(Outdated) The King of Elements

Elemancy

Dre blinked his eyes open. He pulled himself off of the grass as he grabbed at his sore ribs. Wait, grass?

"You alright son?" he heard his father's voice say to his right. Raheem kneeled beside him, his face full of anxiety. "Loyalty told me what happened out there. I'd hoped that you would at least wait until the next day to start picking fights."

"I didn't pick it, I was pulled into it," Dre said as he slid back onto the tall cement wall. He looked past his dad and saw what looked like the entrance to the academy's foyer. "Where are we anyway?"

"I had to carry you off of the walkway so I could heal you." He held up a hand enveloped in water and hovered it over his injury.

"That's right," he heard another voice to his left, making him almost go airborne. "You were banged up pretty bad."

"Mr. Toney? Where did you come from?" Dre said, clutching his heart to make sure it was still beating.

"I've been here. I just didn't want to interrupt this father-son moment between you two.

"And yet, here you are. Interrupting it," Raheem said as the water flowed from his hands to his injured ribs.

Toney rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess I did, huh. Sorry about that."

Raheem shrugged.

"How did you heal me, dad? Did you use the same magic that Sakura's parents used for Kimmy?"

"Magic?" both Toney and Raheem asked simultaneously, giving each other a perplexed look. Toney began stifling a laugh, before allowing himself to fully let it out.

"We aren't magicians, we are Amians," Raheem said after clearing his throat, glaring at the apologetic-looking Toney. "Magic is only tricks and illusions. Our power is true and pure. It's what makes up an Amian. Anytime we use our power, we are actually using our inner essence, or to put it in technical terms, we use elemancy."

Dre blinked.

Noticing the blank gaze on Dre's face; he started again, "I'll give you a better view of how we work." He sat beside Dre. "Let me give you a lesson that you'd understand better. Okay, you know that there are five different types of Amians: Fire, water, nature, air, and spirit elemental, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Now, when we use elemancy, we're actually using a part of our life essence, kind of like the way mana works in those video games you like playing so much. The only thing about that, is that since we're using our life essence to fight, if our mana reserves fully depletes, your body will act as if it's starving for food, and use whatever it can to ensure you have enough mana to keep using your element, until your body shuts down, and you ultimately die."

"Oh." That would explain why he had fainted in the forest. He wasn't just unconscious, he was almost dead. That very thought shocked him to his core. "That sounds like a horrible way to die."

"It is," Toney interjected. "I've witnessed it with my own eyes. Believe me, that's the last way you'd want to die. I'd rather get tortured until I die than to go through mana depletion."

Raheem reached behind him and pulled out two objects; a long, cylindrical object wrapped in a black cloth, and a pair of red, cotton clothes. "You were supposed to get these when you got to the Wayward Marketplace," he said as he handed them to Dre. "These are what you will need for you weapons training class; your weapon and your fighting uniform. Your schedule and medal are inside of the clothes, so be careful when you unfold them. Also, be sure to not unwrap your sword."

Dre nodded.

"By the way," Toney said, looking at a golden watch, "it's five minutes past five. You should really start heading to class right about now. I've told your teacher that you will be late, so try not to worry too much."

"Yes sir."

Dre stood and began walking towards the entrance until he felt his father grasp his shoulder. "And good luck son. You just may need it."

Dre looked into his father's hardened eyes and gulped. There was something about the way he said that that filled his veins with ice. "T-thanks dad." With that, he started towards the academy.

"It's like looking into a mirror of the past, huh?" Toney said as he and Raheem stood up.

Raheem sighed ruefully and raked his fingers through his dreadlocks. "I guess so, but sometimes I hope to God not."

"Don't worry, my man. He won't make the same mistakes. So, was the good luck for him not to follow in your footsteps?" Toney asked with a perplexed expression.

"Partly. It was mostly for showing up late for Tiffany's class."