AN: Two updates in one night?! Impossible! And it's not what I had planned!

Never fear, I am still working, albeit slowly, on the stories. Due to midterms and my terrible week, I can't do much. But here is an idea that has been floating with me for a while. And with the revamp around the corner -coughtomorrowcough- I figured that this would be the perfect to post now. This title isn't set in stone, and I might have you guys suggest my title since I am horrid with that.

But I digress... Here is the prologue for my new chapter story.

The Birth of the Masters

By: Rejected Royal

1: The Prologue: 300 years from the Present

Legend tells of the El Lady and her power, that is was so great she gave portions of it to the most trustworthy of people. They became the Salvatorian Masters:

Rosso, the master of Fire.

Gaia, the master of Nature.

Ebalon, the master of Dark

Denif, the master of Water

Ventus, the master of Wind

And Solace, the master of Light

And so it was decided that upon the end of the Harmony Festival, that the Salvatorian Masters would give a portion of their powers to further the El Lady's progress; for each Master was given their power from her kindness, thus was only fair to give a small portion back…

I stare out of the north tower, smiling out into the night as the sounds of the joyous people, thinking not for the first time how lucky I was. A Salvatore. Many of my old friend said they could believe it, I tended to the land like it was my own child, and was rewarded as such with crops that rivaled any man's work. Me? I couldn't. I had started as a simple farming working near the outskirts of Altera's docking bay, always dreaming of the sky above and wondering how it would be like in the sky. Alas, a poor commoner could never hope to assend to the sky like the engineers could. You had to be smart, rich, and a man to take to the skies…

That was until the El Lady came to power.

Word spread like wildfire around Elrios, that the El lady was choosing people for her court. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that the El lady would come to my village. It was like seeing a diamond in a field of coal. We were covered in ash and dirt from the fields when she came to us. Yet she walked up to me, looked at my field, and smiled. I couldn't resist myself and tried to bow gracefully. Instead, I ended up tripping in the mud around me and fell at my feet to her. I still remember her laugh as she helped me up and said, "You should be more careful, Salvatore Gaia, for you are under my service now." The feeling of her hand on my forehead was still fresh as the power of nature flowed into my body. I had changed from the simple peasant to that of a master. A day later, we were off to Feita, to meet the rest of the five masters.

This was a month ago, and already we were a dysfunctional family.

Denif was the first master I met, a small boy no older than sixteen, who was playing the flute near the small lake by the east tower. He was cloaked in blue garbs with leather looking scales around his shoulders and hips. His head was crowned in a pair of white and blue horns, while behind him stood large ornate blue scaled wings, out of which two dragon heads were shown. He seemed very small and meek, like a little brother. I was about to call out to him until his eyes snapped open and he stared intently at the calm water. His hands started glowing a memorizing blue until I noticed the calm water started twisting upwards into a spiral. I was overwhelmed with awe and before I knew it, my hands started clapping in joy. The young boy was startled out of his trance and his eyes snapped to mine, the water falling back into the lake once more. Denip was very understanding after that, considering I kept apologizing about interrupting his practice, to which responded that he was supposed to be looking out for me. He was the one that introduced me to the other masters.

I was one of the three female masters, Ventus and Ebalon being the other two. Rosso, Solace, and Denif were quite the gentlemen. Ventus kept in greens, blues, and white, saying that she was the embodiment of air and needed to represent that. Ebalon wore the finest gown I had ever seen, with dark purples and blues, leaving a few places free for some silver, to which she claimed she needed to pay homage to the moon, the great master of the Dark. I felt honored to be in their presence, until Ebalon pulling me into her chambers and started stripping me to my undergarments, telling me that she needed to create me a garment. I had first promptly denied, saying that I was of a lower status. Ventus abruptly pulled me to the side and whispered in my ear,

We all are now masters, no matter our pasts. Our names have changed to our elements and so, our fates. You were a farmer; I was a flyer – none of that matters now. All that matters is our contribution to the people of Elrios…

After that, I allowed Ebalon, whom I learned was a seamstress before the El lady called her to power, to create me a dress. She created all the garments for the Salvatorians, and she wanted to show the power of Nature through my grace.

I look down to my garment and finger the belt of gold and diamonds around my waist. She did a beautiful job at creating the dress, keeping a simple long cream colored dress with a light green sheer material held up on my arms by bronze clips, ornately decorated with images of nature. My white hair fell long to my legs, like I usually kept my hair. Behind my back, a pair of wings crafted from willow tree branches and pure emeralds sat glimmering in the dim light. My head was adorned with a circlet of branches and emeralds shaped into leaves.

It still felt weird. I wasn't anyone special, a daughter of a poor man and a hard working mother. Did the gods know that I was going to be a Master? That this was my fate? I thought of my family, my mother, my father, my sister – would they be ok with the harvest? My sister kept writing me letter weekly about her adventures in farming and life. Apparently, one of the engineers was smitten with her and being the sister of a Salvatorian was a big piece of gossip. I looked over to the desk to see her current letter to me, written about three days ago. No matter what, I would always be her big sister, no matter what my name was.

"Salvatore Gaia?"

I turn my head to see Denif's head poking in, a blush on his face and his eyes closed, "Are you dressed?"

I giggled, "Yes, Denif, I am clothed." A sigh of relief comes from his mouth as I stand up and lean my body out of the window, "I'm just admiring the festival."

"Yeah, a bunch of us are going out to it."He remarked. I spun around and looked into his eyes, "We thought we should represent the El lady, after… you know."

Yes, indeed. It was a dark day for us. Not a week after I came to Feita, a note was left for the masters, telling us the El Lady was locked away of her own free will, to be in the Altar of Dedication, and that she would remain there til her dying days. All of us were shocked, but none more than Rosso and Solace. Rosso was a tall man, from gossip, a warrior that had lost most of his life and loves to the wars in the dark days before the El Lady. Tall, strong, and a fearsome loyalty to his fellow masters – he was considered the strength of the Salvatorian Masters. Solace was a younger man, a prodigy from Ruben, who was skilled with a sword as he was with his wit, which earned him a slap from me when we first met. But his cheerfulness with infectious- however he felt, he could easily persuade us. However, once he heard the woman who gave him this chance of greatness was locked away, he protested, saying it was barbaric how she would give her life to waste in the tower of Feita. We all felt enraged, but it was of her own accord. How could we deny what our leader wanted?

"Will Solace be there?" If he was going, I would be there too.

"He said he'd be there shortly, but he had some things he wanted to get done before the ceremony." Denif responded, turning back to the sturdy wooden doors, "You coming…?"

"…sure."

The town was filled with the people in costume, joyously dancing around the town square. Lights hung down from the poles, lighting up the night sky even more on this joyous night. Children ran around with their pies and dolls, pretending to be the Salvatorians like us. Ventrus snuck up behind a group of children and blew some wind toward them, sending their pinwheels spinning like crazy. The children squealed in delight, as some of the elders came to us, amazed by our looks. Rosso and Denif got into a conversation with two soldiers about the El shard. Ventrus floated above the children, sending some wind to the children, letting it play with their hair or spin their crafts. Ebalon stood in the middle of some women, blushing as they admired her gown and the moon relic on her back.

But where was Solace…?

I look around the center square, trying to look for the dark haired Master and felt disheartened. He said he would be here, and he was such a nice man..

"I think someone's in love with Solace…"

My head whips around to see Rosso, smirking at me while his hands crossed over his ruby red jacket. I immediately blush and glare at him, to which he only laughs, "It's quite alright, it was bound to happen to someone. He is quite the charmer and is very brave."

I giggle, "Are you sure it is not you whom is smitten with Solace?"

I receive a playful glare from him, "Oh my dear, my heart is already taken with someone, but I cannot interpret her emotions." He gently grabs my hand and places a gentle kiss upon it.

My blush darkens, "You-you mean to say –"

"Nay," He smiles, warm like the flame his is, "Though you radiate with beauty, your emotions are more closed off than that of my love." He sighs before turning to the sky, "I wonder if this was the El lady's plan all along?"

My eyebrows furrow in confusion, "Whatever do you mean, Salvatore Rosso?"

All is quiet between us before he moves away, motioning for me to follow him. I follow quickly behind him, dodging the many people in cheerful spirits. We quickly arrive at the base of the main tower, where six chairs have been set up, each with their own symbol for a Salvatore. In the center of the chairs, was a large crystal, empty of powers, where we would store the El. The square was empty, awaiting the call of midnight, when we would give up a portion of our powers to the El Lady's cause. Rosso looked around for a second before staring at me in the eyes.

"Each of us is a product of the other's restoration and demise. I will be promoted by Wind, but destroyed by water. Likewise, you will be promoted by Light and destroyed by Fire."

I bit my lip, "So, you and I are enemies?"

He chuckled, "Not exactly, our powers will not work together. There are no enemies among family."

"Then why not tell Ventus how you feel?"

"Because you are her promotion. Wind is promoted by earth, but destroyed by Water. Wind can carry Nature with it, but Water remains solid."

"That sounds like a lot of folly."

"I wish it was."

It remained silent between up for some time, the sound of children echoing in my ears. Could he be right? I knew Ebalon was always around Denif, so the dark complimented water? Or was it water that complimented dark? I took a seat next to the crystal and put my head onto my hands. I felt, more or less, like a rat in a maze. Was my life my own now?

"Do you think Solace likes me?" I voiced to Rosso, who was looking up at the tower.

He only chuckles. "Well, from what I gather, his compliment is either fire or earth, so you've got a good chance. Light is the more versatile. I do know that Dark is certainly his bane." I giggle, remembering the last fight they both got into. It involved no less than two torn outfits and one wounded pride. "Nevertheless, I think pride will hurt him in the long run."

"Why do you say that?"

Rosso takes a seat next to me and sighs, "His loyalty is astounding, he truly believes he can help everyone. You saw how he was when he heard of the El lady's imprisonment." I nodded, but he continues onward, "But he cannot save everyone. There will come a time where he has to choose what is more important to him." A tense atmosphere lays between us, the fire of Rosso's power like a beacon as the edge of his coattails start to flame. His wings, a mix between the flow of lava and an angel's wing, start crackling with the awakening of his power. I wonder, again, why I was chosen for this fate.

The sound of a trumpet fills the night sky. A roar of victory echoed in my ears, "Are you ready, Gaia?"

"I am." I didn't sound too sure of myself.

He chuckled, "Remember, just call upon your power like you've been practicing. You'll do fine."

We both take our positions at our thrones, the other three coming from the outer court. Ventus smiled at me and mouth to ask if I was ok. I simply nodded and looked to the gathering of people by the outskirts of the ring. Rosso took his spot as the first Salvatore to offer his power, then Ventrus, followed by Ebalon, Denif , then me. Solace would end the chain, creating a shard of pure El Energy.

But where was Solace? I look to his empty throne with worry.

"We shall begin the ceremony." I turn to my right to see the General of the Feita army stand between our group, "It has been decided that our reign Masters shall give a portion of their El Energy to help further the peace of our land. Just as the first shards caused war and destruction, so these shards will be created to help other land masses in their times of need. Each Salvatorian Master will place their energy into the shard in an order that will not reacted to their opposite, so we create a perfect balance. Rosso, if you would start us off…"

I look to Rosso, who just winked at me as he got up from his throne and stood infront of the crystal. "With this hand, I give some of my power of Fire. Long live the El Lady." He placed his hand on the crystal and it instantly lit up in a bright red.

Ventrus, as quick as the wind, moved next to him on his left. "With this hand, I give some of my power of Wind. Long live the El lady." The crystal reacted again as she placed her hand on the crystal, pulsing a beautiful white. Likewise, Ebalon and Denif followed suit. The crystal flashed colored constantly

It was my turn, I quickly take my spot next to Denif and recite, "With this hand, I give some of my power of Nature. Long live –"

A scream echoed throughout the night sky, followed by a roar. "That's the guard of the Feita tower. Someone must be fighting Berthe!" The general yells.

My hand snaps back, a hair's length away from touching the crystal and look up to the tower. I see a flash of light coming from within the tower, followed by a blue beam. I gasp.

"Solace!"

The other Salvatorian Masters try to remove their hands from the crystal, but the general yells, "You can't! If you break the cycle, the crystal will become unstable and could explode!" He motions to the soldiers around him, "Let's go men!" Within seconds, a small army is heading up to the altar of dedication, while the masters are helpless at the crystal.

… except me, the new, untrained one…

I collapse to my knees and wrap my hands around my head, trying to take in deep breaths. I hear the panic voices of the people around me that are trying to run away from the tower, the masters' trying to calm the people down. I hear Rosso trying to talk to me, calm me down, but I can't. I'm utterly useless. Another roar commands my head to look upwards and my heart stops.

In the middle of the air is Solace, his Sun shades fully open, falling from the sky. I see the large creature reach out to swat at him, but he's too far falling. He's not moving. Is he-?

"Ventus…"

My eyes snap to hers, "This is the best for Elrios, right?"

It takes her several seconds for her to understand me and she smiles sadly, "Yes, I guess it is…"

"Then get ready to catch…"

In seconds, the rest of the Masters understand our conversation and our duty to Feita, to Elrios. We were to give back the power to the El lady, but in a far different way than other's knew…

"One…" Rosso counted…

"Two…" Ebalon grabbed Denif's free hand.

"Three!"

Instantly, Ventrus removed her hand from the crystal, causing the crystal to speed up in flashing colors. She quickly cast a gust of wind to slow down Solace's fall, slowing it down just enough for my spell to work.

I imagined my garden at home, no, a better one. A royal garden that only my friends and I could go. Where the plants could grow as tall as they wanted to and not be hindered. I felt my wings unfurl as my power broke the ground around me, reshaping it, crafting it to my desires…

I briefly heard my name before the darkness overtook me.

The land grew quiet. Not a person was seen for miles from the epicenter of the destruction. It was still considered hallow but cursed land.

A small creature roamed around the ground, scouting out anything that might be of some information to its people, before stepping on a torn, singed picture. The scout looked down at the scribbles still legible on the picture…

"Evelyn.."

Oh my, what did I do? -giggles- I should hope people can get where I'm going with this story.

As for the Salvatorian outfits, go look them up on the Elwiki site. I was lazy, and I apologize for that. Like I said, my week has stunk. And it only gets worse.

Let me know if this is a good idea to go with. Your reviews keep me going!

-Rejected Royal