Valkyrie (Complete)

1: The Beginning

She knew from the start that she was different. She was always different from everyone else, even growing up. She went to a different school than the other kids, one that was known simply as The Academy. Very few people went there, but there were some. There were only three other kids her age, two boys and a girl, and even they stayed away from her most of the time.

She didn't know what it was, not until she was twelve years old. All she was told before was this: Believe in the impossible, because someday you will do the impossible.

She had no idea what that meant at the time, but the words were always in the back of her mind. All she knew was that, someday, she would do something important. How did she know, though? It wasn't the effects of an ego. No, it was something that her father told her frequently. She didn't know how he knew, but somehow he always did.

When she turned twelve, her powers unleashed from within her. She was angry about the other kids, the ones who didn't go to The Academy, picking on her constantly. No matter what she did, they found some way to twist it around so it was wrong. Finally, she exploded- literally.

Her skin burst into flame like a match to oil, and it was so intense and hot that the flames licking up and down her body burned blue and white. Her fists were clenched tightly at her sides, her nails biting into her palms as she struggled to contain her fury.

Needless to say, the kids never made fun of her again.

Her training at The Academy doubled and it went from books and studying to physical fitness and learning to control her powers. She worked closely with one of the boys, who's power was also fire. He was much better at controlling it than she was, and hers only seemed to work when her emotions were running high. She simply couldn't make it work unless she was angry, and that frustrated her even more.

Slowly, she grew closer with the boy. His name was Phoenix, and he was two years older than her. He had hair blacker than ink and eyes that matched. He was intimidating, standing over six feet tall at only fourteen years old. Muscles bulged from his arms and showed clearly through the white t-shirt he wore almost every day. He made her training more fun and helped her find her control until she was able to control the inferno with hardly a single thought.

A year later, she discovered another power. It was when her mother was taken from her and her father. She was not dead, but taken by a group of invaders. This rage was nothing like she had felt before. She knew better than to let the hot fury take over her, and it settled into a cold anger that she could only describe as arctic. She had stormed off into the forest near their house and punched a tree. She felt no pain, and when she looked at her hands, ice covered them. No bloody knuckles, no torn skin, and no bruises. The only thing there was ice nearly an inch thick surrounding her fists, protecting them. She looked up at the tree only find that she had punched straight through it and saw ice spreading from the inside out. Frost swept up the trunk and into the branches in seconds, and before she knew it, the entire tree was frozen solid.

Two days after that, she started training with a new teacher. The girl was taught alongside her, and her name was Eira. They were the same age, but Eira had gotten her ability nearly three months ago, so she was ahead in training. It didn't take long for her to adjust to this newfound power though, and she caught up to Eira in a matter of weeks.

After gaining two powers, the professors at The Academy were convinced that she was done and that she needed to continue training in those two specifics. Her father was adamant otherwise though, and she was put into other training classes. While she waited for the rest of her potential powers to show up, she trained. She worked on fitness and strength every morning and combat every afternoon. Her body lost it's childish shape and grew into the lean, muscled shape of a warrior. She grew up fast, like most of her kind did, maturing at the age of fifteen. She was now fourteen years old, five feet and ten inches tall, and shared a similar physique to her mother, who they still had not found. Her hair grew long and straight, falling to her waist in ebony strands. She became fond of tight braids and high ponytails and dark eyeliner around her eyes. She liked tight black cloth that was flexible enough to move but durable enough to fight in. Her favorite thing though were her combat boots, which were thick black leather with a combination of laces and buckles. The soles were padded and comfortable and the leather that reached her knees was dependable.

Another year passed before she got her final powers, which all came at the same time. She doesn't know what inspired these powers to show up, because the others had all appeared in times of distress. These showed up one morning while she was out on a run through the forest. She was focusing on breathing and running faster, when suddenly the wind started to howl and the ground shook. A storm blew in from nowhere and lighting crackled across the sky. She slowed her run and climbed a tree to look at it, somehow knowing that this was her doing. When she reached the top of the tall tree, lighting crackled down to touch her fingertips. She felt energized as they touched her and it was as if every nerve in her body lit up. She climbed back down the tree until she was about fifteen feet from the ground, then jumped down. The ground cracked beneath her feet and she stared in shock at the tear in the ground. Then, just as quickly as it came, the storm clouds disappeared, and she went back to the training facility.

She began training again, and finally got to know the other boy, who's power was to control the land and soil. His name was Kaj, and he was a year older. He wasn't as tall as Phoenix, but he was just as strong. His hair was as brown as the ground after the rain and his eyes were as green as leaves. He was fun to work on combat with until one day, she could beat him. He was stronger, but she was faster and more agile, giving her the advantage.

After she beat him in combat training, she went on to face Eira and Phoenix. She bested them both quickly until The Academy's professors suggested she try to fight them all at once. Besides, in war, you don't fight one enemy at a time. Chances are that you would be fighting two or three a time, so this would be good training.

The training sessions were often held in the arena in the center of town, and were revered as practice battles held by only the strongest of warriors. When they win, they are allowed to choose the name they want to go by. That's how Phoenix, Eira, and Kaj got their names, and now it's her turn. She has to beat the three best warriors of her kind and win, but somehow she wasn't nervous. She knew she could do it.

The day that it happened was clear and sunny. The arena stands were full and excitement buzzed in the air. She was ready, two swords strapped to her back and her trusty leather boots on her feet. Her hair was braided back in several small braids that led into a ponytail and thick lines of black eyeliner gave her eyes extra attention. She looked intimidating, she knew that much, but so did her opponents.

She took a deep breath before entering the ring, and then they fought. She didn't think during the spar, just did. Her muscles knew the movements better than her brain and her reflexes were faster than lightning. They couldn't touch her, not even as hard as they tried, until suddenly they did. A small blade flew at her, and she heard it before she saw it. She dodged but not fast enough, and the blade slid from her forehead down her eyebrow, skipped her eye, and down her cheek. Her adrenaline prevented her from feeling the pain, but the sticky warmth ran down her face and dripped from her chin. That was enough to fuel her energy and with one final surge, a shockwave rippled from her and knocked all three warriors to the ground.

Cheering erupted from the stands as she struggled for breath, her chest heaving. She slid her swords back into their sheaths and wiped her hands off on her pants. She looked up at the crowd and smiled. Finally, someone asked her name and silence fell as they awaited the name of their fiercest warrior.

She wiped blood from her forehead and away from her eye and smiles again. Her name would become legend for eons to come: "Valkyrie."