The weather was balmy. The sun stood high above the pine trees with a few rays escaping to caress the grass-filled ground. A warm breeze swirled around the tall, thin grass where Zephyra and the others stood. It carved a meandering path to her with a soft howl as she whirled her hands around.

Urion stood amid the field, with his hands crossed over his chest as he observed them. The clouds above him allowed a shadow to be cast just above his head. 

They're getting better each day, controlling their elemental power. Soon they would be good enough to contribute to nature itself, he thought. 

It would help keep Aspeon in balance with its core. The existence of the planet was not controlled by the surrounding universe, but by its people. All but a few were gifted with the burden of life, and a strange aspect of mortality. 

And when their time was up, the young ones needed to lead. If the process ran along with no bumps in the way, the exchange would hardly be noticeable.

Urion watched Zephyra as she closed her eyes and curved her fingers upwards, pulling a strong force of wind towards her. The air whistled as its currents progressed, ripping some of the small plants out from the ground. Zephyra didn't stop until she was sure she'd gathered enough energy. She got off the high surge of power that ran through her body. 

Urion chuckled to himself, knowing that she would never be able to handle all of it, but he chose to let her feel the backlash. Sometimes, firsthand experience was the best way to learn a valuable lesson rather than a warning.

Zephyra continued. 

The currents grew stronger and branches began to tear off the trees in the far distance with a splitting sound. Urion grew confused. Zephyra had begun affecting plants outside their established 'safe zone'. The other three students that stood with her tried to back away, but the wind kept on pushing them towards her.

"Zephyra!" Urion yelled over the whirling winds. She was too deep in meditation to hear anything. Urion's eyes locked with the others, silently warning them to take any form of protection that they could find. It was easier said than done, given that they were on a vast field with the winds pinning them down in place.

Suddenly, Zephyra's eyes opened, glowing a hazy grey, fully charged with the energy she managed to absorb. It was almost obvious she couldn't handle it from the way her body trembled. Urion knew it was only a matter of time. Her hands shook vigorously, and with a loud cry, all was released: the energy blast knocking everyone off their feet. The sound echoed throughout the air with a loud cackle. An eerie silence followed after.

Enlil groaned and dusted himself off with a deep frown as he got off the ground. He glared at Zephyra as her small form panted, trying to regulate her breathing. He plucked torn leaves from his hair in frustration.

"What the hell was that!" he yelled from his position since the blast had pushed everyone out a great distance. 

"I'm sorry!" she yelled back. 

Anemone got up from her end and cleaned the grass off her clothes while Zeru spat some out from his mouth. Within seconds, everyone had returned to their original spots. Urion walked up to them, seeming unaffected from the previous event, his steel-blue eyes trained on Zephyra.

"That was impressive," he noted. Enlil's forehead formed crease lines as he frowned deeper.

"Impressive?" he repeated. "What happened to respect the 'safe zone'?" 

Urion smiled. "Air doesn't have boundaries." His mauve robe shifted as he took one step closer. "If you are going to be the next set of representatives for this element, you need to be swift, flexible, weightless, invisible, but most of all, limitless." He approached Zephyra. "Thrilling, wasn't it?" She nodded, brandy coloured eyes filled with merriment. "This is exactly what Aspeon needs; a leader with your qualities. Someone who isn't afraid to push back the walls." 

Enlil's jaw dropped but Anemone and Zeru seemed content. Given the amount of time they spent with Zephyra, they were confident that she made a suitable candidate for their leader.

"This is going to be great!" Anemone squeaked with a toothy grin.

"Are you serious?" Zephyra asked Urion once again, just to be sure that her ears weren't deceiving her. 

Urion reached into the pocket of his long robe and pulled out a necklace. It was simply a pendant on gold, braided thread. The pendant was a small glass ball and trapped inside, was a floating representation of what they stood for. Smoke whirled around the ball non-stop, taking on all shapes imaginable. It seemed to have a mind of its own, just like the air that surrounded them.

"Take this as a confirmation."

***

"I cannot believe Urion gave Zephyra that necklace instead of me," Enlil huffed as he sat across Roman and Aria. He grabbed a spoon and began wolfing down his meal in hunger and rage.

They were currently in Rubolts, a homey café owned by Rena; a petite young girl who had her mind set on building a place where everyone could come eat and relax. She succeeded and now it was an eminent spot. Enlil made it his usual dining spot, and occasionally, a place to wind down with some drinks.

"Enlil, we aren't all meant to be the leader," Roman responded. He placed a piece of food in his mouth. Aria nodded from across the table while she played with her onyx hair.

"That's easy for you to say," Enlil scoffed. His charcoal eyes seemed vacant as they gazed through the window behind Roman. "You're the leader of your elemental team." Enlil hated when others tried to give him advice, especially when they had no idea what he was going through. 

Roman sighed. He knew it was effortless convincing Enlil that some things were just not meant to be. They were friends for a long time, but his perspectives never changed. 

"Look, everyone has a purpose," Roman said. "And sometimes, it doesn't involve always being in the frontline."

"Most times," Aria corrected. "And that's a good thing." She was Roman's younger sister. It was easy to spot the similarities between the two, with their forest green eyes and immense black hair. 

As for Roman, he was allayed when she wasn't born with the gift of an elemental. He was too worried that anything would happen to her. Aria was an incessant being, but he believed she needed to remain home with their mother.

"Really? Have I mentioned how much effort I've put into this?" Enlil asked. Roman ran a hand through his curls, a bit irritated.

"Yes, you have. Several times."

"Then you know how much this means to me." Aria tilted her head to one side. She studied Enlil closely; her eyes glazing over his sharp features. He was a handsome guy: naturally arched bushy brows, piercing grey eyes and a head full of brown hair, but he often let his sinewy ways get the best of him. Her mother always warned her to stay away from the hot-tempered ones.

"Well, you're in good hands," Aria spoke. "Zephyra's great at leading people and she would never let you down."

"That sounded awfully generic," Enlil replied. 

Aria raised a hand to silence him. "Besides, you already have enough on your plate with all that family drama." 

Enlil scoffed. They probably didn't know that he wanted to spend as much time possible in training to get away from the family drama. Now, what was he supposed to do?

Suddenly the wooden front doors flew open, slamming into the wall behind them with a bang. A few people were startled as Lander strutted in with his shining golden armour. The murmur from the other customers grew to silence as all attention was on him. His saffron orbs scanned the café until they landed on where Enlil, Aria and Roman sat. A sly smile developed on his lips as he took steps towards them. Roman sent a flinty glare his way.

"What do you want?" he sneered once Lander stood tall and proud beside their table.

"Calm down," Lander cautioned, extending his hands to emphasize his point. He liked how he brought the worst out of Roman's attitude. It was merely for his own amusement. "I'm just here to deliver a message." His eyes moved on to Aria. "Hey, you. Looking exquisite as always," he commented with a wink.

"The message," Roman quickly reminded, glancing between the two of them. He didn't like the guys ogling his sister, least of all Lander.

"Right," Lander smirked. "Nero wants an urgent meeting with all the elementals. He said something extremely important has come up." His wandering eyes eventually landed on Aria. "This means more alone time for me and you sweetheart," he chortled at her. She narrowed her eyes to slits, picked up her stuff and flung her bag over her shoulder.

"Thanks, but I'm good," she replied with a set smile. "I'll see you guys later," she told Roman and Enlil and left. Lander's eyes followed her as she left the café.

"Might be tougher than I thought," he murmured to himself.

***

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Taja D'amore ♡