The Elemental Read online

  “I’m not familiar with this type of stone,” she commented, looking at Noiro questioningly. “My first guess would be obsidian, or onyx. But… it’s something I’ve never encountered before.”

  Noiro extended his hand in a silent request to examine the pendant, intrigued. It was not often that Elara struggled to identify an element. She handed the necklace to Noiro and turned her attention to the journal.

  Elara flipped through the entries and furrowed her brow. None of the entries made any sense. The pages were mostly empty, with just a few lines of a sequence of numbers scribbled in the middle of each page. Her eyes flickered as she traced the ink with her finger; she’d recognize her own handwriting anywhere.

  A piece of paper stuck out of the journal’s pages, catching her eye; it was the only paper in the entire book that had any text written on it. Curious, she pulled the paper out—a newspaper clipping—and scanned the page, feeling the knot in her stomach twist tighter.

  Tragedy in Polaris

  10-11-9382. The once magnificent Kingdom of Polaris, named after the brightest star that shines in these heavenly skies, lies in ruins at the hands of another macabre massacre. The world mourns the great Kingdom of Polaris, reeling in loss at the gravity of last week’s attack against Polaris Castle, which left the home of the beloved Royal Family and their subjects completely destroyed. The terrible carnage took with it the lives of over two hundred Polarians, among them our beloved King Ami and Queen Violet. Guardians from the Investigators Unit report several accounts of organized troops outnumbering and overpowering the Castle’s inhabitants, and are still laying siege. We all pray for an end to this endless war, but with the loss of our beloved haven, Polaris, now a ruined shell of its once magnificent entity, many members of the public wonder if anyone can find the strength to stand another day of violence, tragedy, and an ever-increasing death toll.

  “Wha…” Miela breathed from over Elara’s shoulder, snatching the paper away to read it again. Elara watched as the two scanned the newspaper clipping over. Miela’s mouth dropped open in horror. Norio looked like he was going to be sick.

  “9382… That’s five years from now,” said Noiro weakly, pointing at the date at the beginning of the article.

  The three turned their heads to look over at the toddler, who remained oblivious to the adults huddled over the table, humming to herself while playing at the foot of the table.

  What horrors had Helia seen?

  “Right…” Noiro cleared his throat, dazed. A small bell rang in the distance, and he turned his head towards the library. “Uh… I’ll be right back…” He blinked, his face pale. “I’ll just check on the DNA samples.” He excused himself and walked over to his research laboratory.

  Elara and Miela remained silent as they waited for Noiro’s return. Miela’s eyes were hard, staring at the window outside and watching the moon appear brighter in the darkening sky. Elara followed her gaze, looking at the crescent moon. She could hear the friendly guffaw of laughter from a couple of guards as they passed the cottage’s pathway on their rounds and a giggle from one of the cooks making her way with a giant tray of freshly baked bread. Outside of the cottage, the world was cheery and peaceful, and utterly unaware of the massacre that would destroy the castle and obliterate its inhabitants in just a few years. She wondered if the guards and cook who were loudly chatting outside would be one of the victims, and shook her head at having such a terrible thought.

  “Elara,” whispered Noiro, standing at the doorway of the laboratory, holding a vial. He opened his mouth to speak, hesitated, and then sighed heavily. “She’s…”

  “I know,” said Elara. “I know that she’s mine.”

  Noiro nodded.

  The three sat in pregnant silence.

  “Well… We finished step one of this mystery,” Miela said finally, folding her arms. “And we know what to do next.”

  Noiro and Elara looked curiously at Miela.

  “We’re going to stop this.”

  THE GUARDIAN HEADQUARTERS

  Elara stirred, groaning as the morning light flooded her bedroom and brought her out of her deep slumber. In the onslaught of information that she received the day before, she had forgotten to draw her curtains closed. She sat up sleepily, stretching her neck and letting out a yawn.

  Thud.

  Her eyes flew open at the sound. Elara turned her head towards the source of the sound and saw the journal lying on the ground. She sighed.

  It must have slid off the bed when she moved. She stayed up quite late the night before, trying to make sense of the jumbled numbers scrawled on each page, to no avail. She leaned over and picked up the book, hesitant to leave the comfort of her bed yet. She looked over to her other side, watching a small mound breathing softly beneath her covers. Helia insisted on crawling into bed with her, and as much as Elara was uncomfortable with having the toddler snuggle up to her in the middle of the night, she hadn’t the heart to tell Helia otherwise. She couldn’t leave her alone in her guest bedroom, either.

  Elara sighed again, leaning back in bed and glancing at the window, the sun beams gently filtering into her room. She still had a few hours left before she had to meet Miela and Noiro.

  “Good morning,” Elara greeted as she pushed Noiro’s cottage door open.

  “Good morning!” Helia echoed, excitedly pushing past Elara and peeking her head into the sitting room.

  “Morning,” Noiro returned, walking from the kitchen with a big plate of piping hot scrambled eggs. “How’re you doing?”

  “You’re kidding, right?” replied Elara dejectedly as she took a seat in the sitting room.

  Helia grinned at Noiro, and he smiled back, gesturing to a few scattered toys he set out on the rug. She skipped over to the toys, excited at the prospect of playing first thing in the morning.

  Elara smiled at the toddler’s glee. “Thank you for that,” she said, gesturing at the toys that Helia was closely examining, beaming at each one as she set them down in a row.

  “I knew we still had some of your old toys around,” replied Noiro, staring at his plate of eggs for a moment, lost in thought. “I’m glad they’re being used again. I set aside a few clothes for her as well, I think they should fit.”

  Elara smiled. “I didn’t know you held onto them.”

  Noiro nodded, still looking at his plate. “Of course I did.” He smiled, then cleared his throat as he felt a wave of emotion well up inside him. Eager to change the subject, he said, “How’d you sleep last night?”

  Elara, seeing Noiro’s demeanor shift, followed suit, replying, “I could barely sleep last night. I couldn’t stop thinking about…”

  “I know, me too,” whispered Noiro. He set the plate down on the table. “Breakfast?”

  “I’m good, thanks,” she declined politely. “Where’s Miela?”

  “Running late, I reckon. She should be here any moment now.”

  “Do you think her superiors will have any issue with Miela taking on a confidential mission?” asked Elara, leaning back in her chair.

  “I doubt it,” he replied, digging into the plate of eggs. “From what she’s been telling us, her superiors have been encouraging her to take a break from her higher profile cases. They need some more manpower on the civilian cases, I guess. With a minor involved, it’d make sense to keep the facts surrounding the case confidential, too. So she shouldn’t get too many questions.”

  “Hmm.”

  “You don’t seem too convinced,” noted Noiro.

  “I’m just worried, that’s all,” confessed Elara. “There’s a lot we don’t know. Why did I send a child—my child—alone through time? With what we know about bending time, it’s risky… dangerous, even. What was I thinking?”

  “If I know you well, and I do,” Norio began, “I know that you had your reasons.”

  “I know… I’m hoping we’ll find out more. Do you think we will?” asked Elara, her eyebrows furrowing with worry. “We have five years till the dat
e of that…attack.” She waved away the thought, not wanting to dwell on the newspaper clipping they found tucked away in her journal. “That might seem like a lot of time, but it’s really not.”

  “We’ll need to brush up more on time bending theory, but from what I know, the future might already be altered,” mused Noiro. “Remember the butterfly effect?”

  Elara nodded. “It’s the idea that a small event can have an impact on a larger series of events,” she recited, having read hundreds of books during her research on time bending. “In theory, a butterfly flapping its wings in one place might influence the winds to shift into a destructive hurricane somewhere else.”

  “Exactly,” agreed Noiro. “A seemingly tiny, insignificant event can be the catalyst that triggers a larger series of events. Helia merely being here, at this point in time, might alter our entire timeline. In fact, her own timeline may not even exist anymore. If Helia hadn’t shown up when she did at the library yesterday, then you and I would have had a different day. Most probably, we might have spent the day writing this.” Noiro held up the completed research book that was in Helia’s satchel. “If Helia hadn’t shown up yesterday, we would be in different places at this very moment. You might be in your kitchen at home, having breakfast. I might still been asleep in my room upstairs. Instead, as a result of Helia’s coming to the library yesterday, we are here in my kitchen. Instead of spending this very moment wondering about what you’re going to do today, you’re researching material to help avoid a terrible event in the future.

  “Helia’s arrival is the catalyst that’s triggering us to begin investigating an attack that hasn’t happened yet.”

  Elara folded her arms, concentrating on Noiro’s explanation. They were delving into the very beginnings of time bending. It was a subject most could barely begin to wrap their head around, and researchers dedicated years to exploring the fabrics of time itself before entering into the theory of time bending. And yet, here they were, trying to do just that.

  “Who knows, the attack might never happen at all, with the shift in events from Helia’s original timeline,” offered Noiro hopefully.

  “Ever the optimist,” Elara scoffed.

  “It’s a possibility,” he returned. “Maybe her arrival itself altered the series of events that lead to the attack happening.”

  “Or we might have shortened the timespan of the attack,” Elara pointed out.

  “Ever the pessimist.” Noiro smirked.

  “I’m being realistic,” grumbled Elara. “Following that logic, the date on that newspaper clipping might as well be an arbitrary one.”

  Noiro nodded. “You might be right, and you might be wrong. We’ll have to brush up on more time theory before we can jump to any conclusions. Trying to guess the future’s outcome… Well, your guess is as good as mine.” He sighed. “Lucky for us, we already have one piece of the puzzle.” Noiro pointed his chin towards the completed research book as he chewed on another mouthful of eggs. “Our timeline of completing our time bending research assignment just got a whole lot shorter.”

  Elara paused, thinking hard. “I… I think we should hold on to the research for ourselves for the time being,” she said slowly. “That journal has valuable information that we need to look into. Not to mention, it was sent along with my journal. It has to be a clue.”

  Noiro nodded in agreement. “I think we should take a closer look at everything before turning in anything.”

  “Ready, guys? We’re gonna be late,” a voice called out from behind them. Noiro choked on his forkful of eggs in surprise as a pair of hard hands clapped against his shoulders.

  “Miela! You’re here!” Helia squeaked excitedly.

  Elara smiled at the sight of her childhood friend walking over and leaning down to chat with Helia. Miela’s tough exterior did little to deter Helia, and she had taken quite a liking to the Guardian. Miela was a force to be reckoned with; she was fierce and formidable, traits which helped her greatly as she climbed the Guardian ranks, making Captain before many of her more senior comrades. She was tough, yet fair, and gained much respect from her peers and superiors alike for being able to lead her division effectively and efficiently. She was as beautiful as she was brave; her honey blonde hair was pulled back in her usual thick braid that hung down to the middle of her back, with small curly tendrils hanging loosely around her face. Her green eyes crinkled as she laughed at something Helia said, and she ruffled the toddler’s hair affectionately.

  Elara cleared her throat, catching Miela’s attention. “Ready to go, Miela?”

  “Just about. I spoke with the Colonel. I have my clearance papers to handle a confidential civilian case, especially since it involves a toddler. We shouldn’t have too many people poking their noses in.” Miela straightened her posture as she looked up, interrupting her deep conversation with the toddler. “We just need to stop by my office in headquarters for the boss’s signature.”

  “Damn bureaucracy,” Noiro barked, wolfing down the last of his eggs. “A complete waste of time, if you ask me.”

  Miela shrugged. “No time to waste. Finish your eggs, and let’s go.”

  The four set out to the city center of Polaris. The trek from Noiro’s cottage, nestled in the grounds of Polaris Castle, to the Guardians’ Headquarters was not long, but it felt like an eternity to little Helia, who insisted on walking rather than being carried. She defiantly stuffed her feet into her little shoes, let Miela quickly swap out her shoes so that they were each on the right foot, and stubbornly kept up her pace with the adults (who made sure to slow their pace to a gentle stroll).

  “Are you sure people won’t ask too many questions about Helia?” Elara asked, glancing at Miela worriedly as Helia clutched at her fingers.

  “I think we’ll be all right,” Miela replied firmly. “The Guardian environment is all about military discipline. We’ve been trained not to ask questions. People see all sorts of unusual things. People do all sorts of unusual things. Some might be curious, but we already have our story straight. She’s a witness in an investigation. That’s all.”

  Elara sighed, feeling a little more at ease, and tried hard to ignore the knots in her stomach as she held onto Helia’s hand while passing the gates towards the Guardians’ Headquarters.

  “Good morning, Luan,” Miela greeted the security guard.

  “Good morning, Captain Miela,” the guard answered back, his tone clipped and short. “Credentials?”

  “Of course.” She pulled up the sleeve of her right hand, flashing a tattoo on the inside of her wrist. Two crescent moons faced each other, framing the constellation of Polaris.

  The symbol of the Guardians of Polaris.

  It was a prestigious symbol, bestowed only to the elite members of the Guardians of Polaris. Miela beamed with pride as she held out her wrist for the guard to examine.

  “Captain Miela Avon,” she announced raptly. “I have three civilians with me.”

  The security guard saluted Miela as she passed by.

  “Showoff,” Elara teasingly whispered to Miela.

  Miela chuckled.

  It was strange to see her childhood friend, someone she had spent her years playing little games together and sharing silly jokes, be regarded with such authority in such a rigid establishment. Nonetheless, Elara could not help but be proud of her friend’s achievements. It was no easy feat, enlisting as a Guardian. It was a difficult life to commit to, with years of combat training, mastering weapons, and honing on developing skills to enlist in the desired Guardian Divisions. Depending on what a Guardian worked towards, they could either enlist as an Amity Guardian, a division dedicated to spending long hours chasing after criminals and maintaining peace and order within the kingdom’s limits; a Watch Guardian, which were specialized teams assembled to patrol the kingdom’s boundaries and uphold border security; or an Imperial Guardian, an elite squad entrusted with safeguarding the Royal Family’s protection and wellbeing.

  Miela, a Captain in the A
mity Guardian Division, sported an intricate wreath of olive branches on the back of her Captain’s jacket, the emblem of the Amity Guardians. She had worked hard to reach her position as the Captain, and had her sight set on climbing higher up on the ladder. Elara knew that she could, and there was little that could stand in her way once she set her mind to it.

  The group followed Miela as she led the way into the main hall, nodding every now and then to passing comrades. They joined a small group of officials standing in line at the lift.

  Helia glued herself to Elara as they waited in line. Elara and Noiro stood straight, although their posture was a slouchy mess compared to the rigid, disciplined, straight backs of the Guardians around them. Miela stood straight and tall, blending in with her fellow comrades. She looked smart in her Guardian uniform, which consisted of a structured pale blue jacket and stiff, pressed trousers, which were neatly stuffed into a shiny pair of black boots. She had her powder blue Captain’s hat tucked under her arm, her hands donned in fitted white gloves.

  Elara spied several Amity Guardians, noting the emblem emblazoned on the backs of their jackets, and two Watch Guardians, set apart by the emblem of a thick, ornate brass key on the backs of their uniform, standing attention at the entryway of the elevators, carefully eyeing the flow of people in the building. She scanned the crowd for any Imperial Guardians, searching for the telltale emblem of the crown, but to no avail. Imperial Guardians were an elusive squad, being comprised of the highest ranking elites amongst the Guardian ranks, rumored to be handpicked by the Royal Family themselves.