Elemental Transformation

Sky's POV

Everything is about a hundred times worse than it was when this civil war began. Some moron let word of the ridiculous accusation by the rebels that I am not related to a true king. Legend says that true kings were chosen by the Guardian of their realm, but the guardian of Eraklyon refused to name any more true kings for thousands of years, and then disappeared altogether. No one even has any idea what its name was or what it looked like, but it was the wisest and most powerful creature of this realm, and was entrusted with the duty to name the kings of Eraklyon.

Brandon joined me here a couple of weeks ago, and frankly, I'm still surprised that he didn't have a crying Stella attached to his leg. He said he went on a last minute date with her, gave her a letter, told her she couldn't read it until she got home, and full out sprinted off into the horizon before she could say anything. He said her face would have been funny if she didn't know that he might not come back.

I don't even know how long it has been since I have seen Bloom. Probably about four or five months. I finally got Vanessa to admit that she doesn't know where Bloom is and that I should ask the girls or Daphne. So I called them, but they honestly don't know either. She apparently went with Thanatos and Mink the night after I left and they haven't heard from her since. She should be fine. Thanatos did defend her when the rebels tried to kidnap her, but I still am worried since I don't know where or how she is.

We got another letter from the rebels, but again, it only has one sentence:

I know how to find the Guardian and make him tell the TRUTH

Bloom's POV

I was standing in the center of a misty forest. Of all the times I have dreamed of about beautiful places, the silver dragon visited me, but this time… she was nowhere to be seen. I walked around and found a massive clearing with a lake.

Beautiful, isn't it? The silver dragon's soft voice rang clearly through my head and I found her sitting near the shore. This used to be my home… It still is my home, but it looks nothing like this. Well, it does in some hidden places, but to the blind eye, it has become a wasteland. I tried to convince your daughters to change it back, but when they told me that She told them to, I let them be… and now I lay as still as stone because I was so depressed that my sanctuary was gone. Now, I don't have the choice to get back up again.

"Why not? You aren't depressed anymore, are you? And what do you mean by my daughters?" I hugged her neck.

…Because I am too cold. And you do not need to know of the children yet.

Suddenly, a massive gust of wind ripped through the forest, uprooting trees and creating massive waves in the lake. I clung to her desperately, but she made no move to comfort me.

Bloom, have you been practicing combining and breaking apart materials?

"No, I forgot how…" I yelled to her over the wind which was now carrying tons of snow and hail.

You don't need to dance with me to change sand to glass. All you need to do is feel the individual particles that either hold the material together or break it apart. You need to understand that even the way something is put together can make the difference between Diamond and Graphite.

The now raging storm got worse and worse. I screamed as the bitter cold wind began to burn my skin and the snow pelted my body.

I sat up quickly and gasped. I was breathing hard and covered in sweat.

"Bloom, are you okay?" a voice called from the balcony. I climbed out of my bed and grabbed a robe. It was funny how immodest all of the night gowns were. They were too short, were open back or front, or were just basically strips of fabric that barely covered what they needed to. The robe was basically see through, but it made me feel a bit better.

"Are you alright?" Peril asked when I opened the glass doors to the balcony. Peril was too big to fit through the main door, so she was perched on the overhang just below the balcony.

"I'm okay, it was just a bad dream." I stuttered, still shaken from my dream.

"What was it about?"

"I was in a forest, and then this huge snowstorm destroyed everything." I explained quickly, leaving out the part about the dragon, my supposed children, and turning materials to other things. I should probably tell someone, at least Enti or Abyss, but I don't want to. I bid Peril goodbye and tried to go back to sleep, but I quickly found that sleep was going to be impossible.

I left my room and took to wandering the halls of the Sky Palace. I still didn't know my way around very well, so I decided to take a long route I knew that led to the library. I opened the doors and found myself thinking about what the silver dragon taught me in the desert. She taught me how to turn sand to glass… and I forgot the next morning. I wonder if there is a book that will have more on this. I guess I won't know until I look.

It took me about thirty full minutes to find something that was along the line of what I was looking for. It was simple element combination spells that just explained magically combining elements. It apparently has the basis of most elemental powers. For example, someone with control of water can make water come out of the blue by pulling it from the air or magically fusing hydrogen and oxygen together. It takes longer to do it that way but, in theory, you can make as much as you want as long as you have enough of the elements you need. It was the simplest explanation for it, but it even had the name of the techniques that were similar to it. One name for the technique resonated in me for some reason, it was called Elemental Transformation. At least I have a better lead on what I'm looking for.

It took me a little under twenty minutes to find four other books that had info on it. I read all four books from cover to cover and ended up with the biggest headache of my life. I understood everything, but the way the books explained it was way too drawn out and boring. Basically, I read the first few lines and skimmed the rest of the chapter. It was actually pretty simple sounding, but was harder to do.

I started with trying to make water out of air, but I only managed a single drop. I practiced again and again, and slowly, I got better. I began around three hours ago, starting with one drop at a time, but now I was making water at about a gallon at a time, then breaking it back into elements. I got used to taking small things and arranging them in ways to make something new, I even made a couple of ice cubes by tightly compacting the atoms and absorbing heat from it the way Enti taught me.

By the time I was making water with a simple flick of my wrist, the sun was rising. I wasn't tired though. I felt ready to take on anything, and my worries about my dream were all gone. I still had questions, but they weren't as worrying now as they were hours ago.

"Bloom, what are you doing up so early?" a voice called to me from the library entrance, I turned to see Queen Abyss and Peril walking towards me. "How long have you been here?"

"…Bloom, have you been up since I spoke with you?" Peril asked quietly.

"Yes." I answered after a moment.

"Then I don't think you should have any training today." She turned to Abyss. "I visited her last night after she had a nightmare over six hours ago."

"Then you will not train today. I guess it is about time to take a small break." She reached for me and picked me up in her large, yet slim hand.

"But I am going to visit Glacial soon, I need to be ready!" I protested. "I don't think I have ever felt this good."

"Let us test that theory." Abyss carried me to a large cushion and placed me down on it. That was the last thing I remembered.

The next time I opened my eyes, I was in a room I didn't recognize. I was on a bed of pillows in a kind of cave with multicolored pools of water. The cave was not a closed one though, it had a large pair of sealed doors at the front, but at the back, the cave turned into an open cliff with a beautiful view of the clouds. There was still a rock roof over us, so it was like looking out a window that went from five feet above ground to the ceiling. I was still in my nightgown, but my robe was hanging on a small bonsai tree nearby.

"It is good to see you lucid again." Peril's voice echoed softly through my head. "You have been asleep for over five hours. You were truly exhausted."

"I guess so, but I felt fine."

"You were probably running on pure adrenaline from the magic you were using." She chuckled. "Abyss saw what you were studying and decided to combine that into a new training regimen that will start after today."

"What kind of changes?"

"After tomorrow, until you leave for Glacial, you will be working exclusively on telepathy, elemental transformation, dragon riding, heat control, and endurance." She said. "But today… You will indulge in the best this palace has to offer. Starting with the mineral pools."

"Mineral pools?" I repeated.

"Pools of water filled with some of the most relaxing and healing combinations that this universe has to offer, and they are all natural. I recommend the black water first, it may seem dirty, but it is the best for weariness and it has soothing qualities. Just refrain from drinking it. It is relaxing, but if ingested, it will end you slowly."

Peril stayed on the shore as I took off my nightgown and stepped into the cool water. As soon as my toes touched it, I felt more relaxed. I let myself sink in and sighed in pure bliss as the water washed over me.

"Peril, why don't you join me?" I asked her, noticing how she returned to her stern and serious demeanor.

"Because this is your day off, not mine. You should enjoy while you can." She replied simply, but I detected a small bit of longing.

"Peril. Come relax for a bit. The pool is big enough for Enti to swim in." I joked. "But seriously, I can't relax while feeling that you are being left out."

She sighed deeply, but climbed into the pool. She let out a small dragon moan which I recognized as pleasure from when I scratched the backs of the fey dragons. We waded in the water for a while, then she told me to try the milky white water.

"It cleanses the body and soothes the soul." She sounded like she was reciting a poem, and it was absolutely right. I watched as the water literally removed a layer of dust from her blood red scales. She and I chatted idly and took turns pouring the water over each other, letting the water remove and dissolve all of the filth off of our bodies and souls. I have to admit I feel a lot happier after this pool.

"Next is purple. The water isn't purple, it is crystal clear but the mineral rocks in the bottom are. They are good for both skin and scales, and leave you smelling like fresh fruit for some odd reason." Peril explained as we took a dip into the purple pool. We waded in the waters for only a short period of time because it was freezing cold.

"Now, the orange water will give you energy, but the blue will leave you feeling tranquil. It is your choice of what is first." She looked to me.

"Let's go…" it thought for a moment. "Orange, then Blue."

I had to get out of the orange water after only five minutes because of how energizing the water actually was. Peril was still relaxing, so I decided to take my robe and look over the edge of the cave. I marveled at the sight of the clouds as the sunlight seemed to dance over them. I guess the guard dragons don't fly over here. I saw two making their rounds, but they were far below us.

"…Peril, why are there no guards this way?"

"Because to the outside, there is no way in here. From the bottom, sides, and top views, it just looks like a strange rock bulge at the top of the castle." She explained.

"Why are there guards anyways? There is no possible way anyone would challenge the Sky Dragons."

"Because of dragon hunters." Her voice grew dark. "Dragon hunters think Kingdom Dragons are okay to hunt because we are more numerous than other rogue species, but it is not. We are alive and have minds as well, but we cannot do anything about them, so some dragons think it is okay to charge the castle."

"Why can't you do anything about them?" I asked, completely confused.

"Because we are the stronger, larger species. If we went on the offensive, we would be written off as savage and dangerous beasts that need to be annihilated for the good of humanity. It would be like a child getting hit by an adult. The child may know some sort of technique to defend themselves, but the adult is larger and stronger. It would be like… what's that human saying?"

"Bringing a knife to a gun fight?" I said, guessing what she was thinking about.

"Yes, that's it. It would not be fair of us to attack humans when we could overpower them. Some dragons do not like this and decide to tell the closest dragon ruler what they think. The poor fools believe that they can take on King Enti and force him to act, but they never had any idea how strong my fath- our king is."

"Why do you not call him father?" I asked cautiously.

"… Let us move to the next pool and maybe I will explain." She whispered as she got out of the orange pool and completely submerged herself in the blue pool. I followed her quickly, feeling the chill of being both wet and naked.

Peril was quiet for a while, but she eventually began her story. "When I was born, I was the most unlikely to survive. I was the smallest and only female of four boys who were all twice my size. We lived in the castle for a few months after we hatched, but then… there was a terrible accident that killed three of my four siblings." She began to tremble, so I moved over to her and began lightly washing her scales.

"You don't have to tell me." I said quietly.

"But for some reason… I want to. My three oldest brothers were playing in the grand balcony, where dragons land to enter the palace, when they fell over the side. They were rough housing and ended up tumbling over the edge. Some guards saw and caught them before they got too close to the ground, but the impact of them getting caught ended up breaking their spines and ending their lives anyways." I caught myself hugging my sides and running my fingers over where Mink caught me. The deep bruises ended up staying with me for months afterwards, and I could still faintly see a small color difference where the bruises were from the rest of my skin.

"It was then that my parents decided to take my last brother and me to a nursery. We were attacked on the way though, by one of the dragons who was protesting our absent actions against dragon hunters. The brute thought he would send a louder message if he attacked my mother, who was carrying us. Mother dodged him, but my brother, who was just slightly bigger than me got snagged in his claws. Enti was able to catch him, but it was too late. He was so angry, he tortured the other dragon before snapping his neck." She stopped for a moment, and a large tear dropped from her cheek.

"I was the one that was most likely to die, and in a matter of days… I became the one who was to inherit the Sky Kingdom. When I was old enough, I decided to join the guard. No one gave me real respect. I was the king's precious little daughter who was supposedly pampered and given everything I ever wanted. All lies. I was ignored by my own mother because she was so consumed by grief. Father was the only one who treated me like he loved me, but you already have seen his personality. He is kind, yet gruff and serious. I know he wants the best for me, but his open love destroyed any respect the guard had for me as a dragon. When I joined the guard, father was angry with me. He was furious when I refused to call him father or answer to daughter from anyone but my mother. I climbed, fought, and earned my way to where I am now, but habit is habit. I am too used to calling him by his political title rather than his biological one."

"Oh Peril… I'm so sorry." I hugged her neck tightly.

"It is not your fault. Come, let us finish our bathing and then we will go to the dining hall."

We soaked in the red pool next which gave me strength, then the green which relaxed my muscles. We took a quick dip in the white water again then I dried off and threw on a dress that was left out for me. We spent the rest of the day relaxing and chatting idly. I even got her to promise that she would talk to Enti about what happened, since she has clearly not gotten past her childhood.

"Thank you for letting me join you today, Bloom." Peril said to me as I opened the door to my room.

"I would have been terribly bored without company, so thank you for joining me." I replied.

"It will be an early day tomorrow, so get to bed quickly." I said goodnight to her and entered my room, wondering what we will be doing first tomorrow.