Steven pounced on my father, giving a battle cry. The night trembled with his effort, discordant sounds echoing his call. The air shifted, distorting his form, adding a demonic appearance. I didn't think he'd ever looked so savage.
Besedie moved only his eyes. Air particles hardened to a diamondine wall, halting Steven's progress. The youth grunted as he hit, his distortion corrupting my father's wall.
Steven lunged back, cracking Besedie's protection. The ground erupted with barbed tentacles, lashin at the Setian. My father took several steps back, unable to freeze Steven's creations before he took several wounds.
They traded blows back and forth, embodying the rival forces. Order and Chaos could gain control for a moment, but they could never defeat the other. They needed each other. The universe needed them.
And that's why balance existed.
Dismantling Besedie's prison was difficult for a new mage, but I worked at it methodically. Brick by brick, as it were. Battling with Steven, my father never noticed I was escaping.
It became easier as I progressed. Awareness of the power tides came to me. Everything from the whisper of growing plants, to the hum of the earth, to the dance of the stars above. Every erg of energy spoke to me, called to me, begged me to use it. What use was power if it wasn't being used?
Dawn approached, the sun creeping up behind me. The blazing ball of hydrogen and fusion would soon be here. Far flung photons came to me, curling up under my control.
And neither man noticed.
The hamlet lay in ruins. Cottages were tumbled over, gardens uprooted, the lane a line of rubble. Smoke and debris hung in midair, caught in stasis. Dimensional walls rippled, having been damaged in the fight. Yet Besedie's shields held, trapping us.
"Stop this now," I said softly. The sun rose above the horizon, carrying the weight of my command.
They stopped, faces revealing their surprise. Magic left their control, and they stepped away from each other.
"What are you doing?" Besedie asked, staring down his nose. He'd just been using magic, yet disdained me for it. Steven just grinned.
"I'm telling you for one final time to leave me alone. I'll never be your little pet, so stop asking. Go home. Leave me and my friends alone." The air murmured with my statement, the ground rumbling in agreement.
Besedie ground his teeth. "You are my daughter. You don't get to dictate my actions."
I smirked, releasing all their magic. Stasis fields dropped, monstrosities became wood and rock, and time behaved as normal. "We can do this the hard way if you want."
