(Opening Scene: Days have passed since Bartholomew's death, and a heavy atmosphere still hangs over Lumina Academy. Doctor Finch, his grief having festered into a burning desire for retribution, stalks the shadowy corridors, his eyes fixed on finding Zane.)
Doctor Finch, consumed by his loss, could not reconcile the accidental nature of Bartholomew's death. In his grief-stricken mind, Zane was responsible, a dangerous element that had extinguished his beloved familiar's life force in a way that defied all natural and magical laws. He clutched a vial of potent, fast-acting paralysis poison, a dark resolve hardening his features. He would make Zane pay.
He tracked Zane to the academy library, where the young void mage was attempting to lose himself in ancient texts, seeking any understanding of his strange affliction. Finch, his face contorted with rage, crept silently behind a towering bookshelf, the vial of poison clutched tightly in his trembling hand.
Just as Finch was about to strike, a sudden surge of raw power erupted from the library entrance. Astrid, who had been searching for Zane, her stormy eyes narrowed with a protective fury, stormed into the aisle. She had sensed Finch's dark intent, a prickling unease settling over her as she searched for her friend.
"Finch!" Astrid's voice cracked with a furious intensity Zane had never heard before. The air around her crackled with uncontrolled energy, the scent of ozone sharp in the quiet library. The paralysis poison in Finch's hand began to vibrate violently.
Finch, startled and exposed, whirled around, his face a mask of hatred. "Montaigne! Get out of my way! This… this monster took Bartholomew from me!"
"He didn't mean to!" Astrid roared, her hands clenching into fists. The very atmosphere in the library seemed to respond to her rage. Books rattled on the shelves, and the faint hum of the academy's protective wards flickered erratically. A visible aura of swirling, dark clouds began to coalesce around her, lightning dancing within its depths.
This was different from her controlled Tempestuous Onslaught. This was raw, untamed fury given form. The paralysis poison in Finch's hand shattered, the glass shards falling harmlessly to the floor as his own magical energies recoiled from the sheer force emanating from Astrid.
Finch stumbled backward, his eyes wide with terror. He had underestimated the depth of Astrid's loyalty and the sheer power of her unleashed rage. The library, moments before a sanctuary of knowledge, now felt like the eye of a storm, with Astrid at its terrifying center.
"You will not touch him," Astrid growled, her voice a low, thunderous rumble. The swirling clouds around her intensified, and arcs of uncontrolled lightning lashed out, striking the bookshelves and sending sparks flying. The power emanating from her was immense, fueled by her fierce protectiveness of Zane and her outrage at Finch's vengeful intent. This was Storm's Fury, a raw, untamed manifestation of her elemental heritage, awakened by the threat to her friend.