Scarlet's black boots clacked against icy flooring, the rocks and swirled icy designs decorating the walls of her palace glimmered behind her shadows.

Her wavy ombre'd blue hair had formed crystals of ice that slowly grew towards her face. On her arms, ice formed at the fingertips and slowly worked its way up her arm, concealing a blue tattoo on her wrist.

Scarlet paced back and forth in her palace, a deep tugging at her chest alerted her of where her soon-to-be captives were. Unfortunately, a familiar power was with them. A fire halfbreed with the power of wind at her hand. Breeze Brann.

Scarlet knew, though she'd never admit it, even to herself, it'd be a difficult task taking them all down with Breeze by their sides. She could feel their powers growing and it urged her to move, but she remained pacing about her palace.

After realizing her captives were gone, she'd thrown a bit of a tantrum then and there, ice had spiked out in every direction with an angry call. Afterwards, however, she focused on sensing them, and when she did, she could feel their power growing, and a power she'd once gone against was with them. So she would have to wait.

Scarlet Mizuku ordered her manipulated guards into protecting her palace while she focused on forcing the group apart emotionally. From the safety of her palace, she would manipulate them like she'd been doing over the past months, and eventually when the group was split up, she would strike their weakest link.

Luckily, the insecurities of a fairy, the fear of a bug elemental, the jealousy of a halfbreed, and the uncertainty of a ghost elemental were quiet easy to manipulate, she thought. She could do this easily, but manipulating Breeze wasn't an option. The fire halfbreed already knew all of her tricks.

     "That's her palace." Breeze explained, mismatched eyes narrowing at the sight of it. Maya lurked quietly behind her, crouching behind the rocks and glaring at her suspiciously.

Taube fluttered behind the group, seeming more delicate than usual, along with Oliver and Max, who both seemed rather jumpy and paranoid. The ghost elemental seemed like a lost child, looking around wildly and occasionally scrunching her eyes shut, as if trying to block something out.

Oliver's eyes were wide and he kept reaching up to clutch his sweater. The fire elemental glanced at the group momentarily, her eyes glossing over.

"Knowing Scarlet, she's probably watching our auras right now. She knows we're here, so we need to split up so she can only focus on one of us at a time. She'll want to focus on mine, so I'll walk around back like I'm trying to sneak in. When you hear me yell, blast through the front doors, ok?"

Oliver swallowed, glancing at Taube who was gazing at the ground. An unfamiliar feeling of fear had settled over the group, weighing on each of them, and Breeze watched silently.

"H-her powers are affecting us, aren't they?" Oliver sputtered quietly. Breeze nodded, a wave of relief flushed through her mind as he made it clear they knew what was happening.

Scarlet's emotionally manipulative abilities had suddenly weighed on them like a ton of rocks, pressuring their minds into giving into whatever fears lurked in the darkest shadows. It was obviously affecting the weakest links the most.

"I-I don't think I can do this." The bug elemental said, taking a step back from the group, his shaking hands still clutching his sweater. The group all looked at him in shock. The haunting and foreboding feeling had weighed on everyone differently, but Oliver almost seemed as if he was paralyzed with fear. His stomach turned.

"Olli, it's gonna be ok. We're all scared but..." Taube began, then quieted himself down and continued to gaze at the icy surface, doubting his words.

"No- no, I really can't." Oliver responded, bright green eyes darkening as he took another step back, "I-I can't stop thinking about V-Varick's basement. Sc-scarlet's so much like him, what if she-?!"

"She's using that against you, Oliver." Breeze explained, "She takes your worst memories and turns them against you to make you too afraid to fight. She's a manipulative bitch."

"Olli, really...it'll be ok." Taube spoke with as much courage as he could muster.

"No! It won't!" Oliver hissed, "Y-you, of all people sh-should know what I'm afraid of. W-w-we went through the same thing!"

Taube's face flustered and he spun away from the other, breathing shakily.

"You're all under Scarlet's spell; she's trying to make you guys hate each other but you can't give in. It'll be ok if you just work up enough courage to go through with this. It'll all be over soon." Breeze attempted to calm them, but only got bewildered and scared expressions in return.

"It'll all be over soon?" Maya echoed, "that sounds like something a murderer would say."

"Maya!" Max exclaimed rather suddenly, after not talking for a while, "What do you have against her?! Is it because she's a wind elemental? Like me? Is that what you have against her?"

The group seemed to stop and stare in shock at the girl, face flushed with anger.

"Max, no, we just met her, so I don't know if we can-"

"You're just jealous!" Max exclaimed, "you're just jealous she's stronger than you!"

"She's not stronger than me and I'm not jealous!

"Yes she is and yes you are!"

"No I'm not- No she's not." Maya muttered, "I'll prove it." With that she silently sank into the shadows behind the palace of rocks and ice, working her way to the back despite the whispers of disapproval from the group.

Breeze groaned, then gazed at Taube, who was still anxiously staring at the ground, and at Max, who was gazing back at her with a flustered and lost expression. Oliver was nowhere to be seen.

'She's tearing them apart...she's gonna pick them off one by one..'