Prologue
There is a people, neither of this world or the next, but somewhere in between. A people whose nature far exceeds anything dreamt of even in this world. This world is called Atlas. It is a world where some have successfully achieved the ability to imbue themselves with the power of nature. Most only imagine what life would be with such power. Those that have managed to attain this power soon realize the dangers involved.
Thaddaeus was a young man when he decided to leave home. He had just turned eighteen and realized he had an opportunity to finally step out of his parents' shadow. They were great people and always took good care of him. He only wished there was some skill or experience, something that belonged to him, that could be noticed by others. He had always been treated carefully because everyone knew he lacked any sort of natural talent or usefulness. It seemed that no one ever really knew anything about him, only that he was the son of a certain respectable couple. In many ways, his life had never felt like his own but merely an extension of theirs.
Growing up in a town called Silva, Thaddaeus was almost a stranger to any sort of danger. Silva was a heavily forested region located in the south. Their people built homes and an interconnected city in the trees. All citizens of Silva shared a treetop village, and they were protected by the town guard. The Silvans had built elaborate wood homes and equally impressive stairs to allow them up and down at their leisure. This safe environment was all Thaddaeus had ever known, and he was sure that if he was ever going to achieve greatness he had to leave.
"I'm going to make it, I'm going to hunt the most dangerous criminals!" He adamantly declared to his parents.
Though the abrupt nature of the announcement took them off guard, they both felt that this day was coming. The true concern that weighed on their minds lay in the fear that their son could not properly defend himself. He had been trained for the past few years, but they knew that he tended to learn very slowly. On top of that, his plan went to the extreme of seeking out the most dangerous people he could possibly find. Needless to say, they believed it to be unwise. However, despite all of their protests, Thaddaeus remained determined to begin his quest. Finally, they reached a compromise. They asked that he arrange one last session with his trainer to focus on tracking and hunting, which he did eagerly. They also requested that he try to be careful on his journey which he didn't care about as much, but he agreed to it.
So with his parent's wary blessing Thaddaeus struck off on his own. He had asked the people around Silva where criminals would most likely go to hide out. He eventually realized the townspeople had no clue, he received a number of varied opinions. He decided, however, that he would head as far north as he could. The seclusion of the northern mountains was the only commonality among the multitude of opinions. He also secretly liked that it was the furthest distance from Silva, and he needed the extra time to prepare and continue training.
As Thaddaeus traveled, he gained an appreciation and understanding for the way the world worked. On many occasions, it was necessary for him to procure his own food via hunting and tracking so he gained a fair amount of experience in those areas as well. He moved farther and farther north over the coming months and continued training and he finally reached his destination after an arduous two year journey.
Chapter 1
In two years, Thaddaeus had gone from Silva to a little town in the north called Snow Rock. He felt like he could've trained and learned a bit more, but he definitely noticed a difference in his growth. He contemplated his journey as he walked up the windy mountain road into the town, he noticed a small wooden sign covered in snow that bore the town's name. Amused, he thought to himself, 'Snow Rock' that seems kind of obvious, but I guess they don't need to be all that clever if no one is around to enjoy it. I, on the other hand, am extremely clever. He made his way toward the local inn to stay the night, it was a sizable wooden building. As he entered, he greeted the woman who was keeping the inn and asked to have a room that was out of the way. She showed him the way up the creaky staircase towards the back of the second floor. All that was visible were things lit up by her old lantern. She left him a key to the room and disappeared down the cozy hallway. He retreated into his room and pulled his antique sword from his supply bag. His father had given him this when he was fifteen and started studying the way of the sword. It wasn't exceptionally beautiful, but it was sturdy enough to do the job. He took the opportunity to sharpen and clean the weapon as he was sure he would be using it sometime very soon. As he moved through the motions of the familiar process, his mind drifted to the past two years and all the things he'd learned. He couldn't believe how different his life had become, it felt like he was slowly becoming someone new.
Early the next morning, Thaddaeus was packed and ready to go begin his search for the most dangerous criminals. He returned his key to the woman at the main entrance, as she was thanking him he started out the door. She was nice, he thought, but I have an amazing career as a hunter ahead of me and it won't initiate itself. Upon exiting the quiet mountain town, Thaddaeus noted quite a strange sight some distance down the path. There was a small party of youths who seemed to be around his age and they all had white hair. They were gathered around a strange-looking wooden pole. One of them slid his hand over it brushing it off. It appeared from a distance to be a carving of some kind, but Thaddaeus couldn't see it clearly from such a distance. Soon, they turned away from it, continuing their walk away from the town. One to the rear carried a sword on his back and all five of them had hair whiter than the snow on the path. Although he was quite intrigued by the sight, it wasn't really the sight itself that caught his attention. There was something about them that he just couldn't ignore, and he felt compelled to investigate. After they had moved a safe distance away, Thaddaeus rushed over to the pole to get a better look. Unfortunately, no matter how he scrutinized the carvings, it didn't make any sense to him. He couldn't understand why a group of people would stand around such a thing much less take time to carve it. The wooden pole simply contained various carvings of common animals found in the wilds. The highest of which was a wolf seemingly sitting on top of the others. Very strange indeed, it seemed that his trip to the north was the right choice after all. These people were certainly worth taking time to follow, and with his honed tracking skills they wouldn't even know he was there. He stealthily followed them down the path, but only a few seconds after proceeding, the group stopped. He hurriedly jumped behind the cover of a tree, then he vaguely heard a young woman speak.
"What is the trouble, My Light?"
"I do not believe it will be trouble, My Dewdrop." A male voice said.
"Of course," she replied delicately. The group continued down the path and Thaddaeus stumbled out of hiding.
"Could he have noticed me?" He pondered. "How could anyone hear me from that distance? And why do they talk so funny? Also, who on Atlas would call someone 'My Light' or 'My Dewdrop'?"
The experience was quite disconcerting for him, but he was still extremely curious. His curiosity eventually won, and he turned to follow them farther. As he turned to look down the path he realized he could no longer see them. Oh great, he scolded himself, but I'm sure with my tracking I can still catch up! He began sprinting down the mountain path as he followed the footprints, it was fairly easy at first because it hadn't been snowing. However, soon after he had started running the weather took a turn for the worse. Snow started falling at an alarming rate. The last of the footprints he could make out left the path and trailed off into the wilderness. Continuing in a straight line, he fought the snow and icy wind until visibility became almost nonexistent. Advancement becoming nearly impossible, he struggled for what felt like ages. Then finally, he collapsed to his knees, but trudged forward at all costs. However, just as he started feeling faint, he could vaguely make out five dark figures in the blizzard. It's them! He exclaimed inwardly. He slowly began losing consciousness. He could only catch colorful flashes and what seemed like sparks of blue lightning as his vision faded. The last thing he could see was the most horrifying sight he had ever witnessed. A monstrous ice creature was standing before the dark figures, and he knew they were about to meet their end.
***
"How do you wish to handle this, Tempestas?" One of them called out against the roaring winds of the storm.
"No need for everyone to get involved, Ignis." The leader said calmly, "How do you feel about melting it?"
As they awaited their orders from Lux, their leader, they each dodged furious attacks by the monster. It fired ice spears from its mouth and threw savage punches with great speed. It boasted more power than any normal beast of the field.
"If that is what you command, Tempestas. However, it is very likely nothing would remain."
Laughing quietly, Lux seemed to be amused at the statement, "No need, you stop the ice crystals. I will handle the rest."
Ignis began to glow a dark red, melting the snow around him. The monster could no longer produce any ice attacks. Everyone settled in a group a safe distance away from the towering beast with their leader out front. It was calm for one moment, his eyes lit up with dark blue sparks of lightning. His body was enveloped in brilliant sparks, then suddenly, only his hand possessed the aura of lightning. In a blink, Lux punched a hole through the abdomen of the monster. When his fist hit, a powerful shock wave exploded outward. Still on its feet, the monster was forced a fair distance backwards. As the lightning-wielder leisurely returned to the group, the monster fell to its knees and began to change form.
"Ignis, you should start building a fire so he will remain living....well, both of them." Lux instructed.
"Both?" Ignis questioned. Lux disappeared leaving only sparks of lightning where he had been standing. Even Ignis had difficulty tracking his movements, then he reappeared holding the exhausted body of young Thaddaeus by the collar of his jacket.
"Yes."