Let the test begin

"Begin"

The shock of the voice resounding in his mind caused Ayden to lose his conviction to proceed, but it quickly passed as a sharp pain was felt on his arm. The veins of his hand visible filled with a strange blackness of pure acid, worse as it began spreading up his arm.

Panic filled his head as he screamed in pain, scratching at his arm trying stop the spread, to pull out the odd blackness spreading across his warm-hazel skin. The only thing this did was increase the pain already present.

"It will only get worse, should you continue along this route" the deep voice soothing, yet unapologetic.

"WHO ARE YOU?!" Ayden screamed, breath ragged and eyes darting award looking for the voice in the empty park. The pain reaching his chest as his arm no longer became the only thing covered in veins of tar colored death.

"The one trying to save your life"

The voice somehow pulled Ayden back to his immediate danger as the pain took a sudden leap in intensity, forcing him to the ground

"Now BEGIN, stance of earth."

With a deep slow breath, Ayden began to pick himself up ignoring the pain that was trying to pull his body into a tight ball. Standing up as straight as he could Ayden gathered his fist at his side, bending his arms to bring his fist up to chest height. Using even more effort forcing himself to begin the starting movement but pain waits for no man.

Ayden picked his foot up slowly, then slammed it down to his side with a deep squat leaving a yard between his feet; a weird weight was felt in the air around him. The pain not as bad, as if it was linked to his movements; as if some spell was being cast, with him as the medium.

"...good, now begin"

Keeping he's stance low to the ground Ayden began to move, the images from his tome appearing in his mind with each movement. Each step connected fully to the ground as he moved in straight lines turning at 90 and 180 degree-angles, the feeling of strength and solidness seeping into his bones. Each punch straight and strong, each block firm and unmoving, each kick as solid as the earth around him.

As the speed picked up his hands began to focus more on short range strikes, kicks low and quick. Overall seeming to change into an entirely different form of dance. The power behind each strike began building til with one final stomping motion with his foot, he shifted his toes back allowing it to slid across the ground til his heel finally touched down digging in, throwing the corresponding fist a loud bang was produced that echoed into the void of night.

"Good, your bones are good! NOW, stance of fire!" the voice yelled happily.

Breathing heavily and without thinking, Ayden through his arms out to the side moving them in a half circle til they reached above his head, legs not changing position while his torso changed his facing. His leg once behind him now in front, his arms coming down in front of him as if in prayer.

Moving one hand in front and one behind him the once rigid movements taking on a fierce presence, the dance changing once again. Without any hint of forethought Ayden made a quick shift in his hips allowing his leg to fly into the air, letting the momentum lift him off the ground.

Using the upward force, Ayden pulled his free leg off the ground allowing his body to twist. This letting him throw a spilt kick in the same direction, his other leg now in the lead.

Continuing the twist he brought his original foot up throwing a kick into the sky, pushing him towards the ground. The way the legs moved causing Ayden to land on his hands, but he did not slow as he began to twist into a sequence of angled kicks into the air as his hands moved across the ground.

Now shifting his hips below his head a similar sequence of angled kicks could be seen. The more he moved, the faster he moved, the more he felt the heat building up inside his body, reaching all the way to his shortcut tightly curled obsidian hair. The heat moving up his body reached his stomach, he was back on his feet the kicks switching to footwork and punch's as he dance like a non fire.

Each movement with its own fierce elegance, Ayden danced the style of flames. Till he was flying forward into the air, flipping and bringing his foot down in a flying drop kick. An odd flash of light produced as his heel landed on the ground seemingly in the same starting position.

"YESSSSSS!!! NOW FAN THE FLAMES OF YOUR MUSCLES" joy screaming out before Ayden even finished the last set of steps.

With only a breaths pause Aydens whole demeanor changed once again. From a fierce confidence, to a calm almost tranquil state, to the point that the blackness having reached all but one arm and his neck meaning nothing. The pain meaning nothing, his attachment to the earth gone, the air around him even odder giving the feeling of flight.

Pulling everything in, lifting everything up till all his weight rested on the ball of one foot; one arm up one arm down, he began the dance of wind.

Unlike the others Ayden began slow, each step moving into a spin with the arms accompanying. The air around him beginning to move faster with each completed circle. As Ayden began to lift off the ground with small jumps, even as his speed seemed to stay the same but a weird illusion began to appear.

Every hand/arm/leg/foot/head movement appeared twice, then it began to split more taking on an odd beauty. The doubles continued on till the dance reached the final ballad converging on a single motionless point, till the last double merged with the whole. Ayden moved once more allowing one leg to slide out quick as a whip, his arms that had been pressed against his chest shot out.

All four points of a compass were touched, one arm forward one back at the same time his legs were out to the sides. Then all of a sudden the air that had been moving rapidly around him exploded out, pushing his gear away; yet the book stayed in place.

"Almost perfect,.... now quench the flame" the voice sounding somber, as if lost in the depth of a long forgotten memory.

Ayden began to wonder just what this voice had to do with his family, all the while his calm demeanor changed to one of sadness. The time for the dance of water had come.