Extra's POV: I am the Sixteenth Son

Fire. One of the core elements of nature. An element that was once rumored to destroy the whole world in one fell swoop. That was all that surrounded him now.

Ares stood in the fire shrine, taking controlled breaths. Currently, he was standing a bit close to the exit, just in case things went horribly wrong. He had once asked Roul how he could channel his elements properly.

He was a genius when it came to absorbing mana - there was no doubt about that. But that became a completely different matter when said genius couldn't even cause a tiny spark of flame, despite being born into a bloodline of elemental masters. Talk about family disappointment.

The explanation Roul had given to Ares, though not very helpful, had sparked a bit of remembrance in his core. Ever since he got to this new world, Ascalon, it felt like he'd been forgetting things that had happened in the world as he read about it in the book. But he remembered one crucial thing: 'Elements are controlled by your emotions'.

"When Sigmund trained in the Cradle, he was told this by one of the shrine wardens. I think I remember what emotion triggers each element. Let's try fire," Ares muttered to himself, feeling slightly foolish for talking to empty air.

Ares immediately got to his feet, opening his palm and staring straight at it. He dug deep, remembering memories from his sad past - memories of when he was left on that cold hospital bed, abandoned by his family because of his condition. The rage hit him like a punch to the gut. Rage because that life had turned out so cruel. Rage because he had no real memories except of sterile hospital walls and beeping machines. And finally, rage because he had to die feeling so utterly alone.

The anger burned in his chest like acid.

In the next moment, a tiny spark lit up on Ares' palm. Following that spark was a small tongue of flame dancing on his skin like a miniature performer. His eyes went wide with shock and excitement. Anger was the key trigger for fire, and apparently, Ares had plenty of it stored up.

He was overjoyed, practically bouncing on his feet. He had been approaching this whole thing from the wrong angle before. He had tried channeling the elemental energy directly, which resulted in nothing but the uncomfortable uneasiness that came with forcing elements through his channels.

The flames were small, yes, but this was real progress. He focused more on the flame, watching it dance, and its output increased bit by bit. After a while, he decided to try something bold. He pushed his palm out, focusing on the empty space in front of him. In the next moment, the flames that danced over his palm shot forward like tiny arrows, moving through the air for a few feet before burning out completely.

The expression on Ares' face was priceless - a mix of surprise, pride, and "did I really just do that?" Yes, it was the most basic way to use the fire element, but he had achieved this completely on his own. No teacher, no guidance, just pure stubborn determination.

After spending more time training in the fire shrine, he began to understand something important. Every element had five levels. These levels determined not just the raw output of your element, but also its effectiveness and overall strength. He was currently at the most basic level of his fire element - level one, the baby steps of elemental mastery.

This meant he could only control fire within and around his body. The element's output wouldn't be all that impressive either, but he could manage several useful techniques. Small fireballs that looked more like flaming marbles, the ability to ignite parts of his body with small flames, and he could cloak parts of his body in fire. This last one would definitely give him an edge in battle, leaving nasty burn marks and some serious trauma on anyone foolish enough to get too close.

He could also emit a surge of heat from his body. This technique produced no visible flames, but it felt like he was using pure fighting spirit for intimidation. The downside? It drained his stamina faster than a leaky bucket. He also gained partial fire resistance, which was nice, but this didn't mean that if someone threw a massive fireball at his face, he wouldn't get roasted like a marshmallow.

And finally, he discovered a skill he proudly named "burststep."

While training, he noticed that the flames could actually influence his body's movements. Curious and perhaps a bit reckless, he decided to see what would happen if he caused a focused explosion from his feet just as he was about to run. The result was absolutely catastrophic, and definitely not what he had planned.

BOOM!

He was launched across the room like a human cannonball, crashing into the far wall with all the grace of a sack of potatoes. At that moment, he was extremely grateful that no one was there to witness his spectacular display of stupidity. The shrine walls probably would have echoed with laughter for weeks.

"Note to self," he groaned from the floor, "less explosion, more control."

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After his eventful time in the fire shrine, Ares moved over to the ice shrine. Here, things felt completely different. The air was crisp and biting, making his breath visible in small puffs. He concentrated for a long while, but there was no immediate reaction. The required emotion to use ice wasn't anger - it was stillness, complete and utter calm.

This was something he actually excelled at, ironically enough. He remembered how he used to lay perfectly still on his hospital bed, waiting for death to come knocking at his door. That quiet acceptance, that peaceful surrender - that was all he had really ever known in his previous life.

Cold energy began seeping from his body like morning mist. He could feel himself exhaling cold air too, each breath creating small clouds in the already chilly shrine. He immediately began experimenting with this new ability, training for hours and trying to see if he could develop skills similar to the fire techniques he had learned.

He focused on his feet and the ground beneath them. Ice energy began to leak out slowly, coating the floor in a thin layer of frost. Unlike with fire, he didn't try to run. Instead, he pushed his body forward gently, as if he was about to take a step, and then something amazing happened - he started gliding smoothly across the floor.

This brought back a crystal-clear memory from his past life: ice skating. He had watched it on TV from his hospital bed, dreaming of what it would feel like to glide so effortlessly.

He immediately began gliding around the entire shrine, moving with surprising grace. None of the people in this world had ever thought to use ice energy this way. Ares was reinforcing the floor with his own ice energy, using it as a smooth surface for movement. It was like having his own personal ice rink wherever he went.

"I'm basically a magical figure skater," he chuckled to himself, doing a little spin that would have made Olympic athletes jealous.

After his impromptu skating session, he tried out other skills. He quickly noticed that at level one, he couldn't do much with his ice ability compared to fire. There was ice spike, which had a limit of only seven spikes unlike fireball's ten. He could project cold energy from his body just like with fire, creating an aura that made people want to step back and grab a coat.

He could also perform "ice touch" - anything he touched would turn to ice, but once he stopped touching it, the ice would gradually melt back to its normal form. It was temporary, but still pretty cool. Literally.

Finally, he could harden parts of his body with ice, creating natural armor. This skill quickly became one of his favorites because it provided the defensive protection that fire simply couldn't offer. It was like wearing invisible battle gear.

Ares continued to train both elements for what felt like forever, pushing himself harder and harder. Sweat poured down his face despite the cold from the ice shrine, and his muscles ached from the constant practice. But he kept one thing firmly in mind - he absolutely could not fail during the class captain selection event.

He didn't necessarily want to win that badly, but he definitely didn't want to lose so badly either. There was a difference between "not winning" and "complete public humiliation," and he intended to stay far away from the latter.

He trained and trained until his clothes were soaked with sweat and his legs felt like jelly. Finally, the curfew bell rang at 7 PM, calling all students back to their dorms for the night.

Tomorrow, he would train with one more element. That would give him the foundation he needed to have even a fighting chance of winning. Or at least not embarrassing himself completely in front of the entire academy.

As he walked back to his dorm, ice crystals still clinging to his hair and the faint smell of smoke on his clothes, Ares couldn't help but smile. For the first time since arriving in this world, he actually felt like he might have a real shot at proving himself.

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A/N – Was it fire or mid? Don't just vanish—powerstone, comment, review. Let me feel your presence.