CHAPTER FIVE: THE ELEMENTS
'Oh my god, I'm falling for a complete stranger. Oh, what would father think of me now'. She quickly looked away, pretending not to be staring at him anymore.
He smiled then said, "You know, you really are a very peculiar girl" Lai just stared down at her feet. "Well, even if I am a good fighter, so what? What does that have to do with my journey?" Lai asked getting annoyed. "It has plenty to do with you. There are many great elements in this world. They can be used for good and evil. They can be befriend you, or not. My point is, is that you're the one who will lead them in the battle against the darkness…against the others. You are the human. The one and only human who can overcome them." Wu said this all very fast.
Lai was trying to take in everything Wu had just said. 'This made no sense…why would Lai…Lai…be the one to lead all of humanity to greatness. To defeat a power of darkness she had never heard of, or thought of. "What do you mean, the elements?" Lai asked.
"The elements of our world" Wu said looking at the look on Lai's face told him she no more understood than before. "There are many, but you will only need to collect the few most powerful. The ones most controlling. Fire, Water, Earth, Nature, Day, Night, Wind, Life and Death." He stood up and started walking back and forth. "You, being the leader of humanity, must collect the elements, but it won't be easy. They are all Goddesses. They have their own will, their own rights and their own powers. Life and Day should be no brainers. They have always been on the good side. They will accept no problem. Death will obviously go to the dark side because, well…its evil right?" Wu was speaking very fast, not giving Lai much of a chance to understand most of what he was saying.
"Wait, wait!...WAIT!" Lai yelled hopefully getting Wu to stop talking. "Hold on one minute. So…basically what your saying…is that I must round up these elements, convince them to come to our side…" she paused looking at Wu hopelessly "And then what?" "And then we fight the dark side, of course". "But why?" "Sorry, I keep forgetting how much you don't know yet. They have been going around destroying people's home, much like they did yours. And killing innocent people, mostly humans, but they'll destroy anything good. They've destroyed forests where elves, witches and fairies lived. But that's only part of the reason we're trying to stop them. Their leader's name is Hui Hwong and he is a sorcerer much like myself." Wu stopped for a minute and took a few breaths.
Lai jumped in "But why does Hui want to purge the world in darkness?" "Power I guess. He had a very rough childhood and his mother died when he was quite young. He was too young in fact, to live on his own, so he was put into an orphanage." Lai asked suspiciously "But what about his father?" "His father tried many times to convince him to come and live with him. He was a very wealthy man indeed, so you think anyone would take a leap at a chance like that, but he hated his father. He believed the reason he had to go and live with his mother was because his father didn't love him. After many years of not talking and not seeing your father, I guess it would turn you against him in a way." Wu looked up at Lai with a sort of depressed look on his face. "So basically" Wu continued "He is already a very powerful and very smart young man but--" "--He's a young man?" Lai blurted out. "Why yes, he's around the same age as us, but maybe a few years younger." Lai stood up and started petting Noel.
"Anyway, Hui is going to take all the darkness in the world and purge it…on the world. I have a strange suspicion that he will want revenge of some sort on his father." "Wow…I mean, I don't think…I don't think I can do this…its just so much at once to take in…I mean, what if I can't…what if I can't do it?...What if I fail and the world and everything in it…disappears." She started to worry.
This was an extremely big adventure. More than she had ever asked for. And like Wu said, not pleasant at all. "Well, if you do fail. At least you can say you tried, you stood up for something that would make others of your nature proud of. At least you have a clear conscience". "But who's going to hear all of the "great" things I do when no one in the world will be left?" Lai asked desperately. "I will." Wu told her.Lai thought a minute.
These things these creatures had killed her parents and she vowed that she would help, save and protect those in trouble when these things caused mayhem. Then Wu said something that only assured Lai of beginning her journey "After all, Hui Hwong is the one that sent those creatures to find you and try to convert you to the dark side." "What?...They're the reason my village was attacked?...oh my god…they're the reason my parents are dead?" Wu looked at her sadly, and slowly nodded. Lai's vision became blurry. Lai could feel tears rolling down her face, she quickly wiped them. "Ok, I'll do it".