher defended turning to his students.

“Guys, take the others inside, they might get hurt!”

They obeyed, helping everyone run inside.

“I didn’t know there would be someone so strong here, but apparently we were right, the star was with the son of that explorer.”

While they were talking they exchanged attacks, for the first time in a long time Kazen fought someone so strong.

“So, you are the one who attacked Nimbus. You are not going to get away with that.”

A pointed rock came flying and spinning, Kazen didn’t want help from Lapis, but the rock hit him on the side.

He was thrown on the bonfire, making the logs in flames fly away. Then he saw the woman, the same age as the man with the blue hair. She wore a ruined dress and her makeup was terribly made. She had big rocks coming from her hands like giant boxing gloves and what looked like to bear ears made of rocks.

“Hehehe, you are not cute enough to face us.” Said the woman.

“There are more?”

When he asked, a third person appeared. A man with dark green wings and hair flying in the air.

“This angle I can get 97% of damage, not good enough.” After he said that, he launched a slashing wind with his leg hitting Kazen directly.

The three enemies were side by side watching as Kazen rolled on the grass. All on their Third Releases and for the first time in a long time Kazen thought he might not win.

“Who are you?”

“I am Defec, the strongest wind elemental.”

“My name is Pedrita. I would say ‘nice to meet you’, but that would be a lie.”

“And I’m their leader, Adhesit, you’re Kazen right? I know about you, you go to high schools to relieve your good days. You inspired me actually.”

Kazen spitted blood, he tried to talk as much as he could while planning a way to win.

“What a shame to inspire someone so terrible. So, you go to high schools to defeat their villains? How original.”

Adhesit, the electric elemental, laughed at the idea.

“That is too slow to entertain me. We go and beat the elemental children. Maybe someday we will find someone strong, but now we want the stars.”

With a quick movement, Kazen summoned a dozen fireballs, making their way through the sky and hitting the ground like explosive meteors. The three enemies were dodging without problems.

Adhesit ran to Kazen, fighting close combat. Kazen felt confident he could win against him in a one versus one match. But Perdita were throwing rock drills and Defec sending wind slashes. Kazen did his best, but it was not enough.

He ended up on the lake, in his normal form and full of wounds. He was losing his consciousness as water entered his lounges and all he could think was the three students being attacked.

When his vision went all black something pulled him away, the water inside was taken out and he could breath again, he was floating inside a water sphere with his face outside. He saw Loretta controlling the water and carrying him to the ground.

“Loretta… You are an elemental?”

“Of course! Have you seen this city? You can’t go to a high school and not have to face nightmare creatures and robots from the future.”

He was shocked about Loretta, but he had other things in mind.

“The children…”

Loretta made a frown and the two went to the hotel. The walls were destroyed, slashed by wind, crushed by rocks and burned by lightning.

Most of the children were fine, but Fulgor, Auron and Lapis were on the ground more injured than Kazen. Salazar was over them, looking worried and Loretta continued to explain.

“They took the stars. The kids tried to fight, me and Scar were protecting the others from the attacks.”

“When I arrived, they were already gone. Oh my hotel.” Salazar said sadly.

A blue liquid started to pour from the owner's hand, dropping on the kids.

“Don’t worry, after my experiments I developed a healing substance. I can heal you too Kazen.”

When all of them were healed all that passed through the kid’s minds was to recover the stars.

“I’m sorry, this is all my fault. If I hadn't been so nosy you would become stronger faster in face of the danger and you would probably be strong enough to defeat them.”

“We can’t talk about that now, we need to make a plan to attack.” Answered Fulgor, tranquilizing Kazen’s heart.

“Well, we have three veterans here who can go to the Third Release.” Said Loretta about her, Salazar and Kazen.

“Oh, you can be sure I want my revenge against them.” Continued Salazar.

“That would work before when I was getting bodied by them, but now they have the stars, they can grant an attack with infinite power. I was locked by the power of the stars before.”

“So, what do we do?” Asked Lapis.

Kazen made a deep breath, already knowing the only way.

“They can only do one attack with the stars at a time, the adults will draw the attention of the attacks while you kids defeat the enemies.”

“But they have the Third Release!” Protest Fulgor.

“It’s the only way, and we have to go now or we will lose them.”