Heir of the Elements

  For Neli. Thanks for the memories, listening, and being so selfless.

  Heir of the Elements

  Copyright 2015 by Cesar Gonzalez

  Cover Art- Dennis Frohlich

  Editor- Laura Hutfilz

  Feel free to check out the Element Wielder website. There you’ll be able to find character pictures, artwork, lore about the elements, and more.

  http://cesarbak99.wix.com/element-wielder

  PREFACE

  On Planet Va’siel, there are a few beings that are born with the ability to wield certain elements. These gifted individuals are known as Element Wielders.

  There are six basic elements and six advanced elements. Holding control of the advanced elements requires much more energy than a basic element. As such, wielders of advanced elements have become a rarity in Va’siel.

  Basic Elements

  Water: Water wielders control the element of water. Some advanced water wielders have been known to solidify water into ice.

  Fire: Wielders who harness the very power of flames. The second stage of fire is blue fire. The third stage, which very few wielders have reached, is black fire.

  Like water wielders, fire wielders are highly sought out for long missions. Their ability to create campfires in almost any environment has proven invaluable.

  Void: Void wielders can wield all six basic elements; however, this power comes with limitations. Void wielders can only wield weak attacks.

  No void wielder can wield blue or black fire, as those are advanced levels of fire. The only exception is Falcon Hyatt. For reasons unknown to him, he can wield basic elements and advanced elements.

  Mind: Mind wielders can mold the minds of others. The extent of the control they have over people depends on the power of the mind wielder and the victim.

  Some have been known to drive their enemies mad with false images of pain and suffering.

  Mind wielders can also use their abilities to re-awaken thoughts that have been long forgotten. Most mind wielders are highly intellectual individuals.

  Wind: Wind wielders can harness the power of wind, using that power in both defensive and offensive attacks.

  Even though wind is a basic element, not many wind wielders can be found in Va’siel. The reason for this is unknown.

  EARTH: These warriors are numerous in Va’siel. Their attacks are sturdy and strong. Their defensive abilities are some of the strongest a wielder can ever hope to create.

  But their abilities go beyond the battlefield. Some earth wielders are able to mold and enrich soil with nutrients to create rich farmlands. The crops grown from capable earth wielders are some of the most delicious found in Va’siel.

  The legendary warrior, Golden Wielder, was himself an earth wielder.

  Advanced Elements

  Space: The power of the cosmos is a mere plaything to space wielders. Not only can they summon the force of space to use against their enemies, but they can call forth universal anomalies like meteors, comets, and black holes.

  Since there are so many mysteries in the great unknown that is the universe, the true extent to which gifted wielders can push their powers remains an enigma.

  Poison: Poison wielders tend to be sick beings, both physically and mentally.

  They possess the ability to create many attacks using venom and a variety of toxins.

  In past times, poison wielders have proven useful during sieges, where they poison entire cities water or food supplies.

  Darkness: Only the most cold-hearted and wicked beings can properly wield the powers of darkness. Wherever they go, pain and misery follows.

  Dark wielders can control many of the forbidden wielding abilities that were banned long ago for their inhumane and unnatural power.

  Chaos: Along with holy, chaos is the rarest of all the elements. In fact, in the past 10,000 years, Shal-Volcseck is the only known chaos wielder.

  What exactly can a chaos wielder do? No one who has seen their power has been left alive to tell the tale.

  Lightning: These wielders can summon the power of lightning. Most who practice this kind of wielding tend to be driven by offense. During battle, they rarely use their power for defense.

  There are stories of exceptional wielders who have wielded red and green lightning, though most believe this to be just tales of legend.

  Holy: Only the most pure and humble of beings can hope to control this power. As such, holy wielders are extremely rare. With each passing year, Va’siel has become more sinister and wicked, full of murder, deceit, and lies. It is for this reason that many believe that the power of holy will never return to such a cruel world. However, there are stories that indeed a holy wielder has been born in the small farming village of Asturia.

  Chapter 1

  The day was coming to a close as three wielders traveled the narrow path that cut through the sea of trees. Scattered rays of lights trickled through the few openings that the thick branches above provided. Droplets of water, from the rain that had now stopped, glistened as they coursed down the leaves.

  Ahead of the group was Falcon, a dark-haired Rohad whose blue eyes missed nothing. He remained alert, looking for any sign of movement.

  “What do you think, mate?” asked Chonsey. He pointed at the open space of dirt with two large boulders beside it. “Is this a good place?”

  Falcon looked at his short friend and then into the forest and sighed. He had hoped to reach his hometown of Ladria before nightfall, but apparently that wasn’t going to happen. “Let’s move into the trees a bit. We don’t want to set up camp directly on the road.”

  Faith, the emerald-eyed girl with the light skin, nodded. “Good idea. The last thing we want is to run into bandits, or worse.”

  Falcon stepped off the hard dirt path and onto the mossy forest grounds. The fresh aroma of wet dirt drifted into his nostrils. His short boots dug into the muck of the ground. It was times like these that he was thankful for his resistant clothing. The blue uniform and black jacket could withstand almost any terrain on Va’siel.

  Chonsey followed closely behind him. “I wouldn’t be too worried about bandits, mate. I mean, if it were just me, of course I would be on my toes. But not with you here, Falcon. You’re a void wielder who is only supposed to wield the basic elements but has control of advanced elements.” He grinned and turned to Faith who trudged behind him. She wore a pink jumpsuit with a white blouse underneath. “And you, Faith, you’re the only holy wielder in ages. That’s crazy.” He took a breath. “I’d be more worried for the poor bandits that run into us. They wouldn’t know what they’d be in for.”

  Falcon stared down at his gray emblem, recalling the many times the chaos power within him had caused him to lose control. At those moments, he couldn’t distinguish friend from foe. “Having this isn’t a solution to everything, Chonsey.”

  “Besides,” Faith added. “The idea of staying off the road has nothing to do with whether we can beat bandits or not, and everything to do with the fact that they may be Suteckh scouts.”

  Falcon grimaced. He still couldn’t believe the story Chonsey had told him. It sounded like a nightmarish fairy tale. The capital city of Ladria was so powerful. How was it possible that the Suteckh Empire could have overtaken it in only a day? Surely his friend had exaggerated. Chonsey did have a tendency to stretch the truth a bit.

  Falcon stopped and threw down his bag as they reached a small clearing. There were a few lingering bushes here and there, but nothing too troublesome. “This is a good place. Let’s set up camp here.”

  Chonsey unrolled the light blanket he carried on his back and tossed it on the floor. “Good. I was getting tired, mate.”

  “Earth plateau,” said Falcon as he bent down and touch
ed the wet ground. In an instant two long plain stubs of dirt emerged. They stretched about two feet over the forest grounds. He felt ashamed as he stared at Faith. “I’m sorry you have to sleep in such a hard place again. I know back home you had a nice bed, and ever since you began traveling with me you’ve been living like a peasant.”

  Faith waved her hand dismissively. “You know I don’t care about those things. Don’t you worry about it.”

  Despite her words, he still felt a pang of guilt. He took a seat.

  “What are you doing?” asked Faith, shocked.

  Falcon looked at Chonsey then back at Faith, trying to figure out what he’d done wrong. “Errr…sitting down.”

  Faith took his hand and pulled him up. “Yes, I know. But you could at least wait until I set up a shield on your bed. That way you won’t have to sleep on dirt. You don’t want to get your leather jacket and hair dirty, do you?”

  “Oh, no, sorry. I’ll just go gather some wood while you do that.”

  Faith’s white emblem that rested on the back of her glove intensified in brightness as she waved her hand. “Malawi Lesotho.” An almost invisible blanket materialized and covered the earthy bed. It flapped as the wind drifted against it. “Now you try it.”

  Falcon stopped dead in his tracks. “Try what?” He was certain he knew what Faith was talking about. She had been drilling him on it every other night, but he simply couldn’t get the handle of it. What was the use of making himself look like a fool again?

  Faith took his hand and pulled him before the Earth plateau he had created. “C’mon, I know you can do it. Wave your hand around like this.” She moved her hands from side to side. “Then think of a strong emotion, allow it flow from within. You did it once, I’m sure you can do it again.”

  He thought back to the battle against Lakirk. “That was under pressure. But when I’m in a calm environment, I can’t do it.”

  “Sure you can. I know you can do it. Simply think of someone you love. Use their memory.”

  Her eyes met his, sending nervous jitters coursing through him. “Ummm…yes, someone I love. I’ll just do that.” He closed his eyes. Images of his two best friends, Aya and Faith, flashed before him. But instead of feeling peace, he felt turmoil. One second he’d be staring at Faith, only to be replaced by the image of Aya, her dark hair flowing behind her as she gazed at him with her almond shaped eyes. The words of Father Lucien came back to him. The heart cannot belong to more than two. Sooner or later you must make a choice. His eyes snapped open, his heart beating faster with each breath.

  “Are you well?”

  He stood up straighter, trying to convey a false sense of control. “Y…yeah. I’m fine.”

  She looked him over with an air of disbelief. “I’ll do the cover. You go ahead and fetch some wood if you wish.”

  She didn’t have to tell him twice. He immediately took off into the woods. Once he was far away from the camp, he settled next to a large rock and took a seat, cursing himself. Faith was patient, but how long was he going to continue failing like this? If he couldn’t even make a cover, how was he expected to control holy barriers powerful enough to keep the chaos energy that raged within him in check? Unable to formulate the answers, he remained seated in place, staring at small patches of visible sky for what seemed an eternity.

  Finally, once the heavy feeling in his stomach had dissipated, he got up, found a few scattered pieces of wood, and headed back.

  “You were gone for a while,” said Faith as Falcon marched back into the camp.

  “Yes, branches were hard to find.”

  “Aha, I’m sure they were.” The tone in her voice made it clear that he wasn’t fooling her.

  Falcon tossed the few branches he managed to find into a pile. He snapped his fingers as his gray emblem turned a deep red. Seconds later, a flame engulfed the few pieces of wood.

  “It’s nice having a fire wielder,” said Faith, taking a seat next to the flames. She patted the spot next to her, signaling Falcon to join her.

  He gulped nervously as he took a seat. It had been quite some time since he and Faith were alone like this. He turned over to invite Chonsey to join them, but his loud snores made it obvious he was already deep in sleep.

  “Do you think Iris is doing well?” asked Faith in a low voice. “She was so sad when we left.”

  Falcon thought back to the peasant girl they had befriended back in K’vitch. He would be lying if he said he didn’t miss her too. In the short time he’d spent with her, he grew quite fond of her. “I’m sure she’s doing fine. She has Father Lucien looking after her, after all.” His gaze dropped to the floor. “To tell you the truth, I’m more worried about Aya.”

  “Aya is strong. I’m certain she’s fine.”

  “I’m sure you’re right, but I’m more concerned about letting her down. I was tasked with warning Missea of the upcoming Suteckh invasion. Aya is smart. I have no doubt she succeeded in getting the city of Sugiko on our side. But me? I didn’t even get to Missea, much less warn them. And now I’m headed back to Ladria, having accomplished nothing.”

  “You figured out who was kidnapping people from K’vitch, and you put a stop to it.” Her eyebrows pulled down in concentration. “Do you think the people of K’vitch would say you accomplished nothing?”

  Falcon grimaced. “I’m not too sure helping them was a good idea.”

  Faith gave him a hard stare. “Of course it was a good idea. Children were being taken from their parents. Their energy was being sucked out of them. Are you saying we should have let them die?”

  “No. I’m simply stating that sometimes a few have to die, so that more can live.”

  “How is that different from letting them die?”

  Falcon ran his hand through his hair, not sure how to express himself. Everything was such a jumble of confusion. “I don’t know. All I know is that thanks to our interference, Shal-Volcseck finally got a hold of the last possible chaos emblem.”

  “He already had a chaos emblem,” Faith said, her voice calm.

  “You know what I mean, Faith. He had his chaos emblem, but he couldn’t destroy that one because that would kill him. Now he has one he can destroy.”

  Faith shook her head. “You’re beating yourself up. Like always. Volcseck would have gotten that emblem whether we were there or not.”

  “But he got it on my watch!” said Falcon, raising his voice. “Demetrius died because of it.”

  “Calm down, Falcon.”

  Falcon’s face grew warm. “It’s wasn’t enough that he killed my mom right in front of me when I was a kid, he had to wait until I grew up so he could take the emblem right in front of me, too!” He knew he should stop, but he couldn’t. The chaos energy that raged within him beckoned him to give in to it. “And now he has eleven of the twelve element emblems. All he needs now is—” He stopped yelling as his eyesight landed on the pristine white holy emblem on Faith’s glove. A small raindrop fell on the pearl. It trickled to the ground, darkening the dirt around it. A lump the size of a mountain formed in his throat when he noticed that it wasn’t rain but tears. “F…Faith. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to remind you that that monster is coming after you.”

  “No, I’m the one who is sorry,” Faith muttered in a shaky voice. “Volcseck came for me the day he killed your mother. It’s my fault she’s dead.” She stood slowly. “Excuse me. I think I’ll be going to sleep.”

  Falcon’s chest tightened. First I remind her of the killer who is hunting her. Then I re-kindle those feelings of guilt she’s carried since childhood.

  “Faith,” he squeaked, staring at the shivering figure lying on the hard earth bed. “I don’t blame you for anything. You know that. Please don’t feel bad on my account.”

  “I’m fine, Falcon. Don’t worry about me.”

  She didn’t turn as she spoke, which only made him feel worse.

  As he lay down on his makeshift bed, a sense of warmth engulfed him. He ran his hands through the n
ear invisible cover. It was soft, much like he imagined a cloud might feel like. It also carried the scent of Faith. Peaches.

  He took in the sweet aroma as he eyed the girl sobbing quietly. His fists clenched in anger. Even now, without being in his presence, Volcseck continued to make his life miserable. He wanted to comfort her. To promise her that everything would be fine, but he knew that as long as Volcseck was alive, he would never be able to make such a promise. And at that moment, as he took in the sight of his longtime friend, he felt something stir inside his chest he’d never felt before. He couldn’t fully explain it, and he didn’t try to. All he knew was that he would do anything for her.

  And if that involved dueling the most powerful being in existence, so be it.

  Chapter 2

  “Hey, mate. It’s time.”

  Falcon awoke to the sight of his small friend staring down at him. He had a look of concern plastered across his face. He grabbed his shoulder and shook him once more.

  “I’m up,” said Falcon, wiping his groggy eyes. Why did Chonsey have to wake him up? He was having such a nice dream for once. He had been training with his brother, Albert. Even though it was but a dream, it was the closest he’d been to his brother in years. Not since that fateful night.

  “Were you having a nightmare?” Chonsey asked as he folded his blanket into a tight roll. He tied it together and put it on his back.

  “No. Not really. Why?”

  Chonsey looked as if he had suddenly lost the will to speak. “Um…no reason, mate.”

  “Why? Out with it.”

  “I don’t know,” said Chonsey apprehensively. “It was just that you were tossing and turning and saying ‘Albert’ over and over again. I thought you were reliving that night when he, well…you know.”