The next morning, the sky was dark again but this time, it wasn't just rain clouds gathering. The Air was thick with tension, and Ashreign could feel it in his Darkness a crackling energy that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.
"This isn't a normal storm," Mai said, standing beside him at the edge of the Whisperwood. Her Light-glowing eyes were fixed on the sky, where black clouds were rolling in fast, blocking out the sun. "I can feel something else in it something powerful. Something I've never felt before."
As if on cue, a clap of thunder rumbled through the sky so loud it shook the Wood trees and made the Earth beneath their feet tremble. Then came the lightning: not just one bolt, but dozens, striking the same spot in the forest over and over again, lighting up the Darkness with brilliant white light.
"That's not natural," Ashreign said, his hand instinctively reaching for the Darkness within him. "Lightning doesn't strike the same place that many times."
Mai nodded, her spear already in her hand. "It's coming from the old oak grove, three miles north. We need to go see what's happening. Whatever it is, it's tied to the elements."
They ran through the forest, their feet flying over the Earth's soft ground. The Air whipped at their faces, carrying the smell of rain and ozone. Wood branches reached out at them, but Ashreign used his Darkness to push them aside, and Mai used her Light to light their path.
When they reached the old oak grove, they stopped in their tracks. The center of the grove was a mess Wood branches were scattered everywhere, the Earth was scorched black, and a single, massive oak tree stood in the middle, its trunk split open by lightning. And in the middle of the clearing, standing on the scorched Earth, was a girl.
She was about two years younger than Ashreign, with wild, curly hair that stood on end as if charged with energy. Sparks of Lightning danced between her fingers and around her body, crackling and hissing in the Air. Her eyes were bright and wild, like lightning bolts themselves.
"Stay back!" she yelled, when she saw Ashreign and Mai. A bolt of Lightning shot from her hand, striking a nearby Wood tree and making it splinter. "I don't want to hurt anyone, but I can't control it!"
Ashreign could see the fear in her eyes, even through the crackling Lightning. He held up his hands, showing her he meant no harm. "We're not here to hurt you," he said, his voice calm. "We want to help."
The girl laughed, but it was a nervous, panicked sound. "Help? How can you help me? This power… it's too strong. It's been building up inside me for weeks, and now it's finally exploded. I've already destroyed half the grove!"
Mai stepped forward, her Light glowing softly. "We know what it's like," she said. "We have powers too. I'm Mai the guardian of Light." She gestured to Ashreign. "This is Ashreign the guardian of Darkness."
The girl's eyes widened, and the Lightning around her flickered. "Guardians? Like… the eight guardians from the stories?"
"Yes," Mai said. "And we think you're one of us too. The guardian of Lightning."
The girl looked at her hands, where sparks were still dancing. "Lightning?" she whispered. "I… I always knew I was different. I could make lights flicker, make static electricity jump from my fingers. But this… this is something else."
A bolt of Lightning shot from the sky, striking the ground near her feet. She cried out, stumbling back. "It's not just me!" she yelled. "The storm is responding to me! I can feel it Air and Water and Lightning all mixing together, out of control!"
Ashreign could feel it too the storm was alive, feeding on the girl's fear and the uncontrolled Lightning power. The Air was swirling faster, the rain was starting to fall in sheets, and more lightning was striking the ground around the grove.
"We need to help her control it," Ashreign said to Mai. "Before the storm destroys the entire forest."
Mai nodded. "We'll use our Light and Darkness to create a balance. You'll ground her power with Darkness and Earth. I'll guide it with Light and Air. Together, we'll help her channel the Lightning instead of letting it control her."
They moved toward the girl slowly, Ashreign on one side, Mai on the other. The Lightning around her crackled, but it didn't strike them.
"What's your name?" Ashreign asked, his voice calm and steady.
"Kidlatina," she said, her eyes fixed on his. "My name is Kidlatina."
~ KIDLATINA is filipino character.
[KIDLAT - LIGHTNING]
"Kidlatina," Ashreign said, smiling gently. "That's a beautiful name. It means 'lightning' in the old tongue, doesn't it?"
Kidlatina nodded, a tear rolling down her cheek. "My mother gave it to me. She said I was born during a storm, and that lightning had touched my soul."
Mai reached out her hand, her Light glowing warm. "Kidlatina, we're going to help you. Trust us."
Kidlatina looked from Mai to Ashreign, then nodded. "Okay," she whispered. "I trust you."
Ashreign knelt down and placed his hands on the Earth. He called on his Darkness, and it flowed from his hands into the soil, creating a dark, solid barrier that would ground Kidlatina's Lightning. Mai held up her hands, and her Light flowed into the Air, creating a gentle current that would guide the power.
"Now, Kidlatina," Mai said. "Focus on the Light in my hands. Feel it guiding your power. Let the Earth beneath you ground it. Don't fight it embrace it. It's part of you."
Kidlatina closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She focused on Mai's Light, on the Earth beneath her feet, on the Air around her. Slowly, the Lightning around her stopped crackling wildly. It began to flow in a steady stream, from her hands into the Air, guided by Mai's Light, grounded by Ashreign's Darkness and the Earth.
The storm began to calm. The Air stopped swirling so fast, the rain slowed to a gentle drizzle, and the lightning stopped striking the ground. Instead, a single bolt of Lightning shot from Kidlatina's hands into the sky, where it exploded into a beautiful display of light that lit up the entire forest.
When it was over, Kidlatina opened her eyes. The Lightning around her was gone, replaced by a soft, gentle glow that pulsed with her heartbeat.
"I… I did it," she said, looking at her hands in wonder. "I controlled it."
Ashreign stood up, smiling. "You did," he said. "We all did. Together."
Mai walked over to Kidlatina, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Welcome, Kidlatina," she said. "Welcome to the guardians. We've been waiting for you."
Kidlatina looked at Mai and Ashreign, tears of joy rolling down her cheeks. "I thought I was alone," she said. "I thought my power was a curse. But now… now I know it's a gift. A gift to help protect the balance."
As the sun broke through the clouds, sending streams of Light through the Wood trees, the three guardians stood together in the old oak grove. Ashreign, with his Darkness that grounded and protected. Mai, with her Light that guided and healed. Kidlatina, with her Lightning that powered and transformed.
Three guardians down. Five more to find.
"We still need to find the others," Mai said, looking at the two of them. "The guardians of Fire, Water, Wood, Earth, and Air. The balance isn't complete yet."
Kidlatina nodded, a determined look in her eyes. "Then let's find them," she said. "Together. With all three of us working together, nothing can stop us."
Ashreign looked at the two girls beside him, his friends, his fellow guardians. He thought of the Fire in his memories, the dark force that threatened the balance. But now, with Mai's Light and Kidlatina's Lightning by his side, he wasn't scared anymore.
"Let's go," he said, smiling. "The world is waiting for us."
They walked out of the old oak grove together, three guardians united by purpose and power. The forest around them seemed to celebrate, Wood trees rustling their leaves in approval, Earth's grass growing greener beneath their feet, Air blowing fresh and clean, Water from a nearby stream singing a song of hope.
The journey to find the other five guardians, Fire, Water, Wood, Earth, and Air would be long and difficult. But with three guardians already united, and the balance growing stronger with every step they took, they knew they could do it.
The storm had passed. The Lightning had found its guardian. And the journey of the eight guardians continued.