Chapter 2
When we arrive at a large glass-domed building I am taken back by the fresh crisp air. The sky is crystal clear and there is the sound of running water nearby. From where I stand this looks like a fairy tale land. There are huge buildings covered in glass and crystal, and I see a group of nymphs, I assume, walking wearing beautifully sewn gowns.
"Where are we? This place is wonderful," I whisper, afraid i talk to laud it might shatter.
"Welcome to Agartha, the capital of our world. The king's palace is not too far from here so we can walk!" he says enthusiastically,
" I have been meaning to ask you, but what clan am I a part of?" i ask,
" I really don't know, the king, Solace, will have to tell you. He doesn't have an element, he represents sunshine! Or the light in our world." he said, something in his voice was almost like he was talking about a god. We walked in silence for a while and I admired the scenery, and then out of nowhere we turned on to a bustling street with many towers and buildings all made of beautiful materials, well dressed people weaved in and out of tall shop windows and there was a river running through the center. In it where carriages are being pulled by the strangest looking creatures I have ever seen. They resemble dolphins but each one's unique patterns and colors were the strangest part.
" We call those Pisces because their scientific name is too hard to pronounce. Hurry up!"
"Oh alright, they are beautiful. I've never seen anything like it!" I still say in a daze.
We keep going, I bump into a few people earning a couple more dirty looks. Finally we reached the end of the long stretch and came across a huge gate. Beyond the gate I could see many trees and a palace that looks like it's from a fairy tail.
" It's very beautiful but it's too bright for my taste!" i say, remembering how all of my lights were always so dim, and this brought me to remember something else too,
"Zorro! Where is he?" i shout frantically
" Calm down, I told him to wait with me in the marketplace for you to come out of there." Sinus said calmly, "this is where i leave you for the time being! See ya later Victoria!"
" Wait what? Where am I supposed to go? How do I get in?" i yell at him while he swiftly walked away,
"Oh my god! I can't believe that he left me here!"
"Right this way Ms. Lockmore," a sweet and kind voice said, when I turned around I saw a beautiful nymph, maybe the same age as Poppy. " His majesty wishes to see you, immediately."
" Oh alright, so where do I go?" i say impatient, she was just staring at me as if I knew what I was doing. She quickly gathered herself and swept me through a maze of intricate rooms and hallways, each bringing something . Finally we made it to the room at the end of the most bizarre hallway and we were standing in front of another large door carved entirely of what seemed to be made of glass of every color the world could possibly hold.
" come in." a thundery voice said, signaling the door to open and the girl to leave. I step inside and find a man only looking about 35 sitting on the throne.
"Um, excuse me, I'm here to see the king," I say. He looks stunned and then laughs a normal sounding laugh that does not match the thundering voice i had heard a moment ago.
" I am the king, I almost forgot about that voice thing. My assistant insisted I put it in to make me sound a little scarier." the king was still laughing now.
" oh, I'm very sorry," I say quickly, adding, "your majesty."
"Well, I just wanted to see the "lost Elf for myself! But now we must see what elemental clan you will belong to," and at this he waved his hand flashing a blindingly bright light. When I opened my eyes I was in a forest.
"This is your trial!" the king's voice said, "you will be faced with a series of challenges and questions, at the end based on your results your element will be released and you will train with people of your element to grow smarter and stronger. Best of luck!" and just like that his voice was gone and in front of me there was a paper test. I thought this was strange but completed it to the best of my ability.
By now I had answered 29 of the 30 questions and puzzles and waited for the next one. But this time instead of something appearing for me to do, the scenery changed once again. This time I was in what seemed to be an old house.
"reach the top floor and press the red button to see your results!" a new voice said. I can hear the doors lock, and this is when I begin to panic. When all the doors are locked, the most terrifying thing I've ever seen.
It stood at the height of a small tree and had wild, hungry eyes. It was like nothing I had ever seen or heard of in fairy tales or movies. He was almost a gray shadow, but there was part of it that I felt like I had seen before. I made a mental note to ask Sinus about it when, if, I make it out. Before I can even come up with a plan it is charging at me.
Wherever I go the creature is right behind me! He slams his arm on my leg making it dislocate but i have to run or i will get killed, i can worry about this later.The stairs are how to advance to the next floor. Once I get on the staircase, I will be safe. Even though I hate to admit it, I have never been very afraid. I think I'm starting to like this game-BOOM! The beast is charging again, my first instinct is to run but i know i have to start thinking like a player. I have to beat him, my thighs are aching from running and my heart and chest feel ready to explode. Maybe it was out of laziness but this time I didn't run. When he reached me I dodged him by a hair, or so I thought, but then a sharp pain cut through my body and when I looked down my arm had been cut badly. It hurts to move but I don't have the time to treat it so I bolt straight for the stairs.
"Owch!" The cut is bleeding more and more and the pain is almost unbearable. Just as I am about to reach the stairs I am cut off by the beast's head. And then it was silent, neither of us moved for what seemed like a thousand years. Then, I fell backwards, my legs finally gave in.
"Come on! Get up! We can do this!" This is what I found myself yelling. And almost like a miracle they obeyed, just in time for me to dodge the monsters attack and jump on to the creaky old stairs.
The second my foot crossed the invisible line my arm was healed along with any other injuries I may have gotten. Once I have taken a moment to catch my breath, I decide to come up with a strategy. First off I know that I have to pace myself because even though my wounds are healed I am still exhausted. Once I climb the stairs, I try to make a plan. This monster looks like a young girl. She is hovering in the center of a plain white room. I know from all the horror movies I've watched that they are the scariest. A countdown starts in front of me and I assume this means that I have reached my time limit in the safe zone. 5,4,3,2,1, i run and she doesn't move. As the staircase gets closer I'm thinking that this is too easy, one more leap and I'm safe-bam! I've been basted back to where I started. I try this again,again, aaand again to no avail. A colorful array of words Hestia taught me not to say slips out and when i look up the girl is right above me,
"Mommy?" and an empty cold voice says, "are you there?" she is looking right into my eyes, hers turning a dark shade of red. Before I can react, her tiny hands are wrapped around my neck. My lungs are screaming for air and my vision begins to fade. Desperate, I reach into my consciousness and without thinking about it unlock something, something I have never seen before. despite all the chaos spinning around me, this new found power calms me enough to shut my eyes and breath.
When I open my eyes I am in the center of a cyclone! Wind is howling and sweeping me up to the ceiling, the girl is pushed up against the wall from the wind, she looks limp and almost dead. but i don't have time to think about this because, then red lights start flashing signaling a malfunction. I didn't know what was going on but this was too much, I could no longer open my eyes and the whirlwind was unbearable. My head was spinning and I could feel myself losing consciousness.
"no,no,no,no,NO!" I scream using up the remainder of my body strength. Cool air filled my lungs and I collapsed onto the floor letting the sound of the wind send me to sleep.
"Hello? Wake up!" a husky girl's voice says, " she's out like a rock!"
" Where am I ? Who are you?!" I say, my head feels like it's going to explode or crack open. I look up and see two people my age standing above me, they both have strawberry blond hair and teal eyes.
"Are you two siblings?" i say through gritted teeth
" Wow, you recover fast!" the boy says, the girl, who i can't really see dew to blurry vision, slaps his neck and says
" calm down! She just woke up, besides we aren't supposed to be here anyway!"
"Wow, just wow! You are such a party pooper!" the boys said. Their conversation drags on for an eternity.
"Excuse me where am i? I was just in a room with that beast thing!" I say trying to sound as calm as possible. A gust of wind rises from behind me causing the two twins to step back, the boys face was frozen and the girl looked like she was thinking
"Woah there! Calm down! I'm not one for lengthy explanations but I think you deserve one. In this world we live using the four elements for our everyday life, our whole world is built off of it." the girl begins, "however originally there were only four beings who could use this power, Ignis of fire, Zerus of wind, Umus of water, and lastly Nelin of the earth. To keep the power alive they select a decedent, or a person to carry out their job as protector of the elements. You appear to be the descendant of the Zerus protector of the wind.`` She said it with a straight face, probably hoping I would simply accept this.
"I'm sorry but you must have the wrong person," I say I want to leave, and I want to go back to my home.
"Ok lets see, have you ever lost your temper and caused something unexplainable to happen?" The boy says, sounding exasperated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. I concentrate hard, I remember the playground incident, the one time I fell out of a tree and was caught by a blanket of wind. I think of several more after that before responding with a simple,
"Yes. yes i have."
"Good, so you do know that that is because of your powers!" he says. then, as if i were back in school, they took turns explaining who i was and what there world was like. The day went on with me alone in the wight room. The walls are blank and so was the door making it painful to open my eyes. The bed is more fancy or elegant than I would have thought it would be for an infirmary room. But the ceiling was exquisite, it was entirely crystals making the plain white walls shimmer with floating rainbows covering the room depending on were the sun was during that part of day. The boy and girl came once more in the evening to tell me that due to my situation I would be staying here for the next couple of days. I was also informed that the previous escort, Sinus, had been informed of this as well. That night I also learned that the boy's name was Ray and the girl's name was Via. Ray was very energetic and was always cracking jokes, he probably was popular, and Via was cool headed most of the time but when she opened up she could be very enjoyable and sweet. They both took after their mother, because their father the king was a special case, and where of the water clan. I also learned that the water and wind clans were allies, the same as fire and earth clans. Though earth stayed out of any fighting for the most part.
"Fire clans are known for their craftsmanship," says Via, " water clans known for their beautiful home lands, wind clans known for their knowledge and fighting talent, and finally earth clans are known for their harvesting and connections with all animals." this was significant because as Ray explained,
" Each clan has a spirit animal that will help anyone in their clan, for fire it is the fox, water has the horse, wind has the raven, and earth has the elk!" then he and Via begin to debate the best of the four,
" definitely the raven! They are smart and symbolizes teamwork!" Via argues, "either that or a stable strong horse,"
"No way! The horse is so boring! Fox all the way!" Ray shouts back, their bickering reminds me of the way Zorro and Hestia would argue because of the messes he would always make. I laugh, something that makes me feel overwhelmed with this overwhelming feeling that I couldn't remember. The twins pause their argument and Ray decides that this is the best time for a sweet treat that they call Pluviam. It is delicious and it looks hard but if you break it a pool of metallic sweet syrup bursts out. Gelato or Italian ice aside this may be one of the most sweet and delicious things i have ever had! We laugh and eat until we want to puke, the way we play, shout and giggle is like we have known each other for years. After they leave it is well into the night. The day's events are looming in my head, I still can't believe I'm here. I love and hate it here. I love that I finally belong and have people who I can call friends. But I hate that there is so much that I don't know, and so much responsibility riding on my shoulders now. Responsibility is not new to me, after all i did rase myself, but being one of the four "Gardians of Agartha" is a whole other story! The fate of a whole nation is riding on my shoulders. i had heard from Via that there had been attacks on the western territories by a group that know one knew the name of, i was also told not to worry because the fire clans had been monitoring the area closely.
The room had nothing to do, just a small night stand with a cup of water. After watching the moonlight reflecting on to the walls for an hour, i decided to try out my new "power.'' I start with lifting the red pillow from my bed with a breeze. Unsuccessful at first I reached down inside of my consciousness like the first time I had been aided by the wind. I tried to find wherever it was hiding in me and brought it out. After about thirty excruciatingly long thirty minutes I lifted the pillow, although I was surprised at how much effort it took to lift it 4 inches. After a couple more tries i got tired and lay down into one of the most satisfying sleeps of my life.
"Victoria! Wake up! I finally found you and you are asleep, I can't help but feel offended," the voice is so familiar! I force my eyes to open and gather all of my strength to sit up,
"Zorro! How did you get in here? Did you meet Sinus? Are you alright? Did you know that I am a guardian?" my head is spinning, reminding me that I am definitely not a morning person.
"Woah there! take it easy! Listen, I just came by to say hello and make sure you are ok. Sinus is taking me on a job with him! Isn't that exciting?" i am shocked,
"I thought you were gonna stay here with me!"
"Ya i'm sorry but i need to see the world! Where I came from!" he is excited, I can tell. I say goodbye and go back to lifting the pillow to distract me from a familiar scene of loneliness. before, whenever i had been lonely or felt abandoned, i always had Hestia and the others to assist me. The pillow slams on to the wall warning me to stay calm. Breath, you got this! This is your only chance to do something for once! So do it well!
The day was boring and I was getting confused as to why know one had come in yet. I could see the sun setting through the ceiling and my room was turning purple, this was my favorite time of the day. I was going for another round of "lift the pillow" when the door clicked open and a tall figure stepped in the dimly lit room.
"Hello, my name is Malum, you must be Victoria Lockmore, correct?" he stepped into the light and I could see his face. He had black hair and looked very annoyed which didn't go well with his elegant voice. "No matter, I'm the royal physician and my job was to make sure you were alright after these recent events."
"Oh well, I'm fine I think," I whisper, very intimidated by his glare.
"Very well then," he stepped over to the bedside where I was and his hand on my forehead. "Oh sorry, I am a nymph. We can feel people's emotion and read brain signals.'' His casual tone was just another reminder that I had some catching up to do.
"Alright, um is anything wrong sir?" i say sounding as polite as possible,
" I told you my name so use it! I see no problem, although your physical condition is lacking. Although I can spirits because you were living in the human land." the man smirked, then giggled/ cackled then said, " thought i do suggest that you visit the fitness center! I'm sure Celer will have fun fixing you!" At this point that smug face he had made me the most frustrated I had been in a long time. Why is this bothering me? Bullying was fine for me back in my old school.
"Whatever, can you tell me how to get there?" my eyes roll instinctively and i avoid eye contact when he says,
"Yes of course. Let me just write it down here on this paper… alright this should be good. I will let him know that you will be stopping by tomorrow." Malum stashed away his pen and paper and marched to the door, " oh and by the way, don't make him mad!" On that note the door slammed behind him leaving millions of questions. What will happen if he gets mad? Gosh i
It's when the sun comes up that I realize that I have not slept at all. I got dressed in one of the outfits I had been given when I first came here. After some meditation to calm myself down (a suggestion made by Ray to help with my wind outbursts), I took my instructions from the mean-doctor-man and took my first step to the side of that room in 3 days.