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For all intents and purposes, Intok was renowned as the Kingdom of the Eastern Edge, a name it bore since it's very founding. Situated at the very rim of the landmass known as Continent Eegalia, it was bordered betwixt the Auntro Ocean and two other opposing Kingdoms, Kopnera and Adichoke. A relatively smaller and much newer nation, Intok was constantly expanding and shifting, spreading its roots further and further with each passing year. Despite being a cluttered mishmash of various species as well as being backed into both a figurative and literal corner, the Kingdom flourished, its wealth growing in conjunction with its rapid expansion.
However, as much as this comparatively newborn nation morphed and adapted, extending its reach and influence with the passage of time, Intok's very foundation remained the same.
Over a hundred years ago, the very core of Intok had been a small scale fishing town, one dedicated to wresting all kinds of sea life from the various channels and lanes rushing in from the Auntro Ocean. Gradually gaining ground as their techniques and marketing improved, the Kingdom paved it's way from the bottom and soared into prosperity, exploding outwards. A good portion of its very first wave of funds went into refining its central area, an area which remained unchanged to that very day. One of those areas included a lengthy cliff that rested along one of Auntro's many channels, a place that Hadok Shimura, Uncle to Jak Yanda and Mako Kunzite, had made his home. A small spot of land situated before an enormous yet beautiful waterfall, a vast patch of solid earth that was only accessible by water, or by air which could be achieved by airship or any real means of flight.
It wasn't a place that just anyone could visit.
Money and privilege had little to do with the fact, rather it was the environment itself that caused others to be quite literally unable to make their way in or stay in it for any real length of time.
For the most part, it was largely due to the Gravity Well.
Magic existed in the very fabric of reality, in the air breathed in, within the water creatures resided, and deep in the depths of the earth every living being walked on. There wasn't a place in the various worlds that magic didn't exist, not a single spot in the vast depths of the Arcane where the presence of magic couldn't be detected and interacted with. In fact, in some places, this mana could be physically felt and seen, even going as far as to have some sort of physical effect on the environment itself. In these sort of instances, where the magic was heavy and unusually high, anomalies would usually occur, most of which would permanently alter that domain of a given area. Gravity Wells were a perfect example of these anomalies, an expanse rich in magic that warped the very fabric of reality, causing the affected surroundings to increase in pressure, spiking the gravity to unprecedented levels.
Around the spot widely known as Isle Shimura, this was especially true, the gravity having been heightened to at least eight times that of Ornera's standard. This alone made it almost impossible for Intok's standard inhabitants to approach the area, let alone live in it. There were other various reasons for the lack of commute to the Isle as well such as the travel by boat or air, the cost of living, the noise of the waterfall, and so on, but the Gravity Well was easily the major problem. For the noncombat, common civilian, most couldn't even handle twice the gravity, let alone seven to eight times that.
Of course, the distortion of gravity meant little to nothing to those who had literally spent years of their lives growing up in it. To the pair of Elemental Rookies, it was almost completely negligible.
Jak pawed the air in front of him, tentatively reaching his hands into the space resting slightly to his left. There wasn't any clear indication of when the Gravity Well began or ended, but the fiery redhead had spent more than enough time within Isle Shimura to know exactly where it was. He could feel the intense heaviness press on his hand and upper section of his forearm, the sensation of his hand being dragged towards the ground at a much greater extent than his other free one.
"Huh," Jak pulled his hand away and took a step back. "The gravity increased since I've been gone. That's interesting."
A few hours had come and gone since the two brothers had left the WGC branch and made their trek to Hadoks Manor and it was only now that the bright haired duo had managed to make it to the wide passage of water separating Isle Shimura from the mainland. The sun had long since set, allowing the blanket consisting of thousands upon thousands of stars to wrap around the sky, illuminating the surrounding area, even causing the rapid waters before them to glow softly as the rushing liquid tumbled over the steep edge. It was because of this beauty, as well as Mako's insistence on seeing the sights at night that the both of them had made it to the waterfalls so late into the evening. Had it been up to Jak, they would have made it there within an hour of setting out.
"The Gravity Well used to be around 6 or 7 times that of Ornera if I remember correctly," Mako said, calmly removing his own pitch black cloak, giving it a neat fold. "Within the past year, the mana surrounding Intok has been acting a tad strange."
Jak furrowed his eyes, crimson hues turning their attention away from the waterway and onto Mako who was now stretching. "Strange?"
"It's been fluctuating in many different spots across the Kingdom, dropping in some and rapidly increasing in others," Mako explained as he twisted his body, his arm across his chest. "Nobody knows what's causing it, not even the scientists who've been monitoring and studying the magic surrounding it. From what I hear, they aren't any closer to solving it nor do they have any slight clues as to what the cause may or may not be."
"Did they not send out any adventurers to gather more information on it? To collect readings?"
"Brother, you have a lot to catch up on," Mako said with a shake of his head, readjusting his battle staff. "I'll fill you in on everything when we get to the Stomping Grounds. Tons of things have moved and shifted in the time since you've been MIA and hardly any of it is for the betterment of society."
"Is it ever?" Jak murmured, turning his attention back to the waterfall.
"Sometimes." Mako responded. "It all depends on who does the changing."
"Yeah. By the way...," Jak gestured towards the blue haired boys naked upper body, the youths clothes having been stripped and neatly folded at the side of the waterfall. "Why are you naked?"
"Half naked."
"Whatever."
"It's for the race," Mako said, a bright smile flashing across his face as he took a stance, battle staff bound tightly to his back. "Don't you remember agreeing to race me towards Hadoks Manor? Coulda sworn you'd have remembered by now."
"I never said-" - Jak
"Pretty sure you did." - Mako
"I'll pass." - Jak
"Oh, so you're scared of losing then?" - Mako
"....." - Jak
"Gotcha. So, after all that training, you're just one big Clacknor." Mako raised an eyebrow. "And here I thought you had actually improved over the years."
"....." - Jak
The fiery redhead made a face as he took a stance behind the line that Mako had created when they had first gotten there, only now realizing why the blue haired Rookie had done it. Unlike his compatriot, who had removed two full pieces of clothing, Jak left everything on, his cape flapping in the cool wind emanating from the waterfall. As the two of them prepared to rush forward, remnants of a time forgotten flooded into his mind, a scene from what felt like centuries ago playing out just in front of him, something that seemed awfully similar to the scenario playing out now. It was such a nice one that Jak almost lost himself in it before his companion spoke up.
"On your mark," Mako said, snapping Jak back to the present.
"Fine." Jak tensed his body up, ready to run. "Try not to lose sight of me."
"Okay. And you should try not to inhale too much water on the way there," Mako shot back. "Wouldn't want to add nearly drowning to your list of today's failures."
"Go"
BOOM! BOOM!
The two teenagers left the small spit of land at nearly the exact same time, exploding the ground beneath their feet as they rushed forward, moving from the firm unmoving earth onto the rushing waters of the Auntro Ocean. Their bare feet smacked onto the surface of the turbulent waves the moment contact was made, as if it was made out of solid stone, propelling then forward and into the few kilometers worth of water separating them from Isle Shimura. Neither one slowed down or lost any part of momentum, not even when they entered the unseen confines of the surrounding Gravity Well. In fact, with each step, Mako seemed to be gaining ground, creating a sizeable distance betwixt him and Jak with every second that passed. It was almost as if the blue haired Rookie was skating over the water, every step of his light and fluid, kicking up almost no water with each and every step. Nimble and quick, he easily outmaneuvered his red-haired friend and took the lead rather quickly.
Jak, on the other hand, was the exact opposite, in more ways than one. Each and every step radiated physical power, kicking up liters of water every time his foot made contact with the surface. While Mako's movements were quick and graceful, the fiery redheads were fierce and strong, utilizing personal strength in order to attempt a matchup in the seemingly unequal race.
"Awww, what's the matter?" Mako shouted back, glancing over his shoulder. "Little baby Jak can't keep up? Isn't that sad."
By this time, the distance between them had nearly quadrupled in length, to the point where they had to fully shout just to be heard. Mako was maintaining his speed and even accelerating to lengths that Jak couldn't hope to keep up with, something that even Jak had fully recognized and had completely accepted. Normally, he would have just taken the loss with grace and just kept pushing until they reached the finish line, as that was the honorable thing to do. However, Mako made two crucial mistakes.
The first was poking fun of someone who took competition very seriously.
The second was not specifying any rules besides a simple race.
Jak let out a smoky sigh, literal puffs of embers coming out of his mouth as he grabbed the hilt of his sword and slowly dragged it out of its sheath. Leaning forward, the redhead immediately put on a burst of unprecedented speed, accelerating to a point where even Mako seemed to be thrown off as he quickly pulled his battle staff from his back.
"Fire Manifest," Jak Yanda muttered as he grabbed the hilt with both hands. "Red String."
Swinging his glowing red sword towards the side, a thick red blast of condensed magic flew from the blades edges and shot towards Mako at a speed that would've been almost impossible to react to had he not been ready for it. Grabbing his staff by the middle, Mako quickly plunged the butt of his weapon into the water below. "Water Manifest: Blue Curtain." Thick blue walls of water burst from the Auntro waters and directly into the Red Strings line of fire, taking the full force of the blow before exploding into a thick shower of steam and rain.
"Water Manifest: Harpoon Gatlin."
The cascade of water was swiped to the side as Mako swung his bright white battle staff, the edge of his weapon skimming the waters surface, brushing away everything in its path. From every spot that the staff made contact with, the water rippled and swirled violently before spitting out thick lines of liquid spears. Jak quickly went on the defensive as the harpoons shot towards him, cutting through some whilst dodging others, all the while speeding towards Mako with blade held close.
"Water Manifest: Drago-"
The blue haired Rookie's words were halted dead in their tracks as Jaks sword slammed into Mako's staff, the force of their clash causing water to erupt in all different directions. While the two of them wrestled for control, Jak actually cracked a smile, something Mako hadn't seen in three full years. Though the smile lasted for a few seconds and was rather small, it was a genuine one and one that caused Mako to smile even wider as he slammed his friends sword to the side, breaking contact.
"Very well, if it's a fight you want, then it's a fight you'll get," Mako shouted as he touched his staff to Jaks chest. "Water Propulsion."