The training grounds echoed with explosions.
A bolt of lightning tore through the sky.
CRACK!
Before the sound could even fade—
Ice erupted from the ground.
Jagged crystal spikes shot upward in rapid succession.
Penelope immediately retreated.
The ice narrowly missed her shoulder.
A second later—
Another bolt of lightning descended.
BOOM!
The impact shattered the frozen spikes into thousands of glittering fragments.
Penelope's eyes widened.
She finally understood what Erik had been trying to teach her.
His elements weren't fighting each other.
They were supporting each other.
Complementing each other.
Becoming something greater together.
"Again."
Erik's voice remained calm.
Cold.
Unrelenting.
Penelope resisted the urge to groan.
For the past two months, Erik had transformed into a military instructor from hell.
She had mastered the Earth Root.
She had mastered the Fire Root.
Individually.
The problem was using them together.
