Chapter 4 CHAPTER 004
Asher follows Rase down the wide academy hallway, dressed in his fire elemental uniform just like everyone else, trying to look like he belongs when he doesn't feel like it, while still trying to get used to the noise of the place.
Students move past in groups, talking loudly, laughing, and some showing off small sparks of their abilities like it’s the most normal thing in the world. A girl walks by with a small flame dancing above her palm while she talks to her friend, and no one even reacts. It’s all beautiful, yet the most terrifying thing Asher has ever seen.
“First class is breathing control,” Rase says beside him, stretching his arms over his head like he doesn’t have a single worry in the world. “You’ll probably hate it. Everyone does.”
Asher glances at him curiously. “Why?”
“Because it’s boring,” Rase replies with a roll of his eyes and continues. “But if you don’t learn breathing control, you’ll burn down half the building the moment you get emotional.”
That doesn’t sound boring to Asher; that’s just another form of terrifying thing in his world. It sends a shiver down his spine because he knows the implication.
They continue to walk down the long hallway till they stop in front of a large door with a glowing flame symbol carved into the wood, with several Fire students standing around the entrance, while most of them are inside.
“Welcome to your real first class in our academy.” Rase flashes him a wide grin, and just as he reaches for the door, a sudden shift in the hallway makes several students turn their heads. Asher looks too, and his gaze lands on a group of students, but it’s not an element Asher has seen since he arrived here.
He stares at the small snowflake emblem resting over the jacket of their uniforms.
Ice Elementals.
But what catches Asher’s attention is the sight of a familiar blue head in the group.
Asher’s breath catches in his throat as he recognizes him; it’s the boy from last night, the boy who had pulled him into that tiny storage alcove.
Asher doesn’t know why, but his heart jumps so suddenly it almost hurts, especially when the blue-haired boy looks his way, and Asher’s crimson ones meet his blue ones, and for a second, it’s as if everything else fades: the hallway, the students, and the noise.
Asher gets caught in those eyes without even realizing it. He swallows hard when the boy breaks into the most beautiful smile Asher has ever seen. He stares awestruck, unable to move a muscle. At this point, Asher doesn’t know if that smile is meant for him, but he wants to believe it is, and the moment lingers on without breaking until an arm suddenly goes over his shoulder. He whips his head to see Rase beside him. Asher almost forgot about him for a moment.
“Hey,” Rase mutters quietly near his ear, steering him toward the door. “Don’t stare.”
Asher blinks. “What?” He feels like he was caught doing something terrible, and he wasn’t the only one staring. Almost every student in the hallway froze and had their gaze fixed on the Ice students, who made it seem like the temperature of the room dropped just to accommodate them.
“Fire and Ice students don’t mix,” Rase says, his voice dropping lower. “It’s not just a rule. It’s dangerous.”
Asher feels his stomach tighten. “What do you mean by dangerous?” he asks.
Rase glances toward the Ice group again, making sure they’re still moving away before turning his gaze back to Asher. “If they touch, they die.”
Asher freezes. He looks at the other fire elemental as if he has grown another head on his shoulder. Die? The word rings in his head.
“It’s a rule to keep Fire and Ice students separated because the tiniest bit of skin contact between them and us means instant death. So, they study in different buildings and have different dorms and training grounds, just to stay away from us while we do the same. In a way, they are our mortal enemy,” Rase finishes with a shrug.
Asher’s mind immediately flashes back to last night; he recalls the narrow storage where their bodies were only inches apart, the way the blue-haired had leaned closer, and the way his hand had nearly brushed Asher’s arm when he grabbed his shirt.
Asher’s throat suddenly feels dry. If they had touched…he could have died. The thought sends a cold chill down his spine.
“Whatever you do, don’t go near them,” Rase warns him.
Asher nods slowly, but his mind is spinning. So what happened last night? Because when the boy stood that close to him, nothing about that moment felt dangerous. If anything, it felt…no.
Asher quickly shuts his thoughts down. Rase said skin contact. Their skin never touched. That's why they are both alive.
Just before they enter the classroom, he glances back one last time, and at that exact moment, Xavi looks back too, and their eyes meet one more time, but it only lasts a second before they round the hall and go from sight.
Asher’s heart hammers in his chest as he looks away, and Rase pulls him into the classroom. Asher blinks at the sight.
The classroom is large, with a wide open space in the center instead of desks, along with a few long benches sitting against the walls, but most of the floor is empty stone, probably to prevent anything from catching fire. Asher’s fingers twitch at the judgmental gaze most of the students give him, but he gets broken out of his thoughts when…
“Ah, a new student.”
Asher whips his head to the man who suddenly approaches him with a smile, obviously a teacher.
“You must be Asher Lauigne.”
Asher nods. “Yes, sir.”
The man smiles. “I’m Professor Dalen, the Breath Control instructor.” He stops right in front of Asher and, without warning, he reaches out and places a hand on Asher’s shoulder.
Asher immediately stiffens and his hands ball into fists at his side at the sudden flick of flame he feels at the tip of his finger that he uses everything inside of him to control.
“You can sit next to Rase.”
Before Asher can thank the man, Rase pulls him to a space on the bench and forces him to sit while Asher still feels like he’s going to burn from the inside out.
Professor Dalen suddenly claps his hands as he stands at the center of the class, gaining everyone’s attention. “Welcome to another class of Breath Control, the foundation of every Fire elemental ability. If you can't control your breathing, you can't control your fire.”
Professor Dalen paces around the room, demonstrating with his hands as he continues to teach. “Fire responds to emotion such as fear, anger, excitement, hate, and love, all the emotions known to exist, but it’s your responsibility to control those emotions and stop them from controlling your fire,”
He suddenly stops beside one student and grabs the boy’s wrist. “Show what you're feeling right now.”
The boy exhales slowly, and a small flame appears above his palm.
Professor Dalen nods approvingly. “His fire is small because he’s nervous.” With that, he starts to move again, and when he reaches Asher, he stops.
“Asher,” he says. “Show me what you’re feeling.”
Asher’s chest tightens slightly. He swallows the lump in his throat as he says. “I… I’m not very good at controlling it.”
“That’s why you’re here,” Professor Dalen replies with a small smile. Suddenly, he grabs Asher’s wrist and pulls him to the center of the room. He places both hands on Asher’s shoulder, and the contact makes Asher tense instantly, and there goes that heat again at the tip of his finger.
“Relax.”
Well. Easier said than done. Asher isn’t used to people touching him, and the fire sparks inside of him when the professor moves one hand to Asher’s chest.
“Breathe.”
Asher stiffens yet he tries to obey.
“Slow breath in.” Professor Dalen presses lightly against his chest, and again, Asher tries to obey, but when the Professor’s hand slides to his lower back, something inside of Asher snaps. He whips his head to the man sharply with fire burning real flames.
Professor Dalen jumps away from him as if burned.
Asher immediately shuts his eyes and shakes his head, forcing himself to calm down, and when he opens his eyes, they’ve returned to their normal crimson color. “I’m sorry,” he bows to the man.
Professor Dalen chuckles nervously and scratches the back of his head. “It’s alright. It’s your first time; you will learn eventually. return to your seat, Asher,”
With another apologetic bow, Asher returns to his seat beside Rase, but he keeps his gaze on the floor, shame burning into his being, knowing the clear lack of control he has, and even in here, everyone has seen it. He stays still until Rase nudges his side. Asher looks at him to see a big smile on his face.
“That was cool,” he gives him a two thumbs up, and for some weird reason, his heart feels lighter.