Book One: Rain

Chapter One - Project Naga

Naga Academy, May 8, 302 AG

   "Lesson 5, fire. Now that you're all in your senior years this isn't a joke. It's really happening, Project Naga is a go and you all have five days to prepare a backpack full of things you'll bring on your cross-continental trek. Your past teachers and I believe in you, and in your abilities. Considering you made it this far into the program and passing you all certainly have the ability to pass this too. As you all know, this project is life and death. You either pass and live or fail and die. This project isn't cruel, we aren't forcing you to do anything, but it is important. Youngsters like him, her, and you," he pointed to multiple people in the audience "don't know much about yourselves. You may think you do, but you really don't. This project will teach you things we could not possibly teach you in school. The climate, nature itself, and other obstacles will make this seem impossible right off the bat, but if you are truly fit to help out in this elemental world, you'll pass this. I don't mean to pressure, but I hope you and your peers join us on this extraordinary journey and tradition."  Many mixed feelings took over the crowd, whispers, and conversations full of determination and fear followed the president's confident walk off the stage.

   A boy, about the age of 17 at the back of the auditorium walked out a couple minutes before the end of the speech. He walked across the marble floor and outside the double doors. The lights of the sky dimmed more and more as the minutes went by, the Sea of Lena ran through and divided the school and the dorms. He crossed the beautiful golden bridge, carved with names of each and every person who contributed to the making of the school. He reached his dorm and unlocked the room, Olive, his roommate was asleep as usual.

   He let go of all functions in his body and went to sleep with a blank mind on the outside and a comprehensive one on the inside.

   A young lady ran away from distant bellows and threats, she was sobbing in the eerie night sky down in the open yard. She wore an orange-brown dress with sharply tipped mahogany boots which seemed to be a lighter shade under the flashing lights. The light although mystical and gorgeous was toned with evil and death. First, there was none, then the flames came; each stronger than the last. The insignia of the air nomads perishing once again to the hands of the vile inferno.
   Gracefully and mostly attentive, she jumped. The fall was facile and nerve racking for her, leaving an exploding temple behind. Small bits and pieces of the beautifully carved ground and painted walls fell thousands of feet down around her in the sky. A bubble of air formed around her as if it were second nature, all the flaming bits circled her and fell further into the clouds.
Under the moonless sky, millions of birds flocked and escaped leaving behind those who could no longer fly. As for the terrestrial animals, they burned, leaving the vultures with quite a feast.
The young girl avoided the pieces of her decaying home and eventually reached the ground. On the ground, there was almost more chaos than in the mountain. Animals scrambling everywhere trying helplessly to find their families and escape the forest of flames. She sympathized with these helpless creatures and cast a barrier of air above the trees. Every flame or scorched piece of earth was immediately cooled and repelled. This cost her a lot, as evident in her face. She was sweating and turning pale but there was nothing in the world that would stop her. "Help! Please! Help, someone help!" No reply, but was there ever anyone there?
The animals took this chance to scurry out and far from their home heading towards the southern lights in hope of a new beginning. She was now on her knees, pleading to an omnipotent god to assuage her. Her skin no longer ached with burns, her eyes no longer grieved, and her brain no longer thought of survival. Eyes closed, she lied back onto the ashen ground and never looked back.

      The world seemed to be engulfed with fire, increasingly difficult to see the once pure sky. Death rained upon what seemed like every square inch of ground. Colorless a once beautiful place was under the ebony sky. This girl - this survivor slept, wept, and endured the harshest night of her life and when it came time to awaken her body was automatic. The flames had subsided, the sky was no longer falling, and most of the ecosystem had fled, or burned. She, without the knowledge of her conscious self walked east. It seemed like a good idea considering North was where civilization lied closer. Inches became yards, and yards became miles. Each step seemed like another pointless attempt to survive, that is until she reached a home that, for once in 48 hours felt like something that was not charred to the core.
Without knocking she just walked into the mysterious house. It had many decorations such as art, plants, and other miscellaneous objects. She looked around further and reached the study. The study was humongous, books and shelves lining the perimeter. Family portraits hung up above the person's desk, she sat down on the chair adjacent to the desk and looked a little closer. "Happy Birthday, Mimi." The photograph illustrated an old woman wearing a lavender sweater and a radiant smile. The other person was a young man around the age of 20, he was quite flashy. His hair was in a bun and his clothing said more about him than any words ever could. In all caps it said "FUCK HISHI!" and a faint chuckle eluded her.
She got up and left the room. Following the scent of food, her nose led her to the kitchen. There was a huge loaf of bread sitting on the table and she voraciously pounced on it. She was satisfied, to say the least, until the front door shut. Scared and too weak to blow the door open, she ran upstairs and entered the third room to the right. Shaking, she closed the door. After what seemed like endless minutes of waiting for something to happen, everything became hazy. There was no immediate way to know if it was safe or not, and anxiety had covered her body as if it were a blanket. This blanket was not only lethally electrifying but quite the sedative.