The Element Keepers

Chapter 7 Destiny

Seth stood there in shock. He and Eric had inherited two of the Elements? It seemed unbelievable, impossible even. That was what he initially thought, but certain questions he had would be explained if it were true. The vines, the fireball, the two friends' unnatural healing abilities, why their village was attacked; missing pieces of information began falling into place. At the same time, there were things that remained unanswered.

"But Eric and I have never been able to manipulate the power of the Elements before," said Seth, not entirely convinced. "Why would they come to us only now?"

"The Elements had actually inhabited the bodies of man for eons," explained Chiyo in her gentle voice. "But they laid dormant without awakening for the entirety of the person's lifespan, finding a new pure soul to find refuge in when the chosen people expired. The only reason the Elemental power has become active is because the Dark Kingdom is beginning to move with the barrier in its weakened state. You're encounter with the corrupted beings is what awakened the powers within you.

"I never thought the day would come when the Elements would awaken and the gears of fate would begin to move." Chiyo gave them a sad smile. "I'm sure this is overwhelming and it might seem like a lot to ask of youths such as yourselves, but you two have a duty to fulfill to the world as Keepers of the Elements. You find the other two keepers and learn to control your awakened power. Only then can you defeat the Dark King. If you defeat the source of the dark energy, the evil possessing the people and animals of the city should dissipate."

Eric stepped forward, his fists clenched beside him. "And why should-" Seth placed a hand firmly on his friend's shoulder, giving him a look not to say anymore. The red head's eyes widened. "You can't possibly be thinking of going along with this? We were didn't even know about this yesterday, and we haven't been able to use our powers since that battle with those...things."

"We don't have a choice, Eric," said Seth firmly. "We have no where to go. We've lost everything. If this is what destiny has in store for us, we need to face it head on." He turned his attention to Chiyo and looked at her thoughtfully.

"I understand that we have responsibilities as those chosen by the Elements, but we don't know where to begin. In the first place, Eric and I tapped into our powers by accident. We don't even know how we did it at all." Seth ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Then there's the matter of finding the other two Element Keepers. How do we even know where to start? The world is vast and I doubt they'll be holding a sign that says who they are, or broadcasting their powers. Even if we did bump into them somehow, how will we know who we're looking for?"

Chiyo smiled gently and brought her staff in front of her. She closed her eyes and concentrated. Four crystals the shape of eggs appeared and floated mid-air between the Guardian and the two boys. One was a brilliant amber with etched-in drawings of vines and leaves creeping along its surface. The one next to it was a bright garnet that had carved flames that seemed to dance. Another was a stunning amethyst with tornados and lightning delicately carved into the surface. The last one was a deep aquamarine that had etches of waves and water droplets flowing on it. The amber and garnet eggs pulsated with light as though a life within them were trying to escape.

Another feeling of familiarity washed over Seth as he looked at the amber egg. He could feel the egg calling out to him inaudibly. Chiyo spoke, breaking him out of his trance. "The Spirits of the Elements that guarded the temples, went into a deep sleep. With the temples destroyed and the Elements dormant, I sealed them within these crystals to help them recover after the battle against the Dark Kingdom. The awakening of the Elemental power within you has also caused them to stir."

The amber egg floated to Seth while the garnet egg floated to Eric. Simultaneously, the two reached out hesitantly and touched their respective egg. A blinding light burst from the crystal eggs. The light that engulfed the crystals grew and changed shape. When the light finally faded, a large grey wolf with a green tint misted over its fur stood in place of the amber egg. On its forehead laid a spherical gem of the same amber color as the egg. In the place of the garnet egg, a magnificent red bird, a Phoenix, stood with wings and tail feathers painted in a blend of red, orange, and yellow. Just as with the wolf, a spherical gem was on its forehead of the same garnet as the egg before it.

"I have waited a long time for this day," the wolf spoke in a deep, yet gentle voice to Seth. "I am Gaia, the Element Spirit of Earth."

The bird stretched its wings, making them look like flames dancing. "And I am Inferno, the Element Spirit of Fire," the bird spoke in a deep melodious voice that warmed the heart. "It's good to finally be awake after so long."

"The Spirits will not only protect you," explained Chiyo. "They will also train you how to control your powers." The two dormant eggs floated slowly to the Guardian. "These ones are still asleep and will remain so until you find their respective Element Keeper. They are how you will find the other two. They can sense the awakened powers of the others and will lead you to them. The closer you are, the brighter the crystal will shine." With a smooth movement of her staff, the amethyst and aquamarine eggs floated to Seth. "Take them, Keeper of Earth." It took the blonde a moment to realize that Chiyo was referring to him before carefully taking them from the air and placing them in a pouch at his waist.

Seth opened his mouth to say something, but was stopped by the sky suddenly growing dark. Chiyo's countenance fell as she looked at the sky. "How did they find this sacred place...?" She muttered to herself before turning to Seth and Eric. "You have to go, now! Gaia, Inferno, get them out of here as fast as you can. I will try to hold the forces of darkness back."

The two spirits looked at Chiyo hesitantly, but inclined their heads to her. "It grieves me that we must part after so long," said Gaia with a weighty expression.

"Stay safe and may we meet again," said Inferno a look of worry on his features. With that, Gaia slung Seth on his back and began running away from the clearing and Chiyo. The blonde looked back at the Guardian's fading form before looking at Eric who was being carried by Inferno, his strong talons held Eric's upper arms firmly as he flew.

"Will she be okay?" Seth asked Gaia who continued running without looking back.

"She'll be fine..." The wolf answered with a growl. It sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than assure Seth.

Before Seth could say anymore, a black void opened up on the path in front of them. Long thin shadows that resembled hands shot up from the void. Gaia growled from deep in his throat, his sharp teeth bared. "Hang on!"

Gaia ran past the hands swiftly and smoothly, dodging the grasping and reaching forms of the shadows. Seth held tightly onto the wolf's mane and leaned forward against his body, to avoid the hands.

The blonde glanced over to his friend to see how he was doing. Eric was more exposed than Seth and the hands reached out for him, ready to grab his legs and drag him into the darkness below. Inferno did his best to avoid the shadows' grasp, but more were upon them in minutes as Eric kicked at them to prevent them from grabbing his legs. One shadow shot up from the void and instantly grabbed the red head's leg. Seth saw his friend's face pale and the bird cry out as more hands shot out at him.

"Inferno! Eric!" Gaia shouted in panic.

Without thinking, Seth lifted his hand with the desperate desire to help Eric. The ground beneath the shadows rumbled and suddenly shot up as many spires, piercing and cutting off the hands. The blonde watched in shock as the shadows dissipated and disappeared. With Eric free, Inferno flew quicker, carefully dodging the shadows. Gaia picked up his speed to match the bird. A light appeared on the edge of the trees in the distance.

The shadows attacked more viciously in a desperate attempt to capture the boys, but the spirits protected them as they made their way to the exit. As the two spirits crossed into the light, they both collapsed, panting heavily. The blonde looked back and saw the forest change before his eyes. The forest with the dark sky and shadows blurred before disappearing, replaced by the familiar trees of the forest near his town. He didn't understand what just happened but at least they were safe for now.