The Secrets of the Elements

The Elements

"Alright, everyone," Zarna announced, pulling her long hair into a tidy bun. "The only clue we've uncovered about this book is that its letters rearrange when you strike the spine."

Tej nodded, his legs exposed and generously coated in sunscreen as he soaked in the warmth of the summer sun beneath the radiant sky.

"We attempted to practice all the techniques mentioned in it," he chimed in.

Advika shook her head. "No, we didn't give it the dedication it requires," she said, opening the book. A breeze tousled her hair, and she swiftly tucked it behind her ears.

The book's pages glistened as they caught the sunlight, illuminating the words written in invisible ink. Images representing the five elements - water, fire, earth, air, and sky - graced the pages. Advika perused the contents, her fingers halting on a specific page.

"It says we need to keep our minds calm and thoughtless," she said, looking at her friends. 

"Is that even possible?" Zarna wondered aloud.

"Well, if we want to harness these powers, we need to try," replied Advika.

Maya, striving to corral her curly hair into a bun, added her thoughts. "It's reminiscent of those documentaries I've watched and read about."

Under the relentless sun, the air grew hot and muggy as the friends huddled around the book, preparing themselves for the uncharted journey that lay ahead.

Ray traced the intricate symbol of the sky inscribed in the book, and it glistened as his fingers made contact. Advika smiled and placed her fingers on the earth symbol, while Zarna rubbed her palms before pressing her forefinger onto the water emblem. Maya grabbed Tej's hand and instructed him to touch the fire symbol, while she touched the air symbol. Tej, with a resigned sigh, complied, though he found the whole thing less fascinating than his friends did.

As they touched the symbols, the five elements began to glow, emitting a bright white light. The girls giggled in excitement, and Ray nodded in agreement. "Okay, the second thing is that these symbols glow when we touch them," he concluded.

Advika lifted her finger and placed it on the fire symbol, causing the light to vanish from the fire and earth symbols. Tej followed suit and moved his finger to the earth symbol, and the light disappeared from the earth and air symbols.

"Do you guys think it has something to do with affinity?" Zarna pondered aloud.

"What do you mean?" Ray asked, intrigued, as they withdrew their hands and Advika closed the book. 

Zarna looked at Advika with a slight pout.

"In my opinion," Advika began, "each witch or sorcerer has an affinity or a natural inclination towards a particular element."

"Okay, so now that we've identified our affinities, what's next?" Zarna asked, her curiosity piqued. 

"Half of the book is still blank," Ray pointed out.

"We should give it some time," Advika suggested, tilting her head as she glanced at the book in front of them. Hundreds of thoughts raced through her mind, and she knew there were still so many things left to be discovered. If only they knew how.

It was as if they had stepped into an episode of a web series, filled with enigmatic events and newfound abilities. It was astounding to think that they had only been acquainted for a single month. Ray and Tej, on the other hand, were the exception; childhood friends who had grown so close they were more like brothers now.

"Does anybody else feel a drop in energy levels since we started practicing these things?" asked Maya.

Advika nodded her head in a yes. 

"Somewhat," said Ray.

Tej and Zarna nodded their head in a no.

"What about you?" asked Advika.

"I kind of did," answered Maya. "Every being handles this in a different manner, maybe."

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