Chapter 18

The wind whistled past Aaron as he flew, flashing through the woods. He and Helena had departed the city on horseback but once they were sure they were alone, they'd secured their horses to a tree and continued their way.

The wings had poured from Aaron's back once more as Helena leapt into the air, twin blasts igniting under her feet. Ignoring the panicked whinnies of the horses, they'd then tore off through the woods. Taking care to not rise above the forest, they darted between limbs and branches as they each wove a path forward. Helena might have been faster but she couldn't manage the sharp turns he could perform as he twisted and flowed around each obstacle. As such they both managed to remain even until they eventually broke from the trees out over a raging river.

Down below it dropped into the fjord that led to the city but they weren't looking below. Instead their focus was ahead, towards the great waterfall that cut from between the mountain's shoulders. Hundreds of feet tall, water coursed from its top only to plummet in a seemingly endless fall, creating a barrier of mist and ice that was impassible on foot. By air, however, it was only a simple matter of rising over it.

Still, while Aaron might have been able to keep up with Helena in the woods the second they came into the open she began to pull away. The blast behind her only intensified, rocketing her forward as she raced towards its heights. She no longer needed a guide to know where they were going so all he could do was try to catch up.

Despite his best efforts, though, his shoulder was already beginning to scream from the exertion as he watched Helena vanish over the top of the falls, which suited him fine. Now there was no one to watch his beleaguered efforts as he tried to climb higher and higher. It may have taken considerably more effort than it used to but Aaron was still able to finally pull level with the falls and over, gliding into the vale beyond while wincing at the pain.

Once there, though, he no longer needed to struggle as he drifted down towards the frigid lake tucked within. Feeding the waterfall beyond, the innumerous smooth stones that made up its shore were still covered in icy rime while its surface hadn't even begun to thaw. Whilst in the fjord spring was well underway, winter had yet to release its grip up here as he marveled at the landscape stretching out before him. Endless ranks of trees filed down the slopes only to stop short of the lake, their boughs still laden with snow. Overlooking it all, the towering white peaks toyed with passing clouds as they hemmed in the valley to create a paradise above the rest of the world.

Aaron felt a pang of longing as he took it all in. A place very similar to this had once been his home but he'd given it all up. And he would again in a heartbeat if needed. Still, that didn't mean he didn't miss it as he landed beside his sister.

She was waiting for him on the shore of the lake, her flames having melted away the snow around her when she alighted. A sharp, cold wind tugged at her hair as it whispered over the lake but she didn't mind, her eyes distant as she gazed over the ice.

Instead of watching him come in, Helena only looked up when he settled back to earth. Even so, she still caught the ache on his face as he let his wings go, allowing them to shred into a shower of embers that drifted away on the breeze. "Are you alright?" she asked, watching him closely.

"I'm fine," he said brusquely. In spite of his efforts, all it took was a shift of his shoulder to make him wince as she studied him. Not exactly savoring the attention, Aaron quickly gestured around them. "Here we are. The perfect little getaway. What do you think?"

To Aaron the vale was nothing short of stunning and filled him with a sense of longing, but the look on her face suggested something very different as she surveyed the frozen landscape. Her eyes were just as hard and cold as the ice before them as she silently took it all in.

When she didn't respond he quietly asked, "Helena?"

At least her expression softened a little when she looked at him, although not entirely as she said, "Sorry. Just remembering valleys like this one from long ago."

Her words made his stomach clench and he found himself hesitating. It was the first time she'd voluntarily mentioned something he was so desperate to learn more about. Still, as eager as he was, Aaron wasn't about to blow his chance by just barreling ahead, instead cautiously insinuating, "After I left?"

"Mm."

…"Do you mind if I ask what happened?"

Helena had been studying the looming peaks overhead but that question brought her attention back to him. "What do you mean?"

"After we… parted." Pausing, he cleared his throat while shifting from one foot to the other. "It seemed like a sensitive topic for you."

In spite of his trepidation, however, Helena didn't return to the distant paranoia he'd been seeing so far. Instead she just looked impatient as she shrugged. "I just don't like dwelling on the past."

"Can't say that I do either." With that an awkward silence fell as he silently let it drop. If she wanted to open up to him then she would. In her own time. "So. What did you want to show me?"

That managed to coax her smile back out as she looked out over the lake. Instantly an excitement lit within her as that glow returned to her eyes and she crowed, "Why, this of course."

Just like that, the fire came streaming back out of her as she suddenly stretched a hand forward, sending a roll of flames roaring over the ice. It hadn't even begun to fade before she spun, unleashing a second tendril that flowed around her. Rather than letting it drift away, all it took was a flick of her hand to bring it all into a single pulsating blaze and a simple cast to catapult it onto the lake. Arcing through the air, the fireball crashed into the ice with an echoing explosion that cracked through to send a plume of water and steam gysering into the air.

The sudden display had startled Aaron at first and yet he found himself inadvertently smiling as he watched the eruption smatter back down. As dangerous as their gifts may have been, it was still kind of fun watching what someone else could do as he uttered, "Wow. I'll admit, that was impressive."

Helena, meanwhile, was letting out a satisfied sigh, clearly savoring the outburst before looking at him with a grin. "Thank you. Now it's your turn."

Hesitating, he glanced back at the steaming crater she'd created before asking, "Me?"

"Why not?" Gesturing at the valley, her smile only grew as she said, "Look around you, Aaron. We don't have anything to hide here."

He was still unsure about cutting loose but all it took was a look at his sister to agree. She was finally starting to act how he'd hoped she would and he wasn't about to stop that. "I suppose not."

With that, he allowed himself to relax and for the flames to flow. Admittedly, it did feel good just to let it all go, to not have to constantly hold it all back as they erupted from him. Like taking a good, long stretch after being cramped for so long. Unlike her, though, he didn't go for any grand spectacle or display. All he did was let it rush out of him, enveloping him in a pyre as it curled up towards the sky as the snow around his feet instantly vaporized with a hiss. As he did so he also found himself giving into a sigh of his own as his eyes drifted shut and he just relished the relief.

But only until he heard something. Something that he wasn't sure he'd ever hear again.

Sneaking in through the snapping inferno around him, it was barely audible over the din yet there was no denying what it was as he reopened his eyes to see that his sister was in fact laughing. She wasn't looking at him, having reignited her feet and floated over the lake as though she were skating. At the same time she'd begun to release blaze after blaze from her hands in a myriad of colors, from crimson to violet as she painted the sky in a rippling mirage of fire. All the while he could hear a blithe, clear laugh coming from her as she gracefully skated along, caught up in her own rapture.

It was a captivating sound that instantly tugged at his heart as he listened to it. After so many years he may have lost hope of ever hearing her laugh again but he never forgot what it sounded like. So to actually hear it again after all this time, after all the hurt she'd displayed to him thus far…

Aaron found himself having to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat before giving a small cough. She probably wasn't ready for any large displays of emotion so he tried to stuff it all away before she noticed. Still, he couldn't resist the urge for one little tease as he tapered his own flames down until they merely thrummed from his hands. She could handle that, at the very least.

Calling out so she could hear him over the fire and wind, he razzed, "Somebody's enjoying herself!"

Just as Aaron expected, as soon as he called attention to it Helena's enthrallment began to flee, only it wasn't replaced by embarrassment or regret. Instead she flashed him another one of those stony stares she'd been showing so often. But only for a moment before her expression softened as she drifted back from over the lake to land next to him. Brushing her hair back, she did manage to look at him but only barely as she said, "Sorry. It's just been so long since I last got to cut loose."

He wasn't about to ruin her fun, though, as he shook his head. "Then by all means. Go off."

Perking up, she gave him what was on the verge of becoming a wild look as she grinned. "Oh, I intend to." She'd already retreated several steps before thinking to add, "Although you may want to watch yourself. It's about to get hot."

Giving a smirk of his own, Aaron took a few steps back but continued to watch his sister avidly with his arms folded. It was just so good to see her enjoying herself, to the point that he felt the urge to join in. Rather than doing so, however, he restrained himself. At least let her unwind some more first.

Unwinding appeared to be exactly what Helena had in mind as she sent a blazing vortex into the sky, laughing again as she did so. Most of the snow around them and a great deal of ice on the lake had already thawed under their displays to reveal the grey stones beneath but the rest was quickly swept away when she then sent a wave of fire flowing out in all directions. Including where Aaron was standing.

Quick thinking was all that prevented him from being enveloped by it as he slapped his hands together in front of him before spreading them wide, causing the impending wall to split around him. The flames curled towards him as they rushed past yet not one touched him as the blazing flood rushed by to reveal his sister watching him unabashedly.

As much as he wanted her to have fun, her carelessness still managed to prick his annoyance as he scolded, "Hey! You could be a little more careful, you know."

In spite of his warning, Helena continued looking at him shamelessly as she called back, "What? You're telling me you couldn't handle that?"

"Of course I can," Aaron retorted quickly. "Just, a little warning next time would be nice."

"Oh, right. I'll be sure to do that in the future."

The amusement in her voice left him doubting if she even remotely meant it and, sure enough, it wasn't long before she confirmed his suspicions. She hardly bothered with any pretense by sending a handful of other streams harmlessly into the air before suddenly whirling to send a ravenous blast straight towards him.

As before, it was a simple matter of deflecting it off to one side, although this time he wasn't irritated. Instead, now he was brandishing a smirk of his own as he set his sights on her. Alright. You asked for this. Then the next attack came, even fiercer and hotter than the first as it screamed towards him.

This time when he reached out to move it, however, Aaron found something he'd never experienced before. Rather than splitting The flames ignored him as they continued to barrel forward, no matter how hard he tried to break them. As though they were already enslaved to someone else.

Still, as bizarre as that was, it didn't mean he was out of options as he responded by throwing up a wall of his own. The two infernos met in a deafening snarl as they struggled against one another. All the while he continued to grapple with her hold over the fire, vying for dominance as they struggled until, eventually, he managed to get the upper hand enough to split her wave wide. Any sense of victory was lost, though, as soon as the flames parted to reveal that she was no longer standing across from him.

The only warning Aaron got was a sudden whiff of heat coming from behind him as he turned to deflect it while spotting Helena on the move. Skating once more, she moved much faster than she had before as she began circling him, hunting for any opening to exploit. Rather than looking enthralled or frustrated, her burning eyes were merely tight with concentration as she stalked him. If she thought he was just going to stand there and take it, though, she was sorely mistaken.

Instantly his wings reappeared with a blazing flash, sprouting from him in an eruption of light before hurling him backwards with a flap. The sudden move managed to open up some space between them and, as expected, she didn't hesitate to veer towards him in an effort to close it again. As such she was quickly met by another towering pillar of fire rushing forward. Rather than trying to overpower or avoid it, though, she merely pulled her own flames in tight so that she was surrounded by a ball of flames that allowed her to punch through.

Emerging on the other side unscathed, she didn't stop there as she rushed straight at him, her hands overflowing with fire. Fortunately for him, Aaron was able to see what was coming as he twisted off to one side. If he hadn't, who knows how much the blow would have hurt as her fist missed him by mere inches while hurtling past, her sharp gaze fixed on him before she flashed by.

Woah… she nearly hit me with that one, he thought as he turned to track her. Although obviously they weren't actually trying to hit one another. Right?

Aaron didn't have time to ponder as she quickly came about for another pass. Racing low to the ground, Helena sped faster and faster as she roared along. Once again, it was all he could do to dodge out of the way, only to be met with another wave after she'd passed. All the while the sudden jerks and weaves were causing his shoulder to flare up again as it painfully begged for him to stop.

Before long, he found that he just had to acquiesce as he gave up, letting go of his wings once more and putting up his hands. Wincing at the pain, he called out, "Okay. Okay, enough. I… I yield!"

It was a good thing that he didn't hesitate, considering she was already lining up another charge before slowly, even reluctantly pulling up to come to a grinding halt. Still, Helena didn't relinquish her flames entirely as she watched him, keeping her hair and eyes bathed in fire as she folded her arms and mocked, "Giving up already?"

Ignoring her taunt, he didn't bother trying to hide his ache or his frustration as he worked his shoulder with a sneer. He'd used to be able to go for so much longer but to be reduced to this… it was beyond frustrating as he growled, "I just need a minute."

Rather than a minute, he barely got a few seconds before he heard her reply, "I hate to say it, Aaron, but I am disappointed. I'd expected so much more from you."

Snapping up at the remark, he fixed her with an affronted glare. "Excuse me?"

Helena didn't even flinch under his snarl, though. She merely continued to stare back with a mixture of contempt and mockery. "Is that really the best you can manage?"

For a brief pause, shock and outrage fought for dominance within before his anger won out. Considering the pain he was in, the last thing he needed was for his own sister to be ridiculing him as he retorted, "I'll show you what I can manage!"

Any further acrobatics might have been out of the question but that didn't mean he had no other options. Rather than trying to be slick or coy, he could always just go with an unbridled assault.

So, mustering every ounce of strength he could manage, Aaron sent one howling, raging gale of fire from his outstretched hands. It incinerated the very air before it, releasing deafening cracks as it barreled towards Helena. It wasn't really meant to envelope her, just to intimidate her into moving, yet she didn't even flinch. Instead she merely stood there, patiently watching its approach before flinging her hand forward to unleash a blast of her own.

The two torrents clashed in a maelstrom of heat and light as the wind bellowed around it, raging into the sky between them. Upon seeing that she wasn't about to back down, he gritted his teeth as he pushed hard, as hard as he could manage. He poured every ounce of power and zeal he had to offer as he fought to overcome his sister.

And it still wasn't enough.

No matter how hard Aaron tried he couldn't drive her assault back. The best he could manage was a stalemate as he fought against her. Still, it was better than nothing as he glared through the billowing flames to see that she was locked in concentration once more. At least he could contend with her, despite his hindrance. That is, until her expression changed.

Her face slowly dropped into a scowl as they fought, her lips splitting to reveal a snarl of her own as she struggled to advance. And then, behind a mounting effort, she managed to force a step forward. As she did so he felt a hint of dismay as the embattled flames crept towards him. At first the move was barely perceivable, just the slightest shift in the fight. Then it became more noticeable as they began to slide closer to him, and despite his best efforts there was nothing he could do to reverse the approach.

By then Helena's expression had lifted into a confident leer, a victorious grin as she advanced another step, and then another. Before long it was clear who had won as he struggled just to not be overwhelmed, until his struggle gave out. Relinquishing the last of his effort, Aaron reluctantly cut his assault, calling his flames back to him to form a protective cocoon in an effort to shield himself from the coming wave. Only it never came.

As soon as he succumbed she relented, silencing her own as the storm finally ceased. There was nothing but glowing rocks between them while the very air quivered and snapped with heat. Any frost that had survived up to that point had been driven far away but Aaron didn't notice any of this as he stared at his sister in disbelief, his breathing sharp and forced. She, on the other hand, hardly seemed winded as she took a steadying breath. All the while she continued to watch him with an exultant gloat.

Before long, he found that he had to put his dismay into words as he breathed, "How? How are you this strong?"

The question at least managed to distract her from her scorn as she contemplated him before slowly walking closer. "Simple. I'm not holding back."

Narrowing his eyes, he brusquely replied, "Meaning I am?"

"Obviously."

"Well I'm not."

Having closed the distance between them, Helena came to a halt before she looked up at him. "No? Then prove it. Hit me."

The request felt so bizarre that it cut aside his frustration, leaving him unsure as he slowly asked, "What?"

"Hit me," she replied, her hands resting on her hips. Leaving her a wide open target. "Show me what you've got."

"I'm not going to hit you, Helena."

"Why not?"

"Because you're my sister? And I would never-"

That was as far as he got before she was the one to suddenly lunge forward. And she did not restrain herself as her fist sank into his stomach. Fortunately he was barely able to react in time, tensing just before she struck, but that didn't mean it hurt any less as the blow drove him back a step. Still, he refused to double over as he collected himself. All he did was glower at her as she gave her hand a light shake.

In spite of what she just did, however, Helena just resumed watching him shamelessly, this time folding her arms as she continued. "Sorry. You were saying?"

Doing his best to ignore the harsh sting emanating through his core, Aaron yelled at her in disbelief, "What the hell was that?!"

"I told you. I'm not holding back," she replied, unwilling to back down or apologize. "So why are you?"

"And I already told you, I'm not."

Helena paused for a while before replying. Her eyes studied his as she frowned. "You know, you can lie all you want, Aaron. You can lie to your friends or to that precious queen of yours. You can even lie to yourself." She then gave him a glare of her own while adding, "But not to me. Never to me. Do you know why?"

"Why?"

Her expression only darkened as she growled, "Because I was there. I was there all those years ago, and I remember what it looks like when you let go."

The wind whipped around them, snatching at their clothes and hair as they stared at one another. Otherwise the valley was completely silent. The waterfall had gone quite, the clouds stood still, and for all Aaron knew the sun itself had ceased to shine. All of it was forgotten as he looked down at the resentment on his sister's face and felt his own ire annihilated in an instant. She'd so adamantly refused to approach their past before and yet here, now she was willing to confront him on it. After she'd appeared so restrained, to have actually been enjoying herself, now she was willing to discuss it.

Only, he had nothing.

No answers. No response. Just a gaping void that had sprung up within him as he stood there. But in that void, he could sense what she meant. He could feel the heat of the fire as it rolled off him. He could see the blaze as it enveloped their home around him. And he could hear the man's screams as his own father rushed for the door in a desperate bid to escape the flames that were consuming him. Except, he'd done nothing. He'd watched his father die without raising so much as a finger to help him before allowing his home to burn away. The only thing he had thought to do was to protect his sister, to protect Helena, by getting as far away from her as possible.

There was nothing to say as they continued looking at one another. No apology great enough to express his guilt, no way to undo what he'd done. Nothing but an aching, endless void that threatened to devour him as he stood there. Still, Aaron had to say something as he tried, "Helena. I-"

She wasn't there to comfort him or to tolerate his apologies, however, as she pressed forward. "So are you going to lie some more or are you finally willing to cut this nonsense?"

Wincing at how harsh her voice was, he tried to deny further, only he couldn't. It was true. After all, he could only remember letting go twice and each time he had… "Fine," Aaron conceded gruffly. "Maybe I am holding back. Maybe I don't let go because every time I do, someone dies."

It didn't feel any better to admit it but it also certainly didn't help when she scoffed. "Is that really what this is all about?"

"What else could it be?"

"Then I've got news for you, brother, because you need to get over it."

"Get over it?" Aaron couldn't believe what he was hearing. That she of all people could say something like that. That she couldn't understand what he was going through. "I killed my own father!"

The words echoed over the lake yet Helena ignored them while showing neither solace nor pity. "And? People kill other people all the time and you don't see them whining about it. Besides, that thing didn't count as a person. You were just putting down a mad dog."

"That's easy for you to say. You're not the one who did it. You're not the one who remembers what he was like before…"

By that point Aaron was seething. Over the past, over her callousness. Over himself. But perhaps he should have chosen his words more carefully as Helena spat back, "Before what? Before I made the mistake of being born?"

Realizing what he'd said and how she'd taken it, he rushed to make a correction. "That's not what I-"

"And quit acting like you're the only one here who knows what it's like to kill one of our parents."

"What?" It didn't take long for him to understand what she meant as he felt that hollow emptiness trying to worm back into him. "You didn't kill our mother, Helena."

His words did nothing to assuage her, though, as she scowled at him. "But I was certainly blamed for it, wasn't I?"

Nothing she could have said would ever hurt as much as that did as they both looked away, him in shame and her in fury as they fell silent. For her to say something like that, for her to even consider it… it only illustrated just how much he'd failed her. What kind of brother had he been if he couldn't protect her from abuse? The kind their father had thrown at Helena every day and worse when he drank. Aaron had really tried, but in the end he hadn't tried hard enough and they both knew it.

When he eventually did manage to look back at her, though, some of her anger had mellowed as she glared at the sky. In its place lay something much darker as she muttered, "It is funny, though. If not for us they might have lived long, happy lives together."

The statement rang so true for him that it left him mute as they stood there in silence. But not for long before Helena cleared her throat and shook away her thoughts, grumbling, "But like I said. Get over it."

Letting his gaze drop to the stones beneath them, all he could manage was, "If only I could."

"How so? That's not what you feel guilty about, is it?"

Aaron looked back up at his sister to see her anger continuing to burn bright in her eyes, only now there was what appeared to be genuine disbelief as well. "Of course."

"Why?" The word dripped with consternation as she squared to face him, flames beginning to trickle through her hair again. "The man was a monster. He tormented and abused me from the moment I was born until the moment that he died."

In spite of her wrath he couldn't just abandon his guilt, though. "Still. Monster or not, he didn't deserve to die like that. Nobody deserves to die like that."

That only stoked Helena's rage hotter as she sneered, "I can't believe this. I can't believe you're actually standing there pitying him. That you're defending him!"

"I'm not defending anyone! I'm just-"

"He tortured me and made my life a living hell, Aaron!" she howled, that hellish light erupting in her eyes as she screamed at him. "Besides, that's not even what you should feel sorry for!"

"I… what?"

The comment nearly slipped by only to leave him feeling more confused than sorry as he failed to comprehend it. Helena, meanwhile, instantly regretted her words as her jaw snapped shut and she spun away from him. Her hands were fists, her shoulders trembling as she fought to calm herself. Her voice was still shuddering with rage as she growled, "Nothing. Nevermind."

Aaron wasn't about to let something like that go, however, as he tried to step alongside her. "No no. I want to know what you meant by that."

Refusing to face him, she continued to turn away while flatly stating, "No."

"Come on, Helena."

"Forget it. I didn't bring you out here for this."

The way she snapped put an end to it, no matter how much he might have wanted to know, so he relented. For now, at least. There would be other chances to talk about it and she'd just given him something else to focus on. "Then why did you?"

By then her breathing had begun to calm as her rigid back loosened. Her rage might not have completely left but now she was able to speak clearly as she held up one of her hands. "I brought you out here so that we could enjoy how beautiful our gifts are." Fire lit upon her palm, dancing in the breeze as she stared down at it. "To savor how lucky we are."

"How are we in any way lucky?"

That got her to look at him, turning back with an incredulous stare only for him to stare right back. "You can't be serious."

"Of course I am," Aaron replied bluntly. Of all the words he could think of to describe their condition, lucky was not one of them. "As far as I can tell all we've been given is the ability to destroy everything we touch."

Helena still wasn't believing him, though, her head cocked to one side as she studied him. "Is that true, Aaron? Do you really believe there's nothing more to you than fire and death?"

"Obviously."

She stared at him for a while longer before the last of her anger vanished in a smirk. And then a dull chuckle as she shook her head. "It's funny. You're just as ignorant as I was."

Arching a brow, all he did was watch her as he asked, "What do you mean?"

At first she looked like she was going to answer, only she didn't. She just stood there quietly, mulling over her words. Aaron, meanwhile, just waited. Helena clearly had a reason for seeing him today, she just wasn't sure how to say it and he wasn't about to rush her. He also wasn't looking to cause another outburst, now that she'd calmed down again. Still, when she finally did speak again it wasn't what he was expecting.

"Let me see your shoulder."

…"What?"

Not bothering to explain herself, she gestured at him. "Take your shirt off so I can see your shoulder."

All he did was stare at her blankly. "Why?"

"It's beyond apparent that something's wrong with it and I want to see."

"And? What would that possibly prove?"

Rolling her eyes, Helena gave an impatient sigh. "Just do it already."

At first he wasn't sure if he should go along with her, considering he still didn't know what she was getting at, but it wasn't like there was any harm in it. It wasn't like he could just hide it for the rest of his life.

Pulling his arm from his sleeve caused him to grunt, although the scar that was revealed would have made anyone flinch. About the size of a plum and nestled into where his chest met his shoulder, in spite of how old it was the wound still looked puckered and flushed as though it had only just healed. The physicians had managed to remove the crossbow bolt in a timely fashion but thanks to the jagged barbs along its tip he'd never healed quite right, leaving him with a nagging memento. Most days it didn't bother him, but after all the action today it was beyond agitated.

Nothing he was offered helped and he'd learned to live with it but that didn't stop his annoyance from returning when Helena smirked upon seeing it, saying, "Oof. Looks like that hurt. How did it happen?"

"Anna's ex shot me." When her grin only grew he griped, "I'm sorry, is that funny to you?"

"Kind of."

"Well it really hurt."

"Oh quit being a baby. It's not like it killed you," she teased while stepping closer. He didn't pull away but still winced when she probed the scar none too gently. Ignoring his discomfort, she then took a firm grip on his shoulder while pressing her other palm against it before hesitating. "Now hold still. This may feel… odd."

Watching her quizzically, he asked, "What are you doing?" only for her to shake her head.

"Just watch."

As Helena spoke he felt the first hints of warmth begin to flow into her hands. It started out low only to build higher and higher, to the point that her hands began to glow from the heat that was running through them and into him. Were Aaron anyone else it probably would have burned but to him it was just uncomfortable as she pushed harder and harder while holding him in place. Then, before too long, his shoulder began to feel… different. The ache was lifting as the heat seeped deeper and deeper, replaced by an annoying prickle as though his shoulder had fallen asleep.

Watching her work intently, Helena didn't let up as she softly said, "You've been so focused on what fire can do that you never thought to ask what fire actually is."

He didn't have time to ask what she meant by that before she finished whatever it was that she was doing. The warmth cut out all at once as she breathed out a satisfied sigh before smirking again while pulling her hands away. Any questions he might have had died when he glanced down at his scar to find nothing there. No scar, no wound, nothing but healthy, unblemished skin that looked just how it had before the injury.

Aaron's lips parted in disbelief the moment he laid eyes upon it yet a quick touch proved it was real. His fingers found nothing amiss as he rubbed where the wound had been and no matter how he shifted or flexed no pain came. A minute ago he'd had an injury he was sure he'd have for the rest of his life and the next it was gone without a trace.

Eventually, after a thorough yet disbelieving search, he managed to look up to find his sister watching him amusedly. So many questions were already starting to swirl around his head yet all he could manage was, "But… I… how?"

Helena was nearly laughing as she said, "Looks like I'm not the one who still has some learning to do."

"How did you do that?"

"Why?" Turning away, she began trudging up away from the lake. "I thought you said that all we can do is destroy."

All he could do was watch her go before hurrying to catch up, constantly glancing down to make sure it was still real while slipping his shirt back on. "Helena. How did you fix my shoulder?"

She didn't bother looking back as she made her way towards the treeline. Their earlier clash had driven the snow beyond the edge of the forest, leaving a strip of bare ground between the stony shore and the woods. That was where she was headed as she asked, "How much do you know about what we can do?"

"Not much, apparently."

"So then what if I told you there was so much more to you than fire and flames?"

Crouching down, she appeared to be looking for something as she brushed her fingers through the loose soil but Aaron didn't bother asking for what. She'd refused to answer his question while only raising more as he tried to comprehend it all. Failing that, he merely said, "I'm listening."

That got her attention back onto him in the form of a cross look as she stood again, brushing her hands off while scolding him. "I don't need you to listen. I need you to feel."

Unfortunately that made even less sense as he asked, "Feel what?"

"Our power." Gesturing at the surrounding landscape, Helena asked, "Can't you sense it? Shining down all around us, just waiting to obey."

When he looked around, though, nothing leapt out to him. Nothing that could help him understand what she was talking about, anyway. They were on the edge of a small glade, a patch of soil that the trees hadn't managed to colonize yet just beyond the lake. The trees loomed all around, with a particularly impressive spruce standing watch across from them. Other than that there was nothing. Just the lake, the snow and the sun high overhead.

Giving her a perplexed look, he implored, "I really don't understand. Could you just speak plainly, Helena?"

Aaron honestly didn't know what to expect as she strode a few paces away before smiling back at him over her shoulder. Her eyes were shining as she said, "You're not just a pyromancer, Aaron, although fire is the purest projection of our power. We're so much more than that. For what is fire if not energy, and energy… energy is life!"

He'd been trying to steady himself for whatever came next but nothing could have prepared him as he gave a startled gasp.

Once again the only warning he got was through shifts in the air as Helena suddenly threw her arms wide and he felt the wave spread from her. It rippled forward in a roiling flux of golden warmth that soaked into the ground at their feet, but that wasn't what shocked him. He could only stare as green shoots pushed up from the earth in response, blades of grass rising before his very eyes as flowers in all manners of colors bloomed from nothing until the glade that had been so barren not a minute ago became the very image of spring.

The growth only stopped when she eventually dropped her arms, bearing a look of immense satisfaction on her face as she admired her handiwork. Aaron, meanwhile, could only shake his head and close his eyes, and yet when he opened them the greenery was still there. Healing his shoulder had been one thing, but this?

Choking down his disbelief, he asked, "Now are you going to explain how you did that?"

"Simple," Helena replied, as she began stepping across the glade, taking care to avoid any of the newly formed blossoms. "I just gave them what they needed and let nature do the rest."

He wasn't nearly as mindful as he rushed after her. "Simple? You just conjured a field of flowers out of thin air with nothing but a flick of your wrist!"

By the time he caught up she'd reached the edge of her creation, returning to the bare earth beyond. Only, not quite bare. While not the green pasture behind them, there were still a handful of green specks poking up from the dirt. Plants that hadn't quite managed to emerge but still got a taste of what she'd given them. She scanned them briefly before crouching down beside one in particular, saying, "Hardly. The flowers were there all along, they just needed a little help is all. See?"

As she spoke she brushed away some soil to reveal a bulb hiding just below the surface. A green shoot had already sprouted from it only to rush upward when she beckoned a finger towards it, growing a sturdy stem and leaves before culminating in a scarlet floret that swayed gently in the breeze.

Having seen it again up close did nothing to help Aaron, though, as he watched her gently stroke its ruby petals. "That still doesn't explain how you just did that."

Not bothering to look at him, Helena contented herself with gently prodding the flower's bloom and leaves into place while angling it towards the sun, muttering, "I already told you how," while she worked.

Realizing she wasn't about to repeat herself, he pondered for a moment before the answer came to him. "Energy?"

That was the answer she was looking for as she rewarded him with a smile. "Precisely."

Just because he knew the answer, however, didn't mean he understood as he asked, "And what exactly is that?"

"What is energy? Why, it's the lifeblood of all living things." She waved a hand around them as she spoke before going back to her flower. "It's what brings meaning to this miserable little rock of ours, because without it life could not exist. It's always around us, and it will do whatever you want. All you have to do is take it."

As wondrous as that all sounded, Aaron found he wasn't quite buying into all of her foppish talk as his confusion began to harden into incredulity. "Uh huh. Alright, I'll bite. If it really is all around us like you said, how come I've never felt it before?"

"Of course you have. You've just never noticed in the same way that you've probably never noticed how you walk or breathe. It just comes naturally to you."

"So… what can we do with this energy?"

"Anything. Everything. Like I said, it's yours to do whatever you want with it. You could use it as a giver of life." With that she curled a finger upward and the flower managed to grow even taller. Only she was no longer smiling as she looked down at it, her hand closing into a fist. Just like that the blossom suddenly burst into flames, quickly reducing to ash as she watched it solemnly. "Or, a bringer of death."

Her voice was heavy but Aaron hardly noticed anything she was doing as he stared at nothing in particular. Eventually Helena looked up to see the expression fixed on his face and she asked, "Is something wrong?"

"No, you're just… throwing a lot at me all at once," he replied, still trying to come to terms with everything that had just happened. Between the glade and his shoulder he felt like everything he'd ever known had just been flipped upside down. No wonder she was able to overpower him. If she knew all this he couldn't even imagine what else she could do.

Nodding, Helena rose to her feet while dusting off her hands again. "Understandable. It was overwhelming for me too when I first learned all this."

That might have been the biggest question of all as he followed, asking, "Speaking of, how did you learn about all this?"

"Isn't it obvious? Someone taught me," she replied while exiting the glade.

Aaron thought the surprises were done or at least that he couldn't get more surprised but the hits just kept coming. It didn't help that she said it so nonchalantly. "What? Who?"

"Someone far older and wiser than you or I will ever be." With that she turned back to him, catching him by the shoulders and holding him in place. Her face was stern as she said, "But forget all of that. Right now all I want you to do is focus. Look around you, Aaron. Listen to what the world is telling you. And feel the endless river of energy flowing all around us."

None of this made sense to him. For Helena to show him all of this all at once and then to say that somewhere someone had shown her, it was overwhelming. But as taxing as it all was, that didn't mean that he couldn't at least try. Closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath, he tried to take in their surroundings. There was the brush of the wind and the warmth of the sun, yet other than that, nothing. Only… perhaps there was something to that warmth. Something much fainter than when he'd sensed her fire before.

Even so, it was hard not to be disappointed as he said, "I can't feel much of anything."

"You will. You've been willfully blind your entire life so it may take some time for you to see. But I certainly can."

Opening his eyes again, Aaron saw that she'd turned back to the glade. She was looking up at that watchful old spruce before tilting her face to the sky. All the while her hands were drifting out towards some unseen force. "I can feel it in the earth. I feel it in the air…" Helena hummed before falling silent. After a thoughtful pause she glanced back at him and asked, "Have you ever called down the lightning?"

Lightning?! After everything else it must have been plausible yet to his strained mind it was a step too far as he shook his head. "That's not possible."

"Anything's possible for us. All you need is to do it." Her grin returned as she lifted a hand over her head, pointing it towards the clouds collecting upon the mountain. While their edges were light and calm, their heart glowered darkly as she searched for something. As she did so she quietly pondered, "Do you remember how afraid of lightning I used to be?"

The breeze only grew at her actions as he unknowingly retreated a step. He was hardly listening as he answered, "Sure."

"That was because I was just an ignorant child. Now…"

With that, Helena found whatever it was she was searching for, her fingers crushing into a fist and then Aaron felt it. A faint crackling in the air that ebbed and flowed around them, growing stronger by the second. The hairs along his body stood on end as the wind began to whip and he felt it wash over him in a cascade of power until he heard the first roll of thunder echoing from on high.

All Aaron could think was, It can't be possible, as she glanced back over her shoulder at him. Her grin was gone and the molten light in her eyes only seemed to gleam brighter while the newly formed gale tore at her hair and clothes. The very clouds themselves came to life as she growled, "Now I am the lightning."

Then, all at once, Helena ripped her arm across her body in a downward slash and the skies were split asunder. Aaron could only watch in awe as a single dazzling arc of lightning suddenly snapped into existence high overhead and came to earth with a deafening roar. His hands instinctively clapped over his ears, his eyes squeezing shut against the searing light as he felt the ground tremble beneath his feet and a buffet of air drove him back a step.

Only once the ringing began to subside and the spots left his vision did Aaron dare to open his eyes and what he saw made his breath catch in his throat. Before, the old spruce had stood watch over the peaceful vale. Now there was nothing left but a ravaged hulk. The lightning had struck it with full force, bursting its bark and ripping it apart. Orange flames crackled along its ruined scars and clawed into its once verdant canopy, the very earth around it blackened by the blast.

Staring at the shattered remains before him, he realized that in his amazement he'd inadvertently walked forward until he was now level with Helena. After a while Aaron was finally able to tear his eyes away and look down at his sister. The fledgling fire's light played over her face, shining in her eyes as she solemnly gazed upon the raw devastation she'd wrought. There was a slight pang of remorse in her expression but that vanished when she glanced at him, replaced by the gleam of… something, deep in her amber eyes. He wasn't sure what it was but he felt his stomach clench as she spoke with a prideful, almost arrogant tone.

"You really have no idea what we're capable of."