Guardian: The Great Beginning

Chapter Three - Potential

Chapter Three

Potential

Nothing.

By the time the sun began to sink back behind the silver hills for the nth time (Asura had given up counting the exact number of days he and Akilah had been training for, as there had simply been too many), Asura's calm had vanished, and his frustration was stronger than ever before.

All day. For weeks they'd been training every day, all day long. They'd only stopped once or twice throughout those days – to eat. And still, nothing had changed.

Clearly, his Element wasn't slumbering within his soul, waiting to be awoken.

Asura had tried to keep Akilah's words in mind, that he needed time, more practice. And he had tried his hardest not to break his promise and not give up.

But after several weeks, Asura had expected that at least something would have happened.

After another long day of training in vain, Akilah returned to the castle without her brother. He'd insisted he'd stay on the hill, alone, to process the fact that he might never develop an Element after all.

Akilah couldn't help but feel pity for her brother. He'd been so excited for the future. She felt as if she'd finally given him a bit of hope.

False hope, or so now it seemed.

Whether or not she had given him hope, Akilah was convinced all of it was gone now.

Asura's situation was one Akilah simply could not wrap her head around. Why hadn't he developed an Element yet? Akilah simply knew he was destined to do so, and Akilah had never been wrong about this before.

So why now?

As far as Akilah could remember, none of her siblings had had this much trouble developing their Elements and learning how to control them – the developing part had been difficult for Ince and the controlling part had, even though he would never admit it, been hard on Aharnish, Akilah remembered that clearly. But failing to show any sign of magical abilities at all, even after weeks of intense, daily training?

This was something Akilah had never seen before, and it mildly troubled her. But the fact that she had no idea what the problem was and how to solve it, troubled the female Spirit beyond reason.

When Akilah entered the hallway of the castle she called home, she instantly felt something was off. She didn't have to wait to find out whatever it was, however, because Akilah had hardly set foot in the throne room when Aharnish angrily bellowed her name.

"AKILAH!" Aharnish yelled. He got up from the table he and his siblings were seated at and marched in his sister's direction.

"Where have you been!? It's been weeks since you got home before sunset!"

Akilah had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes at her brother. "Why should I provide you with my whereabouts at all times?" she asked. "Where I am and what I do is really none of your business, Aharnish."

Aharnish crossed his arms, not convinced. "You are our leader, the most important person in all of Lunaria," he said, his tone sounding awfully reproachful, "and you're just running off to have fun all day long. Doesn't that sound particularly strange?"

"Aharnish has a point," Aki, Ince commented from his seat at the table. "We've been worried about you."

"No need to be," Akilah responded as she walked past Aharnish and approached the table. "I'm doing fine. And Lunaria's doing fine, too, isn't it?"