Seasons Within Box Set

by Lele Iturrioz

  * * *

  Deep in the forest, Gaia raced through the trees. She turned her hands on fire and smacked the Draak. The beast inhaled all the fire and breathed it out against Gaia.

  Gaia covered her face with her hands and Pratt pushed her out of the way. “I can take him, get out!” The Draak jabbed. Pratt managed to grab him from one of his spikes.

  “Pratt! Stop!” Gaia panicked. She knew Draaks were the strongest of the beasts, they’d killed incredible wielders like Hans, yet there Pratt was, fighting with nothing. He had no element, no gift. He was going to die for sure. “You don’t have any element.”

  “I have this.” He pointed at his brain. “You said the twins have been leaving traps everywhere?”

  “Yes. So?”

  Pratt grinned, “Stay here.” He guided the Draak towards the forest.

  “Are you crazy?” Gaia saw how the beast chased Pratt. Damn it, Pratt!

  Gaia cursed as she tried her best not to land on one of the twins’ traps. Not good, not good… I should get the others. Edan will probably kill me for lying like this, but at least Pratt will still be alive. I hope…

  Gaia sprinted, trying to reach the others in time. She was beyond scared. She didn’t know if she was doing the right thing by getting Edan or if she should just change course towards the horrifying beast and help Pratt herself. The memories of the terrified faces of Nobu and Hans over the Draaks invaded Gaia’s mind. Crap… we are so gonna die.

  An excruciating scream echoed from the left side of the forest. Pratt!

  Gaia’s indecision over calling Edan or not vanished. There was no time to get the others. If she didn’t do something right away, Pratt would die. Gaia sped up her pace towards the direction of the scream. Her feet pounded with pain each step she took.

  Out of breath, she reached Pratt. His arm was bleeding and he was all bruised. Next to him was the Draak. It was dead and tangled on one of the twins’ traps. She was sure Pratt was going to die and yet he was there, a few minor injuries and resting on top of the dead bone dragon. “Are you insane?” she snapped. “Why are you smiling?”

  “Well, you look worried.”

  “Of course I am. You don’t have an element. I could have gone to the camp and gotten Edan.”

  Pratt bent his knee and rested his foot on one of the Draak’s bones. “We did great without him,” he said with cockiness, the hurt from her lack of confidence showing in his voice and tensed body.

  “You could have died. Why would you do something so stupid!?” She punched him in the chest so hard she felt the thick scar against her palm.

  Pratt caught Gaia’s hand on his chest and left it there. “I don’t think you get it. You’re my future queen and my friend, I can’t let anything happen to you.”

  “Pratt…” Gaia moved her hand away. “Why are you sitting on the killing beast?”

  “He’s not a killing beast anymore.” Pratt tapped on one of the dragon’s bones to prove his point. “Plus, believe it or not, it’s quite comfortable.”

  Gaia wanted to smack some sense into him when she saw blood oozing down his arm. She took out a seed from a pouch hanging from the belt that Hunter had made for her. She placed the seed in the dirt and wielded the plant.

  “You still wield from seeds?”

  “Unfortunately, now stay quiet and obey your future queen.” Gaia took the plant from the dirt and smashed it with two stones, turning it into a paste.

  Pratt rested his elbows against the beast’s bones. “I like it when you’re bossy.” Gaia took the paste and smudged it hard against his wound. Pratt growled in pain as he stepped back.

  “Sorry… Did it hurt?” she mocked him.

  “Yes!”

  “Baby.”

  “Witch.”

  Gaia continued to smudge the paste on his arm. He continued to flinch but never made another sound. “You were so stupid and reckless.” She ripped off a part of her clothes then used it as a bandage on Pratt’s arm. Gaia tugged Pratt’s shirt back down over the wound. “There it is. All fixed.”

  “You’re good at this.”

  “Of course I am.” Gaia ignored his loud chuckle as she grabbed her shirt to clean her hand.

  “Wait.” Pratt took hold of her wrist. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m cleaning my hand.”

  “That green paste smells like medicine. If you have it on you, The Six will think you are hurt and know something happened.”

  “Right.”

  Pratt pulled Gaia’s hand and cleaned it against the Draak’s bones. “Ahh!” Gaia gasped. She snatched her hand away.

  “What?” Pratt laughed. “It’s already dead.”

  True… well, I guess it’s less dangerous than having Edan know what happened today. Gaia finished cleaning her hand against the bones when she noticed a rune with the shape of an ‘N’ carved on one of the bones. It was crazy how those creatures could look so creepy.

  “I think you should go before you get caught,” said Pratt. “I’m sorry to keep you this long.”

  Gaia looked away from the carved rune. “Don’t be, you saved me.” She smiled. “Besides, they’re all so scared of the twins that I’m sure no one would notice anyone’s absence for at least two hours.”

  “I guess I’ll see you when I come back.”

  “Sure will.”

  “Say hi to the lovely Priyam for me.”

  “Not likely.”

  Pratt laughed as she sprinted back home.

  * * *

  When she finally reached the camp, Gaia snuck into her bungalow, silently closing the door behind her.

  “What are you doing?” Priyam snapped at her. “You know how damn late it is?”

  “Sorry, I got a slight setback.”

  A knock on the door sent Priyam into a panic. She knew it was Edan, and given how much time had passed, he wasn’t going to hesitate to walk straight into the bungalow. Thinking fast, Priyam took a towel and threw it to Gaia. “Get naked and wrap yourself with that.”

  “Why?” Gaia stared at her friend with her eyes wide open.

  “Just do it! Now!”

  Gaia did what Priyam told her and wrapped herself in the towel with no time to spare before Edan walked in. Edan’s face turned pale when he noticed a happy Priyam still working on sewing a dress while a confused and shocked Gaia stared at him.

  “Oh! Hi, Fireball.” Priyam waved at him cheerfully.

  Both Gaia’s and Edan’s faces turned red. “You are not done!?” Edan turned around trying his best to avoid looking at Gaia.

  “Sorry,” Priyam smirked. “I guess I’m not good at sewing.”

  “Gaia, put something else on and come to the kitchen area,” he ordered before walking out of the door. A snap of Floyd’s trap was heard followed by Edan’s angry yells. “One more flipping trap, Floyd, and I’ll burn you to ashes!”

  “Seriously!” Gaia’s knees gave out landing her on the floor. “Are you crazy?”

  “Wow! Did you see that? He was redder than your hair, G.” Priyam cheered with happiness. “You owe me big.”

  “How’s Edan turning red like that ‘owing you big’? Are you insane?”

  “Besides the way he just looked at you, trust me, you owe me. He’s been asking for you, for over an hour.” Priyam threw the dress to Gaia who was still sitting on the floor. “You heard the man: put something on, everyone’s waiting.”

  Gaia looked at her dress and there was a stitch Priyam had made to hide an imaginary cut on the dress. “Great…”

  As Gaia dressed up, she couldn’t help but wonder what that strange ‘N’ mark engraved on the bone was. Do all Draaks have them? I mean, I’ve never seen a Draak that close before so I wouldn’t know. Damn it... I forgot to ask Pratt.

  Gaia remembered Veter telling her how Draaks were loners. They are the worst of the worst. They usually prey alone. Good. That way we’re safe. My family is safe.

  Finally changed, Gaia was on her way to the kitchen when Edan stopped her. �
��Wait.” Edan leaned closer to Gaia. “There’s a surprise visitor for you in my bungalow. You should go check it out.”

  * * *

  Gaia walked into Edan’s bungalow and saw familiar gray hair decorated by braids and different types of spring flowers. “Mor?!”

  Klog Mor turned around and opened her arms. “My child.” Her colorful bracelets swung making a clinking sound as they hit each other. “Look at you! Your hair is so long, and you look so strong.”

  “It is great to see you too.” Gaia hugged Klog Mor and invited her to sit down on Edan’s chair. “Are you moving here with us?”

  “That would be lovely dear,” Klog Mor said sitting down, her tie-dye maxi skirt hanging longer than the chair. “Unfortunately, I’m far more useful outside the camp. After all, you already have your leader.”

  “Then what brings you here?”

  “What do you think? You escaped to a town and managed to survive a Darkling. Very impressive… yet very reckless. Also, you fought and made up with Edan… sort of, and most importantly, you mastered Fire and you can wield Earth now.”

  She’s scary good… Gaia though. Klog Mor was notorious for knowing everything, but that was pretty crazy. Even for Klog Mor. “How do you always know everything?”

  “Not always…Though, this time, it was this little guy who told me.” Klog Mor petted Icarus, who glided to her left hand.

  “Donovan sent you Icarus?”

  “Yes.” Klog Mor kissed the head of the sugar glider and placed him on Edan’s bed. “He’s been keeping me in the loop.”

  “I didn’t know you could also speak to animals.”

  “Probably because I can’t.” Klog Mor took out a small rolled-up piece of paper from a pocket on her maxi skirt. “Icarus brought this letter.”

  “Oh…”

  “Nevertheless, that’s not the real reason I’m here.” Klog Mor smiled and took out a small wrapped piece of red velvet cloth. “I have something for you.”

  Klog Mor unwrapped it and revealed a stunning blue diamond in the shape of a tear and the size of a pear cradled in a silver setting.

  “Ah!” Gaia turned breathless. “It’s beautiful.”

  “It belongs to all the reincarnations of Nature. It belongs to you.”

  “A diamond?” Gaia asked.

  “Not the diamond, what’s inside.”

  Gaia leaned closer. Inside the diamond, there was a clear drop of water.

  “That drop inside the diamond, it’s the oldest memory on Earth. We call it The Ocean’s Tear,” explained Klog Mor. “Some weeks ago you asked me what the Big Flood was.”

  “When the Earth and Terra got separated?”

  “Yes.” Klog Mor beamed. She loved how Gaia could find her answers no matter what. “This tear is the memory of that day. How it all happened.”

  “Wow…How did it?”

  “I wouldn’t know,” Klog Mor replied, shrugging her shoulders. “On my hands, it’s just another precious stone. Only Nature can see within.” Klog Mor passed Gaia the velvet cloth, making sure the diamond never made contact with Gaia’s skin. “Many years ago, before the fire was discovered, there were twins, Alek and Alder, both similar yet very different. Alek was smart, curious, and full of eagerness to create, expand and discover. He yearned for adventures and the answer to every question he encountered, however, he was also selfish, greedy and prideful. As for Alder, he was more connected to Earth than any other living creature. He was able to see Nature’s wonders in a way no one else could, but he didn’t have the drive to expand or create more than what was necessary. Unlike his twin brother, Alder had no greater ambition other than to live in peace. Time passed, and both twins grew up and had children of their own. Alek’s descendants were known as humans. They created a magnificent empire, all to the world’s cost. They destroyed forests and rivers in order to build their machines and homes. Alder’s descendants were known as Terrians. They also grew in number but barely a fifth of the amount the humans grew to. They were so in touch with Nature that over the years, the new generations were born with the ability to wield it. One day, while the humans wanted to expand their empire, the Terrians decided it was enough. They fought back.” Klog Mor pointed at the Ocean’s Tear. “Before you take the stone with your bare hand, my dear, you must be prepared for what you’ll see in there. A war is something no one was ever born to live in.”

  Gaia drew in a deep breath. She knew exactly what Klog Mor meant. Even after twelve years of dreaming about a war, it never got easy for her to see all that death and suffering. She also knew there was no better way to learn how to prevent the same outcome than to live it.

  “I’m ready.” She slid the diamond from the cloth to her palm.

  Chapter 5

  Kai

  AS SOON AS THE jewel touched Gaia’s skin, a light shone so brightly she could barely see. Once the light dimmed, the bungalow she was inside with Klog Mor disappeared, and she found herself in a forest.

  As in her previous memories, Gaia’s body moved on its own. Her body walked around the unknown forest while carrying an oversized bowl of orange clay. Gaia paid attention to her surroundings in case she could recognize where she was, but everything looked different from anything she’d seen before. Even from her Terra memories.

  Though she was walking in a forest, the place seemed different than in her dreams, everything looked more alive. The trees were bigger, fuller, the flowers glowed with radiant colors, the silky grass tickled her bare feet, and the air smelled fresh, the way it smells after a rainy night.

  Gaia reached a turquoise river and placed the bowl a few feet from the edge of the water. Once the bowl was on the grass, Gaia noticed the Five Fold birthmark on her right wrist. My birthmark? How? I don’t remember this… she wondered since all of her lost memories were from her childhood days and these hands and body belonged to a teenager, not a child.

  Gaia’s body sat down and bent over the lake to dip her hands in the fresh water. She gazed into the reflection of the water and saw a pair of blue eyes with a different face than her own staring back at her. Braids of different sizes with pearls and flowers decorated the teen’s medieval-looking brown long hair.

  A white fluffy rabbit hopped until it reached the teen’s leg. “Good evening my old friend,” said the teen, giving Gaia the oddest sensation of speaking without hearing her real voice.

  The teen petted the rabbit with one hand while she used the other to wield the river’s water towards the bowl filling it to the top. Once full, she lifted and kissed the rabbit’s forehead. “Do not wander around too far, it’s almost bedtime.” She placed the rabbit on the soft grass then wielded the water inside the bowl so it could help her levitate the bowl, following her across the forest into the village.

  The blue-eyed teen walked around the village. The place was full of huts, food markets, animals walking freely, children playing, and more. If Gaia didn’t know better, she would’ve sworn she was walking around the set of a medieval movie.

  Contrary to what she always thought when watching Priyam’s movies, the village smelled delicious. With a hint of wild herbs, wood, freshly baked bread, and cooked meals, the village was climbing fast to Gaia’s top five places to be in.

  Every time a villager, old or young, saw the blue-eyed teen, they bowed or waved at her happily. By the tenth villager who gave this girl his respects, Gaia began to get an idea that this teen, whoever she was, was really important in this village... But who?

  “Good evening lady Kai.” An older woman with a white braided bun and bright brown eyes gave her a peach.

  “Thank you, Mildred.” Kai took the peach and put it in a pouch that hung from her shoulder across her chest.

  Her name is Kai, Gaia thought trying to match that name to any other information she’d previously heard.

  Kai stopped cold in the middle of the village. A strong electric current crawled down her spine. Gaia had the sudden urge to scream. The bowl fell and shattered spilling all the water. G
aia gasped.

  Something was off and just like Kai felt it, Gaia could feel it too. Only everyone was acting like nothing was amiss. Was she the only one who could sense it?

  SWOOSH! The trees rustled, and Kai stared at the sky. Hundreds of birds flew on top of the trees, their erratic movements showing their anxiety. They could sense what Kai and Gaia could, but that no one else in the village was aware of.

  A strong wind current hit Kai, making her long dress and hair float violently.

  “Lady Kai!” she heard a feminine voice screaming behind her.

  Kai turned around. She saw a teenage girl running towards her. She kept trying to keep her curly blonde hair from getting in the way of her worried brown eyes. “Is something wrong, Sera?” Kai asked.

  “Your father calls,” Sera managed to say between breaths.

  Another loud noise came from across the hill. Kai looked in the direction of the screeching sound. “Something is not right.”

  Kai ran towards the hill. Sera followed. “Kai, stop! Your father calls, he said it was an urgent matter.”

  “It is always an urgent matter with him.” Kai hiked the last of the hill and reached the top. She placed her hand on the trunk of a gorgeous tree. A tree that Gaia recognized immediately. Bobby? Is it you? She gasped amazed. Are you this old? That’s insane. She smiled before switching her attention back to whatever Kai was looking at. No way…

  Gaia saw it, an army of thousands of humans were lining up for battle. Gaia’s heart pulsed faster and faster as Kai ran to the village. “Sera, was this the urgent matter?” she asked. The lack of color on her friend’s face led her to believe she knew nothing about what they’d found.

  “Sera, ring the bell. I’ll go tell my father.” Both Kai and Sera ran in different directions.

  Gaia felt the cold breeze striking her face. She felt so nervous, just like she did when she saw Priyam stabbing herself. Stop it! Gaia pushed away the image of Priyam, stabbed, on the floor. This isn’t the time.