"Welcome to Volnal, sir," a woman greeted Ryan, and he judged her to be around his father's age.

"Kendra Novarax?" Ryan guessed.

"Indeed," she responded. "It is an honor to have you here today."

"We'll see about that," Ryan scoffed.

The Novarax was a branch of the family consisting of anyone who was essentially exiled for one reason or another, and they were the branch of the Family most willing to see the Family destroyed. That was why Ryan's grandfather had established a rule that all of the Novarx lived in Volnal. They were easy to monitor there, as there were only two ways in or out, and it was easy to cut their communication with the outside world.

Volnal rested inside of a valley that had formed during the Great Collapse. Originally a high mountain peak, the valley was at sea-level, with a small lake on one side and hard stone making up most of its land.

The Valley of Lightning, it was home to seven lightning elementals, the highest population of them in a single location anywhere in the world. Storms also frequented the valley, and Ryan had heard that the number of days with a break in the clouds in a year could be counted on the fingers of one hand.

One of many magical effects leftover from the Great Collapse.

To make a phone call out of it required used a land line, all of which were monitored, or a powerful cell phone, which only trusted people were permitted. Anyone entering or exiting was searched, and restrictions on it were heavier then than they were a decade ago, searches more thorough.

The last part was due to a Novarax slipping out, only to join Raxvar Corporation. Another uncle of Ryan's, he had been exiled after foul comments made in regards to Ryan's mother after her death. A year later, he left, supposedly to meet with Ryan's father, only to never arrive.

Six months later, he was spotted working for Raxvar Corporation, and still did nine years later.

Because of the stigma that came with being a Novarax, even the children were looked at distastefully by the rest of the family, and Ryan didn't blame others for that view. They were born to trash, and held the same views as the rest of the Novarax did.

It was his personal opinions that the exiled should be killed and disposed of like in the old days, but needs were needs. Volnal was owned by the Novars, and it developed a Heisar fifty years prior, when his grandfather was still a youth. The exiled and disgraced were then sentenced to working the Heisar and producing goods while enduring the unpleasant land.

"Tyler," Ryan said. "Take me to my wing."

"Yes, sir," Tyler took his arm, then led Ryan into the mansion.

It saw little use, but he knew the Novarax were ordered to have it cleaned and ready for a visit from the main family. They weren't made aware of who was coming, only that they came from the main family.

Because of that, the Novar Heir expected the place to be up to normal standards. Even the slightest issue could be seen as an attack on the Family, and there were worse fates than being sentenced to serving as a Novarax.

He knew that they were likely both disappointed and disgusted it was the Heir rather than the Head. His presence could be taken as a slight to the Novarax, telling them that they were worth only the time of a cripple and not anyone important.

Something which could stir up even more anger at the Family.

Ryan didn't care, he had other things to worry about and knew that nothing the Novarax did would affect him long-term.

As it was his first time at the mansion, he spent a few hours adjusting to it and learning its layout, then ate lunch, prepared by a chef who traveled there with him. There were several guards present as well, in addition to Tyler.

Just in case someone did try something. While his father had been made aware Ryan could handle himself, a chance was still not being taken.

"Take me to the elementals," Ryan told Tyler once lunch concluded.

"Uh… I think that would count as 'something which your father said was not to happen', sir," Tyler said, though Ryan could sense the amusement mixed in with the confusion.

"I'm here for the elementals," Ryan stated. "And the bitch is outside again."

"Who?" Tyler asked.

"Kendra," Ryan answered. "She's outside the mansion. She arrived while we were eating."

Being cautious, Ryan had his senses of air and energy at their maximum for when he only had two elemental senses. At the moment, he could stretch them up to three hundred feet without issue for an indefinite period of time, much further than his dual range or usual range. He also kept his empathy stretched as much as possible, something made much more manageable by the fewer minds around.

"She is likely here in an attempt and learning more about you," Tyler told Ryan. "With the intent of buttering you up with the hopes of earning full membership to the Family."

"Probably," Ryan said. "Let's go to the Lightning Fields. The elementals will come once they notice me, they're expecting my presence."

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around what you said," Tyler told Ryan as he led his master towards the front of the mansion.

Before leaving, Ryan had informed his father and his servant about his senses and that the elementals could communicate across vast distances. All he told them was that the elementals here had spoken to elementals nearby and informed him they needed his help with something. That much was enough to confuse and amaze the pair, and Ryan didn't bother going into further details.

His father was already dealing with the knowledge that his son was a time mage when that came up, so it felt to the young god that going further at the moment would have caused a momentary shutdown in the mind of the Novar Family Head.

Ryan knew that there was a chance that before everything was said and done in that reset, he would need to tell his father more, but expected it would take plenty of time – at least enough time for him to conclude his business and reset again.

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He exited the house with his servant, only to be greeted once more by Kendra.

"Hello, sir," she said. "If you would like a look around-"

"I'm not interested in a tour at the moment," Ryan interrupted her. "But if you have a map which Tyler can use to take me to the nearest place lightning elementals go, that would be wonderful."

"Lightning elementals?" She asked.

"Yes," Ryan said. "Not the light elementals which also live here, the lightning elementals. Embodiments of lightning which sometimes amuse themselves by shutting down the power to a building, then watching as everyone panics."

"They-what?" Kendra asked.

"Oh, you didn't know that?" Ryan asked. "That only further proves how stupid the Novarax are, then. Mary, you knew this, didn't you?"

He could sense in the guard's mind that she was not, in fact, aware of it beforehand, but even a mere guard was placed higher than the Novarax. Even the servants were. And they would not pass up an opportunity to insult them or play a trick on them.

"Yes, sir," Mary responded. "It is well-known that elementals enjoy playing tricks and pranking others for their own amusement."

"You knew this, too, didn't you, Tyler?" Ryan asked.

"Of course, sir," Tyler answered. "We have that wind elemental at the main estate which likes to make pockets of cold air, which often causes people to feel uneasy, as if a ghost were present. The only explanation for such a thing would be that they found some sort of enjoyment to it, even as mindless embodiments of an element."

Ryan knew that within an hour or two, every servant and guard who came with Ryan would be aware of the tale given about elementals, in order to ensure the 'fabrication' was continued.

"Quite right," Ryan nodded. "As you can see, Kendra, this is simply a well-known fact. You have to deal with them doing this, yet you seem quite ignorant of it. Now, where is the nearest location we can find them regularly?"

"There's one just outside of the settlement," she answered, and he could sense the annoyance in her mind. "You need only take the main road out to the western side and journey maybe a minute or two further to reach it."

"Let's go, then," Ryan entered his car, sitting in the middle of the back seat. Tyler sat in the front passenger seat, while Mary took the driver's seat and two other guards sat beside him. "To the destination, please."

It took only ten minutes to reach their destination, and Ryan exited, his guards with him. He could tell that only Tyler understood what was going on, the three guards accompanying them uncertain. They would know soon enough, so Ryan let it be, instead manifesting twelve orbs of water around him as he extended his sense of water and pulled his other senses in, giving himself a range of only eighty feet.

"Uh…" Tyler said as everyone looked at them.

"I can do it with water the best," Ryan explained.

"I see," Tyler said as Ryan watched him look around. "I can see… seven coming this way. It seems they're all coming."

"Stand easy," Ryan said as he noticed the three guards tensing up. Tyler did as well, but not as much as they had. "They won't hurt us."

He hoped.

After a few minutes, the seven elementals were present and floating in a circle around the group, and Ryan shifted his water. The lightning elementals interested him, as all elementals did. Masses of electricity and lightning which sparked around, stronger in some areas and weaker in others, unbound by the normal laws of physics.

"Greetings," he spoke to the elementals.

"Greetings, Blind Storm," one of the elementals responded. "I am Grand Storm. I lead the Sparky Sparks-" Ryan snorted at the name for the lightning elementals. "In this region. I am eternally grateful Silent Boulder delivered the message to the Blessed Ones, and they delivered it to you."

"They said there was an issue you needed handling?" Ryan asked.

"Yes," the elemental responded. "During the night of the second dark moon from now, we deal with a situation. Every time you reset from after it to before it, we do startle the Slow Ones who cause the issue, but are able to escape. Unfortunately, leaving the Valley of Storms is no easy feat. There are no ley lines present for us to travel through, and electricity does not leave this place so easily. This situation has left us weakened, resulting in difficult times for us. We may no longer be able to escape them during the resets if it occurs once or twice more."

Ryan thought that over. It was likely the escapes which weakened them, though he wasn't sure why they were unable to recover from it with the natural lightning around them. The water elementals had told him that elementals recovered power more quickly by absorbing any of their own element which was around them, and the Valley of Lightning had plenty of lightning.

The next new moon was three nights from then, which meant he had around a month before the next, the date Grand Storm had given him. That gave him a month to deal with the situation, if it wasn't something he could handle then.

"What happens?" Ryan asked.

"First," Grand Storm said. "We are trapped within an energy cage. We have yet to determine how they manage that, as we ensure we are in a different location each time. In addition, they abandon their base of operations when we suddenly appear within it every time you have reset."

Elementals were exempt from time, which meant they remained where they were when a reset occurred in addition to retaining all memories of what had occurred in the previous run of that time. If they were taken to a base after their capture, they would still be there at the reset. To the kidnappers, it would appear as if the elementals simply appeared. As they wouldn't be prepared for it, it made sense the guilty party would move locations. The sudden appearance would tell them their location was compromised and their plans ruined as long as they stayed there.

To Ryan, that was information that the guilty party had money. They could easily move locations within a month. To contain a lightning elemental would mean most of their resources were already made or easily replaced, despite the cost it would take.

"Do you know," he asked. "If it is any of the Slow Ones in the settlement?"

"It is not," Grand Storm answered. "I am aware of the energy signatures of each Slow One who lives there, and the thieves are none of them."

Which meant a foreigner, someone from outside the Novarax and the few others who lived there. If Ryan's instructions had been followed, then whoever they were had been evicted. He would have to wait until the specified new moon to know for sure, however.

After all, there was always the possibility someone managed to sneak into the valley and build an entire base there.

"You can tell the differences between people by their energy signature?" Ryan realized what the elemental had said.

"Yes."

"Can you teach me later?" Ryan asked.

"I will be more than willing to teach you how to distinguish the differences between the Slow Ones by their energy signatures, Blind Storm."

"Thank you," Ryan said. "Is there anything you can tell me about the Slow Ones doing this or their bases?"

"Their base of operations reads the same to us every time," Grand Storm said. "Regardless of its location, which is the same at the start of each reset, but different when we are captured. The layout of its energy is identical each time. Its natural energy does read strangely to us, however."

Ryan frowned at that. He wasn't sure if that helped him or not, especially as his experience with reading energy was the least out of the six elements. There was also the oddity of the elementals remaining in the same place even when it moved. By logic, they should not be within the facility at the start of a reset, but wherever it had been at the end of the previous.

"Understood," he said. "Can you show me where you escaped this time?"

"Yes," the elemental responded. "You will need to travel by foot, as there is no path for the vehicles to travel by. Is that acceptable?"

"That is acceptable," Ryan responded, then addressed Tyler and the guards with his voice. "Grand Storm is going to lead us somewhere. It may take awhile to reach, and may take awhile to return from."

"Yes, sir," Tyler responded. "And sir? May I say something?"

"Yes," Ryan responded.

"I know you told me you could talk with them," his servant said. "But seeing you move the water around for a few minutes, then suddenly having that announced, was quite strange. I didn't see anything different with the elementals."

Something Tyler had told Ryan before, back on the islands.

"That," Ryan said. "Is because they are masses of the element. Even if it shifts and changes, it has stronger and weaker points and areas that are not connected to the others. As a result, it's more difficult to tell what they are saying, as you cannot simply see their communication points. But they're there. Let's get going."