50 Drops of Water (2/2)

Leo leaned himself against the shut door. He knew Bianca wouldn't try to follow him, he saw the defeat in her eyes the moment he showed her What she was missing. Damn it Bianca, he thought as he looked up at the familiar expensive chandelier hanging from above. You really don't get what we are actually fighting for do you?

Leo brushed off his thoughts. He had other things to worry about. There were two hundred and fifty medieval clothed teens out in the courtyard waiting for a place to rest their heads. He also had to look into how he could modernize Ember as Will had told him before they all left.

Going up a flight of stairs, Leo went down the polished black time flooring down the west wing to the last door in the hall which he knew was Michael's study.

After a few months in Crystallia, the sight of the one window hallway that had dozens of doors lining the walls ending with a small living room with a red rug, two black leather couches, a black leather recliner, all in a circle around an expensive black polished fireplace, he felt as if the home belonged to Bruce Wayne, not Will's uncle.

Leo stopped at the last door on the right, kiddy corner to the living room. Knocking three times on the door, Leo waited for the response he knew would come.

”So Will stayed behind then.” he heard Michael say from behind the door. ”You are going to have to fill me in on what transpired on your journey Leo.”

”Can I take that as an invitation to enter?” Leo asked as he stood outside. He was raised properly enough to know he had first get permission before barging in on someone.

The door swung open on its own. Michael stood at the window looking out at the kids they had brought back while playing with a glass of water. Wait, that's not right, Leo thought as he looked at Michael's hand.

”I see a lot has happened in my absence.” Michael said as he made the water in his hand circle around him as if a steady stream somehow formed in mid air.

Leo looked at the stream with a shocked expression. ”How?” He couldn't think of anything else he could say.

Michael looked amused by the question. With a mere thought, the stream of water solidified into an ice lance. ”Will had awoken another aspect of his gift hasn't he?”

Leo nodded slowly as he eyed the lance. ”He awoke wind.” he said quickly. The less he talked, the more time Michael had to explain.

”Ah,” Michael said in an amused tone. ”So I suppose you wish to know how exactly I have come in possession of the water element.”

Leo nodded his head, his thoughts racing much faster than his words could keep up with. ”When I have my lineage cross to Will back when he went to save Bianca, that was more than what it seemed.” Michael said as his lance became a stream of water which circled him once more. ”A lineage weapon is like a lifeline, once it is destroyed, you destroy a piece of yourself.” He said as he gave Leo a meaningful look.

”If your weapon breaks, you forfeit your control over the aura.” Leo guessed as he looked at Michael questioningly.

”Good guess,” Michael said with respect. ”You must have had theories for a while.” Michael walked closer to Leo and withdrew his lineage cross. It was still the same silver cross that he always had, but in the center, a sapphire laid in place instead of an orange gem.

”When I gave him the cross, I gave him the only means to protect myself.” he Michael stated as if it were a trivial matter. ”When I got it back, my gem was gone. It had returned to an unactivated weapon.”

Leo thought back to Bianca's ring, how it had become a simple stone where a red gem was supposed to be.

”It had taken months, but I felt my aura returning every day, but it felt different. It has taken quite some time to get used to a new power.”

”But Will hasn't unlocked that affinity yet.” Leo argued. ”How could you have an element that the Prince himself doesn't have?” he couldn't understand how it was possible.

”There have always been cracks within the pact.” Michael said as he thought of Jonathan. ”Sometimes personality has an affect on what aura you attain.”

”If it's happened before, I suppose it would make sense.” Leo said skeptically. ”But I've been over Ebonhart's history many times now and I haven't seen such an occurrence noted before.”

”There's a lot more than just this that hasn't been noted in our history.” Michael mused thoughtfully. ”Sometimes it takes someone who was there to fill in the blanks.” he said as he turned back to the window of his office. ”But enough about me, how is my nephew doing?” a brief smile played on his lips. Things are about to get interesting. He thought as he watched the stream play yet another lap around his body.