Chapter -138: The Tenth Tribe, Sancturia

It didn't take long for Sarajin to wrap up preparations back home and head out. He didn't want to be out too late cause his mom and dad wanted to celebrate his birthday.

Even with things the way they were with his dad, today of all days he seemed to be happy and didn't say a word otherwise.

So Sarajin took off with an elevated sense of happiness as he flew down to Justek's home and picked him up. He at first didn't mention where they were going, just that it'd be a new location.

But as they made their way out of the village and headed east, Justek couldn't help but prod, "So which new Tribe are we visiting today?"

To which Sarajin was quick to answer, "One I've never even heard of before. It's called Sancturia."

And that caused Justek's eyes to briefly glimmer with intrigue, "Sancturia? The place sealed off from all outside contact?"

"Oh, you've read about it?" Sarajin turned to his friend in earnest to hear what he had to say. But the truth, as it remained, was shorter than expected.

"That's about the gist of what I know," He replied, "Sancturia has existed for as long as the planet has, but for as long as that fact has been recorded nobody has seen what the people inside look like or what Element they hold dominion over...Though, it's hard to imagine what element they COULD control at this point."

"Right," Sarajin crossed his arms against his chest and felt confident saying what he knew, "There's Nature, Water, Wind, Earth, Electricity, Ice, Fire, Light and Darkness...That's the nine elements."

"Maybe it could be an amalgamation of the elements," Justek theorized, "It would explain it's position among the center of all the Tribes."

He began to smile and his tone rose in pitch slightly, "I must admit...This trip is sounding more exciting by the second."

"Yeah!" Sarajin shook his fists around, "We're going to a place nobody's been inside of for thousands of years!"

Justek curbed his enthusiasm to face him and wondered, "Though that does beg the question...What prompted this idea in the first place, Sarajin?"

"Oh, right!" Sarajin reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out the letter Nimus had delivered for him, "Read this letter I got!"

"A letter...?" Justek adjusted his glasses and then brought the parchment closer to his face. He then began to squint his eyes and mutter aloud, "This...might be difficult to read."

"For you?!" Sarajin gasped, "Wow, I guess that answers who is smarter between you and my friend!"

Justek glared over the top of the parchment then firmly asserted his smarts, "Do not be ridiculous, it's not a matter of the language it's how the letter was written...Whoever did this seems to have taken our letters and butchered them with these...Squiggly lines."

"Well, the guy who read it for me believes a girl wrote it."

"Hmph, I'm inclined to believe that as well..." Justek made one last quick adjustment to his glasses and then made a decent attempt at reading it over, muttering the words to himself. His expression shifted between calm to confused, then wide-eyed with intrigue.

It ended with him clutching the letter before his chest and staring at Sarajin, "How on Earth did this person possibly find out about your Conduit Forms?"

"I guess word's gotten around about my adventures!" Sarajin said, proudly grinning as he put his hands behind his head and basked in the letter's praise.

"..." Justek handed the letter back and then closed his eyes, muttering in his usual guarded tone, "I've gone from excited...to worried."

Sarajin peeked one eye open and wondered, "How come?"

"The only reason I could think they would call attention to the fact you control multiple elements is if they were plotting something."

"Plotting...what?" Sarajin wondered with a tilt of his head, "If the city's been closed off all this time...Wouldn't they have had no involvement with the war?"

"Hmm..." Replied Justek.

"I-It just doesn't sound like the person who wrote that is a bad person, that's all!" Sarajin hastily waved his hands around until Justek looked his way.

"I'll concede that you're right about their lack of involvement in the war," Justek then crossed his arms and made clear on one other thing, "But that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to be on our guard."

"..." Sarajin settled down just a bit and nodded, "Alright, Justek."

It made him crack a subtle smile and then gesture towards the east before his waist, "Shall we then?"

Sarajin pocketed the letter and they were on their way. It was to be the first time they really pushed out towards the Rot Lands, and within minutes they'd be out of reach of any safe place to retreat to.

But it's as Sarajin always tried to remember...The Rot Walkers will only be a threat to them if they show negative emotions, or use their elements.

Hard not to be at least somewhat frightened by the presence of these crumbling creatures. In these lands, they roamed in set locations, waiting for their chance to strike out and consume some unfortunate prey in their rotting jaws.

Assuming they had those to begin with. There were malformed silhouettes of once living humans dragging themselves across the ground, some separated from their mouths.

The most common type of Rot Walker seemed to be the wolves that were Sarajin's first encounter with the malformed beasts. There were titanic ones too, like that crooked legged spider wandering just over the horizon to the South, or these golems with girthy upper bodies and spindly lower legs.

Anything in this land could've killed Sarajin with ease and he knew it. So, to stave off some of the fear in his body, Sarajin thought of a way to lighten the mood with the help of his friend.

"Oh yeah, guess what Justek?"

Justek glanced his way, having been focusing on the Rot Walkers, "Hmm?"

"Today's also my birthday! Yep! I'm now 15 years old!"

"Huh..." Justek shrugged and then continued looking the other way, his tone dull and unenthused, "Congrats on being a year older, I suppose."

"That's it?" Sarajin said, causing him to glance back at a sharper pace.

"What do you mean 'That's it'? You got older. If you're lucky that'll happen maybe 84 more times and then you'll be dead." Justek's bluntness drained the pep in Sarajin's expression rather quickly, raising a curious brow on Justek's face.

Sarajin then looked him straight in the eyes and wondered, "Justek, have you...never celebrated a birthday before?"

Justek's lower lip curled and with a nudge of his glasses he faced forward and slowed his pace a tiny bit.

Sarajin leaned in to look into his eyes as he said, "...Have you ever wanted to?"

Justek paused, dropping his shoulders and letting out a huff, "I fail to see the point in the occasion, that's all. I'm well enough aware of the time passing to say when I've gotten older...And that's all that matters."

He then continued walking, with Sarajin scurrying to get ahead of him and block his path, "Well that's dumb! Everyone should enjoy their birthday!"

"...You're making a bigger deal out of this than necessary, Sarajin." Justek said and sighed.

Sarajin grinned and then grabbed hold of one of Justek's hands by force, "I'll figure out a way that we can celebrate your birthday later, ok? And if you don't enjoy yourself, we don't have to ever do it again."

Justek was staring at his hands with a steady unease expressed on his face. Then he looked into Sarajin's grinning face and closed his eyes, deflating his chest with a long winded sigh. He then pulled his hand free and said, "Do what you wish, I suppose."

He passed him by, managing to keep his mild smile hidden out of sight.

The two then kept going, eventually noticing something bright and colorful over the horizon. It was a domed barrier made of some sort of see-through rainbow colored energy.

As Nimus foretold, there were towers on the edge of this barrier, each one as big as Twinbeak's. They were braced on the outside with a sleek marble frame while the inside tower consisted of these blue hexagon tiles and a couple windows.

They didn't seem to be too dangerous, at a first glance. But before they got too close Justek held his hand out to halt their advance.

"Wait..." Justek narrowed his eyes and then commented, "There are figures watching from atop the towers."

"Yeah, Nimus warned me about that. What do they look like?"

"They appear to be wearing full body armor, black with some hints of yellow...And what looks like a bow on their backs."

"Is a bow what they use to fire arrows from cause Nimus warned me about those too."

Justek nodded and then pulled away, looking at him with this cautionary glance, "I don't know how you expect to even enter the city. They've covered all angles."

"Apparently not," Sarajin said with confidence, "If we keep going there's a blind spot between two of the towers. And Nimus said he'd be flying down to distract them any minute now."

"Hmmm," Justek increased the intensity of his gaze a bit, "How much do you trust this friend of yours?"

"Huh? I trust him just as much as I trust you, Justek." Sarajin said, a plain but not unexpected response.

"...Well, if you trust him to that extent then fine, we'll make an attempt to enter," Justek crossed his arms and made clear, "But if the arrows start flying I'm leaving you behind."

He started to make his way towards Sancturia and Sarajin laughed, "Oh, that's a good joke, Justek."

Justek didn't respond, making Sarajin's expression stiffen awkwardly before he went to catch up with him, "Y-You were joking, right?"

They got a little closer to the city before Justek's acute senses went off again, this time he spread his feet in the dirt and hunched over.

"Hold...!" He warned in a fierce tone, "I'm sensing an intense gaze coming right at us. The guards must be on high alert."

"Is he not here yet...?" Sarajin whispered, patiently waiting a few moments for something to change.

Justek's body held still in that defensive stance, but began to waver as he stood back upright with his hands back at his sides, "It's waning, they must have their attention elsewhere."

"Wow, I didn't even see him come flying in!" Sarajin said full of glee, "He must be really, really fast!"

"Though let's not test our luck. We'll walk to the barrier, not run." Justek pushed his glasses back into place.

The two made their way to the barrier and stopped a few inches in front of it. The barrier gave off a warm buzzing sound and appeared to be in this state of motion, slow but constantly active.

"Did your friend explain how to get in?" Justek whispered, craning his head back to give the barrier a thorough lookover.

"No," Sarajin did the same, "But couldn't we just...walk through it?"

"Walk through? It's a barrier, Sarajin, they're designed for keeping people-" Justek would have to eat crow as Sarajin bravely, or perhaps luckily, managed to push through to the other side.

Justek's jaw dropped on that final syllable and stuck there for a bit, while Sarajin waved at him from the other side, "See, it's fine! I feel a little tingly, but that's it!"

"Great, now we're at the point where your luck is defying convention..." Justek crossed his arms, closed his eyes and stepped through the barrier as well.

And then much like Sarajin, the two flinched as they turned and faced the true face of the mysterious hidden city of Sancturia.

It was radiant, not just because of the bright glass tile ground...The atmosphere felt clean and the air so pure that it left Sarajin dizzy for a moment when he tried to breathe it in.

A few feet ahead of them was a small arched bridge over a running river, which seemed to go in a circle around the entire city. And even compared to the seas of Aquamoria the water was something else. It was like gazing into a river of blue diamonds.

Sarajin bent down and scooped some of the water into his mouth despite Justek's belated protest, "Don't just-!"

"Mmm!" Sarajin sprung back up to his feet with his chin dripping with excess water, "I feel so refreshed! I didn't think you could make water BETTER!"

Justek crossed his arms and sighed, "What did I just say about keeping your guard up?"

Sarajin grimaced and said, "S-Sorry, got ahead of myself..."

With a sheepish grin he turned around and leaned forward, putting a hand over his eyes, "Wooow!"

Beyond the bridge were these patches of small flowers, each bed containing a different color. A goat would have a wonderful time frolicking through here.

He hurried across the bridge and threw his hands behind his hips as his awe was magnified by the city itself. A bastion of prosperity with hundreds if not thousands of healthy looking people going about their business. And they looked no different than himself or anyone he's met up until this point.

They lived in these domed buildings called huts, made up of wood, cloth and a little bit of stone. They were colored but in a more muted way.

There were other buildings spread throughout but the biggest ones were towards the center of the city, including this massive, triangular structure whose peak stopped just below the barrier's ceiling. Each floor of the structure was square shaped, and got smaller with each successive one.

"There's...a lot more people living here than I expected." Justek remarked, acting just as stunned as Sarajin was.

Sarajin was about to bolt off into the city before Justek grabbed him by the poncho and reeled him back like a stubborn fish, "Seriously so help me I will put a chain on you."

Sarajin chuckled sheepishly and stood at his side, "I-I can't help it, this place is so pretty and unique!"

"Yes, the atmosphere here is...different." Justek nudged his glasses up and craned his head back, the two of them noticing that they couldn't see the rainbow effects of the barrier from this side. And this somehow caused the sky above to look even blue than usual.

"...Very. Different." While Justek was toeing a cautious line Sarajin's mouth was agape with eyes sparkling with wonder.

Justek had to relent to his enthusiasm with a sigh for now, keeping his body guarded by crossing his arms. He looked at Sarajin and asked, "Well we are here now. Remind me again where that letter told us to go?"

Sarajin pulled it out for a brief moment and then squeezed his eyes shut, letting out a dry chuckle as he remembered he couldn't read. So his best recollection of Nimus' reading told him, "Uhh, we're looking for something called a pyramid..."

"Right," Justek replied, "It's said to be a triangular structure, correct?"

When Sarajin nodded Justek weakly pointed to his right and smirked, "Perhaps that tall building is what we're looking for?"

Sarajin looked straight at it and went "Ehhh" with his expression not inspiring any confidence, "That looks like a bunch of squares stacked on top of one another."

"Yes, but if you pay attention to the border," Justek put his fingers up so he was looking through the shape of a triangle, "It just about fits."

Sarajin mimicked the process and went, "Oooooh, I see it now! Then that's where we've got to go!"

"At least it appears to be a simple walk over there," Justek rubbed his hair back and sighed, "And not a single loud-mouth in sight..."

The two made their way between the huts and got a closer look at the people themselves. There were a lot of different colored hair, with every color of the rainbow represented in some form with very few black and brown haired people among their numbers.

Their clothes were very mystical, with the majority of adults wearing capes over their shoulders and the children having bright, silky sashes. In a way, their looks reminded Sarajin of his Conduit Forms. And on each of their right wrists was this glistening, stone bracelet.

The children were trying to hit each other with these metallic sticks and playing with crystal-like see-through balls, their parents overseeing them with quiet encouragement.

Sarajin pointed to his left and remarked, "Hey look, Justek!"

Because he saw a middle-aged woman sitting down, thumbing her way through what appeared to be a book. But hers was clean, with pure white pages and an undamaged cover.

Justek froze up and a growing sense of delight spread across his face, with him unconsciously speaking out, "My people..."

The woman looked up and just stared. Her eyes didn't move, she didn't blink, she just stared and nothing else.

Then the two of them looked around and found some of the other people were staring at them in the same way. And this kind of made the vibe of the place feel just a liiiittle bit creepy.

"Did we do something wrong?" Sarajin wondered, backing up against Justek as he was scratching the side of his face.

"Perhaps it would be wise to get a move on." Justek suggested making that first move with Sarajin following, only looking back to find the people gathering in a row to keep staring at them.

"Y-Yeah." Sarajin's expression drooped and he quickened his pace to Justek's side for safety.

As they kept going the people were acting more normal again, for a time. But when either one of them entered their line of sight long enough those people were back to staring with those bugged out eyes.

"This...doesn't feel right." Sarajin muttered.

"I'm sure they feel the same way," Justek remarked, "Look at them...Those are the eyes of those who have never been exposed to anything outside their walls."

"Are we going to be ok?"

"So long as we don't let them get near us-" Justek paused when he felt a tugging sensation coming from his left leg, and looked down to find a young boy nibbling at his pants.

Said boy then pulled away and started sniffing, continuing to focus his eyes towards Justek's repulsed expression.

An adult, the child's father perhaps, came running up to pull the kid away, the crowd of people now full of whispers, none of it sounding good.

Justek furrowed his brows and then quickened his pace forward, shuddering intensely at the memory of what just happened, "L-Let's keep moving..."

Sarajin started to feel concerned for the well-being of these people. Their gazes were so detached from friendliness and hostility and it was hard to imagine what could've caused them to be this way.

He was now a little hesitant at the possibility of meeting whoever sent the letter. Would they act weird around him too? They didn't sound like that in the letter, anyways...

He tried to keep positive expectations going as they started to approach the base of the pyramid. It caught him off-guard that they were even there until they were standing beneath it's big, towering body, and craning their heads back in a vain attempt to see the top.

There was one entrance into this place and it was right in front of them: A, brief square-like tunnel with only a glimpse inside visible from this far out.

"They said to meet us at the pyramid, so do we...go inside it?" Sarajin looked at Justek who gave a halfhearted shrug.

"Let's not push our luck and just stay out here for now." When Justek turned to face him his expression became one of curiosity, as he raised his brows and muttered a "Hmm?"

Sarajin mirrored his expression and remark and then started to turn around, halfway through hearing a feminine voice call out to them.

"How dare you keep a lady waiting for so long! My feet were getting cramped standing in one place."

Sarajin's pupils shrank and his heart skipped a beat as he looked towards the side of the pyramid.

Standing there with her back against the wall was a girl that seemed to be about their age, maybe a little older. But despite that, she was already as tall as Justek if not a little taller with supple curves, mostly around her chest.

Her skin was smooth and pristine like a pearl, with a little pink applied to her cheeks and aquamarine eyes sparkling with a powerful and compromising shine.

Her hair, having the same color as her eyes, was neck-length with a curl below each ear.

And this stunning beauty was wrapped in an aquamarine robe with a pink cloud-like pattern, complete with wooden sandals and black nylon socks, her delicate hands protected by gloves made of a similar material.

When she pushed away from the wall her stature was poised and confident, and with a brush of her fingers against the side of her hair she began to walk towards them.

She carried herself with the maturity that'd earn the envy of those twice her age, on top of having a smile that expressed her lack of fear in approaching these two complete and utter strangers.

She stopped a fair few feet away from them and put one foot forward, crossing her arms under her chest to prop it up in a rather prideful manner. Her brows slanted, and her smile was quick to sneer.

Sarajin pulled his head back a little and his mind was jumbling up his signals. His normal politeness was overcome by an admiration for who this girl was and how she presented herself, and he hadn't even learned her name.

The side of the girl's smile curled and she let out a brief and haughty laugh, "My my, are you completely taken in by my beauty?"

She closed her eyes and pressed the back of her right fingers atop her chest, "Yes, to a pair of lowly peasant boys such as yourselves, I must be the most stunning thing you have ever laid eyes upon!"

"Y-Yeah...!" Sarajin blurted out, "You're really pretty..."

He and this girl flinched at the same time, her pupils shrinking to the size of dots while Sarajin pulled back, his cheeks getting increasingly red.

"Ah...!" The girl gasped with a high-pitched squeal, her eyes then narrowing into a hot gaze directed straight at him, "W-Watch your tongue you...you drooling savage!"

"S-Sorry! I...I do think you look pretty though." Replied Sarajin, waving his hands around frantically.

The girl sucked her lips in with a curt "Hmph!" and then propped both her fists against her hips, holding her head high as she declared, "Y-You will shower me with praise only when I command it, peasant! H-Have I made myself clear?"

After Sarajin bobbed his head a lot the girl returned her arms to beneath her chest, letting out a cough, "So long as you know your place."

Justek raised his brows and remarked, "Aren't you just full of yourself?"

The girl's eyes bulged quickly before she set her gaze upon Justek with a scowl, "Who said you could speak out of line?"

Justek stepped out beside Sarajin and scoffed, "Who are you to demand anything of us, oh nameless one?"

"Hmph," Went the girl with an arrogant smile, "I should've expected that such a base creature like you would be quick to craven insults."

She closed her eyes and held her head up high, "But you gaze upon royalty! For I am Auris Aurora, daughter of Borealis Aurora, and future leader of the Ten Sages!"

"Pffft...!" Justek spat up, struggling not to laugh.

Auris quickly threw her fists down and sputtered, "W-What manner of response is that?!"

Sarajin was left tilting his head around, "Uhhh, what's royalty?"

"What sort of dumb question is that?!" Auris spouted in turn.

Justek rubbed the tears coming out onto his shirt and continued to smile, "Royalty means those who come from a bloodline that have generally ruled over their people, Sarajin. In other words, they're supposed to be a big deal."

With a mischievous grin Justek stared right at Auris' seething face and told her in a catty tone, "But the only thing big about this one is her chest and her ego...And for the life of me I'm struggling to determine which is bigger."

In the blink of an eye and with a briefer glint of light, Justek's joy was brought to an end as he found the tip of a thin metal blade at the base of his chin, held aloof by Auris' slender hand. The guard was a thin, golden pair of butterfly wings pressed together, with the handle a solid blue-green color.

She held her arm up firm and confident with her grip tightening around the handle to affirm her advantage over Justek.

Her gaze was ice cold, and powerful, leaving the air chilled to the bone.

"Do you want a demonstration of what my royal blood can do, oh he of wasted breath?" Her brows slanted, her smile widening as she whispered, "Or will you get on your knees, and beg for my forgiveness?"

Justek's eyes began to burn with a faint light, a subtle smirk forming on his face.

Then the two's tension was broken when Sarajin gently put his hands on top of Auris' blade, eyes glistening with awe, "Whooooa! This appeared out of thin air!"

"Ah...!" Auris' sword recoiled to her side immediately with her putting her other arm before her chest in a defensive stance, "H-How dare you lay a hand on my blade!"

Sarajin paid more attention to said blade as he saw it get covered in this aquamarine light and then vanish, leaving behind just a few glittering sparkles.

She then brushed her fingertips around in the air and let out a couple coughs, returning to a more statuesque stance. With a smile as wide as her face she remarked, "...Are you not impressed though? That is but one boon we Aurians have over you...peasants."

"What's an Aurian?" Remarked Sarajin, inching closer to Auris.

Auris makes a quick retreat a few steps back, brushing the tips of her fingers in his direction, "D-Do not expect me to so easily divulge the secrets of my people to a pair of outsiders...!"

"Why not?" Scoffed Justek, "You're already running your mouth as is."

"Hmph...!" Auris narrowed her eyes and her face was starting to turn a light shade of red.

Justek then poked Sarajin's shoulder a couple times to get his attention, a hard act given how glazed over his whole expression was, "And you, stop entertaining this haughty girl's flights of fantasy."

"B-But, I really want to know how she did that with her blade!" Sarajin turned to Auris and put his hands together below his face, "I'm sorry if I was being rude. Can we start over from the beginning?"

He then extended his hand out, making Auris put her arm up in reflex.

"My name is Sarajin Stratos," He turned his head with a close-eyed smile, "Thank you for inviting us to your city, Ms. Auris."

"M-M-M-Ms...?!" She squealed, her whole face turning red as she began to tremble. Then with her eyes briefly squeezed shut she swung her arm out, repelling Sarajin's hand away.

"Of all the nerve, gesturing your hand out in such a...forward manner, as though we are on even ground!" She turned around so that she could regain composure in private, her heart now fluttering against her chest.

Sarajin rubbed his wrist. Her blow had stung with incredible force and yet, for some reason, he didn't feel like he needed to be mad at her for it.

He rubbed his wrist and grinned, "I-I'm sorry..."

Justek's patience was being tested as he began tapping his foot and telling Sarajin off, "We're wasting our time here. There's no way this uncouth character could've possibly written that letter."

Sarajin looked at him from the corner of his eyes, "But...she's the only one here."

"T-That's right...!" Auris spun back around with her face returned to it's high-and-mighty look, her fists propped proudly upon her hips, "Even with those gaudy glasses it seems you're blind to the fact that I am the only one here, lest you think some other Aurian would be foolish enough to invite outsiders into our sacred home!"

Justek smirked and nudged his glasses up on one finger, "So, you're a fool then?"

"Do not twist my words, you swine!" Auris huffed out in anger.

"Fine, I'll play along then," Justek crossed his arms against his chest, gesturing aside at Sarajin with his smirk growing, "You wanted to meet Sarajin because of his ability to control more than one element, correct? In your words, you thought it was 'Really cool!'"

He added a sprinkle of mockery by raising his pitch to match the way she squealed, leading her to crinkle her forehead as she gave a venomous glare.

She then grit her teeth slightly and muttered, "T-That's right..."

She quickly turned her attention away from Justek and stamped her foot down in Sarajin's direction, commanding him with a feathery gesture of her right fingers, "So enough tomfoolery! Get to it, I command you, peasant boy!"

"A-Alright...!" He perked right up and then set his arms beside his hips, closing his eyes to concentrate.

Auris put her arms under her chest and looked wholly unimpressed, "I'm not seeing anything."

Sarajin peeked one eye open and chuckled, "It takes me a moment, just be patient."

"Hmph." Auris puffed her cheeks slightly and watched as Sarajin kept concentrating, eventually becoming enveloped in a green glow that had him change into his Nature Conduit Form.

"Is that all?" Auris scoffed, gesturing her hand away from her chest, "You changed clothes, that's hardly a big deal."

Sarajin then put his palms together before his chest and said, "Hold on just a little longer..."

Auris went dead silent, allowing Sarajin to take a deep breath and put all his efforts into gathering energy above his hands. With his mind clear he envisioned what he wanted to make: Something simple, but something that would stand out just as much.

He could think of only one thing that'd be fitting for someone like her. He shaped the energy in his hands with the image crystal clear in his head.

And when he opened his eyes, out popped a small pink budded flower, commonly referred to as a rose. He looked up at Auris' face and briefly caught her expression hanging on a wide-eyed glance.

She returned to her usual haughtiness, giving a rough shrug of her shoulders as she remarked in an unamused tone, "All that for merely a single flower? Why, I could pluck one of those with just a brisk walk to our garden."

"I'm still learning how to control this element, hehehe," Sarajin said with an earnest smile, "I just thought something pink would look good in your hair."

Auris' mouth became wobbly as she let out a high-pitched squeak, her eyes thrust open like she had laid eyes upon a ghost.

She then stared down at that rose for a good while before forcefully snatching it out of his hand and pushing it into her cleavage.

She did this all while looking away with her eyes squeezed shut. Sarajin sighed, finding it was difficult to really see eye-to-eye with her when her emotions were in a constant flux.

She then stood sideways and crossed her arms under her chest, "You claimed to have the ability to control multiple elements, s-so show me the other ones, lest your boasting was little more than hot air."

Sarajin perked back up and said, "I-I only know one other element beside my own at the moment. But sure, hold on!"

He concentrated on activating the Water Conduit Form, but as he changed clothes he had to say, "Just a warning though, you might want to stand aside, Auris. I haven't gotten this under control yet."

Auris stood her ground and put her arms under her chest, "I am made of far sturdier stuff than any of you peasant folk. If you feel so bold, then try your worst."

"O-Ok..." Sarajin cupped his hands a short distance apart from one another and then kept one eye open, "Again, I'm working hard on this so don't expect too much."

He then closed them all the way and began to concentrate. He had gotten a good feel for the sensation of water and that translated to the quick creation of a water sphere between his hands. But when he felt the water wiggling against his palms he opened his eyes and suddenly, the water jettisoned out of his hands...And drenched Auris' upper body.

Her face was frozen in this lifeless stare as water dripped off her now sagging hair onto the ground.

Sarajin recoiled with a hiss and then returned to his normal state, quickly getting near her with his poncho at the ready, "Sorry sorry, let me dry you off!"

When he made contact her body pulled away all at once with her shoving him right back into Justek, almost knocking the two to the ground. She then started flailing her hands around as some sort of defensive barrier before firmly squaring her fists beside her hips and leaning forth, her face as red as roses.

"T-The sheer unmitigated gall of you...! Ugh...!" All her forceful mannerisms served to do, however, was emphasis how bouncy her chest was while soaked.

Justek was spurting out laughter through his nose and doing a miserable job keeping a straight face.

Sarajin blushed and rubbed the back of his head, chuckling like a toddler while he stood up.

But his laughter couldn't even compare to the hyena-like cackling of another voice close by, "HAHAHAHA!"

This immediately set Auris off, making her pout and turn to the left with an unamused glare. And when Sarajin Justek did the same they saw a younger girl sitting atop the edge of the second level of the Pyramid.

Wearing a thin pink fabric robe with a silver-flower pattern, she didn't seem to care that the silver sash around her waist was unkempt. Her face was soft and bubbly with two long ponytails of striking pink hair dangling beside her dimpled cheeks down to her shoulders.

She paddled her bare feet around and grabbed onto the edge of her perch, her chin pressing against her chest from how much she was hooting and hollering.

"Ugh...!" Went Auris, "Did I not tell you to wait at home?!"

The little girl brushed the tears off with one finger and was grinning cheek-to-cheek, "Yeah right! And miss you making a big fool out of yourself, sis?"

She stood right up and proclaimed, "That's what ya get for trying to take what doesn't belong to you!"

"Ugh...!" Auris turned straight to her and swung her pointer finger at the ground, "You get down from there this instant, young lady! This sacred ground isn't for you to sit your boney little buttocks on!"

The girl bent her knee out and put her hands behind her head, "Quit it with the bad attempt at adult speak, Auris the Stiff. You're giving these guys the wrong impression!"

Auris put her knuckles squarely against her hips and declared, "You are certainly one to talk, you mischievous gremlin! Now get down from there by the count of three or I will make you come down! One, two...!"

"Ok ok!" The little girl put her arms down and rolled her shoulder, performing a couple hops on each foot before suddenly springing through the air with a dynamic somersault.

She managed to land behind Auris and then made a sharp turn to the left, her legs spread in this awkward yet stable stance. She crossed one arm before her chest and then turned the other pointer finger at Sarajin and Justek with the thumb raised.

She flashed them a wink and smiled and then shouted, "Howdy strangers, welcome to Sancturia! Sorry my big sister is such a huuuuuuuge pain in the butt."

Auris turned around and her teeth were grit so hard it was making her whole expression quiver, "You are certainly one to talk, Ms. Pain in my Heiney!"

The girl closed her eyes and threw her hands up with a sigh, "And boy, if you don't got a biiiig heiney."

She chuckled and started bumping her elbow into that part of her body, remarking to her guests "Right? Right?"

Justek smirked and then whispered, "I think I like this one."

Sarajin chuckled from the growing sense of tension forming between the two siblings, "I-I'm sorry...You're Auris' sister?"

The pink-haired girl made a sharp turn and then threw her fists against her hips, proudly holding her head up in a way that felt more genuine than anything Auris did.

"That's right!" She declared, "You can call me Temporis Aurora!"

She then widened her eyes and looked Sarajin straight in the face, "And on today's adventure I'm finally getting to meet the famous Elemental Overlord!"

Next Time: The Power of the Aurians