I stare right at Naptera, and my newfound burst of confidence stops her. She even retreats a bit, looking unsure. She's not just looking at me, but looking around me. That's right, Naptera, just you watch. I should thank her for allowing me to unlock so much of these abilities I didn't know I had, but... time to go to the next level. It's time I stop thinking of what I should be able to do or not. No more rules, Mara. Let's just be as impossible as hell.
I open my arms and take deep breaths. I ignore the cold, the ice, and instead, I channel my inner fire again. This time, I try to control it very, very precisely. The tame flame that had almost been extinguished opens up, but it’s... chilly. I direct it not inside, but toward my hands, as if I was trying to keep it there. It's as if before, it was running wild anywhere it wanted, but now, I'm only letting it out through my hands, but big, hot, and strong. Very, very hot... and cold. My heartbeat accelerates, my blood rushes through my veins. It's insane, but it's happening. My wolf growls, I smile. I can't tell if I'm human or wolf anymore. Fire or water.
I'm... both.
It's a new fire that emerges in my hands. An ice-cold, blue flame. Something between fire and ice, something so hot or so cold, it's impossible to tell, but it's mine. I smile uncontrollably. A chill runs over my skin, both hot and cold, just exciting and thrilling.
Horror appears on Naptera's face, as she retreats again.
"Y-you... How... It can't be..."
"I told you," I say. "I'm not like any other."
I sound arrogant, and I can't say I hate it. Let's face it, I feel more powerful than I've ever been. My flames have ignited into a mysterious new shade, the deep blue that appears at the heart of a flame. How I'm able to generate fire underwater, I don't know. Is it even fire? Or ice? I don't know. It's magic, and it feels amazing at the end of my arms, glowing like a light in the darkness of the deep sea. I increase it.
"Stop!" she shouts. "You can't control two elements, you're going to kill yourself!"
Just you watch, then.
I keep increasing my flames, the fire and ice fighting to maintain that perfect balance on my hands. Two corridors of bubbles appear around my arms, as if the water is boiling around me. Steam? I feel my heart accelerate again. Silver sparks appear all around my body, and I realize it's the ice breaking under the pressure of my flames. I look up at the ceiling of ice that has been getting thicker and thicker all this time.
"Don't you...!"
As Naptera starts preparing another attack, two more ice spikes, I make my decision. I'm done playing, and she's been slowing me down for too long already. It may have been just a handful of minutes, but those precious minutes are those my friends have been missing me for this fight. I can't stay here and entertain her any longer!
Still focusing on balancing my Water and Fire Magic perfectly, I let her spikes come to me, and this time, I simply blow them away with my hand. It's like twigs brushed away by a breeze, and this time, Naptera's look means she's been defeated for real.
"...Told ya."
I turn around, and swim away, leaving her there. I already lost enough time, and I need to use this newfound magic to get out of here and help everyone. I make sure not to slow down until I reach the shore.
“Liam!”
I wait and tame my magic, the cold surrounding me quickly again. Thankfully, he doesn't make me wait too long. A human hand appears in the water, and he pulls me up. My body lands on the wet asphalt, and I take some deep breaths. Moon Goddess, that feels good...
"Mara! You okay, babe?"
His hand is on my neck, patting me, and, as crazy as it may sound at that very moment, I'm suddenly hit by the fact that I'm... completely naked. Oh, the joys of being a werewolf... I curl up and look at Liam, his dark silhouette hovering over me.
"Hi..." I let out, with a hoarse voice I don't recognize myself.
"What happened? Damn, you're... cold as ice!"
"Yeah, I don't recommend a swim now... How's the... fight?"
Oh, damn, I'm tired. With his help, I struggle to get back on my feet, my whole body a bit numb because of the cold. The sensation of the wind on my cold skin has to be something akin to hell. I try to focus on my fire and warm myself up as fast as I can, and Liam hands me a bundle of black fabric. I unfold it. It's a very simple black tank top and shorts outfit, but I won't complain now. I put it on as fast as I can. Is that why he stayed human, in case I needed to change back? Once I'm dressed, I can forget about myself and look around. Liam stays close to me, holding me as if he was afraid I'd go back into the sea or fall.
"What happened?" he insists, ignoring my question. "What about the Water Witch?"
"I beat her... I think. At least for now. H-how about you guys?"
"We're doing okay, but we're a bit stuck. We were waiting for you to come out to move..."
That's what I can see. The werewolves look tired, but fine, aside from a few injuries here and there. Probably those they couldn't avoid... Although, the situation isn't exactly fine. They are now completely surrounded by the human women, and... damn it, how many are there? The number has at least doubled since earlier! How long was I actually underwater? It looks like every female student has been made into some weird witch zombie! At one end of the group, Ayesha is standing there, putting up firewalls behind the human women, making sure they don't escape either. So she also agreed not to injure them...
However, as I start to go to them to join the fight, Liam grabs my hand and gently puts his other one on my cheek. Only then do I notice how panicked he looks... and exhausted too. He's been fighting in his human form all this time? Just so he could wait for me, to pull me out of the water? I suddenly feel very sorry for my mate. I pull him into all sorts of things just because we're so different. I want to say something, but before I do, he pushes some of my wet hair out of my face with a frown. He looks very worried and is staring at me with... a confused expression. What now?
"Mara, are you sure you're okay?"
