Long ago, the power of the elements was given by the gods to six individuals to use as they needed and to help maintain the order of balance within their world. A seventh figure was given the power to neutralize their power to keep things from getting out of control. In their time, they were able to accomplish much good and they helped the people to move forward in civilization and technology. The seven persons though, were not immortal and after a time, they disappeared from the course of history. Years passed by and life carried on much as it always had. Occasionally, another would rise who carried the power of an element but without the balance of the others and especially the neutralizer, each new elementalist was consumed by the power they wielded. Sometimes, it took time, hence the history of tyrants who reigned with great power but all their lives ended in violent deaths. Now, though, one has risen with the combined strength of all elements and a neutralizer at his side. He has started a very aggressive campaign to conquer the world and has made much progress since his first attacks.
He has gathered an army run by fear and has already declared himself a god. With no opposing elements to slow him down, his conquest has been unmatched and unrivaled. Enrhyll will stop at nothing to achieve his goal of world domination; and even if the people refuse to acknowledge him and his godhood, he has maintained that if he cannot have the world, then no one shall.
Meanwhile, in another corner of the world secluded from his machinations, exists a quiet retreat where a powerful secret has been guarded fiercely for generations. In the farthest reaches of the mountains, past the bitter cold and in a valley secluded from the rest of civilization, lie the bodies of the original elementalists. Preserved in ornate sarcophagi, they have rested, their spirits and the power within dormant until the need should come again for their strength. Their bodies are no longer useful and all that truly remains is the power of the spirit and to that end, keepers have been trained each generation to be ready should they need vessels for their power once more.
The neutralizers have all come from one family where in each generation, a female individual is sent to live and to train in the use of her ability. It is a precaution that is strictly followed so that there will always be one ready, should the elementalists rise again. It is a little known secret that the Silverberg family is directly descended from the first neutralizer and Summer is the chosen of her generation to fill that role. The would-be elementalists are sent soon after birth, pledge-children of the pact extolled by their ancestors to maintain the line. They are the first born children of their generation in the families descended from the original elementalists, sent to the distant Northsage Monastery to study the use of the powers that might one day be theirs. It was not a choice any of them had been given, but they had come to terms with the situation over time.
"Hurry. Hurry," Leeteuk hissed, ushering the six persons before him on. "The headmaster has been calling for us," he explained quickly as he straightened his loose, tan colored robes and pat his hair, the light brown strands jutting forward and slightly into his deep chestnut colored eyes.
Eunhyuk groaned as he raised a hand to cover one side of his face, "Not another lecture…"
Siwon put an arm around the slightly shorter man's shoulders and winked, "Not that it would do you any good." Kyuhyun snickered at the exchange but didn't say anything else, focusing instead on touching up his own feathered black hair where a few stray strands tickled his eyebrows framing intense, dark brown eyes.
The three girls sighed and shook their heads. "Come on then," Kharin shrugged, her braided pale chestnut colored hair bouncing on her back. "Let's just get it over with." Confidently, she led the way and the others followed, with no small help from Leeteuk who brought up the rear. Eleanara and Summer nodded in tandem with her thought and slipped themselves into the middle of the pack, the former near the rear and the latter closer to the center. Today, the walls of the monastery seemed slightly different and nervous eyes traced the decorations and smooth ceiling. The walls of the monastery held few secrets for them as they had lived there nearly their entire lives. None of them remembered their family or had any friends outside of here and it could have been a very lonely existence, but they all had each other and the other students who resided here. That was not to say that they always got along just fine, but they made it work, because they had to.
Eunhyuk was perpetually pulling pranks and being silly but he was also one that almost always kept them laughing. Kyuhyun had a voice they could all appreciate and it helped to lighten their day when he chose to use it, though it could be equally caustic when he wanted it to be. Siwon was the tallest of the group and among the more protective too, sometimes overly so, but he was always quick with a hug or a hand if anyone needed either. Leeteuk was the, more or less, self-proclaimed leader and he always worried that they would not be ready should they be called upon but for all his harrying, he was the most dependable of the group. Among the girls, Kharin was the leader figure and typically said what was on her mind but she had amazing insight and tended to see the bigger picture more often than most of the group. Eleanara was one of the quieter ones but she had her moments too. Even more so than Siwon, she was protective of them, though she was the smallest as well. Summer was another fighter; self-assured in her abilities and quick to help keep the others in line when they took it a step too far.
All in all, they meshed relatively well, which was good as their interactions with the other persons in the monastery were minimal to say the least. Among those their own age, they did have some relations, but nothing extensive and few close friendships, if any. Most didn't want to get too close in case the time did come for them to be called. Neither were their instructors exactly the friendly types and the rest of the students here had come of their own volition or their family's shame. The Northsage monastery was a place where one could forget their past or work towards a more enlightened future, but it was hard to get to so only a very few made it here. As such, the monastery was also remarkably self-sufficient, needing infrequent supplies from the village at the base of the mountain pass.
Kharin pushed open the large double doors that led to the inner hall the headmaster always called them to when in attendance, and the rest filed in after her, coming up short when they saw him in full regalia. "We're here!" Leeteuk announced, coming around from behind them and then pausing as he took in the scene. His eyes widened and he looked back at the group in surprise and some trepidation. There were only a handful of reasons why Headmaster Yoogin would call them before him dressed as he was now.
All seven of the group fell quiet and stared, nervous hands playing with the fabric of their robes, all of the same uniform color. "Trainees," Yoogin began, surveying them with his ancient gray eyes. The wrinkles in his face sagged slightly when he blinked, white eyebrows following the motion tiredly. He tapped his gnarled oak staff on the stone floor once and nodded. "It is time." Without another word, the stone door in the floor in front of him slowly creaked open, sounding of stone grating on stone. With all the grace of his station, Yoogin headed down the stairs where wall sconces lit up as he passed by, the hem of his off-white robe dragging on the steps behind him as he descended. The staff and the ornate headpiece he wore cast shadows along the wall that moved eerily in the firelight.
Uncertainly, the group moved toward the open portal as one and peered down into the lit hallway. Headmaster Yoogin was already a good ways ahead of them, but it would not take them long to catch up…once they took that first step anyway. "At least it's not a lecture," Summer shrugged, looking from face to face, waiting to see who would take the first step.
"Well," Leeteuk said at the same time Kharin did. They laughed nervously and she tipped her head to him to go first. He smiled and nodded dubiously. "Let's go." Nervously, he took his first step and started down the chilly walkway, one hand trailing along the cold stone walls as he walked. The rest fell in behind with Eleanara following first, Kyuhyun and Summer next, with Siwon, Eunhyuk and Kharin bringing up the rear.
Just to see if she could, as they passed the next wall sconce, Summer reached up and extinguished the firelight. Her grin of triumph was immediately doused when the group all turned at her, "Summer!" as they were flooded in darkness at that spot. They had light before them and behind them but nothing where they stood in shadow.
"Sorry," she cringed, reaching back up and removing the neutralization. "I just wanted to see," she muttered, looking at them in annoyance. Her ability had been apparent since the time she could walk and she had been encouraged to practice it as often as possible so that she might well be prepared if the time came. Natural elements were harder to neutralize than created ones, or so she had been told, but simple lights were no problem.
A sigh reached them from the back. "Come on guys. We don't have time for this," Kharin reminded them with a look ahead, her green eyes sharp and wary. Being at the top of the staircase, relatively speaking, it was easy to see they still had a ways to go.
"She's right," Kyuhyun remarked, looking around. "We've played here enough." His gaze touched Summer and then passed over her as he looked at Leeteuk in the lead, to Summer's annoyance. Visibly, she fumed next to him but when the group started moving again, she followed along with the rest. They were all nervous of what was to come, so despite whatever feelings they may have had, they all ended up being very close to each other. By the time they reached the platform at the bottom, they were all holding hands in one long chain. Their grips tightened when they had a chance to look around and they could see the six solid bronze sarcophagi that held the bodies of those they were to be the substitutes for. Each one had a statue and a nameplate at the head of the sarcophagus so that they could all be recognized easily. Behind each statue was another wall sconce so the room was considerably warmer and brighter than the hallway had been.
A silent sigh escaped them as they stood in awe of the magnitude of the room before them. Vaulted ceilings rose high above and on the roof of the interior was an extravagant painting depicting the six persons as they had been in life, drawn against the backdrop of their corresponding element. In the case of the neutralizer, they had but to look on the floor to notice the image of a woman with her arms spread wide as if to embrace them. She had wavy black hair that curled around her shoulders and vibrant honey colored eyes that smiled at them through the imagery. She was wearing the same tan colored robes they themselves wore now, with a braided sash of the six elemental colors tied at her waist. Her hood was pulled back and the sleeves of her robe had slid back to reveal slender, delicate hands and arms.
"I knew she was a woman," Summer whispered to herself, earning another glance from the rest of the group.
"Her name was Sinrielle and she was a priestess of the elemental order. Even before the elements were given to us, we honored the elements as the fundaments of life," Yoogin explained reverently as he regarded the group before him. He sincerely hoped they would be up to the task ahead of them. Resolutely, he turned his attention from the group and reviewed the sarcophagi that had called to him just this day. Every headmaster waited for the call, a clarion sound in their head that refused to go away until it was answered. The signal had finally stopped now that they had arrived and he could relax for just a minute more.
"Sir?" Leeteuk asked into the relative silence, his voice carrying easily over the sound of the flickering flames.
"Yes Leeteuk?" Yoogin asked with a backwards glance.
He gulped, suddenly the center of attention again. "What would you have us do now?" Briefly, he shrugged at the others as they weren't helping any.
"You know what elements you have trained to take over," he explained, gesturing to the circular indents at the foot of each sarcophagus. "Summer," he called when the rest started to move. "You need only remain where you stand there," he assured her as she slowly relinquished her grip on both Siwon and Kyuhyun. They looked at her uncertainly but had to focus on the plaques that named each person and indicated which element they had controlled.
The elements followed the pattern of light, earth, fire, water, wind and shadow with the corresponding elementalists named as Sungmin, Shindong, Heechul, Donghae, Ryeowook and Yesun. Hands were at last freed as each individual had to make their way to the appropriate circle and none of them were within arm's reach of the others.
Having been trained in the path of light, Eleanara took the first circle and stood before the tall figure in front of her. Her curly, golden blonde hair was pulled back into a half-ponytail with a wooden clip so that her pale face and hazel green eyes were easy to see. Nervously, she looked around while Leeteuk took the circle next to her. Just under half a foot taller than her, he stared at the statue before him, his reddish brown hair framing his face artfully in uneven strands. His deep chestnut eyes were focused intently before him so he didn't see who stood in the circles beside him. The equally tall Kyuhyun took the next circle and smoothed his feathered black hair down and looked around with uncertain dark brown eyes. He caught the gaze of Siwon beside him who stood about two finger lengths taller than him. Siwon had cut his dark hair shorter than the rest but what was left was still wavy and perpetually looked slightly tousled. He shrugged at the other man, with eyes the color of freshly turned soil reflecting his own uncertainty. Behind him, a slightly shorter and energetic Eunhyuk stepped into his circle, fidgeting constantly. The bangs of his bright blonde hair teased his eyebrows, making his soft brown eyes glance up in consternation. Uncertainly, he looked to either side and smiled at the equally tall Kharin who returned one and took a deep breath. Kharin gave him a thumbs up and then looked at her statue, threading an errant strand of chestnut hair behind her ear. It had worked itself free from her braid and now tickled her face. Her green eyes crinkled in annoyance before she cast a curious glance back at Summer who regarded them all from her position in the center. Garbed as they were, she seemed odd by herself, her straight red hair and pale blue eyes gleaming in the firelight.
As the six trainees all stepped into place, a gentle humming sound started to come from the sarcophagi as the headmaster took his place at the pedestal between fire and water. There was a small table with a book on it and it was this that he opened and began to read from, his voice quiet and reverent. None of them could understand the words but a picture began to form in their minds as he recounted the tale of their predecessors. The words painted an image of what the elementalists used to look like and that they all started off as low class citizens. None of them were of noble birth and only Heechul had been born into a merchant family. More images came to mind and as their story unfolded, the sarcophagi started to glow, very dimly at first and then with greater brilliance until it was nearly blinding. All within the room were forced to cover their eyes and it was then that they felt phantasmal hands on their shoulders, pressing gently, before a feeling of warmth suffused their bodies.
Power flowed through them, uncontrolled and voracious. From the six circles, a font of elemental power sprang up around each person, engulfing them in the element they stood before. As one, Summer watched the bodies of her friends rise slowly through the element that surrounded them in horrified amazement. She didn't know what was supposed to happen or if she was supposed to do anything at all. The elements obscured most of their bodies but it did not look as if any of them were conscious. Fear nagged at her and she looked for the headmaster, but he was slumped over the table, unmoving just like the others. "What…what do I do?" she asked into the power charged air.
Almost as soon as she asked her question, a surge of power from the image underfoot startled her and a voice whispered in her mind, "What you already know how to do."
Summer nodded to herself and slowly reached out towards the six pillars. When she closed her eyes, she could feel the power there and with an effort, she willed it to go away. For a moment, nothing happened, and finally, the power responded. With eyes still closed, she could feel the strength before her diminishing, becoming more manageable. At last, she sagged in weariness and fell to her knees on the floor, exhaustion sapping her strength. Never before had she tried to neutralize so much at one time. Almost fearfully, she cracked open her eyes to look around, afraid of what she might see. To her immense relief, all her friends had been set down upon the ground and appeared to be sleeping.
She sighed in relief before trying to stand up, her knees shaky. Her first impulse was to check on Siwon and Kyuhyun at the fore but she remembered that Eleanara had been trained in the element of light. If she could use that ability now, she would be able to revive the rest…she hoped. As quickly as she could, Summer stumbled over to where Eleanara was resting, kneeling beside her awkwardly and gently trying to shake her awake. "Eleanara. Eleanara," she murmured, shaking the smaller girl's shoulder. "Wake up now," she tried again, reaching up to tap the sleeping girl's cheek with an open hand.
Eleanara groaned weakly as hazel green eyes peeked through fluttering eyelids, the firelight bright enough to bring on a headache. "Ouch," she winced, turning her head into the shadow created by Summer's body. "What happened?" she asked softly, reaching out to grab for Summer's outstretched hand.
"I'm not sure," she responded, trying to help her to her feet. It was a slow process as they were both more tired than they realized. "I think it worked," she mused out loud, taking note of the now dim sarcophagi and the others still lying on the floor. "I figured you could try…to, umm…wake them. You know. If you had the element of light and all," Summer mentioned uncertainly. It had seemed a fine idea at the time, but now… A hand touched her shoulder lightly and she saw Eleanara smiling at her.
"I can but try," she assured the other woman who obviously seemed unsure. Eleanara turned to face the others and took a deep breath. She knew she felt different, more powerful and assured. For years, they had trained to memorize the abilities that would be theirs to control if this day came; general guidelines of what their full abilities would be. There was nothing left but to try it now. She nodded to herself and reached out, trying to touch the power she knew was bubbling beneath the surface. When her mental hand encompassed that source, she was filled with such joy that it overflowed and she intoned, "Cure!" From her hands, a warm light spilled out over the figures on the floor and focused on them, making their bodies glow briefly before the light was extinguished. When she lowered her hands, a silly smile on her face, Eleanara reeled slightly.
Summer hurried to support her, rocking slightly from the effort. "Are you okay?"
Eleanara seemed dazed for a moment as her eyelids fluttered but she remained standing and nodded slowly. "I'm alright. Just a bit dizzy. It's very draining," she finally concluded with a confused look at her supporter. "I hope it gets easier," she sighed instead, focusing her gaze back on the others. Her smile returned in full force when they all started to stir slowly. "But I think it worked. Come on," she urged, taking a shaky step towards the others.
Summer let her go slowly and then smiled as the smaller girl walked on her own to Leeteuk who had been immediately next to her. As for herself, she could see that Kharin was coming around nicely, as were the others. She went to check on Siwon and Kyuhyun next who, like the rest, seemed a bit disoriented. "How are you feeling?" she asked, reaching a hand down to assist them both in rising.
Kyuhyun frowned, "I have a headache." At least he did reach out to take her hand. She was only grateful that he wasn't relying entirely on her since she didn't have the strength to haul him to his feet without it.
Siwon shrugged in agreement but he glanced around and could see the rest were moving about too. "Looks like we're all okay, though," he smiled, taking Summer's hand gratefully and allowing himself to be helped to stand, though he did most of the work. He laughed when she overcompensated for both of them and nearly lost her footing but he pulled her into a hug and murmured, "Thank you." Abruptly, he reached over and snagged Kyuhyun, pulling him into the embrace briefly too at which the other man sighed resignedly.
Eleanara knelt down beside Leeteuk and reached out to place a hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?" she questioned softly, smiling as he turned his head to look at her.
Leeteuk smiled back and nodded. "I think so." Carefully, he braced himself on the floor and pushed up slowly, finding everything to be weak and uncooperative. He felt Eleanara's hand shift to assist him in standing and he chuckled. "Thank you," he murmured, placing his hand on her shoulder for support and additional balance. It was necessary as his head was spinning from standing too fast.
"Any time," she laughed lightly, hiding her smile behind her free hand. "Come on. Let's see about the others," she suggested, taking a small step forward so he would have time to react. Leeteuk grunted in agreement and moved along with her.
Kharin and Eunhyuk were already helping each other to stand when the others made it over to them. They were leaning on each other for support and both were laughing at their own inability to function like normal. To the rest, it looked as if it was more fun to pretend they needed to lean against each other than standing alone. Eunhyuk stated, "I feel like I just raced Kharin around the monastery and I'm not sure who won."
"Me too," Kharin agreed. The rest nodded in agreement, though they laughed at the analogy. Of the group, Siwon was probably the most likely to be able to attest to that since the other two were among the fastest in the group. Still, they all felt the power within, yet their bodies were failing to respond to it immediately.
"It will take some time to adjust," Yoogin explained, stepping up to them from where he had recovered himself as well. The power of the intonation had drained him, but Eleanara's cure spell had allowed him the strength to get back to his feet. In his hands, he carried seven amulets on leather thongs. "These are for you," he stated, standing before Eleanara first. "Eleanara, the Elementalist of Light." He handed over the diamond shaped amulet with the symbol of the sun on it. "Leeteuk, the Elementalist of Earth." The amulet had the image of a mountain pressed into the metal. "Kyuhyun, the Elementalist of Fire." An amulet with the image of a burning flame was handed over. "Siwon, the Elementalist of Water." A water droplet was inscribed on the diamond shaped amulet this time. "Eunhyuk, the Elementalist of Wind." The imposing image of a tornado was inscribed on his amulet. "Kharin, the Elementalist of Shadow." An image of the quarter moon was etched on hers. The final amulet was given to Summer and it looked different than the rest. Two circles wrapped around the diamond shaped amulet that had a smaller symbol of each element pressed into each point starting at the top with earth and then moving clockwise to show fire, water and wind.
"Why is hers so different?" Kyuhyun asked, a skeptical look on his smooth face.
Yoogin leveled an annoyed frown at him and sighed, "Summer has no power to command the elements, but she does have the ability to render them null. In turn, she holds power over each element." The rest leaned in close to look at her amulet. Kyuhyun still seemed a bit put out but he had no room to argue as it made perfect sense overall. "Come then," Yoogin called attention to himself once more. "You must rest and regain your strength. Tomorrow, we will see what sort of abilities you have with your powers."
"But haven't we been learning the abilities all this time?" Kharin asked quickly, seeing a similar question in the rest of their faces.
"Oh indeed you have," Yoogin laughed, genuinely amused. "But that is not to say that you know how to control them." He shook a slightly crooked finger at them and then beckoned them to follow him, shoulders still shaking in moderate amusement.
If they thought he had been too slow going down the stairs, they all changed their initial assessment and felt he moved back up them entirely too fast. "For an old guy, he's very spry," Eunhyuk laughed, bringing up the rear with Kharin this time.
"Or we're just really slow," Leeteuk countered from the front. He was slightly winded and that was due in no small part because the stairs were a challenge but also because he was leading the group up and as they had while they headed down, they all held hands again. Being in the lead, it was his job to pull and if it was just Eleanara that he was helping, it would not have been problematic, but she in turn held hands with Kyuhyun and likewise down the line. At last though, the group made their slow, tired way up the stairs and stopped at the top to catch their breath. Winded, they still managed to grin happily as the realization that they had been the keepers chosen for the power they now held finally sank in. Some were blissfully ignorant, happy simply to have been honored as such but the others were curious. Why them…and why now?
Yoogin halted any train of thought by interrupting their thinking, "Come on, Elementalists. You need food and rest." With a wry smile on his face, he shepherded them to the dining hall where they were fed and then made sure to guide them to their bedroom in turn. At this juncture, he understood better than they what their bodies needed as they were still riding the elation of this afternoon.
"But I'm not sleepy," Kyuhyun objected, following along with the rest.
"You will be when you lay down," Summer assured him knowingly with an amused chuckle.
Siwon nudged him and added, "Your head doesn't know how tired your body is yet. Just wait," he winked, grinning at Summer in agreement. At the speech, Kyuhyun groaned and took a step towards his bed, regardless of how he felt. His was the closest to the door and he was as such, the first one to lie down. Coincidentally, he was also the first to fall asleep, to the general amusement of the others who watched him smile peacefully, gone as soon as his head hit the pillow.
After a moment of shared silence, the rest broke off to their own beds. The room had a set of seven beds; four on one side and three on the other. It had always been regarded as the room for the keepers and so they had inherited it as well. Siwon wandered over next to Kyuhyun's bed with a parting pat on the shoulder to Summer who smiled and took the bed opposite him. Eunhyuk split off next, nudging Kharin playfully, who pushed back and grinned before they both settled in their beds opposite each other. At the back of the room were Leeteuk and Eleanara across the way from each other. "Sleep well," he smiled and nodded to Eleanara who nodded back and waved. Briefly, she felt stuck in place as she watched him go to his own bed and with a start she shook herself free. Quickly, she crawled into bed and sighed.
Eleanara was not the only one to lay awake, staring at the ceiling, thoughts running rampant through her head. Siwon, Summer and Eunhyuk seemed to have no trouble falling asleep but the remaining three were still speculative. It had finally happened with them and they were supposed to be prepared for something…but what? She turned her head to look over at Kharin and noticed sleepy eyes still peering at Eunhyuk thoughtfully. Eleanara smiled and turned over, glancing at Leeteuk in the process. With a start, she noticed that he was observing her with a smile on his face. She smiled back and felt a flush creep over her cheeks. She hoped the light was not good enough to reveal that before she shyly ducked her head under the covers.
A low chuckle to her side showed that Kharin had seen her reaction, as a peek out from the corner of the covers revealed. The other woman winked and Eleanara relaxed. When Kharin turned over to go to sleep, she couldn't help but take one more glance at the man across from her. His eyes were closed and she couldn't tell if he was sleeping yet or not. With another sigh, she turned over to go to sleep, joining the others in sweet oblivion.