Finally I decided that I would focus only on two of the four elemental energies and perhaps my specialization would yield better results. I hoped for the best as I tied another unconscious sacrifice to the stone slab in the center of my cottage. Taking the large metallic spear I fashioned for the ritual I braced myself as I prepared for my least favorite part of the ceremony and forcefully submerged the spear into the man's chest. The pain woke him for a second, in time for him to release a bloodcurdling scream before the life faded from his eyes. I worked fast now as I had earlier realized the process worked best with a warm heart. I relieved the organ from the man's torso and quickly placed it into the cauldron where the other ingredients rested. Reciting the spell for the ritual as I pricked my finger and allowed a single drop of blood to fall into the mixture I could not have been prepared for what occurred next.

And I controlled it all.

I stood there, flexing my arms as I concentrated on the forces that now dwelled within me, resulting in a small crimson flame sphere bursting upon my palm. A smile slowly crept onto my face as I realized my new potential.

A knock at the door instantly pulled me back to reality.

I turned my head, glaring at the possible intruders as a low, rumble erupted from my throat, "Who is it?"

"It's the police. Open the door."

The authorities? What could they possibly want? I glanced about the room, noticing immediately the rotting corpse upon the stone slab. I turned my head as a plan formulated in my mind. As I turned the door knob, sand had already begun to cover the dead man, continuing to form a thick pillar in the center of the room. I placed my face behind the opened slit and spoke calmly as other sand pillars formed within the cottage. "Is there a problem?"

The policeman roughly shoved his foot into the door, pushing it open as I calmly allowed the charade to continue. "We have reason to believe that you are behind the string of disappearances." The sheriff bellowed as he looked around the cottage. "What are all these..."

"Pillars." I finished. "I am something of an architectural enthusiast and I find them intriguing."

The obtuse policeman only narrowed his eyes as he mumbled on his way out, obviously disappointed that he could not find sufficient evidence to link me to the kidnappings, "Don't leave town."

I eagerly closed the door behind my guests as I smiled to myself once more turning around as I admired my quick-thinking crafty work. I decided to oblige my visitor and stay in the city for a bit longer and perhaps even see the limits of my newly acquired power. I attempted once more to duplicate my previous actions, stretching my arms as I concentrated upon solidifying the forces within me.

Once you've tasted that height, you can never stop reaching for it. I instantly checked and rechecked the ritual and spell, searching for an answer as to why the power faded from me. I remembered then that in my early experiments I lowered the level of the ingredients in order to prevent others from discovering the flames (an unnecessary precaution since my previous home burned anyway). I recalculated the numbers and immediately set out to recover the correct amount so that after this time, my power would never fade.

Hours later I stood poised between the seven dead bodies that now lay strewn around me, thrown carelessly away after I recovered their hearts. As I completed the mixture the boiling liquid consumed me once more, this time taking nine days to complete the transformation.

But I would do it all over again for the power that I now possess.

During my hiatus the police had once more returned to my house, and without my presence the sand pillars crumbled, allowing them to easily to discover the dead man's remains. With the kidnapping of over a dozen people, my name climbed to the top of the most wanted list and my face became easily recognizable throughout the city. My return to the city was almost immediately noticed with the cries of an easily excitable woman. Within minutes police cars surrounded my area, their lights flashing and sirens blaring as I heard the voice of my old sheriff friend over a loud speaker.

"You are under arrest for multiple charges of kidnapping and murder in the first degree."

I listened to him, nodding mockingly with a look on my face as if I understood perfectly and would be happy to comply. However he realized his mistake soon after as a sphere of sand formed from my hand before flames erupted from it. The heat from the fire instantly transformed the sand into its transparent and solid counter-part. I launched the explosive glass directly at his head. And his face melted.