Original Story: Children of the Gods

[Atsui Sake]

To start, I would like to state that if any "plagiarism" exists in this story, it is accidental. This is really my first work, and I will warn you now, I am not, nor have I ever been, an artist of any kind. Therefore, I cannot say if this story will, at all, be original. All I can do is give it a shot and see if my writing and ideas are creative. Also, please tell me if anything in this is offensive, as some people may be sensitive to certain issues in this story.

Prologue --------------------------

Long ago, in an empty space between the stars, eight beings came together to create the land. These being were known as the Gods, each one having their own unique ability. With each others' help, they created the world, and endowed the gift of life upon it.

First, Domare gathered together the other Gods. He presented them with a list of laws that would be enforced upon the world. With all agreeing to these laws, he created them, and made them possible. All existence would be bound to these laws.

Next, Eld, togther with Ljus, reached out their hands. Eld, with her power of heat and flame, summoned what power she could into the tips of her fingers. She gathered together and enormous ball of heat, which emitted a faint glow. Ljus then put his hand upon the massive body of heat, and brought the brightness of light to the empty space. However, the great ball would not last long without something to support it. Luft came to them and offered her assistance. She was able to create a source that would keep the bright ball of flame burning ever longer. The Sun had been created.

Domare next called upon Jordart. Jordart used his power to create a solid foundation for all living this to exist on and inhabit. He had created a great, brown rock made of all sorts of minerals and metals. He made great mountains, and caves filled with glittering stones, and gave each type a different name. And then, he finished to give the name of his great creation, the name of Terra.

But the work was not done yet. Domare had called upon Luft, Vatten, Liv, and Skugga. Skugga put her dark hand upon the world, and created the shadow that hid from the light, giving birth to the time of night, when the sun would set with Terra's rotation. Vatten then poured hs great power onto the red planet, filling fissures and deep areas with water. Luft soared across the planet, bringing air to it, then, together with Vatten, they created the great, blue atmosphere which would give wind and rain to the great body. Finally, Liv came down to the surface of Terra. She pulled out a single strand of her hair and buried it in the soil. A tree suddenly sprouted from the ground, and began to grow. She then pealed of a single piece of flesh, and from is came creatures of all sorts, all running freely across their new home. The great land of Terra was now complete with the gift of life.

After their hard work, Domare had ordered the Gods to retire, and exist within the heart of the great planet. One final task was assigned though. Each of the Gods would have Children to inhabit the land. Many races of people would be born, each of them filled with Domare's great knowledge. And each race would be given a fragment of one God's power. These Children of the Gods were also known as Elementals.

The Children of Ljus were white-skinned, being granted with the ability to bring light into the darkest places, so long as one minor source existed. They would also be able to condense that same energy into a photonic form.

The Children of Skugga were dark-skinned. They were granted with the ability to manipulate and hide in the shadows. By reaching their shadows onto another's, they could still their movements, even to the point of limiting one's breathing.

The Children of Eld had pigments of red, and possessed the power of heat and flame. So long as their was a source of heat, they could manipulate that heat, making it even hotter and expanding it. They are potentially stronger during the day, when the sun fills the atmosphere with warmth.

The Children of Vatten had skin of blue. With the ability to control water, they could even condense it to make ice, and gather what water was in the air. An advanced Child could even reach inside another being to control their blood, or even manipulate the water within plant life.

The Children of Jordart were brown-skinned, and could control the solid earth. So long as they have any form of mineral, they can manipulate it shape, and create a small, but dense ball of pure earth. If one could advance their talents, they can even manipulate metals. Some of the most advanced ones can even manipulate the minserals within another person's body.

The Children fo Luft had skin of a light bluer green. With the ability to manipulate the air, they could create air currents, and whirlwinds. More advanced users could lift their bodies with the air around them and fly or glide. And some can even control the air within another being's lungs.

The Children of Liv had green skin. These people could communicate with any form of life around them, even talk to trees and flowers. They can also manipulate plant-life to an extent, wrapping an enemy with vines and roots, and even using leaves and stems as lethal weapons.

Each Elemental had their own unique powers. Domare, however, did not have children. Instead, he granted all life with the innate ability to think, comprehend and judge. He also created another law that was not known to the other Gods, and it was not apparrant until the Elementals started to breed with one another. Should their genetics mix, the child's skin will become one of the color of which ever gene is dominant. However, the child would become a mere human being, possessing no power of any kind. Only if the child's blood is at least 87.5% pure of one race, should they be granted with the ability to manipulate the forces.

12,000 years....

The planet is inhabited by over 160 million people. Elementals have become a rare breed in this day and age. Even those that are found to be Elementals are often turned away and shunned. Those that are genuine Children of the Gods, those that were the original people to have dominion over the planet, no longer have say in any affair. And with such a low populous, the ways and teachings of the arts that were once passed down by each tribe are an incredibly rare find. Threrefore, even those who are pure of a God's blood are bound to have weak abilities. Many don't even discover their hidden abilities until they've reached their midlives. Domare is society's most accepted God. Anyone who is found to worship one of the other seven Gods is often stoned in public. For anyone to take pride in their Godly heritage, it has become a great sin. And no forgiveness is handed to those that oppose to the accepted ways.

Slavery has become a common practice in these days. The world seems to have hit a dark age. The population 20 years ago was actually around 240 million. over 80 million have died, and only few of those that are born have been surviving past two years of age. It seems like the younger ones are more susceptible to a Plague that hit our lands about 22 years ago. Some treatments have appeared, but it's only available to those that can afford it. Peasants aren't typically treated with enough kindness to get that treatment. As such, if a peasant is struck with the Plague, they are often taken away to suffer the remainder of their lives in the wilderness.

Most of the kings of this world have become corrupt. As they sit on their thrones, getting fat from all the riches they have at their disposle, many of the people in their kingdoms are suffering. The Plague has hit hard, affecting the animals on farms and the crops are no longer well-maintained because so many peasants on those farms die each day, and are replaced with other peasants who lack the knowledge of growing and harvesting crops. But that's not all, the beasts that attack people are also affected by it, but in a different way. A typical farm animal or a human often begins with symptoms of coughing up accessive amounts of mucus. After two days, the lungs start to rot, causing and immense amount of pain and difficulty breathing. Finally, 3-5 days after, the mind becomes delusional. the lungs soon begin to stop funtioning. The victim dies only a few hours after this symptom occurs. But with the beasts, they only show the first symptom. After that, they experience increased aggression. This aggression continues for about two months. After that, their nervous system starts to malfunction. 4-5 days after that, their nervous system completely fails, organs cease to funtion, thus resulting in their death.

Some people blame the Goddes, Liv for the Plague, saying that she is now trying to bring death to the people of Terra by poisoning them. Because of this, all those with green skin are being hanged and stoned in public for being visible descendants of Liv. The world is now undergoing a state of chaos. the nations of Yeta, Tamor and Frege have been undergoing a great war that has now been lasting for 9 years. And even those that aren't at war are suffering from the Plague and starvation.

Episode 1: Call Upon the Wind -------------------------

Elia was sixteen years old. Her skin was a light, blue-green color, depicting her obvious Wind Elemental descent. She had long, blue hair, green eyes, and a very proportionate face. She would be very beautiful, if only she weren't a peasant. She mainly served to keep the property looking tidy. Because of this, she was a rather skinny, and often dirty-looking girl. She was about 5'4" tall, but weighed in only around 80 lbs. Every morning was the same. Wake up before sunrise. Eat a single piece of bread and a small hand full of almonds. Then it was get yelled at by her master for taking five minutes just to get up and eat her food. After that, it was pull the weeds in the front yard and remove any rocks that made it look "ugly." After that, it was pulling the weeds in the back yard, and the back yard was big. The entire proparty was around six acres. It was a lot to maintain for one person. Everyday, a new weed would sprout. A new rock would appear, another branch would fall off the tree. If the proparty wasn't clean, it was a good scholding and ten wacks to the back. If a branch was there the next morning, "You didn't pick up all the branches yesterday!" another ten wacks. Just about everyday, she would get ten wacks, sometimes even twenty or thirty. The day was always miserable. Always the same dirty work, always getting blisters and cuts, always getting beaten and bruised on the back, just plain miserable.

Her master, Gord, was a wealthy man with red skin, indicating that he is descended partly from the Children of Eld. He inherited his property, and his money, from his late parents. He was set for life. Never did he have to work, never did he have to worry about paying taxes, and never did he have to worry about his house. It was always kept tidy by his maid, who he often harassed sexually. What a disgusting man he was. He was getting fatter by the day, his smell was unpleasant from the food that he ate, and from bathing only once every seven to ten days, even though he could easily bathe every day. He was a well-hated man by his two servants. Elia was always getting scolded and hit, while his indoor servant, Sera, was always getting sexually assaulted.

Sera was seventeen years of age. She had brown skin, a descendant of Jordart's Children. Her hair was black, and her eyes, also brown. And she was beautiful. In fact, Gord got her from a special auction. She was one of the Primary Model Servants, which cost about as much as five good acres of land. In fact, he traded five acres just to buy her. But Sera was also very suicidal. She never wanted to live a life without freedom. She tried to commit suicide a number of times, especially after being purchased by Gord. Eventually, he ended up putting her on a leash just to keep her away from the knives that she used to cook with.

Elia had finally finished her work, right when the first star appeared in the sky. Today was one of those few miraculous days. There was nothing that Gord could scold at her or beat her about. She did everything. The weeds were pulled, the rocks and branches were gone, and she had even brought in some squirrels that she had killed. Gord hated squirrels with a passion. The buck teeth reminded him of his delusional father, who had large front teeth. Of course, Elia still only got a poor meal. Every morning was bread and almonds. Lunch was a whole onion, and dinner was a small slice of salted pork, and a pear. Sera used sneak more food out to Elia, but Gord caught her, and had beaten Elia and Sera both, thirty times each. Elia decided she didn't want Sera to get hurt anymore, so she insisted that she stop.

Elia's room didn't consist of much. She slept in the attic. Sera dusted for her every week or so, but is was still an unpleasant place to sleep. The draft would come in, she slept on the hard floor, and she was only allowed one blanket. Every night, Elia would wish for something bad to happen to Gord. She would always wish that the Plague be brought upon him, without any treatment. She would watch and laugh at him as he suffered during the last few days, while she was sitting in his favorite rocking chair. She wanted him dead, but he was always watching. Gord knew Elia wanted him dead. She once tried to take a rake to his head. Gord was lazy, but he was clever. His uncle was a knight, and he taught him well. Gord always had his beating stick with him. And he would sometimes swing it as if it were a sword. Sometimes, he would still even practice. That's about the most physical activity he would get. Elia received a good fifty whacks for trying that, and had to go three days without food. Gord swore that next time she tried it, he would cut off all of her fingers, break all of her limbs, and chain her to a tree. If only she could have him killed.

The next day had come, and Elia woke up at the usual time. She ate the same piece of bread, and the same handful of almonds. Gord told her to go outside to eat her almonds, and then go straight to work. Sera was on her leash, as usual. Elia looked at her for a moment. She looked different somehow. Elia couldn't put her finger on it, but Sera had a different look on her face than she normally did. Usually, it was just the typical straight face, with just a touch of poutiness in her eyes. But her face looked serious. Before she could put her finger on it, Gord shouted at her. "Elia, you dumb *****, get pulling those damned weeds!" Elia went outside.

The sky was clear and there was no wind. Elia started doing her usual chores, and she was thinking about the look on Sera's face. Although they didn't communicate much, Elia and Sera knew what the other was thinking just by the look on the other's face. It was a different kind of friendship from most. Elia tried to get it out of her head and focus on pulling the weeds. She felt a sudden wind. It started to wrap around her, like a whirlwind. Her thoughts were still on Sera, but she could tell there was a wind blowing around her. She suddenly got up to move to the next patch of weeds, and the wind disppeared.

The day was nearing its end, and Elia had just realized that she hadn't eaten lunch. She was almost done. There didn't seem to be as many weeds this time, and not so many branches had fallen off the trees. Squirrels weren't wondering around the yard as much. They must have realized by now that many squirrels that run on the property end up dead. Elia picked up her tools and walked slowly to the tool shed. She then turn to go into the house. As she stepped into the house from the back door, she saw that Gord wasn't in his chair. She then had a strange feeling. The atmosphere was different somehow.

Something was missing. She ran into the kitchen, nobody. She ran into the other room, still nobody. She then ran down the hall into Sera's room, and found the answer. Elia's eyes widened, and her blue-green face started to transition into a pailish color. She looked in shock as she saw Sera's body laying on the floor, and a puddle of blood around and underneath her. Elia's eyes started to water, and she stumbled backwards. She saw, next to Sera, one of the knives that she used in the kitchen. Gord was sitting next to her. He looked up and saw Elia in the doorway. "The dumb ***** finally did it." Sera had killed herself.

Elia started to cry. Gord was already pissed that his prized servant killed herself. He then turned to Elia. "Shut up you ****! Do you want me to beat you?!" Gord immediately grabbed his beating stick. Elia was trying to get up, but she was unable to under shock. Gord grabbed Elia's shirt by the collar and threw her on the floor. He raised his stick and beat her. Once, twice on the head. Elia covered her head. Three, four, five, six on the back. Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, beating her on the arms and the legs. Finally, Elia got up and limped her way to the attic. Gord was about to chase her, but was to blind with anger.

Elia was in the attic and there was no draft. She was crying, hysterical. Sera, the only friend she ever had, was now dead, and Gord had hit Elia pretty good this time. "Gord," she thought. "It's his fault," she said to herself. "If he hadn't treated us like this, we wouldn't have been so miserable." Elia gritted her teeth. She tightened her fist and started to tremble, her eyes became full of pure anger and envy, and the wind began to blow.

[Atsui Sake]

Nice to know there's someone who likes my work. I have to leave for work soon, but I'll try and get the second chapter posted tonight.

[Atsui Sake]

Here's episode 2. I was stoned half the time I was writing, so the last few paragraphs may not be all great. I also started typing it in Wordpad, so the layout is weird. I'll fix that later.

Episode 2: Free -------------------------------------------

Elia was still in the attic, hysterical about Sera's suicide. She didn't understand why, but the air would start to circulate around her from time to time. Something like this had never happened, especially in the attic. She did remember some of the stories
of how Elemental beings were a more common race, and how each race had power over a single element. She didn't have much memory of her parents. Her father was beaten to death for being a common theif, and her mother was the one
who sold Elia to Gord when she was still only five. She did remember what her parents looked like, though. They both had the same color skin as Elia. Her father had white hair, and always kept his facial hair short. Her mother had the same
blue hair as Elia. She was tall for a woman. She was about 5' 11", and she was slender, too. It was no wonder her father married her. She was a beautiful woman. Nonetheless, the only way for her to be a Child of Lift, was if har parents both had genes
that were, in the least, mostly pure of Elemental blood. If Elia really were an Elemental, then she would have to learn how to control her power before Gord found out. Otherwise, it could mean disater for her.

The sun started to rise, and Elia had only gotten two hours of sleep. Gord ended up waking her by grabbing her arm and jerking her to her feet. "Damnit ya ****, how long're you gonna sleep for?! Still a worthless tree sloth, I guess," Gord scolded at her.
Elia wasn't paying much attention to Gord as he was screaming at her. She was more focused on the pain in her arm and her shoulder from being jerked. Then thought again about witnessing Sera's dead body. She tried to think of something else
before she got upset again. "Get your worthless *** in the field, unless you want a hundred whacks!" Gord shouted. "Yes, Master Gord," Elia responded politely. She knew Gord loved it when anyone called him Master Lord. It wasn't often that Elia ever called
him that.

Elia went outside, and she wondered if the wind in the attic, and in the field really came from her. She decided that if it were, she would attempt to control it. Of course, if she were to, she'd have to make free time. She would also need to make sure that
Gord did not catch her. Once she had finished cleaning up the yard in front of the house, she moved to the back. She remember that she was in an emotional state in the attic. And when the wind surrounded her in the field, she was worried in deep thought. She
tried going into deep thought again, because she did not want to feel the way she did last night. And she certainly did not want to think about Sera's death. Elia started to think. She thought and thought, and she worried. There was only a light breeze today,
so she would be able to notice if something was happening. Nothing happened. She tried to work, and keep her mind perched n that. If nothing were to get done, Gord would beat her for sure. Suddenly, something popped into Elia's head. If worry and sadness
were to trigger what power she might have, then why not any other emotion. So long as it is felt strongly, it may happen to trigger something.

Elia tried to think of something happy. Something that would make her so excited, she would leap ten feet into the air, or even start to cry. She thought about having a birthday. Elia did not ever remember having a birthday, even when she still lived with her
parents. She tought as hard as she could. Good food, gifts, singing and dancing, just a joyous celebration especially for her. Elia made the thought so strong, she could almost see it before her very eyes. She could smell the fruit cake, hear the music and
see everyone coming up to her. "Happy birthday," they would say, with the biggest smiles on their face, as if they actually cared about her. Elia then began to cry. But it was not because she was happy about her dream. She was sad because there was no
longer anyone who cared about her. The thought was so painful, so full of anguish and heartbreak, Elia could not help but be sad. But something happened. The wind started to pick up. The air began to dance around Elia, as if trying to lift her up into the sky.
It was a much stronger whirlwind than the on she had experienced yesterday. Elia felt the wind with pleasure. She put her hand out and tried to understand the power, and harness it. She then cleared her head and the wind slowed to a stop. Elia then began
to move her hand gently, trying to immitate the movement of the air around her. She swung her hand slowly, keeping her mind clear trying to keep in sync with the air. Suddenly, the air moved across the ground in the same direction and the same motion.
Elia tried the same thing again, but she moved both her hands in a circular motion. A smal whirlwind was generated, and it swept the ground gently. Elia had done it! She learned how to use the power that was sleeping inside of her.

Elia started back at her work. There were small patches of weeds on the far ends of the property. Elia decided to pick those weeds first. She moved along, keeping a sharp eye out for any more weeds. She had finally finished her work right when the sun began
to set. Elia worked harder today than ever, because she was now excited. She could now practice her newfound ability and eventually escape Gord's bindings and have her freedom. Elia soon began to wake up earlier than usual. She woke up one hour before
sunrise everyday. She would start to practce while Gord was still asleep. She would practice by moving leaves and dust, using light blasts of air to move small rocks, and even slice through some of the weeds with a sort of slash of air. Her air blasts were only
powerful enough to nudge rocks the size of her fist, and her air slashes were very short range, but she kept practicing. After several days, she was able to lift a fair amount of small rocks, pebbles mostly, with her whirlinds. She learned to increase the affectiveness
of her air blasts and slashes, increasing their range and strength. She mostly practiced air slashes on the weeds, and air blasts on what large rocks she could find. Every night, she would always think "I will soon be free, I will soon be free." Her air slashes extended
to just a little over a foot, and the were quite effective, too. Elia was able to cut through thick branchs, and even some of the thinner tree trunks. Her blasts could soon thrust head-sized rocks over nine feet away. Elia's skills were improving day after day, and every
night, she would go to bed satisfied with her power.

Twenty-fourdays had passed since Elia was able to control her ability to manipulate air. She woke up later this time, and Gord had to wake her up. Gord was not in a good mood lately because he didn't have Sera to cook his meals, and nobody to sexually
abuse. Gord's scolding became more constant and over nothing whenever Elia would start and finish her work. Elia went outside to do her work. There wasn't much to do this time. She would be done by just a little afternoon today. Elia was able to to get some
practice done with her abilities. She went back inside about an hour after noon. As she came in, Gord commanded that she wash up and go dress in a maid's suit. Elia took a bath, and she did dress into the maid's outfit. It was the same one that Sera used to wear.
"Seeing as you finished your chores early today, you get to practice being a housemaid, too." Gord gave Elia the same look he gave Sera when he was about to touch her inappropriately. Elia started to worry. Gord showed her the beating stick in case she refused to follow
his orders. "What do I do? What do I do?" Elia thought to herself. She was starting to get frantic. Gord's hand was closing in on Elia's shoulder. He then began to shift movement to aim for her breast. Elia became angry all of a sudden. She then smacked Gord's hand
away. "I will no longer obey your orders, dear Master," Elia said with a grin. "Ya little ****, do you wanna die?" Gord was not going to allow that kind of behavior from his servant. "I will not be the one to die. I am going to make you pay for your mistreatment. I am
going to make you pay for poor Sera's death." Elia was getting serious now. Gord reacted with a frown filled with anger. "How dare you speak to your master that way?! I'll give you no mercy this time!!! Gord shouted with a voice like thunder.

Elia was ready to fight against Gord. gord began by swinging his beating stick at Elia. Elia responded by using a blast of air to knock the stick out of Gord's hand. "What the... you damn little ****. I'll just have to cut you then!" Gord grabbed his sword from behind
his rocking chair. Elia was starting to worry. She had never fought before. If she didn't fight well, she really would die. When Gord unsheathed his sword, he really meant to kill. Gord swung down, trying to hit Elia. Elia managed to dodge the swing, but just barely.
Gord took a fighting stance. He held his sword firmly and Elia was getting ready to defend. Gord thrust his sword at Elia. Elia was trying to dodge each hit, but she was beginning to panic. If Gord's sword hit her, she might not live. Gord swung sideways and Elia
ducked. He swung unward, Elia stumbled backwards. It was hard to dodge inside a well-furnished room. Gord was swinging without worry of breaking anything. if it broke, he could just buy another one. Elia was too worried, she could not fight back. Finally,
Gord swung to the right. Elia was hit!. She received a good slice just below her right arm. Elia put her left hand on her wound, squeasing it in pain. She was getting tense with the pain. "Heh, what was with those courageous words a mintue ago? Looks to me
like you're still just a little shrew." Gord said with a satisified grin. "If you want to talk like a big girl, then die like a big girl." Gord was getting ready to deliver the final blow and end Elia's life.

Just as Gord swung down to kill Elia, she managed to collect herself again. Bwoosh!! Elia blasted Gord with a good ball of air, sending him back five feet, crashing into the dining table. Elia stepped up to Gord. Still gripping her wound. She then released it. Elia
raised her left hand and Gord loked up at her. Elia swung down, releasing a blade of air. Sloosh!! "AAAAGGGGHHHH!!!!!" Gord began to scream in agony. Elia had cut off his right leg. Gord clenched his teeth and tightly gripped his wound. Elia was getting serious
now. Gord began to shake in fear, so much that he began to pee his pants. "N-no... w-what the... hell?" Gord began to stutter. "What's the matter, wasn't I going to die like a big girl?" Elia was angry. She was so furious, and so satisfied with the site of Gord shaking
before her with his blood spilling out, her eyes began to look demonic. Gord was still shaking. Elia raised her hand again, this time to the side of her head, and Gord screamed in fear, trying desperately to get up. "It seems you've become so fat, you can no longer get
up with just one leg. Don't worry though. Where you're going, not even both legs will help you escape your deepest fears." Elia swung her hand across Gord's neck with a slice of air. Thwop! Gord's head was severed from his body and it rold onto the floor. Elia went to
look around the house. She found some old clothes that Gord's mother used to wear and changed into them. She then went to Gord's stash of gold and began rolling up coins and putting them into a bag. What she could not carry she left in the chest. Elia blasted the
wood floor with air two times to make a whole. She then got the shovel from the tool shed and burried the chest. She covered the floor with lantern oil and ignited it. She took the road north and left the house in flames.

[summersun]

great story. love your work and waiting for more episodes.

[Atsui Sake]

I've been pre-occupied with playing 358/2 Days. But now that I've beaten the game, I'll get back to writing. I might have another episode up tonight.

[Atsui Sake]

Episode 3: The Boy of Vatten --------------------------------------

Elia left behind her former home and took the road north. She didn't know exactly where she was going. Wherever the road took her was good enough. Elia's wound was wrapped tightly, but it was still hurting. All she could do was to try and ignore the pain and keep going. At least there was some ointment with her to treat the wound and prevent infection. She tried not to move her right arm too much. Elia didn't have too much with her. She had purchased some supplies in town Just an outdoor blanket, some food for the next few days, and a few tools for cooking. Elia didn't know how to cook. All she could to is try and learn while traveling around. Elia had also purchased some traveling clothes and tossed aside the ones she found back at Gord's estate. She didn't want to bring anything to remind her of that place.

The sun was going to set soon, so Elia decided to stop and try to set up a fire. She saw a tree that had some low branches. She used her left hand to slice through the branches with her wind. Elia smiled because of how convenient her powers would be on her travels. Cutting up wood, using light gusts to get the fire started, and even using wind to clear away all the dirt on whatever ground she would sleep on. Elia made the perfect spot that was a good distance from the path. There was even a nice stream of water nearby for her to get water from. Elia took out her cooking tools and tried to boil some water for soup. She used a knife to peel some potatoes, cut some turnips and carrots, and chop up some parsley. Although she didn't know how to cook, she still remembered how Sera would make soup for Gord. Unforunately, Elia didn't have any meat with her, but that was ok. She would use parseley, salt, onion and garlic to flavor it.

The sun was finally down, and there were a few stars in the sky. Elia had been boiling her soup for nearly an hour now. It was just about done. Elia took the small pot off the fire and poored some into a bowl. She started to east her soup. The taste was off to her. Too much onion and garlic for the most part. A little over-powered, but it was still good. In the least, it was the first time Elia had soup in a long time. And this time, she could eat a good amount of it without Gord scolding and beating her, which was perfect because Elia was quite hungry. After Elia ate, there was only faint light from the sun in the sky. Elia would have to wait until morning to wash her dishes. She decided to treat her wound, pulling off the top part of her shirts and rubbing the wound gently with an ointment-soaked cloth, and then pressing the cloth against it. Elia's wound began to sting. She gritted her teeth behind her closed lips and closed her eyes tightly. After having pressed against it for about two minutes, Elia gently rubbed it again and immediately started wrapping her upper chest with bandages.

After treating her wound, Elia decided to go to sleep. It was a long day, and she managed to travel about two miles. As Elia lay there about to go to sleep, she began to wonder what kind of things she would see or what kind of people she would meet. Elia didn't really know what most people were like. After all, she only knew Gord and Sera, she didn't have much memory of her parents, and Gord wasn't the type to invite guests over to his house, except on his birthday, and even then, Elia was outside working. Elia didn't know what other people were like. Hopefully they were friendly. The only thing Elia ever wanted was a friend to talk to, and she had already lost someone she considered a friend.

Morning came fast. Elia didn't even realize she fell asleep. Thankfully enought though, she was able to sleep in without Gord forcing her up. For the first time in her life, she actually felt refreshed, having eaten a good meal last night, or at least better than most, and then getting plenty of rest. This is what freedom felt like. Feeling refreshed, being able to do what you please and go wherever you please, freedom was great. And for the first time in her life, Elia was excited to wake up to a new day. Now the only "work" she would ever have to do was walking. And if she decided she didn't want to walk that day, she could just kick back and relax. Elia was already loving her new life.

For breakfast, Elia had packed some cheese and bread. She also carefully packed a few eggs. Elia still had some fire wood, so she decided to start another fire. She then grabbed her other pan and started cooking an egg. Thankfully, an egg only took a couple mintutes to cook. So Elia had her breakfast, a slice of bread with egg and cheese. She also ate an apple afterward, and she ate it with pleasure. It was the first breakfast she had that didn't consist of almonds. Elia was sick of eating almonds in the morning. She couldn't help but think of how happy she was to live her life without Gord pushing her around every time she experienced something new or different from the old routine.

Elia collected the dishes and went down to the stream to wash them. She let them soak in the water for a few minutes and then got out a scrubbing cloth. As she was scrubbing, she felt pain in her wound. She had just then noticed that there was some blood on her inside shirt. She took off her other shirt and peaked into her undershirt to examine the wound. She then heard a noice in the water. She looked over and just ten yards away was a young boy. He looked to be maybe eleven or twelve. To Elia's surprise, he was lifting water from the stream into a a jar. He was blue-skinned, having white hair and frost-like eyes. The boy then noticed Elia and smiled. He saw the blood on Elia's shirt and walked over to her.

"You look hurt, miss," the boy said with a smile on his face. "Don't worry, I can help." The boy approached his hand to Elia's wound.
"W-what are you doing?" Elia asked nervously, stumbling backa bit.
"Don't worry, I won't make it worse, I promise," the boy still had his silly smile on his face.

The boy gently put his hand over Elia's wound and started to move his hand back and forth. Suddenly, Elia felt some of the pain going away. The bleeding then began to stop.

"There we go," said the boy with his goofy smile. "It would take a while for me to completely heal it, but it shouldn't be so deep now, and I stopped the bleeding for now."
Elia was surprised. "Y-you're just like me," Elia said, still a bit surprised.
"Huh? What do you mean? Can you heal cuts, too?" The boy was still smiling.
"No, I can't do that, but I can move the air," Elia said.
"Wow! You mean like creating wind? That's so cool! I wish I could do that!" The boy grew excited.
"Alder, ya brat, get your puny *** up here!" A voice shouted from the distance.
"I gotta go. Hope your cut gets better." The boy immediately ran off with the jar of water.

Elia was still surprised. Her wound didn't hurt so much and the bleeding had stopped. It was a strange occurence for Elia to suddenly meet someone who can manipulate water and heal wounds. "I have to find him," Elia thought to herself. Elia didn't get the chance to properly thank him. And she would certainly love to have a friend like that. Elia quickly finished scrubbing her dishes and gathered them. She hurried back to her camp spot and put out the fire, gathering everything up as fast as she could. Once everything was packed, she went back to the path and started running north. After a few minutes of running, she saw what looked to be a trade caravan. She saw two men, one looking to be in his twenties and the other looking to be in his thirties. Sure enough, there packing things up was the boy Elia had just met. By the look of things, the boy was their servant, seeing as he was the only one packing while the other two were sitting there trying to rush him, shouting at him, pointing a stick at him. It looked just like one of the sticks that Gord had. It was obviously a beating stick. Elia hid behind a tree and watched them. The boy had just finished packing up and they were about to start moving. Elia started to follow them.

As the caravan was moving, Elia was trying to keep up. There were times when it would speed up, and then it would slow back down. One of the men was sitting in the back, and would be looking around. Thankfully, the area was wooded. Elia stayed off the main road and moved through the trees to avoid detection. Elia didn't like anyone who kept servants, so she didn't want to be seen. She continued moving through the woods, trying to stay to the side of the caravan, since it was a covered wagon. Elia was hoping that she could free the boy from the two men that were keeping him. Maybe then she could have someone to keep her company. She also wanted to repay him for nursing her wound. That boy was so nice. He didn't deserve to be treated the way he was. Why would anyone hurt a boy who was so kind, who always had a smile on his face. Even when he was being yelled at earlier, he still looked like he had a smile. The sun was already at 2:00. Elia had been following the caravan for nearly four hours. They had traveled about six miles by now. The caravan started up a big hill, Elia still staying to the side in the woods. The hill wasn't too steep, but it went up quite a ways. Finally, they reached the top of the hill. Elia was catching her breath for a few seconds. She then looked in the distance. There was a small town below. It was still about another six miles away, but Elia did not see any other paths. The caravan had to be heading for that town. Elia was starting to get hungry, but she wanted to keep up with the caravan. She quickly grabbed more bread and cheese from her bag and started to eat as she walked through the woods. She also had a bottle filled with water, which she started to drink after finishing her meal. The caravan kept going for hours. The sun was soon beginning to set. At last, the town was up ahead. After passing into the town, the caravan started heading to the east side. It eventually came to a stop on a large peace of land with many crops. After the boy unpacked, he took the mules to a barn and went inside.