On their boat ride over to an island of Volentia close by to find Spirit, Helian sat down with him. At first, Renuo listened to him boast about being the Sun, and his utmost belief in the fact that they would defeat Fangril and forever be remembered as heroes.

When he exhausted his tale, he asked Renuo about himself. Knowing exactly how he would react, he told him through his cynical way of viewing things. He started with what he thought about the whole 'chosen as an Elemental' nonsense and went on to how he didn't think he was a good fisherman, even though that was his life.

Although he could hold his breath longer than anyone else underwater and received more energy and strength from being in the water, his tranquil sea-green eyes and circumstantial discovery of an ancient trident didn't mean he was the Water Elemental.

The more he talked, the more his doubts annoyed Helian. He couldn't help it; he had been like this his whole life. No one had thought he would ever become something, and they were right. If he somehow was Water, it didn't do that to him.

The Sun eventually got up and left, shaking his head in disbelief. That didn't bother him; he was used to people storming off, too. And he had talked knowing it would drive Helian away like he had wanted. Helian was too upbeat and oppressive to him.

His eyes drifted over to Zelenia. Her quiet and demure aura appealed to him. Maybe because Water was more in sync with the Moon...

Renuo quickly shook that thought out of his head. He just liked her; that was it. No Moon and Water link—just him preferring one person over another. He was nothing; would never be something. He came just to prove that, and nothing else.

Right?

***

Uneven boards, splintered and rotting wood on a rarely used pier usually discouraged boats from docking at Hibyscus. But they docked anyway—they had to find the Spirit Elemental—no matter how unfriendly the place looked. Nothing lining the shoreline hinted at inhabitants. No one came out to greet them to the dark island; in fact, the place looked deserted.

"Are you sure anyone is here?" Renuo asked, hesitant to step off the boat—it looked like a trap to whoever docked.

"Yes, they are just further up in the mountains." Zelenia pointed at the dark mountains looming over them.

"How far?"

She used Helian's hand to step out. "Spirit is inside of the Seiran Mountains."

After more hesitation, Renuo finally joined them up on the pier, trident already in his hands. If she hadn't been confident in her answer, he wouldn't have gotten out.

"You've never visited? They are your neighbors," Helian said as they carefully walked across the pier in shambles.

"No. No one ever visits the people of Volentia. They're gypsies; people who dabble in dark magic. You can't trust them. I mean, look at this place; the land reflects its people well."

Zelenia looked at him. "If we can't even look past a person's background, how can we possibly hope to defeat Fangril?"

She turned her eyes on Helian. "That goes for you too, Helian. I saw how you became defensive when we arrived."

"Maybe I am judging too quick, but when a place makes you cautious, you can't help that. I just want to keep us safe."

That deflated the offended air around her. Zelenia turned back around and didn't say anything else.

The trio made it safely across and found a small path winding toward the mountains through the craggy landscape. Renuo doubted he was the only one tense as they made their trek up the path; the wind whistling sorrowfully at them sent chills down his back.

An even more chilling sense raised the hairs on his neck, like someone or something watched them. Paranoid now, they constantly looked around them at the barren and rocky landscape. Renuo's grip tightened on his trident. The sun setting in the west gradually darkened the land and stretched shadows.

With the sun disappearing, Helian put up his bow and unsheathed his dagger. Renuo wondered why he had done that when the last beam of sunlight faded, and the golden arrows in his quiver vanished.

Instinct snapped Renuo around to jab his trident into the darkness before he could register movement within the shadow of a boulder. His trident ripped through what sounded like flesh before a wisp sounded, like smoke expelling. From fighting Fangril's demons, Renuo knew what it had been: they didn't have names, but resembled humans made entirely out of darkness. No color; not even the glint of an eye or reflection of light—all black. And extremely hard to fight in the night.

Now on high alert, they increased their pace. They wouldn't go three steps before another one lunged out of the darkness at them and it would disappear in a wisp of smoke from either magic from Zelenia's staff, a slash from Helian's dagger, or a stab from Renuo's trident, or they would walk for two minutes before another one appeared. The randomness was frightening and nerve-wracking.

An entrance carved into a mountain wall stopped them. The path they had followed stretched into its depths. Two lonely torches glowed further down the hallway before it curved. The entrance looked daunting with its uncertainty. Helian stepped out to enter first.

The walls were roughly carved for a tunnel but once they turned the corner, the rough grooves of nature changed to smooth, perfect lines of carefully carved walls, floor, and steps. Music echoed down the hallway from an opening.

Upon arriving at the end, they could only stand in the opening, awestruck. It was a vibrant, thriving city built into the gigantic cave. Wooden homes were stacked upon each other with clotheslines strung from window to window, and planks laid across roofs provided new passageways.

And people roamed everywhere: some walked the planks to reach some destination, children ran around, women were out hanging up clothes to dry, and further down an active marketplace where merchants sold their wares. Sprinkled throughout were colorful wagons where even more people danced, played music, or were visiting and laughing. Many torches and small fires provided the ample light.

The peoples of Hibyscus seemed perfectly content living in the belly of the mountains and separated from the rest of the world. Every person appeared different, but there were two main attributes Renuo noticed: pale-skin and dark clothing.

"How can we find Spirit in this?" Renuo asked, bringing them back to the reason for them being there.

"Helian and I will look for a purple haze," Zelenia said, then headed down the wooden walkway.

Helian looked eager to begin the search as he hurried to join her. With a sigh, Renuo followed.

***

The city dwellers barely glanced at the group, and if they did, would merely nod and smile. They weren't intrigued by the appearance of the trio. The dressing preferences varied so much, they weren't entirely out of place.

Renuo, oddly, didn't see any cause for concern among the city dwellers. He moved out of the way as a group of children ran past him, chasing each other in some game. The people were perfectly normal, like in any other city—the fear of gypsies and sorcerers finding solace on an island of Volentia gave the country a suspicious reputation.

They had been poking around in the city for close to an hour when Zelenia stopped and touched Helian's arm. "Look." She nodded toward their right.

He and Helian turned to look. "I'm not seeing things, am I?" Helian asked.

Zelenia chuckled softly. "No, it's the aura of Spirit."

A dark-skinned woman sat crossed-legged, eyes closed and meditating outside of a wagon. Mostly piled into a bun on the top of her head, some pieces of her black hair framed her sharp face. She wore black clothing that had some hints of purple. Even her stiletto boots were midnight black. Her lips were a light purple.

She was remarkably striking, but Renuo couldn't see anything like an aura.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Drifting around her is a purple haze," Zelenia said.

"It's almost lazy looking," Helian said, hypnotized by the sight only they could see.

Zelenia looked at him. "You can't see it like you can't see your own."

The trio moved toward her; something bothered the woman before her eyes snapped open and stared at them with deep-purple eyes. Renuo jolted with surprise at how captivating those swirling pools were—if her aura resembled her eyes, he could understand how they were mystified. Her eyes bore into them like she could see their souls.

He cringed under her soul-searching eyes—he really hoped she couldn't see his soul. She didn't need to know how fragile he was on the inside. She would give him pity and he didn't want that, especially from her.

"And you are?" Her voice hummed in boredom as it escaped quickly through her purple lips.

Zelenia curtsied. "I am Zelenia. This is Helian and Renuo." They nodded in greeting at the call of their names.

She inclined her head. "I am Kalisa."

"It is a pleasure to meet you."

"You are here for me, aren't you?"

Helian crossed his arms. "This is new. How did you know?"

Kalisa shrugged. "Just a feeling. So, why?"

"You're an Elemental."

No hint of surprise crossed over her face; Kalisa just gave a curt nod. "I'm not surprised. Spirit, am I right?"

Zelenia nodded. "Yes."

She took her time in looking at them, starting with Zelenia first. "You are the Moon, that is easy to see." She turned to Helian next; after a moment of staring hard, her amethyst eyes narrowed. "The Sun or Light, I cannot tell which."

"The Sun."

She turned to Renuo. "And you are Water."

"Maybe," Renuo muttered. Her attention on him made him uneasy.

Kalisa cocked her head in puzzlement. "You doubt it?"

"I need proof first; just the color of my eyes and a trident doesn't cut it for me."

"Hmm." She turned back to Zelenia and Helian. "You set out to destroy Fangril, yes? Then why should I join you? I am not fond of traveling."

Zelenia answered. "Your loneliness shall no longer be your sole companion."

Kalisa nodded and stood. Renuo could fully see her now: a black dress stopping high up her thigh, black lace stockings, thigh-high stiletto boots, and a black long-sleeved jacket cut slim with tails.

Kalisa smiledslightly. "That's good enough for me."