“Wake up Sǫl!!! Today’s your special day!!!” a high pitched voice pulled me away from a most enjoyable dream. I was sitting in the most comfortable chair I had ever been in and watched miniature people in a box perform a play. It was a fascinating experience, and right when it was getting to the good part, I was rudely interrupted. ‘Damn it!!! What was gonna happen to that man in the red metal suit!!! How does this girl keep entering my room even though I barricade the door every night!!!’

I turned to the source of my arousal, flaxen-coloured hair in a loose plait, emerald eyes with flecks of yellow glimmered in the early morning light, and a pleasant face adorned with a bright smile greeted me. Who was she? She was a maid in training assigned to me about a year ago. I was essentially a practice dummy for this teen girl to improve her skills.

“Esja, get away. Your breath stinks,” I urged while fanning the odour away. As I said, a maid in training, poor girl still hasn’t caught up with the expected hygiene standards of our maids, and I’m made to suffer the consequences each morning.

She gasped, blushing, before covering her mouth. Stepping away, she started earnestly testing her breath before turning to me with a scowl on her face. “Stop making fun of me Sǫl!!! My breath smells fine!!!” Esja bellowed, face as red as a blodbær.

‘Oh, you pitiful girl,’ I sighed while getting out of bed. “That’s not how it works, Esja. If I tell you your breath stinks, you reply, ‘I’ll get it clean right away.’ If I tell you I don’t like your hair, you reply, ‘I’ll have it cut.’ If I tell you to lay with me, you reply ‘How long’!!!” her figure shrinking in on itself as I rebuked her. She wiped the tears emerging from her eyes, sniffling, almost looking like a kitten.

I sighed, walking towards her, before offering my hand, which she took with some hesitation. Stroking her hand, I consoled her, “Esja, the reason I’m telling you this is so that others don’t. You would lose this job if that were to happen. You’re the only friend I have, so I don’t want you to go.”

*Sniff* “You have a weird way of showing you care, Sǫl. Can’t you just… I don’t know, give me a hug or a gift or something? As a normal child would,” she questioned.

“But your breath does stink, Esja,” I replied with a straight face.

She had a shocked look on her before it morphed into a death glare. “YOU MEAN BOY!!! GET READY BY YOURSELF!!! HEAD TO THE MAIN HALL ONCE YOUR DONE!!!” she snapped before storming out the room, making sure to slam the door on the way out. ‘The things I put up with to gain trust,’ I shook my head while getting ready. As Esja had said, today is a special day. My first formal training lesson would start in a few hours, so I energetically began my morning routine, not wanting to be late.

The smooth stone floor against my bare feet felt comforting, like a reliable companion, as I walked towards the main hall. The occasional servants I passed by would give me strange looks before going about their duties. ‘Wonder what that’s all about. Besides, why am I even needed at the main hall? That damn girl didn’t tell me anything.’ The situation was odd; the main hall was where Illugi family members congregated for their meals and to socialise. I had kept to myself while living here, only interacting with them when I absolutely had to, so being asked to go to the main hall was odd.

My heart started beating a little quicker while my hands became clammy as I neared the main hall. Raucous laughter and shouting could be heard coming from that direction. They knew how to enjoy themselves, I’ll give them that. Standing at the entrance to the hall, I surveyed the area, trying to figure out why I was called here.

The hall was large and easily fit at least fifty individuals at once. Stone pillars rose from the floor and melded into the roof, various carvings running along their length. Beams ran overhead from which metal chandeliers dangled. At the centre of the hall, a large firepit was alight. Embers jumped amidst the flames as soup bubbled away in pots charred black over time. To my right, two long stone tables lay parallel to each other, while two long benches were used instead of individual seats for each table. The adults sat at one while adolescents and kids at the other. On my left, the main table looked over the rest of the hall. Sitting there eating her breakfast was Ronnow, wife of the second son of the family head and in charge of all household affairs.

Imagine the wood replaced by stone.

Noticing my gaze, she waved at me before gesturing for me to come over. As I walked through the hall, ignoring the stares of everyone, the lively atmosphere that permeated the air gradually died down. Replaced by a chilly silence, only the crackling fire and bubbling soup kept at bay. By the time I reached her, my body was drenched in sweat. I felt like a lamb amongst wolves, vulnerable, weak, at the mercy of others. It was a feeling I reviled.

I approached her with my head down to show respect and maybe incite some pity. “Good morning Lady Ronnow. It is a pleasure to meet you,” I uttered in a subservient tone.

She eyed me like a hawk would their prey before speaking, “You are a well-spoken boy, though… you could dress a little better,” she said, lingering on my exposed feet. “Today is your first day of training, is it not?”

“Yes ma’am, I hope to prove myself and earn the right to be called an Illugi.”

A hand swiftly grabbed my face, the force with which it was done, jerking my head back. My head was tilted up, meeting a beautiful face with blue eyes. “Don’t think so highly of yourself!!! You’re a stain to our name and will never be accepted by us!!! You’ve already take-” Ronnow abruptly stopped mid-sentence. I was terrified, not knowing why I was being treated like this, unable to do anything to resist.

Her piercing eyes stared into mine. I remember those same eyes staring at me a few days after birth. They had the same look back then as they do now. But it wasn’t anger they radiated. Was it more sadness and remorse? I didn’t know and couldn’t do much else, so I just returned her glare. After a moment, she let go and regained her composure, not even turning to look at me as she spoke, “Have something to eat before going. You’re going to need all the energy you can get.”

“Yes ma’am. Thank you for your consideration.” I bowed once before swiftly putting some distance between us. ‘Damn it bitch. Why do you have gorilla hands? What did I even do to deserve this?’ I massaged my aching face while walking over to the fire pit. I grabbed a bowl and spoon from a stand nearby and filled it with a few spoonfuls of chunky soup. The hall had been silent this entire time, their heads following me as I walked to the adolescents’ table.

I looked over at the kids’ end and saw no free space, so I moved towards the teens. Thankfully or maybe not, there was a free spot available in between two girls. I saw them shuffling closer together as I tried to take a seat. ‘Like hell I’m gonna let that happen.’ Willing two strands of chi to exit each foot, they slithered along the ground and up the legs of the bench like two snakes. The benches were similarly made from stone, so my chi had no problems travelling through it until they reached their destinations. While I could have directed my chi to take a direct route through the air, going through the earth was faster and easier to control.

My chi stopped beneath each girl before twisting the stone into a short but sharp spike. Their eyes bulged as they let out a scream, simultaneously jumping up and grabbing their behinds. Quickly reverting the stone back and acting as if their plight didn’t concern me, I sat down and began eating my soup. They were befuddled by what had happened, looking around, trying to find out who did it.

They did turn to me with an accusatory glare but were only met with a confused stare, questioning why they were looking at me in that way. Of course, no one would suspect a child like me with barely any talent to precisely earthbend like that, but that was precisely the case. I may only be able to bend below-average amounts of earth, but my control far surpassed the norm. Being able to sense my chi and constantly using it ever since I was in the womb made it feel like an extra limb, natural.

The girls eventually settled down after throwing out some verbal abuse to those seated around them, while I acted like the oblivious child they all thought I was. The hall gradually returned to its previous state, men conversing between mouthfuls of food, adolescents shouting, and children playing. I finished my soup as fast as possible and promptly got up to leave. I didn’t want to be here a second more than needed. Dropping the bowl off at one of the waste areas, I gave a final glance towards Ronnow before heading out the door.

Using the time it took to journey to the training grounds, I tried to get back into a calm state of mind. The events in the meeting hall had really shaken me up and put me on edge. “Unshakeable like a rock and unmoving as the earth.” I kept repeating these words to myself like some sort of mantra. Focusing on the soft earth beneath my feet, it almost felt like I was a part of it through our connection. Its unyielding nature to all that opposed it helped me regain my normal mental state.

I learned an important lesson today, I needed to be like the earth, not just physically but mentally and emotionally. Unyielding, relentless, unbreakable. Others may harm me physically, but I wouldn’t allow my state of mind to be affected as well. ‘All battles are first won or lost in the mind. I will not be defeated before the first blow is struck,’ as I mulled over this revelation, my surroundings seemed to fade into obscurity, and I reached the training grounds before long.

After paying my respects to the honour stone, I headed inside, spotting a sizeable group of children and their parents. They all seemed to be waiting for something or someone? Guessing they were here for their first training lesson as well, I walked in that direction, stopping slightly away from the group. The atmosphere was filled with nervousness and anticipation, something I felt myself.

Children excitedly chatted with each other while parents anxiously discussed their child’s future prospects. For children with earthbending ability, their future station in life would be determined by how well they did in training. There was still quite some time before the lessons began, so with a quick wave of my hand, I cleared the area of any pebbles or stones. Sitting on the smoothed ground, I closed my eyes, focused, and started cycling my chi to erode the essence orb.

Over the past two years, I had improved to the point where my chi did three rotations around the orb, increasing its speed and contact area. I never slacked off, and if I wasn’t doing some sort of physical, bender training or learning, this would take up my time. At the rate the ball was eroding, it would be wholly assimilated in roughly five years, by which time I hope to have some clue about how to leave this valley.

I was roused from my meditative state by a shout. Opening my eyes, I saw that most of the kids had been assembled into a square formation while the parent stood at the back. Getting up, I dusted myself off before walking to the back of the line and slipped in. I couldn’t determine what was going on at the front, but it wasn’t long before my question was answered.

The ground briefly shook before stone rose up, creating an elevated platform at the front. On it stood an aged man that had definitely seen better days. There was silence as he stared across the whole group, occasionally muttering to himself. His eyes seemed to linger on me briefly, but I didn’t show any reaction. Letting the silence linger for a moment longer, he took a deep breath and began his address.