Exile by Lola Lebellier

hips.
    “Well, I’m not Selena, so you don’t have to worry,” he said, patting Corin’s shoulder and finally releasing his arm.
    “I still shouldn’t have bothered you on your first day back.”
    “I’m returning to all of my duties. My time away doesn’t matter—I’m still a guardian and I want to be seen as one,” Aless explained, approaching the door to the temple and opening it, staring straight at the circular podium in the center. “I apologize, I’m going to take a moment to make my offering.” Aless walked straight to the altar at the far end of the room, grabbing a staff off it and hopping up onto the podium.
    Corin followed close behind, shutting the door behind him. Throughout his winters in the Cult of the Elements, a guardian had never welcomed him into his or her temple. The room itself was a relatively small, circular chamber. The floor was a shiny crystal, with a largestone podium in the center. The walls were covered with paintings, depicting memories and worship of Serac over the years.
    Aless raised his staff to the roof, taking a moment to calm himself before swinging it around his head. The marks on his torso began glowing as he closed his eyes, allowing his prayers to take control.
    Corin stared with wide eyes at the show, watching the room light up with a dark-blue glow. Aless was incredibly graceful, he noted, something that was becoming more and more evident with every step he made. His entire body seemed to be glowing in the light, and Corin saw the burns on his stomach begin to fade away, much to his amazement.
    The podium below him lit up with every step, creating the symbol of their cult and lighting up the top of the room. Aless trailed his staff along the pool of water—when had water appeared?—causing rain to spill from the ceiling, drenching him and Aless.
    The moisture on Aless’s skin gave it an interesting glow in the blue light, causing the marks to stand out even further. The water on the podium began rising, giving Aless a whole new platform to stand on.
    Suddenly a large orb of bright-blue light began forming at the top of the room, in the center of the clan’s symbol. It eventually took a more human appearance, developing curves and a smooth face. Aless crouched down, crossing the staff over his chest and bowing on one knee.
    Corin attempted to do the same, but found the sight too enthralling to move.
    The spirit leaned over, running its hands over Aless, dancing around the room slightly. Rain continued pouring out of the ceiling, drenching Corin from head to toe. The entire room hummed with an ominous blue light.
    And then it all stopped.
    The room instantly reverted back to normal, so quickly Corin could’ve missed it had he merely blinked. Aless was still crouched on the podium, clutching his staff to his chest, breathing deeply. The water was gone from around the room, no longer raining over him, and the only way he could even tell it had been there was his damp, heavy hair hanging over his eyes.
    Aless stood up, smiling and wandering over to the altar and placing the staff back in its original place. He turned around, once again facing Corin. “It’s done,” he said. “Did you enjoy it?”
    Corin rushed forward, his eyes jumping between the podium and Aless. He couldn’t believe what he had just witnessed—it had been incredible! He felt a vacancy in his chest, momentarily. He craved that attachment to one of the spirits—the whole ceremony seemed overwhelming.
    Corin then realized Aless was still staring at him and expected an answer. “It was more intense than anything I have ever witnessed,” he answered.
    “It’s a powerful feeling,” he confessed, leaning against the altar to catch his breath. “The others are more or less the same, just with different effects during. I almost died during Piers’s—lava was everywhere.”
    “How often do you do this?” Corin asked.
    “About once a week,” Aless answered, looking back toward the podium.