"A dragon?" Ronan asked. It was dark and cold in Greenwich park.
"Yeah." I said. "Made of smoke. Or mist."
He frowned. "I can't say I've ever heard of anything like it. You sure you weren't dreaming?"
I sighed loudly. "Yes, I'm sure that I was wide awake when I saw it at uni."
Ronan put his hands up in defence. "Sorry, I was just making sure."
"Sorry." I said quietly.
"It's bugging you, isn't it?" Ronan said, seemingly amused.
I nodded. "Yeah. I feel like it means something."
"Maybe this is a stupid question, but did you try talking to it? In your dream?"
I realised I hadn't, so shook my head. "I didn't." I wondered whether the shock of seeing a dragon had silenced me, but in my dream I'd felt no inclination to talk to it.
"If you dream about it again, then maybe try that. Or if you see it lurking about in reality, try and approach it." He suggested.
I nodded. "I guess I could try." I said.
"Anyway." Ronan said. "I think its time for you to start utilising your Black Prometheum a bit more."
"Okay." I said.
I knew that when an Argent is first chosen, they don't tend to use their Black Prometheum very much as they're trying to get to grips with their element. But, Ronan had informed me that after a few years, it's important to start using it more to keep the power under control. It's not just a blade- it's able to absorb an Argent's power and store it for later use if need be, or just discard it. If an Argent feels like they're about to have a power overload, they can use the Black Prometheum to stop them from exploding.
Ronan only told me only a few weeks ago that there is a period within an Argent's life- usually the third or fourth year- where they find it hard to keep their power under control. They call it the Chaos Phase, or just the Chaos for short. It's as if the element gets a mind of its own for a short period of time, so lets itself out. Nobody really knows why this happens, especially so long after being chosen- their best guess is that it's around the time when the Argent is truly becoming one with their element, so it's stronger than it's ever been before. I thought it would make more sense to happen at the very beginning when the user has less control, but no.
I had that to look forward to.
Not to mention the fact that I have more than one element to contain. Ronan is waiting to see whether I go through the Chaos for seven times longer than usual, or if it's seven times more powerful. If it's the latter, then I'd have to be careful. If all seven elements hit that phase at the same time, I would be like a ticking time bomb.
I summoned my Black Prometheum before Ronan had to ask, so that the blade rested neatly in my hand. Of course, it immediately lit up blue under my touch.
"Do you have any experience in knife wielding?" Ronan asked.
I gave him a look. "Do I look like the kinda girl who practices knife wielding?"
Ronan shrugged. "You're about to become one." He said. "Looks mean nothing with this kind of thing."
He had a point. "Fair enough." I said.
"Okay." Ronan began. "Before we go onto the tactical stuff and the fighting, you need to become competent in using the Black Prometheum for its prime purpose- distributing your power. We should probably start with the ice, seeing as it's your strongest. If you go through the Chaos one element at a time, that's probably the one that'll come first."
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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