Elementals II: Prophecies (DISCONTINUED)

~ Chapter 21 ~

Year: 3205
Military Academy

Blaze:
I would hate to state the most obvious thing, but the fact is that Ember stirred up something inside my head. Going into the conversation to confront her the way I did, I was almost certain that I was going to have the initiative but I almost immediately dropped the ball. Ember didn't waste a second and she was quite convincing with everything she said. All the questions that she asked me, challenged me with, made sense, and I couldn't answer back without feeling stupid. I hated that I left with the tail between my legs. She made me curious about things that I didn't know to think of.

"Right through this door here, Elemental." The Senior escorting me says in a rather stiff manner. I don't quite understand the tone that he's carrying, but I don't say it aloud. Is this the first time that the Grand Master of Elementals takes his personal time off to train a soldier? Or...I mean I'm not much of a soldier if I'm honest. I feel like a child, an ignorant child I should add. Time has been going by so fast that I don't feel like I've had the time to grow up properly. I am about to embark on some of the hardest training sessions of my life and I feel so poorly prepared for it.

The door opens after a moment and I take a few short steps inside before they close. "Elemental Blaze, I'm happy you changed your mind about the training. Come forward and have a seat." He says delighted by my presence. His face changes after a moment as our eyes meet and he can tell that there is something in the back of my head that's bothering me. "You seem preoccupied, Elemental." He mentions as I sit down. "It might be hard for you at first, but our sessions will build in ultimate trust between the two of us. I trust you, you trust me." He immediately starts. He makes me think carefully of what I am about to say next. If I am to trust him, I should just say it.

"I was talking to a friend, or whatever she is now, and she told me some things that stirred up some thoughts inside my head." I start saying before I manage to look up at him. "The part of trust is something that requires a lot of work with me, Grand Master." I let out as I find his gaze to be a little more intense. "It seems like I already have quite some work to do then, Elemental. We need to resolve whatever thoughts that are inside your head. Why don't you tell me what she told you?" He suggests as he walks around the table and sits down next to me.

"Among others she was trying to tell me how you are trying to manipulate me." I start. I'm anxious to see his reaction, but he keeps his face stone-cold for now. "She said that the only reason you would try to help me, was because you were going to do to something to me down the road." My throat feels like a desert as I continue. "Why would she say that to you?" He asks me curiously. He doesn't seem bothered by the suspicions, which for some reason alarms a part of me but I shove it away. "I don't know." I answer.

"I've been trying to figure out that part for a long time already. I don't understand why any of the people that I once called friends would say such things. My partner, previous partner I should say, said the same thing but I denied it blankly. Now this other friend of mine is telling me the same thing and when it comes from her, it feels harder to deny." I admit. "This friend is Elemental Ember?" He asks. I nod, without thinking that I might be putting her in danger (if that would actually be the case). The Grand Master looks at me for a moment before taking a deep breath.

"All I can tell you, Elemental, is that I don't quite understand why they would think such things about their leading Elemental. I am dealing with the loss of a very well respect Senior who was killed a few months back, your partner is surely trying to pin it on me, spreading these accusations knowing that it is probably his only chance to survive. I believe your friend is just a poor victim of these lies, and maybe she is even jealous that I am taking my time to help you control your powers." He answers. His resonating is reasonable and hard to deny. I end up nodding weakly to myself, feeling quite relieved.

"That is the only explanation that makes any sense to me at this point." I answer after a little while. I can see him turn more relieved. "Well, I am happy I could help you loosen up somewhat. None of this is easy to handle, Elemental, but overall, I think you are doing just fine. For your information, we are chasing down every lead on your partner and his Senior-friend. They crash-landed on Mars according to our last reports. For now, that's what we know. Hopefully we can bring them both in when you are ready for the field." He answers. "Hopefully..." I let out thoughtfully.

On Mars
Senior Fall/Aqú:
I remember a terrible moment in my life back when I was very young. I was stupid and foolish, more than I am now, and got myself trapped in a sandstorm. I knew how to cover myself from the sand and that's what I did. I felt like I was going to suffocate and it felt like an eternity before the storm ended. The wind would ripple through my coats, cut into my skin that wasn't covered and attempt to fill my lungs. I managed to escape then with my life, but it was hard. It wasn't by a large margin and I knew that if that ever happened to me again...let's just say I avoided them.

That is why I am so angry with myself that I didn't get us to proper cover, but got stuck underneath my coat. This time is no different than that first time. Just laying here feels like an eternity, and with Breeze's injured hand, it might be even worse because his condition is critical. If this storm doesn't end very soon, Breeze stands to lose his hand, or worse, his life. If he dies, everything we've done will be for nothing. He's a part of something bigger that is yet to be fulfilled. I just have to get him through this.

The moment the storm blows over and moves on to its next prey, I place Breeze over my shoulders and carry him the last bit to the cave we tried to get to earlier. Once I get inside, I get down on one knee and carefully lay Breeze down. I take a brief glance back at the desert that we have managed to leave behind. As my attention lands back on Breeze, I take a closer look at his hand. By first glance I'm not optimistic. With only one hand he will be depending on me to survive the trip and if I fail we both die. There are however two positives: he'll be alive, and it'll make quite the story.

Besides, I know there is a way for him to get a new hand. "I mean, you do know how to do that, right?" I immediately ask as I think that to myself. "You just do what you have to do to keep him alive. He will most likely hate you for a while. We can fix his hand as long as you have Pool's elemental crystal." Panic erupts as I start looking through all of my pockets to find it. The more time that passes by before I find it, the more I panic. I must've put it in one of the other containers that I was forced to drop when I was trying to get us both away from the sandstorm. "Now, why did you do that?" That is indeed the question.

I don't dwell on it at first because Breeze is spending every second right now being infected by metal. I start to sharpen my knife. I can't spend time looking for that crystal without doing what I need to do to keep him alive. I'll live with him hating me for a while as long as he's alive to do it. I decide to drag him further into the cave, hiding him better for when I have to leave him for a little bit. I brush away some of the sand as I lay Breeze down. I rip off pieces of my cloak to make some bandages for when I take his hand.

As I do my preparations, I see Breeze is sweating more and more, and he's twitching as if he's in a dream of some sort. I wish that what's about to happen was a part of a dream. I'm sure he's going to wake up at some point and still think that he's dreaming. I change my focus back to the sharpening of my knife to make sure it's as clean and sharp as possible. I don't want to repeat the movement. I might wake him up during the process and I don't want him to make it harder than it already is.

I open up his sleeves, cutting it down to the point where I find some normal human skin. His hand has turned completely blue-grey-ish because of the metal in his skin and the lack of normal blood to his hand. When I touch it, it feels so cold, signalizing that no blood has come through in quite a while. I swallow slightly to myself as I grab the knife. "You are going to hate me for doing this to you, kid." I let out as I make out the point where I have to cut. "Let's just agree that you don't kill me when you wake up..." I let out to his silent agreement before I make the movement.