Blazing Soul

Chapter 1

I sit in my navy blue beanbag, stroking Astra. Onyx sits across from me, hugging her knees to her chest with one hand and rubbing an onyx gemstone with the other. Her black hair falls in a glossy sheet, framing her pale face.
Beside Onyx sits Avalon, red hair blazing, a smirk on her lips. She's playing with a fireball, wisps of smoke curling out of it.
Aeria is above Onyx, floating on a pillow of clouds. Her blonde hair is braided into pigtails.
And then there's Electrio, surrounded by crackling electricity. His purple-tinted hair stands on end, and his skin glows bright.
Astra looks up at me, eyes filled with trust. Smiling, I pet my wolf some more. "Hey, Avalon, why isn't Blaze out?"
With a popping sound, a large orange tiger is suddenly standing beside Avalon. He lies down on her lap. Her Nether-bending ability allows her to bear his weight.
I look up at Aeria, and then at Onyx and Electrio. "We're supposed to have our spirit animals out at all times, guys."
Aeria rolls her eyes. "Who are you - Headmaster Oceana?" But she obeys, and soon, Illusion - her hawk - is perched on her shoulder, his shimmering indigo aura humming.
Onyx snaps her fingers, and just like that, she's being hugged by the monstrosity that is Terra the gorilla.
Electrio's eel, Mathias, is surrounded by a bubble of water as he curls around Electrio's neck affectionately. The electricity from Mathias passes through the water, and Electrio is hit with a hundred volts of electricity. When the smoke clears away, he's completely unharmed. Electricity-bending makes him immune to electricity.
"So... uh..." Onyx mumbles through the awkward silence. "Tomorrow, we start Year 5, huh?"
I nod. "I wonder what we'll get this year." Our first year at the Academy of Elements, Shapeshifting, Superpowers, and Spirit Animals ended with us earning our spirit animals. Year 2 allowed us to choose accessories and armor for us and our spirit animals. Year 3 let the top student - in this case, Electrio - earn his Aura. Year 4, last year, was when we got our Fidgets - small objects pertaining to our element that we fidget with to help us think. Electrio's is a metal ball, Onyx's is, well, an onyx gemstone, Avalon's is a fireball, Aeria's is a blown-glass eagle, and mine is a moonstone.
Avalon has lost her smirk, and I see nervousness behind her eyes. "All I know is that the fifth year is when we're able to get kicked out if we're not good enough."
"Shut up!" Aeria scoffs. "We are AWESOME. Plus, Headmaster Oceana is best friends with my mom, Electrio is still the top student in our entire year, you've successfully defeated every single one of the Practice Enemies, Onyx has been training for her entire life, and Headmaster Oceana admires Luna because of her impressive animal communication."
Onyx is biting her lip. "Yeah.." she trails off. "But... I don't know if that's enough."