Chapter One
The four Elements—Air, Water, Earth, and Fire—are both separate and one. Separate in design; one in the corporeal flesh of Raziel—honor him, for he is the vessel of the gods, and every word spoken by him holy.
Revered as both separate and one, all souls held by the gods may find salvation. Embracing the way of primordial nature, their souls will never be abandoned. May those held by the gods be of plenty. May they find peace and serenity in this life.
And through Raziel, the Elements have thus said: No not exhaust yourselves our children. For Light and Darkness shall expire in their own time. And then we will bask in the true state of this world—Neirevana.
—from The Elemental Anthologies, Book One, Verses 52-54
Aaron
Aaron pulled the slick hood of his raincoat tighter around his chin as a gust of wind threatened to blow it off. He held up one hand and flicked his wrist, sending the wind in the other direction. A clap of thunder reverberated through the city streets, as if the storm itself was offended by Aaron’s interference and just had to talk back.
Beside him, another hooded figure walked with brisk steps as he tried to rush through the rain. Aaron had no trouble keeping up with his friend Travis, although he found it pointless to be rushing at this point. They were both already soaked, the humid air clung to their skin, and the puddles on the sidewalk saturated their shoes.
“Alright, so the plan is to split my money. You bet on one opponent, and I bet on the other. That way, whoever wins, we always profit,” Travis explained, his words slurring together as he rambled.
Aaron chuckled, clapping his hand on Travis’s back.
“Not willing to take a little risk?” he teased.
Travis whipped his head to glare at him. “No.”
Aaron shrugged. “Alright, it’s your plan. I’m just your accomplice.”
“You make this sound so nefarious.”
“We’re headed to an underground fight ring. It’s not necessarily nefarious, but it’s certainly illegal."
“Keep your voice down,” Travis snapped.
Aaron looked around, waving his arms out at the empty streets. “We’re the only ones here.”
“Yeah, I know. But still, do you have to say it so bluntly?"
Aaron smirked. He was really just razzing Travis since he was so obviously nervous.
Frankly, he wouldn’t even be here with Travis right now if their friend Iggy hadn’t just dipped out of the country for two months. Aaron and Travis had been friends for years, but Aaron figured he was hardly Travis’s first choice. And seeing as he was gambling to earn money for his girlfriend’s engagement ring, he couldn’t very well ask her either. So that left Aaron, and here they were.
Far from complaining, Aaron felt invigorated as they made their way toward the arena.
“Almost there,” Travis said as they rounded a corner into an alleyway.
Slinking around the corner of an abandoned factory, they found the entrance through a basement hatch that was slightly obscured by dumpsters. A couple of Earth Magi lingered in the alleyway, guarding the hatch, one of them being Travis’s cousin.
“Hey, little cuz, you made it.”
He snatched Travis in a playful choke hold, giving him a noogie. Travis squirmed out of his grip, cheeks flushed. The other bouncer just raised his eyebrows, amused by the scene.
“Brad, knock it off,” Travis said, punching him in the arm, and not lightly.
“Just glad to see my little cuz didn’t pussy out,” Brad said, unfazed by the punch.
Trevor introduced Aaron, not without a few pretentious looks from the Earth Magi. With Aaron’s golden blonde hair and distinct blue eyes, he was very obviously an Air Magus. Regardless of what they thought about Travis hanging out with a Magus of the opposite Element, they still shot the shit for a couple of minutes before Brad wished them luck and allowed them inside.
The hatch opened up to a gently sloping earthen floor that descended deeper and deeper beneath the factory. Portable battery powered lights hung from the walls, leaving swaths of shadows between where they were scarcely placed. Aaron felt his chest tighten as they descended. He focused on his breathing, trying to forget that he was so far from the sky.
The gently sloping hall leveled out and opened up into a grander room. The arena was opulently constructed with only Earth Magic, probably so that it could just as easily be erased with Magic.
As the two entered the main room, they were blocked by the crowd waiting in front of several booths to place their bets. The room was full of chatter, but the high ceilings absorbed it, causing all of the cheering voices to mix into a dull hum in the background. As they waited in line to place their bets, Aaron inspected the odds posted above the teller and noticed just a few problems.
The only information available was their name, height, weight, and Magic type. Without seeing the fighter, it was difficult to tell who would have better odds. The odds that were publicly posted seemed a bit off from Aaron’s perspective, almost as if they were biased toward one opponent over another. Betting on the underdog was more profitable, but risky. Without some insider info, they were really just relying on luck.
“Doesn’t your cousin have the scoop about any up and comers?” Aaron asked as they waited in line.
“No, and even if he did he couldn’t tell me. People get whacked for that shit.”
Aaron grimaced. Travis decided to play it safe—using his method of betting a little bit on both opponents—and Aaron didn’t say anything as to not discourage him. They played it off as some sort of friendly rivalry to the bookie. She got a kick out of their banter and sent them off with a “Good luck, boys.”
Beyond the betting booths a narrow impasse stretched between the seating overlooking the ring. They climbed the packed earthen stairs and found a seat, squeezing into a middle row. The dirt seats felt cold beneath Aaron when he sat down, reminding him of spending a day in the park and sitting in the grass on a sloping hill.
For being an illegal underground tournament, it was as well organized as any sport betting establishment. Not that Aaron was familiar with such establishments. The most he’d bet on sports was with his friends Travis and Iggy, ten bucks here and there.
“Alright, so worst case, we only make a hundred bucks tonight,” Travis figured.
“Come on man, you have to think positive,” Aaron said. At a hundred bucks a pop it would take Travis forever to afford that ring.
“I’m just being realistic.”
“Uh huh. Well, you can be realistic. I’m going to manifest our win.”
Their attention was soon drawn away from talking strategy to the fight about to begin. Aaron’s heart pounded in his chest in anticipation. It was one thing to watch Magi perform in sports. It was a controlled environment where they used Magic to enhance their abilities. In such a setting, Magi still had to use restraint. Aaron hoped there would be no restraint here; that he could marvel in the glory of Magic unleashed.
He was not disappointed. The first round featured a duel between a Fire Magus and an Earth Magus. The Fire Magus’s warm mahogany skin was stretched taunt against defined muscles hugging his sleek frame. Black braided hair fell past his shoulders and Aaron watched as he gathered this up and tied it in a low pony tail behind his back. It was hard to tell from this distance, but based on his other features Aaron could guess that his eyes were probably a blazing copper with flecks of black.
The Fire Magus’s opponent was no less formidable. Earth Magi were traditionally on the shorter side with very stocky builds, something that Travis deviated from with his considerable height, betraying his family’s lower class heritage. The Earth Magus in the ring embodied that traditional stocky build, having almost no neck, and only coming up to the shoulder of his Fire Magus adversary in height. He stood in the ring shirtless, stretching his bulky arms, each limb like the sturdy trunk of a tree.
Aaron knew that seeing the opponents would influence who he’d want to place his bet on, but unfortunately he didn’t have the opportunity. It was deliberate on the part of the organizers—that being the Element Magic gangs, each Element hosting their own respective week. Making the betting more difficult for new comers would cause any intel on the fighters to be that much more valuable.
“We aren’t going to make much money on this round,” Aaron predicted.
“What happened to manifesting the win?” Travis teased.
“That was before I saw them.”
“I still think the Earth Magus has a shot.”
Travis had placed the bet for the Earth Magus, whereas Aaron had bet on the Fire Magus who was favored to win. Aaron had to hold back a scoff at Travis’s comment. It was only because he was biased toward his own kind that he was blind to the inevitable results of this contest.
There was skill involved, and even a Magus of a weak bloodline could hone that skill. But neither of these opponents were from a weak bloodline based on their physical traits, and both of them had obviously honed their Magic. Therefore, even an ounce of inherited power could make or break this match.
The referee was dressed in plain clothes, but could be delineated from the whistle that hung around his neck. He stepped to the center of the ring and introduced the fighters. Holding one hand up, he began to count down. The Fire Magus cracked his neck and shook out his wirey limbs. The Earth Magus planted his feet, taking on a wide horse stance. And when the whistle blew, both of them went on the offensive.
The Fire Magus blasted a side kick toward his opponent. At the base of his foot, a ball of fire coalesced as he focused his Magic and it flew toward the Earth Magus with incredible force. Flying through the air, the flames expanded and soon the fire ball was big enough to engulf an entire person. The Earth Magus dug his feet in and erected an earthen wall to block the attack. Simple enough, but it left him open on both sides. The Fire Magus sprinted around toward his flank. The Earth Magus picked up the wall with both hands to block the attack and then sent it flying toward his opponent. The Fire Magus jumped up and ran along the wall as it flew past him, using it to launch himself at the Earth Magus and unleash a flurry of fiery blows.
Aaron was on the edge of his seat. What beautiful form. Such raw, unadulterated power.
As the fight continued, it became very clear that the Fire Magus had more stamina. His strikes continued to be fast and powerful, while the Earth Magus’s slowed and weakened. His technique soon became sloppy, leaving him open for a few blows. The Fire Magus was not unscathed either. A few sharp rocks grazed his cheek, leaving a stream of trickling blood. But what got the Earth Magus in the end was taking a close range fire ball to his upper arm.
Even from the stands, Aaron could smell the distinct scent of burning hair and flesh. The Earth Magus groaned, deep and animalistic, and clasped his right arm. The arm hung limply by his side. By chance, the Earth Magus blocked another attack with his left hand, but it was clear that it wasn’t his dominant side, and he was completely on the defensive. He tapped out before the Fire Magus could get another strike in.
Aaron smirked. The crowd erupted with a mixture of cheers and groans, for the winners and losers respectively. Travis just sat there slack jawed.
“By the gods…” Travis murmured.
Aaron jumped up with his winning ticket and dragged Travis back down to the betting booths. Behind the tellers, there was a bracket system that showed the upcoming rounds. The Earth Magus’s name had been crossed out and the Fire Magus’s name written into the next tier. Since they were still in the preliminary rounds, his opponent hadn’t been determined yet, however that didn’t keep some people from betting on who it would be. They could bet on the winner of the entire tournament if they wanted to take those odds. However, Travis insisted on playing it safe and betting round by round. They happened to get the same teller they had before and still played up the friendly rivalry between each other. Travis scowled, as Aaron might have rubbed the win in a little too harshly. He elbowed him with a smile to let him know he was just joking around and the teller giggled.
“The next round is between Blake the Dark Magus and Lars the Water Magus,” the teller informed them.
“You let Spiritual Magi compete?” Aaron asked.
“Of course. Everyone is welcome,” she said with a wide, artificial smile.
“This isn’t even a contest. I’ll bet everything on the Dark Magus,” Aaron said, and then to Travis, “I wouldn’t even bother betting on the Water Magus.”
“Why not?” Travis seemed confused as to why Aaron was changing their game plan last minute.
“Just trust me.”
Travis sighed. “Fine. I’ll place my bet on the Dark Magus too.”
“Ah, that’s no fun. The Water Magus’s odds are seven to two. You’d more than triple your bet,” the teller tried to entice them.
Travis’s eyes sparkled but Aaron just shook his head. “So the guy’s a long shot. Not worth it.”
In the end, Aaron convinced Travis to place his bet on the Dark Magus. They trudged back to the same seats to watch the match.
“You better be right about this,” Travis said, his tone betraying his skepticism.
“His odds are better for a reason,” Aaron assured him.
Travis crossed his arms and said nothing. The prejudice against Spiritual Magi was deeply ingrained, even after two decades of equal rights between Spiritual Magi and Elemental Magi. Aaron guessed that Travis just didn’t feel right about betting on a Dark Magus, regardless of the odds. Elemental Magi weren’t supposed to admit that Spiritual Magi were stronger than them, and betting on the Dark Magus was like a silent admission.
While Travis brooded next to him, Aaron felt like he was vibrating with excitement. Despite having equal rights, the two groups of Magi were still segregated and he had never seen Spiritual Magic before. His emotions were in a frenzy of nervous anticipation, joyful excitement, and a tinge of sadness. Sadness because just the mention of Spiritual Magi made him think of his mom—a Light Magus—and the heritage he was denied.
He tried to shake away the thought of her, a woman he had never met. All he had was Raziel’s word and he wondered sometimes why he had even told Aaron of his mixed heritage if he was prohibited from even mentioning it much less meet his blood family. Was it to explain why his father’s parents denied his birthright to the Azaré line? Because his blood wasn’t pure anymore? Why explain that to a child? Aaron figured he was grown up now, so he could handle the nuance of his familial predicament. It was a secret he had to keep and had always kept. Maybe Raziel just didn’t want to lie to him because he accepted Aaron as part of the Azaré line regardless. That’s why he raised him, protected him, taught him everything he knew.
Aaron’s mind spiraled through all of these thoughts, and he was only brought back to the arena when the sharp sound of a whistle pierced through his consciousness. The next round had already begun.
