Storms

PROLOGUE

                                                        The land and sea shall fight.

The day shall turn into night by her command.

Her eyes the only source of light.

They shall stand by her side,

creatures of all kinds.

The divided shall be united once more.

And foes shall be exposed.

Beware, because everything is not as it seems.

A foe a friend and a friend a foe.

But one thing is for sure.

They shall cower in sight of her true form,

                                                                 The ruler of storms.
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               The young girl rested her back against the cell wall, her knees pulled up to her chest. She had long, curly black hair that formed a curtain around her. The only people she interacted with were those in white lab coats who brought her to the lab for testing. Her meals were delivered via a tube, and her bathroom was accessed through a small door. The only furniture in her room was a single bed in the corner. Outside the room, there was a grand celebration ongoing. Today was the opening of the Ki observatory, where civilians could come to view the Kis, an ancient civilization of superhumans, almost extinct, the remaining which were stored in the Observatory. 

            According to legend, the Kis were bestowed with divine blessings and granted control over the elements. While there is no definitive count of their numbers, scientists have observed four distinct groups: Fire, Water, Earth/Nature, and Wind. Each Ki is carefully monitored and protected. This is the information that has been publicly shared.

The reason for capturing the Kis was to exploit their abilities for personal gains. Nature Kis were often utilized for agriculture, Fire Kis' blood was used in making unbreakable weapons, Water Kis were used for healing, and Wind Kis were used to manipulate the turbulent skies. Though all seem like good deeds, Nature and Water Kis were only available to the rich people of Nanla, Nature Kis provided the foods the rich would sell at an extravagant price to the common people of Nanla.

Water Kis had the power to heal even the slightest illness of the wealthy, while Fire Kis was only given a break by industries when they were on the brink of death. The Kis were distributed among five regions in Nanla, with Aquan housing the water Kis due to its proximity to the ocean and Pyros City housing the Fire Kis due to the prevalence of industries. Despite its name, Floral City was not a place full of flowers. It was a barren land where only the rich lived on a hill called Floral Mountain. This was where the Nature Kis were held and used to transform the once-barren land into a lush green area. Most of Nanla's food supply came from Floral City, while Aeros was where the wind Kis were kept. In the middle was Meadow City, where any Kis that were caught were taken to be processed before being sent to the Observatory or other cities based on their abilities.

A group of sixth graders gathered around their teacher as she introduced their tour guide for the day. The lady, dressed in a white lab coat and glasses, received a warm welcome from the children. Her name was Miss Hillgan.

"As a lead scientist at the Ki observatory, I study the unique Ki creatures to better understand their abilities and how we can utilize them for the benefit of Nanla". However, there was the bitter reality that some of the Kis were sold to the highest bidders, while others, deemed too dangerous (the Level Fives), were kept hidden away in the basement. Despite my fascination with the Kis, it pained her to know the truth about their mistreatment. hoping to weaken them. She led them through the observation decks where all the Kis present were on display, even the Level Fives, she introduced them to every Ki when she noticed a boy lingering by a cell.

"Why are they locked up?" The boy asked. He had always hated the way they treated Ki's like animals, he stared at the young girl sitting in the corner of the room. She looked his age, his heart ached for the girl, he couldn't imagine being separated from his parents and put on display for people to view him like a wild animal.

"For our protection," Hillman responded. A lump formed in her throat as she stared at what he was looking at, their newest Ki only 10 years old; their youngest Ki.

"What's her name?" the boy asked, his gaze unwavering. "

Lily," Hillgan said. She could understand how the boy was feeling, she had felt the same way when she saw them walk through the lab doors with her in tow.

"What type of Ki is she?"

"What's your name?" Hillgan asked in response, trying to avoid the question. She couldn't tell him the truth about Lily.

"

Damien. So, what type of Ki is she?" he said, changing back to the subject. He turned to her, and she felt heavy under her gaze, wondering if a little boy like him could intimidate her so much.

"That's confidential," she said with a straight face, "We really should get back to your cla..."

"You don't know, do you?" Hilgan didn't respond. "I'm taking your silence as a yes," still no response from Hillgan.

"I hate the Ki Observatory, what kind of people imprison people and put them on display just because of how different they are!" he yelled, everyone on the Observatory deck stared at him.

"Enough!" she yelled back, "Go back to your group or I'll have you thrown out of the Observatory," Damien glared at her, he turned back to Lily and put his hand on the glass separating both. At that moment, Lily looked up at him, a shock ran through her veins. She didn't know him, but she knew she could trust him. He walked back to his class, glaring at Hillgan in front of him. He would have gone out himself, but his final exam would be based on this, and he couldn't afford to get less than an A. Hillgan felt disgusted with herself, this wasn't the way she had imagined her life, she hoped to help Kis not to imprison them and sell them to the highest bidder.