As far as she knew, drawing up droplets of water from the air does not seem very powerful. Why did such a power exist?
Well, you won't have to worry about dehydration if you somehow end up stranded in a desert, Nya thought. Unless it's really dry there. Yeah... scratch that, it's worrying.
"Hey, Nya!" Jay said.
"Oh, hey, Jay!" Nya said as he and Lloyd sat down across from her.
"So... you're an elemental?" Lloyd asked, keeping his voice low.
Nya opened her mouth, her eyes sliding over to Jay's and giving a questioning look. He shrugged, smiling nervously.
"I... might have accidentally blabbed about it after frying his phone..."
"Well, then, yes. I'm an Elemental Master. Why do you ask?" Nya said as she took another spoonful of rice. They were lucky that no one was around to eavesdrop, as they were sitting outside.
"So, crazy thing is... my uncle wanted me and my cousin to assemble this super-powered team to fight off this coming darkness," Lloyd blurts out, rushing through the words.
"... Okay?"
"So, what's your element?" Jay asked.
"Eh, the most I can do is create a bunch of bright green spheres," Lloyd shrugged. "Pretty unimpressive."
"... What do these spheres do?" Nya questioned.
"I've never tried. Should I aim at the bush over there?"
"No, no, wait—"
They stared at the gaping hole, the edges burnt to a crisp. Jay nervously laughed. "Well, at least it's not on fire."
A shuffle, scuff, and squeak causes Lloyd to peek around the door of his locker. And to think I thought I was late, he thought. The blond wondered who could be around at this time, two minutes before class began. And the only reason he, a straight-A student, was about to be late was that he still couldn't find his essay.
He catches a bit of bleach-white hair, instantly recognizing the person. "Oh, hey, Rumi."
Harumi jumps, her long hair flowing outwards as she spun around rapidly. "Oh, hey." Her hand was on an emergency exit door handle.
It takes a moment for Lloyd to connect the dots. "Are you trying to skip school?"
"What? No!"
He narrowed his eyes. "Why is your hand on that door?" Lloyd asked, nodding towards the said object.
Harumi flushes, pushing herself away from the door. "Alright, fine, I was skipping, so what?"
"... You do realize that this could impact your future, right?"
The white-haired girl scoffs. "Please, my future's practically been laid out for me."
When she sees Lloyd raise an eyebrow in skepticism, she sighs. "I'm the Princess," she muttered. "Now do you get what I mean?"
He didn't expect her to say that, but now that he took a step back and looked, she looked a lot like the Princess he saw on television.
"And you want to skip because?" Lloyd shut his locker. Wherever his essay may be, it certainly wasn't in there. He walked closer to Harumi.
She turns her face away, mumbling something.
"Sorry, can you repeat that?"
"I said, my parents died today, years ago. I've always skipped out on this day."
Lloyd processed the words carefully, confusion etched on his face. He probably shouldn't have asked, as it would have brought her grief. On the other hand... years ago? He was pretty sure the Emperor and Empress were still alive.
As though Harumi read his mind, she grumbled, "I'm adopted, silly."
Unable to think of anything else, Lloyd just says, "Sorry."
"You didn't know. And besides, it wasn't your fault."
He could hear some anger in her voice. Lloyd pushes the thought away, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, we have class together. At least go with me?"
Harumi snorted but agreed to it anyway. "Fine. We should go before we're la—"
The bell rang.
Lloyd's mind is wiped blank as he says, "We're late!" in horror.
Morro decides right on the spot that he was just going to sit and watch in amusement as Nya and Kai try to move Zane.
"I know I said that I somehow froze a robber, but what does that have to do with going to the docks? I doubt you would want me to try freezing the whole ocean, if I can even do that," Zane said.
"No. It's because you're probably the Master of Ice," Jay responded as he walked alongside.
"I thought those were just myths. And even then, I thought they were passed down by generation. Thus, it would not be possible for me to be an Elemental Master."
"But— the ice—" Kai stuttered. "Surely that counts as something?"
"I am not related to anyone for that matter, as I am an android." Zane opens a panel in his chest.
Nya, Jay, and Kai jump away, completely caught off guard. Morro falls off the box he was sitting on, scrambling onto his feet to take a closer look.
"Hey, look, there's something called a 'funny switch'. What does this do?" Morro flicked it on, despite the others' protests.
Almost immediately, Zane starts dancing and singing. Jay bursts out laughing while Zane switches it off, glaring at Morro. "That was embarrassing. Never do that again."
"Hmm." Everyone jumps, turning to see Wu, Lloyd following not far off. "The previous Master of Ice must have passed the element to you during some time." He walked towards a warehouse, beckoning the teenagers to follow.
"When mastering your element, you must also find your True Potential. I believe Morro and Lloyd can explain this to you."
Morro backtracked slightly so that he was walking next to Kai. "Something about overcoming obstacles within."
"Okay? What's that supposed to mean?"
The raven-haired boy shrugged. "No idea."
"How are we supposed to find this True Potential if we don't know what to do?" Jay asked. He sped up, walking backward in front of Wu. "Maybe you could give us a hint?"
"You already have your hint. You must overcome the obstacles within you to unlock your True Potential. Now, chop-chop, we have no time to waste. I'd like you to finish this course before I finish my tea."
They stopped in front of a complicated-looking training course. Morro stared. "You want us to do this before you finish drinking your tea?"
Wu sat down, sipping a cup. "Yes." He drank the rest of its contents. "Fail."
"What!? We didn't even start!" Nya protested.
"Have patience. Try again."
Morro looked at the course again, jumping in and hoping he wouldn't mess up. He lands on one of the wooden poles, which slowly descend. "Huh?" He ends up on the floor.
Groaning, he says, "Ugh. This is going to be harder than I thought."
"You ask."
"No, you ask."
"Lloyd, it was your idea."
"What? You were the one who suggested it!"
"And you agreed."
"Morro, any logical mind would say that the person who suggested it is the one who came up with the idea. And we've already waited long enough."
"Fine." Lloyd watched as the raven-haired teen walked up to his adoptive father. "Do you know anything about... Oni Masks?"
The old man spat out his tea, looking at Morro with wide eyes. "W-What? What's this nonsense you're asking about?"
"Nonsense? You practically got interviewed by NGTV!" Lloyd said, popping up from behind Morro and holding up his phone.
Wu sighed, setting his teacup down on the table. "I believe the answer you are looking for is in the interview itself," he said drily.
Lloyd looks at the screen. "The Oni Masks are ancient relics originating from the First Realm, the Realm of Oni and Dragon."
Wu took another sip of tea. "Why do you ask?"
"Uh..." Morro tapped his fingers together. "Long story short, one of our friends might have seen it?"
Wu spits out his tea again. Poor him. "Who had it?"
"... No idea. You'll have to ask Vania. In fact, she's right over there. Vania!" Lloyd walks over to where she was sitting with their friends.
"Hmm?" Vania looks away from where she was stacking books, while Pixal was staring nervously at its height.
"Do you happen to know who this Quiet One looks like?"
She turns sharply, jerking a book and sending the tall stack toppling to the floor. Lloyd winced. "Oops."
"How did you know the stranger who saved me called themselves the Quiet One? Wait... were you eavesdropping?"
The blond sheepishly smiled. "Maybe?"
The golden-blonde shrugged. "I didn't see anything. Just a creepy mask, black clothes, and white hair. Rumi, you don't look well."
Everyone looked at said person, who was visibly sweating. Harumi shuddered. "Those masks are very creepy."
"Really? I thought the white-haired person would've gotten used to it. If it is you, that is."
Everyone jumped, some falling out of their seats.
"There's a ghost!" Jay screamed, hugging Nya tightly.
"Jay, you're... suffocating... me," she wheezed.
Cole seems to recognize the voice. "Hey, Sel, did you somehow hack the speakers? Or are you secretly a ghost?" he asked weakly.
"Oh, right." The pink-haired girl appears from thin air, scaring the group even more. Other than Wu. Lloyd was shocked that he was not even fazed.
"How did you do that?" Lloyd asked.