Anna still felt like it was all happening to someone else. She an out of body observer looking through the eyes of someone exhausted and terrified. A glass table sat between her and an older woman. It reflecting the waning light of the sun through an adjacent window and its revelation of dust and water stains etched into the glass kept Anna's attention for the few minutes she had been hurried inside.
"Sis, she's talking to you." Anna shook her head slightly at the voice.
"Anna ... ?" the woman said. She saw the concern swimming in the older woman's face and felt a pang of guilt. It had been hard enough to imagine her and her brother being torn apart in a moment's time. Their mother's letter had made that point clear. But for the woman across from her, it would be even worse. Even though they had really just met moments ago, her aunt reminder her of her mother.
"I'm sorry Lani," Anna said. "I'm just. I don't know ..."
"Do you need anything? It's not a problem."
"No ... no I'm okay," she finished, relapsing into a bleak stare at the table. Lani lowered her eyes and pursed her lips. Her frame was still poised to dash over to her niece. She had been that way the minute Anna had nearly been killed by the grapevines in her backyard. A lesser of the two ordeals that had left red rings over her wrists.
"How's Isaac?"
"Hungry!" This time, Anna snapped immediately out of her daze and Lani came to attention.
"What?! You can't can you?"
"Yeah well, that's not me growling."
"What's wrong?" Lani said.
"It's Isaac. He says he's hungry." Lani's face went hard clenched her fist and swore. The glass seemed to rattle on its on as she did so and Anna was quick to grab her brother off the table, holding him close. Lani noticed, and soon regret concealed her anger.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean too startle you. I just didn't know the extent this curse was."
"No. It's alright. It was just ... you reminded me of my mother the moment that man came. I didn't know she could be that fierce. Or what she could do." There was silence between them for a moment. The quality of the light had changed. The sun was squeezing the last strength of its rays and bleeding orange-red that cut across the glass.
"Is it alright if I take a look at Isaac?" Lani said. Anna nodded, holding out the small form in her hands to her aunt. Lani cradled the statuette gently between her fingers, rubbing at the intricate details of her nephews face and clothing.
"An-n-n-a-a, ha .ha .. make her stop ... she's tick-tick-ha haha-ha-"
"He says your tickling him."
"Oh! Sorry dear," she said, placing him on the table. "Does he still have all of his senses?"
"YES! YES I DO!! And it's really starting to suck!" Anna covered her ears at his outburst.
"Ow, uh ... that I know of aside from taste, yeah. Geez, would you keep it down." Lani was looking at her oddly, before making a pointed look at Isaac.
"But he can only communicate with you?" She nodded.
"I don't know if ... can you doing anything? ..." Anna started.
"I can. Although Mannie is better with this than I am." Anna stood and looked outside, shading her eyes against the sunlight washed against the window as she made a quick search for her uncle. "It's alright," she continued. "He still has to finish securing the property." Lani held her hands in a steeple over Isaac, and began reciting Latin.
Anna sat back down, watching her aunt with both interest and concern. About five minutes passed before she finished her litany. Visibly nothing seemed different about Isaac, but throughout the process Anna had felt some vague sensation. Almost like some force of chill and warmth that felt filling despite any physical presence.
"What was all that?" Equally curious, Anna repeated the question to Lani.
"Aether. It's a bit complicated to explain, but it'll do the trick for feeding him for now. Felt strange going into him didn't it?" Anna nodded.
"I felt some of it too at the start. Although given what he eats, it's nothing too outlandish yet." Lani chuckled, lifting Isaac up and back over to Anna's side of the table.
"Sounds like someone else I know."
"Yeah. Dad has some weird food combos." Anna got the sense Isaac was too lethargic to retort but made the attempt at shrugging in some mental format.
"It was legitimate enough for me sis." Anna rolled her eyes, looking back to her aunt.
"Call them what they are: horror stories. I used to catalog all the messed up things he'd put together. Fish s'mores was one of his signatures." Anna shivered with disgust. "Oh yes ... but there were worse ..." Again, silence fell upon them like a rough blanket. Lani stared off, away from the window and even Anna for the first time until she broke the quiet.
"My brother never contacted you at all when you arrived?" Anna felt her heart stutter and went straight for her phone. It was barely above fifty percent, but there was nothing. No messages or calls. She even tried email and found it relatively unchanged.
"No. I tried reaching him, but I didn't get anything." Lani put her arms on the table, cracking an oddly cheerful smile.
"Well, between the two of them, I fear for anyone trying to stop them from getting to you both. Oshana especially." Anna looked down again, twisting the bluish-silver ring on her finger.
"Anna, what's up?"
"Do you think ... my mother ..."
"... If you're worried about them, don't be. David and Oshana are a lot stronger than you realize. There are few things that surpass them on training or skill.
"It's not that ... but did she ... ever kill anyone."
"Oshana? No. Why would." Lani's voice changed, growing somber. "Tt was back at the house, wasn't it?" Anna nodded.
"I didn't want to believe it, but she did when they attacked us." Lani looked troubled with both Anna and her words. "It was right after we had gotten out of the house. A dust cloud had formed over at that point, so we couldn't see much from the center of our yard. When she was getting us to the tree, one of them ran out of the cloud. I don't know how any of it happened, but I knew she threw her ring and that's when the waves appeared. Neither of us understood any of it of course but that one moment. One moment he was swirling in the flood. Then I saw her clap her hands and the waves do the same. It was the strangest thing to see despite all the other impossible things happening. Even with the all the blood, it still smelled like sea salt."
"Anna, listen to me. Your mother did what she had to. Just know that to be true." Anna looked up into her
aunt's eyes, and remembered that very instant; her mother's voice, steeled but meaning to
comfort just before reality fell apart.
"The people like us out there that have nothing but malice," Lani continued. "They don't yield to innocence or ignorance. They don't distinguish that
even between friends and family. If there's danger out there, they want
to be it, and for everyone else to know that that's what comes to anyone
crossing them." Lani softened her eyes.
"It's not a pretty world like entertainment can make it out to be. And it gets crazier when you don't anticipate the worst. I won't say it's a healthy way of thinking, but here, it keeps you alive."
"Our mom made that clear to us."
"She and David left you things to prepare you." Anna nodded.
"Some things they didn't want me or Mannie to know about, right?" Anna seemed startled, stopped by Lani before she could answer. "It's alright. I understand why. It's what happens when you live in the generation that fights that one Mad-Man in history. And your ring was proof enough for me to take a guess. We wouldn't have found you both without it." The sound of an opened door entered the house, followed by the gruff voice of a man.
"Seems Mannie's finished." It was considerably darker now, and Lani got up from her seat and turned the chandelier on over the table.
"Aunt Lani?" She turned to Anna. "Can you give Isaac and I a few minutes. Before you and uncle Mannie talk with us." Lani seemed like she was going to say something but stopped short and nodded instead.
"Alright dear. Take as long as you need." She went off towards the opened door and the sounds of Mannie wiping his feet. Anna reached for the drawstring bag under her chair and lifted it onto the table.
"What did you do that for?"
"To give us a chance to read dad's letter. It might be the only chance we get if something else happens."
"Isn't that a little paranoid?"
"...Yes. But I can't afford anything to catch us unprepared again. Not like at home."
"Alright sis." Anna unfolded the letter from the envelope that simply read: Dad
Dear Anna and Isaac,
Do not trust anyone openly. Avoid telling anyone what is written in this letter. If that is not possible, be careful what you say. In an enemy’s physical hands the letter will destroy itself and return to your bag three times. Pay careful attention to what I say next.
In this world there exist the four elements: earth, wind, water, and fire and a separate "force" known as Aether. Each element is represented in spiritual forms known as Elementals. Gnomes represent earth, Undines (or what Western culture calls nymphs or naiads) represent water, Salamanders to fire, and Sylphs to wind. Aether for simplicity sake can be thought of as the force that exists within and between all things and extends beyond the elements and into the realms of the physical, psychological, emotional components of the world. Aether and the Elementals have existed for thousands of years, and while the former are charged to keep the Balance between these elements, rarely do they involve themselves in our affairs. Do not seek them first for help, for they are difficult to find and rarely will provide aid.
Our family is part of a lineage of people who were students to the Elementals. Your mother and I were also once a part of this world as students. She a student to the Undines and I, a student to the Gnomes. We chose to leave our teachings so that you both could live normal lives.
Traditionally, this would be the end of the matter, where a student would no longer seek the Elemental's teachings and the Elemental would end that student's teaching. But now the Houses exist, formed by people still loyal to the element but not the Elemental. Naturally, there are four main Houses corresponding to the four elements. They taught themselves and welcomed others into their fold, although to learn an element, one had to swear an oath before an Elemental to do so, and thus Houses became an unofficial part of Elemental teachings. As a result, internal strife formed within the Houses between who would lead it, what ideologies to follow and what laws to enforce, leading to dissension and defects from the Houses that then formed their own conglomerate societies known as The Factions. These conflicts continue today and are the major reason why your mother and I left the Elemental world.
The Balance I referred to previously is simply the preservation of the elements in their natural order. While the Elementals have never openly expressed a breach in the Balance, they are the very hurricanes, volcanoes, tsunamis and earthquakes we see everyday. It follows that many within the Houses and Factions feel either side has angered the Elementals and incurred their wrath in some fashion or at least threaten the stability of the Balance. I say this with severity: avoid contact with the members of Houses and Factions we do not consider allies at all cost.
Other threats beyond these feuding groups are the Abominations: beings that were once students or an animal or plant that became corrupted by misuse of the elements. You may know interpretations of them as urban legends, mythological beasts and cryptozoology.
It is for all of these reasons that we kept you out of the Elemental world. It is why we were unreasonably strict on you both at times. I hope you both can understand why we hid this truth.
Above all that I have said, stay most wary of all members of the House of Earth, especially friends and family. The Earth House is most likely the cause for you reading these letters. Do all that you can to seek help from the allies listed below.
I’m sorry to frighten you both like this, but know that your mother and I love you both more than anything. We won’t let this last long. You are strong together. Be mindful of everyone, even with the people we trust, and remember that you both have a greater power within yourselves.
With love and strength, Dad
And it was below that line that Anna found the list of names with their relationship to them and element affiliations. There were more than Anna had anticipated, and she shortly found Lani's and Mannie's names in the list and their shared element: Earth.
"This is crazy. Absolutely crazy"
"If it is, I spell crazy C-O-O-L." Anna couldn't help but crack a smile, no matter how much it wavered.
"Why are so worried anyway? It's not like we're on our own sis."
"How are you not? Especially after dad says to be careful around anyone from the House of Earth. Anyone meaning family too."
"You think we should get away from Lani and Mannie?"
" ... We might have too. And tf they don't give us the choice ... then ... I think we'll have to."
so much infodump. xD
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