Earth was changing.

Mettan watched through the viewscreen as Earth got bigger. The cloaking spell that Kark had placed on the ship allowed him to enter Earth’s atmosphere undetected. Troubled clouds blocked parts of Earth. Humans were coming into their powers and they were already abusing them. He wondered how they would have any time to train humans when most of their efforts were going to be directed at ensuring that the humans didn’t rip Earth apart as they recklessly threw around their new powers.

Mettan stood up and straightened his black uniform. It had been a long day. He wished he could go back to bed, but he had work that he had to do.

Taking his remote off of his belt he called a video of the first of his three charges up on the screen in front of him.

The first one was Paige, a nineteen-year-old girl. She had been eating lunch with her friends at a mall when a fire broke out. Mettan watched as she huddled under a table while a fire Elementalist sprayed more fire at the security guards.

“Depressing isn’t it?” Kark asked from behind Mettan

Mettan turned around slowly, “What is so special about these people?”

“Her?” Kark pointed at the screen, “No clue.”

Mettan watched as part of the roof fell down, pinning one of Paige’s friends under the rubble.

Mettan walked over to the pilot’s chair and sat down. As the engines fired up, Kark walked over and placed his hand on the control screen.

“What are you doing?” Mettan demanded

“The better question is,” Kark twirled his finger into the air, “What are you doing?”

Mettan gestured at the screen, “Her powers aren’t manifesting. If I don’t go get her now, there won’t be anyone to get later.”

Kark shook his head as he dropped into the gunner’s chair, “She isn’t the first one that you are supposed to pick up.”

Mettan scowled at Kark, “This is about the prophecy again.”

Kark grinned as he wove his fingers together, “Now you’re getting it!”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Prophecies are nothing but empty promises.” The hatred dripped off of Mettan’s words, “They can’t be trusted.”

Kark’s happy voice ran cold, “When everything is riding on a prophecy you DO put all your trust in them.”

Mettan recognized that Kark wasn’t going to budge on the matter. Years of watching his younger cousin set his mind to something had taught him that he wasn’t going to win this argument. Despite being the closest thing to a father figure in the young Elf’s life, the Water Elementalist had learned to trust that the Mage knew more about some things than he did.

“Can I at least help her?” Mettan asked, “She’s about to die.”

Kark craned his neck to look at the screen, “Whoa, she is.” Kark flipped out of the chair.

The young human girl was coughing face down on the floor. Dirt speckled her blonde hair and ash smeared her face and arms. The fire had chewed holes into her pink shirt and jeans. Mettan noticed that she only had one shoe.

“Project me down there,” Mettan ordered

“Sorry.” Kark stretched out his hand and his staff appeared in it. “We have to follow the rules.”

“You are the one who is making the rules as you go!” Mettan exclaimed

Kark aimed his staff like a rifle at the screen, “Actually Dumas is the one making the rules.”

“Those aren’t rules.” Mettan glared at his cousin, “Those are prophecies again.”

“Would you cut out the negative attitude?” Kark tightened his aim, “You are starting to sound like an Elf.”

“I am an Elf!” Mettan exclaimed

Static electricity filled the air as Kark released a spell. The wall in front of Paige crumbled away. Bricks fell strategically between her and the fighting while giving her a hole that she could crawl through.

Kark smiled broadly as the human pulled her body towards the opening.

“Happy?” the red-haired Mage stated as his staff blinked away.

Mettan glared at his cousin, “Why can we help them, but I can’t go get her?”

Kark sat back down and propped his tennis shoes on the gunner’s console. “Since you are insisting on claiming that you are biologically an Elf, I will explain it in a way that an Elf can understand.”

Mettan started to respond, but that would have only dragged out the explanation, “Go on.”

Kark smiled, “A chick helped out of the egg won’t live.”

Mettan frowned, “So there is still stuff that they have to learn before I can help them?”

Kark stood up and clapped Mettan on the shoulders, “Now you get it.”

Mettan pulled out of Kark’s grip and sat down in his chair. “What do they have to learn?”

“No clue,” Kark shrugged as he sat back down in the gunner’s chair.

“So all we can do is sit here and watch?” Mettan asked

“Yep.” Kark snapped his fingers and a bowl of popcorn appeared in his right hand, “That’s why I brought popcorn.”

Mettan’s icy glare focused on his cousin, “How did you become an Elder?”

Kark popped a handful of popcorn in his mouth, “You raised me.” he replied with a wink.