Children of the Planet Book 1: Wynd

Chapter 7-9

Chapter 7: Elena

June 14th, 2016, two years before the Steam nation loses its alchemy...

Elena paced up and down the hall, her mind a jumble of thoughts and emotions. She was in conflict with herself, battling against her own mind. Ever since Carinthia had been proclaimed Europe's Child of the Planet, she had been different. Sometimes she wouldn't talk to Elena, other times, she would be particularly nice, but that was only because she was trying to make up for ignoring her. Carinthia was being false, anyone could see that. She didn't care for poor little Elena anymore. So Elena had decided to play along. She had begun ignoring Carinthia as well, choosing to look the other way when she went by, or not speaking to her. But somewhere, deep down in her heart, Elena knew she still cared for her old friend. And so, she was in conflict. It didn't help that her father now lay sick at his home. She visited him whenever she could, but he was nearing the end of his life. Looking out the window, she noticed that it was dark out, and decided to try and sleep. Her nights had been restless as of late, but she needed to at least try to get some rest. After donning her nightgown, she lay down in bed, and closed her eyes. However, sleep held no peace for her, and she began to dream.

In her dream, she was in a white room, with no furnishings, except one lonely chair, in the corner. In the chair, sat Carinthia. She held a ball of fire in one hand, and a sphere of water in the other.

"Look at me Elena!" Carinthia said, "Look at what I can do!"

Elena turned and ran from Carinthia, finding herself in a long white hall. She kept running, but no matter how far she ran, the hall kept going. She turned around, and saw Carinthia walking towards her, saying, "Elena? Where are you going? Won't you play with me?"

Elena kept running, and turned a corner, finding herself in a clearing of trees. She saw herself lying on the ground, with a bloody hole in her chest. Next to herself, she saw Carinthia holding a bloody sword in her hand. Then, Carinthia dropped the sword, and fell to her knees next to Elena's body, crying and shouting, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Elena!"

Elena woke up screaming, her eyes wet with tears. Then, still sobbing, she ran out into the garden. She fell onto the grass, where she continued to weep, until she heard a crunch in the grass behind her, as if someone was walking. She spun around, and saw an older man standing in the grass, dressed in a black suit, his long silver hair blowing in the cool night breeze.

"W-who are you?" Elena timidly asked, wondering what she should do.

Then, as if reading her mind, he said in a kind voice, "No need to fear child, I am a friend. My name is Esau."

He walked over to her and helped Elena up to her feet, and she wiped the tears from her eyes. Esau then spoke softly, "Elena, I am here to help you. I have been watching over you for some time, guarding you, and helping you. I know how you feel about Carinthia; she has changed so much over these years." Taking a step back, he began to walk back and forth, speaking as he did.

"I am here to help you, to make you strong. I want to teach you how to use power beyond anything you could possibly imagine!" Esau exclaimed, raising his hands.

"But, I can't use alchemy! I was born without Em!" Elena replied.

Chuckling, Esau said, "That is what is known as a common misconception my dear. Everyone has Em, and no one has Em."

"Huh?" Elena said, cocking her head.

"What I mean to say is, no one really owns Em. Em is the energy in the world around us. It is the energy that plants create through photosynthesis, it is the strength that enables a bird to fly, it is the courage a baby lizard has to climb out of its egg. Whenever we use alchemy, we use this energy. Now, there are some people who were cursed by the beasts, so as to not have any control over the elements. But it is people like you, who hold a power that is greater than any other alchemy, even that of a Child of the Planet."