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Chapter 4: Extraordinary Circumstance

Once Fujimoto reached the surface he found an emissary of the Castle waiting for him. The strange creature hovered gently above the rolling ocean waves, its' wings beating quickly as to keep it suspended in the air. The creature had a human-like form only its' skin was a light, translucent blue; it had long pointed ears, no hair, large dragonfly-like wings protruding from its shoulder blades and sharp claws on its fingers and toes. If Fujimoto didn't know better he'd say that the council sent an air demon to bring him to Cloud Castle. However he was much more knowledgeable about the other elements than any other master would give him credit for. Despite leading somewhat of a solitary existence, Fujimoto was well educated beyond his years through his private studies. Not only did he master the magic of his own element, he mastered the study of the others as well. However with these studies could only become cataloged knowledge, wizards and spirits are pledged or born of a single element and therefore are unable to perform the magic of another. A long time ago before he was king a fellow water wizard once asked him why he studied magic that he could not perform, Fujimoto simply explained it as 'being thorough'.

Looking at the creature before him he knew that it was not a demon but an air sprite. Sprites tended to wear their mischievous nature on the outside as well as the inside. Demons on the other hand were far harder to place.

The air sprite smiled kindly at Fujimoto revealing two rows of sharp, pointed teeth.

"Lord Fujimoto, I am Calick the Head Emissary to the royal family. I'm here to transport you to Cloud Castle."

"Calick," Fujimoto nodded in greeting. "Thank you for coming on such short notice."

"It's no problem at all. Are you ready to make your departure my lord?" He asked. Both of them knew that time was of the essence.

"One moment please," Fujimoto said as he went to the back of his submarine. Taking out his copper water sprayer he strapped it on his back and tested it once to see that it was functioning properly. Satisfied with the results he nodded to the sprite who had been watching him with much curiosity. The strange device the water wizard had put on would have made Calick laugh if it wasn't for the fact that it was the king of the sea who was wearing it. He had never seen such an odd wizard before. Yet he had only met but one water wizard before so he couldn't rightly judge the man.

Fujimoto then turned to Calick and said, "Everything is in order. How are we going to be travelling?"

"Cloud vapor my lord." The sprite said somewhat proudly. It wasn't everyday one comes across a sprite who could do spirit magic.

"I see," Fujimoto fished in his robe for something. "Please use this then," he said producing a clear jar filled with pure ocean water. The sprite smiled respectfully as he took the jar in his clawed hands and opened it up. Whispering some incantations into the jar, the sprite then poured the contents out into the air. Once the water hit the fresh air it formed into a small cloud on which Fujimoto could travel on.

Fujimoto couldn't teleport himself wherever he wanted like most masters because he was half human. Even after factoring in that he was indeed part human it was still strange to find this trait in a full-fledged master of the sea, and Fujimoto was the king of it. In fact there were no half-breed kings or queens besides Fujimoto. Suffice it to say the circumstances of his position in the elemental and magical world were quite astounding. In short, to gain the position Fujimoto was currently holding one would have to be a genius. Fortunately for Fujimoto he was nothing short of that.

Fujimoto pursed his lips and eyed the cloud that Calick conjured up somewhat skeptically. Reaching his hand into the fluffy vapor he felt his skin soak up some of the pure seawater that had been used to make it. The rejuvenation of his already dry skin was refreshing. He then stepped onto the cloud and looked over to Calick who grinned in satisfaction at his work,

"To Cloud Castle then, my lord." The two then took off into the sky.

As they sped through the air Fujimoto stood proudly and watched the glittering sea below them. As he gazed at the beautiful sight he began to run the plan he devised for the air princess over and over again in his head. He was sure in his abilities to make it work; his main obstacle was to get the rest of the council to agree upon it. This would be difficult because he was sure many of them eyed the open position with zeal. Although Sora was technically a princess by adoption therefore next in line for the throne he knew there were some older masters who viewed themselves as deserving of the position.

Air spirits were nothing like other spirits in this manner, everything to them was purely political. Master Uole, the Keeper of the Winds before master Shou had changed everything. Now air masters floated around as if they were aristocracy. Fujimoto swore if they didn't have a god watching to keep them in line they'd spiral out of control, no doubt take the other three elements with them. Ever since Uole's establishment of Cloud Castle the elemental hierarchy of air seemed more of an establishment rather than just the natural way of things. The castle itself was a monument to their new way of thinking.

As Calick guided the cloud, Fujimoto could see the crystal spires shining in the distance before him. Cloud Castle was like a gleaming city in the sky, an airborne metropolis. Fujimoto only saw it as a garish display of power and magic. To him, such extravagance was useless. The masters who lived in the castle's wings should be more concerned about keeping the nature's balance rather than maintaining their lavish lifestyles. His home under the sea was small and comfortable. It was more than adequate for him and his girls. He would never dream of wasting so much magic on something as useless this gaudy spectacle looming before him.

In general many air spirits and wizards lived in tribes; their lifestyles being quite quaint in a rustic sense. Fujimoto approved of this very much. The people of the wind took only what they needed from nature and gave back far more in return. However the new dynasty housed in Cloud Castle was enough to curb the element's reputation in the direction of snobbery rather than quaint. Those who lived in the palace did away with anything that connected them back to their tribal lineage. Master Shou however tried to undo some of the damage that Uole had done. Shou had come from an old tribe and lived there until his coronation in which he had to transfer to the castle. He was very much attached to his homeland and therefore clung to his heritage unlike other masters who lived within the palace walls. Master Shou spent a great deal of his life trying to promote the necessity and goodness of preserving the old ways of life in the capital. He did a lot to restore the old order however many things established in Uole's reign would never be changed; the fierce political stage being one of them.

Once they arrived to the castle Fujimoto was escorted to the council meeting room. It seemed that all the elements were represented by masters and wizards, the majority of which were from the element of air. There was only one seat left open at the end of the table. He was apparently the last to arrive.

Maters were talking over each other in raised voices, each pushing their ideas onto one another. Their voices bounced off the high crystal ceiling making them seem twice as loud. Fujimoto felt as if he had just entered in the middle of a brawl.

"It would appear the council has already convened without me," he muttered to Calick who stood beside him in the open door of the room. Fujimoto let out a sigh as he entered further into the room; his sprayer leaving a trail of ocean water behind him. He could tell that this was going to be an exhausting afternoon.

"Forgive me for being late." He mumbled the apology knowing that no one would notice his entrance over the excitement of the heated argument anyway. He decided to use their distraction to his advantage by spraying down his chair with ocean water, soaking the expansive silk covered cushions. What they don't know can't hurt them, Fujimoto thought to himself as he sat down. After a minute of absolute incoherency the fighting trickled down into one argument.

"Sora is the rightful successor to the position. You cannot deney it!" An old wind witch argued.

Paren, a senior air master stood from his seat as to address the whole council, "Ladies and gentlemen, no one is refuting the fact that Sora is the heir to the throne however there are many things to consider; her abilities as a ruler for one. She may be the heir but does that make her the right for the position? We mustn't purely stand on ceremony in this situation. She's only 18 for Goddess's sake and she hasn't even finished her training."

"And you pretend that you know the secrets of controlling the great winds?" A female spirit criticized.

"Sama, please," the old witch from before chided. "Master Paren, she has already taken the oath to our goddess Androma, she must become Mistress." The witch reasoned.

The air wizard sighed, "I know it is tradition but perhaps due to the circumstances…"

"Absolutely not, it is sacred tradition!" The witch argued; her gravelly voice strained against the delivery of her adamant speech. "She cannot break her oath. She made it when she was only eight. An oath that old must be honored or peril will befall her and all those who assist her in breaking it."

A younger earth wizard then stood up, looking quite feeble as he did so,

"Perhaps we can all teach her." He suggested.

"You know nothing about the great currents you fool what do you expect you could teach her?" Paren snapped.

The delicate young man opened his mouth to speak but stumbled pathetically over his words, "Well, I… um I…"

Fujimoto felt embarrassed for the boy who was trying so desperately to make his point. Noticing this break in the fight, he saw his opportunity to speak present itself. Sucking up his courage he boldly stood from his chair and spoke above the boy,

"I will take the girl as my apprentice."

Suddenly all eyes turned to him. Some were filled with amazement, some with shock, some with distrust and others with hate. Fujimoto just stood there as dignified as ever. For the first time since the council had convened the whole room went completely silent. Although no words were spoken, Fujimoto sadly knew that the battle against him had already begun.

AN Hey guys please review! thanks for reading.