Sensei Wu marched from end to end of the line of ninja before him, lecturing as he moved.
"Each of you have taken the first step to mastering your elements: discovering your true potential. You've called out to your element, and they have heard your calls. Now, let it flow through you. Let it take control."
His staff slammed the tatami floor, at once straightening their postures. He took a step back, nodding his instruction. On their own, each of the four ninja made vague gestures, clumsily telling their powers to manifest themselves. Kai frustratingly repeated a throwing motion, while Jay flicked out his hand to no avail. Zane and Cole seemed to plead with their arms, as if a staring contest would grant them control. Sensei Wu shook his head.
"You cannot order your powers around. They are far older and wiser than you. To get them to listen, be worth listening to," he advised.
"Worth listening to?" Jay echoed incredulously, "what, is it gonna find another prophesied Master of Lightning to channel through? Pretty sure there's just one of those."
As Jay brought his hand back up to flick out again, a spark of stray electricity shot through his fingers and into his face. He recoiled.
"Gah! Eh- what was that?"
Sensei Wu chuckled.
"The Element of Lightning is channeled through a focused mind. It was only when you focused on interrogating it that it had the opportunity to remind you who you were talking to. Don't take it lightly."
Jay blinked.
"Yeah, got it."
"Well, I'd say I'm focusing pretty hard," Kai said, "but I'm not even feeling warm. What gives?"
Wu nodded to him.
"Fire is not like lightning. If you do not welcome it with an open mind, it cannot pass through you."
Cole opened his mouth to ask a question, but Wu once again slammed his staff to the floor, ordering them to attention.
"Enough talking," he said simply, "your power is unique to you, so I'm sure you can figure out the rest. When I return, I expect you to all have a grasp on your elements."
With a single smooth motion, he turned and left. For several hours, the boys made aimless motions and imprecisely focused on nothing. Sometimes, faint wisps of energy were thought to be seen, but none were ever confirmed with a second success. When Wu returned and saw them empty-handed, he simply nodded their excuses and sent them to bed without another word.
***
A nipping, frigid cold smothered the air. Each snowflake whisked past Zane in a streak that acted like tunnel vision. As labored breaths clawed at his inside, the thick layer of snow he knelt in froze so cold that it burned. He tensed and ducked from the flurries and wind gusts, but it actively retaliated. For a while, his breathing was short and shaky, each bite of cold forcing an exhale response. With every time he folded in on himself to protect from the cold, it burrowed deeper and icier, tearing through each layer like a swarm of pests.
After an exasperated gasp, he fully exhaled, and willed the crisp air back in with an even breath. He let his arms fall to his sides. Relaxing into the snow, he felt the winter thoroughly saturate his senses. It was cold, and sharp, and stabbing, but he did not shiver or recoil. He stood up.
Somewhere, in the distant uniform gray of the storm, a dark silhouette flitted in and out of sight. Great, looming forms resembling trees were scattered around him in all directions. As he moved towards the last sight of the silhouette, Zane found himself able to finally observe this strange world beyond its weather. Deep clouds overcasted the sky, though each snowflake glinted with direct sunlight. No shadow followed his figure from any angle. Beyond the wind and the crunch of snow beneath his feet, not a single sound welcomed itself to this space. Whenever he blinked, it seemed the trees from the middle distance onwards would slightly change their position. The only evidence that he had even gone anywhere were the footprints he left behind.
With a startle, the silhouette appeared again, this time dashing from one nearby tree to another. Once recovered from the initial shock, he rounded the thing to see it from the other side. Nothing stood in its place. Again, from behind, there was another fleeting skitter. He directly approached this time, walking at an even, direct pace. Twice it evaded him. Hoping the saying about third tries rang true, he halfway approached the tree and stopped. After shaking himself of any remaining tension in his body, he humbly extended a hand outward as he lowered his gaze. A tall, ghostly figure peaked from its hiding place. Soon, she stood over him, gazing at the offer with old, droopy eyes. From her form emerged a single spindly limb, which she gently lowered to him with a pensive mystery. She ruffled his hair.
Surprised, Zane met the lanky figure with his eyes, halfway returning his hand to his side. She gave him a sweet smile. He had begun to think of something to say, but to his wonder, she at once abstracted herself into a speeding comet of white light. She circled around and above him for a few laps, then took a sharp turn and dispersed into his chest. He jumped, feeling a sharp wave of piercing cold. However, it was over as soon as it started.
***
Pestering sparks of electricity jolted Jay to a standing position. They skittered across his form, narrowly avoiding each time he swatted them like a game of tag. He voiced his annoyances with a frustrated groan.
"Stupid things!! Stay still!"
His swatting sped with the jolts, once getting him to smack himself across the face.
"Yeah? Well-," he darted glances around the void environment before him, "I know I'm dreaming anyway, so there!"
An especially large discharge electrocuted his shoulder.
"Ow!"
From the stray sparks formed a tall, thin being. His face was barely discernible, constantly shifting from the bolts' movements.
"Does that feel like a dream?" he mocked in a static voice.
Jay leaned away from the figure, but maintained ground.
"Hey, I'll wake up right now, don't think I won't!" he threatened.
"Ooooh."
The figure waited in anticipation. After a tense moment, Jay awkwardly relaxed.
"Uh, y'know, sometimes it's just-"
"Tag, you're it!"
The being interrupted Jay with a thunderstrike that knocked him to the floor. At once, he was gone, leaving only a thin, fleeting path of static in his place. Despite his disappearance, the swarming sparks still bothered him.
"Hey!"
Jay rose with a struggle, eyes widening at the changing scenery before him. Rows and rows of shifting doors danced about into infinity, opening and closing at random. He attempted to find some sort of incongruity, but each jolt brought his attention back to himself. For a while, he stumbled haphazardly around the doors, calling out in frustration while swatting at the volts. He had thought he saw or heard something at certain points, but he was sure to be distracted from it each time.
His movements soon became so frantic at points that it left him out of breath. During one of these bouts, he decided to himself that the game was rigged, and he was to not view a single door or move a single limb for the rest of the dream. While the pestering bolts increased their antics exponentially, he scolded himself that they would not get a rise out of it. He envisioned himself opening his eyes and getting out of bed, sitting at its foot for a moment to allow him to forget such dreams even happened. With this concept in mind, the volts shifted into strikes, clawing and tearing his attention back down to the sharp pains.
He found that the sparks traveled through the least painful when he relaxed, but not entirely. That, however, was the last he was going to think of them. Determined, he recalled the feelings of waking up, the first deep breath and the warmth beneath the blanket. He felt himself rubbing the sleep from his eyes, squinting as the morning sun beamed through the window. Using the wall at the head of the bed to steady himself, he would slowly rise with the others, stepping across the cold floor to the familiar wardrobe they kept their uniforms in.
With an effortless sigh, he snapped out an arm to the side and grabbed the being by his wrist. He thought to ruin the coolness of the moment by making some quip that surely wouldn't land, but the respectful nod of the figure kept him quiet. In an instant, he had dispersed outwards, regathering itself in a shapeless form. It darted from space to space like a pinball, then took a pointed turn straight towards Jay. The resulting electrocution nearly smited him, earning one last good "ack!" as he recoiled.
***
A single torch illuminated a small portion of a much larger room. Hesitantly, Kai took it off its stand and investigated the space. As his eyes slowly adjusted, he found the room was not entirely dark, but teetering on the cusp between total darkness and seeable dimness, though each corner led to corridors with no such niceties. Tensely, he took a step out into a branch of darkness, hugging the wall for security. After a pause, he moved forward another step, then another, and so on.
Even at the end of a fully extended arm, the flame of the torch gave nothing away about the nature of the room, only the wall he kept consistent contact with. He peered into the nothingness as he walked. Suddenly, however, the wall ended and turned into another room. This one was verging between dimness and darkness, though with four corridors at each corner, one of which he had entered through. Kai blinked.
"Is this the same room?" he mumbled to himself.
At once, a speck of light appeared in the far distance, well into the darkness. After some hesitation, he began to creep towards it. The size of the light never changed, however, and once again, Kai returned unwillingly to the beginning. The light flickered out, a new one taking its place in a different corridor.
No matter the speed or style of approach, the dim room always greeted him after every failed attempt. The light mockingly flitted from corridor to corridor, well within his sights but hopelessly out of reach. After another effort, he indignantly shrugged at it, as if to challenge it. He let his arms fall to his sides.
This is stupid, he thought, I'm supposed to be the Master of Fire, and I'm getting owned by a teleporting wisp.
He ran a hand through his hair and looked to the ceiling, putting the light out of his mind. When he faced the floor again, he noticed a strange detail. On the ground, right beneath his torch, laid a small 'x' marked in some kind of charcoal. He knelt down to get a better look, but a new set of flashing lights bouncing between all four corridors interrupted his attention. They skittered about like someone was throwing fairy lights, tempting Kai's movement towards them. With an effort, he shook his head.
First, he touched the 'x,' then held his hand over it, then stood on it. Soon enough, any thought of chasing lights or resulting frustrations was replaced by the simple curiosity of experimentation. On a whim, he placed the torch on it.
Startlingly, the flame erupted into an impossible form, taking the vague shape of a tall figure. A brilliant glow whisked away the darkness, light pouring in from the corridors at near blinding brightness. The blaze stared at him expectantly as Sensei Wu's words rang in his head.
Fire is not like lightning. If you do not welcome it with an open mind, it cannot pass through you.
Kai let the initial startle wash over him, returning to that curiosity he had looking over the 'x.' He reached out a friendly hand to the figure before him. As it reciprocated, a flashing heat rushed up his arm with its touch. He burrowed into that simple feeling, refusing to pull away or tense with apprehension. The figure nodded.
Leaping out of the torch, the flame retained its grip, dispersing only for a second before funneling into Kai's arm. A shock of burning shot up into his chest, but quelled just as quickly.
***
Cole clutched a lantern as he snuck through the claustrophobic cave system. The path remained thin, but twisted endlessly into itself, never lending a clear line of sight more than a meter or two long. However, with some persistence, the maze came to a close with a slightly more comfortable room, at least one that could be stood in without awkwardly bending down. Large boulders piled on one side of the small clearing, allowing enough light through to imply something on the other side.
Setting down the lantern and glancing over the rocks, Cole reasoned that if he could lift the largest boulder stuck right in the middle, the rest would simply crumble on their own. He felt around it for a few seconds, getting a decent grip, then yanked back with all he could. Not a single pebble budged. He readjusted his footing several times, but only to his own disappointment. A hopeless cycle quickly formed, in which he'd tug on the rock for minutes on end just to pull back and try again.
"Oh, come on!" he groaned, shaking off the pain in his hands.
Frightening him into stillness, a low, gravelly voice emanated from the stones.
"Take it easy," it calmly advised.
Cole looked wide-eyed at the rock pile, searching for some kind of form or figure. As no other sound came from it, he returned to the cycle after a long pause. He had started to tire himself out again when a massive, solid chunk of rock moved from the pile and pushed him backwards.
"Take it easy," it said again.
The stone arm slowly returned to its original position, allowing Cole to make out the vague form of a very large being sitting down and leaning back over the opening he wanted to get to.
"Uhh, could you… Move over a smidge? Or, just lean to the side a bit, even?" he asked sheepishly.
The form seemed to deeply consider the question. Several seconds passed in silence.
"...No."
"Please?"
"No."
"I'm kind of in a rush."
"No, you're not."
He tapped his foot in mild annoyance, tilting his head at the creature. It moved again just a little, gesturing towards a vacant section of the cave ground.
"Lay down," it offered.
He huffed.
"Look, I'm trying to get somewhere, and you're in the way," he explained.
Its baritone voice gained the slightest hint of playfulness.
"Whenever I have to wait for something, I usually nap."
"Whenever I'm in someone's way, I usually move," he retorted.
With unexpected agility, another stone limb swept out at Cole's feet, knocking him to the ground. Though he managed to fall on his hands, the surprise of it kept him on the ground. He shifted into a sitting position.
"Sitting is the first step to laying, which is the first step to napping," the rock pile said, "you're making progress."
A few sharp-tongued replies formed in his mind, but he stayed silent. For a short moment, he considered the ground beneath him.
Maybe if I just lay down for a bit and pretend to sleep, he'll move, he thought.
Apprehensively, Cole laid flat on his back, eyes to the ceiling. With a sideways glance to the rock pile, he closed his eyes, impatiently waiting a few seconds for something to happen. The better part of a minute passed before he sighed his defeat.
"You're not moving."
"I've noticed."
He stood up again, breaking his supposed streak of progress.
"What's the lesson supposed to be here? That I need to just give up when things get tough? That's not exactly my lifestyle," he interrogated.
"You're uncomfortable with downtime, and that's not exactly my lifestyle," the form explained, "time to rest is one of the greatest gifts you can receive. Don't go looking for trouble, you'll always find it."
If it hadn't spoken with such a combination of parental authority and ethereal guidance, Cole would've argued back.
"Well," he said awkwardly, still defensive, "I got the message, so…"
"Sit down."
With nothing left to say, he followed the command.
"There. You've got step one down. You know the rest."
For a few minutes, he sat and considered the being's words, staring blankly at the flickering light from his lantern projecting onto the wall. When he thought himself ready, he laid down. Several moments later, he closed his eyes. Sleep would not drift over him until hours later, but he regardless stayed motionless as rock. At a certain point, he swore he felt himself sinking into the ground, enveloped completely by the earth itself. The feeling did dissipate at a creeping pace, but Cole was too relaxed to notice.