This Happened

Both the wind and fire users stood next to each other, their faces contorted in pure anger. They both outstretched a hand towards us and I knew exactly what they were going to do.

And I also knew I wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

It was going to be too late for us even if we made a run for it. Their attack was going to be big and it would outstretch long enough to reach us. I turned to Paige before facing front again.

"You wouldn't want to burn your precious hostage now, would you?" I yelled at them.

But the wind user only smirked. "As long as she doesn't die, it'll be alright," he snarled. "You, on the other hand, should."

And in a blink of an eye, they both conjured a fire and wind cannon combination. The pure energy shot at us like an arrow shot by a bow and it was too enormous to dodge.

Before the fire reached me, I held out a hand in front as if it could prevent me from burning to ashes and closed my eyes.

I lost.

"Shiro!!!"

And then bright light engulfed me.

*****

But I didn't burn nor did I feel any heat.

I waited for the hot and burning sensation engulf my entire body but nothing came.

So I opened my eyes and gasped in shock.

My palm. The fire. The bright white light.

It all happened in such a blur but I remembered it oh so clearly and vividly.

My palm, my hand, my entire arm — no, my entire body — was glowing with bright white light. The fire that was supposed to burn me to crisp was being sucked into my outstretched palm. I didn't feel the heat there nor did I feel any sort of pain. I just glowed.

When the last of the fire finally finished, I stood there in a daze, my palm still outstretched and my body still glowing. I looked at the fire and wind user and they looked pale for some reason.

"Shiro..." I heard Paige speak behind me. "What... What WAS that? What just happened?! What... What did you do?!"

"I-I don't know! I just— What just happened??" I asked in disbelief, still shocked by the fact that I was frigging GLOWING in white.

I looked at the palm that just sort of 'absorbed' the fire and there was a sort of burnt mark at the center but I didn't feel pain from it. I then looked back up at the jerks and saw how pale they were. It wasn't a pale look from fear of me but from something else.

Before I could think any further, a voice rang behind us.

"Shiro, what the fuck?"

I turned and, lo and behold, Master was there, emerging from the bushes and trees. He had three knights behind him and they all wore the same shocked faces as Master and Paige.

"Master!" I said in relief. "I-I-I don't know what happened! I just.. They—I mean, I—"

He raised a hand up in a signal for me to stop. "Save it. I'll let you explain later," he said, giving me a look. "For now, just try to stop glowing."

"I-I can't," I said in defeat. "I don't know how—"

"You, bitch!" the wind user's voice yelled behind me. I turned around to see both him and the fire user slumped and pale. "Give us... Give us back our magic.. power..!!"

I furrowed my brows. "Give you back you magi— Wait, what?!"

I looked down on my hands and the burnt mark. I gulped in nervousness.

Is that what I did?

Did I take those boys' magic powers?

"Shiro, what happened?" Master asked in a quieter tone as he stood beside me.

"I... I just stretched my hand out on instinct and the next thing I knew," I spoke in a quiet voice. "The fire and wind... were sucked into my palms. Master," I turned to him with desperate eyes. "What if what that boy said was true? Did I really...?"

He didn't respond immediately and looked to be in thought. Then he looked at me with a firm gaze. "Then let's find out, shall we?"

He then suddenly took my hand, the one with a burnt mark, and raised it up. I gasped as the sudden surge of power erupted in me. It felt hot and cool at the same time. With my outstretched hand and Master's hand on mine, fire and wind came out from my palm.

Gasps were heard from behind me and I realized I heard one from myself, too. The fire magic power danced in the air until it dived down to the fire user's body. So did the wind with the wind user's body. In a second, they gained their natural colors back.

"Thank the gods...!" the fire user exclaimed, tears running down his cheeks.

The same went for the wind user.

Then I noticed Master signal the knights and they immediately moved past us to capture the four boys. He turned to me.

"What... was that, Master?" I asked as I watched the white glow fade and the burnt mark disappear.

He didn't answer but turned to Paige instead. "Go back to your dorm, Miss Hitherstone, and alert your parents that you're safe. I will ensure no harm will come to you as you walk back but, to be safe, once you reach back to the courtyard, ask for an attendant to walk with you," he uncharacteristically said in a formal tone.

Paige nodded her head in response before turning to me with a small smile. "Take care, Shiro," she said and I could almost hear the next words: 'And make sure to tell me everything after.' Then she turned and walked back to the courtyard.

"Let's go," Master said as he grabbed my hand and snapped his fingers.