I liked writing this chapter. It was fun because it's the first chapter where Rubina actually uses magic. Her magic was actually hinted in chapter one.

Sparks

Kagura and I were sitting in meditative positions, our eyes were closed.

"Ok if you two want to use magic, you must concentrate first. Magic requires concentration and will power." Celia instructed. "Feel the ethernano enter your body, filling up your core. Feel the power within you, concentrate on it, and will it out of your body. But make sure you don't force all of it out, just a small amount." She said calmly.

Despite being blunt and sarcastic most of the time, Celia was actually a pretty decent instructor. This is the longest I've seen her gone without making a sarcastic remark. I think it might be due to how serious the situation is. Apparently, I used magic with explosive results when she found us. I'm guessing she is here to make sure that doesn't happen. I really don't want to make a crater this time….

"All mages have a type of magic that they have a natural affinity towards. This is the magic that a mage has the easiest time utilizing. Feel inside yourself, feel that affinity." I hear Celia say.

Following Celia's instructions, I concentrate on my core, trying to feel what she was describing. At first I felt nothing, but that changed after a moment. I felt an energy within me, in my chest area to be specific. I felt the energy fill my body, it felt highly energetic and warm, and I was experiencing a tingling sensation.

"Whoa…" My mediation is interrupted by Kagura's voice. I open my eyes, and I'm greeted to the sight of her floating slowly upwards. The air around her was distorting from an invisible force.

"As I suspected, gravity magic. Very good defensive magic, but could also be used for offence if applied correctly." I hear Ceila say.

Kagura was still slowly floating upwards, getting higher and higher, and her face went from wonder to slight panic. "U-Um, how do I get down!?" She said in panic, her arms started flailing. It was like a scene from Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory.

I started to giggle, and I let out a laugh.

Kagura's arm flailing increased in intensity, and her face got red. "Stop laughing! This isn't funny!"

I started laughing even more at ridiculousness of the situation.

"Master! How do I stop!?" Her panic was increasing. She was about ten feet and climbing at this point.

"The same way you got into that situation, Kid. Just calm down and concentrate. Will it to stop. Don't worry, I'll catch ya". Celia said calmly, with a hint of amusement.

Kagura closed her eyes, started taking deep breathes, and started to concentrate. After a moment, the distortions in the air suddenly disappeared, and Kagura fell. She was promptly caught by a tendril of water and was lowered to the ground. Somehow, she wasn't soaking wet, which was most likely due to Celia not letting the water soak into her clothing.

She leveled a glare at me, her cheeks were flushed. "That wasn't funny, Rubi!" She said with embarrassment and a hint of anger.

I giggled, "It was a little funny. You were like a balloon!" I say cheerfully.

"I think I'll agree with her on that one, Kagura-chan. Reversing gravity like that really did make you sort of like a balloon." Celia said with amusement, and she had a smirk was on her face. Celia never uses suffixes after people's names, unless she is teasing, or if it's someone she respects.

Kagura's face turned even redder, "Master!" She shouted indignantly. Kagura was really cute when she pouted.

Celia let out an amused chuckle, before turning her attention to me. "Ok, now that Kagura figured out her magic, it's your turn Rubi."

I took a moment to compose myself, before nodding. I close my eyes and start to concentrate on the energy I felt before. The tingling sensation returned and I found the energy once more. I hold out my hand and will the energy to go to it. The energy doesn't budge, and I put a more force into my will. That got a reaction, and the energy moved a little. I felt my eyebrows furrow in concentration, and sweat forming on my forehead.

With one last hard mental push, I felt the energy rush through my arm. My hand starts tingling intensely, and I hear a loud crackling noise. I open my eyes and immediately notice the red tinted arcs of electricity dancing around my hand. All I could do is stare.

"Hmm, lightning magic, a very offensive magic with some defensive benefits. I guess that explains the crater… Although, I don't think I've seen that particular color before…" I hear Celia say.

I'm still staring at the arcs of electricity with a neutral expression. Internally, I'm figuratively hitting my head on a table. How ironic; of course I would get magic that represents the very thing that killed me. I bet there is some divine being out there that is laughing at me right now. Of all the types of magic that are out there, why did I get this one?

It's not that I'm disappointed that I didn't get some kind of super obscure, one of a kind magic. It's just that when you get killed by something, you tend to hold a grudge against it, even if it's a highly charged bolt of plasma that can reach speeds up to about a third of the speed of light. In this life, I became super paranoid whenever there was a thunderstorm. I would make sure I was not statically charged, and away from any type of metal. Getting hit by lightning, dying, and waking up in a whole new world is not the most fun thing in the world. I already left one set of family and friends behind, I didn't want to leave another. Also, why was it tinted red? I'm like a trifecta of red now, with red hair, red eyes, and now red magic.

"Um, Rubi? Are you okay? You are kind of quiet." I'm interrupted from my musing by Kagura, and I look up to see her concerned face.

I blink, before putting a smile on my face. The lighting that covering my hand stopped, and my hand was a little numb. "Yeah, I was just thinking of stuff… No need to be worried." I reassure her.

"Ok brats, we'll continue this tomorrow. You have the rest of the day to yourselves. Do not practice your magic without me or Lana watching. Or else…" Celia said, her voice turning slightly threatening with her last sentence.

Well, it looks like I'm going to have to get over my past grievances with lightning. I can't afford to be bogged down by it.

XXX

I was sitting in the same spot from yesterday, but I was wearing a simple white dress today. Celia was wearing a similar dress from yesterday, but the color now matched her sea-foam green hair. Kagura wasn't here though.

"Um, Master, where is Kagura?" I ask with curiosity.

She shrugs a little, "Elemental magic is more my thing, and I determined that Lana would be a better teacher for her in that particular magic." She said casually. "Anyway, the only thing you need to do to control elemental magic is to know your element."

"What do you mean by that, Master?" I ask with confusion.

"It means that you must know your element. Like what are its characteristics. Its strengths and weaknesses. The better understanding of your element you have, the better you can control it." She said.

"Each element is different, and to keep this short, I'll only talk about the five basic elemental magic types: fire, wind, earth, water and lightning." She picked up a stick that was on the ground and started drawing a picture of a flame in the ground.

"Fire is wild, and has a constant need to feed itself and get bigger. Getting it going is easy, but making it stop is the real challenge. Fire is also very passionate, and a lot of fire users reflect that. Naturally, it is a very good offensive magic."

She then drew some lines that curled at the end. "Wind is free spirited. It is very easy to make it do something, but it is also easy to stop it. A lot wind mages can use their own wind to fly, and be as free as the element they are controlling. Wind is neither offensively or defensively orientated."

Next, she drew a picture of a rock. "Earth can be solid and tough, or soft and loose. It is passive, and very heavy. Because of this heaviness, it takes great strength and will power to move and mold it. Generally, earth users tend to be large like the earth, and physically strong. Earth magic has great defensive strength."

She then drew some wavy lines, and smirked. "Water, my personal favorite, goes with the flow. It takes the shape of whatever container it sits in. Water is generally peaceful and supports life, but when push comes to shove, it can also be a very destructive force. A wild fire can be stopped, but a tsunami is nearly unstoppable. Water is a very flexible element that has good offensive and defensive capabilities.

Finally, she drew a lightning bolt. "Lightning is very energetic, volatile, and powerful. This power and energy makes it very stubborn. Controlling lightning requires a great amount of will power. Without a strong will, it does what it wants to do. Of the basic five, it is perhaps the most dangerous." She finished.

She then sighed, and then her expression turned serious. "So when you practice your magic, make sure that your will is strong, and that you are focused on exactly what you want to do with it. I cannot stress how dangerous lightning magic can be. So do not practice without my supervision." She said seriously.

Well, that didn't make me nervous. Nope, not at all.

I gulped, "Y-Yes Master." I say nervously.

Her face loses its seriousness, and her trademark smirk makes its way upon her face. "Good. Now let's start with the basics, shall we." She said in an eerily cheerful voice.

I had a feeling that I wasn't going have a fun time. And I was correct. I spent hours conjuring lightning to my arms, and trying to make it behave. It was a very unpleasant experience.

I walked into the dorm room that me and Kagura were sharing, more exhausted than I have ever been in this new life. I had bandages covering the electrical burns left from hours of practice. I ignored Kagura's concerned shout of surprise at my appearance, and I immediately made my way towards my bed. Once I reached it, I promptly passed out.

It was official, electricity sucked.

XXX

April, X775

A few weeks have passed, and I could successfully conjure lightning to my arms without burning myself, and I could now conjure lightning to my hands with ease. Kagura improved her magic skills as well. She figured out how to increase and decrease gravity, but she didn't have much control on how strong or weak she could make the gravity yet. But, she was getting better every day. To be honest, I was a little jealous. My time was spent getting first degree burns, and hers was spent meditating and concentrating.

I was currently standing about 25 feet away from some metal rods sticking straight out of the ground. They were currently aligned in a neat row. Celia was standing next me in her fish scale dress.

Today was going to be my first attempt at an actual lighting spell, and I was genuinely excited. And who wouldn't be? It's not every day you get to shoot lighting out your hands like Emperor Palpatine (insert evil laughter).

Along with learning how to conjure lightning to my hands without burning myself, I've been provided with a book on lightning magic. It was filled with various tips, spells, and techniques. Apparently, it is much easier for beginners to use lightning magic when doing some type of body movement or pose, and the book had some basic forms. Punching and kicking were among these. The body movements and poses helped guide lightning towards your intended target. Masters don't need them and can simply guide lightning bolts just by their will alone, and can do it standing still if they want.

I wasn't skilled enough to enhance my punches and kicks without injuring myself, so I decided to work on the more long ranged stuff first. That's why there was metal rods in the ground. They wouldn't explode into shrapnel or catch on fire if I hit them, and they would also act as lighting rods, so that I won't accidently hit something else. Lightning, more specifically electricity, likes to take the path of least resistance to ground, and the metal rods are that path.

The spell I'm going to try is aptly named "Lightning Bolt". When I first saw it in the book, I almost had a laughing fit, as images of a certain internet video came to mind. I never thought I would be in a situation where I would be yelling "Lightning Bolt!" in a serious matter. One of the downsides of this new life is that no one will get my references. Anyway, I hope I don't get too injured with this spell like I have been these past few weeks. Having first degree electrical burns all over your arms and hands was not fun.

I take a deep breathe, and I feel the magic power within me. I focus on one of the metal rods, and I got into a ready position. I close my right hand except for my index and middle fingers, which are pointing outwards. I channel the magic power to my arm, and arcs of red electricity start sparking along it. I point my fingers towards the metal rod.

'Well… Here goes nothing'

"Lightning Bolt!" I shout, willing the electricity to shoot out my fingertips, and hit the target.

Instead of a bolt of lightning like I was expecting, a sudden explosion and a loud boom sends me flying back a few feet. Luckily, I was caught by a tendril of water, and gently set on the ground.

"Ow…." I groan. My arm was stinging, and it was also slightly numb. My ears were ringing a bit. I push myself up, my arms were a bit wobbly, and my heart felt like it was going to come out of my chest.

I look up to see Celia with a concerned expression. "You okay, Kid?"

I let out groan, and inspect myself. The dress I was wearing was completely singed, and my body was now completely dirty. My two fingers have fresh first degree burns on them. I'll reiterate, electricity absolutely sucks. I look back up to Celia, "Yeah… I'm alright." I say reluctantly.

A smirk makes its way upon her face. "Well, it looks like your magic is a little more potent than we thought… I think you need to use about half as much power and twice the amount of concentration."

"Yes, Master…" I say, and I get to my feet. I slowly walk over to where I was standing, and get ready to go again. I get into a ready position, and I summon about half the amount of magic power from before. I close my eyes, and tune out my surroundings. I open my eyes, my arm starts sparking up again, and I get tunnel vision on my target. I point my fingers towards the metal rod

I take deep breaths to calm my adrenaline rush.

"Lightning Bolt!" I yell once more, and I feel the energy flow rapidly through my arm.

A bolt of crimson lightning shoots out of my finger tips and instantly hits the rod, causing a small explosion, picking up some dust.

The dust settles to reveal the metal rod slightly bent

I'm frozen for a second, before my brain comprehends the feat I just accomplished. I start laughing with pure joy and start jumping around like a lunatic. That was coolest thing I've ever done in my life.

Celia started clapping, and had a genuine smile on her face. "Congratulations, Kid. You've managed to do your first spell." She said with a proud voice. "But, now you got to be able to do that spell flawlessly now before I allow you to move on the more advanced stuff. We should also work on your hand to hand combat skills as well, so we can work on the more physical spells."

At this point, I didn't care about the prospect of all the hard work ahead of me. I was too excited about shooting lightning out my fingers like Azula.

I ended up practicing the spell about seven more times, with mixed results, before I got exhausted and had to stop for the day. Sadly, I got some more additions to my burn collection.

But hey, at least I can shoot lightning now.

I hope my description on the other elements was clear enough. I also hope her progression was realistic enough. I don't want her to become too powerful, too fast. I have some more plans for her magic in the future. I don't want to reveal too much, but the red tint is not just for aesthetics. I would like to thank all you that left positive feedback so far. It has made writing chapters easier.

Also, lightning is freaking scary. A bolt of lightning can travel up to about 1/3 the speed of light, and can reach temperatures of over 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Hotter than the surface of the sun.