The Chosen

Chapter 14

Mina was feeling down. She hadn't seen Noah in quite a while, even though she had scoured the whole village through.

She could sense that the time was coming when they would all have to stand up and protect the world they knew.

Her dreams had been twisted and dark lately, and they all related back to her father. She didn't know if all her dreams were real or not, but for now she had to act like nothing was going on.

Oliver had come back with only delirious muttering as his answer. All he had managed to get out of Ella was, “They're coming.”

It wasn't the best consolation.

Mina sat at the edge of the little river that flowed by Karen's home. She was glad her hair obscured her face so no one could see her silent tears. Mina hadn't cried this hard in a long time, but now, with silence surrounding her, the weight of the last few weeks came crashing down on her.

She felt more alone than she had in a long time. The water crashed against its bank, struggling to break free like her emotions. Mina had never liked water and now, after learning about her powers, her fear of the sea had intensified even more.

Ella had told her many times to be careful of water, it could wipe out her powers completely if she wasn't careful. After hearing that, Mina had been afraid to take a bath for days.

Mina thought back to what Karen had told them. Her village had been the home source for experiments on humans by the Element Users.

Thus, none of her people were killed, but they had all been scarred badly. Even though their lives were spared, their freedom had been banned and they had witnessed terrible things.

Many had gone insane from the torment, and some had even killed themselves.

Mina shuddered at the thought of being forced into that state. It was a strict taboo in her village to harm or kill yourself in any way.

The sound of a conch shell vibrated through the air, startling Mina. It signalled dinner time had arrived. Mina wasn't hungry, but she decided she should go over to the dining hall, just in case people started to worry.

Even though she told herself she should get up, Mina couldn't find the energy to move. Throwing caution to the wind, she lit a small flame in her palm.

Mina knew she shouldn't risk lighting a fire, seeing as it could give her away and attract enemies, but she did it anyway. The flames grew, following the path of her emotions. The forest around her was illuminated with glowing lights.

Mina's flames evolved her, engulfing her in flames. Her clothes changed into a flowing fiery dress, her cape flying out behind her. Her skirt flew out around her, layering down the front in a flurry of raging colours. The top of her outfit was cropped to show her stomach and her sleeves were cut off the shoulder, decorated with flames and sparks.

Her cloak flew down her back, trailing on the ground. It was decorated with the likeliness of a phoenix, rays of light surrounding its wings.

“Well, don't you look pretty,” a voice broke through her thoughts. Mina spun around, her flames dying down.

A boy about eighteen years old stood behind her, emerging from the trees. He had messy dirty-blond curly, and sharp gray eyes. He wore a loose fitting t-shirt and baggy jeans. The most surprising thing about him was the scar that ran down his right cheek, crossing over his freckles.

The newcomer was scrawny, but Mina could sense great danger emitting from him.

Mina stepped back, getting into a fighting position and using her fire to bring out her main weapon; twin swords.

The boy arched an eyebrow. “Put the toys down, or else the outcome won't be pretty.”

***

Mina felt sick.

The world around her was dark and gloomy. The smell of smoke was strong in the air, making her cough. Fire wasn't supposed to affect her anymore, but the air was stuffy and made her cough.

Lightning crackled in the distance. Mina forced herself to open her eyes. She was tied up somewhere, unable to move.

Mina looked up at the sky. It was stormy and dark, even though a little while ago, it had been sunny and bright. She scanned her surroundings. There was no one around her, but she could hear sounds coming from the direction of the village.

Mina lit her hands with her fire, trying to burn through the ropes. A searing pain cut through her and she shrieked in pain. Mina kept going, trying her hardest to bring her emotions into her fire and burn through her restraints.

Finally, after using quite a lot of her Element Energy, the ropes fell away and Mina tumbled to the ground. She forced herself to her feet, her bones feeling like they were melted. Her whole body ached but she got up and stumbled to the direction of her new home. She had come to think of Karen's village as a temporary dwelling, and it pained her to think she had led enemies straight to the front lines.

Mina knew she shouldn't use any more of her Energy. It would burn away too fast. She looked down and realized that her Element outfit had disappeared and she was now in her normal clothes.

She took a deep breath and started sprinting towards the village. Mina had gotten a lot better at running since training with Ella.

She made it into the village to see it erupt into flames, devouring all the houses and stores. Mina watched in horror as the people screamed and ran, thousands of Element Users on their heels. The guy she had seen at the river crouched in front of Ella. They were talking and tears were streaming down Ella's face.

Anger surged in Mina. Those two were obviously the ones behind the assault. Her vision went red and she drew out her full Element outfit and weapons of fire. Without thinking, she charged. The world seemed to go in slow-motion as Mina watched the boy raise his dagger and plunge it into Ella.

Mina drew to a halt, the flames blowing around her. Ella fell forward in the boy's arms, smiling slightly, even as the light faded from her eyes. The boy lay Ella down gently and got to his feet. When he turned to Mina, she was surprised to see tears on his cheeks.

He raised his hand and lightning shot through the sky. Immediately, the Element Users started to retreat. Mina took that as an opportunity. She ran forward, brandishing her swords. The boy met her eyes and waved his hand. A strike of light flew in front of her.

Mina leaped out of the way, hitting the ground in a run. The boy looked surprised, but a long sword appeared in his hands. It appeared to be made of lightning, like Mina's was made of fire. Their weapons clashed, sparks flying and dancing in the air.

The wind blew in Mina's face, tossing her hair around. With just one touch of swords, she could feel the power flowing from her opponent. They flew apart, skidding their heels into the ground. Mina realized she was breathing heavily, but she knew the other boy was still holding back a lot.

If I can't defeat this guy, how am I supposed to beat my father?

“Why would you kill Ella? Wasn't she your comrade?” Mina cried over the wind. She could sense eyes on her, some friendly, most not.

The boy growled. “She was already dead! With the way you were treating her, she had nothing to live for!”

Mina creased her eyebrows, confused. Thankfully, her opponent went on, “If we had taken her back, she would have killed in a much more painful way. Your father would have punished her for being captured!”

Mina's head shot up. Her heart stopped for a second. How did he know? The boy smirked, knowing he had hit her weak spot.

“I know who you are, Mina Espinoza. Every Element User does. We've been instructed to bring you back alive. Or if not possible, to kill you.” he stated as if he did this every day.

Mina got into a defensive state. The boy laughed.

“No, don't worry,” he cackled. “Your time hasn't come yet, darling.”

With that, he disappeared. The storm seemed to swallow him up and vanish along with him. In just a few seconds, everything was silent.