The road to the next clan took them toward the Skybound Peaks, a towering mountain chain that loomed- apparently piercing the heavens. Approaching it, the normally jolly Ben had his mood turned upward into something more contemplative. Above them loomed the jagged peaks, their tops lost in swirling mists. The air was thick with tension, as if the mountains themselves were alive and watching.
"These mountains." Ben muttered, the palm of his hand stroking the hilt of his bow. "Remind me somehow of something my father once told me."
Lucas walked beside him and raised an eyebrow. "You've been being very cryptic since we came here. What's the deal?
Ben hesitated, then spoke. "He used to tell me stories of a clan that was hidden in the winds, a clan that was able to handle storms and bend the skies according to their will. I thought that was just a myth, but now." His eyes wandered to the swirling clouds above. "Now I'm starting to think it wasn't. "
---
The Winds' Warning
The ascent up the Skybound Peaks was merciless. The winds grew stronger with every step higher they climbed, buffeting them from every angle. It wasn't long before even the most seasoned among them began to struggle.
"These winds aren't natural," Diane observed, shielding her face with her arm. "It's like they're trying to push us back."
"Or test us," Janet added, her eyes scanning the skies warily.
Joe, observant and wordless as ever, jerked his head at Ben. "You seem. unruffled."
Ben shrugged. "The wind and I are on good terms."
As if to illustrate, he lifted his hand, and the gusts around him died, swirling gently like a teasing breeze. The others stared, but before anyone could remark, the winds changed once more-colder, sharper, full of an unearthly, wailing whistle.
"That's not normal," Lucas said, his hand crackling with lightning in preparation.
First to coalesce from out of the fog before them, apparitions took on ghostly, shape-shifting forms of only wind and mist. Pale-blue eyes shone from faces where semi-translucent faces materialized, conveying some ancient otherworldly presence.
"Wind wraiths," Ben remarked-the sound clear off his tongue- guardian of peaks: this must be some sort of a trial.
--- -
The Trial Begins
The wraiths attacked with no warning. The blur of speed in which they moved contorted and flowed with each other as in the whorls within a windstorm. The Company scattered, doing the best anyone could under such unrelenting onslaught.
A bolt of lightning shot through the air from Lucas, striking one wraith and making its form dissipate, before it reassembled in almost an instant. Diane and Janet continued to work together-putting up barriers-but the wraiths slipped through the cracks, striking as sharp as blades.
"These things won't stay down!" Lucas shouted, frustration evident.
Ben, however, seemed unfazed. He moved with a fluid grace, his connection to the wind allowing him to anticipate the wraiths' movements. His bow glowed faintly as he fired arrow after arrow, each one striking true and dispersing a wraith momentarily.
"We're not fighting them the right way," Ben called out. "This isn't about brute force. It's a test of harmony."
"Harmony?" Lucas repeated, narrowly dodging a wraith's attack.
"The wind isn't a weapon," he had said, his voice quiet in the middle of such mayhem. "It's a partner. You move with it, not against it."
---
Ben's Satori
He shut his eyes and breathed deeply, blocking out the sounds of combat. He listened to the wind-the manner in which it moved, the whispers it made. Slowly, he lifted his bow and notched an arrow.
As he loosed it, the arrow flew; no, it was of the wind, caught on some unseen current. It struck the lead wraith and did not reform; the wraith dissipated in an instant.
The other wraiths froze in mid-step, apparently scandalized. There was time now, however; at this, Ben prepared yet another arrow and let fly it with almost fluid pull; as if on cue, one mighty whoosh of wind swirled upon the wraiths and knocked all the ethereal bodies off into scattered flight in that single puff of air.
Afterwards, nothing happened, just that there were some dying winds blowing through everything outside.
"What. was that?" Diane whispered aloud.
Ben smiled faintly. "The wind and I have always had an understanding."
---
The Skyborn Clan
The trial over, the group continued to climb onward. At the mountain's peak, the mists parted to reveal a massive stone gate, its surface etched with intricate patterns of swirling wind. An inscription read: Only those who walk with the wind may enter.
Then Ben stepped forward and laid his hand on the gate. Suddenly, a gust enveloped him and swept him off the ground. The gate glowed to life and rumbled to life as it opened, showing a hidden valley filled with floating islands and crystalline structures that shone like diamonds in the sun.
A group of figures approached them, graceful and fluid as the wind. The first of them was a tall man in silver hair, with eyes bright emerald, piercing, too.
"You have the mark of the wind," he told Ben. "You are one of us."
"I don't understand," said Ben, frowning.
The man smiled. "You are a descendant of the Skyborn Clan. The wind flows through your veins, and your connection to it is stronger than most. Come, there is much to discuss."
---
A New Ally
The Skyborn Clan welcomed them, sharing their wisdom and resources. They explained their long isolation and their role as guardians of the wind's power.
"We have watched the world from afar," one elder said. "But the Dark Apostles are a threat to all existence. We will lend you our strength."
Before they left, the clan presented Ben with a gift: a new, wind-forged wood bow strung with a pure air string. It pulsed with energy, and when Ben took it in his hands, he felt so powerful and clear.
"This bow will guide you," the elder said. "But remember, true strength comes from within."
---
The Wind's Blessing
As the group descended the mountain, Ben felt a newfound sense of purpose. The wind whispered in his ears, its voice a constant companion.
"We're one step closer," he said, his eyes fixed on the horizon. "One step closer to ending this."
The others nodded, their spirits buoyed by the alliance forged and the strength they gained. The path ahead was still uncertain; the more steps taken, the stronger they would be to face any challenge that lay ahead.