Breaking Free: A Zodiac Story

Chapter 18: Breaking the Wall

Author's Note:
Sorry for the long wait! I promise this book is not dead - I was just really busy with practicing for my piano exams. I'll try to write more once I've finished them!
---

Leo could feel everyone's eyes on him, seeking confirmation. "Alright, to your areas," he directed.

He watched as everyone split up and shuffled over to their designated areas. Leo could almost feel the excitement hanging in the air as he padded over to where Aries and Sagittarius stood.

"Right, what next, boss?" Sagittarius joked, playfully nudging him.

Leo opened his mouth to speak - and he closed it as his eyes flitted behind Sagittarius's back. Behind her was a figure - Leo would've mistaken it as someone's shadow if it hadn't been glowing faintly. Its light cast a warm glow around them; a surge of triumph filled Leo as he watched the figure.

"Leo?" Aries echoed, poking him in the ribs.

"I'm fine." Leo said, shaking his head and blinking. The figure was gone.

Leo felt warmth rise up and envelop him. He looked down at his hands; they were glowing with an ethereal golden fire. "We shatter this wall," Leo announced, glaring at the wall before them, "and we show everyone the truth."

---

Aries' eyes widened. Leo was glowing - literally. Golden flames licked at his skin and cast the entire clearing in a fiery glow.

"Who knew we'd end up doing something as crazy as this?" Sagittarius chuckled.

"We should've known what we were getting ourselves into when we befriended Leo." Aries replied, amusement flickering in his eyes. "But... I'm glad we did. I can't imagine a life without them, now..."

Sagittarius smiled. "Me too." They stood in silence for a moment.

"Alright," Aries muttered, steeling himself. "Let's do this." He clenched his fists and called upon his fire; he could feel it building up inside him, hot and vicious. He was temporarily brought back to his brief 'stay' at the Water Palace; shaping his fire into a ram - the freezing touch of Scorpio's water powers -

Aries shuddered and forced himself to concentrate. The fire was fighting against him, burning, trying to break free. Aries held on, allowing the fire to grow, yet keeping it under his control. Everything around him had become a haze of smoke and heat.

Sagittarius breathed heavily next to him. She had summoned her bow and had notched a single arrow; the tip of the arrow was encased in a white flame that was steadily growing.

Leo looked around at the rest of his friends. They had caught up on what was going on and they each stood, concentrating, sweat rolling down their foreheads. The entire clearing was shimmering; a haze red, blue, white and green hovered over their own areas.

---

Cancer gritted her teeth. Her hands were encased in a blue glow - she forced herself to concentrate on it as she drew strength from any water around her - puddles, the earth, mud. Her hands felt numb from the cold; she refused to let her power overwhelm her.

Scorpio growled under his breath. He was colder than he'd ever been before - he'd never tried keeping his power in for so long. The power was shapeless, formless - he fought the urge to let the power get out of control.

Pisces closed her eyes. Her magic was building up and even the back of her eyelids seemed to cast in a chilling blue glow. She shivered; was it just her, or was it getting colder by the second Her power fought against her hold. Pisces held on furiously, waiting for Leo's signal.

---

Wind battered relentlessly at Gemini's face. She clenched her fists and felt her nails digging into her palms, but the pain was nothing compared to holding her own power back. I never knew my power was so strong... Gemini felt everything blur around her as she focussed on the growing glow of power around her hands.

Balance it out... Libra repeated to himself. If his power overwhelmed him, then he could possibly wipe out everybody in the clearing. If he exerted too much control, his power would diminish... The chilling wind bit at his exposed skin and whipped his hair into his face. Libra closed his eyes and concentrated. Balance...

Aquarius kept her wings closed, afraid that if she opened them, she'd accidentally release the pent up power she was holding in. A grey glow surrounded her hands - like clouds, her mind whispered - as she continued building it up. A few stray feathers fluttered around her, torn off by the wind. "Hold it in," she breathed softly.

---

Taurus had never experienced so much power in his life. He'd never even known he'd ever been capable of doing something like this - he'd only ever used his powers once in a while for small activities. He'd also never expected it to be so difficult to keep his powers under his control... he gritted his teeth and concentrated on keeping his feet rooted to the ground.

The thick scent of earth filled her nose. Maybe I always knew back then that I was destined for something like this, she thought, smiling ruefully. Memories flashed through her mind - struggling to hone her powers, training day after day with her mentor... She forced herself to concentrate on the present.

Everything seemed to disappear under a haze of green and brown. Capricorn growled under his breath as his magic built up. He briefly wondered how the others were faring, but the feeling of his own magic writhing under his hands jolted him back. Don't ruin it for everybody, concentrate!

---

Leo could feel the energy humming in the air. The glow of magic completely coated the clearing, creating a fog of vibrant colours. Leo could hardly see the outlines of his friends through the thick haze.

Even holding in his magic was tiring now. How long had they been at it - seconds? Hours? He couldn't tell. His hands shook as he slowly lifted them up and directed them at the wall.

This is what we've worked so hard for... Time to see the results.

Leo inhaled sharply. His skin was burning, like he had jumped into ice cold water: except it wasn't the 'cold' sort of burning. It was unfamiliar but familiar at the same time...

His eyes flashed open. His power reached its tipping point.

He faintly heard himself screaming something that sounded like, "NOW!"

Then fire filled his vision.

---

Twelve people - only teenagers.

Fire, water, air and earth.

The clearing was hardly a clearing anymore - the grass caught alight and was extinguished, again and again, chunks of the ground floated up and smashed to the floor once again.

However, the clearing wasn't the only thing that has been destroyed. The wall - once majestic and intact - was now merely a scar on the earth. Chunks of rubble and debris lay around the slash in the earth. Smoke filled the air, thick and dark.

The twelve teenagers lay, nearly unmoving. The only sign of movement were the slow rise and fall of their chests.

Just beyond the four kingdoms, a snake uncoiled and lifted its head with a small hiss.

As if responding, someone chuckled. "Poor Leo. I hope he's not dead; I'd been looking forwards to thanking him."