Not much after Zarin felt the strange coldness, the lost boy simply appeared near them, coughing violently.

"What the...?" Asked Kaleg. The kid was clever enough not to be too loud about it, but still, Zarin looked around nervously. No signs of zombies, the Spirit be praised– she thought– But the boy... Is it possible?

"Zehno?" Asked Kaleg.

That's right, that was the kids name. She should really put more effort in remembering the names of her subordinates.

Zehno finally stopped coughing. Zarin hesitated for a moment, but at last she decided it would be a greater risk not to read the boy's mind, before he could open his mouth.

So she focused on the Fire inside her, and touched Zehno's mind, as gently as she could, so the boy wouldn't notice it, taking just a quick peek into his thoughts. When she saw the telltale monochrome of the Mist, she knew she was right. No time digging for more right now, anyway.

"I..." started Zehno.

"You will be quiet, young man," told him Zarin. "You are in serious trouble. Running away like that! Kaleg tell the others on the radio that we found Zehno, and that we are all heading back to the base. Assembly point at the entrance of the warehouse."

"Yes, ma'am!"

"And you, Zehno, not a single word out of you until I questioned you personally about your unacceptable behavior. Is that understood?"

"Ye..."

"I said not a word!" Hissed angrily Zarin. She really was angry because the boy really was a fool, but potentially a valuable fool. Unless he gets himself and the whole squad killed before they get back to H.Q... or blurt out something about his abilities before the others.

Luckily, the kid wasn't an utter fool just a simple one, and he simply nodded his understanding this time.

So they got back forty minutes later to Jukava without further incident.

***

Jukava was once just one of the many suburbs of Galthra City. Now it was a border town of the Galthran Protectorate, which was created by the remains of the Galthran Armed Forces and the survivors whom swear fealty to Water Admiral Seidon, the leader of the GAF. He later took the title of the Lord Protector, and created a military dictatorship. Normally Zarin would have been against something like that, but while the former admiral was a stern man, he was also fair and, most importantly, not a fool. Democracy was all well and good, but during and after an apocalypse a strong and smart leader meant the difference between survival and extinction. The Lord Protector was both strong and smart, so Zarin supported him with everything she had, including her elemental ability. When she told him about her powers, Seidon immediately saw how useful it can be, and made her a member of his inner circle. Which was just as well, since she needed all the support she could get, if she wanted her plan to work.

Zehno was part of that plan now, so she needed to find out what to do with him. The kid was a coward and clearly no soldier material anyway. But one soldier more or less didn't make much difference in their situation. But one water elemental could, especially if the boy had the right power. He only exhibited ability in one aspect of his element, so far, but it was said some elementals had access to two aspects or even more. So, who knows?

They were in her office, just Zehno and her. She gave the order not to be disturbed, which meant she wouldn't be. As the ranking military officer in Jukava, her power was absolute.

And Zehno knew that. She could sense his fear even without her power. But, of course, she used her power too.

"So, Zehno. Care to explain what was that all about?"

The kid said something under his nose, but Zarin didn't know what. She couldn't read others' mouth, just their thoughts, and she needed to be careful with that, if she wished not to be noticed. So she told him to speak louder.

"I said, ma'am, that I am terribly sorry... It's just... Well my laser didn't work and the zombies..."

"You had your knife, son. And five good men whose guns did work. Yet you ran... Cowardice I could forgive, maybe. But stupidity? You need to convince me of your usefulness, or I fear there will be consequences of your mistakes today."

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

"B-but..."

Oh, boy, you are not making this easy...

"I don't care about your excuses! Give me one good reason, why I should keep you around here, or I'll send you to hauling rocks and debris from the Purged Ruins! You won't have to worry about the zombies there!"

Surprisingly, the boy seemed to like the idea. Oh, he was smart enough to feign horror, but his thoughts told a different tale. Well the kid really is a coward but at least has some cunning and brains. But that also meant, that she needed a different strategy to make him reveal his abilities for her. Though, perhaps there is another way...

"Alright, kid. Tell me what happened after you ran away. I am especially curious, how did you just appeared between me and Kaleg out of nowhere."

"I... Well, I ran into a group of zombies, and so I ran back. It was dark, so I guess..."

"We had flashlights," said Zarin. "You didn't. Yet you not only found us, you also managed to sneak near to us, while you were running away from the zombies. Zombies whom didn't follow you, though they can run pretty quickly when they want. And they have excellent noses. And they can see in the darkness far better than humans. Should I go on? Or do you have a plausible explanation about how you managed to get away from those creatures?"

Zehno was terrified. The kid had time to think on their way back, and likely came to the same conclusion as Zarin. That's not necessarily a bad thing, since it also meant he knew how much trouble he could get in, if he spoke about his power.

And he was right: not everyone was as practical about the reemergence of the elemental abilities as the lord protector.

"You don't have anything to say?" Pushed further Zarin. "Very well, but I do have a theory. Now, your grades at school wasn't exactly the best, though they weren't so bad either, right?"

The boy was clever enough not to ask how she knew all this, and just answered with a "yes, ma'am". Perhaps she underestimated him. If only...

"But you had a good sense for History. Your teacher was quite satisfied with you. So, I guess you heard about the elementals."

Silence.

Then:

"Yes, I did."

"Then, pray tell me what do you know about them. Perhaps you really are better at History than at scavenging."

"Well, they were humans with extraordinary abilities. They actually ruled over humanity, until the discovery of the electricity. Then the golems, the normal humans with no special powers, rose up against them, and... Well..."

"Massacred them," said Zarin.

"Yes. It took decades, but in the end, no elemental left."

Zarin noded.

"Yes, that's what they say, anyway. But what's your opinion? Do they really slayed all the elementals?"

"Well, I am not a historian."

„But you do have an opinion."

"Well, yes. Yes, I do. I find it unlikely, that they could have killed all of the elementals. I mean, according to the legends some of them was shapeshifters, others could program other people's brain like computers. And there were those who could fly or teleport or..."

"Become invisible?" Zarin finished for him. "Or, even better, enter the fifth dimension, the Mist?"

"Y-yes... So the legends say."

"I have to agree with you. I believe the golems failed with the Great Purge, and some, if not most elementals did survive. They were just clever enough to hide." She paused there, then... "But I don't think you are a descendant of one of those elementals."

"W-what? W-why would I be a descendant of an elemental?"

"I said that I don't think you are. I think you are a neophyte."

"A neo..."

"A neophyte. An elemental born to a pure golem family."

"But I am not an elemental, neophyte or otherwise."

"Alright, let's see, it's just a theory after all: we know elemental powers don't mix well with electronic devices, and your radio malfunctioned, then your laser pistol. And then, all of a sudden, you appeared out of nowhere after you've got away from a group of zombies, and even managed to cover your tracks while did so. And there is one more thing."

Zarin let the silence stretch, but the boy made no move to break it. In fact, he used the time to gather his wits and try to come up with an explanation. She indeed underestimated the boy.

"The coldtouch," said finally Zarin.

"Coldwhat?" Asked the kid.

"Coldtouch. A sign of a mistling. You see, each of the four elements feels differently. Both the user and those affected by him can feel it, unless the user tries to hide it. Air, for example feels moist and warm, like the air in a jungle. While Earth is the opposite, dry and cold, like a cold stone or metal. Coldtouch occurs when you touch someone or something in the Mist, and it is felt both by you and the one whom you touch, given that it is not an object. It feels moist and cold, just like Water. Unlike the normal usage of the element, it cannot be hidden. If you touch someone in the Mist, they will know it."

Zehno didn't say anything to that, he was thinking furiously, and his fear grew even further. Zarin started to feel sorry for him, when suddenly, she felt a change in the boy's feelings...

"So Air is warm and moist, and Earth is cold and dry, while Water is cold and moist, right?" Asked Zehno, and Zarin nodded, curious. "Then I guess, Fire is warm and dry, isn't it?"

Damn, I was sloppy... I read his thoughts for too long, so he noticed me– Zarin thought.

"Which is strange, because that's what I felt, when I was coughing for my life. And I can feel it, right now, too!"

"Alright, kid, nice work," she said. A wise leader knew when she was defeated. "Let's lay all our cards on the table, shall we? We are both elementals. If anyone just suspects what we are, they will show us as much mercy as the zombies. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good. But make no mistake: I am still a commander, while you are just a private who got his whole squad into danger on a simple scavenging mission. If you blurt anything out you could hurt me, but that only means I need to get rid of you, if I couldn't trust you. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good. Luckily for you I am, as you already know, a fire elemental, which means I have telepathic powers. So I don't need to get you killed based solely on suspicions. Now get out, we will speak later.

"Oh, and before I forget, as a punishment for your behavior in that warehouse, you are going to clean the old gym for a year. It will give us excellent opportunities to train your abilities there. So that you can be useful after all."