The Youngest Sin

Tears under the moonlight

The first attempt in demonstrating the burst method cost Charles his precious partner.

So they decided not to use anything when demonstrating something. This rule is especially made for Rai to keep him from destroying another precious partner.

"I'm going to release lightning in a form of a blade from my hands and strike this tree that I c-ut down earlier" Rai hesitated for a moment, he became aware not to make Charles remember what happened.

Rai continued his demonstration, his hand is envelope by his purple lightning. The raging lightning ran rampant around his hand like a chained raging lion ready to devour its prey. Yet he easily manage to tame the hardest element to control. He stretch his arm and hit the tree with his hand, Charles and Verette manage to caught a glimpse of how the lightning behave in Rai's hand but only for a short time.

The tree trunk shatter to pieces but Rai's hand is unscathed.

"That is the burst method, in this case I reinforced my hand and use it as a medium to unleash the lightning concentration that I created." he explained after his demonstration.

"Hmmm, so it has other uses as well?"Asked Verette while looking through the pieces of he tree.

"Yes, this technique has wide variety of uses. Only a handful of people knows this method." he reminded.

"Can I give it a try?"Charles asked.

"You need to remember that each uses is different for every element, fire is good defense and offense, a magic swordsman has independent skill right? If you manage to maintain your focus you can cover your blade with fire, your sword becomes an extension of your limbs and you can even release a wave of flames from your sword. Though it may need a lot of focus in order to prevent your sword from melting. And it looks really badass." Rai explained.

[The last line is quite unnecessary but it really is right? Imagine holding a sword that is covered in flames and does not burn your hand.]

Charles looked at his hands after hearing Rai’s explanation.

"I'm a fire element user, so I guess I still have many things to explore huh?"

"Yeah, you would end up lo-" Verette inserted.

"I know Verette, I know" Charles interrupted.

Charles immediately interrupted Verette knowing what she would say next.

"Well, its up to the user. It’s just my assumption but who knows, maybe Charles can find a way." he said in a remarkable way.

"I want to show you another technique I develop, I derived this technique with the combination of burst and minimalization method. I never showed this to anyone except a handful of people" Rai continued.

Rai concentrated his lightning into an orb as big as a wheel. The raging element once again emerge, the lightning wildly moved in a circular path. The thousand lighting strands are in turmoil and do not move in unity with each other. It is a chaotic sight, the very nature of lightning is on display, a storm. And all of the sudden the lighting strands immediately moved in unity, as if the strands have a single body and mind, the chaotic strands moved in harmony.

Their eyes widened as they saw the spectacle of Rai’s ability to control his lightning element with precision to an extent that it gave them goosebumps.

"This doesn't look like burst method because I combine it with the minimalization method. But watch what happens next." he inform the two.

When the orb gradually became smaller, until it was as small as a dumpling, it, floated toward Rai’s mouth and swallowed it whole.

Charles and Verette was shocked by Rai's action. He fell on his knees, with a sharp groan he sent a shock wave around him, lightning started to emerge from the surface of his skin. Rai stood back up, it change some of his facial features. His hair got wavy with a purple light, runes were engraved in his skin that turned purple. His eyes change, his pupils shine in a peculiar purple color while the rest turned black. His hands covered with his purple lightning, zapping everything that is touches and burning them with such high intensity of heat that it created. His body became a walking catastrophe, destroying everything it touches. The very ground that he is standing on started to burn. The two step back a little due to the raging lightning that surrounds Rai.

"I can maintain this form for only 5 minutes. You cannot swallow more than 2 orbs in such a small interval. In this form, you became one with the element that you posses. No delay, limit nor cast time when you activate spells. The element bids your will, whatever it may be" Rai said with a strange voice.

Both of them were amazed by what they saw. Rai is very bright even in the dark forest they were in. The purple light emitted by his lightning shines brightly in the dark.

"Will we be able to practice that as well?" Charles mumble in excitement.

"What can you do? Please show me" Verette ask

"Okay" Rai nodded.

Rai became blur, a strange purple light was moving away from Rai that transferred to one location and another, it was all over the place. What they are seeing was Rai in his supersonic speed, the after images were the product when ever he stop to a point.

"What is this?" she said in amazement.

Verette reach out to the after image Rai produced.

"Don't, never touch anything that has connection to my body or else you will get zapped.” Rai warned.

"Woah, what an amazing ability" she murmured.

His after images started to disappear when Rai stopped in a point for too long.

"I can't demonstrate its firepower cause we only borrowed this land, and I don't want to destroy it." Rai shake his head in disappointment.

"Maybe let's go find and rent a place where we can practice what you taught us" Verette suggested.

"We'll leave that matter for later, it's getting really late now. I'll bring you both home"

"What?! You’re going carry me?"Charles exclaimed."Verette might be okay with that but I not, I'm straight. And what happened to not touch anything that connects to you body?"

"I still have 1 minute in my form , do you believe that I can’t control this thing?. It would be good for an experience."

They needed experience so they agreed. Charles decided he'd go first, so Rai carried him in his back and arrived in his house a few seconds later.

Next is Verette, she was really shy and blushes whenever she sees Rai. So the feeling of being carried by him is on a whole new level of nervousness.

A purple light appeared, Rai arrived in just a few seconds after taking Charles to his home.

"Get on my back"

Rai said as he offer his hand. Verette took his hand, she felt Rai's concentration flowed into her body.

"What is this?" she asked.

It was a new experience for her, usually a concentration can only be felt either by getting harmed by it or being healed. Foreign concentration usually harms the body of a different element user.

"That is concentration influence. In order to protect you from being harmed by my concentration I made connections with your element allowing my concentration to cover up your original element." he explained.

“That sounds a little complicated.” She murmured.

“It’s not exactly that hard to do if you use the technique where I combined the minimalization and burst method.” he said.

[Rai gave Verette a piggy-back ride. If you guys were wondering if Charles had a piggy-back ride, the answer is yes, yes he did.]

Verette got on Rai's back. Rai started walking, since Verette was influenced by Rai's concentration, everything is moving slowly for her as well.

"Everything seems to stop" she said in amazement.

"Being this fast is very boring, and it’s taking forever for everyone to react." he complained.

"If only the world moves slowly like this, I'd get to be with you a lot longer." she said in a soft voice.

Rai glanced at Verette, she was beet red but she didn't look away from Rai but instead she stared at him. It seems like she was staring at him from the very beginning.

"How long do you want to stay away from my feelings?" she ask in a sad tone.

He did not avoid her gaze, his purple eyes showed no reaction to her words, it’s like confessing to a machine that only knows how to destroy everything in it’s path.

Rai turned and faced the road.

"I will never be able to, because that is who I am now"

Sadness linger from his voice as he answered Verette's question.

Verette can't see Rai's face but she knows that Rai is sad.

"Sorry Verette, I don't think I can ever return your feelings." he confessed.

Verette felt sad after hearing Rai said that he cannot give her what she wants.

"I will wait for you when the time comes"She said to Rai while tears are falling to her cheeks.

They arrived at her dorm and at the same time Rai's burst wore off.

"Will that technique take a lot of toll in your body?" she said to change the atmosphere.

"Yes, but I'm quite used to the after effects of this technique" he said as he c***k his neck.

"Thanks for bringing me home again, Rai"

Verette leaned closer to Rai, trying to reach Rai's face and immediately kissed him in the cheeks.

It caught Rai off guard, Rai looked at Verette with a sad expression.

"You really are persistent" he said in a a sad tone.

"I need to give my best, but for now. This is the best that I can do"

Verette was trying hard to look Rai in the face and not avoid his gaze.

"Can you not change your mind?"Rai asked Verette who was a bit closer to him, the moon shone brightly in the dark of the night. Rai stroke Verette's cheeks with his left hand.

"Your eyes are sparkling like the moon, if only I met you a little sooner" he said as he caressed her silky hair.

Verette's eyes sparkled like the moon in the sky. The light of the moon shone over her and made her hair glitter under its light.

Rai stroke her hair behind her ears. Verette was barely holding her ground against Rai's behaviour.

After a few seconds Rai took his hands off of Verette's cheeks and Rai waved at her and started to walk back.

"I hope you find someone better than me, especially someone who can love you back." he said with a strong voice. Blessing her for the future ahead of her.

Verette held her hands in her chest as she cried under the moonlight knowing that her love cannot be returned.