Looking over the lake always calmed Liam down. It helped him think and process anything that happened in the day. The early morning shift was the most hated yet he was more than happy to do it. He enjoyed watching the sun’s rays strike the lake sending a pastel rainbow of orange into the sky mirrored in the crystal lake. It was the only place he could truly find peace from the loud everyday of his life.

He felt the wind rustle his long, black hair. Usually he’d put his hair in a low ponytail but while a top his tree view point, amongst nature, the wind and the beauty of the world, it made him feel part of the flow of the morning.

Despite being deep in thought, Liam was a trained warrior. His senses were always on alert, his sword always at the ready and his eyes darting and scanning every alcove of the forest and clearing. Its due to his warrior instincts that it was a mere millisecond before he head the rustling of leaves and the cracking of branches underneath the foot of, what sounded like, three individuals. There were three separate sound qualities with each branch crunch and leave rustle. One was light and fast, the second was a lot more subtle. Someone trained to walk in the forest maybe? Lastly there were harsh steps that broke the branches loudly and unevenly. As if they were staggering.

As a warrior he was ready to jump down and cut them down before they even made it to the clearing, which was dangerously close to the hidden path to Elementum. However, acting on a warrior impulse was not always wise or ideal. From a young age Roald had raised him a careful man. Someone who can be silent, deadly and could strike with might. It might be a harsh way to raise a child but that was the reality of this world. You must be strong and smart or your weakness will be your downfall. With all this in mind, he stilled his breathing to go with the flow of the wind and looked down into the clearing with alert eyes.

As predicted, three people walked into the clearing. The first through was a young girl. Her skin dark brown, her hair in tight curls and her eyes a light hazel brown. She wore a yellow simple cut shirt that looked unlike any material he had seen before. Her pants were black with a rough material, also foreign to him. Next out were two guys. One he recognised. Peter was young but had been at Elementum for 3 years. He had a lot of potential which is why he was also given an early morning surveillance shift. On his shoulder leaned a tall and well muscled guy. He was limping and sweating profusely. His had relatively long hair that went up to his chin in some areas and in others were short. His eyes were a shocking blue and slanted. His skin with a slight yellow tinge. His tan tunic was ripped in several areas, revealing several injuries across his ripped body. His pants similarly torn.

Peter was searching through the treetops. Was he looking for him? Peter was not foolish enough to bring strangers into Elementum, but he had a soft heart and it was definitely like him to come to the aid of the injured without question. Liam however was more cautious. What if the injuries were inflicted upon the boy in order to make his way into their midst and cause havoc to those he swore to protect? No. He was not that trusting. However what should he do in this situation? Was it better to remain cautious, cold and strict and send away an injured guy in front of someone who looked up to him? It would only cause resentment towards him. As the oldest it was his responsibility to lead by example. There was no room for resentment or ill will when trust and respect was so important for their safety.

Liam leapt down from his post with the grace of a cat and straightened. The young girl looked up in surprise, the injured boy was too out of it to react and Peter looked at Liam with relief.

“Liam, we need to get him to base!” Liam’s mouth flickered for a moment to a grin. Peter was a determined and genuine guy.  He had always admired and envied how wholeheartedly this boy wished to help others and defend the weak. It was something Liam had no room for. He had to be the strict one who ensured the safety of everyone above all else.

“They are strangers. It is dangerous to let them into base, you know that. How do you know that they are not White Knights?” Peter’s eyes sparked with alarm. He had not thought of that possibility. Biting his teeth however he stood firm.

“They are Elementals and they need our help. If you are still weary we can get someone to help them out here but we can’t leave him to die!”

Liam sighed. There was no helping it. If they showed any signs of being a danger to their way of life he would not hesitate to cut them down. The boy seemed too weak either way to cause much fuss.

“Follow me.” He said firmly, walking stiffly towards the trees.

Peter’s face lit up and he and the two strangers were led through the forest and they all stopped shortly in front a thick cascade of ivy hanging in front of a cave. Liam gently parted the curtain and walked through, lowering his head slightly to fit through the entrance. A sharp turn to the right led to a dark staircase. He could sense the girl’s gaze of awe and wonder. It reminded him of the first time he was led through the pathway; the excitement he felt and admiration for the place he called home.

It was dark early on in the staircase but as they turned another turn, a bright exit lit the path brightly. Where the staircase ended, a straight path led past another cascade of ivy to reveal a tall, grey castle keep. It was crumbling and covered in moss and ivy but to Liam, it was strong and beautiful. The overwhelming height and the reassuring comfort he got at the sight reminded him again of how much he loved this place.

“Woah, This place is so cool!” The girl piped from behind, running towards the castle in excitement, craning her neck to try get the full view of the castle keep in her sight.

They went past the old castle to the expanse bellow. A wide field with 30 teenagers sparring expanded for a few acres. Next to it there was a few small groups of kids chattering and playing with hacky sack. Behind the training field was a row of large wooden cabins, each with a coloured banner blowing in front. White, Black, grey, blue, brown, red. Just off to the distance was a bonfire overlooking the forest bellow. To the right of the castle keep was an archery range. Some older kids coordinating the shooting time and gathering times. It was bustling with life and energy and here in front of the castle keep you could overlook the whole of what he called home. “Elementum”. A safe-haven for Elementals.

They made their way down to the recreation area was. Sitting on a wooden bench, teaching a group of kids, was the man he looked up to and admired wholeheartedly. Roald was the father to all the kids in Elementum. When he was a younger man, he ran across the old castle keep and took him in, raised Liam as his own son and soon after he helped elementals rebuild their lives here without fear of the Tyrant king who set his goal to eradicating all existence of Elementals. Roald looked wise and dependable, yet soft and kind. His light grey eyes sparkled with warmth, his eyes crinkling on the sides as he smiled. On the bridge of his nose were rectangular spectacles and his hair a short, messy, silvery white. He wore his usual white and silver robes and taught the kids patiently and clearly.

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As they approach Roald looked up and smiled a greeting to Liam and co.

“Did you bring us some new friends?” his low voice was always comforting to the ear.

“Peter found them wondering in the forest nearby. One is injured so we brought them here for medical attention.” Despite his love and respect for this man, Liam took great care to sound firm and emotionless. Although his tone could never fool Roald.

Roald smiled at him softly, then turned to the new comers. After seeing the state the injured boy was in, he stood abruptly. Concern wrinkling the ridge of his eyebrows.

“Peter. Take him to the infirmary. Violet is there, she will quicken the healing process.”

Peter nodded and helped the boy to the castle keep, disappearing through the large, arched, stone entrance.  

Roald then turned to the girl, his smile back on his face.

“Nice to meet you, My name is Roald and I am the owner of this place. What’s your name?” The girl’s mouth tilted slightly. She took a dog tag necklace off her neck and showed it to Roald.

“I’m sorry but, I have no memory from before a few days ago. This necklace though might be about me. So I think my name is Bianca.”

Liam looked over at the necklace and his eyes widened with surprise.

The dog tag read “Name: Bianca, Age: 14, Power: Lightning.” Bellow that was a symbol. A pentagram inside a yin and yang. It was the symbol of the elements. How was it possible for someone like her to appear at their doorstep without any memory and have a necklace that suited an elemental. There were no other elemental hub other than Elementum as far as he knew.

“Bianca, please tell me what happened at the start of your memories?” Roald surprisingly didn’t show any signs of surprise or concern. It was typical of him to withhold judgment on people and give them a chance regardless of their origin.

“About five or six days ago I woke up on-top of a snowy mountain with no memory and any idea of where who who I was. I walked for a bit trying to find a way down before I accidently stepped on an iced over lake which cracked under my feet. After I panicked for a bit and looked down, I saw a boy frozen inside. So I used my lightning powers to crack the ice and pull the boy out. It took us a bit to make it down but eventually we ran into Peter who helped us here. The boy was in that state when he got out, all scratched up I think he is really sick, he was shivering all the way here!” Bianca’s story was absurd to Liam, however what was even more unbelievable was  how a human can talk so fast and so hyperactive with barley a single breath in between a sentence. Her arms animated as she talked.

“You seem to have gone through a lot. I am glad you made it to us safely. You don’t have to worry about him. He is in good hands in our infirmary. Violet is a very skilled healer and nurse. He will be back in good health in no time and we can find out what happened to him when he gets better.” Bianca seemed to sigh in relief and grinned happily.  

“I’m so glad, I was scared that my lightning might have hurt him but I’m glad we were able to get him treatment in time!” Bianca chirped.

“In the meantime---.” He begun before looking up and behind Liam, his eyes wide. Liam turned and sigh. This day was just getting better and better wasn’t it?

Four people walked down towards them from the secret entrance, one holding a boy over her shoulder as if he was a sack of potatoes, barley showing signs of effort.

“Hey master, we’re back!” The girl said loudly. Rachel. She was second in command after Liam and Roald and the head of the warriors. She had flaming, curly red hair and even brighter hazel eyes that seemed to glo with passion and determination. Her body was clad in tight leather armour, a short sword at her hip and a few daggers down her back within reach of a swift throw to the gut. He admired Rachel. She was strong, confident and reliable. However she was a bit of a hot head with barley enough manners for a normal girl. Next to her were Miranda and Susanna, her two sidekicks who went with her everywhere. They looked quite dull beside Rachel’s brilliance. Miranda was shy but dependable with a bow and arrow, he brown eyes always staring at the sky, her thick, curly hair up in a high ponytail. Susanna’s strength lied in the spear, which she had strapped across her back, resting on top of her straight blonde hair. Her eyes a deep black that seemed to judge everyone around her. On Rachel’s shoulder was an unconscious boy with messy blonde hair. The purest blonde he had ever seen. In between Rachel and Miranda, another stranger stood awkwardly, almost hiding behind Rachel. He had emerald eyes and brown hair that fell onto his eyes. He’d occasionally tuck it behind his ear only for it to fall back in place. Dangling from his neck was a necklace similar to Bianca’s and his green shirt and black pants identical to hers as well. The other boy similarly had the same strange clothes however his shirt was a soft grey.

Bianca’s eyes sparked up.

“Look! He has the same necklace as I do!” She took the necklace from Roald and showed the stranger proudly. The boy stared at her necklace inquisitively, then looked down at his own.

“Welcome back Rachel, Who have you brought me today?” Roald smiled, as always breaking the awkward silence and making everyone warm.

“I found these two in a clearing a few day’s journey from here. He was attacked by a pack of grey wolves and this boy used the trees to fight one off. We chased the rest away but this one was injured on his chest. We bandaged it up but he bled a lot. He has been in and out of consciousness the whole journey here. They both claimed they had no memory before the day they were attacked.” She glared at the strangers skeptically.

“That is indeed strange. Four strangers have gathered in our presence at the same time, three with similar stories and attire. This is a very curious situation. Doubtfully a coincidence.” Roald’s brow creased agan and gestured to the boy.

“What does your necklace read?”

“It says that my name is Eric, my age is 16 and my powers is “Tree” which makes sense since I told the trees to attack the wolves. I’m sorry I don’t know how I got here. I just woke up six days ago in the middle of a forest and found Kyle by chance.”

“Kyle?” Roald asked.

“His necklace says that his name is Kyle, age 16 and his powers are over air” Eric explained. Liam’s ears perked up.

“Air? This boy has the power over air?” Eric shrugged.

“Why, what is the significance of that?” Roald shook his head.

“This is not the time for that. We need to get Kyle to the infirmary and it’s getting dark, dinner should be ready soon. Lets try unravel this mystery over food. Liam, go with Rachel to check up on the other boy.”

Rachel and Liam walked back towards the castle keep while Liam threw glances at Kyle periodically.

“What do you think all this means?” He mused. Rachel frowned and shook her head.

“I’m unsure, but I have a weird feeling about all this. Their clothes and their stories. I do not like where this is heading.” Liam nodded in agreement.

“We need to keep a close eye on them. For now they don’t seem to have any ill will, but I am not a fool to let my guard down. This might be a set up.” Liam said as they walked into the infirmary. They handed Kyle over to Violet, who set him don on a spare bed.

“How is the other boy doing?” He asked. Violet smiled.

“He is going to make a full recovery don’t worry. He might have a scar or two but nothing life threatening.” She took them over to the bed and then grinned.

“Oh look, he is finally awake. How are you feeling?” The boy, who a mere while ago was in a half dead state, looked as if nothing had happened other than his scratch covered body which was slowly healing before his very eyes. He looked up at them with his shocking electric blue eyes with confusion.

“Where am I?” He groaned and rubbed his head. “Why can’t I remember my own name?” Liam was about to speak when he noticed Rachel’s face. Her face was covered in pure shock and for the first time of him knowing her, he saw tears well up in her eyes.

“Neal? Is that you?”