The Mimic's First Howl
The massive spider emerged from the underbrush—eight feet tall, its body like polished obsidian, legs as sharp as razor blades. Eight blood-red eyes fixed on the group with a hunger that made the air thick and cold, black venom dripping from its fangs to sizzle in the dirt. It didn't lunge. Didn't screech. Just stared, and the silence that followed was heavier than any chain Caspian had ever worn.
He stood between the creature and the others—slaves huddled in the cage, Kai, Zephyr, Thane—his hand raised high, the purple glow of his magic flaring brighter than ever. The trio's eyes were wide with shock—they'd known he was their age, late teens to early twenties, but they'd assumed he was powerless, just another captive who couldn't fight back. Now they watched, their High Element magic humming at the ready but unspent. This was his moment. The one he'd been waiting for since the silver-cuffed runes had clattered to the ground.
Caspian's gentle smile was long gone, replaced by a focus that burned as hot as Zephyr's lightning. He looked no different from them—same sharp edge from a hard life, same lean build from surviving on scraps. The only thing that set him apart was the weariness in his eyes, earned from weeks with his magic choked by enchantments. Now it was free—Expanded Copy, an Element lower than High, but one that held a trick none of them had ever seen: it didn't just replicate, it unspooled the very essence of an attack and wove it into something new, even if it could never match the raw power of their High Elements on its own.
He could feel the spider's power thrumming in the air: a foul current of shadow and corrosive venom that tasted like burnt iron on his tongue. The creature tensed, coiling its razor legs. Kai's hands glowed with the soft blue of High Water, ready to unleash Tide of Rebirth as a shield. Thane's eyes flared with earthen gold, Grove's Mercy wrapping around him like armor. Zephyr's fingers crackled with High Lightning, Thunder's Lullaby waiting to snap into a deadly arc. But none of them moved. They'd given him this chance to prove he belonged, even with a lesser Element.
The spider opened its maw, and a glob of venom rose—thicker than tar, hissing as it met the mist that still hung in the pines. Caspian's purple glow pulsed, and he felt his Expanded Copy reach out, fragile compared to the trio's power but precise as a blade. He didn't try to match their strength. He tried to outsmart it.
Without hesitation, he shouted the word that had been building in his chest for weeks.
"Mimic!"
The sound echoed through the twisted pines, raw and unfiltered. For a split second, nothing happened. Then the air around his outstretched palm twisted, darkening into a vortex that didn't just drink in the venom—it dissected it. He could feel every molecule of poison, every thread of the spider's magic, unspooling in his mind like a scroll. He traced the patterns, amplified their potency just enough to compensate for his lower Element, and shaped the mess into a razor-sharp arc of inky black energy that glowed with his own purple twilight.
The spider let out a deafening screech that shook the needles from the trees. It tried to dodge, but Thane slammed his fist into the ground—High Ground magic rippling out, turning the dirt beneath its legs into slick, shifting sand. The creature stumbled, its red eyes narrowing in rage. Kai flicked her wrist, and a wall of High Water rose up behind it, cutting off its escape route with a crash that sent water spraying into the air. Zephyr's lightning crackled louder, a silent safety net—if Caspian's lesser Element failed, they'd step in.
But it didn't fail.
The amplified venom-arc struck the spider square in the chest. The obsidian chitin that would have shrugged off Caspian's raw power alone—would have barely flinched at his Expanded Copy without the boost from the spider's own attack—dissolved in a cloud of acrid smoke. The creature's legs gave out, and it collapsed to the ground with a thud that echoed through the forest, sending tremors that made the cage bars rattle. Its red eyes faded to glassy black, and silence fell once more—deeper this time, broken only by the sound of Caspian's ragged breathing.
His hand dropped to his side, the purple glow dimming to a faint shimmer. Exhaustion washed over him—he'd pushed his lesser Element to its absolute limit, unspooling an attack so complex it made his head throb. He looked over his shoulder at the trio, expecting… something. Amusement at his small power, maybe. Relief that he'd pulled it off.
What he got was respect.
Kai's storm-sea eyes were wide, a grin spreading across his face that felt like sunlight breaking through clouds—brighter than ever now. "Alright, you're in."
Zephyr let out a low whistle, running a hand through his grass-colored hair as a small bolt of High Lightning leaped from his finger to strike a nearby pine needle, turning it to ash. "That was… not what I expected. A lower Element that can refine an enemy's attack? Never seen anything like it in the Chasms. Raw power isn't everything, huh?"
Thane nodded, his broad shoulders relaxing as the earthen glow in his eyes faded. He crossed his arms over his chest, his jaw set but his gaze warm—equal parts approval and recognition. "But first, let's get you cleaned up. You're our age, not a kid—you deserve to look like it. That venom's still caked on your rags—could seep in if you're not careful."
Caspian looked down at himself. His clothes were torn to shreds, stained with dried blood and spider venom that had eaten through the fabric in dark, jagged patches. His skin was covered in grime and the red lines from the cuffs, but beneath it all, he was built like the rest of them—lean, strong, his body shaped by the same harsh world. He nodded, and after Thane used his High Ground magic to pry open the cage one last time—guiding the slaves toward the east path to safety—the four of them set off toward the sound of running water, their footsteps crunching on pine needles and dirt.
The journey was short, but it felt like an eternity to Caspian. For the first time in weeks, he was walking free—not in a cage, not in chains, but under a sky where the mist was lifting, sunlight streaming through the canopy to cast dappled shadows on the ground. He moved with the same easy grace as Kai, Zephyr, and Thane—his weariness fading with every step, replaced by the lightness of belonging. The wind carried the scent of water and pine, a stark contrast to the rot of the bandit camp. And then there was the laughter—Kai and Zephyr bickering about whether her High Water could douse his High Lightning (she insisted she could turn it into rain; he insisted he'd just turn the rain into steam), Thane chipping in with a dry comment that set them both off. It was a sound he'd almost forgotten existed—warm, easy, real.
When they reached the river, Caspian stopped short. It wound through the forest like a ribbon of crystal, its waters so clear he could see the smooth stones at the bottom. Kai's High Water magic seemed to sing in harmony with it—small ripples dancing across the surface even when there was no wind. The trees along the bank were tall and lush, their roots anchored deep in the earth that Thane's magic seemed to calm, their branches reaching down to dip their leaves in the cold water, providing shade that was cool and sweet.
"Hop in," Zephyr said, already pulling off his tunic. As he did, a soft arc of High Lightning crackled across the river's surface, making the water glow with a faint blue light that chased away the last of the mist. "The water's clean. Kai can boost its healing with Tide of Rebirth—those cuff marks'll be gone in no time. Can't have our new teammate walking around looking like he just crawled out of a ditch."
Caspian hesitated for a moment, then pulled off his rags and stepped into the river. The cold hit him like a physical blow, making him gasp. But as Kai waved his hand, his High Water magic wrapping around Caspian like a warm (if still icy) embrace, he felt the pain in his wrists fade, the grime and venom sloughing away to reveal skin that was smooth and unmarked. He sank deeper, until the water came up to his chest, and closed his eyes, letting the sound of the river wash over him.
The sound of splashing filled the air as the other three joined him. Kai splashed Zephyr, who retaliated by sending a shower of lightning-tinged water her way—she laughed, turning it into a swirling sphere that bounced back at him, soaking his grass-colored hair. Thane stood off to the side, washing himself slowly, his High Ground magic keeping the riverbed solid beneath his feet, a small smile playing on his lips. Caspian watched them, a strange feeling rising in his chest—something he hadn't felt since before the bandits had captured him. Happiness.
After a while, they climbed out of the river and sat down on a flat rock that Thane had smoothed with his magic, wrapping themselves in thin bedrolls from their satchels. The sun was higher now, casting a warm glow over the water that Zephyr's lightning made dance and shimmer. The bedroll was rough, but it was dry, and the company was warmer than any fire.
Caspian looked at the three of them—his peers, his new companions—and his eyes filled with a gratitude so deep it almost hurt. He'd thought he'd never trust anyone again, never belong anywhere again—not after the weeks of captivity, the pain of the cuffs, the fear of being left behind because of his lower Element. But these three… they'd seen past the power gap. They'd given him a chance not out of pity, but out of recognition that he was one of them.
"Thank you," he said, his voice soft but steady. "For saving me. For seeing that I'm not just some weak kid with a lesser Element."
Kai shook his head, water dripping from his silver-streaked hair. "No need to thank us, Caspian. We're glad to have you on our team. Expanded Copy might be lower than High Element, but the way you use it? You're gonna make us unstoppable. Raw power's great—but precision? That's priceless."
Zephyr nodded, tapping his finger on the rock until a small spark of lightning leaped up to light the air between them. "More than that. That spider would have torn through our first wave before we could coordinate. You didn't just prove you belong—you proved we need you."
Thane stood up, stretching his broad shoulders as the ground trembled slightly in agreement. "Now, let's get moving. The Chasms don't wait—and there's a settlement west of here where we can restock before heading deeper. More bandits, more beasts… more chances to show what a team of High Elements and one clever Expanded Copy can do."
As Caspian stood up, wrapping the bedroll tighter around himself, he took a moment to look at the scenery around him. The river flowed on, its crystal waters reflecting the sun, Kai's High Water magic still humming in its depths. The trees stood tall and proud, their roots anchored in Thane's calm earth, their leaves rustling in the wind that Zephyr's lightning seemed to wake. In the distance, he could see the dark outline of the Chasms—twisted, forgotten, full of danger. But for the first time in weeks, he didn't feel fear. He felt excitement.
He'd spent weeks in darkness, in chains, in the shadow of stronger power. But now… now he had a team. A purpose. And a lesser Element that could outthink any High Element when used right.
The road ahead would be hard. The Chasms were full of creatures far more terrifying than the Void Stalker spider, and bandits who'd kill for a single coin. But as he walked alongside Kai, Zephyr, and Thane—matching their stride, their energy, their spirit—Caspian felt a fire ignite in his chest. A fire that had been extinguished by chains, but now burned brighter than any lightning bolt, any water current, any stone foundation.
He was free. He was equal. And he was ready to face the Chasms of the Forgotten Bind.