When Jai arrived at the front, he saw Aqila casually talking with the off-duty soldiers. When she saw him, she waved, motioning for him to come to ride on her dasher.

"Sorry to abruptly end, but I promised I'd take the Legend sightseeing. I'll come again soon," Aqila explained. The soldiers groaned that she had to go.

Jai sat behind Aqila on Talon. The back of the bird felt strange. "I don't normally use a riding mat, but you may find that more comfortable." They both dismounted, and she placed a long mat on Talon's back and fastened its straps on the side. She grabbed the mat from a substantially sized carry bag strapped to Talon's side. Aqila remounted and motioned for Jai to do the same.

"Wow, that feels comfortable. You say you don't use the mat," Jai asked.

"Yeah, not often. I learned to ride without it," Talon took off slowly and flew about a mile above the ground. "If you feel uncomfortable, let me know. I can have Talon hover instead," She glanced back at him.

"No, this is amazing. I feel so close to the sun," Jai replied, basking in the sun's welcoming rays. "Where are you from?"

"Kashmala, how about you?"

"Lower Ember, I've heard of Kashmala. Everyone says it's nice there."

"It really is. I miss it a lot," Aqila said, glancing back.

"How come don't you live there?"

"Yeah, in a way. I live in mountain home on the tallest eastern peak. I haven't been in Kashmala, the state, in a while."

"Why not?"

"I've been an apprentice seer for ten years, and I live with my mentor. Before that, I lived with my guardian in Kashmala and went to school there until I was ten."

"Wow, becoming a seer must take a lot of commitment," Jai replied. He felt Talon landing. "Where are we going?"

"I want to show you my favorite place," she beamed excitedly. Aqila said something to Talon, and he screeched back. "Let's go!" They walked for about ten minutes, and Jai saw a large sign, 'Flame Eaters'. This was probably where they were going.

"Here we are," she opened the flap entrance to an arena. "It's an acrobatic show, and this group is called the Flame Eaters. Did you know that the Windmasters introduced aerial acrobatics to the Firehearts? This place reminds me of home a bit, and that's why I like coming here."

"When was the first time you came here?"

"With Zeroun, it was my first week after I moved to the mountain home. He brought me here and gave me a spicy rock candy. The first one was too hot for me, then he gave me a hot chocolate one, and I could handle that," she smiled when talking about her mentor. It warmed Jai's heart and made him think about Arka. Not for long, however, as the light dimmed and the acrobats arrived.

The arena was dead silent, not an uncomfortable silence, though. Several acrobats entered the arena, and the show began. Jai was amazed at the men and women doing intricate flips and twirls. There were people doing stunts through hoops of fire. And a woman doing flips between lightning bolts.

One young woman was spinning through the air by her ponytail, spewing fire as she turned. The fire lit the arena with a brilliant warmth. Looking at Aqila from the corner of his eye, he could see how she was enjoying the show. The fire made the pretty yellow stone hanging from her hairpin glisten in the light.

"Yes," she whispered.

"The hairpin. It's beautiful," Jai looked away. He wished Arrow was there to have reminded him that it was rude to stare.

"Thank you," she murmured with a smile on her face. "You don't want to miss this part," she pointed to the man standing on the ground, spitting fire from his mouth. The audience cheered him on. Suddenly, he roared, and a massive dragon made purely of fire erupted from his mouth. The man danced around the dragon, sometimes barely dodging the flames. Jai was amazed. It was almost as if the dragon was alive and had a mind of its own. The act continued until the dragon flew up and raced around the arena coming within feet of the audience. Clapping and cheering followed. The dragon appeared to have all of its features constructed with fire. The heat was intense. If you got too close, your eyebrows would be singed. But nonetheless, Jai found this part of the show to be the best. The man who breathed the dragon then ate the dragon flames, earning a standing ovation from the audience.

After the dragon flames, the show was over. "That was amazing, Aqila. I can see why you like it so much," Jai was impressed.

Then walking through the Pyrocean town, Aqila whistled at Talon, and he began to hover above them. "What kinds of things do you like?"

Jai was surprised by Aqila's question, "Um, I like simple things. Comfy bed, sunny days, hot scrambled eggs, things like that." Aqila nodded in response. She calmly walked through the town. Some people acknowledged her presence, a few even asking her to give them a vision. She was friendly to all. Jai had unintentionally been staring at her when she asked, "Yes?"

"Sorry, I don't mean to stare. I've never met a Windmaster."

Aqila giggled, "I can tell. You can ask me questions, you know."

"What's that circular blade thing?"

"It's a wind blade. Think of it more as a shield, its edges are sharp enough to use as a weapon, but the purpose of the blade is to slice or deflect approaching objects. But since it is sharp, it has to be handled with these mesh gloves."

"Oh, okay, I was curious about that from the moment I saw you. That's very different from the traditional sword or dagger. What's your family like?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like your parents? Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"I don't know," she shrugged her shoulders.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I never met my parents, so I wouldn't know if I had siblings," Aqila replied.

"I'm sorry-"

"It's fine. I was born during Mercury in transit. That's when the planet Mercury comes in between the sun and the earth. A Windmaster born during the peak of that event is destined to be a seer. Like all seers before me, my parents gave up my guardianship to allow me to be raised by the community until I was a full seer. I am a public servant to my people. In Kashmala and Wyndhm, I belong to everyone. I will meet my parents once I become a full seer. I am proud that they made a mighty sacrifice for the good of our people. I just have to do my part."

"That's unbelievable. I hope you become a full seer soon," Jai smiled.

"Thanks, so do I. Then I can give people the visions they ask for," Aqila smiled back at him. "How is your training going? If you're staying at the palace, I guessed Sheraga was training you. So how's that been?"

"I felt like my arms and legs were going to fall off! But he's showing me some helpful techniques. Now I know how to generate fire. I use light manipulation, but until today I couldn't generate fire."

"How does it feel?"

"The light feels great, the fire I'm still a little uncomfortable with."

Talon landed softly, and the pair mounted. "You want me to tell you about your predecessor, Cyra?"

"YES! Everyone's been beating around the bush when talking about her, but I want to know more." Together they flew through the warm air of the Pyrocean skies. The pair eventually landed near the top of the semi-active volcano behind the palace.

"Aqila, isn't this a bit dangerous?"

"Not at all, you're a Fireheart, and if the worst comes, Talon will get us. She said something to Talon, and he flew to the volcano's base. They walked up a few feet, nearing the top when Aqila sat down with legs folded. Jai sat down beside her, "This is a nice view."

"I know. I thought you'd like it. You can even see the palace soldiers doing drills in the distance. So you wanted to know about Cyra?"

"Yeah," Jai shrugged.

"Well, she was born in Kindle to lightning master parents. Her parents did what they could to give their golden-eyed daughter a normal childhood. However, she found a difficult time being accepted by the Firehearts because she, like you, had a hard time using the flame. Because she had golden eyes, she didn't have the choice to be able to exchange fire for lightning-like her parents had. She went to schools and was trained by many, and by the time she was thirty, Cyra journeyed to Pyroc. A military family who didn't have children allowed her to stay with them. The man of the house was an experienced soldier, and he trained her for twelve years."

"Twelve years? I hope it doesn't take me that long," Jai mumbled.

"Pyroc had just come out of a war at that time, so he wasn't home every day. However, he was diligent in training Cyra. The flame didn't feel natural to her. However, she tried her best. At the end of twelve years, Cyra decided to travel and figure out her purpose as a Legend. In her travels, she journeyed to the WaterBearing Beach tribe and met Aenon. He recognized that she was the golden-eyed legend. He told her that he was also a legend, born during the peak of the lunar eclipse. They became good friends, finding that they shared something in common. He asked her about her intentions as a legend. Cyra was so focused on learning the flame that she never focused on her purpose. As the Fireheart, the other legends would look to her as they agreed on their purpose."

"Cyra, at this time, had known Aenon for a year. She knew that the Firehearts and WaterBearers weren't on good terms, so she decided that she wanted all the earth's people to be one. She wanted to erase the boundaries that separated them. Aenon had come to like Cyra and agreed to her idea of a new earth. They spent the next two years traveling together, looking for the other two legends. They eventually found Basir and his close friend, Ila. Basir and Ila had met as teenagers. He was the one who knew. The stars had already revealed that he was a legend. Still, he couldn't reveal that knowledge to anyone until the other legends had recognized themselves as legends. Ila realized that she was a legend when she was born with a new ability for the Landkeepers, the ability to use metal. She was isolated for her unusual ability and found friendship in Basir, who frequently traveled with his family."

"Basir had looked for the other legends many times before. But since Aenon had not recognized his calling until much later in life, and Cyra traveled a lot herself, it took Basir much longer to find them. Basir revealed his identity as a legend and the one who knew. Cyra told Basir and Ila about her and Aenon's plans for a new earth. Basir strongly disagreed. He told them that some elements could not coexist in the same space without destroying each other, like fire and water, air and earth. This is the foundation of why the Universe gave separate gifts that reflected the character and personality of those gifted. Cyra and Aenon challenged Basir and Ila to a fight to see whose point would stand. Basir found their reasoning illogical and decided not to fight them, to Ila's dismay."

"Cyra and Aenon declared Basir their enemy. Ila decided to shun them in support of her friend. Cyra and Aenon worked to force the Firehearts and WaterBearers to open borders which only resulted in greater tensions. The pair got married a year later and had twin girls, but their daughter's eyes were brown and dark brown. The Universe did not gift their children. Aenon realized this was punishment for disobeying a Universal law-"

"No intermarrying of elements," Jai finished her sentence.

"Exactly. Aenon left Cyra and went back to his tribe. Cyra was hurt and angry. She felt like a failure. She stopped trying to make the people one but focused on keeping fire and water from war. She went through many trials and suffered much pain and loss. Cyra single-handedly catapulted the war between the two peoples of fire and water. Years later, after the unfortunate deaths of Ila and Aenon, Cyra and Basir worked together to stop the war they all had a hand in starting. Cyra's predecessor came to her in a dream, telling her to find and follow the light that was always inside of her. The lightning. Lightning is a flash of light in the darkness. The moment she stopped being true to her own ability and universal gift was the beginning of her downfall. She prayed to the Universe for forgiveness and promised to reclaim the light and power of her own fire. The lightning was her own unique fire type. She and Basir then agreed to change the goal of creating a home for all people by understanding why the Universe sets boundaries."

"My mentor said that Cyra and Basir worked the rest of their lives trying to restore order, but by that time, fire and water were at war, as well as earth and air. The Windmasters defeated the Landkeepers and isolated themselves from the other people. Then the Landkeepers started having inside issues that eventually led to the civil war they are still in today. Some people have eased tensions while others have escalated. It's a mess now. But, the most important thing now is that you are here. A sign that the Universe is still trying to fix us."

"Wow, and that was the short version. Arrow told me that the previous legends did a greater disservice than anything. I wasn't expecting that. What happened to Ila and Aenon?"

"After Aenon left Cyra. He went home and tried to help the struggling Snow Tribe. He married the queen. He and Basir gave the Snow Tribe a home, a mountain chain that belonged to the Windmasters. Then sometime later, he and Cyra had a heated argument when one of their twin daughters died trying to visit him. His new wife killed him because Cyra was completely melting their home in a fit of violent anger. Basir accidentally killed Ila. She made the metal-infused mountain chain that is Kashmala today. They had an argument about the fate of the legends. They exchanged words and fought on top of the mountains. Ila got injured as Basir lost control of his power, and he absent-mindedly pushed her off. It was too late for Ila when he calmed down and realized what he had done. He spent three years in complete isolation until the Universe sent a sign that he had been forgiven. After his isolation, Cyra and Aenon had that final confrontation. Then Cyra and Basir made peace and worked to turn things around."

"Being a legend isn't easy," Jai whispered.

"I guess not. But I told you that for a reason. Stay true to what feels right to you. If the light feels right, use it. Turn it into fire when it feels right. You'll have to play with it and get to know it like the back of your hand. But find the fire inside of you. The Universe gave you this unique gift for a reason. The Universe gives us what we need. You're equipped with everything you need to be successful. It's your job to find how to best utilize what you've been given."

"You're going to be a great seer. I don't know how you knew I needed to hear that, but I did. I was getting so focused on how other people were using their fire I forgot that I had something completely new in mine. Thanks, Aqila," Jai patted her back and smiled at her.

"Anytime, I'm starting to feel a little more heat from this volcano. Let's meet Talon at the bottom." The pair stood and proceeded to where Talon diligently stood, waiting for his rider.

Aqila got on Talon's back, "You coming?"

"I'm so close to the palace, I'll walk okay, but thanks," Jai replied.

"Alright, Talon needs to hunt, so I'm off. I hope to see you around. I'll be in Pyroc for a few days, then I'm visiting one of my best friends in Theyra."

"You have a Landkeeper friend?"

"Yeah, his parents own this massive library that Zeroun often took me to. I have like seven books to return," she giggled, "let the Universe guide your path, and you're bound to find greatness!" Talon flew her high into the sky as she shouted well wishes to him.

Jai waved at his new friend. It was late afternoon, and he started back to the palace. His mind was filled with Aqila's voice. He had this strange sensation about her; she seemed so wise and powerful. He hoped they would meet again soon. He was met at the back of the palace by Liora.

"Good to see you back, Jai. I know you had to enjoy yourself with Aqila. She's truly an adventurer," she laughed, opening the back double doors to Jai.

"Yeah, it was fun. I can't remember having such a good time, and I can't help but feel like I'd known her for a long time."

"Most Windmasters are generally friendly. Aqila is no exception. I'll let Sheraga know you're back. Your friends are waiting in your room, and Baara will bring some food soon."