As the sun started to glimmer through the bare window of Skyla's room, a chilly wind blew in and woke her. She sat up in her wooden bed—her back aching from the hardness of which she slept on. She stood up and looked out the window. Another quiet and boring day, she thought to herself. Skyla walked to the room next to her small bedroom, which was the even smaller kitchen. She opened the one and only cabinet for breakfast, but it was bare. Opening the door that led to outside a crack to make sure no one was going to see her sneak out, she could already hear the insults and curses from the people in her mind.
However, there seemed to be panic in the area, and everyone was running around screaming and crying like lost children. Skyla didn't understand what was going on and decided it was a good time to gather fruits and berries while she wasn't noticed, but then a newspaper on the ground had caught her attention. She picked it up curiously and looked at the article on the front page. It was titled: Mist Emerald Stolen.
Right after she read the title she dropped it in horror, her breathing and vision becoming faint and blurry. Pull yourself together Skyla…This isn't the time to be frightened. I have to get it back for everyone's sake, she told herself silently. Though the words had calmed her down a bit, she was still nervous. Who would've taken it, and why? Skyla remembered legends she had heard from her childhood. The words echoed in her head from her grandfather before he passed away:
"Many years ago, there existed 10 clans-the ones we have today, each governing the various aspects of our world, when a great cloud of evil descended upon us. A man, or better yet a monster, then appeared to the people of the clans and threatened them to submit to his will. The leaders of the clans then gathered in secrecy, hoping not to alert evil lord, and began to craft their very powers into various jewels to hold the concentrated power given to them. Each one was crafted after their clan's elements: Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, Light, Dark, Shadow, Lightning, Plant and Cloud. The powers held within each jewel held the pure powers of each clan and the exact nature of the element they were dedicated to and, with them, the evil lord was sealed away amongst the jewels and then scattered into sacred sanctuaries built to house each of these powerful gems. Everyone knew not to take the jewels from these places for fear of having the evil one, Amon, return and send the world once more into a perilous era."
Skyla searched the area for anyone that seemed to be suspicious, or at least have a clue of what's going on. Then she smiled at the thought. Even if she were to ask someone for information, they would shun her away. Everyone called Skyla the "cursed demon". She was an only child of a poor family. When she was 6 years old, she woke up one morning to find her parents had been murdered viciously. The townspeople searched around and found the weapon of murder under Skyla's bed. Everyone was outraged, but Skyla defended herself and locked the house up from invaders. Ever since, everyone has stayed away from her. No one found out the real truth of what had happened.
Skyla thought about the clans of the world. Wind was her own clan. After a few moments of thinking, she decided to visit the clan that had the most skills of finding information and spying-Shadow. Though the clan wasn't the most trustworthy, it was the best option she had. Luckily, none of the other clans besides her know only a little bit about Skyla from gatherings, and they didn't know about her parents' mysterious death.
She snuck out of her village silently, taking a basket with her from her house. First she had to prepare for her journey. She went to the fruit trees that were right outside the village, and started picking them. Luckily, the gardener that tended to them was too frantic to notice her. Skyla usually had to hide in the trees picking them quietly. The gardener sure had the eyes of an eagle, and the hearing of a cat. One false move was disastrous, and Skyla learned that the hard way. After picking a few apples and oranges and placing them in her basket, she was finally ready to take on the journey and go where no one has been before. She took out the map she always carried in her pocket for emergencies, and started walking toward the Shadow Clan's village.
After a few hours of walking, the village was finally in sight. Skyla fell on her knees panting from exhaustion. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something pass by. Her breathing stopped, and she stood up slowly and tensely. She looked around nervously, when all of a sudden… "HIYA!" Skyla whipped around, stumbling and fell. A boy about a year younger than her smiled and she stuttered from shock. The boy laughed, looked at the mark of the Wind Clan on her shoulder and said "Hey, why are you all the way out here? Aren't you from the Wind Clan?" Skyla took a moment to recover, then she stood up and said "S-shut up! You're from the Fire Clan, so why are YOU out here!" She took out a knife she kept for protection and the boy backed away a little. "Hey, hey…I'm not trying to start a fight or anything I was just curious…Err, I was just chasing a squirrel in the woods nearby and well…I guess I got lost, ahaha... Anyway, why are you here? Oh yea, I'm Kaba by the way."
Ever since Skyla's clan turned on her, she trusted no one. She didn't trust Kaba and she looked at him that made him frown uncomfortably. She replied "I was just exploring…That's all." Kaba looked at her and nodded, believing her. He asked, "Can I join you then? I really like seeing new sights, and maybe I'll find my way back…" "No." Skyla interrupted. Kaba was taken aback by the sudden sharpness of her voice and how quickly she answered. He looked like he was about to cry for a moment, but he brightened up again and said "Oh why not? I won't be in the way—I promise! Please let me go with you, please?" Skyla looked away and said again "No, I'm going on my own." This time Kaba let a tear down his face and started sniveling. Oh great, a whiney emotional brat. Just my luck, Skyla thought. She started walking away, but Kaba started whimpering and sobbing, and the noise just got louder every step she took. She stopped, turned around and said "Ugh why are you crying?" Kaba shook his head and looked at her with pleading eyes, saying "I-I just wanted to go on an adventure with you…You didn't have to be so…So mean about it…"
Skyla sighed, frustrated and annoyed. She didn't want anyone to know what she was doing, or follow her. Then another boy appeared before them. "Kaba, what are you doing? You were supposed to wait for me in the village…Who's this girl? Did she hurt you? Why are you crying?" This boy looked about two years older than Skyla. He turned to her and glared, pointing his hand at her. Kaba stepped in the middle and said "Stop brother! She did not hurt me. I was just upset she wouldn't let me go on her journey with her exploring." Kaba looked up at his brother and the boy put down his hand. "Fine", said the older boy, "But you can't go exploring. It's too dangerous." He then looked at Skyla. "I'm sorry that my brother has caused you trouble, err…" "Skyla." "…Skyla. I'm Ashburn. Come Kaba, we should go back."
Kaba sighed, obviously annoyed by this. "But Ashburn, I'm strong too! I can handle these things on my own." Ashburn looked at Kaba and frowned. "You couldn't even stand up to a girl. This is why you shouldn't wander off like that. Let's go home." Kaba looked down at the ground. His face was red like an apple's. "I-I can be strong too…Why don't you believe in me, brother…?"
Skyla started feeling awkward being there. She tried sneaking away, but Ashburn stopped in front of her. "Where do you think you're going in such a hurry?" He asked suspiciously. Skyla narrowed her eyes and replied "I'm going to where I was going before your annoying brother appeared." Ashburn shrugged and said "Oh, I thought you might've turned your back on your clan by stealing the Mist Emerald and going after the rest of them…" Now Skyla was offended. She slapped Ashburn and yelled "I would never do such a thing! I'm trying to find out who took it! Maybe it was you!"
Skyla and Ashburn glared at each other for a few moments, when finally, Kaba stepped in and said "Skyla, please believe my brother and I. We didn't take the Mist Emerald from your clan." "Prove it." Skyla dared. Kaba looked at Ashburn and nodded. They emptied out their pockets, revealing their own gadgets and gizmos. Skyla looked through the random items they laid out, and sure enough, there was no Mist Emerald.
She sighed after a few minutes and said "Fine I believe you, but that doesn't mean I trust you." Ashburn and Kaba took back their stuff. Then Kaba smiled a little and said "If you believe us, doesn't that mean you trust us a bit?" He snickered, which annoyed Skyla. Then he continued, "Hey Ashburn, maybe we should help her look for the jewel! I mean, the weaker the seal gets, the higher chance you-know-who will show up again and…" Ashburn interrupted, "No, our only concern is the Flame Ruby, Kaba. Stop trying to nose into other people's business." Skyla muttered "Well can you let me pass now?" Ashburn moved to the side, letting Skyla pass.
Kaba watched her walk away, and then started following her. Ashburn was taken aback by this, and stuttered "Ah, Kaba where do you think you're going?" Without looking back, still following Skyla, he replied "I'm going to help her out, that's where I'm going. I want to become strong as well, and the whole world can suffer from the loss of the jewel." Ashburn didn't know what to say. He never saw Kaba act like this before, and he started thinking that maybe this was for the better. "Fine, but I'm coming too then." Skyla groaned "I don't want anyone to come with me." Kaba laughed and said "Come on, the more the merrier. I just want to help you out. And no matter how much you tell me to go away I'm going to follow you!" Skyla's spirits fell. She wanted to do this on her own and to prove to her clan she was on their side. She decided to ignore the two boys following her and do things her own way.
The trio walked up to the eerie Shadow Village, and was stopped by two guards. "You're not from here, what do you want?" "Get out of here if you want a future." Kaba was scared and he shrank back behind Ashburn. Skyla replied "I just want some information…" "Get lost." Skyla tried again. "I was hoping someone would know what happened to my clan's jewel." "Go away." Now Skyla was really mad, but before she could say anything else, Ashburn spoke up. "This concerns all 10 clans. All we're asking is that if anyone knows any possible suspects that could've stolen it. We don't mean any harm." The guards looked at each other and then at Ashburn. "Fine you may pass, but only you. The other two must wait outside." They let Ashburn through, and he said "Don't worry I'll get all the clues I can. If I'm not back within thirty minutes, that means I'm in trouble or dead."
He walked away. Skyla started to yell at the guards. "That's not fair! I should be the one that's allowed in!" One guard smirked and replied "Sorry we don't let little girls from other clans in unless it's an emergency. You could get a booboo." Skyla tried punching the guard, but Kaba stopped her. "He's not worth it; let's just wait for Ashburn to come back." Skyla took a final glare at the guards, and then sat down next to a nearby tree and started eating an apple. Kaba sat on the ground across from her, looking at the basket of fruit. He was tempted to ask her for a fruit, but knew she would probably tell him to get is own or just shrug him off. Instead, he tried to hint that he wanted one by saying "Looks like you've picked some good fruits there. I wish I had some." Skyla nodded and said "Yea, too bad for you."
Either she was really dense, or she just didn't want to share hers with Kaba. He watched her munching on the fruits, jealousy spreading throughout him. He gulped and then asked "Can I have one?" Skyla was saving the rest of the fruits for when she was really hungry. She pretended she didn't hear him, and looked away. Kaba waited for an answer, but she seemed to be ignoring him. He stood up and said "I'm going to pick some berries; I think I saw a blueberry bush on the way here." Skyla didn't respond, so he walked back the way they came looking for the bush.
After a few minutes of searching, Kaba stopped. The wind was completely still, and the forest seemed very quiet. His heart started to pound inside him, and his breathing intensified. Drops of sweat rolled down his forehead and he looked around slowly. He felt watched by someone but he didn't know who. "S-Skyla? I-is that you? This isn't funny…" Kaba said with a scratchy fearful voice. No response. Kaba swallowed hard, and began shaking nervously. He hadn't been this scared in his life. Then he caught a glimpse of something flash by, and he was even more anxious. Kaba started backing up back to the Shadow Village entrance, but bumped into something behind him. He froze with fear. A hand grabbed his shoulder, and he heard a quiet and dark male voice say "You should be more careful boy; you could hurt yourself if you don't watch where you're going."
Kaba tried to speak, but he couldn't force the words out of his mouth. He wanted to scream for help but the only sound he made was a small frightened squeal. The person behind him laughed a laugh that no sane person would make. Kaba stared ahead of him, and tried focusing on the tree. He was desperate to calm himself down. He looked down, but this only frightened him more, for there was a sharp dagger next to his neck. Kaba realized that if he made a move or scream for help, the mysterious person would kill him in less than five seconds. He finally stuttered "W-what do you want from me?"
Skyla finally finished her apple and diddled around with the core. When the guards turned toward the village with their backs facing her, she threw the core at 1 of their heads and pretended that nothing happened. Luckily, the soldiers were too dumb to figure out it was her that threw the core, and she smirked when they weren't looking. It's been about 20 minutes now. Where are Ashburn and Kaba? She wondered. She was getting impatient. Her eyes started to close, but she forced herself to stay awake. Or so she thought. Slowly but surely, she finally dozed off to sleep.
"Hey, wake up Skyla!" Skyla jerked upright, startled by the sudden sound. She saw Ashburn and yawned, asking "What did you find out? Any good clues?" Ashburn grabbed her shoulders and pushed her against the tree, forcing her to stand up as well. "Where is Kaba? What did you do to my brother?" Skyla pushed Ashburn away and replied "Calm down he just went to get some blueberries not too long ago."
Ashburn grabbed Skyla's collar and pulled her near him. "Are you kidding me! You moron! Kaba gets lost easily, way too trusting of strangers, and weak. He could be in danger right at this moment!" Skyla pulled away from him and said "It's not my fault your brother needs a leash. Anyway, arguing's not going to help you find him..." Ashburn looked at her with cold eyes that seemed as if he was staring right into her soul. He grabbed her wrist with a tightened grasp and asked "Which way did he go?" Skyla's eyes grew wide with terror. She stuttered on her words saying, "I-I think he went that way." as she pointed into the forest nearby. Ashburn stared at the forest, and then back at Skyla. He threatened "This better not be a mere lie, or else..." Then he dragged her with the force that seemed like a lion's.
"...That's all you have to do...And don't bother trying to squirm your way out of this. If you do...Well...I think you know what would happen." The stranger behind Kaba lowered the knife and stepped away. Kaba waited a moment, the butterflies still fluttered in his stomach. He finally got the courage to turn around to look at who the stranger was, but they had vanished. The terrified boy slumped down on the ground, sweating and breathing hard. He didn't want to go through with the plan, but it seemed as if he had no other choice.
Finally, after about 15 minutes, Ashburn and Skyla showed up. When Ashburn saw Kaba, he grabbed Kaba's arm and pulled him up off the ground. "What were you thinking! Don't EVER do that again, okay! Hey, are you listening to me!" Kaba seemed dazed and distracted. Skyla leaned against the tree and decided to change the subject. "You still have to tell me what you found out from the Shadow Clan. Well?" Ashburn looked at her and said "Oh yea. There's been a rumor going around that one person from each clan is teaming up to steal all the jewels and release him…That's all I could gather. And now, I don't think we should be helping you out anymore." He eyed her suspiciously. She replied "First of all, that's the only information you could gather?" Ashburn nodded. She sighed and continued "Second, I didn't ask you for your help. You can blame your brother for that matter. Third, I'm not a thief, so don't you even go there." Kaba, who finally seemed to be listening again, looked up at the two bickering, and said "I'm…still going to help you…"
Ashburn dragged Kaba off the ground again with sheer anger in his eyes. He yelled at his younger brother, saying "No! We have our own matters and have helped them enough!" Kaba argued "Shut up, I can do what I want! I'm old enough!" Ashburn raised his hand and punched his own brother across the face down on the ground. Skyla's eyes widened. She could never imagine hurting her own sibling, if she had one. Ashburn realized this was a mistake right after, and he started apologizing. "Oh Kaba I'm sorry…" Kaba cut him off. "You're the worst brother ever. I hate you." He got up to run off, but remembered his mission and resisted running away. Instead, he turned his back on Kaba and faced Skyla. "Let's go find the Mist Emerald…I think we should search that way." He pointed in a direction, and Skyla wondered why he seemed so sure about it.
They left the area, and Ashburn stood there watching them go. He looked down at the ground full of shame and sympathy. He thought about going after to still protect Kaba, because Skyla didn't seem to care about what happened to them at all. Ash decided to follow them secretly, so as not to stir up more commotion. For all he knew, Skyla could be one of the ones after the Emerald, or the other jewels, and may kill Kaba if he gets in the way. He clenched his fists at the thought of that and followed them, stopping every now and then behind the trees.
After a couple of minutes, Skyla asked "Kaba, where are we going? Why are you so sure it's in this direction?" Kaba didn't respond, and Skyla continued to wonder. Ashburn was curious as well. This wasn't the way Kaba usually acted. His mind filled with questions that he couldn't answer.
Next thing they know, they come out of the forest to find a beautiful pond, with fish in different shapes and colors leaping out of the water. Skyla's eyes shined and she whispered "It's gorgeous..." Kaba couldn't help smiling himself despite the situation he was in. The view took their minds off their worries and helped them to relax. A girl with short light brown hair about Kaba's age sat next to the pond, feeding the fish bread. She looked up and her eyes shined with the spirit of joy. One look at her and Kaba blushed and turned away so she would not see his face. The girl smiled and asked "Can I help you? Sis, come meet some new faces!"
Another girl came, who looked a little older than the one next to the pond. This one had a darker brown hair that was longer, and she looked at the group with a worried look. The first girl said "My name's Miyuki, and this is my sister Takara. It's a pleasure to meet you." Takara kneeled down next to Miyuki and muttered "Shouldn't we get Forrest? The girl there looks kind of scary, and they could be invaders..." Miyuki shook her head.
Kaba greeted them saying "I'm Kaba from the Fire Clan and this is..." Skyla interrupted "I can introduce myself thanks. I'm Skyla from the Wind Clan." Miyuki's smile grew and Skyla was jealous of her joyfulness and carefree attitude. Takara stood up and helped Miyuki up and said "It's nice to meet you. We're from the Plant Clan." Miyuki asked "And who's your other friend?" Skyla and Kaba looked at each other confused. Miyuki giggled and continued "The boy behind the tree." Ashburn was busted.
Ashburn came out trying to look cool, but everyone noticed he was nervous and ashamed for getting caught. Kaba looked down at the ground awkwardly, and Skyla stood there not know what she should do. Ashburn introduced himself, saying "My name's Ashburn and I am Kaba's older brother." Takara stared at him in amazement, and Skyla felt anger towards her. She didn't know why though. Miyuki asked "Well what are two different clans traveling together for, and why come here?" Kaba began answering "Haven't you heard the rumors about the people from..." Skyla shushed him and cupped his hand over his mouth. Takara became suspicious, but Miyuki laughed. Skyla cleared her throat and said "We're just passing through. I lost an important item that's all..." "Oh you mean the Mist Emerald that was stolen?" Miyuki asked. Skyla slumped over like an old lady with a cane, and questioned "How does everyone know about this...?" Takara answered "The jewels are really important. If one goes missing, well the news spreads as fast as a forest fire."
"Well are we just going to stand around here or look for the jewel?" Kaba asked. Skyla nodded, but right before they left Takara said "Wait, my brother and I are also going to search for the emerald...and the Nature Opal, which was also stolen recently from ours...Maybe it would be best if we went together." Skyla's heart thumped, and worried how many jewels have been stolen so far. The least would be two. A moment later, a boy came to the pond, who seemed to be about Ash's age. He carried a backpack and looked around at everyone. "What's going on here?"
Takara and Miyuki greeted him. Miyuki introduced Forrest and the others together. "Things are getting bad, we should go Takara." Forrest insisted. Takara nodded, and said "I think it would be good if we accompanied these three." Forrest studied Skyla, Ash, and Kaba for a moment. Miyuki asked "Can I come too? I can help as well!" Skyla didn't want anyone to come from the beginning, and now it seemed as if a whole group was forming to go with her. Takara shook her head at Miyuki "No this is too dangerous." Scratching the back of his head for a solution to make everyone happy, Forrest disagreed. "I think we could split up as groups. Maybe...Skyla, Ashburn, and Takara can go as one, and me, Miyuki, and Kaba as the other." Kaba smiled at the thought of going with Miyuki, but then shouted "No it won't work!" Everyone stared at him in surprise.
"I mean...I...Don't...Know you two very well...And Takara doesn't know the others...so..." Everyone except for Miyuki could tell he was trying to hide something. Forrest was about to bring up vines to seize him and make him tell them what he was hiding, but decided not to. He knew Ashburn would get protective of his younger brother, and he didn't want to start a fight. Instead, he nodded in agreement. "You're right...Then we should go as a group, because then we would be stronger if any enemies appeared." Kaba was frustrated, but he said nothing. He decided that he would have to get Skyla away from everyone else. Forrest added "Also, me and my sisters are plant users. Takara and I use offensive abilities, though I've had more experience with it." Ashburn asked "So what does Miyuki do then?" Forrest smiled and answered "She is great with creating herbs and medicine from plants. She's an expert healer."
Skyla argued with Forrest about being in a group for several minutes. "The point is to find the enemy and ambush him, and get the jewels back. If we're in a group then it'll be harder to stay quiet, and they might find us first and get the advantage." "Calm down...If we went in smaller groups, or say, we all split up, the chances of us surviving if we go up against them become slim..." Forrest replied. Kaba, Miyuki, Takara and Ashburn sat under the same tree together, talking amongst themselves. They were trying to form strategies in case something does happen, except for Kaba. He shook nervously remembering what happened in the forest on his own.
"We can't afford to get caught!" Skyla pointed out. "Well we can't afford to die either..." Ashburn laid back and asked "When are they going to stop? Time is ticking, and we can't just stay here forever..." Takara nodded in agreement, and yawned. "They're making me tired just watching them argue back and forth." She complained. Skyla glared at Forrest while he smirked and added "Come on, if we argue like this forever all the gems will get stolen by them, and there wouldn't be anything we could do about it then. Besides, all elements have a weakness, so the more variety we have, the better chance of us beating them." Skyla was speechless. She wanted to say how this was her mission alone. She wanted to say only she could go through with this. But that would be all a lie, and Skyla was not a liar. No matter what her attitude was towards others, or what she stole, she never believed in lying.
"...Fine, but if you make one wrong move, one piece of evidence that leads me to think you're against us, and I promise I will summon up winds that'll slice you up like a piece of paper being ripped." Forrest's eyes widened at her seriousness and instinct to kill. He had to calm himself down for a moment before he could reply. "Yeah, I get your point." The four that had sat under the tree together stood up. "So what's the plan?" Asked Ashburn. Skyla answered in an annoyed voice "We're all traveling together."
Meanwhile...In a far-off place only known to 10 people...
"So...How did it go, Zenaku?" Zenaku crawled up from the dug-out secret entrance hole and brushed off the dirt from his clothes. "That pathetic fool is going through with it...What about you, Keoni? Did everyone get the message?" Keoni nodded and said "Yes, they are all coming now...In fact, I can hear some of them in the tunnel." Four teenagers crawled out of the hole, one by one. There appeared four people, who sat against the wall of the small closed cave. The darkness made it impossible to reveal what they looked like, but Keoni and Zenaku could see the dark figures apart from each other. "So now there are six of us..." Zenaku nodded and responded "Maybe the others aren't coming." Keoni shook his head. "No," he replied, "In my dream he sent me, everyone came." Another ruffling sound underneath the earth revealed the last four of the group. Keoni looked darkly at Zenaku's figure and said "Told you…"
"Alright, let's get this meeting started." Keoni climbed up onto a boulder and sat on it, and asked everyone to sit down. "First of all, we should all introduce ourselves. I'll start. By the way, there will be no questions until the end." The eight newcomers looked around, though they could hardly see at all. Keoni cleared his throat, and introduced himself. "My name is Keoni, and I am the one who has started this gathering. I come from the Wind Clan. Also, I have already obtained the Mist Emerald…" When Keoni took out the Mist Emerald from his pocket, the cave was lit up by its green intriguing light. Everyone stared at it quietly, amazed. Keoni smiled and put the gem back in his pocket. The cave became dark as before.
After a few moments of silence, Zenaku finally spoke up. "I guess it's my turn now. I'm Zenaku, and I come from the Flame Clan…So that's all we say right?" Keoni replied "Yes." The girl who sat next to Zenaku said "I'm Amy, and I'm from the Plant Clan. I have also obtained the jewel from mine as well…Called the Nature Opal." She took out the multicolored jewel from her small bag for less than five seconds before shoving it back in nervously. Keoni replied "Good, good. I didn't expect anyone else to have one, but that's a bonus." Amy said nothing more, so the boy next to her spoke up. "Kyler's my name, and I come from the Light Clan…Not to brag but I was known and feared as one of the strongest in the clan…" Keoni cut him off. "Shut up." He said. "Everyone here is one of the strongest from each of their clans—it's really nothing special that you're also one." Kyler was taken aback by the sharp tone in his voice, and went silent. "Next?" Keoni said. The fifth person spoke up. "I'm Kuoi from the Water Clan." The last five also introduced themselves in the same way. There was Koko from the Earth, Masaru from the Cloud, Ichiro from the Shadow, Blitz from the Electric, and Daniel from the Dark.
Once the group finished their introductions, Keoni spoke once again. "Now that we all know each other, it's time to name our clan. Zenaku, would you do the honors?" Zenaku replied "Sure. From this day forward, we are known as the Torture Clan. All of us had trouble with other people in our lives, and it's time we give them what they deserve. Our mission is to take the jewels from each clan, and use the powers from them to take down every other clan. We will be the top rulers of the world." Ichiro intervened saying "Wait, wouldn't stealing all the gems from their shrines make him appear…?" Zenaku answered "Yes, but there's no need to worry…"
Keoni interrupted "I'll take it from here. I've been having dreams sent from him…He is on our side." Kuoi thought for a moment before saying "Okay, but are you sure? I mean, the way I heard the story…Well, I thought he was against everyone." "Yes," Keoni responded, "But this time, since we're releasing him, he's going to be in debt to us. Besides, he did personally choose me for this job." Blitz questioned, "Can we go outside? This darkness is annoying me…" Without waiting for an answer he placed his palms on the wall of the cave. Sparks started charging with energy from his hand, and he created a burst of lightning that forced the wall to collapse and lead to the outside. The group shielded their eyes at the sunlight and walked out. "I advise you to wait for an answer before you do something like that. The point of the cave was to have it as a secret. You're lucky that the meeting was over anyway, but next time you may not be so lucky." Zenaku stood next to Keoni, and took out scarfs that were folded up in his pockets.
Zenaku held up the red scarves that each had bat wings—or as some would perceive them, small black devil wings. He announced, "There is one for each of you here. You tie them around your neck and place them over your mouth and nose." He demonstrated by doing this on his own, and handed one to Keoni to do the same. "Come up each of you, one at a time. These are so we will know which people are allies, and who are not." The other eight teens walked up as told, and each got their own scarf, putting them on. "This meeting will come to a close. We will meet again eventually, meanwhile…" Keoni said looking at each individual. "Whoever comes looking for the jewels that is not one of us, kill. We can't have anyone get in the way of our plan." Everyone besides Keoni and Zenaku looked at one another. Some were a little frightened, and some seemed to have murder in their eyes. Keoni continued "Take your time getting the jewels from your own clan. There's no need to rush. Alright, move out!" Each of them split up back to their own clan's areas, and the place became deserted.
"What was that!" shouted Miyuki. An exploding sound startled the group, and Kaba, Miyuki and Takara huddled together nervously. A little smoke rose in the distance, and Skyla started running, concerned of what had happened. "Wait!" Ashburn tackled her to the ground before she could get far. "Get off me!" Skyla screamed as she struggled to get free, and finally pushed Ashburn off. He grabbed her by the wrist and said "It could be a trap; I think we should take it slow." "He's got a point." Agreed Forrest. "Then don't come." She responded. Kaba sighed muttering "Arguing again? This is the third time, and it's only been about seven minutes since we've started traveling together…" Takara and Miyuki nodded in agreement. They were about to sit down, but the argument was already over. Forrest compromised "How about this, you can go on ahead, and we'll catch up with you. But once you reach the smoke, don't go any further." Skyla thought for a few seconds and answered "Fine." Then she took off quickly. "At least this fight didn't last very long." Commented Miyuki.
While everyone was walking slowly, Kaba decided to sneak away and run after Skyla. This was his chance. He sprinted as fast as he could, glancing back once in a while to make sure he wasn't followed. He eventually caught up with Skyla, she seemed to have tripped. Then he noticed that there was nothing to trip on. Kaba watched from the tree suspiciously. Then he looked behind her, and a boy with dark brown hair was walking up and seemed to be moving his hands in a strange motion. The boy had a red scarf on and he kneeled next to Skyla, whispering something in her ear. She seemed as if she couldn't get up. He looked for what was forcing her to stay down, and he finally noticed as the grass near her wrists and ankles blew in the opposite direction of the other grass around. The boy was bestowed with the wind power, and he was pressuring it down on Skyla's body.
No matter how much she struggled, Skyla couldn't get free. She lifted her head to see who paralyzed her, and she gasped in shock. The boy smiled and leaned down next to her, whispering "Long time no see, Skyla…" This was her cousin, Keoni. Skyla looked at him curiously "What're you doing…? Is this because you also thought I killed my mother and father—or should I say, your aunt and uncle?" He shook his head and smirked, saying "No, this is because I want to change the world." Skyla narrowed her eyes curiously. "What do you mean by 'change the world'…?" Keoni frowned and kicked her in the side without holding back. She bit her lip to prevent herself from crying out the pain so the others wouldn't come. Skyla was very proud of herself, and didn't want anyone to see her in this situation.
"I pity you, Skyla. I thought you were smarter than that." Keoni mocked. He continued "I guess I won't get rid of you yet then. Besides you're still weaker than me, I've got nothing to worry about." After some thinking, Skyla finally realized what he was doing. "You have it, don't you…" Keoni stepped back a few steps and released the wind that pressured her down. "Good job, I thought you might never have gotten the hint." Skyla pushed herself off the ground, and moved into a fighting stance. "I won't let you take all of them!" Keoni taunted her "I don't think you have what it takes to stop me."
Skyla swung her arms back and forth, creating sharp wind currents. Right before they hit him, Keoni jumped onto a branch from the tree behind him. Skyla cut down the branch with wind, and Keoni landed on the ground. He yawned, seemingly bored. Running up to Keoni with her fist aiming for his face, she decided it was time to get physical. Keoni raised his left hand and caught the punch, and stared into her eyes. She felt as if he could see right into her soul. Keoni pushed down her hand, and she tried punching him with her left hand as well. He moved his head to the side to dodge it. "I'm tired of fooling around…" he said darkly. He kneed her in the chin, forcing her to rise in the air. Then he lifted his leg and kicked her into the ground. Grabbing her by her collar, Keoni lifted Skyla off the ground and whispered "I'll let you go today. We've already ordered someone in that little group of yours to kill you. So I suggest you stay on your toes." He let go of her collar and cut her cheek deeply with a wind current. He pushed her down to the ground and leaped away using the wind to increase speed.
Skyla tried to get up to chase after him, but she was too sore. She stared up at the clouds, wondering if she could ever beat Keoni and get back the jewel. Kaba saw the whole fight and his heart was racing. He didn't know what to do. This could be his one and only chance. He took the rope that the mysterious boy gave him out of his sleeve.
Kaba jumped down next to Skyla, startling her. She stared at him, wondering if he was the one that Keoni told to kill her. Kaba leaned down and pretended to look at her to make sure she was okay. Before she got up, Kaba quickly tied the rope around her and he pushed her against a tree. He wrapped the rope around the tree and made a double knot. Skyla calmly looked at Kaba who muttered a soft "Sorry" to her. Kaba held out his hand revealing a fire that rose from his palm. However, it was too late. Vines rose from the ground, which pulled down his hands and wrapped around his feet so he couldn't run. He panicked, looking backward to see who it was.
Forrest was the one who paralyzed him. Ashburn grabbed Kaba by the shoulders, with a worried look on him, while Miyuki and Takara worked on untying Skyla. Skyla was surprised that the four of them came and rescued her. She blushed embarrassingly, and looked at the ground ashamed of herself for not believing them. "Thank you." She said sincerely. Forrest replied "That's what friends are for." Skyla hadn't heard the word "friend" in a very long time. She felt a warm fuzzy feeling in her heart, and she enjoyed every moment of it.
Ashburn asked Forrest to let Kaba go. Forrest released the vines and they sunk back into the depths of the earth. Kaba said "I…I didn't want to kill her. S-someone told me to…" Ashburn responded "I'm not surprised. I know you wouldn't hurt anyone intentionally, Kaba…Who was it? And why did you try to do what they were told?" Kaba shrugged, saying "It was a boy, I think he was the same age as you…But I didn't get to see him. He was behind me and had a knife near my throat. Umm…I knew if I didn't do it, he'd kill me…" Skyla wondered, and asked "I know you were watching the fight between me and Keoni. Was it him?" Kaba shook his head. "No," he said, "it was someone else…Oh I'm so sorry Skyla…" Ashburn let go of Kaba's shoulders and looked at him sternly. "We're going to have to get you much stronger. If anyone threatens you again, then you'd be able to fight them off." Kaba suddenly had a fiery determination look in his eyes. "Yea, I will get stronger. Nothing else is going to scare me again!"
"Ashburn, we don't have time to train him right now…" Skyla said honestly. He nodded, and said "That's why we're going to break from the party for now. We're going to the Flame Clan's training site to help my little brother get strong." Takara asked "Couldn't we train him while searching…?" Ashburn replied "No, the place we're going is specific training. Don't worry, I know we'll meet up with you all again. We'll try to be quick about it, but it's hard to rush training. Are you ready to go train Kaba?" Kaba nodded excitedly, saying "See you all later! I'll come back with new tricks, you just wait!" He started running off, and Ashburn chased after him. "Kaba! Wait for me; you're going to get lost…!" He looked back and waved to the group. "Bye everyone!"
Skyla and the others waved back. When the two boys weren't visible anymore, they let down their hands, and Skyla felt a little lonely. Those two were the very first friends she had in years, and she hoped they would get back safely. "Well, shall we also get going?" Forrest asked, startling Skyla from her thoughts. She replied "Yes, let's go." "Hold it." A mysterious voice echoed through the area, making it unknown to where it came from. The four teens huddled around and faced outward, so they wouldn't have a blind spot if attacked.
Miyuki whispered "Who was that?" They scanned the area, but there was no one, unless they were hiding. "Who's there!" Skyla shouted out. The voice answered "I'm the one asking the questions, and there's no need to shout. I've been here quite a while. What are you doing with the jewels?" Takara answered "We don't have them…" "I KNOW that, but I heard you were searching for them. What do you want with them—are you with the Torture Clan!" The person speaking sounded impatient. A bush rustled, and Skyla ran at the bush and tackled who or whatever was in it.
The mysterious voice turned out to be a boy. He yawned, looking bored and lazy. Then he finally spoke "Aw you caught me…Or did you?" The boy turned dark and vanished, and Skyla looked around confused. What just happened…? Then she realized he must be from the Shadow Clan. She ran back into the opening, to find the boy and the others sitting down on the ground with a picnic basket full of cupcakes, sandwiches, and cookies. She watched them, dumbfounded. What was the boy plotting against them?
"What are you all doing? And why is he eating with you?" Skyla demanded an answer. Miyuki looked up at her and smiled brightly as ever saying "Oh Skyla, come join us! The food is delicious!" Forrest laughed and replied "It's actually a funny story. See, after you flew into the bushes, we stood there waiting. Then, Miyuki's stomach growled, and we forgot we hadn't eaten for a while. Accursius—who this is—laughed and asked if we were hungry." "He offered us some food, and we couldn't resist." Takara added.
"You fools, it could've been drugged or poisoned or something!" Skyla warned nervously. Miyuki shook her head and said "It wasn't, I checked…I know all about drugs and poison and stuff-being the healer I am." Skyla relaxed a little, but she didn't move from her spot. Accursius looked at her and said "Hey, you could sit next to me if you want." He patted the spot that he meant offering it. She hesitated, but finally sat down.
Accursius smiled and said "Here, would you like a sandwich? I made them for my journey, but you can have some." Skyla took the sandwich but she didn't eat it. Forrest looked up at her and asked "What's wrong? You aren't eating…" Skyla couldn't come up with an excuse without lying, so she pretended to daydream. Unfortunately, Forrest saw through her act and continued "I know you're listening, so what's up?" Skyla responded with a sigh and said "It's just…I don't know, there's something suspicious going on…"
Accursius sighed and replied "If you're going to fight the bad guys, you have to keep your strength up. Come on, I insist." Skyla took a sandwich and sniffed it. It smelled fine, but she still wasn't sure. Her stomach growled and she couldn't resist the urge to eat it anymore. She started eating, and Accursius smiled. "Have as much as you want, there's plenty. I have extra too." He offered.
"Hey you're from the Shadow Clan right?" Skyla asked him. "Do you have any information on who's taking the jewels, or where their hideout is?" Accursius leaned against a tree, thinking. After a moment or so, he answered "I don't really know much, but I do know that they call themselves the "Torture Clan", since…You know, they want to torture everyone in the world. I also hear they're some of the strongest from their original clan…Oh and they go around with red scarves on. That's about all I can say, I don't know where their hideout is or anything…" Forrest nodded in approval and said "Thank you, any information is helpful for our journey." Accursius smiled, and responded "No problem."
Skyla suddenly felt like something bad was going to happen, and it did. Forrest, Takara, and Miyuki suddenly collapsed unconsciously on the ground. Skyla looked at Accursius, not surprised by what happened. "3, 2, 1…" Accursius counted down. Once he reached 0, Skyla's vision blurred and she passed out. Accursius crawled over to the three and searched through their belongings. "Sorry guys…" He muttered, as if they could hear him. "You haven't convinced me yet…"
About ten minutes later, Accursius sat against a tree sighing. He found no evidence of them as part of the evil organization. Accursius decided to wait until the trio woke up, so he could apologize. In less than two minutes, he dozed off to sleep.
Meanwhile, wild chaos filled the Light Clan, as Kyler attempted to steal the Shine Topaz from his hometown. Ever since he left to join up with the other 9 members of the organization, he's been known as a missing person. The guards at the shrine where the Topaz is held blocked the way. Kyler took out a sharp, somewhat long blade. He threatened "Get out of my way or this village will drown in your blood…"
One guard, who was a rookie, laughed and replied "Not a chance, we'll never let you pass kid." The other guards stepped back a bit, a little nervous. They recognized Kyler, who was always bloodthirsty ever since his father kidnapped him. There were wanted posters, and the prize money was very high. Kyler smirked at the response, and held up his blade, sending in light energy through the edge he would slash with.
The rookie guard didn't know who the dark boy was, so he stood his ground into a fighting position. A professional guard went to call for the strongest people in the Light Clan, and even the elder, who was supposedly the best of the best. "You're unlucky…" said Kyler "…That I don't give a second chance for you to answer. Once you choose the wrong question, it's the end of the line for you."
Kyler jumped up and cut the air and beams of bright light in the shape of arrows shot down. Some of the guards were able to dodge, but others weren't so lucky and got wounded. The rookie stood dumbfounded, and sadly, was stabbed through the heart. Within moments, the newbie collapsed and died a violent death. The guards finally decided to get offensive, and they unleashed a series of fatal swings from their swords. Kyler beamed a flash of light before they hit him, and the men were blinded for a few seconds. Once they opened their eyes again, Kyler was running through to the Shine Topaz, and was only feet away from it.
A girl about his age stuck out her foot and tripped him. He started falling, but put his hands out forward to flip back up unharmed. The girl chased after him furiously, and yelled "Stop!" It was a pointless thing to say, since he kept going. The girl made a string of sunlight and threw it around Kyler's waist. He tried to push through it, but the light burned his skin, and he flinched backward, bumping into the girl. She fell backwards, grabbing Kyler's shirt. They both fell, with the girl being crushed by Kyler's weight on her.
The boy was surprised and frustrated. He twisted his body around on top of her and jabbed both side of her ribs. She screamed in pain of her ribs being broken. Kyler got up, but his arms were grabbed by the elder, and were tied around his back. He was only feet away from the Shine Topaz, but his mission had failed. Next time, I will grab that stupid gem, he told himself. He was taken away to be punished and sent to the jailhouse.
Back in the forest, Takara and Forrest had woken up, and Forrest had Accursius pinned to the ground. He apologized many times, but the two didn't believe him. Forrest was worried about Miyuki, but seconds later, she too woke up from napping. "I can't believe I couldn't tell that there was some drug in the food…" She said, disappointed in herself. Takara comforted her, saying it was okay, but Miyuki was still sad. Forrest pointed out "At least nobody's hurt. Skyla's probably still sleeping because she was the last to eat the food."
Accursius agreed and added "Yea, I didn't put any poison…It was just a secret ingredient known in the Shadow Clan to knock others out. It's even hard for expert healers to tell there's something in it." Finally, Ashburn and Forrest had let Accursius up. Takara eyed him suspiciously, and asked "Whose side are you on?" Accursius cleared his throat and announced "I'm on the good side." Forrest spoke his mind openly, saying "Then why were you knocking us out? I find it hard to believe it was for nothing…" Accursius answered "That's because I was thinking you might've been the bad guys…Or spies. I'm sorry for what I did, honest."
When Skyla finally woke up, everyone was relieved. She stood up, brushing off the dirt from her worn out clothes. "Well good afternoon sleepyhead" Forrest said jokingly. Skyla looked around at everyone, and smiled, happy that her friends were okay. "Well I think we should get going now." Takara suggested. "I mean, we won't get anywhere standing around like this." "Yea, let's get our clans' jewels back!" Miyuki said excitedly. The group started walking away, but stopped when they could tell Accursius was following them. "Look we told you before" Forrest said "…that we're not bad. You don't have to follow us." "I know" Accursius replied. "I just want to help…I'll admit that I'm afraid of what'll happen if they don't get back to t their rightful places.
Everyone looked at each other a few moments, but then they decided to let Skyla decide. "It's up to you, Skyla." Forrest stated. Skyla, shocked, asked "Why…?" "You're the leader, that's why." Takara answered with a bright smile. Skyla tried to hold in her feelings, but she couldn't hold back her smile. "Thanks…" She whispered sincerely. "Well this is a nice scene and everything, but the world is kind of at stake and I need to know if I can come or not." "Oh yea…sorry about that." Skyla apologized. Ever since she met Kaba and Ashburn, Skyla's been able to open up to people more than ever. She knew that Accursius knocked them out, but he didn't take anything, or hurt anyone. Finally, she decided. "Let him come with us, the more people we have, the more we have a chance if a fight occurred." Accursius gave an innocent smile and thanked Skyla for letting him join. The five teens walked through the woods together, each looking out for one another.
"Try one more time, Kaba. You're so close to perfection." Ashburn instructed. The two brothers were at the Fire Clan training grounds, and Ashburn was teaching Kaba how to control a powerful technique. Kaba took a deep breath to help him focus, and let it out. Once more he tried again, and after this time, Ashburn clapped, for Kaba had just learned one of the strongest moves in the clan. "I have something to give you." Ashburn said as he walked up to Kaba. He took out a medium-sized sword with a dragon's design that went from the handle to the tip of the blade. "This is a very sacred and special sword. It is thousands of times stronger than diamond, and increases a flame's heat. I've always used it up until now, because I'm entrusting you with it. I'm giving it to you because I think you're ready." Kaba's eyes grew wide in amazement, and he slowly grasped the handle, taking it from Ashburn cautiously. He studied it, and asked "Are you sure…? I don't know if I'm ready…" "You are, because you've mastered the technique I just taught you. But if you want to be sure, then wield the blade while pouring your fire into it."
Kaba held up the blade, and slashed with fire. The heat was much more incredible than his own fire powers, and he gasped in shock, speechlessly. "This is incredible…" He commented. Ashburn agreed, saying "Yes, it is. Also, if you weren't ready to use this…Well there would be two things that could've happened. One would be that you would burn yourself, and two, well…You die." Kaba's heart started pounding, and he said "You didn't tell me that before…" Ashburn responded "True, but you wouldn't have even tried before, because you didn't believe you were ready. This proves you were, and I let you do it because I truly believed you were." "Thank you Ashburn…We should get back to Skyla, huh?" "No, you trained very hard today and need rest. We will set out to search tomorrow." Ashburn decided.