Legacy of the Golden Wielder

Chapter 1

Hey guys and gals, check out my brother's story here on Wattpad. It takes place in the same universe and it's awesome. Element, anime, romance, and action fans will be pleased. Copy and paste here and add it to your reading list.  :)

https://www.wattpad.com/story/270470941-direwolf-book-1-of-the-forbidden-aura-saga

This novel is a prequel to Element Wielder. It is shorter and faster-paced. I hope you enjoy your time in Va'siel.

It takes place 100 years before the events of Element Wielder.

SECTION 1  "THE SCORCH" 

CHAPTER 1

It was past midnight when Aadi quietly made his way to the back of Chirag's Pub. His quiet strides moved him forward at a determined pace. He flicked his wavy brown hair back as it came down and covered his blue eyes. With every movement, his raggedy white shirt and pants crumpled into a heap of wrinkles. Even from this distance, he could smell the buttery aroma of the pasta. He cursed his growling stomach as he took another step forward. He wanted to, no, he needed to get his hands on that food.

"Who goes there?" asked a sudden booming voice. Aadi looked up as a large, husky man stood in the open door. He recognized him immediately. It was Chirag, the owner of the restaurant.

Aadi froze in place, hoping Chirag had not seen him. The owner wasn't necessarily fond of having people go through his trash.

Chirag stepped down and walked into the alleyway. Aadi swallowed the lump in his throat, wishing the dark would conceal him.

No such luck.

"There you are!" yelled Chirag, his bloodshot eyes staring right at Aadi. His lips formed a large grin as if finding Aadi was the highlight of his day.

Determined, Aadi launched himself at the large man.

Chirag, who was used to seeing Aadi run away from him and not toward him, stood frozen, as if his brain was having a hard time comprehending what was going on.

"I'll just slip through here," said Aadi as he dashed around the stunned man. He reached his arm out and took the box of pasta. His heart did a small jump as he held it firmly in his hand. Perhaps he was going to take it after all.

"Get back here." Apparently Chirag's brain had caught up with his body. He reached out for him, barely missing his ragged tunic.

Aadi ran down the alleyway and out into the city square. Imposing buildings surrounded him from all sides. The city council building stood before him, illuminated by the blue moonlight. To either side were the majestic mansions that belonged to the richest men in the city. Large dark gates surrounded their pristine gardens, making sure that riff-raff like Aadi could not trespass.

He shuddered involuntarily as he focused on the stone pathway that led down to the poorer part of town. Taking a breath, he moved as fast as his feet could carry him.

Suddenly the moonlight was replaced by the pale darkness of a cave. The mansions around him transformed to those water-stained walls he saw so often in his nightmares. Why now? Not now. But despite his complaints, he saw her. She reached out, begging for him to save her. He, however, was too small and weak to be of any help. His heart raced in his chest as the image dissolved.

Chirag's loud screams shocked him back to reality. He glanced over his shoulder to find an imposing figure mere feet away from reaching him. He turned and quickly took off down the path once again. The more he ran, the farther away the screams became. One downside of being such a large man was that Chirag couldn't keep up with a young man's pace.

 Once Aadi was certain his pursuer had given up the chase, he stopped to take a breath. He now stood in the poor district of the city. The beaten-down huts and sleeping beggars at every corner made that obvious. Aadi often wondered how people could sleep outside when there was such a nice sewer directly underneath them.

He opened the small hatch and dropped down, landing in the slimy cement with a loud thump. It's not so bad once you get used to the smell of rats and the constant drips of leaking water, he mused to himself. Excitedly, he made his way down the sewer, keeping a wary eye on the arched ceiling overhead. The stone was strong and sturdy. Nonetheless, blocks had been known to fall from time to time. That's what happened when no one tended to the construction. Aadi couldn't blame the leaders, he knew that in these troubled times most of the money was being diverted toward agricultural endeavors. Part of him was actually glad it was. It meant he had fewer workers down here. Workers usually brought down a few knights to protect them from bandits, which would have only served to get him caught, or at the very least keep him constantly moving.

"You're back!" Zoen cried as Aadi walked into the large open room. A flickering candle, about to die, provided some dim light. Aadi waved away the scent of burning wax. "Where have you been?" Zoen asked. "I thought that one of the restaurant owners had gotten a hold of you again."

"I'm much too fast," Aadi responded, smiling to his friend.

"That didn't stop Chirag from catching you last time and turning you in to the royal wielders. You were locked up for ten days!"

Aadi waved his friend's worries aside. He liked Zoen, but he swore his friend was scared of his own shadow.

"Please...listen," Zoen insisted, a begging expression on his pale face. "Stop this. You're going to get yourself locked up again one of these days, or worse." Zoen reached over to the bucketful of mana. "Look." He took out a handful of the brown powder. "We have plenty of mana to last us a week. Why throw away your life at barely eighteen years of age?"

Aadi took a seat atop his towel. "Don't you worry about it, buddy. I'm not about to let you starve to death." Even as he spoke the words, Aadi couldn't believe Zoen's misfortune. For reasons unknown, planet Va'siel had almost withered away completely. Land that was once fertile was now barren and dry. Few plants grew and the ones that did were quickly snatched by the rich. Even cattle-like beruda, which had once provided more than enough meat, were now on the brink of extinction. It was hard to stay alive when little grass grew in the wild lands. Of course, an earth wielder would have been able to easily mold the dirt and make it fertile again. But no earth wielder had been born in Va'siel in over a century. The only food that was plentiful nowadays was mana, a powder that protruded out of random holes throughout the planet. It could fill a person easy enough, but it tasted like nothing. It often reminded Aadi of eating water. Unfortunately, Zoen was allergic to it, which forced Aadi to constantly be on the lookout for food for his friend.

"I do worry," continued Zoen. He stood and walked toward him slowly. The hump protruding from his back made it impossible to move at a normal pace. Aadi often wondered if it was this deformity that had caused Zoen's mother to abandon him. He never dared voice his curiosity, though, out of fear of hurting his friend's feelings. "You're not a wielder like the royal guards. You can't control water, fire, mind, poison, space..."

"Are you really going to name all twelve elements now?" asked Aadi. He tossed the bag of pasta at his friend. "I think you'd be better concentrating on this."

Zoen caught the bag. As he held it up, Aadi could literally see the twinkle in Zoen's eyes. "Where did you get so much pasta?"

"Don't you worry about that, buddy! You just worry about finishing it all."

Zoen waved his hands. "I couldn't possibly do that. What about you?"

"Me?" Aadi picked up a pile of mana. The earth-scented powder slipped through his fingers. "I got plenty of food here."

"But..."

"No buts, buddy. You eat your food. Besides, I don't even like pasta." Aadi held his breath, hoping his friend would believe his lie. Besides, he didn't mind eating the flavorless mana. Fortunately, Zoen was too eager with the prospect of munching on his food to even notice as Aadi lay back down, facing a wall.

He ignored the delicious aroma as he closed his eyes. Quietly, he hoped that she wouldn't haunt his dreams tonight.

Don't forget to vote and leave your comments.