Wind howled. Fire crackled. The elements swirled against each other in a subtle power struggle.

Suddenly, everything quieted as quickly as it began. Quiet after the odd storm was even more deafening in Leonie's ears.

"There are things you need to know when you meet the snow," Airy said.

"Tell them what they need to know, but you are not allowed whole truth to show." Flame warned as he burned away.

As an elemental, Flame took his job of guiding lost souls, seriously. However, guiding was far different than interfering, which he considered what Airy was doing.

After all, humans were such fragile beings, so easily broken, sometimes even by the burden of possessing too much knowledge.

"You will be tempted by fate to prove your true state. Good or evil, will you be; we shall see." Airy said.

"What does that even mean? I thought I was destined to save us all from evil, not become evil." Leonie asked with trepidation.

"The purest hearts are the easiest to bait; I am not sure about your fate. Physical strength won't always help thee, so look in your heart and let it all be." Airy said.

Seeing how frustrated Leonie was by the Elementals speech patterns, Rimar decided to intervene to avoid conflict. Elementals usually did not harm humans, but when provoked, they could wreak havoc on not only the unfortunate humans but the whole surrounding area as well.

"I think what she means to say is that we are all capable of the greatest evils and utmost good. One's destiny can change if their choice changes. If they chose evil instead of good." Rimar explained.

"I would never do that!" Leonie exclaimed, appalled.

"No, not consciously. However, sometimes something that seems to be an innocent action can lead to the unraveling of great evil. Something done out of love can turn sour." Rimar explained with sadness in his voice.

He was aware more than anyone how bad things could become since he had lived it many times before, through the eyes of his ancestors.

"How can we stop that from happening?" Leonie asked.

"We can't stop it. We can only do our best to avoid it. As Airy said, physical strength won't be the most important thing for you, but the goodness of your heart will. If you follow your heart, it will show you the right way." Rimar explained.

As Leonie contemplated those words, Airy flew towards Rimar, inches away from him.

"Your truth should come out only at the last stop." Airy warned him.

"I thought as much, thank you for the warning," Rimar said.

Airy nodded her small form as she started swirling away.

"My family doesn't agree with me being here. I have to float away. I can no longer stay." Airy said, drifting away in a hurry.

"Wait..." Leonie said, but it was already too late.

"She didn't tell us anything," Leonie said, disappointed.

"She told us much more than you think. It seems like you will go through a test that the rest of us won't be able to help you with, which will determine your path. The test won't be about defeating trolls or any other enemy but your fears. If you win, you'll be stronger than ever since facing one's fears does that to a person." Rimar said.

"And if I lose?" Leonie asked, not sure she wanted to know the answer.

"You join the dark side. You start enjoying it. So, you become the one to bring about our downfall." Rimar said, honestly.

Leonie swayed slightly as the truth started rushing towards her, trying to swallow her whole.

Not wanting to allow that to happen, Leonie ran to her room to hide from the world.

Being the savior of the world against evil was a lot to accept, but being able to bring it down was unbearable.

Leonie lowered herself on her bed and covered her head with a pillow soaking it with tears that burst forth. She had not cried as violently for a long time, and she let it all out.

She did not stop; she could not stop even after the pillow was raised from her head, and a gentle hand started stroking her hair.

Only when her mother started singing a soft melody to her did Leonie manage to calm down.

"I don't know that song," Leonie mumbled.

"It's an old Gatherer song that Nald used to love," Amitola said gently.

"Leonie, my dear, I heard what happened. You shouldn't be so upset. We all have the potential to do bad things. The fact that we chose not to, every single day is what makes us good." Amitola added.

"What do you mean?" Leonie asked, not fully understanding her mother's words.

"Well, when one needs something, the easier way to get it is to take it from another," Amitola said.

"But that's a wrong thing to do," Leonie said.

"It is. That's why we choose not to do it, although it can make things easier for us. What I am saying is that being evil is easy. However, being good, on the other hand, takes a lot of effort and sacrifice. By choosing to be good every day, we show the strength of our hearts." Amitola said.

"I never thought about it like that. Then, I will choose to be good and struggle to succeed." Leonie said.

"Let's hope you won't struggle too much," Amitola said, hugging Leonie.

"Talking about struggle, you should have told me that the nightmares were getting so bad, I could have helped. If nothing else, then by soothing you after you wake up." Amitola said.

"I know, but you've been dealing with much. You've been the head of this family and had to take care of so many things. I didn't want to add another worry." Leonie said.

"Leonie, I am the mother, I should be protecting you, not the other way around," Amitola said gently.

"I know, but you've dedicated your whole life to us. You never go gathering berries like you used to, or enjoy lake rides, all because you have too much to do to take care of us." Leonie said.

"We take care of each other, my dear. Never forget that. How am I supposed to help protect you when I don't know what's going on? Please, promise me to tell me everything from now on, no matter how upset it might make me." Amitola said.

"I promise," Leonie said.

"Alright, then I need to go check on your brother. You know how he tends to overfeed the chicken. You take all the time you need, but always remember that you are my little angel." Amitola said, kissing Leonie's forehead.

Leonie smiled brightly at her mother's retreating figure. It appeared to her as if Amitola could always say the right things to dispel all her worries.

Sometimes Leonie thought of it as magic, but it was in actuality motherhood. Their uncanny ability to know what and when your child needed to hear.

As Amitola's steps retreated, Leonie started contemplating all the steps that she could take to ensure that she stayed with her family and not with the darkness that was rolling in.

As Leonie sifted through all the possibilities, she realized that her eyes were not seeing her room. She tried to rub off the fog that descended upon them, but it clung too tightly.

Only when the fog started swirling and taking shape, did Leonie realize that the problem was not with her eyes but with her reality.

Her room was filling with fog that was rising from below. Soon enough shape of a person was formed.

"Who are you?" Leonie asked in fear of the unfamiliar presence in her home.

"I am Clotho, one of the three Fates. You and Amitola have called upon us so often over the years that I decided to visit you." Clotho said, to Leonie's horror.