Author's note: So I have returned! I thank you all for the lovely reviews I received and to show my thanks even more, I will give you all free cookies *hands cookies out to everyone* Enjoy! And to CosmosQueen's question, Nicholas has Clarent. I kind of forgot to mention the fact he got it back ^^; whoops!

Warnings: None

Disclaimer: I do not own the sandbox. I just jump the fence to play in it.

(June 5, New Delhi, India, 5:22 am)

"JOSH! HELP ME!"

Fire was everywhere. Clinging to the walls of the metal fortress and even on a few creatures that were standing too close to it. Josh looked at the flames in a daze, his fingers clenching and unclenching around the hilt of the sword he was carrying. His aura flickered brightly around him, the smell of citrus contrasting horribly to the smell of the fire. He could see a tiny bald man helping a dazed and almost unconscious Nicholas and Joan fighting with Freyja. A dark-skinned man clashed swords with Dee, but he could not find Sophie.

"JOSH! HELP!"

He blinked, the daze clearing as the image of his sister came into view. His heart beat pounded at the sight of her surrounded by huge flames, with no way of escaping. Ash covered her face and hair, but he could see her eyes clearly and could tell she was terribly frightened.

"JOSH! PLEASE!" she screamed at him, her aura flaring up around her. "HELP ME!"

He stepped forward towards her, but the flames covered her body, her screams piercing into the sky.

"JOSH!"

"JOSH!"

Josh's eyes shot open and he flew from his bed, ignoring the surprised look he got from the Elder standing above him. He inhaled heavily, placing a hand over his still pounding heart. What kind of a dream was that? Was Sophie in some sort of danger? More importantly though, was it because of him? Had he put his sister in some sort of trouble?

"You were dreaming," Agneya began. "You kept muttering no in your sleep. Sometimes humani have omens in their dreams. Have you done something that you are beginning to regret?"

He shook his head, feeling mildly surprised at the question. "N..No," he stuttered, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "It was just a dream, that's all. Just a really bad, really weird dream," he closed his eyes, taking a large calming breath. When he opened his eyes, he still found that she was standing there. "Why are you here anyways?"

She walked over to the window, pulling back the drapes to reveal a lightening gray sky. "The sun will be rising soon," she stated simply, turning back to meet him with eyes that looked like coals burning. "We will now begin learning Fire Magic."

"Right now? But I haven't eaten anything!"

She raised an eyebrow. "Eating before training in Elemental Magic is not a wise idea. Especially Fire Magic. And I don't think the English Magician would like to wait any longer for you start learning. He said he wants to leave India as soon as you are done," a dangerous smile lit her face. "And the sooner he gets out, the better. He has many enemies here in India."

"How many?"

"Trust me, sweetie, you don't want to know."

Though he kind of wanted to know what sort of trouble Dee had gotten in before, the look on the Elder's face told him not to bring it up. Instead, he just splashed some cold water on his face and followed her out of the room. She led him through a wooden hallway, walking past many Indian sculptures. The one that caught his eye the most was the large sculpture of a blue skin woman with four arms. Her top right arm held up sword, the top left arm carried a head, and the bottom left arm held a kapala that seemed to catch the blood coming from the head. Josh didn't know what was more disturbing: the fact that she had a garland of heads around her neck or the fact that she was standing on someone's body.

"That is my Aunt, Kali. One of the most powerful Elders," Agneya looked at the sculpture with pride before motioning her head to follow her. "Well we must not dawdle. The sun will be rising very soon."

Giving one last look towards the statue, he continued to follow her until she stopped in the middle of a very large spacious room. Even though it was dark and it made him feel very claustrophobic, he swore he could see the Elder standing before him glowing. Before he could even blink, she snapped her fingers and a fire formed in the middle of the floor.

He whirled around to stare at it before turning back to her. "How did you?" he asked, eyes widening at her. "Whoa."

Agneya had changed. No longer was she wearing modern clothes, but rather that of a traditional Hindu goddess. Her skirt flared around her legs, the red coloring almost the exact shade of the flames that danced before them. Her skin was no longer a dark color but more a luminescent yellow. It seemed to glow and radiate energy and before he could stop it, his aura flared around his body and brought the sharp smell of oranges with it.

She smiled distantly at him, waving her now four arms. "Are you ready, Josh Newman?" she asked firmly. "I have warned the doctor and the Disir to stay out of this room until I allow them. We do not need the training to be disturbed."

"O…Okay," he stammered, now feeling very nervous. "This is going to be safe, right?"

"I don't know. Not very many Awakened mortals and immortals have survived my teaching. But since you are a gold, you will most likely have a stronger chance," she smiled at him reassuringly. "I am not cruel, so I will not lie to you, Josh. My procedure of Fire Magic is a bit…different from the other Masters."

"How?"

"I am a daughter of Elder who originally created fire. Yes, many legends say that Prometheus created fire, and then a man named Saint-Germain stole it from him. But legends do not recall that Prometheus stole the art of Fire Magic from my father, Agni, and then modified it to make it more…safe for the humani."

Josh wouldn't deny it; he felt sick. "So then, I guess it would be better if I did not know all the details?"

"Yes, that would be wise."

He squared his shoulders, taking in a deep breath. "Alright then, let's begin."

She stepped around him, heading over to the flames with a bowl in her bottom right hand. Her eyes glowed luminescent yellow for a moment as she chanted in an archaic language that Josh found he somewhat understood. Instantly the fire burned brighter and grew hotter. He lifted up his hands, trying to shield his eyes from the bright light.

"Many say that Air, Earth, and even Water are the most important Elements, but they are wrong," Agneya walked around him slowly, eyes on his nervous and tense body. "Fire is the most powerful, if not the most important Element. Fire is what allows the humani to cook their food, to give them warmth, to keep them alive when it is cold."

Through the bright light, he could see little pictures of humans dancing on the Elder's palms, showing them doing their daily routines with fire and all the things it brought. When she closed her palms, the images disappeared. "Without Fire, the Humani would not exist. The Magic of Fire is what keeps them alive. Are you fully prepared to take on the responsibility of its power?"

He nodded, feeling strangely calm for some reason. Perhaps because of the warmth of the fire? "I am," he answered whole heartedly. "I am ready."

"Then, Josh Newman, of the race of the Humani, I grant you the power of fire."

Without even giving him a warning, the Elder took the bowl in her top two hands and poured the dancing fire onto his head. A raw scream broke from the back of his throat and he fell to the floor, twitching and spasming on the cold ground.

The pain was beyond imagination. It felt as if the fire was peeling his skin apart and he could feel every single skin cell disintegrate into nothing. He couldn't help the sob that escaped from his lips as he curled into a ball on the floor, tears falling down his face. He wondered briefly if Sophie had felt this kind of pain, but as the pain grew more intense, so did his screams.

Agneya looked at him with sympathy, but made no move to comfort him. "With these flames blessed with the knowledge of Fire," she said in a low voice. "You will know everything about Fire Magic; even more so than your sister." She turned around sharply as they heard a door being thrown open and Dee and Freyja running into the room.

"What did you do to him?" Freyja snarled, holding her broadsword under the Elder's chin. "We heard him screaming from all the way down stairs!"

Blinking up through his tears, he felt a pair of arms wrap around his upper midsection. Dee looked down at him with narrowed eyes, as if he was thinking hard about something. "Put the sword down," he barked at the Disir. "He's going to be fine."

"How do you know?"

"See his skin? He's not even burnt!"

And then, he felt nothing. Blinking away the tears, Josh realized the pain had subsided and now he felt nothing but gentle warmth through his body. The tears hissed against his cheek and steam rose above them. Dee sighed, taking his gloved hand and wiping away the tears. "See?" he glanced towards Freyja. "He's fine now."

Agneya nodded gravely. "The Doctor is right," she rubbed her chin a little as Freyja sheathed her sword. "The knowledge of Fire is in him now. He will be even more powerful than his sister. And with the benefits of Fire, he will never feel cold again and he will never be defenseless. But I warn you, Josh: Do not use the Magic of Fire when you are angry or it will consume you, do you hear?"

Josh nodded, allowing Dee to help him up. "I understand," he began. "Is there anything else I need to know?"

"Though you may not feel any different, the knowledge of Fire is in you. When you want to use it, the knowledge will come to you," she smiled, indicating her head to follow her. "Now you three have stayed here long enough. I have a leygate that will send you to England."

"Where in England?"

"London."

She opened a connecting door, revealing a large mirror that stood at the back wall. Taking Josh by the hand, she held his hand up to the mirror. His aura instantly flared around him and the mirror burst to life. In a strange daze, it reminded him of the time when the Witch opened up a leygate in Ojai only…four days ago.

"Go," the Elder commanded, glaring at the doctor distastefully. "The boy's aura has already alerted other creatures of your presence. Waste no more time and get out of here!"

Josh jumped when he felt Freyja take him by the arm, ushering him through the portal with Dee close behind. Closing his eyes as he entered the mirror, the sound of rain and cars honking caught him by surprise. Dee smiled brightly, giving a large sigh of relief. "It's good to be home," the English man began. "Back in my home city."

Josh nodded. "And Sophie is here."

"Yes. And so are many of my allies."

(June 5, Palamedes house, London, England, 2 am)

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Joan instantly opened her eyes from her spot on the couch, her quick reflexes instantly making her jump from the couch and to the room where Sophie was staying in. She practically threw down the door, ignoring the annoyed looks she got from Palamedes and Shakespeare. Sophie was curled into a ball, screaming into the bed she was in.

"Sophie," Joan wrapped her arms around the girl, bringing the child into her lap to comfort her. "Sophie, what is it?"

Sophie let out a shaky breath, tears streaming from her face as she continued to cry. "Josh…" she sobbed violently. "Josh is in pain, terrible pain."

Nicholas entered the room, staring at the girl in concern. "Sophie, why is Josh in pain?" he asked slowly. "What's wrong with him?"

"Fire," the girl whimpered. "There's fire."

Joan glanced up at the other three immortals. "The boy must be learning Fire Magic," she narrowed her eyes at the thought of Dee teaching him Fire Magic. "Dee must have found someone to teach him. But what kind of method is he using?"

Shakespeare only shook his head, looking at Sophie with sadness. "I know the doctor, but I don't know who he would have contacted," he looked to Nicholas. "But whatever method he is using is hurting the boy."

Joan rocked Sophie back in forth, smoothing down the girl's blond hair. "Sophie?" she asked lowly, gently. "Do you think you'll be alright now?"

"Fire…"

"What?"

"MY BODY IS ON FIRE!"

Sophie was shaking now, her eyes bloodshot in the dark as more tears poured from her eyes. Joan held the shaking girl, fear rising in her as Sophie kept trying to get out of her arms. Nicholas turned to Palmaedes helplessly. "Is there anything you and Will can do?"

Palamedes only shook his head. "There isn't anything we can do but wait until it passes."

"It looks like we won't have to wait long," Joan murmured, continuing to rock the girl in her arms. "She's already calming down."

Sophie looked more peaceful now. She was beginning to breathe easier and she wasn't twitching around. Joan set her back on the bed, putting the blanket over her as the fifteen year old girl fell back asleep. She turned to the men in front of her, anger evident in her eyes. "We must stop them," she growled. "Whatever Dee is making Josh do, it is hurting Sophie."

"Why don't you tell that to Dee," Palamedes muttered. "I just received word from a friend here in London that he's here."

"Which is bad news for us," Nicholas muttered. "And we better get ready for when he arrives."

Word Count: 2,556

Alright, so I had to reread The Necromancer a little and I remember Prometheus told Josh that he had stolen the secret of Fire from someone else, but didn't exactly say who, so I kind of decided he stole it from the Hindu God Agni. I'm sure Michael Scott had another person in mind, but since this is my story, I decided to make it Agni. Interesting method of learning Fire Magic, huh? Who else wants to try it? Well not me! Review please!