West Prince Saga

Arrow of Fire

A few hours later, everyone had gathered on the forest hill. There were more than a few instructors, all assigned to take note and assess the skills of the new students!

A number of students have gathered in one place. Some can be heard talking with excitement, some can be heard asking questions to one another, and others are waiting for further instructions from their teacher.

There is a girl with white hair, folding her arms, looking from a distance. She looks disinterested, but mysterious.

The arena in the forest is huge, the floor of this arena is made of marble, and there are squares and lines sculpted into it. There are stands all around the arena, possibly for spectators! A lot of duels are held here between fighters of the kingdom.

There is a big wooden target in the center, and there are red circles drawn in four areas of the arena. The target appeared to be 3 meters wide and 2 meters long.

Students can be heard talking and murmuring to each other.

Alright, listen up," says instructor Kai with a loud voice, and all the students grow quiet listening to what the teacher will say next.

" Thank you all for coming here. Now I will begin and explain the rules for this exam.

All of you, this is a very important day. The day when you stand up for your dreams and show the pride of your powers, this is the day when you grow from boys to men. From cubs to lions.

Start by selecting your bows and preparing your arrows" says instructor Kai, " the rules are simple, all the students here will take turns while I do a roll call. Once the name of a student is called, he or she has to proceed by stepping into one of the circles drawn in red. Once they are in there, the instructors will check the quality of the arrows and determine there are no cheap tricks involved, to avoid any cheating.

As one takes position in one of your chosen drawn circles, take aim for the target which is fifty meters away from the position one will be taking.

Anyone who shoots the arrow right into the red mark in the center of the target will proceed to join the elite academy.

Those who fail in this test of power and accuracy will be disqualified.

*some students gasp in panic*

But there is, of course, more to this.

Each and every single one of you has to be able to mold the tip of their arrow, and fuse it into a natural element; fire, earth, water, wind or lightning!

You must possess natural energy in order to be able to be considered an elite...mere accuracy is not enough, power is the only way in which you can attain true glory.

Does anyone have any questions?

The students sat back in silence and mesmerized.

OKAY, LET'S BEGIN!

The atmosphere tenses up as students get ready for their name to be called.

THE FIRST CONTESTANT IS ZION SCARFACE - says Kai,

CALLING HIS NAME loudly.

Zion proceeds to the circle, walking with grit.

He picks up the bow, draws back the bowstring with determination, he closes his eyes, and with sharp laser focus he places his attention on the tip of the arrow.

SUCH A CONCENTRATED STANCE , says one of the instructors. This boy radiates a strong aura.

As Zion opens his eyes, and draws back the bowstring, the arrow is engulfed in tiny flames that grow bigger every minute, eyes locked on the target, Zion releases the bowstring, and the fiery arrow blazes through the sky and leaves a trail of reddish light. The sparks of fire dance through the air, the arrow moves with speed and sound, hitting the wooden post right in the bull's eye.

WOW! HE IS AMAZING! - says one of the female students, as the whole class claps and cheers for this jaw-dropping display.

Heh, - says Zion to himself, "this is child's play."

"Looks like we have a fire-contestant among our group, good!- Kai can be heard talking to one of his fellow instructors.

He hit the red mark, and the fierce power of that throw was exceptional.

He makes it to the elite academy.

Zion walks away with pride.

Now it was the turn for the mysterious white-haired girl. Her name is Aurora.

She walks into the red circle, very slowly!

She picks up the bow, draws back the bowstring and throws it with no second thought.

The arrow flies at amazing speed, the wooden target shakes from the impact!

WOW! WHAT HAPPENED? Shouts one of the surprised students. I DID NOT EVEN SEE WHERE THE ARROW HIT. THAT WAS TOO FAST FOR MY EYES!

As the dust settles, the arrow appears to have hit the red mark, and there is a huge hole in the middle of the wooden target.

Wow, that was something else, says one of the instructors. We have got a girl who controls the wind! SUCH TALENT, SUCH FINNESsE. THIS IS TRULY THE MARK OF A TRUE GENIUS.

She makes it to the academy.

Aurora waves her hair back as she walks away, victorious.

As other names are called, to make it to the red circle.

Leo is amazed yet, at the same time, envious of the powerful displays of his classmates. His blood starts boiling, and his heart beats fast, waiting for his turn impatiently.

A bunch of students attempt to hit the red mark. A few of them fail, a few make it out.

"Seems like we are going to have more rookies this time than we had last year"

- Pride can be heard in Kai's voice

"Out of 32, 13 made it, this is truly promising. This kingdom is always fostering new heroes, and during these times of peace, it is often the opposite".

And for the last to go... is contestant Leo. Let's see, hmm I am looking at his graph, but he does not seem to display any elemental attributes. His grades are the lowest of them all. All the other students had at least proven they can harness an element of power... This is strange!

Leo!- you are the last to go.

"Please come along" orders Kai with a stern voice.

Leo, walks into the circle. The students laugh and whisper to themselves.

He suddenly is caught up in the anxiety of missing, his legs start shaking, and he hesitates to pick up the bow.

Okay Leo, hurry up - says Kai, "you are the last to go."

Leo rolls his sleeves up, and gets in a serious stance.

I CAN DO THIS!

I came all the way. There is no turning back. IT IS NOW OR NEVER!

He picks up the bow with renewed confidence, draws back the bowstring very forcibly, and closes his eyes to focus on his work.

"He drew back the bowstring, way too hard". Zion smirks to himself.

Leo takes a moment, starts inhaling deeply, he can sense the weight of the bow on his shoulders, as he locks his eyes on the target. The air is palpable, the students wait in anticipation to see where it will hit. Leo seizes his moment and releases the bowstring.

The arrow is thrown with so much force that it goes way out of the arena, soaring beyond two tall buildings, and falls somewhere in the forest, away from the target...

The students freeze in silence after witnessing what they saw, then the whole class erupts into laughter, WHAT!! WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS THAT?

, a number of students cheer in mockery.

Leo looks disappointed and mad!

"YOU ALMOST SHOT MY NEIGHBOR'S PIGEONS, YOU NUMBNUTS" a voice can be heard from the crowd of students, while a few others burst in erratic laughter.

Kai sighs to himself, he looks at Leo with pity, then proceeds to say. Alright.you failed kid.

Leo, almost bursting into tears while he tries to convince the teacher.

"Wait, what...no!! Please give me another chance sir.

Kai replies with defiance - "sorry kid, not only do you miss the mark, your arrow did not show to embody any natural element. This is not enough.

A FEW students have caught wind of the situation, and reject the idea of Leo getting his second chance, as they make their voices heard.

"IT WAS A BASIC SHOT."

"He has no power."

"SEND HIM HOME"

One of the instructors urges Kai to give him another chance. Kai reflected on himself for a good minute, then proceeded to say.

"Okay kid, it's your lucky day, but you are going to have to find the arrow you threw and come back in 24 hours. If not, you are disqualified.

Leo replies with skepticism.

" How am I going to be able to find the arrow in such a short time?

Can't I just use another?"

To which, the teacher responds with calm analytical mentorship.

"I am giving you a chance, but first you need to prove you are worth it, you see... all these fighters that did not make it, all of them would deem it unjust if you got a second chance without no hassle...besides, if you want to make it to the elite academy, you will have many missions like this, and if you can not have the determination to do the impossible, you are not cut for it"

Leo thinks to himself. In one way, he is happy the instructor gave him another chance, but in the other, he is a bit discouraged. He puts the bow back in its place, takes his bag and ends up leaving the arena in a rush.

One of the instructors could not help but ask.

Hey!! Kai. Are you sure this is the right thing to do? The forest on the west side is full of caves, and dangerous wildlife is said to be spotted there! What if...

He gets interrupted by Kai before he finishes his sentence.

NO- I am sure there is nothing to worry about. Besides, I feel he is just going to quit. I did this, so he could see for himself. He is not mentally ready to go further in the exam, he will see that he is not skilled enough to make it out as an elite fighter.

A few meters away, a group of students can be heard talking to each other.

What's up with him? Says Zion, "there is no way he can do it. Why is he so persistent?".

I know right! Replies Rain with a conceited attitude," there is no way he can learn how to manipulate natural energy in less than a day even if he finds the arrow...and with all those trees and caves on the way, it'd be easier to find a needle in the haystack."

To which Zion responds with a confident voice" That's right, each one of us is born with an element of power. As kids, we are taught how to be one with our customary natural element. The power we hold is an accumulation of years of hard work, perseverance and talent.

It is not something that can be taught overnight."

Out of the five elements, Leo shows no affiliation with any.

The five elements which can be found in nature, are fire, water, earth, wind and lightning. A true fighter is one who can control one of the elements, through his energy! The energy of his life force merges with one of the elements, and as the energy fuses, an electrical reaction occurs giving rise to the power. A fighter with immense focus can control an element, manipulate it or mold it into an object. In this case, it is the arrow, but skilled fighters are said to channel fire, wind, earth and lightning in their sword, supercharging it, making their weapons a feared power. - concludes Zion as the instructors leave the arena.

The class disperses!

The clouds are passing through the sky.

An eagle...soars above the arena.

Leo is seen exiting the external side of the arena in a rush. He made it to the other side of the forest. He went through the bushes. Looking with impatience and anger, he shouts.

"Where the hell is it? I could've sworn it went behind those tall vacant buildings, and landed somewhere here."

The hours passed, the sun was setting, and the sky was getting dark.

"I can't find it" sighs Leo while puffing in tiredness.

Now it has got dark there is no way I can find it. Maybe I should stop, and I will look for it tomorrow at dawn. That way I may have enough time before the deadline... he said this in exhaustion, and he fell to the ground to catch a breath and rest.

A few minutes pass, and the last ray of sun has descended, the night has fallen, a starry night sky envelops the forest, a night owl can be heard in the distance, a breeze of wind passes through and caresses our boy's hair!

"OKAY, I think it is time to leave" says Leo in a muffled voice as he gets up, picks up his bag from the ground and is ready to head back home. At that moment, he gets a bad feeling in his gut, as if he can sense something bad is going to happen. He tries to brush it off, as he walks away slowly.

Then suddenly, a loud growl could be heard somewhere behind the bushes. Leo spends no time trying to discern what that noise was, as he is too scared to find the source of it.

He starts running in panic, the growl can be heard coming closer and closer.

Suddenly, he turns his head back and sees a black wolf coming down the valley with speed.

The wolf runs and then stops, runs again and then stops twice.

It is almost as if he was injured. As blood can be seen on his legs.

Leo makes no mistake and runs through a maze of trees to escape the wolf.

The air is getting thinner, the sweat is running down his cheeks, the heart beats loudly through his ears, his throat is dry, and his mouth is shaking. Leo finds a small trail surrounded by burned trees, leading to a cave.

This is it", says Leo to himself "I can just run right through here, and find a shelter in that cave, so I can hide all night and wait for the wolf to get tired and leave."

As he runs along the trail, with the wounded wolf chasing him, Leo finds himself in the dark cave full of rocks, relieved, he breathes to himself" phew* that was close. I am just going to lie here for a while and wait for the wolf to run away. I can hide behind these rocks and stay there.

Thank god, I brought some snacks with me. Good thing I did not eat lunch at school", says Leo, with a happy smile.

As time passes, and he crunches on his food, the wolf seems to have run the other way, unable to find his prey.

Leo is ready to get up and leave the cave to go home. Suddenly, a dim light is seen shining through one of the holes inside the cave.

Leo takes no time and is curious to see where the source of this light is coming from.

He walks through the hole inside the cave, there is a huge rock blocking the way, so he crawls underneath it and makes it to the other part of the cave.

As he approaches the other end of the cave, it is dark all around.

He looks down to see where this light is coming from, and in the midst of a pile of rocks, there is a strange circular-shaped stone, with a tiny light shining through it...

What is this" he thinks to himself as he reaches down to take a glance at the strange stone.

As Leo reaches down to touch the stone, a ray of light bursts forth, illuminating the cave with a blinding glow. The stone feels warm and smooth in his hand, pulsating with an otherworldly energy.

The energy is so strong that he is pushed back with force by the overwhelming release of energy that bursts out of the stone.

" Ugh, what is happening? " This stone has so much power, it keeps pushing and pulling me as if it has a magnetic core."

The explosion of wind can not seem to be stopping the light that is coming out of the stone, is piercing through the pores of his skin, all through the palm of his hand.

His hand starts burning with light.

And his blonde eyes started glowing with radiating white light.

HE FEELS AN IMMENSE WAVE OF POWER AND ENERGY SURGING THROUGH ALL THE CELLS OF HIS BODY.

THE ADRENALINE RUSH IS TOO HARD FOR HIM TO CONTAIN.

It's as if the stone holds a secret, a hidden power waiting to be discovered. Leo's heart races with excitement and curiosity. What could this mysterious stone be? What wonders and adventures await him on this unexpected journey?

Has Leo found a gift or a curse?

What magic does this stone hold?

What power awaits for him next....