The Elemental Search
Episode 1- The Arrival
Many Years Before
Young, twenty-one-year-old Raiko set down his leather-bound notebook and ink feather pen on a brown shelf. He had just finished writing another passage in his diary. He looked at it proudly.
That was a good thing to write down, he thought as he sauntered across the bedroom toward the door. Or I could have forgotten it later on in my life.
He blew out a single candle that hung beside the door. The room was immediately consumed by darkness. It was nighttime, and the ten-thirty moon told him it was time for bed, though he didn't want to. Raiko cautiously took small steps, careful not to trip on anything in the total darkness, or to wake anyone up. He made his way down a stone hall in the Shadow Temple.
He heard a faint noise and abruptly stopped. He held in his breath.
Maybe they will go away, he thought with obvious doubt.
"Maybe who will go away, Raiko?" a voice inquired somewhere close by.
Raiko nearly jumped out of his skin. His face turned white as a ghost. "Sage Master Tensoun, please do not do that. You frightened me out of my shoes, if I had worn any." Raiko's tensed up shoulders slowly dropped once he promptly recognized his mentor's father-like voice.
Tensoun appeared silently behind Raiko like he always did whenever he wanted to talk to Raiko in person.
Raiko nervously and slowly turned to face the Sage of Shadow, and the Sage Leader. He bowed down low to this important figure. When he rose up again, he cocked one eyebrow and asked, "Do you need to talk to me again, Master?"
"Please, do not call me that. My name is Tensoun. No other name or title is required for any of my friends." his tone made it sound like he was annoyed, but the way he smiled showed differently. "And yes. I need to talk to you alone, in the library."
Raiko's face was puzzled. They never talked in the library. No one was even allowed in the library except Tensoun. It was prohibited by the Sage Leader, Tensoun, himself. At this point, Raiko was completely perplexed and inquisitive.
"Master Tensoun, are you sure about the library?" he inquired gradually. "The temple elders will…"
"Hah, hah!" the Sage blurted so loudly and suddenly that it made Raiko jump a centimeter off the ground. "Do not worry about those old seniors. They are somewhere deep in the sanctuary meditating or something like that."
Raiko was really surprised at the Sage Leader's frivolity, since he was usually very serious and earnest.
"Follow me." Tensoun said, walking down the long corridor. Raiko did this hesitantly.
Tensoun withdrew a torch from its place on the wall and made his way through an open doorway. They came across a flight of stone stairs, walking up it cautiously, even though it was perfectly safe. They hastily walked into a large room.
"Stay here." Tensoun ordered, withdrawing a purple, translucent ribbon. The design on it showed a golden-colored, eclipsed moon.
The Sage sauntered up to a colossal yet simple door, which had no door handles. Two, long brass candlesticks stood on both sides of the entrance, each holding a small, white glim. The illumination on the candles were incredibly minuscule. Standing straightly in the middle of both, Tensoun rose his left arm with the ribbon in hand, and slowly waved it around to the right. He then raised both his hands at a straight line, clutching and pulling the ribbon apart, ripping it in two. Then he started to move his legs in a rhythmic way, almost like he was dancing.
"Wow." Raiko marveled at the way Tensoun kicked his legs in the air and tossed and caught the ribbon as it fluttered down.
In an unexplainable and mysterious way, after Tensoun tossed the both pieces of cloth up in the air for the last time. They glided down to touch the tiny flames. The fire went out and smoke rose upward, slowly disappearing into the darkness of the room. Then, a rush of wind blew past, swinging the door open loudly. There was now silence.
Tensoun turned toward Raiko, who was shocked and amazed. He motioned for his apprentice to follow as he walked inside the library. Raiko did not move until he realized Tensoun was no longer in the room. He hurriedly rushed in too.
"You have never been in the library, have you, Raiko?" Tensoun said more as a statement rather than a question.
"No. Never." Raiko was too busy gawking at the rows and columns of different colored books to really pay any attention to his master's question. He loved to read, and he loved books.
As he walked in, Raiko could see an enormous, crystal chandelier, gilded with silver and gold, hanging about three feet away from the ceiling. Large sections of the walls were mainly covered with filled-up book shelves. Spaces were left in between to accommodate room for torches. The floor was arranged with black and white stone tiles running across it. The only exception was a red velvet carpet running across the middle of the room up a staircase leading to a balcony blocked by another closed door. Two giant windows were on both sides of it.
"Up here, Raiko." Tensoun was right beside the balcony door, waiting patiently.
Raiko broke his gaze off the books and headed up the stairs. When he reached the top, he slowed down to stand next to Tensoun.
"Step back."
Tensoun, standing where he was, stepped on a dark purple tile with the Shadow Symbol carved into it. There was a flash of purple light, and a small wooden pedestal rose out of the ground. Raiko watched in bewilderment as the stand advanced upward by itself. On the stand was a single, large, leather-bound book. It was the color of dark blood with a hint of brown around the edges.
Raiko gasped as he realized what the book was.
"Master. This book. Is it your…?"
The old man nodded moderately. "Yes. My diary. I have not opened it in years."
Dust accumulated in the space as Tensoun opened the old book. Raiko coughed but Tensoun made no reaction. He merely spoke, even as dust gathered in his mouth. "Raiko, what I am about to tell you, you must always remember."
The young, slightly frightened man said no word. His confused face bided the same.
"Do not be frightened. It is only important information you must never forget."
Tensoun gingerly flipped the rotted-away, old pages, yellow pages. After a few seconds, he stopped at a page that was half blank. The other half was covered with a picture of a little, blue-haired girl holding hands with a little, dark purple-haired boy. Their faces were unreadable, for the ink has long so withered away and faded. The black outline was smothered. Next to the picture was a faint text reading, "The fear of feeling can even be more dangerous than fear itself."
The reading was small, but it could be read if you looked closer.
"Tensoun, is that your quote? It sounds so…morbid."
Raiko's mentor looked stressed. His face was twisted and he was sweating constantly. He wiped his brow with the left sleeve of his long, purple robe.
"How could a sweet, young girl like her say something so depressing?" Tensoun paused, his face looking pale. Now facing Raiko, he answered the young man's question. "No, but I wish I was the one who said it instead of…her." He coughed slightly through his pauses.
Raiko was now getting impatient and annoyed. Tensoun was holding back too much information, hiding it with his solemn expressions and vague answers. "Who is 'her'?! Just tell me already and stop being so mysterious and vague!"
When Raiko heard the own tone of his voice, even he was surprised. He never talked to his master that way, let alone the Sage Leader, someone who is a very important and much respected. Raiko's face softened, his expression turning the opposite of misconduct. He looked at the polished floor, staring down at his own guilty reflection, daring not to meet Tensoun's saddened, disappointed eyes.
"S-sorry. You know my impatience gets the best of me sometimes." Raiko bowed down low, still not even glancing at Tensoun.
Raiko expected a harsh hand to slap hard across his face, but to his surprise, two gentle arms wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him in for a warm, fatherly hug. Raiko's eyes widened at the sudden yet soft gesture.
"Forgive me, Raiko. I did not mean to annoy you in any way. I am just…too scared to tell you what I must say."
"What is it that you have to say?" Raiko asked, gently this time.
"You will not like it, but if I must, then I must."
There was a long silence. After a while, Tensoun let go of Raiko, tears appearing on both of their eyes. Raiko would still not look at the older man.
Tensoun took a deep, long breath, and began to speak, "That girl—the one in the drawn picture—said this quote. I could never imagine a sweet girl like that to say something so..."
"When did you meet this girl? I have never seen her before in my life. And where?"
"You will eventually." Tensoun replied
"What?" Raiko recoiled.
"I saw her in a dream long ago, when I was about your age. She appeared there so majestically. Next to her, holding her hand, was the shyest boy I have ever seen. She called to me saying things I never thought I would hear."
"But what does this have to do with me, master?"
"The girl said, the first thing she said, was that morbid statement written in the notebook. For some reason, my hands somehow forced me to write it down. She stated the future, saying she would appear to you, along with her brother, and to others. She said to me, 'Hello. My name is Aqua Mist. This is my brother, Kiyoshi.'"
Raiko found himself scoffing at the statement. "Master, do you really believe in that? It was just a mere dream. Weird things like that happen in dreams."
Suddenly, Tensoun's expression changed, it was now as hard as stone, like he was petrified at Raiko's comment. Still staring at the picture in the book, he slightly scolded Raiko.
"Raiko! Do not laugh at this! Please!" his voice lowered, growing raspier. "She was there. By looking at her, I could see she was telling the truth."
Raiko frowned at the response, still not wanting to believe any of this nonsense.
"Raiko, look at me." But Raiko did not move.
"Then at least just listen to me. This girl will appear to you, and not in a dream either. I ask you, when the time has come, to watch her and her brother. Protect them from all dangers. They are both important for the fate of the world, and many others! Do you understand me? Can you promise me?"
Raiko folded his arms. Of course he didn't understand, and anything he didn't understand bothered and annoyed him. He certainly did not want to take care of two imaginary children from a strange dream. He liked taking the logical route through life, rarely using his magic since he deemed it "illogical" by his standards. But his master's voice sounded so sincere, he almost actual believed him. Almost.
"Well, do you promise me you will do it? I ask you as a friend. Please." Tensoun's voice was breaking out.
"Yes, I promise." He lied. There was no harm in lying about someone who didn't even matter let alone exist. Right?
He will not believe me. He is smarter than that. It was a pathetic attempt.
"Thank you, Raiko." Tensoun said nonchalantly. "Now…"
Tensoun withdrew a loose sheet between the pages of the book. It looked somewhat flakey and thin, but it held together nicely. He sighed, then handed Raiko the parchment. A few seconds lingered on before Raiko accepted the item.
"What is this?" Raiko asked after it was handed to him.
"A piece of paper. What else?" Tensoun answered like he didn't want to really answer Raiko's question.
"That was very vague." Raiko mumbled. He unfolded the crispy paper carefully. The first thing Raiko saw was Tensoun's signature in the bottom right corner, a signature that no one could replicate.
"A letter?" Raiko guessed
"Look closer." Tensoun said quietly, his body beginning to tense.
Raiko took small glances at the page with faded-out words. The ink was beginning to come off, but it was still legible. Then Raiko stopped moving his eyes.
He saw it, Tensoun thought, scared. Why does he have to be so stubborn?
Raiko just stood there, focusing on one, single word:
Spell.
"Spell? As in a magical spell?" Raiko looked angry. He was starting to accidently wrinkle the paper as he was clutching it.
"Raiko…please understand."
"You know how I feel about magic, Tensoun!" Raiko tossed the paper in the direction of the floor. Tensoun caught it as it flittered downward. He tried hard to straighten it out.
"It…it is a magical incantation, is it not?" Raiko stomped down the marble steps, toward the door. "I will not submit to your strange beliefs! My conscious is clear!" Raiko had his hand on the doorknob. He twisted it to the right.
Why Raiko? I did not want to have to say it. Tensoun cringed at his own thought.
"Raiko! Stop!" Tensoun hesitated, then added with a tremor in his voice, "Raiko. I am dying!"
As was expected, Raiko stopped in his tracks. The door was open and Raiko was about to step out of the room.
The air was still. Everything was still. There was absolute, deafening silence.
"You…you are lying." Raiko started off slowly. He raised his voice almost instantly to an ear-threatening screech.
"You are LYING!" the words hung there for a few good seconds.
Still facing away from Tensoun, Raiko slammed the door shut, the noise echoing across the room. Tensoun could here Raiko sobbing as he leaned against the door. Guilt rose in Tensoun's mind, but it was true. He was dying. Slowly but surely dying.
"You are lying." Raiko repeated, softer this time.
Tensoun swallowed hard. "I would never lie about something so big." he said matter-of-factly.
The student sniffed loudly, and then said, "Yes, I know. That is why I want to deny you sometimes. You are always honest and truthful. I loathe that, especially when you talk about magic or something bad happening or both."
He turned around. Every move he made seemed to be going frame by frame, like he was a robot. "I hate it. I hate accuracy, especially if it comes from you and it is bad."
His face was a very bright red. His eyes were watery and his body was tense yet limp.
"Why? Why do you torment me?"
"Raiko. Listen." Tensoun found himself crying as well. "I am dying. That is fact. It is of old age."
"How do you know that?" Raiko spat.
"The girl. She said it." Tensoun answered, knowing full well that Raiko would still be in denial of the subject.
Raiko almost breathed a sigh of relief.
"That is how?" he found himself chuckling. "Then you are not dying, because dream-like girls cannot predict the future."
Tensoun looked serious. He almost always looked serious. He would never joke on matters like this. Raiko knew that, but he refused to believe it.
"Raiko. The more you deny it, the more pain it will bring you. Pain and suffering. You know that." Tensoun was stern, like the teacher he was.
Raiko said nothing. He stood there once again, smiling.
He will not die. He will not die. He will not die.
"Raiko! Get over here. Now!" Tensoun saw the smile on his student's face, and he almost felt betrayed by looking at it. His own student was mocking and smiling at a time like this.
I did not raise him to be like this.
Raiko did not move, but the smile erased from his face.
"Now!" Tensoun screeched, starling Raiko and even himself. He never yelled like that before. Never to Raiko.
We are running out of time.
Raiko walked slowly toward Tensoun, staring at the ground. The Sage Leader felt so guilty, but you have to be harsh to someone so stubborn in order to get them to budge.
Tensoun stared at the floor in which Raiko was walking on. He was leaving a trail of tears behind him every step he took. Raiko walked up the steps. When he reached Tensoun, he stood there, silent once more, awaiting instructions.
Tensoun did not want to be jarring on Raiko again, in fact it broke his heart just yelling at him in such a manner, but he needed him to listen. Now.
"Raiko. You will listen to me. No questions asked. Got it?" The tone in his own voice scared him.
Raiko merely nodded without hesitation, still staring at the ground.
"Good."
Tensoun clutched at his chest. He started to breathe heavily.
There is still time!
Moving his hand away from his chest, he used both his hands to look at the paper fully.
"Take this paper, Raiko. Keep it with you until the time has come for you to give it to the girl. Do not show it to anyone else!"
"But…" Raiko started.
"Raiko! She is real and she will appear to you, and not in a dream! She will know your name but not your face. Do not deny it! You will know when to give her the magical spell. It is mandatory. Protect these children with your life! You are their guardian, believe it or not. Please! Take the paper and protect the children. That is all I ask."
Raiko still didn't want to do it. Why would he risk his life for two figments of Tensoun's imagination? But Tensoun did anything to protect him, even as a child, when his parents were dead. Could this be his way of thanking his teacher after all these years of love and affection?
"Yes, Master Tensoun…" Raiko lifted his head to face his mentor. "I promise. I will do whatever I can to protect these children with my life." He meant it this time too. "Please forgive for not listening the first time."
Raiko bowed down to Tensoun so low, it looked as if he was going to topple over, but he held that position for as ever long as he needed.
"Thank you. You have no need to apologize. I love you, Raiko."
Raiko heard a thump sound as Tensoun dropped dead on the floor almost exactly after he finished his sentence.
"Tensoun! No!" Raiko got down on his knees beside Tensoun's limp body. It was so still. He rolled him to the side so his face was looking at the ceiling. His eyes were open. The stare sent a chill down Raiko's spine.
Tensoun was right, as always. This room was like his deathbed. He knew he was going to die here, he just didn't know when. That's why he was so persistent throughout their conversation.
In a weird sort of way, Raiko didn't cry. He merely grabbed the paper from Tensoun's freezing cold hands and stayed quiet next to him. After a while, Raiko stood up, yet not wanting to leave Tensoun's side, and said, "I will do what you asked. I promise."
He bowed down one last time to his father-like teacher, this one being the longest one he has ever done. Looking at Tensoun for the last time, he rushed down the stairs and raced out the door. He broke into a waterfall of tears once he step foot out the room.
"Elders! Elders! Help!" Raiko called out as loud as he could, still running down the flight of stairs that led to the library. "Help!"
As a response, Raiko heard voices coming from down below. He could see the Shadow Temple elders waiting for him down stairs, their faces filled with fear. As Raiko reached the bottom, one elder asked, "What is it, Raiko? What happened? Where is Sage Leader Tensoun?"
Raiko slipped the paper underneath his yellow, brown cloak, trying hard not to show it to them. Once he knew the paper was safe, he was now ready to tell the elders what had happened to the Sage Leader, Raiko's teacher and adoptive father, Tensoun.
Raiko nearly fainted at the sudden realization. These two children were the ones he was waiting for. He has been waiting for these children for almost fifty years.
They are real, and I did not believe him.
"Keep it with you until the time has come for you to give it to the girl." were Raiko's instructions. Was now the time to hand it over?
Raiko felt like it wasn't the time. Not yet.
"D-did those babies just speak?" Amber asked, backing away slowly.
A hand reached for Amber's shoulder, stopping her from backing up.
"Stay, Amber, This is important." Riju said.
Amber begrudgingly shook off Riju's hand and stayed at where she was standing.
Riju walked away from Amber to talk to Roselina. "The ring, if you please." He held his hand out to her.
Roselina looked from his face to his hand, wondering if she should give it to him. After a minute she decided.
"No, Riju. I want to see something."
Roselina went to the children, who stood there, exchanging glances at one another. She stopped a few inches apart from them and held up the ring. The blue and purple gems grew brighter and brighter. Roselina dropped her hand slowly beside her and looked back at the others.
"Like I suspected, we have found them."
"The Sages of…" Riju started.
"…Water and Shadow." Roselina finished. "There is a full moon tonight. The elements of Water and Shadow are powered by moonlight, just as Ice and Wind are too."
"Giving the new Sages a better chance of appearing. Brilliant, child!" Celestia complimented.
"Excuse me." said the mysterious girl at last.
All heads turned toward the two children, who were quiet throughout the Sages' conversation until now.
"Which one of you is Raiko of the Light Nation?" she added.
There was a moment of silence.
"She will know your name but not your face."
He was right again, Raiko thought.
"I am Raiko." He said out loud. The other Sgaes turned toward him, confused.
Raiko ignored the strange looks that were being given to him and walked toward the girl. The boy gave him a warning glance until he smiled again.
The girl kept her smile. She bowed down slightly to Raiko. Seeing this, the boy did the same. They both rose and the girl asked, "So this is the world, is it not?"
"Pardon me?" Raiko questioned.
The girl's smile faded for a minute. She closed her eyes, like she was trying to remember something. She opened them again and her smile was back. "I am sorry, but I do not know the rest of your names."
Raiko looked back at the Sages. They seemed to find this unsettling from the look on there faces. Raiko frowned slightly at them and said, "She wants to know your names."
Roselina was the first to come up. "My name is Roselina, the Sage of Forest. I am of the Forest Nation in Gordon Village. It is a pleasure to meet you."
The rest looked at each other, waiting to see who would go next.
"I am Riju, Sage of Spirit. I come from the Spirit Nation in Kari Village."
One by one, the others accepted this and introduced who they were.
"Celestia of the Wind Nation. I am the Sage of Wind, protector of Carnegine Village."
"You can call me Frost. I am the Sage of Ice in Forge Village."
The boy didn't look at everyone who came up directly. Instead he looked at their shadows. He smiled at each of them, except Amber's.
"The new Sages, right? Amber, Sage of Fire. Apricorn Village is where I am from."
The girl smiled at Amber with such happiness, but all the boy did was frown. The girl glanced at him and whispered something in his ear. He forced a smile, but it looked fake.
Acknowledging everyone's introduction, the girl walked closer to them. The boy did the same. "Like I said before, my name is Aqua Mist, but please call me Misty. I am the Sage of Water sent here by the Element of Water itself. I was created, not born, as we have been told. Same goes for Kiyoshi, but nonetheless, we are sister and brother."
The boy spoke for the first time, and his voice matched his expression. "My name is Kiyoshi, but you may call me Yoshi. The Element of Shadow sent me down here with my sister. I am the Sage of Shadow. Please respect my older sister and me as the new Sages of Water and Shadow."
"Now then." Aqua walked up to the base of the building standing before her. The other Sages made way for her to pass through, still a little shocked. "What is this place?"
End of Part 2