116 AG – Year of the Rat, Winter.

Golden sunlight gradually crept through the gaps in crudely made shutters illuminating the room within. A notebook and writing utensils were neatly arranged on a wooden desk with a cupboard to its right. The door was jammed shut with a chair on the opposite end of the room. The bed lay facing the window as warm rays fell upon the person sleeping in it. It was a child with black hair and brown skin.

My eyes fluttered open, disturbed by the light of dawn that had snuck its way into my room. I lay there drowsily observing the specks of dust dancing within a beam of light; they almost looked like they were alive. After a while, I slowly climbed out of bed. As my feet touched upon the floor, a chill ran through the rest of my body, chasing away the last vestiges of grogginess I was experiencing.

One of the disadvantages of having a stone floor was that it conducted heat reasonably well, meaning it got cold during the nights, especially now since it was winter. I walked to the window and pulled on a string raising the shutters, the bright morning sun shone down, and I raised a hand, blocking the rays to allow my eyes to adjust. The air was crisp and fresh. I could hear the chirping of birds as they fluttered to and fro, see the smoke rise from the houses below, their residents getting ready for the day ahead. I took a deep breath of fresh air filling my lungs and slowly exhaled a foggy breath.

Eight years, it’s been eight years since I was born, and in that time, I have learnt much about where I am and the circumstances of those around me. The town sits on an elevated plateau that overlooks a lush temperate forest that stretches as far as the eye can see. The plateau sits midway up a mountain whose ridgeline encircles the forest. I later found out we were actually situated within a valley. The ground is fertile, allowing numerous crops to be grown, which sustain the town and our livestock. In addition, the countless beasts that dwell in the forest below are also hunted for their resources.

I stretched my body, letting out a groan in the process, then turned to get changed out of my sleep clothes. Though it was currently winter, it never got freezing during the day, so I wore long pants, a shirt, and a fur jacket. I made my way to the door with a chair propped against it. It was for my own peace of mind as even though I was part of the family, I was not favoured and had a position similar to that of a servant’s child. The chair would not stop an adult from barging in, especially if they were a warrior, but it would at least keep the children who thought it was funny to play a prank on the family’s black sheep away.

I learnt my lesson after it happened the first time, being woken up from having water dumped in your face is not a pleasant experience at all, I tell you. I slid my feet into the leather shoes resting beside the door; they were lined with moss as I didn’t have any socks; another ‘benefit’ of my current position. Once they were fastened, I removed the chair, opened the door, and exited my room.

There were numerous rooms on each floor of the mansion. Even though I had lived here for so long, I still did not know the exact amount. My room was situated in the spire at the top of the house, just far enough to be ignored but not so far that what I would go unnoticed. It was considered an insult to be placed further away from the earth hence my position.

I made my way to the back of the house and pushed open the door leading outside. There was a well nearby that I approached. The trough beside it was filled with water that chilled me as I cupped a handful and splashed it on my face. After cleaning my mouth, I wiped the droplets of water still lingering on my face with the sleeve of my shirt and went back inside towards the kitchens to get breakfast.

The enticing smell of food drew me in once I stepped into the kitchen. There were multiple maids hard at work preparing the first meal of the day. Soup bubbled away over a wood fire, bread fresh out of the oven was piled up on the table while smoked meats were being sliced, ready to be served. I walked to the table and took a seat. Food was not eaten in the kitchen but in the large gathering hall that made up the front of the house. However, I preferred to eat here away from the hostile glares I always received from the other family members.

I coughed, getting one of the women’s attention and asking her for a meal. She returned with a bowl of soup and half a sausage. I thanked her as she placed the bowl down and got to eating. I grabbed a small bun and ripped it in half, dunking it into the soup, which warmed me up while the sausage gave some much-needed taste to the meal. After enjoying breakfast, I handed the bowl to a maid and left the house through one of the kitchen doors. As I walked down the stone road, I observed various people hurrying along, ready to start their day.

In general, the amount of wealth one had, and their status within the community determined where one lived with the wealthier and more influential ones living further away from the business district. The warrior families resided the farthest away, followed by the business owners, the general workforce lived the closest.

I turned around and looked at the massive stone mansion above all others, the residence of the Illugi family, rulers of this city, and the house I belonged to even if I was treated as their black sheep. My lips curled up into a smirk. “Heh. Authority and respect do have their benefits, and I’ll make sure to fully use that to my advantage.” I enjoyed the morning hustle and bustle while walking towards the training grounds.

The training grounds were north of the town, close to the mountain wall. The environment there allowed warriors to train their techniques efficiently while the location was isolated so that whatever damage was caused during training would not disrupt or harm regular residents.

The path leading to the grounds was a dirt road flanked by fields to grow crops. Various people could be seen walking along the route, farmers about to start their day’s work and warriors heading towards the training grounds for their morning workout.

A small black-haired boy was jogging along the path deftly skirting around any individuals in his way, occasionally one would shout at him, telling him to slow down, but he would just wave his hand as a form of greeting and continue on his path. A large rock with runic carvings stood at the entrance to the training area. Individuals could be seen stopping and paying their respects before they entered. He eventually stopped before the runic rock and bowed to it as a show of respect before moving into the grounds.

The training grounds were a barren plot of land, just earth and rocks of varying sizes, from the tiniest pebble to giant boulders that overlooked the area like stone sentinels. At the back, the grey mountain wall completely filled one’s view. Carved onto it was a depiction of the Great Guardian, a giant serpentine creature twisted in a spiral amongst the bowels of a grand tree, ending with it gnawing on a root.

The boy made his way to a corner of the grounds far away from anyone else, where he removed his shoes and started doing some stretches. Once finished, he got into a stance, determined to hold the position for as long as possible.

My muscles burned and ached as I held my position. This was the basic stance that all warriors learned before moving onto other more advanced forms. I was not a warrior or a prospective one as I could not bend earth, but powers usually manifested before one became a teenager, so I had a few more years. This, however, did not mean I would just sit around and wait for my powers to manifest, assuming they ever would. No, I would ready my body for both outcomes. That is why I had made it a habit to come to the training grounds daily and work my body.

I could only start this year as I had a maid assigned to take care of me before this, and she had not let me stray far from the house, let alone come here. Initially, I had only done basic physical training such as running and using rocks as weights before. But, after observing what young warrior prospects were made to do, I decided to emulate them and started with stance training first.

Forcing myself to endure through gritted teeth as my muscled screamed in protest, I remained rigid. The only way one improved was by continually challenging their limits to eventually surpass them. Finally, my legs gave way, and I plopped down right and started massaging my cramping muscles. Once the soreness had dissipated, I rose to my feet and started looking for a suitable stone to use as a weight. Though I was only eight years old, I could easily lift a rock the size of my head.

Finding one of suitable size, I started my usual routine, which began with holding onto it and using my legs to lift my body; I did 20 reps of these weighted squats. After a short rest, I proceeded to lie on my back, holding the stone above my chest and did 20 reps of sit-ups followed by 20 arm curls, holding the rock using both hands, slowly lifting it up to my chest and back down. Finished with my physical training, I grabbed my shoes and moved closer to where the warriors were practising their earthbending to observe them, but not so close that I would be in danger if any bending went astray.

From what I could gather in my less than a year here, having an intimate connection to the earth and a strong body is integral to earthbending, which was why I removed my shoes during physical training. These two factors played an essential role in allowing someone’s flow to affect and manipulate the earth according to one’s will. I stopped a safe distance away and focused my mind, eventually sensing the flow. Over the years, I had improved at feeling it and could now ‘see’ it while my eyes were opened. Flow sense overlapped with my eyesight, and the familiar view of glowing lines that ran through the bodies of those I looked at appeared in my vision.

There were set pathways the flow moved through one’s body; however, when a warrior performed a particular action paired with the right intent, the flow would exit their body and interact with the earth to manipulate it in the way the warrior wanted. People had differing flow amounts, with warriors generally having a considerable amount more than others. I discovered that the flow of earthbenders was tinged with an earthen brown, which differed from those who were not as theirs was colourless. Every living thing had flow within, including the trees and plants, but the only variations I had seen so far were in humans.

I studied the forms these warriors took and how they directed their flow outwards towards the earth, levitating earth and rock, launching rocks far into the air and compressing soil into stone were some of the most basic techniques warriors were expected to perform.

Directing my vision inwards, I saw my flow tinged in a very light brown. This did give me some hope that I would eventually be able to earthbend, but it would definitely not be enough to become a warrior. Why did I want to become a warrior? I needed the authority to act without hindrance and access information the general public could not. Having more of both would only be beneficial for me.

My attention focused on a small dark brown borderline black ball that rested within my flow network at the base of my spine. This was where the core essence of the flow I had extracted from my mother during birth had congregated. Over time, small amounts had been mixing with my flow, and if my theory was correct, I could increase my bending talent by assimilating this essence. The gradual ‘browning’ of my flow over the years gave me confidence that I was on the right track. Clambering on top of a nearby boulder, I sat down and readied myself. It was time to find out if I could become a warrior or not.