Fractured Soul

Chapter 12: Welcome to Ryn

The vision Mella had started outside of Ryn began again while she was oblivious to the world…

"You're going to learn how to start controlling water today, children. Try summoning it towards you. This is how it all starts."

The old man in charge of the water elementals was watching them carefully. They were outside of the temple near the lake, trying to bring the water into the air.

She stood a little ways off from the rest of the group. The other kids knew she was different, and rumors spread like wildfire, how she was always with different beginner elemental classes even though she was a good three years older than most of the students there, how she could control more than one element. She had been marked weird as soon as she walked in late to a new class.

It didn't faze her though, and she turned her focus to the water. The other kids looked at her, and started whispering.

"Maybe she can't control water. Maybe nothing will happen."

"Nothing happened when you tried, either. Be quiet. I want to see."

She smiled. Of course they thought she couldn't hear them. After hearing them whisper for a while longer, she held out her hand and imagined a ball of water--

The dream or vision, whatever it was, was cut off, as if someone had dropped the curtain over an act of a play. Everything was dark, until an orange light blinked into being. It grew larger and larger, until the spirit Lea floated in front of Mella.

"Lea? What--" Mella was confused, but Lea held up a hand to silence her.

"You still have as many questions as ever, child. I have a feeling you want to ask your last question, but I have things to tell you first. Just listen.

"You have mastered fire. You've lost and learned and lost again, but you are still standing, willing to go on. You are ready for your next challenge. Now, what do you want to ask?"

"Yes. I feel…guilty for everything. If I wasn't in Berna, none of that nightmare would have happened. I know the soldiers took all the elementals left in the village. Can you make sure they stay safe?" Mella asked pleadingly. Lea smiled.

"I will try to watch over them. Some of them are still there, if that’s any reassurance. There's someone else that wants to talk with you now. I have to go. We can't both be in the same place, and besides, we don't get along. Just trust your heart, like I said all those months before."

Lea's light was fading, along with her voice.

"Until we meet again, Mella."

The fire spirit was gone, but Mella wasn't left in the dark for long. A light like the sun glinting off the water grew in front of Mella, until it transformed into a person. She was blonde, and had eyes as changing as the ocean. Her dress looked like a wave of water. She had wings that rippled in an invisible breeze.

"It's about time, Lea. Oh, hello Mella." The spirit looked down at her-she was even taller than Lea and herself-and smiled. "I'm Nadai, water spirit and Lea's older sister."

Wait, sisters? The spirits are related?

Nadai laughed. "Yes, Mella, the spirits are all related, but that's a story for another time. It's way too complicated. Lea told me you have a bunch of questions, but I'm only going to answer three. Fire away. No pun intended."

Three questions again. Mella had only one ready, even though there were thousands of things she wanted to ask.

"Nadai, the first time I saw Lea she told me I was a spirit elemental, but I can control fire and you're a water spirit. People say I'm special or I'm strange. I just want to know this, and I'll save my other two questions for some other time. Nadai, what am I?"