Jacob and Allison sprinted side by side through the woods, their feet barely touching the ground as the world blurred around them.
Allison laughed, exhilarated, her voice carrying over the rushing wind. "Wow, this is incredible! I was fast after you gave me that potion, but never this fast!"
Jacob grinned, matching her pace with ease. "Try channeling your wind ability into your speed, see if you can remove the air resistance around your body."
Allison's eyes lit up. "Oh! Let me try."
Green currents began swirling around her form as she ran. She focused, clumsy at first, but after a few tries she managed to control the air around her. Instantly, resistance vanished. A powerful stream of wind burst behind her like a jet, propelling her forward. She shot ahead in a blur, her hair whipping wildly in the gale.
Jacob chuckled and poured on more speed until he caught up, matching her stride. For a few moments, they were nothing but streaks of motion in the moonlit forest.
But soon, Allison skidded to a stop. "Alright, let's stop here."
Jacob stopped beside her, tilting his head. "Tired already?"
She shook her head, breathing steady. "Running without wind is almost effortless. But when I use my powers, it drains me fast. I'd rather save my energy for testing my other abilities."
Jacob nodded. "Fair enough. Then let's see what you can do. And to do that…" He smirked, cracking his knuckles. "…I'm going to attack you."
Allison's eyes glowed bright green as she shifted into her fairy form. She smiled, excitement glinting in her eyes. "That sounds fun."
Jacob's expression grew serious. "Are you ready? I won't go easy on you."
"Bring it on."
In a flash of movement, Jacob appeared before her, his fist streaking toward her face. It wasn't his full strength—far from it—but enough to hurt if it landed.
Allison's instincts flared. Her hands shot up just in time, and the air before her twisted into a shimmering emerald barrier. Jacob's fist slammed into the compressed wind with a muffled thud, the force rippling outward. His punch deflected harmlessly past her cheek, rustling her hair and sending her stumbling back.
Jacob grinned. "A barrier that can deflect attacks? That's good!"
He pivoted, sweeping low for her legs. Allison's eyes widened, and in desperation she thrust her palms downward. A Repulsive Gust burst outward in a shockwave, blasting leaves and dirt in every direction. The power didn't hurt him, but it threw off his balance, forcing him to hop back.
"Nice." Jacob praised, steadying himself. "But next time, focus all the force on your attacker instead of scattering it around. That'll hit harder."
Allison caught her breath and gave a sheepish smile. "I didn't even know what I was doing—I just reacted instinctively."
"You'll learn control with training. Now, your turn. Attack me."
She nodded, determination flashing in her green eyes. Swinging her arm in a wide arc, she unleashed a Cutting Gust. A pale green crescent of compressed air tore forward but veered off course, slicing clean through a sapling beside Jacob instead of him.
Jacob smirked. "That didn't even come close to hitting me, love."
Allison scratched her cheek, embarrassed. "Well, it's my first time! Now let's try something else."
She clenched her fists and thrust them outward. A concentrated blast of wind roared straight toward his chest. Jacob crossed his arms in defense, and the impact made him take a step back, dust scattering under his feet.
Jacob raised his hand, fire sparking to life in his palm. "That was a little impressive. Now… let's see if you can handle this."
Flames swirled, condensing into a sphere the size of a basketball. With a sharp flick, he hurled it at Allison.
Allison saw the ball of fire heading toward her fast and was a little scared. Fear clawed at her instincts to dodge, but she held her ground. She focused on the air in front of the fire, and poured her energy into creating a strong wind barrier.
The fire hit the wall of wind. Instead of piercing through, the swirling winds shredded it apart, scattering embers harmlessly into the air until nothing but sparks faded in the night.
Jacob grinned. "Not bad. But I doubt that barrier could withstand a stronger fire attack."
Allison nodded. "I know. Wind feeds fire and make it stroner. The only reason the barrier worked this time was because your attack was weak."
Then a sly smile tugged at her lips. She spread her arms wide, wind rushing at her command. Leaves, dirt, and moss lifted violently from the forest floor, whirling into a churning dust storm that engulfed the clearing.
Visibility dropped to zero, and Allison moved around, trying to hide in the dust storm she created.
Jacob stood still, his senses immediately heightening. He looked around but couldn't see her, the world around him was chaos, and dirt stung his eyes. He listened, his draconic hearing filtering through the rustle of leaves and dirt, and heard her heartbeat. He turned toward the sound.
Then, a new sound rose—a loud, constant, whistling gust of wind she sent weaving and screaming through the branches of the trees around them. It was a shrieking gale, perfectly masking the rhythm of her heartbeat.
Jacob's eyes glowed golden, shifting to his draconic sight. He tried to find Allison by detecting her heat signature, but the dust and leaves flying around blocked and scattered the infrared radiation, preventing him from seeing through the storm to any heat sources. He let out a quiet breath. "Smart… she blocked both my hearing and my sight."
High above, Allison perched on a thick branch she had reached by making herself lighter with a cushion of air. Her chest rose and fell heavily; her energy was draining fast from keeping the storm alive.
She raised a hand, focusing. She compressed the wind above her palm, refined it, and shaped it with precision. A single, slender, shimmering arrow of solid wind took form, humming with power.
She used the wind to find Jacob's location, took aim, and let the wind arrow fly.
It shot through the dusty air like a green comet. Jacob sensed the concentrated energy and turned, his hand flashing up. A small, concentrated fireball, no larger than an apple, shot from his palm to meet it. The two projectiles collided in a blinding flash, scattering into nothing.
Allison didn't wait. She leaped, the wind softening her landing, and rolled behind another giant tree. Gritting her teeth, she envisioned not one, but three arrows this time. She swept her hands forward, and the wind arrows flew toward Jacob from her new position.
This time, Jacob didn't use a small fireball. He turned to the source of the attack, took a deep breath, and unleashed a controlled fire breath. The cone of flame engulfed the arrows, vaporizing them into harmless puffs of agitated air.
The dust storm dissipated after Allison stopped controlling it, and Allison knew she was exposed. She jumped out from behind the tree and, with a cry of effort, swung her hand in a precise arc. A sharp wind slash flew horizontally at Jacob's torso.
He didn't block it; he simply leaned back, the blade whistling past his chest to slice clean through a thick tree trunk behind him. The top of the tree groaned and began to topple.
Jacob straightened, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Not bad."
Allison smiled proudly and waved both hands rapidly, sending a volley of wind slashes toward him. They were stronger this time, faster, sharper, more precise than before.
Jacob didn't dodge. He stood his ground, and as the first slash reached him, he simply threw a punch. His fist met the concentrated air head-on and shattered it into a harmless breeze. He did it again, and again, punching through her attacks like they were made of fragile glass, each impact sounding like a small thunderclap.
Jacob smiled. "I like what you did with that dust storm. Blocking both my hearing and sight—that was clever."
Allison was panting. "But… you still blocked every attack, even when you couldn't see me."
Jacob's expression was calm, almost amused. "If I couldn't even do that, I'd be ashamed to call myself a dragon."
Her brows furrowed. "But how did you do it?"
"I'm very sensitive to energy, so the moment you started creating your wind arrow, I sensed your location. I can also feel danger." Jacob replied. "And I could have used electricity to track your location. Don't forget—I have more than just eyes and ears."
Allison tilted her head, whispering. "I see…"
Jacob's gaze softened. "But I'm proud of you though. You only became a fairy today, and yet the strength you showed just now is enough to take down a weak Alpha werewolf. And if you could create a dust storm like you just did, trapping a pack of werewolves inside it and blocking their senses, you could take on an alpha and his whole pack on your own—with ranged attacks, of course. Although you're strong physically and have rapid healing, the last thing a creature like you should do is short-range combat."
A proud smile spread across Allison's face. "I could just use my wind slashes and kill a werewolf, even an alpha like Peter. His skin isn't as tough as yours, right?"
Jacob's eyes narrowed. "Don't get cocky. Peter isn't a weak Alpha. In his werewolf form, that slash you just used to cut a tree in half would do little damage to him, if you can hit him, that is. He's fast, if you let him close the distance, you'll be in real trouble. Physically, you're not on his level at all."
Allison frowned. "But I already had Beta-level strength before I became a fairy, and now that I'm a fairy I've become even stronger. I thought I was as strong as an alpha werewolf now."
Jacob shook his head. "Not even close. When a creature becomes an Alpha—whether it's a werewolf or anything else—their entire being evolves. They don't just get stronger—they become more connected to their supernatural side. That makes them far harder to kill. When I said you could take down a weak Alpha, I meant a really weak one. And even then, it would take you a lot of effort to kill him… unless you poison him, of course."
Allison crossed her arms, but there was a spark of defiance in her eyes. "Maybe. But this is just me after a few hours as a fairy. Once I train—once I master my wind and electricity—I'm sure I'll be able to beat a strong Alpha werewolf."
Her voice softened as curiosity crept in. "By the way… how does a fairy become an Alpha?"
Jacob thought for a moment before answering. "Probably by gaining a deep understanding of your element. Once that happens, the transformation comes naturally."
Allison nodded, her expression thoughtful. "I see."
Jacob said. "Now… can you try making a real wind attack? Something powerful."
Allison tilted her head. "Like what?"
"A giant spinning arrow." Jacob replied. "I can do it with my fire ability to show you if you want, but we are in a forest and I'd rather not start a fire and burn it down."
Allison said. "You don't need to show me. I think I can do it."
She turned toward some huge boulders. She raised both hands above her head, palms facing each other as if cradling an invisible sphere. She closed her eyes, shutting out everything but the feel of the wind.
It started as a whisper, a gentle breeze that coiled around her arms, stirring her green hair. Then it grew. The air between her palms began to shimmer with an intense, vibrant green light, pulling in more and more of the surrounding wind.
Jacob watched, his draconic eyes seeing not just the light, but the currents of power she was desperately trying to bind together. He saw the strain on her face, the slight tremble in her arms.
Allison's world narrowed to the vortex between her hands. Every ounce of her will, every bit of her remaining energy, she poured into constructing the arrow. She imagined it—long, sleek, and deadly. She forced it to spin, compressing the raging winds tighter and tighter, layering them into a corkscrew pattern. A sharp, throbbing pain began to bloom behind her eyes, a warning sign of her energy being drained too fast. Her breath came in short, ragged gasps, but she didn't stop. She pushed past the pain, past the exhaustion.
With a final cry of effort, the weapon completed itself. It hovered above her hands, a magnificent and terrifying arrow of solidified, screaming wind.
She screamed, thrusting her hands forward.
The giant spinning arrow launched. It didn't fly so much as devour the space between her and the boulders. The moment it left her hands, the energy sustaining it vanished from her body. The vibrant green light around her snuffed out. she was panting, her head pounding, her body utterly spent as she shifted back to her human form. She collapsed and was about to hit the ground.
Jacob surged forward, catching her before she hit the ground, cradling her against his chest.
The arrow struck the first boulder. There was no explosion, not at first. There was a piercing shriek of stone being violently drilled. The arrow didn't even slow down; it passed through the first boulder splitting it apart, and tore through the second one, exploding it from the inside out, and impacted the third, larger than the others. It drilled into its heart before the immense power finally destabilized, unleashing its remaining energy, and causing a loud explosion.
The ground quaked, a shockwave ripping through the trees, scattering leaves like a hurricane. Dust and rubble filled the clearing. Jacob shielded Allison with his body, to protect her weakened body from the explosion.
When the chaos faded, silence returned. The cluster of boulders was gone. In its place was a huge crater filled with rubble.
Jacob looked at Allison in his arms who was still watching the crater with wide eyes, not believing she just did that. "Alright… I take it back. This attack could definitely kill Peter."
Allison managed a weak laugh, still panting. "Maybe… but I doubt he'll just stand still while I finish making it."
Jacob said. "Alright, it's time we get out of here."
Allison groaned, slumping against him. "You'll have to carry me. I have no energy left—I can't even stand."
Jacob gave a small smile. "Then how about we eat first? Food might help you regain some energy."
Her eyes lit up faintly despite her exhaustion. "Okay… I wouldn't say no to food. Honestly, even though we just had dinner, I feel like I could eat a cow right now."
Jacob carried her to a fallen tree, settling her onto the mossy trunk. With a flick of his hand, he pulled a small collapsible table from his pocket dimension—a reward from one of his daily sign-ins. A moment later, he set down burgers, fries, and cans of Coke.
They ate quietly under the stars. When they finished, Jacob stowed everything away, then crouched in front of her.
"Climb on." He said.
Allison wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her cheek against him. He rose easily, her weight nothing to him, and started walking toward the direction of her home.
She closed her eyes, a small, tired smile tugging at her lips, and within moments, her breathing slowed, her body relaxing as she drifted into light sleep.
Fifteen minutes later, the silence of the woods shattered. Gunfire echoed through the night, sharp and unmistakable.
Jacob froze mid-step, his eyes narrowing. His supernatural hearing locked onto the direction instantly.
Without a word, he shifted course, breaking into a run.
Allison stirred awake at the sudden movement, blinking. "Jay… what's happening?"
"I don't know." Jacob answered. "I heard gunshots and followed the sound. We're about to arrive."
To be continued… 😊