The Legacy of Guardians - Kivvora Heroes: Guardians & Destines

TWELVE

AKIRA DREAMT OF HER BROTHER that night.

It was mid-winter, and snow had begun to fall in the Hikariume region. Her brother, Ayaki Hiromitsu, was thirteen and Akira had just turned three a week ago.

The young girl should've been sleeping by now. Her parents had laid her down two hours ago, but she remained awake, listening to the voices of her parents from the other room— their work room it sounded like.

Akira crawled out of bed, left her room, and padded toward the cracked door down the hallway. Light slipped through the door and Akira pressed her back on the wall and leaned over a bit to peek inside the room. Her dad, Huang Hiromitsu and her mom, Naniko Hiro­mitsu, stood over a desk, talking about something.

Talking about her and Ayaki.

"What will we do, Huang?" Naniko said, her voice sweet like strawberry cake, Akira's favorite desert.

A sigh escaped Huang's nose, rubbing the back of his head. He was silent for a while. Questioning. Then he said, "I'm not sure, my love," he stopped. "Ayaki grows sicker from the poison in his blood. And our Akira hasn't inherited my Light... I doubt my element is even within her."

"Huang, she's only three, dear." Her mom said. "She has until she's five. Give her time."

Hunag went silent again. He looked to his wife, staring at her. "No one on my side earned their element past birth. Your side under six months."

The words had left Naniko silent. "Ayaki inherited my Storm at three," she said. "That's still a bit late."

Akira blinked. Even though she was three, she understood her dad was annoyed that she hadn't gotten his Light yet. Two years left before they claimed her powerless. Two years left to inherit her dad's Light. To make him proud of her. To be a child to be proud of. Right now, she was an embarrassment to her family.

"Defect" was what her brother had once called her. But he didn't mean it and apologized day after day for it. She knew it was the poison inside him making him call her that. She was so young when he was poisoned, and she couldn't remember a time when Ayaki wasn't sick. She'd only knew him as sweet one moment then... something else in the next moment.

Akira remained silent against the wall and continued to listen to her parents talk about her and Ayaki. Naniko spoke after a long silence. "Our son," she began, her voice now cold. "The poison in his blood is growing stronger by the second. It could corrupt his element."

Huang sighed and put his hands on his hips. "We'll find a cure."

He said. "I don't know how – but we'll find a cure. Ayaki is our son and although evil is with in him, I'm not giving up on him." He went silent again.

"If that fails... I—" He stopped and turned away. "I'm not sure if there will be a future for the elements of Storm and Light."

They hated her. They hated Ayaki too. That's all Akira could think of at the moment. Ayaki was poisoned. Akira had no powers. Disappoint­ments to the Hiromitsu name. Bad luck. Akira and her brother were nothing but bad luck to their parents. Akira pulled away from the crack and her eyes burned with tears.

Footsteps approached and a hand grabbed her shoulder. Ayaki. He must've them talking too.

Akira looked up to her brother, his deep violet eyes down on her. "It's not nice to eavesdrop on our parents, Kirameku," he whispered, his voice calming.

Akira went quiet, then spoke. "Are we — are we bad luck?"

Ayaki sighed, sadness in his eyes. He took a while to respond. "No... no, we're not." He looked around for the words. "They're just... worried about us."