Argent Eye III

12

I nodded. "Do you usually tell your trainees about the Chaos Phase just before it's due to happen?"

"Sometimes." He said. "Usually it comes up in conversation beforehand, but you seemed to have had a lot on your plate every time I thought about telling you."

"Oh." I said. "What if it happened early or something?"

"Don't worry, I would have known." He said. "I can usually sense when it's nearby."

"So it could happen any day?" I asked.

He nodded. "And for any length of time. I have no idea with you."

I chuckled nervously. "That's comforting."

"Try not to worry too much about it." He said. "You have plenty of people around who can help you."

I agreed. "I guess."

"Anyway, stop distracting me with questions." He said. "I want you to summon the ice, but don't let it materialise. Just keep it at the surface."

I did as he said, channelling my veins with the ice, feeling its strength course through me without actually letting it out.

"Keep it building, and then tell me when you think you might explode." Ronan said.

I frowned, but did it anyway. I continued to access the ice, letting it fill me- it was difficult not to fuse with it at this point, so I remained extremely focused, closing my eyes and keeping my fists clenched by my side, clutching the blade, before-

I exploded.

I was about to tell Ronan that I probably wouldn't be able to hold it for much longer, but it seemed I couldn't hold it any longer.

"Oops." I said, looking around. I was in the centre of a white circle that spanned at least fifty metres each way, the ground frozen solid and white. Where there were plants, there were now frozen spikes. Tree trunks had a thick layer of ice covering them, right from the ground to way above my head. Ronan had his arm held over his face- there was a small patch of unfrozen ground behind him, where he'd blocked the incoming wave.

He pulled his arm down when he was sure the coast was clear, and looked at me, shaking his head. "A bit of warning might have been nice." He said, looking around.

I grinned. "My bad. I was about to tell you."

He just laughed. "Okay, well, I was going to tell you to think about the blade in your hand when you felt like you were about to explode. Think about the connection you have, and try to channel your power through your hand and into the blade." He said.

I nodded, understanding.

"Do what you did again, but try not to explode this time." He said, amused.

"Okay." I said, and repeated. The ice came flooding in, filling my veins with power and energy, and then right at the point where I thought I might blow, I felt for the Black Prometheum in my hand. I reached out mentally, almost as if I were summoning it but this time, it was like opening a box- my mind was the key. Almost immediately I started to feel the energy subside and flow down my arm and into the blade, until I felt normal again.

I let out a breath I didn't realise I'd been holding, and then looked at the knife. It was still glowing, but I could feel the sudden influx of power radiating from it.

"Nice." Ronan said. "Now, you can either use that power now, or when you dismiss it, the power will go."

"Go where?" I wondered.

Ronan shrugged. "Into the universe, probably, so it can be used again."

"Oh." I said, and then looked back down at the knife. "I think I wanna try using it."

Ronan nodded. "Okay. Well, feel its power." He said. "It shouldn't be too difficult- it's quite strong. Then, let it out."

I gripped the hilt a little firmer, and then moved so I stood facing away from Ronan. Then, I swung the blade in an upwards arc- the ice escaped, probably quicker and way more powerfully than I could have done if I just released it through my hands. All that energy I'd built up was released all at once. It cut across the grass, creating an icy wall of sorts but with lots of spikes and bumps coming out of it.

"Good." Ronan said. "Now, if by any chance you start to feel a sudden surge of energy, this is what you need to do. Summon the Black Prometheum as quick as you can, get to somewhere where there aren't any people or things to damage just in case things go south, and repeat what we just did. If you need help getting out of anywhere for any reason, call me. I'm sure David and Irina will be happy to help you, too."

"Do Heirs go through the Chaos?" I asked.

"Sometimes." Ronan said. "Depends how powerful the Heir."

"So you reckon David did?"

Ronan shrugged. "I expect so." He said. "You'll have to ask him."

I nodded, making a mental note to ask both David and Irina about their Chaos Phases. Then, Ronan took me home and I went to bed.

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