Spells of a Supreme

Chapter 2: Cassandra

The pillars stood thirty-feet tall and were lined with images of our magical elements. I touched the first monolith, and my skin crawled. The other, no more than ten feet away from the first, felt warm, a heat radiating from where it met the ground. Beyond the pillars, a barren wasteland stared back.

The scenery didn't seem real. For as far as I could see, everything was the color of sand, even the sky. Leafless trees peppered the land. Birds were perched atop petrified branches. My mouth became dry just looking at the place. I stepped back toward the trees and found a broken branch on the ground. I had the feeling as soon as I stepped between the pillars I would be cut in half.

"I'm here. Now what?"

With no answer, I moved closer to the pillars and reached out with the branch, watching it disappear as it entered the strange beyond. I pulled the stick back and then tossed it through the opening. A soft sucking sound arose as it disappeared.

"Hello?" I called. The birds ignored me and although their beaks moved, I heard nothing. I glanced back at the forest where the trees had closed off the path and made it impossible to go around. I had only one direction to go. "Someone care to explain what's going on?"

Seek and you will find, Cassandra.

"You want me to walk into that wasteland? That's not exactly a vacation resort." I looked around for the disembodied voice. "Why are you playing games with me? Show yourself."

The self cannot be shown unless the body is turned inside out. Nothing is ever as it seems, Cassandra. Nothing.

"That's a very noble statement, but I'm not going anywhere until you tell me why I'm here and where my friends are." I stood my ground but kept an eye on the barren land in front of me. "None of this makes any sense. Why'd you bring me here?"

Fear not that which will bring you joy.

"Going in there will bring me nothing but grief." I hesitated for several minutes, considering my options, only one on the table. Move forward because there was no moving backward. "Have it your way, I suppose." I reached out past the pillars, and my hand disappeared. "You're kidding right? Walk blindly into your trap? Where are the guys? Where's Aurelius?" I pulled my hand back and studied it, turning it palm up. My skin tingled a bit, but other than that everything appeared normal.

What waits for you is the one thing you've spent your entire life searching for, Cassandra. Step into my world and find the world you desire.

I stuck my hand between the pillars again and then reached into the nothingness, finding the courage to step forward, moments later entering a magical place much different than the wasteland I'd seen before stepping through.

Looking around, I remembered dreaming of a similar place. Maybe the same place I stood now. Every color glowed brilliantly as if recently painted or created, unaffected by the tests of time. I went to my knees and plucked a purple flower from the ground. A new flower emerged in the same spot. When I ran my thumb across the petals, my thumb came away purple. I glanced up at the sun and then looked back where I should have had a shadow. The place was nothing short of perfection.

When I returned to my feet, a gentle breeze washed over me, bringing with it the smells of a million flowers, freshly baked bread, and a whiff of strawberries, all smells I relished as a child. That was when I remembered having seen the place. It was exactly as I had imagined when I lay in bed at night after my parents tucked me in. I dreamed of all those things.

I glanced at the pillars once more, no longer considering a quick return to the forest or the place Aurelius had dropped me. Maybe the guys would find their way to me. The voice could call after them as well. I moved through the flowers and took deep breaths. Outside the pillars, everything was falling apart. The world had gone mad. But where I walked everything was perfect except for not having the guys with me.

It's time, Cassandra.

I looked in the direction the voice came and watched in awe as the whirlwind approached in the distance, changing colors as it tore through the field of flowers. Normally I would have run, but the last thing Cassandra Clarke needed to do was run. That Cassandra no longer existed. The time had come to take a stand against whatever challenges came my way. I pulled out my wand and prepared to defend myself. Things were coming down to me versus Edius, and I would die defending myself before being defeated.

The whirlwind slowed fifty yards away and then slowly died, revealing a man at its center.

He stood six and a half feet tall. His black boots, shin-high, gave him an extra three-inches. His black ponytail bounced around as he practiced magic. His concentration on his movements was amazing, but not nearly as amazing as the movement of his hands. They glowed different colors depending on which element he was conjuring, his hands moving in slow motion despite the rest of his body moving at a greater speed. It was like watching someone pass through a dozen different dimensions at the same time.

I took a seat on a fallen tree and watched the man. As far as I could tell he had not noticed me, but I suspected his voice had been the one I'd been hearing. He raised his hands toward his chest and closed his eyes. The sky above him swirled, the white clouds turning silver and glistening with moisture. He brought his hands together, and the air cooled, giving me a chill. He raised his hands slowly, the clouds swirling faster, the air growing colder. In one fell swoop, he went to a knee and brought one hand down to the ground. And even before his hand hit dirt, hundreds of sheets of ice fell from the sky, creating a large circle around the man, a sheet landing only feet from where I sat in awe of his performance. I'd once tried the very spell using Oliver's element, but I'd failed miserably.

He stood and quickly rubbed his hands together, shooting them out from his sides, rising higher, an acrobat on an invisible high wire. I never saw his hands glow, and then there were two streams of fire emanating from his fingers, melting the ice, never shooting past the intended target. The circle of ice created a circular moat that quickly dried when the man spun and created a dozen whirlwinds.

Finally, he jumped into the air and came down hard, his fists slamming into the ground, the tremor knocking me from the fallen tree. The circular trench previously created by the sheets of ice disappeared. It all happened within a minute, and all happened with a distinct precision I'd never seen before.

At first, I wanted to be like Ren, and then I met Aurelius. For three years I wanted to be as powerful as Aurelius, but even he told me my power would be far greater than his if I believed it could be. No witch or wizard had been as powerful as this man. My single desire was to be at this man's pinnacle, to control my magic the way he had controlled his. Most importantly, he'd controlled each element as if they were his own. I needed him to be my final mentor. I needed to learn his skills, because his skills were those that would defeat Edius.

He moved to the ground and sat lotus-style. He rested his elbows on his knees and, on each hand, pressed his thumbs and index fingers together.

Levitation had been around for thousands of years, so I wasn't surprised when he levitated. But I was surprised when everything in his circle levitated, including me. He had managed to manipulate his environment, mastering all around him with an invisible ease. A bee flew near, and as it came close, I could see its wings flapping in slow motion. It should not have been able to maintain flight. Then I realized the man at the center was controlling the bee.

He lowered to the ground, and so did everything else around him. I stood and considered approaching the man. But I knew of the deadly consequences of interrupting someone like him while he maintained his self. "Hello," I finally said.

His eyes remained closed. "Good morning, Cassandra." His voice carried an authority I'd never experienced. "I've been expecting you for some time now. I'm glad you finally came. Please know I'm of no danger to you."

"Where am I?"

"You are currently inside my reality, one I shared in your dreams many years ago." His eyes remained closed when he brought his hands together. He levitated again, this time standing with his feet on the ground. He opened his eyes and smiled. "You've grown into a fine young woman. Just as I suspected you would."

"How did you know me?"

"I've known you all your life, Cassandra. Just as you have been selected for this moment, I was selected years ago to help you now, to ensure you become the Supreme you were meant to be." He adjusted his white robe and stepped back. "Shall we begin?"

"Now? I don't even know your name."

"Aeden," he said, and offered his hand. "And yes, I'm older than I look and have been around a long time, too long to mention."

I placed my hand in his, and the energy that passed into my body lifted me off my feet. I stared at him wide-eyed. "How'd you do that?"

He withdrew his energy, and I returned to my feet though he continued to hold my hand. He placed his other hand over mine, and I found myself soaring through his mind, body, and soul. Everything about the man was pure. As I soared, I glanced down and saw the landscape beneath us.

The classical elements are not so hard to master, Cassandra. What you must truly learn is the spirit element. That which will make you the greatest witch of them all. You will eventually become like me, maybe even more powerful.

None of my other mentors mentioned the spirit element.

Because they have yet to master the most important element. You will learn to do so under my tutelage.

Once again, I felt Aeden's energy wane and when I opened my eyes we were standing in the circle. "That's what the spirit element allows us to do? To see what we saw and to experience what we did?"

"The spirit element allows you to see inside yourself and to use the power within to control the things without." He released my hand. "I'm here to help you master all things magic. You have Supreme within your grasp, Cassandra."

"That's all I've ever wanted."

"And that's why you're here."

"Can you help me find my friends? I need them to see this and meet you."

Aeden nodded. "They are here but have not yet settled into their dorm." He started moving his hands, the crystal's blue glow mesmerizing. "I only ask that you wait until tomorrow to find them. Until that time, you and I will practice, and I will evaluate your skills."

"I'm prepared to be the best," I said. "Despite all that has gone wrong."

"Then let's make it so, Cassandra. Place your hands together and then find my water element. Your first test is a tidal wave."

I looked around. "There's no water."

Aeden smiled. "It's magic."