The wind had never brought good news to the village of Velaris.
It was a small place, barely a handful of houses made from old wood that creaked with every gust. The fishermen said that the salty air from the ocean brought the promise of abundant catch, but Ryuu knew the truth. The wind carried something else: tragedies, secrets, and in his case, uncontrollable power.
Ryuu sat on the edge of a cliff, looking at the sea. The waves crashed against the black rocks as if trying to devour them. He felt the wind stirring his hair, playing with the dark strands that fell over his eyes. He could hear it whispering, a persistent murmur at the edge of his mind.
"Are you going to sit there all day?" Kara's blunt voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
He slowly turned his head, finding her with her arms crossed and an arched eyebrow. As always, her sword was strapped to her waist, a constant reminder that Kara wasn't someone to mess with.
"I could, if it means avoiding your 'discipline' lessons." Ryuu made air quotes with his fingers, not bothering to hide the sarcasm.
Kara sighed. "If you keep acting like an idiot, the wind will end up controlling you instead of the other way around."
Ryuu didn't respond. He couldn't. Because deep down, he knew she was right.
He had tried to train. For years. But the wind was capricious, a force that responded to his emotions rather than his will. There were times when he felt like a god, invincible, able to summon storms with a single shout. But there were others... others when the wind got out of control, wreaking destruction with no way to stop it.
The last time, he'd almost torn down a house. Since then, the villagers looked at him like he was a bomb about to explode.
Kara sat next to him, dropping her sword to the side. "You know, you don't always have to do it all alone."
"And what am I supposed to do?" Ryuu asked, his voice barely a whisper. "Keep pretending I'm not a monster?"
Kara didn't respond immediately. Her blue eyes gazed at the horizon, where the sun was beginning to set, painting the sky red.
"What you are or aren't doesn't matter, Ryuu. What you do with it does."
The silence that followed was broken by an unexpected sound: the rumble of wheels and the whinnying of horses. Ryuu and Kara stood up simultaneously, looking toward the path leading into the village.
A black carriage slowly approached, drawn by two equally dark horses. It was an elegant vehicle, clearly not something you saw every day in Velaris. The wind seemed to change, swirling around the carriage as if announcing it.
When the carriage stopped in the village square, a man stepped out. He wore a red cloak that fluttered in the wind, and his eyes glowed as if they carried an internal fire.
"Citizens of Velaris," he said, his voice resonating with an almost supernatural authority. "I come with an invitation."
Ryuu and Kara exchanged glances. Something about this man felt off.
The stranger continued, "Those brave enough to change their destinies are invited to participate in the Tournament of the Elements. The winners will be rewarded with more power than they can imagine."
A murmur spread among the people. Some were excited, others confused, but Ryuu only felt one thing: the wind around the man was restless, as if it recognized something in him.
"The Tournament will take place in the Great Arena in three moons," the man added, his gaze scanning the crowd until it stopped on Ryuu. Their eyes met, and in that instant, Ryuu knew that everything was about to change.
The wind whispered again, this time more forcefully.
"This is just the beginning."