The figure took a step back, lowering its hand and strengthening its fingers. Maya, Taube, Max, and Oliver let out flustered cries and groans as this action caused them to jerk down. The movement stopped abruptly once they were a couple feet off the ground. The group had no choice but to only stare with shock and terror at the figure, arms glued to their sides.

One foot, then two, and out of the mist revealed a sinister smile. Two icy, neon blue eyes glowed in the haziness of the air. Striped sleeves and leggings complimented black boots and hanging, tattered clothes. Long wavy, blue hair fell to her shoulders and it almost grew as dark as her expression.

"Do you have any idea how long I waited for you?" She croaked, head tilted downwards so that her shaded eyes sent shivers down their spines.

"M-ma'am, y-you must be mistaken!" Oliver chuckled, attempting to hide the pressure that had settled itself on his chest. "W-we came here to escape a storm and w-w-we don't even know-"

"Shut up!!" The girl hissed, and Oliver let out a groan as his chest stiffened further, "You think I don't know that?"

The girl, still holding her hand up to keep the group held in place, began pacing back and forth as she spoke. "This storm you speak of-I am the one responsible for it! Why would I do such a thing, you ask?" She paused, looking at the group in a crazed enthusiastic way, "Well I will tell you!"

"Woah!" Max exclaimed, "You made that storm all by yourself?!"

"Max! Please be quiet!" Maya hissed, "She might hurt you-"

"You're damn right I'd hurt her." The girl snapped, eyes darkening again, "Don't ever interrupt me. I am the one in control here."

Max let out a small whine and she shut her mouth, looking down at the ground as a sense of shame sunk over her. Maya swallowed, heart pounding against the magic this girl had put on her chest. The fairy glanced at Max with concern. Then he glanced at Oliver, and happened to see the beetle spreading its wings out, its antennas twitching angrily. Taube attempted to shake his head no to the little beetle without being too obvious. Yet, he couldn't seem to get the bugs attention.

The girl snapped out of her dark expression and her sadistic grin danced across her face.

"Anyways, as I was saying, in case it's not obvious, I am the ruler of Black Ice Island, that's where you're at now! Nobody, and I mean nobody, has yet to match or pass my abilities. I plan to keep it that way. Now, I have plenty of slaves who do work for me, and one particular Psychic slave of mine works as a spy on your island. He teleports in and out of that pathetic little city called Red and reports any news to me." Her eyes trailed across Maya as she said this. "I was planning on waiting a little longer until I took control of your island, but my dear spy informed me that my obnoxious group of borderhoppers had single-handedly toppled the most powerful family on Discord Isles."

"Uh-Wh-what the heck is Discord Isles?" Taube stuttered in an attempt to distract her from the beetle that was flying through the air.

"Oh, you see, it's what we call your island." The girl explained, then tightened her grasp once more with a frown, causing Taube to clench his teeth. "Now, the next person to interrupt me is going to get drowned. I'm trying to make my big speech, so stop fucking talking."

The fairy nodded with a shaky gasp before the pressure released and he whimpered, ignoring the concerned glances from Oliver.

"So, I thought, no big deal, i'll just kill them!"

They all seemed to stiffen at the same time in her grasp.

"But that faced me with another dilemma!" The girl was ranting as if she was pouring her heart out to her closest friends, but the scenario only seemed to add to the eerieness of her mannerisms.

"I couldn't teleport you guys or drag you here! So I figured, why not kill two humans with one knife? I decided to go ahead and turn your island into my second kingdom by shrouding your territories in my storm. I could do so while using my manipulative abilities to drag you to me!"

The girl stopped and examined the scared and angry faces of her captives. She sighed, then laughed.

"Ok, ok. I see you guys have questions. Go ahead and ask me, I promise I won't drown you. I'm gonna kill you guys later- publicly- so everyone is sure that I'm the most powerful."

They all exchanged hopeless glances, before Oliver stuttered.

"Wh-who are you?- I-I mean what are you? Y-you possess manipulative powers b-but you c-can control storms and-"

"I'm a water elemental, technically." She said, "I just happened to have a cold enough heart to freeze that water." Then she smirked, "Did you know we're made up of up to 70% water? It flows to your heart-"

The pressure on their chests sunk in once again, causing them to wince in pain.

"-your arms, your legs, and even your brain cells! You know where emotions come from? The brain! Oh! -actually, here's a better question.." She grinned, bringing the group closer to her, "Have you ever felt compelled to do something and you don't know why?"

They exchanged glances, remembering the force they had felt when they came near each other- a pressure in their heads and chests.

"We have!" Taube exclaimed, "All of us! It's how we met! But that doesn't make any sense because we weren't powerful by ourselves back then.."

The girl cocked an eyebrow. "Your magic flows through your veins- the water in your veins- and, whether you realize it or not, you are all very powerful by yourselves. A month and a half ago, while scanning the water in the surrounding area, I sensed the power coming from each of you. I knew you would all one day grow to be more powerful than I." She scoffed, memories filling her mind. "So I had to do something about it. Rather than taking the time to drag you all here individually, I messed with the chemicals in your heads to drag you all together. I knew that this would cause you all to become friends and eventually it would be easier for me to get you all here. My Psychic spy kept me filled in the entire time you were on your journey to becoming weak borderhoppers." she laughed, "I didn't expect to affect your lives so much! All I did was make you guys become friends and once I left you alone for a bit, my spy informed me the Ascil family had toppled. By then Maximilian here was a ghost elemental, Maya was a mess, and you two idiots got yourselves locked up in a cellar. The power you once possesed was draining out of you!"

Oliver and Taube exchanged a shocked expression, hearts pounding wildly.

"The only reason we all became friends was so you could stay in power?" Maya muttered through clenched teeth. A million thoughts were zipping through their minds and the memories of the force that urged them to save each other tugged at their hearts. The reason Max saved Maya, the reason Taube didn't turn them in, the reason Oliver didn't run from them. It was all because of her.

Without hesitating, the girl grinned, "Pretty much." Then she turned towards Oliver, "and I never answered your first question, 'wh-who are you?'" she stuttered mockingly.

"My name is Scarlet. Scarlet Mizuku. Pleasure to finally meet you...face to face."