Life in a new Kingdom

"Hey, it's time to get up, Caleb." Gale's voice rang into my ear. Rising from my bedroll, my body was sluggish. Squinting at the morning sun as I was grabbing my gear, Gale placed his hand on my shoulder. "Yann told me what you did last night for Lukia. I understand you are worried about her like everyone else, but forcing yourself to stay awake for her sake is going to get you or one of us killed. I'll let it slide this one time."

I brush off his hand gently and take a step away. "I'll be fine, don't worry. I promise it won't affect how I perform."

"Bullshit. Your eyes are having trouble staying open. Your vision is also sluggish."

"Like I said, I'll be fine. When it comes down to it, I can keep up. Let's stop wasting time on this and hurry ahead."

Walking past Gale, I placed my pack on my horse and looked over at Lukia, who finished saddling onto her horse. She still looked a little frail, but the extended sleep at least gave her some energy back.

"The next town isn't for a couple days ride. The roads ahead should at least lead us down our path south to the mountains." Gale recites as he reads the map. Placing it in its case, he hops onto his horse, and everyone joins his side. I am the last to get ready and slowly catch up from behind them.

Herk rides in the middle, with Ivian, Lukia, and myself staying in the back formation. One of the few formations we worked on together before setting on this quest was understanding the importance of formations and what they serve. Gale knew our roles well and made sure the healer and main-line support were guarded from both sides. This was to be our routine formation. With the military knowledge I had, it was sound as a plan.

Roaring sounds of thunder cracked in the distance, indicating the signs of a big storm heading our way. Each crack of thunder caused my body to heat up. It reminded me of my magic, a similar sound and feeling behind the crackling force.

"The storm is heading toward us! Make sure you put something on to hinder its effects. The horses will need our efforts to make sure they don't freak out over it. Herk, place a calm spell over the animals to help them relax."

Without a moment of hesitation, Herk places his hands in a position and says a quick prayer. A soft yellow light washes over the six beasts, causing the muscles in their body to relax and ignore the loud thunder overhead.

"Lukia, stick close to the group. Visibility will be poor, and I need you to stay focused." Listening to his advice, she sticks closer to me and pushes up further to be directly behind the middle line. Pulling the hood of my cloak over my hair, I prepare for the coming storms. Looking close to me, I see Lukia begin to light a lantern. With a little flick of the flint and steel, she produces a spark that catches fire and contains it in the lantern—providing us with light in front, and for those who might get lost or off track, we know where to go afterward. Gale does the same ahead of us, lighting a lantern to provide a beacon to go if you are unsure of the total darkness the clouds produce.

Riding straight into the storm, the magic in my blood wants to be used. This was my element, the sounds of thunder were a soothing lullaby, the feeling of vibration was familiar, the power of the bolt striking from the clouds surged the innate magic that was held inside my body.

"Stick together!" Gale shouts to keep us focused. The storm covers the remainder of our ride before we set camp in a small cave entrance to protect us and our mounts from the elements.

The storms in the south, just by several days' ride from Saiana, are drastically different. Lukia predicted the storm would last little more than a couple of days. Everyone feels a little discouraged by the news. With a storm as severe as this, our travel speed with our mounts would be hindered. It would take us the better of four days to reach the next town.

"The good thing about this weather is the fact that we probably don't need to keep guard for any threats. The storm would terrify any creature foolish enough to venture inside one as such." Gale eats his ration before continuing. "Everyone, get some solid rest-"

"Just because it is crazy to be roaming in such weather at night won't stop them from doing so to get us. We need to keep watch for anything trying to use the storm as cover." I blurt out my statement to testify. Their eyes focus on me as my face is stern.

"I appreciate your concern, but if anyone needs rest, it's you. Don't worry about keeping a lookout if we are just going to continue in this rain."

"You don't need to prove anything, Caleb. Just lay down and sleep." Herk speaks as he gently fixes his bedroll.

"You guys can start. I'll take the first watch with him," Lukia says.

"Lukia, you should rest as well." Gale looks at her.

With a soft hand motion, she restrings her bow and lays it in her lap with an arrow in her hand. "He won't listen either way, so just leave it to us."

"Lukia, what do you mean?" She presses her hand on my face. Muffles escape her hand, but she continues to speak.

"Fine, if that is what you want to do. I'll listen. Just wake us up when it's time to switch." Ivian slumps down and closes his eyes. Sleep slowly takes him as the camp's fire stays near him, keeping his body warm from drenched in cold rain.

"I guess you could. Don't push yourselves." Gale nods to us before laying down. Herk and Yann stay silent and, lay in their bedrolls and quickly fall asleep without hesitation.

"You don't need to stay with me, Lukia."

"I know. I thought it was a fine time to get them to listen. I don't intend to actually stay up..."

"I don't mind it. Go ahead." My eyes were barely open as I watched her lay down to sleep. In the back of my mind, my body was screaming to shut down to sleep. I took a deep breath, but my body refused to move. Rubbing my eyes or smacking my cheeks only delayed the exhaustion briefly.

After half an hour of forcing myself awake and trying to keep myself busy with tasks, it proved to be futile. I closed my eyes briefly, and the dawning feeling of sleep pulled me into the abyss.

Until the vibration of thunder and lightning traveled through my body and pulled the lids of my eyes open. A calling from the depths of the clouds. It rang to me. Within a trance, my legs moved on its own.

A step here and a step there. Dragging me into the storm, the hails of rain battered me like rocks. The pain stung me further awake. Deafened by the storm, I pulled off my gloves and walked away from the cave to be closer to the storm.

I moved my mouth, and my words traveled through the searing rain and thunder. My hand raised high; the static energy lit upon my fingertips. With the desire to speak out the words, I held my breath as a pulse of blue bolts of lightning channeled through my arm. Sparks light the area around me, and the gushing wind with rain swirls around me.

The flash of thunder caused my heart to race. This reminded me of my home before arriving in Saiana, which didn't have storms like this. Growing up, I would watch the storms in the distance with excitement. I guess it was the early signs of the demon blood inside reacting to the elements. It is said that descendants of Demon Kings have the potential to feel and manipulate the element they inherited from. Those with the potential found unique ways of using this power to achieve powerful feats without expending their own bodies. Element Morphing the texts described, it was something that allowed such feats to occur.

Fond of my own surprise, I never realized how much I loved the stillness I felt in such a storm before. With each flash or cracking thunder, it was a joyful feeling. My eyes were wide with glee when the flash of lightning traveled through the clouds. The tingling sensation reached out to me, and I clutched my fingers around it. Within my hand was the pulsating energy of lightning that was guided to my hand. With a smile, I leaped into the air and threw it back through the clouds, sensing it disappear past my range.

Drenched by the rain, I felt my heart beating faster. My smile is unwavering. "Oh, how wonderful. Indeed...this is...this is what has called for me..." At that moment, I felt something inside me, unlike before using my lips to speak. The thoughts in my head felt alien, yet they continued to speak. Within the lone darkness of the storm stood a child with the power of demons inside his blood. With a wicked smile across his face, he stared into the sky with the bright blue eyes that lit up as the bright blue and purple flashes of lightning that cracked the earth in the distance.

His eyes bright with life, his hand reached toward the clouds and spoke a few words.

"Lightning Bolt." The subtle roll of the lips and tongue escaped with the visualization of his power. Breaking through the rain and wind, I watched as my body released the bright bolt of lightning from my hand into the sky, giving back to the storm that housed me.

A slight flicker within the eyes lets in a shade of a crystalline yellow line drawn into the sapphire blue before fizzling like subtle sparks. I leaned my head forward and slowly returned to the cave, dragging puddles behind me; I kneeled next to the fire and let out a happy sigh. The feeling of exhaustion was replaced with enthusiasm. My eyes drew back to the entrance as my shivering body was more than a distraction.

However, I spot a set of yellow eyes peering through the storm directly at my sleeping companions. The scent of danger filters through my body as they continue to stalk us with their eyes. The creatures cloaked in the storm lick their sharp fangs with hunger...