Aawk's description of Diwes didn't do it justice. As the trading authority of all of Ethea, it always bustled with activity. People packed the streets, all dressed in vibrant colors, laughter smiled on every face he passed, money flowed from one hand to another or an object of value traded for a yard of cloth. No space was unused: every building was flush against the side of another, were in perfect lines, and all were a metallic golden color, reflecting the bright sun. The walls and windows could angle in a way not to blind customers or passersby. Now Helian understood what Aawk had meant, saying the city was a sun itself: the very walls were solar panels.

Every flag, banner, and design in the stone under his feet bore a blazing sun. Some even had the Element of Fire and Earth underneath it. Diwes portrayed their pride in being in the land of the Sun.

Helian and Zelenia walked by a fountain with its large centerpiece as a sun and water spewing from its rays. Children splashed in it to keep cool.

"They love proclaiming their heritage, don't they?" Helian said.

Zelenia chuckled. "Of course; they are the prideful peoples of Dantia—unmatched in their unwavering confidence. You are one of them."

His attention turned back to the wide street they were traveling so he wouldn't bump into anyone. Personally, he wouldn't mind bumping into someone just so they would notice his features and realize he was the Sun. But he would wait until receiving his armor at the Temple of the Sun before calling attention to himself. He wanted everyone to know for certain whom he was and not just brush his characteristics off for coincidences.

He studied another banner with the sun advertising the Temple, leading them toward it. "Are the people of the Moon like this?"

"I do not believe so, even though I have never truly been to Caelestis. I'm sure we are not this vocal; I am withdrawn and enjoy privacy, so I believe we are all the same."

He looked at her. "Is Lewana not a part of Caelestis?"

"In a manner of speaking, it is, but it is not truly part of the mainland. The power of the Moon resides there, so many older and frail people are enticed to retire to the island for healing."

"Have you always lived there?"

"Yes; I have never stepped foot off the island until now."

"Uncomfortable?"

She took a moment to reply. "I wouldn't use quite so strong a word; it is more... unfamiliar, being out of a place so in tune to the Moon."

Someone slipped in front of them to duck into a store, but not without giving Zelenia a curious glance. She was surely unlike any visitor to Diwes. Most consisted of the peoples of Dantia, but they were frequently visited by people of the lands of Light and Air. Next in frequency were the peoples of Water and Fire, then below that were the green-skinned beasts of Elemonsina, the land of Earth. Rarely did any from the land of Spirit visit and never did a child of the Moon.

"So, I will feel the same whenever we leave Dantia?" he asked.

"Well, I don't think it will be as strong as a feeling when we are in a land of your Element. Now when we are in mine, yes, you will feel the same."

At the city square, the sea of people thinned as they made their way around the single building set into the middle, branching off toward more vendors and shops. The Temple of the Sun wasn't of importance to them.

The temple both belonged in the middle of the city and didn't; the structure looked to have once been lost in a desert and had been uprooted. The enormous stone blocks were the color of sand, beaten by the heat of the sun and whipped into shape by powerful gusts of grainy sand.

Massive columns created the skeleton of the temple, but there were no solid walls and no roof—Helian could see entirely through the entrance to the back. Steps led up to the temple and a trickle of people ascended and descended.

Something tugged Helian to run up the steps, but he restrained himself and continued the easy pace Zelenia had set. They walked through the wide entrance and looked around.

Large, yet unlit, cauldrons hung on each of the columns. Long cloths of yellow, white, and gold swirled down from them. An enormous multicolored mosaic of the sun outshining the raging fires and flourishing earth of its two Elements covered most of the middle of the floor. The source of the tugging came from the mosaic and he wanted to sprint to it.

People were scattered throughout the temple—dressed as the city-folk, visitors, or the caretakers in pale yellow robes—but not enough to make it crowded.

A monk of the temple caught sight of them lingering at the entrance and approached. "The Temple of the Sun welcomes all—"

A gasp cut off the monk's warm welcome. His face lit up at the sight of Helian's golden eyes and blond-white hair of the Sun and Zelenia's silver hair, icy blue eyes, and the pale glowing skin of the Moon. The man's jaw worked for words to say; finding none, he dropped to his knees and bowed before them. "Our Father Sun and Mother Moon have graced us with their presence."

The humble acknowledgment didn't bother Helian—it felt right to have that title. They seized all attention, for every ear had heard the greeting and saw the monk drop for royalty. Whisperings filled the open temple like a beehive being disturbed and everyone sprang into movement: they dropped to their knees for a bow after turning to stare.

Helian enjoyed the spotlight, but Zelenia looked uncomfortable with all eyes on her.

She moved toward the bowing monk. "Please rise, we do not deserve this praise. We have done nothing to uphold to those titles yet."

The monk didn't stand, but raised his head to look at her. "But you are the Sun and Moon reincarnated. You will gather the Elementals and defeat Fangril. The task set before you is much to ask of mortals and you must be very brave and courageous, for it will be dangerous; that is well deserving of honor."

She still insisted that he rise, along with everyone else in the temple. He finally relented but held his eyes downward as if still bowing—his shoulders slumped in an attempt to make himself smaller than them and less important.

"I assume you come for your armor, our Sun," the monk began.

Helian didn't want to be grouped with all the failed Suns in the past. "It's Helian, and yes."

He nodded and stepped to the side to gesture at the sun mosaic. "The only connection we have with our Sun is through the mosaic."

Helian finally gave in to that tugging, walking out on the mosaic designed with hundreds of shards of glass. He kneeled; the heat absorbed by the glass from the shining sun made his knees and legs hot but not uncomfortable—it was pleasurable, like a hot bath after waking.

Gasps ensued as the cauldrons lining the structure flared suddenly with tall flames. The mosaic beneath Helian heated and he had the feeling of sinking down through the puddle of melting glass.

When he felt firmness beneath him again, he found himself in the Silent Realms as Zelenia had described. She said that she had felt everything but was more in tune to the moon, air, and water along with spirit. He could feel the same, but he more noticed the sun, the brightness of it, the heat bearing down on his back, and the sturdiness of the earth beneath him.

The souls gathered in front of him like she had said. He was eager to see an older version of him as the Sun. The translucent souls stopped squirming, blending into one another to make a mirror. But instead of matching Helian's form in appearances of an actual reflection, the figure in the square stood planted on firm feet, arms crossed, and looked nothing like Helian.

The man was abnormally broad and muscular—even much larger than a Kemiji, known for their beyond seven-foot height and muscular forms. His torso was impressively piled with overlapping muscles that spread out to large branches of arms and sculpted marble of legs. He only wore a long cloth of white tied around his thick waist, hanging long to the top of his ankles and leaving all sides of his legs bare.

His skin was a deep bronze and his blond hair wasn't light like Helian's but dimmed and rusty looking with some lighter shades. Long planes boxed-in his face and his immovable chiseled jaw screamed of him being stubborn and cocky.

The only thing Helian could find similar was his eyes: the same golden color as his own, only they were far more rock-steady and confident.

I am Potens; I am the Sun.

His voice held such power, and he wasn't shouting. He just declared it and the heat of it warmed Helian's skin.

The blank picture behind Potens changed to a blazing sun shining over an endless sea of rolling sands. Even with the distance between him and the picture, Helian could feel the scorching temperatures and stubborn earth grew through cacti and grass.

I have chosen you as my successor, Helian—King of the Sky. Energetic and bold—Provider of Light. Firm, focused, uneasy to shift, and stubborn—Earthshaker. Strong in mind and actions, but easy to anger and greatly opinionated—Father of the Flames.

The picture and Potens faded to Zelenia, sitting in the Temple of the Sun at the edge of the mosaic. She looked content in meditation, with her black staff draped across her legs.

Your twin sister has sought you out: Zelenia, the Moon. You will decide, since her nature is to be timid and indecisive.

Another ripple disrupted the picture of Zelenia into the lush foliage of a dense jungle. Birds of beautiful plumage flitted through the canopy of trees and monkeys swung from vine to tree, howling the entire way.

A green haze slipped around the wide trunk of an ancient tree and rested among its roots. Helian could feel that the spirit wasn't accepted with its own kind and found solace in its own presence.

Earth grows strong in his endurance of being disowned by his people. His reliable sturdiness will make him a peacemaker. His silence will become loud. Your Elemental resides just beyond his banishment outside of Estys in Elemonsina.

The freshness of the green land vanished into scorched lands of previous battles against hordes of Fangril's demons. The Boloria Mountains rumbled with volcanic activity in the distance. Even the cracks in the red-clay earth hissed and blew out tendrils of steaming smoke.

Helian was brought to a strong fortress of stone and rusting metal. Warriors donned in armor stood at the ready on the walls, ever watchful for a new attack. Within the walls, people dressed in loose clothing milled about, moving from one vendor to another.

A red mist materialized through the doors of a bar. Every bystander hurried out of the way, but watched after the haze with respect. Even through the portal, heat radiated off the spirit—they held the air of knowing they had great skill and were dangerous.

Fire blazes for something unknown and to be useful again. He is the pillar of strength the Elements will rely on. His anger will be his virtue. Your Elemental simmers in the city of Cesivana of Durus.

The harsh lands transitioned to a mechanical scrapyard. Smog and black smoke steadily snaking up from industrial factories clouded the sky. A middle-aged man—dressed in the every day-armored wear of the Rovaneim with white fur draped over a shoulder—sorted through a pile of scrap metal when a yellow haze bounced into view. The yellow mist flung itself into the pile the man was sifting through. He laughed heartily at the joyful aura. The bubbling nature of the spirit brought a smile to Helian's lips.

Light shines into every shadow. She brings energy and life to all. Her personality is her strength. The final Elemental you and the Moon share causes mischief in Kefa of Kefalon.

The picture faded, the souls broke apart the mirror, but Potens spoke to him again.

I also bestow upon you the armor and weapon of the Sun; use its defense to protect your sister and as long as the Sun still shines, never will your quiver be empty. Begin your search for the Elementals and free Ethea.

Helian blinked and was back in the Temple of the Sun to astonished gasps and whisperings of awe. Something weighed on his head and framed his vision; he also felt newness over every part of his body. He looked down to find his usual farming jerkin, leggings, and boots to have been replaced with brilliantly shining golden armor. Every sleek piece conformed to his slim form and weighed close to nothing on his skin. Even the intricate links of the chain mail protecting his legs and elbows—a slightly duller gold—clung snugly, but still offered free range of movement.

He found a long and sleek bow resting in his hands. He marveled at the form—it couldn't have been made from any type of natural wood, for no tree could provide bark as light or as smooth. Helian tested the restraint of the string and found it taut—stringing it would prove quite a challenge. A quiver already full of golden feathered arrows lay next to a knee. A blazing sun that matched the design of the mosaic was engraved into his breastplate.

Helian belted the quiver to his back, stored his bow alongside it, and pushed himself up to his feet, now noticing that he had gathered quite a crowd—all ogling his armor and witnessing the dubbing of the newest Sun. Once he straightened, all watching hastily bowed.

He turned to find Zelenia using her staff to rise. She gave him a sweet smile and nodded in acknowledgment. When he began moving toward her, his motion freed the awestruck monk from before; he hurried to intercept Helian's escape.

"Please, if you will permit us by accepting a feast, it will be an esteemed honor for the people of Diwes in blessing the days laid before you."

Helian glanced at Zelenia and found her in a struggle: deny and disappoint the monk, or accept and please Diwes, but lose time they needed to find the Elementals. If their path was to be long and hard, they needed a moment of relaxation before they plunged ahead into the unknown. Helian turned back to the expectant monk and nodded.

***

Diwes knew how to hold a feast to honor two guests of royalty. Three long tables had been set up in the temple: the one facing the mosaic and the entrance Helian and Zelenia occupied, and the other two lined the walls opposite from each other, catering to the monks, politicians, the wealthy families, and those of high rank.

The multitude of cauldrons still blazing from Helian's encounter with Potens lit the entire temple and outshone the light of the city in the black night sky. Plates of fresh seafood, baskets of ripe fruit, baked loaves of bread, grilled meats, and sweet tarts piled the tables. Helian and Zelenia appreciated the hospitality and the well-wishers, some bringing small trinkets of good luck.

Helian now wore a golden ring with a ruby and emerald encircled on his forefinger, two necklaces—one on a leather cord and the other on a silver chain—both holding a sun in different designs and polished stones of different family crests and symbols. The mayor had given him a golden dagger, encrusted with a ruby and emerald in its hilt. Zelenia—in addition to the silver band on a thumb and another with the cutout of a crescent moon on her ring finger—wore a ring of the Sun on a pinky, a silver bracelet with charms of the Sun, Moon, and the Elements, and the same charms now tied onto her staff, hanging by leather cords.

Helian observed his helmet for the zillionth time that night, marveling at its subtle design. With it apart from him, he felt less powerful than when he had it on—the armor was infused with magic.

He caught Zelenia twisting her wrist to admire the charm bracelet again—that seemed to be her favorite gift.

"I honestly didn't think they had any designs of the Moon here," he said.

She smiled as she fingered the Moon charm. "They don't; they had it made just for me."

His brow furrowed. "'Made just for you'? How do you know that?"

"Usually, I am gifted with telepathic powers from the Moon. But since we are in a land of the Sun, I do not have such, so I watched for reactions and came to a logical answer. I just learn how to adapt, as you will have to."

She gestured at his quiver, now empty since the sun was gone. "What will you use in defense when the sun is not present?"

"I still have a dagger," he joked; they both knew that wouldn't be the greatest defense against Fangril's abominations. He had to think about it. "Others, I suppose. I can't be independent all the time or we'll never be unified."

Zelenia smiled wider than he had seen so far. "That, I believe, is the best answer."

"So, what about you?"

"I cannot do anything on my own; just like the moon does not supply its own light, it just reflects the sun. I can reflect the same power an Elemental uses; other than that, my ability is healing."

"Do you know anything about me?" he asked. "Like, can I reflect Elementals' powers, or something special?"

"Some. Like the sun, you are bold, aggressive, and brazenly shine. You can draw on the energy of the sun to empower others—revitalize their stamina. When it is day, you do not tire because of your connection. Healing and reflecting magic is reserved solely to the Moon. Our powers with the sun and moon will grow alongside our Elements'."

Zelenia looked at him. "I'm sure there is more we are able to do, but we will not know unless the bond among all the Elementals is strengthened."

His lips twisted in displeasure. He didn't like mystery or something vague—he liked to be told upfront. It looked like he would just have to learn by experiment. "Well, if push comes to shove, you can always beat back monsters with your staff."

She chuckled. "Yes, I suppose I can."

Helian stretched back in his chair, comfortably full. He couldn't help but to think of the farm and his father; some nights, they didn't have adequate food on the table, now he just had a feast fit for a king. How much his circumstances had changed in less than twenty-four hours. He looked at her. "So, where first?"

She sat down her goblet. "From the locations we have been told, Asardia is the closest."

"Water." He wished the first Elemental could be one he was bonded with. He really wanted to know what kind of experience it would be—there had to be some kind of connection. Which brought another thought to mind: he wasn't bonded with water. "How do you think it'll be for me meeting him?"

Zelenia looked at him. "Don't worry. As long as we are together, there will be unison among the Elements."

"But if we get separated..."

"There won't be cohesion, and we will have trouble with our opposing Elements."

"But they should too, right?"

She nodded. "Yes. Fire and Water are opposite, as are Air and Earth, and Light and Spirit."

Helian thought about what she said. He had always thought that the Elementals in the past had been too weak to defeat Fangril—outside forces had caused them to fail, not struggles from within. This wasn't going to be as easy as he had thought. "I think I understand why they failed in the past."

"There may have been another reason..." she slowly began, like she didn't want to further complicate things. "The Elements not only have opposites but accelerators, too."

"That doesn't sound good."

"No. I think it could turn into a big problem. Fire is to Air as Air is to Fire for there can be no fire without air just like there can't be storms without heat. There is no earth without water and no water without earth. And there are no shadows without light. I'm sure it will be a difficult obstacle to overcome." Stating the facts pulled down her mood.

He nudged her with a shoulder. "We'll make do."

A small smile lifted her lips. She looked at him. "I keep forgetting how confident you are."

"And I'll keep reminding you." He grew serious. "But what about us?"

"I'm sure we will have our disagreements, like a brother and sister, but we aren't opposites. I'll make you see reason when you're too brash and—"

"I'll decide when you're too indecisive," he finished.

Zelenia smiled. "Right."