His face beet-red, the boy called Nayavu said nothing to the lady laughing at him. He stood lined up next to the thunderbird and Tahu, both of them sharing the same expression as him. Only the collor differed, for the thunderbird's face could only turn purple were she to share the same trait as humans when she got flustered.
"Not to mention all of that acting while you were fighting! Who were you trying to impress? That fight was set for a draw the moment it started. Seeing all of you filled with confidence and giving it your all made that final strike all the sweeter! Hahaha!"
Holding her stomach, the thunder representative could do little to hold her laughs back, yet she didn't even try to regardless. After all, she was now almost a god, caring little for the fragile ego of the ones standing in front of her.
Still, that didn't stop Nayavu's anger from reaching a boiling point the more he had to put up with Ayanda's laughter, and it wasn't long before the red in his cheeks turned from embarrassment to anger, and the tattoo on the boy's skin started shining aggressively.
Lifting his face, Nayavu's annoyed gaze met Ayada's mocking one, and upon locking eyes with her, the boy spoke.
"They say to never fight a representative with their own element, but you do know I have many more in my arsenal, right?"
"Oh?" said Ayanda, her mocking expression turning into a curious one, with her mouth twitching at the edge to give away her excitement.
"Are you finally going to show me what gets you ticking, boy? All of those times you came back from death's door can't have been for nothing."
Following in with the same expression as the lady, Nayavu signaled the thunderbird and Tahu, both of them flexing their magic prowess in an attempt to intimidate the woman, yet Ayanda seemed as unbothered as ever.
"Three against one? Unless you're some kind of hidden representative, I think you may need a lot more, twerp," the lady continued, and by just balling her fist, she made the ground they were standing on rise, holding an improvised arena up with only magnetism.
"You jest, master. One like me would never limit himself to learning a single type of magic," Nayavu said, lifting stones, strengthening winds, and dimming the light around him.
"All of those at once? You're as full of secrets as they say, boy. I'll give you one chance; will you tell me those secrets?"
"And if I don't? Will you finally stick to your mission and take this mysterious life away from me?"
The rising tension hit its peak after Nayavu boldly asked that question. At that moment, Ayanda's nose twitched and her eyes flashed, lit up by anticipation fitting for a grand battle. A battle was what anyone would have expected under normal circumstances, but the ones who stood on a rock floating in the air were anything but normal, and it didn't take long for the built-up tension to burst into laughter from both sides.
"Ah, to talk to me like that with no fear in your eyes! I was right about you, kid! Listening as you taunt me always gets me in a good mood! A mission? Gods don't take missions from nobody!"
"That's for when you actually become one, but with this attitude of yours, I wouldn't be surprised if they struck you down before you could join their ranks, Master!" Nayavu bit back, holding on to the stag next to him not to fall on the ground rolling in amusement. He decided not to point out how cringeworthy her master sounded just now, as that would have made him laugh even louder, and he wasn't sure he could take any more.
"'Strike me down', you say? Isn't all of the power to do so right here?" Ayanda said, looking at her disciple, and then at the still big bird who lacked the ability to laugh, yet flapped her wings to show her emotions.
Looking around, Nayavu let Ayanda's words sink in. While most of the electrical prowess in the group now belonged to the woman in front of him, he, together with the two animals, was already a force to be reckoned with, enough to turn tides in battles. They were stronger together than Nayavu remembered ever having been alone, and his ascension to a representative would solidify this as one of his best chances at surviving whatever fate might throw at him.
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As irony would have it, I get all this right as I finally calm down for once, he thought.
"Here you go, boy!" Ayanda spoke, throwing another weird fruit at the boy.
As the boy caught it, he finally decided to speak on the weird event that kept reoccurring.
"By the way? I've never seen this before. What is this fruit?"
"Haha! I thought you'd never ask!" Ayanda said, eager to give the answer she had been preparing for a long time.
"Those are the fruits of your perseverance!"
"…"
"What?" the lady asked, but everyone just shook their heads.
"I should have never asked…" said the boy, defeated.
*****
A young lady with white hair stood once again on the same edge where she had once lost herself. Back then, she'd made a decision. She decided to push forward, waiting for the man she looked at as her little brother to come back to them.
Three months had passed since he stayed behind to fight, struck by lightning they were too afraid to even look at.
Only four moths ago, Nayavu came back to the village, reuniting with his family. She was proud of him for being on the right path to becoming a man, yet she was sad when she thought about how her dear friend was stopped right before taking the last step.
The ones who were at fault—she knew them all too well, for deep down, she knew she had their blood coursing through her veins.
It was water that the Remans used. It was water that kept her captive all her childhood. It was water that took their village away. It was water that pierced countless Inyankarans in the fight to defend their lands. It was also water that attracted a certain general to bring disaster upon them.
Water was the root of all evil in Tiva's life, yet the curse of fate was cruel with her.
Bending droplets to her will, the girl controlled the very element that tormented her, and she did so graciously, not a drop spilling on the ground.
"I guess that confirms it now…" she said, sighing while barely able to keep her smile on.
"There is no way someone not of Reman blood could learn so quick…" she continued.
"Oh… dear child," said the high elder next to her, touched by the girl who—despite everything she was going through—tried to keep on smiling.
It was unfair. It felt wrong. She should fight against the Remans—against water, not use it herself. Yet, it felt natural. As if water was made to listen to her, it danced around Tiva's body, graciously going wherever it was told to.
In this world, controlling magic was dependent on knowledge. It's said that you are born with a white canvas, painting on it as you grow with the colors of said knowledge. No mortal being is born with a filled canvas, for it would defeat the purpose of learning in itself.
"So then, how come it's come to this? Where does this affinity come from?" Tiva asked the elder. No, she asked herself.
Was it because she lived amongst Remans when she was young? Did something get stuck on her canvas back then? Was it a small trace she'd forgotten about, only for it to emerge again at this time?
"Or, maybe, there is more to magic than we happen to know," the old lady spoke again.
"Whatever the case, your talent speaks for itself, Tiva."
For the past two months, the girl dared not say, but she had been secretly training water magic. At first, she did it hoping that she would fail miserably, all of the unpleasant memories of her past keeping the lady from focusing on the element. However, it only took her a day to lift her first drop of water from a puddle nearby.
Now, as the leaves on the high plains started getting cold, Tiva found herself with a new talent. It was a talent she wanted to keep hidden, but it was the only talent she had mastered. Every other attempt at getting stronger had failed. She would train half a day with the stone magic she already knew all too well, just for an hour of water magic training to give her twice the results.
It was frustrating, but deep down, the girl knew that what mattered now was strength more than anything. As such, she kept going, and it was now time that she confessed her sin to the high elder.
"Through water we've fallen, and with water we will rise. Right?" a third voice spoke.
Soon, the silhouette of a giant man came into view. It was Tatanka who encouraged the girl, he himself having been training hard for the past months.
The high elder—his mother—sighed.
"As much as I've been racking my brains to find the right words, my son comes out of nowhere and steals the spoils," she said. "You've still got a long way to go to becoming an elder, boy. You better keep that mouth shut and let this old lady have her moments."
As the old lady spoke, Tatanka came closer, his kind smile soothing the heart of a struggling Tiva.
"But he's right, child. Nobody in the village would think twice about praising you for this. Be it water magic or anything else, you've gotten twice as strong in the time it took us to rebuild a small village. Who cares about what water has done to us? The deer never blames the cougar's claws for taking its life; it blames the animal itself."
"Yes… Thank you, Tatanka! High elder!" Tiva spoke, her swift moves unbroken like a slow dance meant to beckon rain.
"Then, why don't you stop?"
The young lady moved slowly, beauty emanating whenever she lifted her hand, took another step, or twisted her body. Water ran in lines across her curves, with more and more lines forming as she went on. To top it off, her gentle smile remained unbroken as she danced. It was a smile brighter than the sun, a smile only Tiva could have.
"Should I stop training, High Elder?"
"Of course not, silly girl!" the old lady responded. "I just want you to find another source of water for your magic."
"Why is that?" Tiva posed another question.
"Because tears don't suit that beautiful smile of yours."