The next morning found them all much refreshed, though still sleepy, with Leeteuk waking them shortly after dawn.  “Come on.  Time to get up,” he chided, shaking each person gently as he went by the beds, a morning ritual they all liked to grumble about.  Getting Kyuhyun and Summer up was more of a joint effort that resulted in pestering by the other five until they finally succumbed to the reality of dawn and clambered out of bed too.

                Reluctantly, they stood up from their beds, tousled hair and crumpled robes a good indicator they had slept well.  Kyuhyun still had a line imprinted on his face from his pillow that Summer pointed out in amusement, to his chagrin.  The others left him well enough alone, still waking up themselves.  Half of them stifled yawns as they filed out and headed for the bathing pool; girls on one side and boys on the other.  A wall separated the hot spring that made up their bath but there was always an assortment of playful banter on both sides.

                “Hey Summer?” Kyuhyun called over, a cocky smile in his voice.  “How’s the bruise I gave you?”

                Summer and the other two girls glanced at the purplish mark on her arm where she had failed to block correctly in a sparring match and they speculated briefly.  “Probably better than yours,” she retorted, unsure if she meant it was more impressive or less so than his.  Laughter on the other side made the girls giggle as she had marked him at least equally well on the thigh when he had been unable to dodge.

                “Maybe Eunhyuk can give you some pointers,” Kharin called over, commenting on his impressively fast feet.  Everyone acknowledged that he was the best mover of the group and nigh on impossible to corner.

                It suddenly got rather quiet on the men's side and Leeteuk laughed, “Wait!”  The girls looked at the wall curiously and then noticed a globe of water falling towards them.  Indignant cries brought peals of delighted laughter from the males as the cold water doused their counterparts.

                “Why you-?!” Kharin started, preparing to use her ability, but Eleanara halted her and, still laughing, pressed a finger to her lips.

                She winked at Kharin and Summer mischievously and then called over the wall, “I dare you to try that again.”  They giggled as the men discussed in quite debate.  It seemed as if they weren’t going to for a moment and then, to Eleanara’s delight, another one came over the wall and was set to fall upon them as before.  Summer and Kharin cringed in preparation but Eleanara threw her hands up and laughed, “Reflect!” the verbal command still necessary to implement the thought.  Immediately, the orb spread out against an invisible wall, conforming to the plane before resuming its original shape and floating back over the wall in the opposite direction.

                Surprised cries sounded as the men noticed the water ball coming back in their direction, ominous and unstoppable.  “Hey!” Khyuhyun cried, gripped by the desire to stop it or simply duck under the water.  The delay cost him and the others as they were unceremoniously doused in turn.

                The girls smiled in satisfaction when they heard the indignant cries on the other side.  That water had been cold...  “Nicely done,” Leeteuk laughed, shaking his head and laughing at the other three.

               Siwon threw a handful of water at him and laughed, “Whose side are you on?”  Despite his words, he was amused as well.  That had been well played.

               Briefly, Leeteuk checked to see how long they had been in the hot spring for and shrugged ruefully.  “Alright guys.  Time to wrap it up.”  He began to slosh his way to the bank and was caught by surprise from the other three who dunked him roughly.  He came up spluttering and laughing as he spit the mouthful of water out.  While he was wiping water from his eyes, Siwon helped propel him in the right direction and they continued up the steps, pausing to listen to the delighted laughter coming from the other side.

                “No, stop it!” Eleanara giggled uncontrollably.  “That tickles.” 

                “Ah!  No!” Kharin yipped.  “Stop.  Stop it,” she warned, though she couldn’t quite keep the laughter from her voice.  A loud splash accompanied her statement and then a larger one as Kharin dashed from the water, still giggling.  The sound of water rippling revealed that Eleanara and Summer were making a more leisurely exit.

                Their antics didn’t quite carry over into the changing room and they all recovered a modicum of their composure when they donned new robes and put the amulets back on.  Wet hair was dried as best as possible and for the girls, it was generally braided to keep it under control.  It didn’t take them long to get ready and they headed out to the dining hall for breakfast.  It was moderately full when they arrived, seeing that the rest of the occupants were present in turn.  Most of the others at the monastery were introspective students who focused more on their own betterment as opposed to working on furthering social relationships.  It was part of the reason their group was as close as they were.

                Yoogin stopped them before they could be seated and he advised that he would need to see them after they finished eating.  Marginally subdued, they nodded and took their place in line for breakfast.  Speculation was the topic of conversation while they ate.

                “We can’t be in trouble,” Kyuhyun remarked.  “We haven’t done anything yet.”

                “Maybe it’s another lesson?” Siwon suggested, glancing up and down the table when they were seated.  Groans emerged from his companions since they were rightly tired of lessons, though the new ones with full use of their elements seemed promising.

                “Even if it is, we have power over the elements now,” Kharin reminded them, pointing out that their lessons would be actual instead of theoretical if that was the case.  Thoughtful contemplation answered that comment and Eleanara couldn’t help but look at Leeteuk who seemed about as quiet as her this morning.  She had no doubt that lessons would be a part of their next few days, but for some reason she didn’t really think that would be the reason for being summoned to see Yoogin.  Just the other day, it was the sole purpose of awakening the power to be placed into new hosts.  She figured it had to be something along the lines of why the power was awakened now.  The monastery was mostly ignorant of the happenings beyond their walls, but that didn’t mean they received no news at all.  In fact, the news would have to be substantial for it to be worth remarking upon…

                She blinked when a hand waved in front of her face and Eleanara realized she had been staring at Leeteuk while she was thinking.  He saved her from tripping over her own words by asking, “Off in your own world aren’t you?”

                She gave an exaggerated nod.  “You could say that.”  Abashed, Eleanara dropped her eyes to the bowl of food before her; more oatmeal, which at just this moment was the most interesting thing she had ever seen.  Carefully, she peeked up to catch a glimpse of him again and started when he looked up once more.  “Sorry,” she murmured, resuming her investigation of the oatmeal and pushing it around ineffectively.

                “Eat,” Kharin nudged her firmly.  “You’re going to need it,” she chided to the general amusement of the rest.  The others agreed with that statement in full as they had mostly cleaned their dishes already.   “And you can’t be such a finicky eater.”  She smiled when Eleanara nodded and then looked up at the others.  Seemingly perpetually hungry, Eunhyuk had gone up for another bowl and Summer was currently arm wrestling Siwon, a match that he was prolonging to her consternation.  Up for a challenge, Kharin shifted over and placed herself in front of Kyuhyun, who had finished eating too, and proffered her arm, quietly daring him.  He scoffed but leaned forward and accepted cockily.

                Kharin put up a good fight and managed to hold him off for a few seconds, but she finally had to succumb, which was right around the time that Siwon beat Summer too.  “Every time,” Kyuhyun winked in satisfaction to Kharin’s good-natured annoyance.

                “One of these days,” she assured him with a confident grin, green eyes flashing.

                Leeteuk spoke up, “You two should compete.  Winner against winner,” he smiled.  His suggestion was immediately met with approval and in line with the challenge, Siwon quickly swung around and took the spot cleared between Summer and Kharin.

                “You ready Kyuhyun?” he grinned with impish delight, dimples appearing easily.

                Not so sure of his victory, Kyuhyun looked at Leeteuk and then at Siwon.  “Fine.”  The pair clasped hands and at the signal from Eunhyuk, who held their fists until ready, the match began.  At first it seemed fairly even, with neither side able to gain ground.  Finally though, it appeared as if Kyuhyun was going to tire first.

                With the rest, Eleanara watched in interest since she was abysmal at arm wrestling but it was fun to observe.  Leeteuk reached over and snagged her mostly empty bowl.  She looked at him in confusion until he glanced at the pair and then jerked his head to the door with a mischievous smile.  Eleanara couldn’t help but laugh.  “Well, I’m done,” she stated, following Leeteuk’s lead as he stood up.

                “Come on then.  Yoogin awaits,” he chuckled, picking his bowl up in the process while the rest followed suit, leaving the pair still locked in competition.

               Siwon and Kyuhyun looked at each other and then at their departing companions.  In full competitive mode, Kyuhyun maintained his composure but Siwon winked at him and relaxed, pulling his arm off the table.  “Another time,” he assured him confidently.  Befuddled, Kyuhyun pushed himself up and made his way out after the others, feeling as if he had missed something and running a hand through his messy hair.

               Hurriedly, the group dropped their bowls off and made their way to Yoogin’s study.  He was waiting for them, as usual, his tall frame bent over a scroll on his desk.  When they settled down, he spoke, “Word has reached us that a man by the name of Enrhyll has come to power within the past two years.  He carries the full strength of all six elements and is apparently claiming himself as a god,” he stated softly, his expression neutral while he let them process what he was telling them.

                Surprise and disbelief flowered across the faces of those who sat in front of him.  “So the power of the elements was reacting to this…Enrhyll?” Leeteuk asked uncertainly, eyeing the rest of his companions for confirmation.

               “That is what I believe,” Yoogin nodded in agreement, watching when the elementalists shifted closer to each other.  He understood that they would have known there was a reason but he wasn’t sure if they were ready for this.  “At present, it is also believe that only the combined power of the Elementalists will be able to oppose him,” Yoogin explained seriously, regarding each person evenly.  “A Neutralizer is your only hope of reaching him without destroying yourselves in turn.”  He looked at Summer specifically and she nodded gravely, seeking comfort from those nearest her which happened to be Kyuhyun and Siwon.  They reached out to squeeze her shoulders in reassurance.  “She can protect you from yourselves if need be,” he explained further.

              Slowly, he reached back and retrieved a tome from the side of his desk.  “This was the journal of the Neutralizer Sinrielle.  In it, she cautions the dangers each Elementalist faced in her time.”  Solemnly, he opened the ancient, crumbling text and peered at Leeteuk first.  “For the Earth Elementalist, she warns not to tear the earth asunder.  The Fire Elementalist was warned not to let his flame burn too brightly.”  Kyuhyun looked away but Yoogin continued.  “Let not the wind carry you away, Elementalist of that playful spirit; and take care not to drown those in the bounty of your gift, Water Elementalist.”  Both Eunhyuk and Siwon looked uncomfortable.  Yoogin looked at Kharin now and she met his gaze squarely before he looked down to read.  “Elementalist of Shadow.  Come to terms with your power and recognize it is not just a messenger of destruction.”  She frowned at the words but nodded and looked thoughtful.  Summer reached out to grasp her hand and Eunhyuk threw an arm around her shoulder.  At last, he came to a nervous Eleanara, and sighed.  “For the Elementalist of Light, she simply cautions to learn your limits, lest you falter when you are needed most.”

           The admission was met with confusion by most of them.  It was self-evident that they would need to learn their limits but none of them yet believed any of their group could falter.   Kharin reached her free hand to still Eleanara’s shaking ones and she felt Leeteuk’s arm across her back as he gave her an encouraging squeeze.  “It will be alright,” he assured her sincerely when she met his concerned deep chestnut eyes.

           “Seeing that you are new to your powers, you will need time to train in their use.  Use your time wisely for in a month, you will be heading to meet him,” Yoogin promised them solemnly, realizing it was not much time indeed.

           “A month?” Summer and Kyuhyun asked immediately, glancing at each other and then back at the headmaster while the rest shared uncertain expressions.

           “The rest of the world cannot afford more than that,” he sighed sadly.  A month may well be too long but he would not send them out unprepared, to die in a battle they weren’t ready to fight.  “Your training starts today.  Take your notes and go to the training yard.  From here, you know best what you can and cannot do.  They are your elements after all.”  Yoogin knew when to simply get out of their way, and from this point on, he could only offer encouragement and counsel.  The rest was entirely up to them.

            Still somewhat shocked by the news, most of the group was slow to get moving, but Leeteuk being the sensible leader that he was, helped to get them moving in the right direction.  Gently, he propelled Eleanara around first and began heading out the door, Kharin in tow who still held her hand.  That started another chain where Eunhyuk was turned with her and Summer followed with Siwon and Kyuhyun not far behind.  It didn’t take them long to come to their senses and move to retrieve their notes which detailed the abilities they should be able to call upon.  When they met in the training yard, they set about spreading themselves out and giving plenty of space to work.  They knew everything in theory, but aside from what they’d toyed with this morning in the bathing pool, everything else was new and completely unknown.

             In the first week, they worked individually, strengthening what they knew and fine tuning control of their diverse abilities.  Summer was always close at hand to make sure that none of their elements grew too strong without control and her ability was needed very much in the first couple days.  Early on, Kyuhyun, Leeteuk and Euhyuk had to come to grips with the warning they had been given from Sinrielle.  The first nearly caught himself and his companions on fire with a strengthened flare ability.  The second almost created a large chasm in the training yard that likely would have caught at least three of their number in the hole.  The third called a tornado he was not adept at controlling yet which almost did pick him up and carry him away.  Summer was invaluable in maintaining a semblance of order in those situations and they were all immeasurably glad for her presence.

              In their second week of training, they paired up and learned how to work together by combining elements.  Their endeavors were also especially dangerous since the combinations could be explosive and unpredictable.  Some of the results were mentioned in their notes, but others were entirely new and wholly irregular.  Fire and wind called a fire and lightning storm of much greater strength than either had anticipated.  Water and wind created ice in several forms, icicles being among them, that very nearly impaled Summer before she was able to quell the power.  Light and shadow initially cancelled each other out until they fine-tuned their control.  The combination of water and earth formed a noxious poisonous gas that affected the casters and Summer who was in range, requiring Eleanara’s antidote ability to cure immediately.  They spent another half a week working on the finer points of combining their strengths and shoring up their weaknesses.

              In the final week and a half, they took to controlling their elements together as a team, without combining elements, which proved to be trickier than they had initially thought.  Some minor accidents occurred while they were training that Summer wasn’t able to prevent but Eleanara was their insurance when such incidents occurred and she was quick to heal those injuries.  Even during training, she didn’t understand what Sinrielle had meant by learning her limits, though Kharin did as she was one of the accidents in training.  A darkness sphere blinded Kyuhyun perfectly, but it did not stop him from attacking from within.  Foolishly, she didn’t think he’d actually attack what he couldn’t see so the errant fireball she hadn’t expected clipped her when she was too slow to get out of the way.  Eleanara’s healing ability worked wonders, but the lesson was well learned, by both parties.

               Through the weeks of hard training, there was little time for anything else and as they used their abilities, they began to learn more of the limits and dangers inherent in using them.  It was not uncommon for one of the six to literally pass out upon going to bed, sometimes missing dinner entirely.  Because of all the work, their interactions were muted, but they grew together as a whole, needing the strength of the group to keep moving forward.  Simple pranks were called off and angry words were forestalled for the sake of their unity.  Before they knew it, the end of their training was there, and they were set to head out into the world on the morrow; a prospect that was both frightening and exhilarating.  After a light day of training to help cement everything in their minds, the group lay in their beds, inordinately awake despite the need for rest.

                Restless eyes looked around the room and saw a similar expression on the other’s faces.  “We can do this,” Eleanara whispered to herself, staring at the ceiling again.  She both feared and wondered what it would be like on the outside.

               They had all been sheltered here and had no working knowledge of what things were like in the war torn world beyond their valley.  Still…they had each other.  That would have to be enough.  In the beds around her, the others looked equally nervous, in their own way.

                Leeteuk observed Eleanara as he watched the thoughts run through her head, much as they were doing the same for the others.  Unlike the norm, all seven pairs of eyes reviewed the ceiling instead of the backs of their eyelids.  He smiled at her when she turned her head to look at him, pale eyes bright in the dim light of the room.  She matched his expression easily and though he couldn’t tell what she was thinking, it seemed as if she was more relaxed just then, instead of pensive as she had been just a moment before.

                Mischievously, she raised an arm to the ceiling and drew a circle of light above them, wondering if they would get the reference.  The others looked up to see what she was doing and then noticed the symbol for earth floating in the air inside the circle.  Slowly, the symbol for water, wind and fire inscribed themselves inside the circle, while a black circle surrounded the circle of light.  The group sat up and nodded to themselves.  No words were necessary, just the camaraderie that they shared.  Some gazes held longer than others, but all in all, they were in this together.

                “Alright, guys,” Summer started, reaching up to the floating symbols.  “Time for lights out,” she added, neutralizing the powers above and darkening the room before she lay down.  She heard light-hearted laughter around her before the others settled into bed.  They really would need the rest for their journey tomorrow.

                They woke like any other day, with Leeteuk shaking them from their beds.  They bathed as usual and took breakfast in the dining hall, but when they went to Yoogin again, he explained that travel bags had been supplied for them with equipment for the road and rations for up to ten days.  It should be more than enough to get them down the mountain where they could get their own food by then.  While guides brought the few occupants to the monastery, none remained on hand to provide guidance back down the mountain.

                Quickly, they were cautioned on the possible dangers, such as avalanches, predators and additional inclement weather.  They were also warned about the cold, which they had no regular experience in dealing with.  Yoogin made sure they had extra pairs of clothes with their supplies and reminded that they needed to look after each other.  It would be a dangerous enough journey on its own without them making it more difficult.

               Along with supplies, they were also given a small bounty of funds for when they were able to purchase their food and they were warned to keep their amulets hidden.  Leeteuk was put in charge of carrying the money by a unanimous vote from the group.

               “I know you may want to give the people hope by showing what you are, but I must warn you not to reveal yourselves if at all possible,” Yoogin stated seriously.  At their confusion, he elaborated, “If word of your presence gets out, not only will it reach Enrhyll, but the people may ask or demand favors of you and I fear you simply do not have the time to address them all.” 

                Uncomfortably, the group looked around at each other, shifting in place under the burden of their bags and the responsibility they had grudgingly shouldered.  At last, they were ready to depart and Yoogin bowed to each of them respectfully.  In their new roles, they were superior to him and he acknowledged it, but out of respect, they bowed in return. 

                Uncertainly, the party adjusted their packs and headed out of the monastery doors, the feeling of great responsibility finally settling firmly over their heads.  A great new world awaited them and they were curious as to what they would find, but none of them were naïve enough to believe that it was going to be as simple as walking up to Enrhyll and just getting him to stop his madness.