Aila frowned slightly.

"I don't recognize this place." She said as she turned her head and looked around. As she walked through the town, many turned to look at her, but quickly turned away.

Elemental essence swirled around her, and in such quantity, it was blinding. Not only were they blinded by the light elements swirling around her, but disturbed and fearful of the other elements that no one else was able to master. Fear was a large part of why no one attempted to reach out, even though the town was filled with dark elements from their rampant corruption.

"This town is busy, but the clothes are in an odd style. So is the architecture. It doesn't look like Aros, or the styles common in Thules Kingdom." Aila turned her head and tilted her head to the side.

The mountain where she fought with the volcano. It was in the distance, further away than if she was in Aros, but it looked quite odd to her eyes.

"Doesn't it look backwards?" She wasn't in Thules Kingdom. She was on the other side of the mountain.

"YOU THERE!" Aila heard someone shout in her direction, so she turned. She saw many soldiers in foreign armor point their spears her direction. "How did you get inside Somlis City's walls?" Aila began to grin.

"Does it matter?" she said. Flame elements began to surge around her, and were drawn in from all over the city. Whoever these guards were, just aiming their spears at her was a big mistake.

Dark elements seeped out of the soil and were drawn towards her in vast quantities.

"I go where I want, when I want." She lifted her hand, and pointed her palm at them. "Anyone who tries to stop me, for no reason other than to feel powerful, they will find out a truth of this world." The one leading the guards started to tremble.

This girl would not be as easy a mark as the city lord indicated. The truth of their world was simple. There are people no one alive can afford to offend, and not because of the political power behind them, or the swords they commanded.

Aila had so much power just moving around her, even the strongest within Solmis City could never hope to contend with her.

Every single soldier now knew that Aila was such a person.

 

* * *

 

An hour before the soldiers surrounded Aila, in another part of the city, the steward for the City Lord was giving instructions to a middle ranked soldier.

"This is an easy job, Krull Geltin." The steward said. "The City Lord wants that girl. She appeared inside the walls less than an hour ago, but the lord does not wish to shed his public image. Arrest her for being in the city without a permit, and bring her in." The guard saluted and walked out.

"Do you think he'll succeed?" The steward asked another guard.

"He's a Krull. He has more power than a Din, and should easily overwhelm that girl." The guard shrugged. (Krull and Din are guard ranks, which indicate their elemental power, sergeant and private equivalent ranks) "The City Lord isn't hiding his intentions very well."

"Did he ever? You know how many bodies are in that grave?" The steward rolled his eyes. "They have to keep guards on it just in case the death elements build up. There aren't any yet, but zombies are rising in other cities. Solmis City won't be an exception."

"True. It's just a matter of how many casualties there will be before Imera responds."

 

* * *

 

"She's not some simple weakling!" Krull Geltin cried out.

As a Krull, he was over five squads of Din level guards within Solmis City, and had gathered enough power to keep that position rather easily. All he had to do was kidnap some girls from time to time.

He had been told to bring the girl who 'glowed' to the main keep, so that the city lord could have his fun with her. Just like all the other girls he had ravaged and murdered, he believed that she was no different. The city lord believed that this 'aura' of hers was just a trick.

The vast amounts of elemental essence flowing towards her 'aura' told a different story. Her grin faltered for a few seconds, which told him there might be a problem. However, reality is quite a bit different then perception.

"Death elements from one source?" Aila's eyes narrowed. "Just what have your people been up to?" The flow of elemental essence increased, their spears turned to dust, as did their armor.

"Time to go see where this source is." She used wind elements and threw the guards with little effort. They were a little tougher than normal humans, but the impact broke bones, while in the Krull, it shattered his bones as he was the one giving the orders.

Aila felt that his aura was particularly stained with dark elements while his affinity was for water. He committed many serious crimes, so she aimed the strike right at him. He would never forget the eyes that were able to see through to his soul, and be disgusted with what they saw.

Aila followed the trail to the source of death elements, but didn't see how the people reacted. They began to tremble and get down on their knees.

Although she ran to the location, in the eyes of the people, her aura stretched, and disappeared along with her body.

Previously faithless people began to murmur, while the devout ran home to tell their spouses.

Imera had appeared, and she was not happy.

 

* * *

 

"What is this place?" Aila growled low in her throat. "A mass grave? Of all things to have in a city." She walked around and grit her teeth. There were hundreds of corpses, both male and female, and in varying degrees of decomposition.

"The men were decapitated. The women....thrown in while still alive? Their wounds are just a little worse than surface, and never fatal.  Almost like they were torturing them for fun, and got bord." Aila walked around the chamber, her eyes glowing brightly as her anger grew.

"Help...." A weak voice seeped into her ears. She walked around until she found the source.

"Still have hope even as you take your last breath. Admirable." Aila said softly. It was a dark haired woman with an enviable figure, which spoke about the reason she was targeted. Her beauty caught someone's attention.

"Symi....daughter...." The woman said weakly. Aila sighed. She knelt down and turned the woman over. Her belly had multiple wounds, as did her chest, back, and butt. She had been tortured, and now the blood loss was too extreme.

"You're dying, and no amount of life essence can stop it. You've lost too much blood." Aila growled a bit. "And you're full of death elements." She frowned slightly. "How strange. You have an affinity to death elements. Hm, yes, that might work."

"Daugh-ter..." Aila put her hand on the woman's abdomen, and drew the death elements in the area towards her. She pulled the remaining life elements and converted them to death. The woman's skin paled to white, and her eyes turned to deep mottled black orbs.

"I'm going to strengthen you now." The woman groaned as death elements flooded her body, but her mind began to clear.

"My daughter is Symi. Can you save her, Imera?" Aila tilted her head, and smiled gently.

"Imera? My name is Aila."

 

* * *

 

"Thank you, goddess." Sol said as she stood up slowly.

"Goddess?" Aila said as she tilted her head.

"You are not here, goddess. You have no body." She said. Aila looked down at herself. "I only see light, without a solid form." Aila sighed.

"So I'm still in hibernation. I was on the other side of the mountain, draining the energy from the volcano." Aila said softly. "Well, with your elemental affinity, it would not be good for you to be near your daughter. I will take her to my girls until she grows up. When she's stronger, and you can control your affinity, then it will be safe to see her." Aila closed her eyes, and frowned.

"How odd. Why is there a line from me into my space?" She asked quietly.

"Goddess," Sol started.

"Call me Master. All my girls call me Master. Goddess seems like I am usurping Imera's role." She said. "Guide me to your home. Oh, don't forget to take all the death elements here. If you make death elemental cores, you can gather some zombies to protect you when you sleep, and you can make weaker ones similar to yourself." Aila started to turn, but then frowned.

"What's wrong, Master?" Sol asked.

"I think we have to move faster. I'm getting tired."