THE MISSING EMPEROR ~ The Elemental Seven Book I

CHAPTER I: THEY MET

River sailed toward the other side of the port, then docked the ship. He then ran as fast as he could, as far as he could, without knowing where to go. He just wanted to be as far away from LaMahaya as possible. He ran without thinking about anything. He didn't even thought of how long has he been running. A day? Or two perhaps? When he finally felt his thigh muscle fatigued, he stopped for a bit to catch his breath, and decided to rest under a tree by a stream. He cupped water on his hand and drank. He did not realized how thirsty he was until the water touched his lips. He laid his back on the trunk of the tree and closed his eyes. The image of Emerald's face flashed on his mind. Then the Sandabado letter. Then the men who attacked them. His consciousness was about to leave him when he heard a splash in the river. A fish. He thought. Just a fish.

He took off his shoes and dipped his feet in the stream. The cool water seemed to recharge his energy. He started playing around with the water. He moved the water by his hand, forming it into different shapes of animals, making them run around like a carousel. It seemed to calm his mind. He created an owl, willed it to fly when someone threw a pebble at his face. He quickly dodged and lost control of the water that his owl splashed on the ground. He looked around and found his attacker to be a young girl about the same age as he is. "And who might you be? Throwing rocks at Earl River Wolfert?" he asked. "Oh. Cray is the name, your highness!" the girl said sarcastically as she bowed. "Ooh... play war," another girl appeared behind Cray, a little shorter than her, holding a toy water gun. River grinned sadistically at the little girl. "A water gun, eh?" he willed a large amount of water to rise as though it was a tidal wave using his hand, made the water ice cold and splashed it to the two girls. Cray got hit but the other girl hopped sideways avoiding it. She made a dramatic pose, saying "Nah-ah!" River willed the water again to form a hand and pick up the little girl. "E-eh?!" she said in surprise. "HA-HAH!" River dumped her in the stream. The little girl thrashed wildly. "WAH! HOPE CAN'T SWIM!" she said. River got alarmed at the sight, worried that the girl might actually drown. He picked her up using the hand-formed water, freezed a part of the stream and sets her on it.

"Uhm... You okay?" River asked her. The girl whimpered, "Hope likes the water but it scares Hope." River willed the water off the girl's dress and skin as if it is being drained to dry her off. Cray looked at the River in awe. "You see, Miss Cray, this is all your fault." River said with strong emphasis on the word "miss". Cray wiped her face, unamused, then pulled the girl behind her, and said, "Well, excuse me, your highness. You're the one who threw water at us!" she said. "Cray... my bestest friend came to rescue Hope." the little girl muttered, realizing that Cray is on her side. 

"Look, you threw a rock at me!" River said arguing with Cray. 

"You threw Hope in the water!" the little girl said crying. "Hope can't swim! Can't swim!" she got off the ice and stomped her feet on the ground. 

"Right. I know and I'm sorry." River said. "But I can teach you. Uhm... What's your name again?" he asked. "My name is Hope, but everyone calls me Hop. Cause it's shorter." she said with a pout. "Right. Now I remember you, Hope. We've met before." River said. For some reason, the name reminded him of a distant memory, but he can't quite pin down when and where did that happen. "Huh? Met? Us?" Hope asked scratching her head. "Water's beautiful and nice, and I can teach you to be part of it." he said, just to change the topic. Cray poked River and asked him, "Did you just smiled?" River scowled,  "I can smile!" he said. "Ehrm...right," Cray cleared her throat. "You can drown in water. I threw a rock the size of a marble!" she added. 

"Hope loves water. Just can't swim." Hope said. She seemed to have a habit of referring herself as the third person it gave River a headache. "I'll teach you, Hope." River said and he smiled again. He then turned to Cray and said, "Not a word about smile, Cray." Hope's eyes gleamed. "Ooh, whoa. Like, the floaty stuff?" she asked River. "Yes," River answered. "To float and swim." Hope twitched her head. "FLOAT AND SWIM? BOTH?" Hope said amazed looking as though she was in a daze. "Whoa. That's a combo, right?" Her eyes gleamed as she smiled. "Aye." River replied. Cray grinned, seemingly amused of River's smile. "Such a rare sight. I must document it." She said. She pulled out a sketch pad from her bag, then doodled a smiling River. River willed a small amount of water from the river to splash on Cray's drawing. "Hey! Document hater!" Cray said angrily then bonked River on the head. "Ouch! That hurts." River said rubbing his head. "Be careful not to become a boring stick-in-the-mud like this guy, Hope!" Cray whispered to Hope. "Stick-in-the-mud?" Hope twitched her head to face Cray. River smiled vindictively to Cray. "What's the matter, Cray, afraid of the water?" he bickered. "No." Cray said raising a brow.