Elements

Chapter 20

Ira had started training months ago. This had been the only training session where she had felt so alive.

Training veered Ira away from reality, allowing her to focus solely on her powers and most importantly...herself. She barely got time to even remember what life was like before she had met her siblings and received her place here at the kingdom.

Now, you might be thinking, Being a goddess must be exciting! Why would anyone want to escape from it?  Well, ponder this question for a moment.

If a wise person was offered to become a divine being and take the throne, I'm betting they would refuse. Why? It's a position of great responsibility. Maintaining the kingdom, ensuring safety...and failing to meet these standards leads to many rivals and unhappy citizens. To top that, Ira was the child of the prophecy. She was destined to defeat the Element Kingdom's most malicious rival. That's quite a task for any adult, let alone a fourteen-year-old.

Adventures in novels intrigue many readers. To them, books are an escape from life. But when you're sucked into its pages and experience the struggles of your favorite characters, trust me, it isn't as exciting as you'd think it would be.

Ira loved her new family, but she loved her foster family all the same. Mr. and Mrs. Thomson had raised her and helped her grow, physically and mentally. What had become of them now? Mr. Thomson was away from home, safe but stuck in another state due to the storm. Mrs. Thomson was frozen in time! What had become of the adults who had been Ira's only parents just months ago?

Ira gritted her teeth and her eyes started to glow. Water droplets that were clinging in the air drew towards her, transforming from liquid to solid at a fast pace. Ira could feel the sensation again, all this energy being pulled in. She closed her eyes and focused. This was one of her power surges.

So guys. A quick interruption. I know it's not the war yet, but the next chapter is full of all that excitement! This chapter is mostly on Ira's powers since we hadn't gone too in-depth with it before. And to strengthen some bonds as well...keeping reading!

Power surges happened often these days. Mother had told Ira that her powers were beyond the elements and had different structures and ways of working. When Ira had her first surge, Mother had worked hard with Ira so she could have some sense of control over the powerful ability. Now, Ira could control it most of the time. Sometimes her emotions, however, triggered it on its own.

The air around Ira turned to freezing. Golden tiles that covered the floor frosted over, leading an icy trail that encircled Ira. Ira tightened and smushed her shoulders in, lowering her chin to her chest. Her eyes flickered and she started to scream. Softly, at first, gradually getting louder...louder...

...

Ira screamed at her most raucous pitch, releasing all her tension. Ice shot out in all directions, minuscule crystals shattering against the golden walls. Where Ira stood, ice had blasted across the entire floor, resulting as the base to the clatter of thousands of ice crystals. Ira opened her eyes, icy slits opposing white. She took a deep breath in and her eyes restored to their original state.

Ira fell to her knees, inhaling sharply. Her breath shone white against the cold, but otherwise, she didn't feel the freezing temperature. She had been a ticking bomb that everyone had held their breath on. A bomb that finally exploded, leaving everyone overwhelmed with relief.

Yes, that was typical with the surges.

A clap sounded from above. Ira looked up and narrowed her eyes. There appeared to be several balconies near the peak of the room (did they exist before?) and the clap had come from one of them. Ira squinted her eyes when she realized who it was.

Samantha made her way down, dressed as Aquafina, floating on several water droplets that surprisingly hadn't frozen. She gazed down at Ira, her black hair glistening, her lips pouted. She landed lightly on the ground and glanced around quickly. The room never let intruders inside. Guess Samantha was important enough to be here.

"Oh, I'm glad Mother wasn't bluffing about allowing me here," Samantha sighed with relief and peered at the ice. "My...Ira, you've gotten so powerful."

Ira rose to her feet and responded, "What are you doing here, Sammy? Frankly, I don't happen to be your favorite person."

"Samantha...or, you know what? Sammy will do. And yes, while that is true..." She cocked an eyebrow. "I may have grown to you. And I'm sorry for how I treated you. I should have never insulted you like that. After all, we are sisters, even if we don't get along much. If you ask me, we're more than sisters, really..."

Samantha closed her eyes and waved her hands. The ice throughout the room started to rise, slowly liquifying and swirling towards Samantha. She opened her eyes again, eyes glowing like the warm Caribbean. The water spiraled around her, then steadily started to disappear. The water submerged into Samantha's skin. The girl was absorbing Ira's power!

Ira gaped at her as the water vanished completely. Samantha's eyes returned to their natural state, locking with Ira's.

Ira stammered, "But, that was a surge! No one can control my surges or powers-"

"I'm water, you're ice." Samantha interrupted cooly. "We both carry the same powers if you think about it. Your's are just a tad more unique.." She smiled slightly.

Ira pondered this and sighed, "I-I suppose that's accurate."

Samantha balanced on her toes and asked hesitantly, "Wow. I never thought I'd ever enter this room again. It's even more enchanting than the first time." Her eyes lowered and she sighed, "You are so lucky to train with Mother."

Ira looked up and gave her a sympathetic look. Samantha grinned slightly, then asked, "How is it? Training with Mother?"

Ira beamed and glanced at the ground. "Amazing. She's a great teacher. With her by my side, I've learned to control my powers. Before I-" Ira looked up again to see a tear slide down Samantha's cheek. "Oh. I'm...I'm so sorry, Sammy."

"Nah, it's fine," Samantha sniffled and wiped her nose with her sleeve. "It's just...it was my dream to be the warrior of the prophecy. Or even just a special warrior. I wanted to find to have something to be proud of, something to like about myself..." She squeezed her eyes shut. "I guess I'll always be pathetic and useless."

"No, Sammy, you're not!" Ira took a deep breath, "Look, Sammy. Just being a goddess makes you pretty special. Even without your powers, you're very special to all of us. But what makes you important? The fact that you took all your responsibilities like it was nothing. You persevered, stayed strong, helped out so much. Without you, we would be toast, honestly."

"And the prophecy? Who cares!? Mother said that the purest of people can only be the best warrior. I don't think so. I think anyone can be a warrior if they prove themselves. Someone who throws away everything and commits to helping others and trying their best. And Sammy, you're the purest warrior I know. You just need some help when it comes to meeting new 'competition'."

Tears well up in Samantha's eyes. She smiles and whispers, "Thank you. You're the purest person I know too. You left your old life for others. I know that people say no one is pure, or only angels are pure. You are one of those angels, Ira."

Samantha walks up to Ira and embraces her. Ira's eyes widen, and she smiles. They break apart and Ira grins.

"Thank you, Sammy. And...now that we're on the same track, you wanna train together? It'll come in handy when we kick the Destroyer's butt."'

OK, the next chapter is OFFICIALLY WAR! This was more to make Sammy and Ira on the same page and explain Ira's powers. Let's see what kind of chaos next! Zoe out till next time!