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Davina, who had been quietly observing from the side, finally spoke up. "You make it sound like magic is just about taking and giving. But that's not all there is to it."
Kol turned to her, his expression amused. "Oh? Enlighten me, love."
Davina crossed her arms. "Magic is also about connection. About intention. It's not just a cold transaction—it's alive."
Kol chuckled, shaking his head. "Ah, the idealism of youth. You're not wrong, darling. Magic is connection, and intention does matter—but in the end, nature doesn't care about sentiment. It only cares about balance."
Bonnie frowned. "Then why do some spells require emotions? Why do we feel the magic when we cast?"
Kol tilted his head. "Because emotions are energy. Passion fuels a spell, rage strengthens a curse, grief can bring the dead back—temporarily, anyway." He smirked. "Magic likes a bit of drama."
Rebekah snorted. "Like you don't."
Davina wasn't satisfied. "But if that's the case, then why do some spells work better with a coven? With a group?"
Kol's smirk softened slightly. "Because magic is also about will. One witch alone can be powerful, but together? They amplify each other, share the burden. It's why covens exist."
Bonnie narrowed her eyes. "And why you prefer to work alone?"
Kol's smile faltered for just a second before he shrugged. "I have… trust issues."
Rebekah rolled her eyes. "That's an understatement."
Davina sighed. "So, are we actually going to practice something, or are we just going to listen to you talk all day?"
Kol laughed. "Oh, I like her. Fine, little witch, let's start simple." He flicked his fingers, and a candle on the table flared to life. "Control the flame. Make it grow, make it shrink, but do not extinguish it."
Bonnie and Davina exchanged glances before both focused on the candle.
Caroline leaned back, watching with a smirk. "This should be fun."
Rebekah grinned. "Oh, absolutely."
Kol watched as both Bonnie and Davina focused on the candle's flame. It flickered slightly under their attention, responding to their wills.
"Good. Now, let's make it dance," he instructed, his voice smooth with amusement. "Make it taller, let it shrink, bend it without putting it out."
Bonnie furrowed her brow, lifting her hand slightly as the flame responded, stretching higher before she let it lower in a controlled flicker. Davina followed suit, but she took a different approach—rather than brute-forcing the flame, she coaxed it, as if whispering to it. Her flame swayed, weaving side to side like a serpent charmed by a flute.
Rebekah leaned closer, watching with interest. "Is it just me, or does Davina's flame move more naturally?"
Kol smirked. "Observant as always, darling. Bonnie forces the change—effective, but rigid. Davina persuades the flame, letting it respond to her will instead of commanding it."
Bonnie shot him a look. "So what, you're saying I'm doing it wrong?"
Kol chuckled. "No, little witch. I'm saying you're approaching it differently. Neither method is wrong—it depends on how you wish to wield your magic."
Davina, satisfied with the movement of her flame, looked up. "What now?"
Kol gestured towards the candle. "Fire is not just heat and light. It has attributes—destruction, warmth, passion, hunger. Find them, feel them, and bring them forth."
Bonnie exhaled, closing her eyes as she reached out with her magic. The flame grew hotter, its color shifting towards white at its core. The air around it grew dry, the heat palpable.
Davina, however, focused on another aspect. Her flame dimmed but didn't die—it glowed softer, like embers smoldering instead of raging. The warmth was comforting rather than oppressive, like a hearth on a cold night.
Caroline tilted her head. "That's… different. Bonnie's feels like a wildfire. Davina's is more like a campfire."
Kol nodded approvingly. "Exactly. The nature of fire depends on its wielder. It can burn or it can soothe—it all depends on what you wish to bring forth."
Bonnie bit her lip. "And what if I wanted to do the opposite?"
Kol grinned, clearly pleased by the question. "Ah, now we're getting somewhere. Fire's opposite is water, ice, or cold in general. If you wish to counter fire, you must either smother it, drain it, or change its very nature."
Davina frowned. "But we don't have a water source here."
Kol snapped his fingers, and droplets of water formed in the air, floating above their flames without touching them. "Magic is not about what you have—it's about what you can make happen."
Bonnie looked at the suspended water, then back at the flame. "So how do I change fire into water?"
Kol raised an eyebrow, as if challenging them. "That's the real lesson, little witches. You tell me."
Kol smirked, his eyes gleaming with mischief as he lifted his hand. A pale blue flame flickered to life in his palm, casting an eerie glow across his face. Unlike normal fire, it didn't radiate heat—it exuded a crisp chill, as if it were consuming warmth instead of producing it. The temperature in the room dropped slightly, and a faint frost spread across his fingertips.
"This," he drawled, watching the girls' reactions, "is what happens when you understand the nature of magic beyond its basic form. Fire and ice—two extremes, yet both are simply expressions of energy. One devours heat, the other exudes it."
Bonnie and Davina leaned in, studying the unnatural flame with wide eyes. Davina, ever the quick learner, tilted her head. "So, it's not just about opposing fire with water—you're manipulating fire itself to take on a different nature?"
Kol grinned, clearly pleased. "Precisely. Fire is not bound to be hot, just as ice is not bound to be cold. Magic is about intent and understanding. If you will something strongly enough and pay the price, reality bends."
Bonnie narrowed her eyes at the ice-blue flame, contemplating. "But how do you do it? How do you change fire into something else?"
Kol closed his hand, extinguishing the flame without a trace. "By understanding what fire is at its core." He gestured between them. "Tell me, what makes fire… fire?"
Davina answered first. "Heat, light, destruction."
Bonnie added, "It consumes. It needs fuel to burn."
Kol nodded approvingly. "Good. Now, what is ice?"
There was a pause before Bonnie hesitantly replied, "Cold. It preserves. It slows things down instead of consuming."
Kol smirked. "And that, little witches, is your answer. Fire is hunger, motion, destruction. Ice is stillness, preservation, control. If you want to change fire into ice, you must understand and impose the opposite attributes upon it."
Davina frowned, her fingers twitching towards her candle. "So if I wanted my flame to stop consuming, I'd have to—what? Will it to be cold instead?"
Kol clicked his tongue. "Close, but not quite. You must remove its hunger, take away its need to burn. Convince it to preserve instead of destroy."
Bonnie exhaled, focusing on her flame. Instead of forcing it to dim, she tried to convince it to change. She imagined it slowing, no longer needing to burn, no longer consuming the air around it. Her flame flickered—then, for a split second, it pulsed with a faint blue hue before vanishing entirely.
Davina gasped. "Did you just—"
Kol raised a brow, impressed. "Not bad, little witch. You didn't turn fire into ice, but you stopped it from being fire. That's a start."
Rebekah, who had been watching with interest, smirked. "I have to admit, this is far more entertaining than I expected."
Caroline, arms crossed, looked between them. "Okay, but real question—how useful is this in an actual fight? Because if you're telling me we have to sit and negotiate with flames while getting attacked, that doesn't sound very practical."
Kol laughed. "Ah, my dear Caroline, always thinking in terms of battle. Trust me, once they understand this concept, they'll be able to do much more than just talk to flames." He turned back to Bonnie and Davina, his smirk sharpening. "Now, let's see if you can make your flames burn cold instead of hot."
Kol clapped his hands together, his smirk widening. "Now, since you're both catching on rather quickly, let's put your newfound understanding to the test." He flicked his wrist toward the back door. "Outside. We need more space."
Rebekah raised a brow. "You're making them fight you already?"
Kol shot her a pointed look. "You expect them to learn by talking? Magic is instinct just as much as intellect. They need to feel it, not just discuss theories." He turned to Bonnie and Davina. "You two will fight me using only flames. I'll do the same—no fancy spells, no rituals, just raw elemental magic."
Caroline huffed. "And I suppose you're going to go easy on them?"
Kol laughed. "Darling, I am going easy on them. If I weren't, they'd be nothing but cinders before they finished their first spell."
Bonnie rolled her eyes, already regretting this. Davina, however, looked intrigued. "Alright," she said, determination flashing in her eyes. "Let's do it."
The group moved outside, stepping into the backyard before following Kol to a clearing surrounded by tall trees. The wind was crisp, carrying the scent of damp earth, and the moonlight bathed the area in silver. Kol stretched his arms lazily.
"Let's begin, then." He snapped his fingers. A small flame burst to life in his palm before it flared outward, forming a thin, lazy stream of fire that circled him like a serpent.
Bonnie and Davina exchanged a glance, then moved apart, creating distance.
Davina was the first to strike. She flicked her wrist, sending a thin arc of fire shooting toward Kol's chest. In a blur, he sidestepped it, the flame missing him by mere inches.
Bonnie followed up immediately, forming a whip-like tendril of blue-tinged fire and cracking it toward Kol's legs. Again, he moved effortlessly, spinning around the attack like he was dancing.
Kol grinned, his movements lazy. "Oh, come now. That's child's play."
Without warning, he flicked his wrist, sending a wave of fire roaring toward them. Bonnie threw her hands up, willing her flames to harden into a barrier. The fire clashed against it, splitting around her like water over rock, but the sheer force sent her stumbling back.
Davina wasn't idle. She had been watching Kol's movements—his tendency to avoid rather than block, his reliance on dodging instead of direct engagement. So, instead of launching a straightforward attack, she twisted her fingers and sent a rapid succession of small, unpredictable bursts toward him from different angles.
Kol moved like a shadow, dodging effortlessly. "Better," he admitted. "But predictable."
He waved a hand, and the flames they had just thrown at him twisted mid-air, turning back toward them.
"Shit," Bonnie cursed, quickly redirecting the flames upward before they could hit her.
Kol used that distraction to strike. He stomped a foot on the ground, and a pulse of fire shot outward in a circle. Davina barely managed to leap back in time, but Bonnie wasn't fast enough—she threw her hands forward, trying to counter, but the heat knocked her off balance.
Kol tsked, shaking his head. "Still relying too much on reacting, not enough on anticipating."
Davina clenched her jaw, adjusting her stance. "Then let's change that."
She suddenly shifted her approach, drawing on what he had taught them earlier. Instead of just summoning fire, she willed her flames to preserve rather than consume. The fire around her flickered, turning colder, denser.
Kol raised a brow. "Oh? That's interesting."
Bonnie caught on, following Davina's lead. She extended her hands, forcing her fire to compress instead of expand. The flames coiled tightly around her palms, glowing a deep, almost icy blue.
Kol chuckled. "Now we're getting somewhere."
He flicked his wrist, sending another scorching wave of flames their way. But this time, Bonnie and Davina didn't block—they redirected. Bonnie's compressed flames pulled at Kol's attack, drawing in its energy, while Davina twisted her wrist, sending a spiraling counterattack that clashed against his.
For the first time, Kol didn't dodge. He absorbed the impact, the fire dissipating harmlessly around him.
Then he smirked. "Not bad at all. But…"
Before they could react, he stomped again, this time sending a shockwave of heat through the ground. The very air around them shimmered with intensity. Both girls were forced to stagger back, sweat beading on their brows.
Kol rolled his shoulders. "You're adapting well, but you're still thinking in limitations. Fire is not just heat. Fire is destruction, rebirth, passion. If you want to control it, you must become it."
Bonnie panted, frustration clear on her face. "And how exactly do we do that?"
Kol grinned, holding up a single finger. "Simple. Stop trying to control fire. Instead… command it.*"
And with that, he snapped his fingers again, sending a massive pillar of flame roaring toward them.
The lesson was far from over.
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