Chapter 18

Arestasia, Tichi, and Po were at a mountainous area. The tall rocks were all covered in a pastel clay color. The dust flew into the air as the winds blew. 

"I see..." Arestasia said, "He's destined to die..." 

"Correct." Tichi replied. 

"But, now you must practice these new skills." Po added before pointing to a nearby stone pillar. 

"Alright." 

Arestasia pulled out her sword and walked towards the pillar. Her eyes burned with determination. 

"Remember, if Rosette has a soul of its own, most likely, she can be summoned." Po explained. 

"And she can be summoned in three different ways, correct?" 

"That's correct. You've already mastered Soul Energy. The last two are Soul Energy Release and Soul Release. Let me see how much power you can pack into your Soul Energy attacks." 

Arestasia nodded. She held her sword and pointed it at the pillar. 

"Disperse!" 

The sword broke apart and began to orbit around Arestasia quickly. A ring of purple electricity formed around her and planted itself back onto the hilt. 

"Now, let me see your wide attack." Tichi said. 

Arestasia nodded. 

"Rosette, dance!" 

The electricity flared, striking different areas of the pillar. 

"Good! Now let me see your direct!" 

"Rosette, strike!" 

Arestasia waved her sword upward and the electricity spiraled into the air before striking downward onto the pillar, completely destroying it in a giant flash. Several pieces of rock flew in different directions. When the light faded away, Rosette was in its regular sword-like state. 

"You definitely are a true warrior!" Po exclaimed, "So much power! It's absolutely amazing!" 

Arestasia smiled and took a bow. 

"Alright, now for Soul Energy Release. Using this ability will detach the electricity from the hilt for better ranged attacks." Tichi explained. 

"Alright." 

Tichi knelt down and placed his hand onto the ground. Suddenly, a humanoid-shaped golem with stone wings burst through the ground. 

"Go." Tichi commanded the golem. 

The golem suddenly flew into the air and began to soar around the mountains. He then fixed his gaze at Arestasia.

"Use your new abilities against that golem." 

"Roger." 

Arestasia closed her eyes. She took a deep breath. Suddenly, she felt something hit her in the stomach with great force, making her fly back and crash into a nearby mountain. Her eyes opened wide at the time of the impact and saw the golem wagging its finger. 

"You can't close your eyes to focus from here on out. You can't depend on your teammates to cover you. Try again." Tichi stated. 

Arestasia struggled out of the crater made from the impact and picked up her sword from the ground. The golem took off into the sky. Arestasia pondered what she could do as it soared in circles. 

"Disperse!" 

Arestasia's blade broke into pieces and formed into a blade of purple electricity. Arestasia then held out her hand. The electricity began to release from her hand. 

"Let me give you a hint on what can you do with your abilities. You can manipulate soul energy...energy...not just electricity." 

Arestasia gasped. 

"Of course!" 

Arestasia channeled the electricity in her hand and pointed it towards the ground. 

"Perhaps heat energy..." 

A wave of heat blasted at the ground, sending Arestasia high into the air. 

"Rosette...let's work hard. Go forth!" 

Arestasia swung the sword and the electric blade flew from the hilt towards the golem. The golem easily dodged it. Arestasia then directed her palm at the blade while simultaneously trying to channel the heat energy from her feet to keep her airborne. 

"Dance!" 

The blade suddenly stopped in mid-air and began to fire electricity in random directions. The golem struggled as it dodged each bolt. 

"Dance, Rosette, dance! Reveal the beauty of your movement!" 

The electricity began to blast at a rapid speed. Some bolts struck the golem, making it harder to maintain its flight. Arestasia took that moment to swiftly fly towards the golem. She quickly kick it in the neck region with both feet. Her heels pierced into its stone exterior. Still attached, Arestasia then back flipped, carrying the golem with her feet and threw it downward. 

"Rosette, strike!" 

The flying blade of lightning spiraled downward. Arestasia then had an idea. She raised her open hands in the air, crossing her arms at the wrists. The golem crashed into the ground and Rosette plummeted into it short after with a big explosion. When the smoke cleared, the golem quickly flew back into the sky towards Arestasia. The golem was missing an arm, half a leg, and chunks of its body were gone in random places. Purple electricity formed in Arestasia's hands. She then tightly closed her fists. 

"She certainly is a very fast learner." Po said. 

The electricity formed into a ball and rose above her hands. 

"Her imagination expands so very quickly. It's extraordinary!" Tichi exclaimed. 

"Expand!" 

Arestasia spread her hands apart swiftly. The electric orb slowly grew bigger and bigger. Suddenly, the golem grabbed her by her ankles and threw her downward towards the ground. She descended with intense speed and crashed into the earth, sending a shock wave of dust around her. 

"Tichi...that golem wasn't supposed to fight back..." Po said softly. 

"I wasn't going to make that golem a wimp!" 

"You're so stubborn!" 

The dust was clearing and the deities saw Arestasia standing up looking into the sky. The sword was back to normal on her hilt. 

"Arestasia, you've succeeded in using Soul Energy Release. You may stop for now." Po said. 

"I'm not done yet..." Arestasia replied. 

"What do you mean?" 

"This guy is going down..." 

Arestasia's hair began to slowly flail due to the static currents flowing through her body. She then flew swiftly towards the golem. The golem flew towards Arestasia. Arestasia quickly back flipped and channeled the current towards her feet that released an electric shock wave. The shock wave pushed back the golem with great force and collided it with the bottom of the still-growing electric orb. The golem was stuck to it as it was continuously electrocuted. 

"She kept control of that orb this whole time?!" Tichi yelled. 

The orb was becoming nearly forty feet in circumference. 

"Clever girl..." Po said softly. 

"But something isn't right!" 

"How so?"

"That golem is made of pure stone, we don't have any metal components here! Why can't it move?"

"You gave that golem life. In order to do so, you gave it a soul. Soul energies attract each other."

Arestasia quickly flew around the orb towards the top. 

"Goodbye, hun." 

The electric current intensified in her body to the point that it colored her body a deep black as every bit of it moved towards her feet. With all the power she had, she stomped down on the orb. A black shock wave of electricity expanded from the impact and the orb bolted downwards. The orb collided with the ground and slowly dug into it as bolts of purple and black lightning flared from the top. The orb suddenly broke and the electricity flew in different directions in a giant explosion. The winds intensified and blew away nearby pillars of rock. The deities raised their arms to block any incoming debris. When the dust cleared, the deities noticed the golem slowly trying to crawl out of the giant crater created by the orb. 

"Why did you make the golem so tough Tichi?!" 

"Po, in order for her to be better, she needs to be able to face very tough opponents. What is she going to learn by attacking random rocks all day?" 

"I understand your point of view, but she's just learning new things. Do you really need to test her so intensely so early?" 

The golem had succeeded in crawling out of the crater. Suddenly, Rosette stabbed straight into its head, pinning it to the ground. 

"Listen, I'm going to make her the strongest of her teammates. Even if it almost kills her in the process." 

The golem's hand slowly raised and reached for Rosette. Arestasia suddenly landed on the golem's back with a loud crash. She then stomped on the golem's head and pulled the sword from it. The golem ceased to move. 

"Besides, I think she's doing just fine."