He zoomed towards the small figures of other Air Elementals in the distance. A wide smile sprawled across his face when he saw the two Elemental Lords awaiting his arrival. "Anila! Zeph! Did you think you could hide from me or something?!", he called out to them. One of the Lords let out a hearty laugh, "Boreas! We were almost beginning to think you'd gotten lost again!"
"You know me, Zephyrus. If I ever get lost, I eventually get found." Boreas flew up so that he and the two Royal Elementals were at eye-level.
"Brother, it's been so long... How have you been doing?" the other Elemental Lord, presumably Anila, asked.
"Well, I'm not dead yet, so that's good! But, uh, lemme tell you, things aren't going so well back in Cielo. Some rumors seem to be going around", Boreas muttered, "At least somebody was nice enough to tell me that you were all here! I also heard that the colony got some new little colonists...?"
(Cont...)

Anila let out a small chuckle, "That's right. I still can't believe that we found so many cloudlings in one place."
"Oh, here's one of them right now! Come on out", Zephyrus said, gently nudging a tiny Air Elemental out in front of Boreas.
"Um... Hi!" She squeaked, looking up at the taller Elemental. Boreas' expression shifted briefly, he sensed something off about the little cloudling, but he quickly put aside his suspicions.
"Hey there, kiddo!" He kneeled down so he wouldn't look so big and intimidating, even though he could just float lower. "Wow, the resemblance between you and Ani is uncanny! So, what's your name?", he asked. "I'm Fiona!", the little Elemental answered excitedly. "Who're you?"
Boreas suddenly got up, pulled his sword out from behind him, and made a fabulous pose while holding the sword high in the air. "I'm Boreas - The Great!", he said proudly, "I'm a Shadow Hunter who travels the Land of Dreams!"
(Cont...)

"Woah... Coooool!" Fiona said, gawking at the shiny broadsword, "But what's a Shadow-" Fiona started.
"Yes, yes, we get it, Mr. 'Great Warrior'. Now can you put down that sword?" Anila asked, looking very concerned for their safety.
"Aw, fine. It's not like I'm going to drop it." Boreas rolled his eyes as he sheathed the blade. "...Mind if I ask you both something... Privately?", he quietly asked, briefly shifting his glance to Fiona, then back up to Anila and Zephyrus.
"Fiona... Why don't you go play with the others? We'll be there shortly." Zephyrus said, patting the little Elemental on the head.
"-But... What about MY question?..." Fiona protested.
Zephyrus gave Fiona a serious look. "Uh, ok! I'm goin'..." Fiona said, backing away with a worried look on her face.
(Cont...)

Once she was seemingly far enough that she wouldn't overhear them, Boreas stared up at Anila, "That kid... I barely sense any magic in her... Did something happen?"

Anila looked away, and Zepyrus sighed, "We found her core the day after all the others. She hadn't formed, and her light was fading", he explained.
Boreas' eyes widened, "Are you sure she's not rogue? ...Do you need me to do something about it?" he slowly asked. "NO." Anila suddenly shouted, "...I saved her. I re-charged her core so she could form. She's shown no signs of corruption, but she hasn't been able to control weather like the others...
I think it's my fault. My magic must've been too much for her...", she bit her lip.
"But you saved an innocent Elemental's life! That's great!..." Boreas re-assured her. "No elemental is perfect. She might not be able to assist the colony at the moment, but who knows what she might surprise us with? You did the right thing", Zephyrus added,
(Cont...)

"Now, let's introduce Boreas to the others."

Boreas' visit was short-lived, but he left a lasting impression on all the little cloudlings. Especially Fiona, who was eager to hear more about these so-called 'Shadow Hunters'. Boreas had told a few stories before he left, and apparently Zephyrus had accompanied him on many of his adventures. Thus, Fiona went straight to Zephyrus to hear more and Zephyrus was more than happy to share all the details. Zephyrus told her about how Boreas had worked through the ranks and became a Heaven's Blade. Most Air Elementals avoided wielding swords, but Boreas was skilled in both magic and swordplay.
(Zephyrus ALSO bragged a little about how he'd saved Boreas multiple times... which may or may not be true!)
Fiona was inspired by all the tales that Zephyrus told. She thought highly of Boreas and all of his exploits as a Shadow Hunter, and even stated that she wanted to be a Shadow Hunter, just like him.
(Cont...)

Zephyrus fully supported her decision, while Anila wasn't nearly as excited about it.
Because of Fiona's lack of weather-controlling abilities, she was easily carried around by the wind, and instead of having strong lightning magic, she could barely generate a spark.
However, as Fiona grew older, she developed some... 'Unique' abilities of her own. She was incredibly LOUD, once a nearby village even mistook her shouting to be an angry dragon. Which may have ended with her getting the colony into a mix-up with a few Shadow Hunters... Oops. (Nobody was hurt, thankfully!)
She also had abnormal physical strength - for an Air Elemental, that is.
She had a love for swordplay, and Zephyrus was able to help teach her to use one, thanks to his vast knowledge of weaponry.
Though it was small, the entire Aeras colony supported Fiona. They were like family, and more than anything, Fiona wanted to make them happy.
Yet Anila was still unhappy.
(Cont...)

(This is gonna be SUPER long, so the rest will be online from here on out. <xD)

Finally, after what felt like ages, the day had come. It was time for Fiona to leave the colony and travel to the Shadow Hunter School in Cielo. Fiona said her goodbyes, but
lingered in the colony for while longer.
She probably stayed longer than she should have, but she was a lot more insecure about leaving than she thought she'd be.
Anila suddenly asked to speak to her, which Fiona didn't really like. She thought that Anila was just going to try and make one last effort to keep her home.
"Fiona, there's something you should know before you leave..." Anila started, "I may not have been the most... Agreeable person. I know I never supported you like all the others did, but it was only because I'm worried about you.", she said, "Did you ever notice that Boreas doesn't visit very often? He's always out, fighting monsters and nightmares... I worry about him every day. Even someone as experienced
as he is can easily get into trouble, and I should know. I was with Zephyrus and Boreas on many of their adventures as well...
...While I may not be completely convinced that you should become a Shadow Hunter... If you want to, then you should
give it your best try.
Just... Don't forget to visit home. I'm sure Zephyrus will want to hear of all your accomplishments too.
We even made you a gift to remember us by. Here."
Anila revealed a greatsword from a nearby cloud. It had jagged patterns on both sides, like lightning, and holes were cut in the center to make it less of a burden to carry, even though it was still massive. When Fiona grasped the hilt, she felt a sudden surge of electricity. Her eyes widened as she stared at it, bewildered by the feeling of magic that seemed to be coming from the sword itself.
"I remembered that you have... Very little magic. I infused this with twice the amount of lightning magic to give you a boost. It's not much... But I hope that it helps", Anila explained.
"...Mom... This is so awesome... You're awesome...!" Fiona said, almost in tears.
"And you're the toughest little spark that I've ever seen. Now, start on your way to Cielo before I change my mind about you going.
...And remember to be careful." Anila added.
"Thank you so much... I won't let you down!" Fiona beamed as she began her journey to Cielo.
(Cont...)

The flight to Cielo was long, thanks to the fact that the Aeras colony had moved from above the Sea of Lillies to Nebbia. Fiona wasn't too bothered by the trip, since it gave her more time to get used to her new greatsword and
motivate herself to stay positive. ("Aw yeah, optimism!")
She finally arrived in Cielo after at least a day of traveling, and instantly went to register as a student at the Shadow Hunter School, even though it was the middle of the night.
Soon after Fiona began her studies, she began noticing some strange things going on, not only at the school, but all over Cielo.
The other elementals of the school tended to avoid her for some odd reason, and everyone else seemed uptight. Many of the teachers were hostile around her and constantly reminded the others that 'air elementals were to rely on their magic and speed only.'
Fiona knew that most air elementals were best at using magic, but she couldn't help but wonder what was causing all of this tension around other forms of combat.
One day, one of the teachers pulled her aside before one of her classes.
"Fiona, I can't help but wonder why you insist on learning to use that sword. Don't you know that it only inhibits your potential?", the teacher asked.
"I've heard those rumors, sure, but I thought I'd give it a try anyways", Fiona replied.
"There have been many other students like you. Do you know why you're the only one now?"
Fiona shook her head, listening intently. This might be the breakthrough she was looking for, "I've noticed that the other air elementals avoid me, too...
Does this have something to do with it?"
The teacher paused for a long moment. "Every other air-elemental student who wielded a blade, or any other kind of weapon for that matter, has vanished. Sometimes even before they graduated", he explained.
"What?! How...? What happened to them?" Fiona questioned.
"We're not completely sure at the moment. But for your own good, I advise that you start using
your magic and leave that sword behind.
...You'd best get to class. I wouldn't want to cause you to be late." He finished abruptly.
Fiona was silent for a long moment, "...Okay." She nodded before heading to her classroom.
(Cont...)

Now Fiona was just confused. Sure, swordplay was a difficult thing for Air Elementals to learn, but Boreas had learned to use a sword, and he was apparently great at it!
It was hard for her to believe that EVERY elemental had vanished, but it was still strange that she was the only one at the Shadow Hunter school who was learning to use a sword at that time.
She began asking around, trying to get to the bottom of the mystery. Nearly all of the other students believed what the teacher had said, while the remaining
students didn't seem to care. After nearly a week of trying to piece things together, it still didn't make sense. Fiona began getting frustrated, causing her to begin failing in her classes.
The teachers noticed this, and started trying more and more to convince her to study magic instead of swordplay, which didn't help her frustration.
She began over-working herself, trying to make up for falling behind, but she just seemed to struggle more.
Everyone noticed a change in her personality. Instead of upbeat and optimistic, she was always angry and on-edge.
Eventually, the same teacher who'd spoken to her before asked to speak to her in private after school.
"What did I do this time?" Fiona huffed, expecting some kind of reprimand for being late to class again. "Nothing in particular." The teacher said, "But we've all noticed
that you've been acting quite... Odd."
Fiona looked surprised for a moment, then she glowered, "And what do you mean by odd." She asked in an almost surly tone.
"You've been very temperamental lately. I've noticed you overworking yourself as well. You train yourself until you're fatigued every day, but does that actually help?"
Fiona's glower turned into a scowl, "I have to. According to you, my grades are falling, and if I don't work harder, it's just going to get worse!"
"You need a break. You're exhausting yourself. Have you thought about trying something other than swordplay?" The teacher offered.
"Ugh, what is WITH you all and hating swordplay?!" Fiona growled. "Other than some stupid superstition, you have no proof that I shouldn't study it!"
"I have plenty of proof. Did you notice that ever since you got here you've been falling behind? It's not just because of certain 'distractions'.
I know for a fact that when you use that sword of yours, you're always open to being attacked first. It's so heavy that you can't move quickly enough to dodge or counter.
You won't stand a chance against anything in that condition.
It makes you weak.
I'm sorry, but it's just the truth", the teacher said, shaking his head, "You could always study magic-" He started.
"I can't, I don't HAVE ANY MAGIC!" Fiona suddenly shouted. "You know what, I bet you're just making this up!
Just like you made up that dumb story about Elementals disappearing just to scare the others into only
studying magic!!!" As Fiona continued her rant, her eyes began to flicker from blue to red.
"I'm tired of all these ugly RUMORS, because all of them are STUPID, and they're all LIES!
The only reason why I'm falling behind is YOU!!!" She slammed her fists on the teacher's desk, causing reddish colored sparks to fly from her hands.
The teacher quickly stood up and stared in shock at her, "...Is that...?" He started as he squinted at the off-colored sparks.
"What?!" Fiona glared at him momentarily before looking down at her fists. Her eyes widened as she opened her shaking palms only to see the red electricity disappear.
She looked back at the teacher with an almost fearful look on her face.
"Fiona... Calm down... I think you're corrupting yourself. We need to check your core to make sure that-" the teacher started.
Before he could finish, and even before Fiona knew what was happening, she had bolted out the door and was flying as quickly as she could through the halls, which were mostly empty at the time.
"Catch her!" She heard the teacher shout from behind her, "Don't let her escape!" It only made her want to fly faster.
(Cont...)

Her mind spun with confusion, but she knew one thing for sure; rogue Elementals weren't allowed to live.
Fiona burst from the doorway of the Shadow Hunter school, startling nearly every student outside. She paused, trying to think of the safest place to go to. She went with
the first idea that came to her mind; the clouds.
When she heard the sound of other students chasing after her, she instantly shot straight up towards the sky. As she neared them, the fluffy clouds looked more inviting than they ever had before.
Once she entered the cloud cover, it was nearly impossible to tell that she had been there.

//...What do I do now?// Fiona thought to herself as she floated above the clouds over the outskirts of Cielo. //I'm not really going rogue, am I?// She looked down
at her palms. //Usually I struggle to even use a little bit of my lightning magic without my sword...
Why did that happen? Why was it... Red? Ugh, why is everything so confusing.// She covered her face, trying to think. //So, I can't go back to school. They'll probably
try to kill me. If I go home, everyone will be so disappointed... I can't go back yet... Where do I go, then?// Finally, she had an idea.
//What if I find Boreas? If I helped him out on his adventures, I could prove that I'm good enough to be a Shadow Hunter!//
She left Cielo and went looking for him. She looked high and low, all over the Land of Dreams. She traveled alone and even had a few more adventures, (misadventures, I mean.)
yet she never found him.
Being unsuccessful, she returned to Cielo. //Did he really disappear? Is what they said true?... I haven't seen him in so long...//
She lived around the outskirts of Cielo while 'accidentally' causing trouble in the city and being chased by guards...
//If I can't find Boreas, maybe I could just join a group of Shadow Hunters?// She thought. Though most of the Shadow Hunters around the city had been notified of who she
was. They either avoided her completely, or tried to attack her, even though on the outside it was obvious that she wasn't corrupted.
She didn't know what else she could do, or where else she could go, so she waited.
And waited...

Until one day, she met a certain group of individuals who hadn't heard of her yet...

(DONE.)

Ahhhhhhhh that was so Awesome!!! I love it!! *w*

This is pika haha ;)

Oh my goshhhhh, this was AMAAAZING!!!! The writing style was so smooth and readable, and the storyline was awesome! The transitions between scenes were quick and made me want to keep reading, and there was so much suspense and perfect moments! I love this so much; you are an incredible writer!! *w*

Oh and I forgot to say that this painting is gorgeous as well! The way you textured her cloud hair looks great! :D

Re:

Thanks! ;u;

I have questions if you like I will have it in are secret spot
(This is shadow ^-^)

Re : thank you! :D
And your welcome! ^-^
I can't wait to see what you come up with XD

Floooffeeeehhh, there's some stuff I'd like to talk to you about, SKeys related stuff. Is there a cure for corrupted Elementals? I'm just insanely curious XD

If you'd like, we can take this conversation somewhere more secretive. :p

--Lilly

Would you like to be in my Christmas collab? I ended up having some extra space and I want to try putting all my friends in :0

Re:

Oh, it doesn't have to be a bird character. I have some extra space where I can fit a canine, dragon, cat, or any other animal. :3