Elementals II: Prophecies (DISCONTINUED)

~ Chapter 28 ~

Year: 3205 Mars

Breeze:
"Come on now, little brother, we need to get these barrels stacked solidly before the storm hits." An older boy says to Conor. It must be an older brother by the way he talks to Conor. "You know, I'm still not strong enough to put them up high like you do." Conor answers. I can tell it's cold out here, like in the other dream, but this seems to be ahead of a storm, not right in the middle of one like earlier. "Eventually you'll get there little, brother, you just have to patient." He answers with a supporting tone as he and Conor enter the house. "Did you stack them good?" Their father asks. "Yes, father, they are in place. Do we know anything about this particular storm?" The older boy asks.

As I watch them interact, I also find the younger boy to be more interested in what's outside of their window. I take a few steps towards him and observe him. There is this wonder in his eyes and I am curious as to what he thinks he sees. "What are you doing by the window, Conor? It's going to be dark soon and you'll see nothing." The older boy says as he approaches his younger brother. Their father watches over them, and I see a sadness in his eyes. "Why do I have to inside when a storm hits? It's not like I can feel the wind like you do." The older boy looks at him, then at his father, both of them terrified.

After a while, his brother sits down next to him. "For how long?" His brother asks. Conor looks back out the window for a moment before he answers. "A few months." Conor eventually answers as his brother takes a deeper breath. "Okay...well, here's the thing: don't tell anyone. You need to keep this a secret like I keep my secret with the water. I don't want you to end up in danger. It's my job to look after you, little brother, but I'm going to need your help at doing that." The older boy looks at him questioningly before he nods weakly. "Okay, I'll tell no one." Conor answers to the older boy's relief.

I look over at the older boy and I see that he is holding a book in his hand. I remember it because it is the same one that Conor read in the other dream. He looks through it briefly before hiding it in a box underneath his bed. He pulls up another book, a much smaller one, and grabs a pen to write something. I can't read his writing as it looks a bit messy. He closes the book before I can start to make out a few of the letters. I want to grab it and look through it, but something stops me.

I don't know why or how, but suddenly, everything around me shifts. From the cold storm, to a calmer mid-day, from darkness to a light sunshine shining through the blinds. The father and the older boy look anxious as there is a knock on the door. The father opens the door and a man in uniform is standing outside, waiting to be let in. "I suppose it was about time." The father answers as he steps out of the way and lets uniformed man inside. I don't recognize the man, but I see the boy and Conor. "Baron, I'm here on behalf of the Northern Academy to recruit you for elemental training. You have five minutes to gather your belongings." He says matter-of-factly before stepping outside.

Little Conor runs to his brother, Baron...and holds him tightly. Baron hugs his little brother back. I can see he is greatly affected by the moment of leaving his family behind. "Conor, hey, it's okay. I am going to help them save the world...perhaps you'll join me doing that someday." He says comfortingly before handing Conor something. "Hold on to it, always. That way, I'm always with you." Baron says before he briefly speaks with his father and walks out the door. Conor is just standing there, holding a tiny necklace in his hand as he watches his brother leave.

The necklace catches my attention though. As the father walks back to doing whatever it was he was doing, Conor walks back to his room and sits down on his bed. I follow him because I have to know what's inside this necklace-locket. He is holding it in his hand and about to open it...as I walk closer, it all fades away...

...and my eyes open up abruptly once more. "Another dream?" Qor is looking at me. I only respond with a weak nod. Something about this made me feel very uneasy, like there is something that I am supposed to know. "What do these dreams mean? Why am I having them?" I ask him as I turn my head towards him. "To fight in a war, you must know everything." Qor answers. "You said that the first time I asked, how about you give me actual answer?" I ask him rather annoyed at his lack of actual response. Qor sighs deeply to himself before he looks at me once more. "Your mind is trying to tell you something, to remind you of something. You must figure out what." Qor answers more honestly.

"Great candor, Qor. You're always so good with words." Aqú interrupts our little talk. I can tell that he's sweating and rather stressed out. Aqú probably wants to ask me what my dream was this time, but I cannot keep my eyes of what he is holding in his hand. Aqú notices. "Oh, yeah, I found the thing we've been spending a day or so looking for." He answers, but I can still hear the panic in his voice. "How about the dreams?" He asks, shifting the focus away from him. "Still no answers, just more questions." I answer briefly. "He needs time. Memory takes time. He needs somewhere safe to regain it." Qor points out. Aqú nods briefly in agreement.

"What is that?" I then ask, snapping them out of their silent worries. "Why was that thing so important to find?" I furthermore ask. "Among other things, it can give you a hand." Aqú walks up to me and bends down. He holds what looks like a blue crystal in front of me. "This is something we cannot lose sight of again. It...used to belong to Senior Pool." My eyes widen as he says that. He lets me grab the crystal and look at it for myself. "What did he use it for? It doesn't look like it's from earth." Aqú nods his head. "You're right, it's not." He answers briefly. "Then how did he come across this?" I ask before Aqú gets up on his feet.

"We gave it to him. It is a very rare kind of crystal, Breeze. It contains the ability to store anyone's power for however long one wants to. Extracting it is a dangerous process if done wrong, which is why you need to get our other people who can actually help you." Aqú answers in a very serious tone. "You are strangely serious and honest with me, Aqú." I let out. He smiles weakly before Qor comes up next to him. "You and I, we need to go." I look over at Aqú who nods in agreement. "Why? Is someone coming for us?" I ask.

"There will always be someone looking for us, or you, or me...or anyone who opposes them." Aqú answered. "I haven't just been spending time looking for that crystal, I have put out some sensors through my abilities to alarm me if anyone is coming our way. Our ship crashing the way it did was bound to draw attention to itself." Aqú answers. "I'm quite good at distracting these types so I am going to do that, while you and Qor split in the other direction." Aqú goes on as Qor helps me stand up. I already know that this journey is going to be rough. "Who is coming? What is happening? Just tell me what the hell is going on." I suddenly find myself saying.

"I'm not just a kid anymore. I know that things are bad, that more people want to harm me than help me, just be honest and tell me as it is." I go on. "You'll always be a little kid compared to my lifetime." Aqú answered with a small wink. Qor nudges Aqú's shoulder and Aqú stops with the fooling around. "Like on planet Earth, there are Martians here who don't like human, or like that some Martians work alongside humans. They are the majority of the planet because they don't know the details of this quarrel between our species. They also happen to be the stronger of us as well...I mean, stronger than most of us, not necessarily me." Aqú goes on.

"If they get their hands on you and that crystal, you are not going to make it alive out there. People will be hunting you down the same way the Grand Master would. In other words, you could've just stayed on the moon and it would've been the same outcome." Aqú goes on. I give away a nod to signal that I understand what he's saying. "Do as Qor says. He knows where you need to go for protection." Aqú goes on, as if he's saying a final goodbye to me. "How are you going to distract them?" I finally ask him as Qor takes me to the opening of the cave. Already, I can feel the air almost cutting right through me as I turn around to face him one last time.

"Oh, you know, I have my ways..." Aqú answers confidently before Qor and I start walking.