Page 44 of Elemasters

“I guess,”

Dustin grimaced, but he didn’t push it. Chris hadn’t been quite the same since their battle with Leo. Dustin knew his pride was wounded, but the problem seemed to run deeper than that…

Unfortunately, getting Chris to open up about his feelings was about as easy as teaching a fish to walk.

He didn’t have much time to dwell on the thought, before Sima Yao’s voice drifted through his mind like a breeze over still water.

“Clear your minds. Attune your rings. Focus on the Palace,”

Everyone took their positions, forming the rough circle they’d practiced for the last two weeks. Dustin closed his eyes, reaching inward for that quiet hum of energy within him; a river’s current beneath his skin.

He felt Bailey’s presence first: warm, solid, grounding.

Then James: calm, bright, growing toward him like sunlight through leaves.

Then Chloe: sharp iron focus, disciplined and steady.

Then Chris: fiery, pulsing, restless; but stable enough to lean on.

The fog rose higher, swallowing the parking lot, and the group along with it. What came next was as familiar as it was disorienting; white mist completely overtaking their senses, blurring sight and sound in equal measure as they were transported across dimensions.

When Dustin opened his eyes, they were standing on the glowing tiles of the Palace of Radiant Clouds, the air humming with ancient power and the scent of distant incense.

Sima Yao waited at the top of the staircase, hands folded in his sleeves, gaze soft but solemn.

“Welcome back, young masters,” he began, “today, we begin the next stage. You have survived your first encounter with the Emperor’s Remnant, but the storm he prepares will not be so merciful. You must temper body and mind if you wish to survive the battles to come,”

“Body and mind? So we’ll need to do more than just master our powers?” James asked, quirking an eyebrow. Sima Yao nodded.

“To truly become one with the Five Elements, you must synchronize your mind and heart. Overcome fear, guilt, and attachment. It is the only way to become powerful enough to battle The Emperor at his full strength,”

“Great… fucking group therapy,” Chris grumbled, rolling his eyes.

“Stop being an asshole for two seconds,” Bailey impotently hissed, gently pulling Chris closer to her by the arm, “if it’s gonna help us prepare, then it’s necessary,”

“She’s right, we need to get to work,” Chloe said, rolling her shoulders back, “Sima, how should we start?”

Sima Yao turned his gaze to a stone wall in the far corner of the room, and it slid away with an echoing rumble; shaking the floors as it went. The new opening revealed a beautiful, tranquil lotus garden; moonlight from an unseen source shone down on the water, illuminating it in a way that gave the entire space an ethereal bluish-white hue.

“This is the Lotus Garden meditation room. The other sages and I once toiled here to improve our understanding of ourselves, and the power we once wielded. Here, your innermost thoughts become an outward reality. You must work together as a unit to traverse the dreamscape; this will allow your five disparate elements to finally function in true solidarity. Only then will you be at your full strength,”

“So, all of our deepest insecurities are going to be on display for everyone to see?” Dustin gulped, “I... don’t know if I’m ready for that,”

“I understand that it is disconcerting Second Master Ying,” Sima Yao’s eyes flickered to the floor, knowingly, “but it is absolutely vital to defeating the threat at hand. What you see within this illusory realm will likely shake you to your very core, but it is paramount that you do not falter or attempt to exit the exercise before it is complete. I am not sure what effect this would have on your power, or on your spirit,”

Yeah… that didn’t make Dustin feel any better.

His pulse thudded in his ears. He wasn’t sure what terrified him more; the idea of facing the darkness of his own mind, or the idea of everyone he cared about watching him break apart in real time.

Chloe crossed her arms, her brow furrowed with determination.

“Look, we all have shit we don’t want to face. But none of us came this far to chicken out now,”

Bailey nodded in agreement.

“Whatever we see… we face it together. That’s the whole point, right?”

“Yeah. We’ll handle it together, okay baobei?” James said, slipping his hand into Dustin’s and squeezing it tight.