A Shift in Elements
"How long has Eddie been out?" Bre asked.
"A few months, I think." Wolfie answered. The Mistresses and Generals, along with Bane and Nate, had gathered on the Main Island.
"And he hasn't done anything?" Grim asked.
"I don't think he will." Andy replied.
"Don't underestimate him." Celtic stated. "He's not working alone."
"How are you so sure?" Joy questioned.
"Her visions." Bane said. He and Celtic shared a look.
"Hmm..." Nate thought for a moment. "This means we need to find a Mistress and some Generals."
"Just some Generals." Celtic replied. Everyone looked at her with confused expressions. "The Mistress of Light and Dark is already here." She turned her attention to Ellie.
"Me?" Ellie asked when she noticed Celtic looking at her.
"Ellie?" Joy and Andy asked in unison.
"Yes, Ellie, you are the Mistress of Light and Dark." Celtic confirmed. "There must be something about the Metal Element... maybe it has yet to find its permanent General."
"Interesting." Bane said as silence filled the room. Celtic handed Ellie a new dragon pendant. The lights flickered as the pendant reacted.
"Light and Dark are the most complex elements. One is never without the other. It takes a strong person and a strong circle of friends to control them. Without the support, you could lose yourself to the constant struggle. Light and Dark are more than just physical elements: they affect the emotions of the ones who control them." Celtic explained. It was information that Ellie, and the rest, would need to understand... but it was also a warning to treat Light and Dark with caution.
"Oh..." Ellie could feel the clash between the elements now that her power had awakened. "What about my Generals?"
"We have five Generals to awaken. Earth, Metal, Water, Light, and Dark." Bane said. He was thinking out loud more than he was talking to any one person.
"Yes, but there are a few other items we will need to discuss." Celtic responded to him.
"When?" Wolfie asked excitedly.
"When the Generals have been found." Nate wasn't sure what Celtic was talking about but figured it would need to be mentioned after the new Generals were found.
"Wouldn't the Mistress of Light and Dark come from the Island of Light and Dark?" Shadow was confused. All the other Mistresses had come from their respective elements' islands.
"She does." Celtic said. Ellie nodded her head in agreement.
"Huh?" Everyone was confused now.
"I was born on the Island of Light and Dark. My parents fled the island shortly after my birth. My father was from the Light Clan and my mother was from the Dark Clan." Ellie started to explain her past. "According to their stories, it was forbidden for them to be together. The two clans were constantly at war with each other. There was no hope of a treaty; the war would continue forever."
"Apart from forbidden love, why did your parents flee the island?" Grim asked.
"There was a prophecy that a child would be born of Light and Dark. This child, along with the Enchantress, would bring about peace on the Island. Some of the rulers didn't like that idea. War gave them money and power; they didn't want to give that up."
"They thought you were the child from the prophecy?" Nate asked.
"Yes, my parents feared that my life was in danger so they fled. I was raised on the Island of Plant and Metal. As I grew, my hair and eyes turned orange... I suspect that they will change once more now that the Light and Dark have awakened."
"The time is coming when Eddie will act. He isn't working alone and we should not underestimate him." Bane repeated what was said earlier. The gravity of the situation started to sink in.
"We need to find the five Generals soon." Nate replied.
"Joy, Grim, and Frost will travel to the Island of Plant and Metal. Latias, Andy, and Shadow will travel to the Island of Earth and Air. Bre, Wolfie, and Nate will travel to the Island of Water and Lightning. Bane, Ellie, and I will travel to the Island of Light and Dark. We will all meet back here once we have found the Generals." Celtic explained the plan.
"Once the Generals have been found, we will figure out where to go from there." Nate was already trying to formulate strategies.
Celtic turned her attention to Ellie. "Returning to the Island of Light and Dark will bring dangers for us both. Our trip signals the start of the fulfillment of the prophecy. The people will welcome us... most of them anyways. There are those who still want the war to rage on, but most are ready for peace to come."
"I'm ready to face whatever this journey brings. I'm ready to face my destiny." Ellie knew the journey would be dangerous, but she knew she was strong enough to face it. She knew her friends would be there on the days she wouldn't be strong enough.
"We will all face our destinies. There are going to be changes: some good and maybe even some bad. We will get through this if we stick together. We are starting to witness the ushering in of a new era. A new era that brings a united Kingdom of the Elements." Celtic looked at the group; at the faces of her family.
"Aren't we already a united kingdom?" Wolfie asked.
"Yes and no." Frost replied. "We work together, but each Island governs itself. Only in times of trouble do we unite under a common ruler." He looked at Celtic.
"The Kingdom of the Elements will mean that each Island oversees the operations for their island. The ruler for each Island will be the Mistress of that Island's elements. Celtic, as Enchantress, becomes the supreme ruler. Kairos, the Rift dragons, Dusk and Dawn, the Gemstones... all of those things fall under her control." Bane added.
"I will not 'lord' over the Islands, but there will be unified laws. All peoples will be held to the same law, instead of each Island having their own set of laws. Certain things will change, but other things will stay the same." Celtic replied. "We need to be ready for anything."