"So... how do I go about this?" Erenyx asked, her voice edged with nervous curiosity.
Orion extended his right hand, a flicker of flame blooming to life. "Lightning — though considered one of the 'basic' elements — can also be created through fusion." In his other hand, a sphere of twisting air took shape. "It's the offspring of fire and air."
He took a deep breath, drawing the orbs closer. Flames and wind raged around him, each half of his body consumed by a different force. Erenyx shielded her face as the air howled, her hair whipping violently. Sparks burst where the two elements met, the ground beneath him cracking from the strain.
"This is what it takes to merge two elements," Orion said, his voice steady through the chaos.
"And this is a controlled reaction. I've already mastered fire, air, and lightning — for someone untrained, the backlash can be fatal."
Erenyx's eyes widened slightly. "But... you still want me to try?"
"I trust you," Orion said, meeting her gaze. "And I'll be right here watching."
She gulped, hesitating. "Y-Yeah... I can try."
He placed a hand on her shoulder. "If you don't want to, I won't push you."
Erenyx shook her head, determination burning through her fear. "No. I want to try."
"Good," Orion nodded. " Skip the separate manifestations — channel air through one side of your body, water through the other, then guide them together. Make them listen to you." He exhaled and began to levitate, "You can do this."
Erenyx scoffed, smirking through the pressure. "You still haven't taught me to fly, bastard."
The right side of her body erupted in a violent gale, her locs whipping upward. The left became engulfed in a swirling torrent of water.
"Balance the output, Erenyx!" Orion shouted over the roaring wind.
The storm steadied slightly as she clenched her teeth, her face tightening with strain.
"Now — picture them swirling together, like a tornado forming from your core!"
Erenyx nodded, focusing hard. The two elements began to spiral inward... but both currents twisted in the same direction.
Orion's eyes widened. "Wait—!"
A violent burst exploded from within her. Erenyx coughed up blood, collapsing to her knees.
"Erenyx!" Orion shouted, landing beside her in an instant.
Through the pain, she managed a ragged laugh. "Shit..."
Orion supported her, guilt on his face. "I'm sorry. I should've told you how to merge it."
Erenyx wiped the blood from her mouth, breathing shakily. "No... I should've figured that out myself."
Orion opened his mouth to speak. "Let's take a break. I'll grab you something to—"
"No!" she interrupted, her voice suddenly fierce. "One more time."
Erenyx's expression hardened — what looked like anger was really fierce determination. Once again, each side of her body erupted in its respective element. She inhaled deeply, eyes sharp and unwavering.
The two forces began to move, this time spiraling in opposite directions. The fusion started smooth — deliberate — each element matching the other's flow perfectly, neither overpowering the other. The air whipped into a growing tornado around her, the sheer energy shaking the clearing.
Her face tightened from the effort; the air grew cold, and the Weeping Forest fell silent.
Then came a sharp, high-pitched crack — not from the air or earth, but from within her. From her core, ice began to spread — a deep, luminous blue.
Ilvya's ice doesn't look like that... What in the hell is happening? Orion thought, his eyes flickering toward her energy.
The ice continued to expand, crawling slowly across her chest, its color deepening into a shade of navy unlike any ever seen. Orion's eyes widened — then lit up with awe. Her control was extraordinary; merging two elements was supposed to take years, yet she was bending them together as if she'd done it all her life. A small, proud smile crept across his face.
But then, it shifted. Erenyx's expression contorted — the strain exploding tenfold. The tornado around her fractured, and spears of that navy ice shot outward like shrapnel.
"Erenyx!" Orion shouted, readying himself to intervene.
"Stay back! I got this, dammit!" she barked, her voice shaking with both pain and defiance.
The wind thrashed one final time before calming — the storm collapsing into stillness. All that remained was a faint glow on her chest: a crystalline star of deep blue ice, pulsing softly.
Orion dropped down beside her, landing with a thud. "The hell is that?" he asked quickly, his tone equal parts curiosity and concern.
Erenyx only shrugged, then flopped onto her back, staring up through the canopy. "Now that I've mixed the two... how do I even use it?"
"That," Orion said, sitting beside her with a faint grin, "is where it gets complicated."
He tapped a finger against her chest. "You know how you had to dig deep to feel lightning for the first time? Now you've got to do that again — for an element that doesn't even have a real name yet."
He leaned back, smirking faintly. "Sounds like fun, doesn't it?"
...
"Is it the same as the natural ice element?" Caelus asked quietly.
Orion shook his head. "No... there's something off about it. Not just the color — the energy feels different. What color was Ilvya's again?"
Caelus hesitated. "Hers had no color. It was clear... like frozen glass."
Orion exhaled sharply, cracking his neck. "Great. They're both anomalies," he muttered, turning back toward Erenyx.
"I'm sure she got it from her mother," Caelus said under his breath.
Orion froze mid-step. His tone dropped to a chill. "Don't say something like that, Caelus. You know we both wouldn't want that."
The room fell silent — the weight of the past lingering heavier than the frost in the air.