“Flow and Flexibility”

  David found himself in another room. Letting out an exasperated breath as he recalled his previous experience in the other rooms moments ago and how he was sent flying, beaten and slammed down hard to the ground by a hard stone pillar and a powerful gust of wind by Richard and Araban, wondering if going through this kind of torturous training was really meant to help him master his power because currently felt as though they just want to break every bone in his body.

  Looking around the room, David let out a sigh of relief upon seeing that the room was relatively empty a part of a massive pipe sticking out by the side of the wall. Thinking that he might actually be able to survive the class.

  “Tell me child, do you think water is hard or soft”, ask Boma.

  “What?” David looked at her with a confused look on his face.

  Then water sipping out of the pipe, startling David a little only for him to let out another relieved sigh that it was only just a little water before turning back to Boma.

  “Gentle or rough?” she question puzzling David even more and as he contemplated the question he failed to notice the ever rising waters.

  “Well David tell me, is what hard, soft, rough, or gentle”, she asked once more with sly smirk on her face as her eyes turned in to blue dragon eyes.

  “Uhm…It’s”, David struggled to come up with an answer and as he felt an uneasy sensation wash over him.

  He then noticed the water underneath his feet had begun to retreat along with ominous shadow appear behind him. He then gulp before slowly turning around to see a massive wave right behind.

  “The is, all of the above”, The wave then collapsed on David.

  The students of the water school found themselves standing in front of massive lake with their instructor Mrs Mariji, beauty elegant lady with a blue streaks by the side of her hair. Susan, who stood silently amongst the rest of the student, was busy thinking about David, recalling the troubled look wore at the assemble hall. She knew something was bothering the problem was getting him to open. *sigh*, It seemed as though Susan would have to worry about David let as Mariji had finally finished filing her nails and upon doing so turned to her students who had been busy waiting for her to be done with her nails.

  “Alright today were going to try something different for training”, said Mariji with a smile on her face.

  “Really, what?” asked a student.

  “I’m so glad, you asked”, said Mariji with a smile on her face before her eyes turned in to fierce blue dragon eyes, taking the students aback for bit. Massive wave then emerged from the lake, sweeping all the students away off land on to lake.

  “What on earth is going on?” asked a student.

  “My apologies my dear students. In light of the recent events that have befallen our precious academy the Head Masters thought it fit that adopt a far more rigorous approach to your training”, with that said Mariji proceed to use her powers on lakes waters, creating waves and currents that push and dragged the students down to the water’s depths. As water dragon warrior is impossible for the students to drown however they could still be hurt by the violet waves and strong water current. Thankfully Mariji had enough control over the waters avoid hurting them and simply made it difficult to stay afloat.

  The students indeed found it difficult to stay afloat, fighting against strong currents and waves that crashing against them. Most of them managed to counter the waves with their powers, creating waves of their to clashed against the other but the waters currents that expect twisting and turning made struggle to maintain control and keep their balance in the water causing to be inevitable be swept away by them. As for the other, they were simply swept away by the waves crashing wave.

  As the students struggled to fight against the waves and currents, Susan found her being pushed back and forth by the crashing wave before being completely submerged in water. Feeling her lungs feel with water that though didn’t suffocate her, felt strange having breathing water instead of air. Taking in a deep gulp of water and feeling the way it flow even from so deep below, the thrashing and clashing ways, the swirling and curving of currents, being submerged so deep in water, being pushed and dragged down by the strong currents and powerful wave, it all felt familiar. Opening up her mouth and letting out a breath in the bubbled that escaped from her mouth, she began to reminisce to the origin of this feeling of familiarity with flashes of a young Susan appearing in her mind, playing near a river.

  Her parents were usually busy with their duties as Golden Dragon Generals so her mother wasn’t really around much to teach and show her how to properly control her powers. And because Susan tended to be careless while using her, making a splash and spilling water everywhere. Her parents didn’t really reprimand her that much as they weren’t really around to do so and when they were there attention would be usually focused on Steven who had the tendency to set everything he touched ablaze. Because of that Susan mostly did as she became a tad bit reckless when it came to using her powers as the highest form of reprimand she would get from her parents when she used them was simply them telling her not to make a mess and be careful while using her powers. And seeing that her parents main complaint when it came to her powers were for her not to make a mess, Susan began practicing outside in the forest near her home, conjuring up little waters throwing them at few nearby trees. Her parents were okay with her wondering about in forest as long she didn’t stray too far from home and venture too far in forest. She used to have so much for as a kid playing and enjoyed making a big splash much to the annoyance to the cute little fury critters that roamed about in forest but despite how much fun she had playing, she couldn’t help but feel lonely.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  She did have Steven, but back then he was usually too focused on learning how to control his powers and avoid setting every single thing he torched ablaze and as for her parents, they were barely around and so Susan didn’t really have anybody to play with and thus would spend most of her time alone in the forest playing by herself. One fateful day, while she was busy wondering through the forest Susan stumbled upon a river. Seeing the way the water flowed through the Susan couldn’t help but feel intrigued by why the way the river curved, bent, and twisted as flowed through the forest. Watching, Susan sensed something in the movement of the water, feeling the way the current flowed, its movement, and how it moved so calm and natural to her.

  Taking in a deep breath and focusing on the flow, Susan connected the waters and, going with the flow of the water, began to slowly command it, taking control of water current and flow of the water, dragging and pushing the waters to form waves that slowly wave. Susan upon realizing what she was doing couldn’t but smile at what she had just accomplished, unable to believe that she was actually controlling the water in the river.

  “Water is the loosest of all the four elements and extremely difficult to control and one wasn’t careful one my get swallowed up by a massive wave”

  Young Susan’s eyes widened with shock and terror as massive wave rose up from the river and collapsed on her, dragging in to the river. Everything after that was a blur, she remembered screaming and yelling as she was pulled and dragged away by the water current. She tried swimming away but the current was too strong and she was far too inexperienced to use her powers to try and save herself. Susan recalled it felt to feel the rushing water pushing her through the water and how scared she was. She remembered screaming at the top of her lungs for someone, anyone to come save.

  She then spotted something rush out of the forest at blazing speeds and dive straight in to the river after. It was Steven who, upon hearing her cried for help rushed straight to aid to try and save her but there was one slight problem with Steven’s rescue attempt. Steven wasn’t really that good of a swimmer and found himself being dragged away the water current the very moment he dove in after her.

  Struggling to stay afloat while also trying to save his sister, Steven tried his very best to fight the river’s current and get to his sister even going as far as to use his flames to try and fight against the current only for his flame to be quenched by a wave that proceeded to drag and make him sink down to the river blow. Susan, seeing Steven begin to drown and sink down to the bottom of the river, hurried to his aid. The water’s current was struggled and found it difficult to resist its pull but as saw her brother sink deep down to the waters below, she knew she needed to act fast before Steven drowned. So taking in a deep breath and focusing on the water as it flowed down the river, feeling the current and waves as it moved, connecting the flow. So she swam down bottom of the river, fighting against the river’s strong current to get to Steven and then stretched out her hand to try and grab hold of him.

  “Water is a very peculiar element. It not as tough as the earth neither is it as free as the wind. It exists in state where it’s not hard enough to be struck but is strong enough to strike, can be soft and gentle, as well as well as rough and forceful. An element that is comprised of both weakness and strength and to master it one must master its flow, learn to curve, bend, and twist like it water. Be as flexible as the water that finds its place in the cracks, crevasses and fissure, and learn to follow its flow, like a stream flowing down a river and a river in an ocean. To truly master the power of the water one must master both the flow and flexibility of water”

  Water burst out of the river propelling both Susan and Steven out of river and on to dry land.

  “Steven”, Susan called out in a panic before rushing to her who laid on conscious next to her.

  “Wake up, please, wake up”, she cried as she desperately tried to wake him.

  Then sensing excess water inside of him an idea on her she could save him popped up in to her head. Taking a deep breath and focusing her powers on water inside of him managed to draw the water out him using her powers. Steven, coughing out water a few litters of water then reawakened, weakly squinting open his eyes to a teary eyed Susan staring back at him.

  “Su...” before could even complete his sentence, he was drawn in to a tight hug.

  “Please don’t ever do something as stupid as that ever again. I’m a water dragon warrior, the water can’t hurt me, you on the other...” more and more tears streamed down Susan’s face as she held Steven tightly.

  Steven, though taking aback by her hug, simply sighed before raising his hands to hug her back.

  After that day, Steven and Susan became inseparable and would often play together during days when their parents were away on Golden Dragon Guard business. Susan helped Steven control his powers by putting out any accidental fires he created with her powers, they even formed a game out of it.

  “Fire quencher, the more fire create and I put out the more I points I get. For each fire you create that I put out I get a single point, if get up to ten points I win”, said a young Susan cutely.

  “Hey, how come you’re the only one that gets points”, a grumpy little Steven complained.

  “Because I’m not the one causing fires left and right”, yelled Susan.

  “I...” Steven wanted to say something couldn’t as he knew she was right, so he simply huffed and pouted causing Susan to simply giggle at him before grabbing hold of his hand.

  “Come on, let’s go play”, said Susan with a sweet smile on her face before dragging Steven along with her.