Darius clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white, his forehead dripping with sweat as he stared at his yellow jewel, which flickered shyly.
Darius (In frustration): "Why is it just me? Picos is shooting fire, Romulius is tearing through trees... and I feel like there's a trapped bee in my chest that won't come out!"
Ortinus approached him calmly and placed a hand on his shoulder. The golden swords were still floating majestically around him before they vanished in a halo of light.
Ortinus: "Darius, you are trying to 'push' the energy out, and that's a mistake. Electricity isn't pushed; it is guided. Breathe deeply. Imagine that your body isn't flesh and blood, but a channel for a river of lightning. Don't trap it... just open the door for it."
Darius closed his eyes. He inhaled the damp forest air and felt the pulse of the jewel align with his heartbeat. Suddenly, blue and yellow threads began to dance between his fingers.
Darius (In a whisper): "I feel it... it's cold and hot at the same time..."
He snapped his eyes open, and a cry erupted from his depths as he extended his hand toward a dead tree. "TSCHAAAAAAAK!" A violent bolt of lightning shot from his palm, entirely enveloping his arms, striking the tree and turning it into flaming splinters in the blink of an eye.
Picos (Jumping back): "Whoa! Darius, you nearly singed my eyebrows! Is this electricity or oven fire?"
Darius (Staring at his hands, which were still trembling with faint sparks): "I... I did it! Ortinus, I felt every fiber of the tree before the lightning even hit it!"
While everyone was celebrating Darius, Nirar stood in a corner, looking at his orange jewel with concern. His energy wasn't offensive; it was strangely "heavy."
Nirar: "Guys... I think my jewel doesn't care about the elements. Look at this."
Nirar raised his hand, and suddenly a hazy, transparent barrier appeared before him, looking like a rippling mirror. Through the mist, the comrades began to see themselves moments ago... they saw Darius preparing to launch the lightning.
Romulius (In awe): "Nirar? Is that us... seconds ago?"
Nirar: "Yes. I can see the recent past... and I can return to it. Watch."
Nirar waved his hand inside the mist, and suddenly everyone felt a shiver in their timeline. They found themselves standing in the exact same positions they had been in exactly ten seconds prior.
Ortinus (Adjusting his stance in amazement): "You rewound time, Nirar! Ten whole seconds... that is incredible and terrifying at the same time."
Nirar (Panting with exhaustion): "The effort is immense. Currently, ten seconds is the most I can handle, but I feel that if I focused more... I could pull anyone with me into that temporal void."
Meron didn't wait long; he knelt toward the ground and touched the soil with his brown jewel.
Meron: "The earth is calling to me..."
The moment he spoke the word, the dust and dry leaves around them began to rise in a violent swirl. The moment turned into a powerful dust storm that completely obscured vision, with Meron at its center.
Meron (Controlling the storm to calm it): "I can obscure the vision of an entire army with this ability."
Nikos, the seasoned warrior, remained standing firm as a mountain. He tried repeatedly, but his blue jewel pulsed calmly without a violent response.
Nikos (With annoyance): "Perhaps the jewel got the wrong address. I am a man of the sword, not a man of supernatural powers."
Ortinus: "Nikos, you are a sea of experience. And the seas only overflow when the tide is full. Do not rush."
Nikos closed his eyes with unprecedented focus. He remembered the saltiness of the sea in Acadia; he remembered the power of the waves that shatter rocks. Suddenly, massive water waves erupted from beneath his feet, springing from nothingness, forming a watery shield around him. As he waved his hand, a creature resembling a 'dolphin' made entirely of water leaped from the center of the wave before vanishing back into it.
Picos: "A fish? Did you summon a fish, Uncle Nikos?"
Ortinus (Examining the energy): "No, Picos, it's deeper than that. Nikos has the ability to summon water constructs. Currently, they are simple forms, but with training... Nikos might summon a 'Sperm Whale' or a 'Kraken' to crush cities. He just needs more space and more concentrated energy."
The seven comrades stood in a circle, each touching his jewel which glowed with its specific color.
Nikos (Looking at his friends seriously): "So... Fire, Water, Electricity, Nature, Earth, Gold, and Time. We aren't just fugitives anymore."
Ortinus: "We have gained immense power, but the Seven Jewels are not a gift; they are a responsibility. Someone destroyed Atheria with his stars, and if he finds us here while we are still weak... there won't be a world left for us to hide in."
Romulius: "What is the next step?"
Ortinus: "Training. Tomorrow we begin learning how to fight as one team. Picos, no more shooting fire randomly. Nikos, you will lead us tactically. We may now face opponents who possess even greater power than this."