Who Turned Out The Lights?

To say they were of mixed emotions would be an understatement. There was fear, anticipation, excitement, and worry all wrapped up in one moment. Lina seemed to be the most concerned as she was only a first tier rank one Kinetic incapable in some ways of defense against unruly power. My mother was more concerned about me than herself. You could almost taste her breaking heart in the air because her Kinetic waves of instinct to protect her child rolled off of her in waves.

As a Kinetic, emotions are so much easier and precise to convey, especially when they were intense emotions. One's mental state would bleed out in waves, often physically effecting their element incidentally if it was around. Also if the Kinetic was powerful enough and their were lesser powered and likewise elementally aligned Kinetics nearby, he or she could effectively change their emotion to that of their own.

Though this is usually done accidentally, this concept was once used by the Black Pyre War, where Alkazyr led hundreds of pyrokinetics to wage war on the Crescentali - a small nation of aquakinetics. It was a bloodbath because the Crescentali had over a thousand soldiers at the ready, and Alkazyr miscalculated the lunar cycle and stupidly attacked on the eve of a full moon which, to some unknown reason other than the speculation of high tide, empowers an aquakinetic to their fullest. Needless to say, although it was nearing the summer solstice - likewise empowers pyrokinetics to their fullest - Alkazyr's army failed to defeat the Crescentali nation. Although, he was offered many times to join Alkazyr's army, my father declined, and it turns out, said actions didn't go unnoticed. My father is perhaps the only pyrokinetic patriarch of any nation to have a close alliance with the Crescentali Lord Mauricio.

Anyways, the beauty of being able to so openly convey emotions is that people can truly understand each other on a deeper level. Right now my mother conveyed her undying love and compassion. This was a very moving emotion to me, because I was worried my parents would have wanted to disown me. That was however not the case.

"My son..." Mom whispered as she approached me to embrace me with a hug that put me into tears instantly. I needed this so much.

Everything hit me instantly in that moment. All my disappointment in myself, my concern for what I might have lost, my loss of my dreams, that night that everything happened, all the pain I had endured... the instantaneous relief from all of this overtook me in my mother's embrace. I lost control of my emotions in that moment.

"Hey don't cry son, you are still my little warrior. Warriors don't cry, okay? Stiffen that lip up." She smiled looking at me holding my chin.

I couldn't help but grin as she siphoned my tears off my face and flung them to the ground. She had always done that since I could remember. Often acting as if they had attacked her son and would stomp on them after they hit the ground which would make me laugh. She commenced to do the same now like before. I let out a cheap chuckle before looking back at her.

"Where's Father?" I asked in a whisper.

"He wanted to come but he had to go oversee the grand opening of the new Battle Tourney Arena that the townspeople petitioned for." She smiled, "It really is something to be seen."

"Has it really been completed?" I asked excitedly but careful to maintain a whisper, "I can't wait to compete."

"They're having training starting tomorrow. The first tournament wont begin for six months." Lina whispered.

Having completely forgotten she was here, I immediately sat up straight and tried to make myself seem more masculine.

"Are you planning to compete too?" I asked her with a grin.

"No, my title as a professional guard prohibits me from competing, but I have to oversee the process as it is fully against all regulation to mortally wound your opponent." Lina replied with a grin, "Plus you wouldn't stand a chance if I joined."

"Oh really now? You just wait until it's closer to the tournament. We'll spar and we'll see who wouldn't stand a chance."

Lina laughed quietly, "Okay you've got a deal."

"Show us what you can do honey." My mom asked me curiously.

"Lina will have to step outside the construct." I stated, "I can't control the outcome yet."

Lina sighed, "I'm pretty sure I could handle it but okay."

She then proceeded to step just outside the water panes before turning back to watch.

I then stepped back and with confidence closed my eyes. I summoned every ounce of power plus what was stored in my tattoo before starting at a whisper, "taste... my... POWERRRR!!!!"

Then everything went black...