(Outdated) The King of Elements (part 2)

Chapter 40

Moments after flying through the darkness, Ian found himself slowly descending. As he opened his eyes, he found himself greeted by an embrace of the cool night air. Rows of lanterns were illuminated down the streets of Julius, lit by a blue flame, and two large moons hovered in the air. So, this is Amity during nighttime.

He gently landed on his feet with Rose falling beside him. She looked as dumbstruck as he. "Wow," she breathed, her eyes shining like stars as she looked around the large city. Just like Amita, the roads were made of cobblestone, though they looked to be too narrow for cars. Tall, glass buildings ran down both sides of the street, however none of the buildings appeared to have lights on. "I want to paint this."

Behind them both was a wide, black building. The Kurai Elite symbol was fastened above the steel double doors. Ian gulped as he walked down the path leading to the doors. He felt himself wanting to go back home and forget that all of this happened, but he knew that he couldn't. Not with Rose walking beside him.

It was difficult keeping his vigor, however. As he approached the intimidating door, he felt the strength in his legs give out, as if he'd been running for miles. He assumed that Rose had sensed this, since she placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling gently. "You can do it," she told him.

He nodded, though it was hard to grin. Exhaling, he pushed open the heavy door.

The inside was much more different than its outward appearance. The foyer was wide and brightly lit, with white walls surrounding them. The floor was tiled in a white and black pattern, save the Kurai Elite insignia in the middle of the room. He felt more at ease as he walked towards the reception desk.

A young woman sat on the other side of the desk, staring into the computer in front of him. Her eyes looked glazed over, though her expression was hardened, focused. As Ian opened his mouth to speak, the woman interrupted with "One second, please," in a thick Irish accent. He closed his mouth as the woman typed away at his computer for a few moments before she finally looked up to Ian and Rose. "So, how can I help you two today?"

Ian cleared his throat before he said, "I was told to come and try out today."

"Alright. What's your name, kid?"

Kid? He frowned slightly as he said, "Ian Wolf."

The woman's eyes widened. "Wolf? You wouldn't happened to be related to Samuel Wolf, would you?"

"Yeah. That's my grandfather."

"Well, no wonder you looked so familiar. You must be honored to get an invitation to join your grandfather's group. Uh, oh." Her pale face soured as she looked up at him. "It says here that you're an Apprentice."

"I am. Is that a problem?"

"It could be." She clicked her tongue. "Who in the world would send an Apprentice to tryout?" she asked herself.

"Ichinose Kimachi did." He pulled the badge that Ichi gave him out of his pocket and showed it to her.

"Ichinose Kimachi? The Ichinose Kimachi?" she repeated as she hastily took it and scanned it, her green eyes opened wide. "I don't believe it," she breathed. "For Ichi to recommend you to our league at the Apprentice level is almost unheard of."

Both he and Rose raised a brow. "I'm assuming that this is good news," Rose asked.

"Good news? Hearing that you've passed a class by the skin of your teeth is good news. This is nothing short of a miracle. Ian here is not only related to the founding member of the Kurai Elites, but also has a recommendation of one of the best members of the team. You must have done something amazing to earn his recommendation."