Rise

Chapter 1

"Get up."

The words sounded muffled as I grunt, hitting the padding. My hand moves up to the nape of my neck. A bump is already began to form, resulting from the blow that I had been dealt.

"I said get up." The voice was louder now. I turn my head to the left only to see a pair of dull black boots inches from my face. I scan up the body to see my brother grinning down with a menacing smile.

"Get up, or I call the match." I've been down for only a moment, but seconds longer would earn me another kick, this one more brutal than the last. With a small groan, I push up off the floor, raise up to a crouch. I stand up slowly and glare at him. I have little time to react, as a fist barrels toward my face. I swing an arm up to parry an attack that was meant to knock me unconscious and counter with a left hook to the jaw and a nose jab on the right. A satisfying crack and a sudden yelp come from my brother. I dropped down and swing out a leg. Too distracted by the pain in his nose, he can't catch himself, and lands hard on the ground.

"Damn it, Adara!" He grunts and glares at me.

"You should've knocked me out when you had the chance, Cal." I hold out my hand to help him up, but he stands on his own. As he was a head taller than me, forcing me to look up toward my brother. Calore is nineteen years old, with auburn hair and a strong build. Everyone says that we look just like our father. He passed away during a riot in the Kingdom.

There are five kingdoms that stand on the continent. The Wind, Earth, Ice, and Water Kingdoms all governed by the respective leaders, and our region, the Fire Kingdom, is run by Queen Evelyn, Cal, and I. Once our Kingdom discovered Cal didn't have his powers, which typically showed up during infancy, there was a nationwide panic. A populous riot forced my mother and Cal into hiding until the situation was under control. My father, however, was at the front line, dealing with the problem head-on. Everyone was in a frenzy. They were in fear that Ignis would go under siege due to having a powerless leader. My father was killed in the uproar. Not long after, my mother gave birth to me. Five years later, on Cal's sixth birthday, he slowly started to gain his power. It was extraordinarily weak. Even now, at the age of twenty, he can hardly make a fire wall without wasting his energy.

"I would have knocked you out if I could, but you can be so stubborn sometimes. I didn't want to risk an ass-beating from you." He grabs his nose and tilts his head back. I scan the area, only to find Kira, my best friend, standing on the wall far away from all the commotion. I nod her over and she walks as fast as her short legs could carry her, raven hair gleaming from the fluorescent lights above. With her standing at 5'3, my brother and I tower over the small girl.

"Lean down, please." She grabs my brother by the shoulder, gently pulling him down so she can see what has happened to him. Cal does as he is told and leans down to her height, gently letting go of his nose. Blood drips down his face and onto the grey sweat covered mat. I watch in awe as she cracks the bone back into place. The blood stops flowing and I know this means it's healed. Kira is a healer, one of the strongest in her bloodline. She can mend anything from cuts to a broken neck. Cal screams again and jumps back from her. He takes a deep breath to calm himself. Kira and I try our best not to laugh. We cough it off as the three of us walk out of the training room and into the main hall. Mirrors of all shapes and sizes cover the wall. It's intricate and delicate detailing is fascinating. I have lived here my whole life, yet every time I walk down this hallway it never ceases to take my breath away

"So, Adara, your birthday is coming up. Are you excited for ascension day?" Kira skips down the hallway. As soon as she spits out the last of the question, she completely loses interest. Ascension day. The day when I become queen. Typically it would be Cal's burden to deal with being king, but since he is not strong enough, I am forced to rule a kingdom I don't want. I shrug at Kira's question even though I know she is not paying attention. As we turn left, we run into my mother. She appears around the corner, her steps quiet and quick, along with the officers that follow behind her. Kira stops dead in her tracks.