Clash of the Elements Part 0: The Winds of Days Past

by mewmaster93

2000 years ago, there was a hero of renown called the Elemental Overlord. Many have spoken of his daring feats and accomplishments, but his past has remained unknown...Until now. Hidden within three journals left behind by his wife are the details of his journey from young boy to the hero of legend. Venture to Genestasia, to uncover the many truths hidden in the distant past...

24. Chapter -139

Chapter -139: Secrets from the Sea and the Sky

And so time continued to pass, with Sarajin juggling having to visit up to four different Tribes now on any given day.

It left him barely spending time at home save for sleeping and waking up. He would try to make time for his mom just to tell her stories of the surface world which she enjoyed very much.

But her coughs would act up, giving him the grim reminder of her frailty. So whenever he was in Tanglefae he tried to ask Ividae how to create the herb that helped her the last time.

Unfortunately to do that he would need to train very, very diligently to be able to understand all manners of plants before he'd even have a chance of handling the complexity of that herb.

So whenever he had free time he did just that. He was beginning to figure out how to make other types of fruits beyond grapes. Though not without some failures that left them coming out mushy. The birds didn't mind eating them up though, especially since the seeds tended to stay good.

After getting to visit Rai in peace, any further trips to Pulsa Minoria were directed by Valic, where he got all prideful about showing off his electronics.

But Sarajin never got to see the means of production, which Johnathan wouldn't stop asking about every other time he went to Oreore.

When he could pull away from Valic for a few moments, he spent it trying to examine the shrine for any further hints about how to bring the Titan out of hiding.

He was making no progress by himself and Justek's books didn't hold the answer either. It seemed like the Titan had taken measures to ensure that his return would be impossible...

And the longer Sarajin failed to fix this issue, the more Pulsa Minoria stole from Oreore.

The stresses of this mission led him to take breaks in Aquamoria for fishing, where he's gotten pretty good at catching the lightweight fish consistently with Lulu's advice.

And he enjoyed feasting on his catches with Brine and Justek at night. Sometimes, Sarajin would stick around with Brine long enough to catch the lady dancing on the water's surface. She was beautiful every time.

One morning Sarajin managed to get up nice and early to join Brine and Lulu in fishing, the three of them situated at the edge of the docks midway down.

Lulu was behind the two making her paces back and forth, dictating what they should do now, "A'right Sarajin, we're gonna try and see if ya can reel in a bigger fish today. Do ya think yer up to it?"

Sarajin looked over his shoulder and gave a hum of "Uh-huh!" to which Lulu smiled and the bent down, teasing him by pinching his upper arm, "Ya've definitely put on a little muscle from all this hard work. I'm proud of ya."

She emphasized this by patting him on the back and in turn, making him feel shy. Brine glanced at him and said with a chuckle, "Look at 'em, teacher, he's as red as a salmon filet!"

Sarajin nudged him with his elbow and giggled, cracking a shaky grin. Lulu had caught a case of the laughs too not long after.

Sarajin then picked his rod up from his side and positioned it properly, "If I'm any stronger I gotta thank Johnathan too."

"The scruffy old dirtbag from Oreore?" Lulu said with a mix of surprise and disdain. Then Sarajin nodded, leading her to say, "Yer still botherin' with that place?"

"Course he is teacher! He wants to unify the Tribes or whatever, yah?" Brine said in his friend's defense.

"Sure sure, but how's that goin' exactly?" Lulu said in a stern tone, making Sarajin feel like he had a harpoon at the back of his neck.

Sarajin hung his head a little with the dourness reflected in his tone, "I'm still trying to figure out how to stop Oreore and Pulsa Minoria from feuding."

"Right, ya mentioned that a while ago," Lulu sighed and tried to speak to Sarajin with a careful tone, "Look, when yer dealin' with such stupid hardheads like 'em sometimes ya gotta just give up and move on."

"But Sarajin changed your mind, teacher." Brine spoke up.

Lulu then cracked a mean grin and raised a pointer finger, covering it in a wad of spit and thrusting it right down atop Brine's skull, twisting it back and forth.

"Ya sayin' I've got a stubborn streak?! Boy, I ain't no clam!"

Brine was laughing but he seemed to be in a bit of anguish, "O-Ok teacher, I'm sorry! No more whirlpool swirly, please!"

Lulu popped her finger right off his head and Sarajin had a mild laugh at their playful relationship, "I wish I had a sibling I could do that with."

The weight of Lulu's prior words then settled back in his mind and he looked down, stating aloud, "I know they're difficult, but if I can just make them see they have more in common than they realize..."

"Fat chance of that happenin'," Lulu curtly cut him off then brushed the top of his hair to lift his spirits, "But...at least ya mean well."

Sarajin smiled and then he and Brine finally cast their line into the sea. The fish were splashing about just as much if not more than usual.

"Hmmm..." Sarajin hummed.

"What's on yer mind, kid?" Said Lulu.

He leaned over his shoulder and asked, "Lulu, do your people have a shrine for your Titan?"

"A shrine? Never heard of that..." Lulu put her hands behind her head and tapped her toes, "If ya mean we got a place to meet our Titan, then no. She's always on the move."

"Protecting the sea, I remember that..." Sarajin let out a light sigh, "I was hoping if you had a shrine I could maybe look at it to figure out how to call forth Pulsa Minoria's Titan."

"It's a weird thing that they don't have a Titan at present," Brine commented, "I couldn't imagine a life without ours providing for us."

Sarajin steadied his gaze towards the sea and smiled, "Neither could I. They do so much for you guys, giving you all these different fish to catch and eat and use for other daily activities."

"I'm...happy they're accepting of me being here too. I wish I could thank them properly..."

Sarajin got another pat on the back from Lulu that jostled him a little off the dock. Once he scooted back into place he turned to face her smile and she said, "Just keep yer chin up and it might happen someday."

"Of course!" Sarajin smiled, "I'll need his help if I want to unite all the Tribes."

He focused on his fishing for now though, waiting for the nibble of a bigger fish. His arms tingle with anticipation over how it'd feel to hook one on his line and reel it in. His mind wandered off and started imagining himself able to lift up fish as big as himself with ease, and then eating them alongside his friends.

The dream stopped when some cold water splashed his heels and sent a jolt into his heart. He poked his eyes open to bow over the side and check the waters.

There were rising waves slowly advancing towards the shore, each one growing higher by the second. He checked out further and saw that the fish were darting further out to sea.

Brine had already gotten up and pulled his line out of the water, so he did the same and looked out to sea.

Lulu had her arms under her chest and grumbled, "Are those rock-munchers at it again? Good great barrier grief..."

She turned around and gestured to Sarajin, "If they keep this up I'm gonna need ya to distract that scruffy bearded jerk while I bash a coconut over his head!"

Suddenly a fisherman ran towards them, waving his hand and shouting, "Leader! We've got a big wave comin' in!"

"What?" Lulu turned and scoffed, "Ya got salt in your eyes or somethin'? This ain't storm weather, why'd a..."

They were all silent as the water's surface continued to climb like a hill forming in it. And breaching the surface of the sea was something very big, and very white.

"Ya gotta be shittin' me..." Lulu ran a few steps ahead, the rising waves splashing water atop her toes.

Sarajin and Brine were right behind her, watching as the head of a massive blubbery creature rose from the sea, greeting them with a pleasant and bellowing moan.

And it came down gently atop the surface, raising water to the docks and no higher. It's eye is laid at the side of it's head, a hollow, pearl-like object with a glimmer of tenderness inside, staring at level with them.

It had a thick beard of algae beneath it's gaping maw that stretched midway down its body. Though he couldn't see it's fins all the way, they were made of coral, starting red near the body before turning pink and then ending on what appeared to be a bleached shade of white.

With the sun resting upon it's girthy frame, the creature's innards could be seen. But no organs were there to gross them out. Instead lies the beauty of the sea, indescribable to even the wisest of men.

Many fish swam about. Many fish were being born from the gelatinous eggs at the sandy bottom. A landscape of coral and kelp kept the fish happy and healthy, as their bodies were infused by the magic glow that filled this creature's insides.

Sarajin watched as one fish's broken fin was restored to its full glory, with it celebrating by performing a flip.

He then looked this majestic giant right in their eyes and whispered, struck with awe, "Y-You're...Coralcea, the Titan of Aquamoria..."

The beast's mouth uttered an affirming coo, and as they did Sarajin pulled back, watching a warm green glow flicker on and off from his chest.

He laid his hand over the light and looked back into their eyes, unable to find the right words to say.

"Our Titan...? I...I can't believe it!" Brine said, quickly falling onto his back in a daze.

Lulu immediately went down to help prop his head up, where he shook the dizziness off, leaving his mouth agape.

"Been only the second time I've ever seen ya this close ya glistening beauty..." Lulu murmured respectfully, "How ya feelin', girl?"

Coralcea paddled it's fin against the waters to make a few tiny waves, and Lulu smiled, "Ya, I hear ya. Probably ain't easy guardin' the seas alone out there..."

Coralcea's eyes creaked shut and it let out a moan. Sarajin raised his brows and then looked to Lulu for answer, "What's she saying?"

"Sounds ta me like yer the one who called her here," Replied Lulu, smirking with a bit of envy present in her gaze, "Guess someday is now."

"M-Me?" Sarajin looked down and pulled back his hand to check on the light within him. He then looked Coralcea in the eye and wondered, "Is it...because of the Wellspring inside of me?"

Coralcea closed it's eye and cooed, with Lulu providing a translation for them, "She's sayin' that's part of it..."

"Mmmm...!" Moaned the Titan.

"Somethin' about watchin' ya through the waters ever since ya arrived here," Lulu paused to give Coralcea time to speak, with it's next comment seeming to have gotten her smiling, "She's thankful to ya for not hunting her children for the sport of it."

Sarajin hastily bowed with his arms tensed up at his sides, "N-No! Thank you for all the life you've given to the sea, Coralcea! I...I really can't thank you enough for all you've done!"

Coralcea flapped it's fin playfully in the waters and then it laughed. Such a surreal but joyous sight brought a smile to Sarajin's face, and he giggled, "What is she saying now?"

"Heh heh heh, she's thankin' ya back, kid." Lulu smiled.

"Me...? What did I do?" Sarajin looked at the Titan as she settled down, edging as close to the deck as it's fin would allow.

With a long, mellowing coo, the Titan closed its eyes and bobbed it's head deeper into the water.

Lulu's tone became serious to reflect the nature of it's message, "She's heard about yer mission to try and unite the Tribes, and can feel the sincerity of your words..."

Her eyes then began to widen as Coralcea continued on, "A-And to pay respect to your goals, she's gonna grant you a fragment of her Wellspring?!"

Sarajin's eyes widened in a blown away glare, as he nudged closer to the Titan and wondered timidly, "I-I passed your Trial? When...did I do that?"

Coralcea closed its eyes and cooed.

"Apparently, everyday that ya've been hear treatin' the sea life as it's meant to be treated..." Lulu then grinned an awkward smile and chuckled, "She's been wantin' to give ya the reward for passing her Trial for a while now but had been so busy protectin' the sea. It took her sibling's own Wellspring reacting to the waters to make her get off her blubbery butt and come over..."

Lulu scoffed and said, "Ya silly girl."

Sarajin took a step back then crossed his fist-clenched arm before his chest, struggling to look the Titan straight in the eyes, "I-I promise you, Coralcea, I'll use this power wisely."

"Heh, doesn't sound like she's worried about that." Said Lulu.

Coralcea chirped a few times and the inside of it's translucent body began to glow, causing the fish to dance around in an energized frenzy.

The glow spread to the outside of the Titan's body, gathering at the tip of it's mouth. It then swam a little ways back, putting the forming orb in line with where Sarajin stood.

It looked just like the other Wellspring, but as blue as the sea. This time though, Sarajin could hear the motion of the ocean coming from it.

He had his reservations about reaching out and touching a Wellspring again, but he felt this time he'd be prepared for whatever comes afterwards.

He kept a steady hand and though his heart raced, he swallowed his hesitation and dipped half his hand into the orb.

A sharp jolt went up his arm and into his brain. He felt his arm being held by the orb as a blue glow wrapped around his body. He felt a little faint, with his vision watering. But he wanted to hold on, just to experience this to the fullest.

His skin felt wet all over, like the tide was coming up, swallowing him whole.

He closed his eyes and let the sound of the sea carry him through this moment until the end came, leaving him feeling just the same as when he started...At least at first.

Remembering what happened last time, he looked at his body immediately and noticed that his poncho had changed to this wide and long blue cape with fish scales on the outside. His shirt and pants remained mostly the same though. But as before, his hair had likely changed colors.

He patted the top of his head for a bit and then looked at Lulu and Brine, "W-What color's my hair now?"

Lulu and Brine were staring wide-eyed for a bit, but then Lulu puffed her cheeks to restrain a snicker, causing Brine to soon do the same.

"B-Blue, hahaha!" Lulu leaned over and slapped her knee hard, gasping for air.

Sarajin kept his hands atop his head and wondered, "I-Is something the matter with me?"

"Ya look silly, chum!" Brine proclaimed.

"What kinda Aquamorian looks like that?" Lulu chuckled some more.

Sarajin pouted and pulled part of his cape in front of him, seeing how clean each of the scales reflected his face. He then swung it aside and declared, "Well I think it looks great!"

Lulu and Brine stood up and wiped the tears from their eyes together, "Alright ya think what ya want, kid..."

Brine stared at his new clothes and wondered, "So what can ya do with them, chum?"

"I...guess I can control Water now?" Sarajin glanced out the corner of his eyes and saw Coralcea nodding.

He then faced her fully and put his hands up before his chest, "Does it work like it does with Nature? I just have to think about the element and it'll come forth?"

Coralcea cooed and Sarajin went "Ok..." before closing his eyes and concentrating. He ran into a roadblock pretty quickly though as for all his time being here, he didn't really see the people of Aquamoria use their elements much.

And he's only felt the water splash against his feet, being too scared to want to take a swim after seeing Brine's near-drowning months back.

He thought of Water as something beautiful, but dangerous in high concentrations. It came with a lot of pressure, but could also save a life when drunk from.

He felt the energy flow down his arms like a steady stream, coalescing into a spherical shape over his palms. It floated there, this orb of water, and he could feel it wiggle around, struggling to maintain it's shape.

He slowly opened his eyes and tried not to let eagerness get the better of him. But when he saw the water his eyes bulged open and his heart skipped a beat, causing him to accidentally fire the orb off, hitting Coralcea right beneath the eye.

"Ack...!" Sarajin's jaw dropped as the Titan winced and then wiggled a little ways back, proceeding to turn and then dip into the water.

Lulu and Brine just stared at him with their gaze looking half-dead, "Ya struck our Titan ya goof!"

"I-I'm really, really sorry!" Sarajin proclaimed, in a haste trying to make it to the edge of the dock to apologize to the Titan.

But as he got on his knees he saw the Titan swing it's tail fin up, drenching him in water. He closed his eyes and spat up some water that got in his mouth a few times.

He heard a strange moan that sounded like an attempted laugh, with Coralcea floating face-to-face with him when he rubbed his eyes dry.

He smiled and stood up, dripping dry onto the docks as he nodded and said, "Alright I understand, I'll be sure to practice a lot, Coralcea!"

Lulu went "Heh!" and then gestured out, "Actually, she was sayin' ya look funny wet."

Coracea closed their eyes and raised their head, splashing their fins around.

"But she's thankful for the consideration," Lulu followed up with.

Sarajin rubbed the back of his head and smiled, then widened his eyes and remarked, "Oh! Before you go, Coralcea, I have a question..."

The Titan nudged closer to the dock to give him it's full attention, "Do you know about the missing Titan of Electricity? I was wondering if there was a way to call them back..."

Coralcea let a slow, pained moan.

"She's sayin' she ain't too familiar with the whereabouts of her brother of lightning these days," Lulu remarked for them, "But that if anyone would know, it'd be yer Titan in the clouds. Somethin' about how they both worked together in the skies at some point."

"Thanks for the lead, Coralcea," Sarajin bowed one more time, "I hope we can meet again someday, in a more peaceful world!"

Coralcea let out one long, final moan as it hauled itself out of the water and turned to face the deeper parts of the sea.

"She'd like that very much." Said Lulu softly.

Thus the mighty Titan of the sea swam back to deeper waters, where life would be made to fill it.

But with the power of the Water Conduit Form and new information fresh in his head, Sarajin would return home later that day ready to question Twinbeak about the location of Voltneir.

Climbing that tower was quite the experience the second go around. It felt easier, only by a little bit though. Yet nothing was easy about approaching the Titan's nest. The majestic bird was lying down close to the ground with it's eyes still open.

Yet it could be heard snoring up until he set foot on the cracking ground. Then the bird raised it's head and waddled a couple feet forward, putting it's stern gaze upon him.

"Sarajin Stratos...you have returned." Twinbeak did not sound surprised in the slightest.

"H-Hey, Twinbeak. It's been a few months, hasn't it?" He replied, waving his hand.

"Indeed," Spoke the other head, "And in that time, it seems, you've found more than just your resolve."

"We sense our sibling's power within you...For Ividae and Coralcea to have blessed you, truly, it is a most wonderful sight to behold."

Sarajin laid a hand over his chest and two lights, one blue and one green, swelled out of him. He closed his eyes and felt a tenderness in his heart, "I can...feel the weight of responsibility inside of me."

"Good. Hold on to that feeling and never let go. It would be unwise to abuse the gifts you've been given."

Sarajin then craned his head back and asked, "I was wanting to ask you something, Twinbeak."

"We figured as much," They replied in a humored tone, "Speak away, young one."

"I've been to Pulsa Minoria, the Electricity Tribe. Their Titan seems to have vanished save for a shrine dedicated to them, and Coralcea said you might know something about what happened to them."

Twinbeak raised it's right wing to it's beak and gave it a curious rub, "We see..."

"We suppose it was only a matter of time before we'd need to confront this matter..." It continued, raising it's other wing to rub the beak.

"So you do know?!" Shouted Sarajin in elation.

"The wise move would be to lie, but," Twinbeak put it's wings down and let out a sigh, "...We would be hypocrites if we closed our hearts to you when you're this close to the truth."

"But we will not guide you fully down the right path, merely clue you in to our part in our brother's departure."

"For you see, it was by our hand that Voltneir can no longer manifest in this world in their proper form."

"You did?" Sarajin remarked in awe, "How?"

"That, we cannot say. We were sworn to hide the means."

"However, such a vow does not prevent us from guiding you in the proper direction."

"The shrine you speak of holds the answer. You must merely open the way forward."

"But you must be warned. Of our nine brethren, Voltneir is quickest to rage. Lest you wish to be reduced to black ash, you will want to choose your words wisely."

"Even that might not be enough, if he's dissatisfied with the state of the world..."

"Yet if your goal is to unite the Tribes, then his power IS required...Though if you ask me, the wiser move would indeed be to not awaken him from his slumber."

"...Well, first I have to figure out how to summon him back," Sarajin said with a heavy heart, "But thanks! You've been helpful enough, Twinbeak."

"We are happy to help." They said in unison.

But despite the hints they provided, when Sarajin got a chance to further examine the shrine he didn't make any new discoveries.

And in the time since he was last there Justek didn't discover anything else in his book. If the shrine had any secrets, it wasn't very obvious.

Thus time continued to pass, with Sarajin training to control both his Nature and Water Conduit Forms at their respective Tribes.

Until eventually, one morning, while he was practicing at his private spot at the edge of the city...

"Hey, cotton puff!" Shouted his friend Nimus, walking up behind him with a hand stealthily hidden behind his back, "Happy birthday!"

Sarajin flinched and then stood up to turn around. Nimus grinned and chuckled, "What's this make now, 15? Aaaah, ten months fly by like a breeze..."

Sarajin nervously rubbed the back of his head and then closed his eyes with a grin, "Heh...Uncle Nimus, my birthday was a week ago..."

"Whaaaaaat," Nimus recoiled, then sprung back with a quick smirk, "Hey, you trying to pull a fast one on me?"

He dug his hand into Sarajin's hair and rubbed long and hard, "A whole year's gone by and you've barely grown, short stuff."

Sarajin tried to brush his hand off and gave a wink, "I've gotten taller!"

"Yeah, maybe one inch," Nimus flicked him on the forehead and then drooped his hand by his side, "Still working on those Conduit Forms or whatever?"

"Yep!" Sarajin said chipperly, "I think I've figured out how to control Water now."

"Good cause it's not easy to replace my poncho, y'know."

"Eh heh heh...Yeah, sorry about that."

Sarajin then noticed his hand behind his back and asked, "What're you holding back there, Nimus?"

In a rare show of surprise Nimus turned his head back for a moment, "T-This? Oh, yeah well like...I didn't have the time to get you a birthday gift this year, but this ought to still tickle your curiosity."

He pulled out this rectangular folded piece of parchment and waved it around and yeah, Sarajin's curiosity sure got tickled.

"What is that?" Sarajin tried to grab it but Nimus playfully pulled it out of his reach.

"It's called a letter," He let Sarajin take one more swing at it before letting him have it, "Think of it as a way to send messages to other people. And this one, it seems, is addressed to you."

"To me?" Sarajin was about to open it up when he gave Nimus the stink eye, "So...why do you have it?"

Nimus pulled back and pinched the side of his goggles, "Well here I was taking a trip to Caimanabal to ease my mind for a bit. Next thing I knew I come back to find that letter in my bag."

"It's from Caimanabal?" Sarajin was intrigued, for the name had come up in conversation with Valic.

"Not quite..." Nimus said, temporarily deflating his enthusiasm, "Open it up."

Sarajin peeked down and flipped the letter open, both halves revealing...A bunch of ink scribbles all over the place he couldn't make out.

"Uhhh..." Sarajin raised the letter and remarked, "I-I still can't read..."

"...Oh. Right," Nimus snatched it out of his hand and whistled, "Well no wonder. The person who wrote this did a pretty sloppy job. Buuuut, I'll see what I can read off."

He clutched the letter up before his face and got to work, "Dear boy from Arc Hurricanos, I have heard stories about your travels to the other Tribes. You're able to control more than one element? That's really cool! I'd really, really like to meet you in person so you can show me how you do it! You know the city in the center of all the Tribes? The one with all the ugly towers? That's where I live! It's called Sancturia. Come there as soon as you can, I'll be waiting outside the pyramid structure. Oh! A pyramid is made out of triangles, by the way. See you then!"

"Wow how rude," Nimus scoffed, wagging the letter up higher, "She didn't even sign her name."

"You can tell their gender from their writing?" Sarajin said, crossing his arms in anticipation of Nimus' answer.

Nimus grimaced and then gritted his teeth in a smile, "Of course, I'm the coolest adult ever, right? This is child's play!"

"Hmmm..." Sarajin pressed his head against his chest, "I've never heard of 'Sancturia' before now. She said it's in the center of all the other Tribes..."

He looked to Nimus for further guidance, "Have you ever been to Sancturia?"

"It's pretty hard to get into," Nimus chuckled, "They're walled off by a magic barrier that keeps the Rot Walkers at bay but on top of that, there's eight towers set up clockwise outside it."

"The letter mentioned that. What do they do?"

"By themselves, nothing. But there's these scary-looking guys standing atop each one that are supposed to prevent intruders from getting in."

He gestured a thumb at his right shoulder and smirked, "I should know, I almost got knocked out of the sky one time by their arrows."

"Then...how is anyone supposed to get in?"

"Well, I've done plenty of surveillance of the perimeter from a safe distance and from what I can tell, there's actually a blind spot between two of the west side towers," Nimus popped his goggles over his eyes and said, "While you make your way into the city, I can fly around and help distract them to widen the blind spot. So what do you say, cotton puff? Want to celebrate your birthday exploring a new place?"

"...Hmmm." Sarajin continued to think deeply.

"I...was kind of expecting an 'Oh boy would I!'" Nimus answered with a mockery of his young tone.

"The person in the letter said they wanted to see me use my other elemental powers..." Sarajin scratched the side of his head, "Didn't you say that's supposed to be a secret? How did they find out?"

"You heard her, she said she heard stories about your travels," Nimus smiled, "Sounds like even without drawing attention to yourself, people are starting to notice."

Sarajin thought about it a little more and had to laugh a bit out of embarrassment, "I-I guess that whole thing with Coralcea did happen out in the open, unlike Ividae..."

"I mean come on kid, no need to be so humble about this!" Nimus waved his arms out, "It's a huge deal that Sancturia's taken notice of your travels! Nobody from the other nine Tribes have ever gotten to see what it's like in there!"

"Wow...really?"

"Who knows?! It could be a major step forward in your plan to unify all the Tribes!"

The encouragement was tearing down the walls of Sarajin's doubt, increasing the width of his smile. And so with a bright-eyed look he turned to Nimus and said, "Ok...But I'll try to be careful not to get captured. If I do though...You'll bail me out, right?"

"In a flash, cotton puff. So, you'll head there immediately?"

"Umm, give me an hour or two to prepare," Sarajin mumbled, "I want to bring Justek along too."

"Uhhhh, alright, sure," Nimus fluttered his eyelashes and shrugged, "Then in two hours, I'll be ready to dive the towers as a distraction. It'll be up to you to get in from there."

"Ok, thanks Uncle Nimus!"

"Heh, I'll let that one slide since it's your big day," He then made his way off the edge, turning back just long enough for Sarajin to hear him snap his fingers and say, "Happy 15th birthday again, cotton puff!"

And of course there was no point trying to find him. He was gone like the wind.

Sarajin's heart was beating fast and so too did his feet quicken their pace back home. He had to make a few quick preparations before he'd fly off to this mysterious "Sancturia".

"Sancturia...a city no one's been to before. I wonder what type of element they control? Oh man, I'm so excited!"

"Little did my future husband know...It would be an encounter that would change everything."

Next Time: The Sanctuary Garden