I sigh, fists clenching until my nails dig tiny crescents of blood from my palms. "I got half my family killed, okay? Is that what you all want me to say?" My voice rises, cracking with emotion. "They died because of me. They died because I couldn't control my emotions, and the storm came."

My throat constricts around the words as they claw their way out, each syllable cutting like daggers dragged from my insides. I lower my voice, tears streaming down my cheeks.

"I don't know why it happened or how. I just know it happened because of me. I felt some part of me pulling the storm toward us, stoking it like a flame. It didn't matter how hard I tried to stop it."

I swallow hard, the memory of black waves and screaming winds so vivid I can almost feel the spray on my face. The phantom roar of the tempest fills my ears, drowning out even the thundering of my heart. I think I can even taste the salt water on my tongue for a moment. I can smell that scent of ozone. Magic.

The elementals just stare down at me and the words keep pouring from my lips.

"Both my brothers and my dad died. For some reason… I didn't. My mom and sister never forgave me. I was a reminder to them. An unwelcome memory, and getting in that carriage was my way of making amends for what I did. Trying to, at least."

I hang my head, throat thick with unshed tears. Every breath hurts like I'm inhaling shards of glass. I never talk about what happened—it's been locked inside me so long that speaking it aloud feels like tearing open a half-healed wound.

The elementals seem to confer amongst themselves, not with words but with pulses of energy that make the air shimmer and crack. The fire elemental flares suddenly, its form growing larger, tongues of flame reaching toward the ceiling. The earth elemental remains still, but the ground beneath my feet trembles like the beginning of an earthquake. The air elemental's form becomes more distinct, as if concentrating its essence. And the water elemental leans forward, his liquid features showing what almost looks like curiosity.

"Begin the test."

That's it? I have to pour my fucking heart out and they just tell me to start the test? No words of comfort, no acknowledgment of my pain? Just a command, as if I were some kind of trained animal?

Anger flares hot in my chest, momentarily burning away the fear. The sheer audacity, the callousness—but anger won't keep me alive, and I swallow it down like bitter medicine.

The bodies surrounding me and the terrible smells are enough of a reminder. This isn't the time or place to be difficult. Heart thundering, I force myself to look back up at them. "How do I begin?"

The water elemental gestures toward the four vessels.

"Choose. Touch. Reveal."