Statera *Chosen At Birth*

Prologue

"I don't remember this island being here." A woman asked while she walked into a grand cave full of glittering jewels and glowing moss that illuminated the enormous cavern. Her two guards followed closely behind as she explored the cave. She wiped her hand on the ground and smelt the sand and then wiped her hand on the damp cavern walls. Moisture from the outside coated the small amounts of moss that colonized the walls.

"Do you think it would have been an oversight on the merfolk's part?" One of her guards asked. A middle-aged man that has been her loyal companion since she took the throne of the water kingdom twenty years ago.

"I want to say no, but this proves that statement false. The sediments in the sand and the composition of the water on the walls do not match at all. This sand would be that of a river bed, not an island." She thought out loud. Her hands glowed blue as she wiped the water away from the wall and collected it into a globe in front of her. The water glowed strangely before she sprayed it into a misty cloud around her.

"Queen Caligo? What's wrong?" Caligo's other guard asked, who was a younger member of the merfolk ranks, but she had proven useful when it came to solving puzzles. Caligo was happy with her guards. One physically able, and the other intelligent. A perfect balance.

"I'm not sure... I do not think that this island is natural at all... It can't be." Caligo scrunched her tan nose up to think. Caligo stretched her arms out in front of her towards the rest of the cave. A small mist rolled into the cave and glowed turquoise as Caligo held her eyes closed.

"What is it?" Her guards asked in unison.

"We aren't the only ones here." Caligo warned. When she opened her eyes, three figures walked towards them as black silhouettes in the bright mist Caligo had created.

Both of the guards raised their tridents, but Caligo simply walked past them towards the mouth of the cave. They both followed carefully, making sure they would not get ambushed with their backs turned. The trio stepped out onto the island's blank beach and turned around to await the residents.

"I forget the extent of your powers sometimes Caligo. You always do surprise me." A woman with similar features to the queen walked out of the cave along with two of her own henchmen.

"Same here. You always catch me off guard with your plots to poke at my curiosity. What is it that you want Sedef?" Caligo asked with her hands put out to her sides. It has been ages since she's had to fight, her age makes it difficult to complete the movements.

"You know what it is that I want. I should have gotten the pure element when our mother passed. Not you. It just clung to the closest person to her." Sedef shouted over the sounds of the waves. Granted Caligo's aura was more powerful than her sister's, but Sedef was almost a decade younger. Which meant faster. Her aura was also two different colors, which meant blended magic. Another powerful tool.

"I and father both told you that it doesn't work like that Sedef. The pure element chooses someone for that is in their hearts. Water is a sentimental element choosing emotion and compassion over ambition and tenacity. Your heart is not for the people. It is for power. You were banished for a reason." Caligo scolded. There was a war brewing amongst the world, and everyone has chosen their side and the consequences are already beginning to show.

"You two only said that out of pity. I'll get it one way or another." Sedef shouted as a black liquid flew across the sandy beach.

Caligo extended her hand to the side and brought her hands up and out. The water from the ocean flew over to her and followed the motion of her hands to block the liquid. Caligo brought her hands together and down so that the wall could retreat.

"Sedef, please don't do this. Nothing will come out of it I promise you." Caligo pleaded, hoping that her sister would listen. Ever since Sedef went down to the undead kingdom, her personality had become darkened by the king.

"I think that I do." Sedef snarled as more black liquid flew from her hands in short bursts. Caligo moved her hands in a circular motion to make small circular shields that blocked the sequence of attacks. There was something off though. Normally Sedef would hit with stronger attacks unless it was a-

Caligo turned around a second too late when something pierced her stomach. Both of her guards gasped and cried out as black dust circled around her stomach.

A tall man with pale skin and slicked back black hair walked up toward the two guards. Both of them went to attack, but they were both whisked away by a sudden gust of air into the ocean. Caligo struggled to breath as the spell travelled around her body, paralyzing her so she could not move. She needed water to heal, but he found a way to make sure she did not get it.

"That's another pesky pure element out of my way. Well done Sedef. I am quite disappointed at how easy that was." The man said with his black suit casting a shadow over the struggling queen.

"What do you mean that's another?" Caligo questioned. All the kingdoms have been so closed off that information was delayed.

"Whoever is not with me, is against me. It all starts by killing off the kings and queens that defy me, then their people scatter trying to compensate, and finally one by one, they all fall." He explained his elaborate plan thoroughly. Caligo felt her body weaken, she could feel herself dying. The pure element aura was already beginning to detach from her. An image of a man's face flooded her eyesight and Caligo smiled at the good news.

"What are you grinning about?" Sedef spat angrily.

"You aren't the next pure element." Caligo managed to whisper as her eyes closed and her drew her last breath. A blue stream of light jumped from her body and plunged down into the ocean next to the island.