Goraldia: The Element Wielders

18: Come Back to Me

I wake up. But my eyelids are about the only part of me I can move. Everything else is so sore, I don't know why I don't just wait here for something to come here and kill me.

But in spite, I sit myself up, grimacing the whole way. Once seated, I exhale. This is way tougher than I thought it would be.

"Come on," I tell myself. "Get up." Holding my breath again, I pull myself to my feet. I let out my breath. "God. I am never getting stuck in a magnetic electrical storm ever again." I stand there, as motionless as possible. I still ache all over. "Maybe I can burn this off." I grimace again, then start vibrating. It hurts. God, it hurts. But after a few seconds, my muscles start to clear out. The lactic acid is getting burnt off.

In another few seconds, I stand still, and take in how much I don't hurt now. I take a deep breath in. It's refreshing to know I'll never have to be sore again. Though I smell something. Something that brings back memories of Earth. Burning wood. It smells amazing. It's almost sweet. Sickeningly sweet. Where is it coming from? I jog up to the cliff face.

Down, next to a lake that spills into an ocean, and almost surrounded by mountains, is a smaller city, with smoke billowing up from several places. "Oh, jeez." I dash down the side of the cliff, at break neck speed. They are in trouble, and I need to help them.

They need your help.

I stop in my tracks.

"Who was that?"

Do not stop.

"Who are you?!"

You need not ask. But my people down there are dying. You need to help them.

I start to run again. As weird as the voice in my head is, she's right. 

"Why are you talking to me?"

Because you are my lightning champion.

"I'm nobody's champion but my own."

That's a shame. I really do adore you.

"Woah, wait. Adore?"

Yes. 

"Huh. Ok, so why did you start up this adoration now?"

You are mistaken. I have visited you before.

"When?"

In your dreams.

That was her. That was her. I guess she has been with me for a while. 

"Who are you?"

In time, courageous warrior.

"Great.~" Her voice disappears. guess I'm on my own, again. By now, I'm just outside the tan stone walls of the city. I hurdle over, and land. The heat around me is intense. The fire seems to have spread like there was gasoline on everything. How could there be so much fire so soon? Unless... 

"MAX!" I yell. I can hardly hear myself through the crackling and whooshing of the flames. "MAAAX!" I run through the streets. I can't find her. "Shit!" Inside a second story window, a mother and her daughter scream for help.

Use your speed!

"I'm not just some guy that can run super fast, ok?! I control lightning, not speed!"

Lightning is a byproduct of speed, but speed is a byproduct of lightning.

"Ooooh, damn it. Whatever." I run over and jump up into the window. As I land inside, flaming ceiling beams crumble down, flaring up the heat. "Agh!" Then I hear "Please, help us!" I look over and remember why I'm in here: to save people. I jolt over and grab them in my arms. I haven't gained any strength, but that's nothing to fret about when I can force my muscles to work harder with electrical impulses. Hefting the two of them, I lumber to the window, avoiding the flaring timber. "Hold on!" I yell to them and jump down, landing pretty hard. "Rrrgh!" I let go of them and they run away, presumably to the town gate. I hear more screams. "This is no good." I dash off to help everyone I can.