Chapter 17 - Origin

The rays of from the rising sun found their way through the windows of of the room Sian laid in and woke her up improperly by piercing through her eyelids. She woke up with a jerk and took a quick assessment of her environment. She wasn't in her former clothings and all her weapons were not on her.

She felt heavily fatigued even though she had just woken from sleep. A constant throbbing ache was in her head and the pain was becoming unbearable. She got out of bed and struggled to walk but her legs failed her. She fell to the side of her bed and bumped her head against it's wooden edges, the pain in her head increased once more and blood trickled down from her nose before everything became foggy once again.

Sian woke again, but this time it was night. The pain in her head had subsided and she felt a little better now. She opened her eyes weakly and found she was sorrounded. Aaron sat by her side reading a book while Warren sat close to the door, his hands supporting his head up, he looked concerned and worried. Lucas had just entered almost immediately she opened her eyes fully.

"Sian, you got me worried for a bit" He said as he closed the book he was reading and adjusted so she could sit up properly. Warren had reached her bedside immediately he heard Aaron speak. He took her hand and released his sighs of relief on them before looking at her with sad eyes while Lucas leaned by the wall with a smile on his face.

"Where are we?" She asked trying to ignore all the sad looks she was getting. A lady had entered the room just immediately she finished her question. She had an inky black hair that matched well with the all black attire she was wearing. Two blades crossed each other behind her and she walked like she was performing on a runway. Her beauty was also stunning. She was speechless, unaware if she was friend or foe. The others seemed calm so she decided to play along.

"Took you long enough to finally wake up princess" The lady said, a hint of sarcasm in her tone. She placed her palm on Sian's forehead as soon as she approached her. Her expressions unchanged. "Your fever's down but you still need to rest, you will be fine by morning" She said and walked out of the room just like that.

Hayley's blood boiled on the mere sight of Warren Stone. She wiped her teary eyes as she walked out into the dark corridor. She had vowed to kill him anytime she crossed him again but here she was unable to do anything even when he was at her mercy. She had stumbled across them when she was out hunting for her dinner in the forest, he was the only one conscious while his friends lay unconscious on the floor.

She had found him holding the only female in sight in his arms while he struggled to keep himself awake. She had spotted him and had instantly recognized the man who killed her fiancee. She remembered approaching him, her blade held to his throat, tears flowing from her eyes.

"This was destined to happen, you will die by my sword Warren Stone" she had said struggling to keep her flowing tears from pouring. Killing him then would only mean granting him mercy since he would bleed to death anyways, she needed him to suffer and feel the pain she felt before she finished him off.

He seemed to love the girl he cuddled. She would kill her first and watch him suffer at the sight of her death. 'it was the perfect choice' she thought inwardly as she kicked him out of her reach and raised her sword to decapitate her but something held her back. The wind was pushing her backwards, he was using every last energy he had to stop her from killing the unconscious girl, she looked at him, tears were in his eyes as he exhausted his energy and fell unconscious to the ground.

She had fallen to her knees, her tears now overflowing. Throughout out her life she had been benumbed of emotions. She never for once stopped to think if all the Elementals she had killed had fiancees or a family. She just killed them without consideration and here she was trying to avenge her own fiancee.

The one time she found love, it was taken from her. This was her punishment for all the pains she had caused other people. She couldn't stand seeing Warren Stone but yet for some stupid reason, she had saved him and his little crew and had fed them for the past five days without payment. She wiped the tears off her eyes with the back of her palms and stared into the starry sky. She believed that people became part of the universe when they died and luckily, her fiancee will be amongst the stars watching over her all the time.

"What does your master want with Sian?" Aaron asked his intense stare fixated on Lucas. Everyone might have forgotten that he was the first to attack them for Sian but he wasn't going to let it slide. They might have forgotten to ask him his motives since then but he won't escape it now.

Lucas stepped away from the wall he leaned on and took few steps closer to the table beside him. He ran his fingers across the dusty surface of the furniture before turning to reply the curious trio.

"I don't really know if I'm being completely honest. All I do is carry out my missions without questions" He replied.

Aaron didn't look satisfied with his answer, he didn't trust this man and now he expected them to believe that he just kills and abduct people without a reason. Unbelievable.

"Right before I passed out, I remember Tyrant saying something about an ancestral power of Elemental.... I don't really know" Sian said running her hand through her hair as if it helped her recollect her foggy memories. "Anyone know anything about that?" She asked.

"I don't know but think I've read about those somewhere" Warren replied. He bit the his lower lips as he tried to recall what he had read. "During the course of creation, it was believed that the gods had created four beings to keep the four forces of nature in balance thus the first Elementals. These Elementals were strictly prohibited from procreation and were to pass on their powers to younger generations whenever they neared death and this new successor must be one who was pure of heart and devoid of evil in any way possible, but as time passed by, the newer generations gave in to lust and started procreating thus dispersing their powers into their new offsprings. However they were consequences to their actions, the new breeds of elementals were incapable of wielding such power and some of them died at birth while those who survived ended up running wild with power and causing destruction. The most powerful of the Elementals as of then, the fire Elemental had sought to put an end to the madness and had gone on a killing spree of any child or man who weilded any elemental power, he believed that he could weild all four powers and bring balance once again but the people retaliated against his actions after a bloody war against the Elemental, he was finally subdued while the surviving few who still had their powers continued procreating and thus continuing the clan of Elementals" Warren explained.

"And since the water Elementals are all gone, there is a possibility you have inherited the power of the Ancestral Water Elemental to keep the cycle in balance" He finished. He had seen the feats she pulled against Tyrant and was awestruck by her overwhelming power, he had no doubts about what Tyrant said and if so, then she was in serious danger of herself and this man that wants to get hands on her at any cost. Everyone seemed shocked for the moment as they tried to digest in the entire story that just heard.

"So what you are trying to say is that there is a possibility that this my master could be the infamous killer Elemental?" Lucas asked

"I seriously doubt that, Ancestral elementals are powerful rest assured but they aren't immortal that's for sure. This was centuries ago he couldn't have lived through all those years without making a comeback or something. I'm guessing another psycho had taken up his will and is running mad with too much power" Warren answered.

Sian sat silent unable to fully understand what she had just heard, she wasn't pure or devoid of evil in anyway, all her life she had yearned to kill anybody who had anything to do with the massacre of all clan and family which was almost same and going on a killing spree against every human that existed before her. Aaron looked at her and figured what age must be thinking. 'It must all be too much for her' he thought before patting her on the back to bring her back from her thoughts.

"One thing I don't understand is, if he really wanted to rid the earth of its Elementals, why would he employ Elementals to work for him without taking their powers and also more importantly, is it possible to even take someone's power?" Aaron asked. This their newly discovered psycho was already scaring him to his bones, if he had such powerful people working for him, he couldn't even bring himself to think of how powerful he must be. They were all in serious danger if they don't get stronger or at least go into hiding till the psycho gets old and dies off.

His question seemed to throw everyone into a puzzle and no one could find any suitable answer for it. Lucas was lost in thoughts, he hadn't even told them that Tyrant was the weakest amongst the five Elementals that worked for his master. They were actually six but he didn't count inferno, he was almost friends to his master that he actually didn't count him in but that was besides the point, judging by their current strength and how they faired against Tyrant, if any other amongst the six came after them then it was definitely the end of it for all of them.

They were just too weak and wouldn't stand a chance at all against their upcoming threats. He was only a student under tyrant and he was hardly amongst the top best. He knew of three possible people who were far better than him and two amongst them are Elementals, even though they wouldn't pose much of a threat, the three was still a force to reckon with. And if the three of them were to ever face off against them at their current level, it will be overkill. He trembled even at the thoughts of fighting these monsters. They were totally on a different level.

"Is there anything to eat around here? I'm starving" Sian said, finally breaking the intense silence that had been on for minutes now. Aaron smiled at her and left to bring her some food while Warren motioned for Lucas to join him outside. The pair had left, leaving her alone for the moment. They were trying to keep her out of their conversation but all she could think of now was food so she paid little attention to their secretive gossip.

"You're know something, why hide it from the rest?" Warren asked openly disappointed in Lucas's current act.

"And why would you think I'm hiding something?" Lucas returned clearly shocked from the accusation.

"You've been uneasy since we started talking about your master and stuff, you clearly know something and you don't want to say it. This isn't only your business now, we are all caught up in it now so I think it's best we know what we are dealing with"

"Somethings are better left ambiguous" was all Lucas could say before walking out on the curious Warren.

Warren returned to room after minutes of staring at the retreating Lucas, he didn't know if it was anger or hate he felt but it wasn't going to get the better of him. Sian had finished eating now and was alone in the room.

"The weird doctor said I needed rest and you are the definition of stress" Sian teased as soon as Warren entered the room. He smiled at her teasing whilst settling beside her, his hand toying with strands of her hair as he got himself comfortable

"You overstressed your body" He began, "you will have to learn to control your powers else you could end up harming yourself more than your foes" He said.

Sian twitched her lips to the corner and stopped him from doing whatever he was doing with her hair.

"And how do do that?" She asked. She had been getting more comfortable with him being around her lately, and he didn't seem too bad even though he still made her weak whenever he was around. But she was getting the hang of the feeling.

"Well, I could teach you, that's if you are willing to comply" He replied as he took her palm into his and drew nearer to her. He cupped her cheeks with his hand and gently drew her face closer to his, their noses almost touching now, she didn't resist.

Her heartbeat escalated in seconds as his face neared hers. She had never been that close to anyone before. The comforting warmth from his body swooned all over her as he ran his fingers across her neck, this sensation he brought to her body made her even weaker under his touch that she couldn't move.

He pulled her even closer and before she could react, their lips were locked in a heavenly embrace. His lips were soft, and his control was that of an expert. She couldn't help but deepen the kiss. His tongue swept though the softness of her mouth as his fingers trailed the outlines of her body. He stopped abruptly and pulled away from her. The sudden stop surprised her, she had never kissed anyone before and this feeling in her was intense.

"Get some rest now" He said and pecked her forehead before leaving. She was still frozen from what just happened. She touched her lips slowly to make sure she wasn't dreaming before lying back in bed.

***

Days had swept by since she had woken from her sick bed and no day passed without them training themselves to death. It was obvious that Lucas bested them all when it came to physical combat and speed, the only reason they would stand against him was only if they used their powers. She had gotten a lot better than usual with the training, and had learnt that the weird doctor's name was Hayley.

She was skilled in her own way but was nowhere near the the three men's level. She wasn't doing very good with her Elemental training, she couldn't compress atmospheric vapor like she did and couldn't even turn water to ice. She could only use her powers whenever there was liquid around her and it wasn't much of a good thing. There was no guarantee she would run into her opponent by the riverside or near a pool.

"Concentrate" Warren urged as she tried her best to freeze a bowl of water in front of her but to no avail. She was already stressed from her series of failed attempts that it was eating her up.

"It's useless!" She said almost shouting. "We should just get back to combat training" she finished and flipped the bowl over. He couldn't help but laugh at her, but she didn't seem like one who appreciated the laughter. He had stopped as soon as he noticed her wicked stare. "Fine, combat training" He acquiesced. They both walked to the empty hall that served as their training room. Lucas had just bested Hayley in a duel and was helping her back up.

"I won't teach you today" Warren said as he sat down on the floor while Sian stared at him in disbelief.

"Why?"

"You know I wouldn't fight you seriously, it's best of Lucas teaches you after all he's the best amongst us" Warren replied not looking up at her. She walked away without saying another word. Their weapons were arranged in a nearby concealment shelf. She picked up her staff before walking to face Lucas.

"Well, look who's ready to get beat up" Lucas mocked as Sian circled him skillfully swinging her staff around. She came to a halt before making her battle stance.

"Bring it" Sian urged.

"You asked for it" He said as he wiped off a sweat off his forehead. His speed was impeccable as always but she herself had gotten faster. She deflected the attack with ease and parried another another. He made a strike at her leg but she was quick to jump and summersault backwards just like he predicted.

He reached her while she was still in air, unable to defend or counter. He had taken her completely by surprise when she was most open. She made a quick movement mid air and smashed her staff into the ground, using it as support, she pushed herself away from the range of the incoming blade just before it could reach her.

"I knew you would do that, but now you have no weapon" Lucas commented as he pulled her staff from the floor and and pointed his blade towards her. "It's over" He finished.

She reluctantly raised her hands in defeat while she tried to avoid Warren's mocking look. The fight had ended way faster than she expected, it was obvious that Lucas was getting more better and she was crawling behind in the development aspect.

"You've improved" Warren complimented but she walked past him without saying a word. Hayley approached him, her face devoid of any emotions that might foretell what she had in mind, but he had already guessed it and he had been avoiding this conversation since he got here. It was definitely about him, her faincee