Note: Read chapter 1 before reading this chapter!“Selamat pagi!” Monica Jahazrimi said flamboyantly.
“Pagi!” All the elementals replied.
“I hope you all had a good night’s rest. This is because today we are going to Air Alasan, perhaps the toughest place in Air Raya you have ever experienced. It is there we will select the best of water elementals to become air tuan!”
Some elementals were excited. I was anxious. I looked around and I was amazed how buff, athletic, intelligent they all looked. How could I become an air tuan, or water lord? I felt a hand touching my shoulder.
“You alright?” It was Ajax.
“Yeah. I suppose so.”
“What do you mean ‘you suppose so’? This is the real deal!”
“I know, but I’m afraid I will chicken out before I will even make it through the first round.”
“Now.” Ajax said with confidence “There are 231477 water elementals. But only 312 come from Berlumpur Air. You are one of them. You have faced one of the toughest environments in all of Air Raya, and you still think you can’t be an air tuan?”
“How do you know the statistics?”
“Do you need to know?” Ajax answered
“Well, I guess not, but that’s not the point, the point is…..”
“The point is you’re going to be good out there. Trust me, I come from Ribut Ganas, and it is quite impoverished there too, but not as severe as Berlumpur Air. But the tougher the childhood, the more likely they will be a water elementalist. I was two rounds to become a water elementalist.”
“Wow, that’s amazing.”
“So will you.” Ajax left me with a pat on the shoulder. I haven’t knew Ajax for very long, not even 24 jam, or hours, but yet, he seems to be a good friend to me, like Matthius.
In order to travel to Air Alasan, we must first face out first challenge. We traveled to Beku Utara, or Frozen North. I can feel cold, harsh winds piercing through my skin. It was freezing no doubt. After all of the elementals arrived, Jahazrimi called for an assembly with us.
“Now!” Jahazrimi shouted. She did not move. It was like she was immune to the coldness here.
“Your first challenge, before you all go to Air Alasan, is to stay underwater in the sea for five minutes!” At once, a lot of gossip and rumors went viral. Despite being a water elemental, it was hard to hold my breath for five minutes, and the freezing water just made it worse.
“We will have 50000 go underwater at once for this challenge.” Jahazrimi announced. “That makes 5 rounds, with the last group only having around 30000 elementals. Kakitangan, you may begin.”
At once the kakitangan began to create small assemblies of water elementals. They must be the candidates for the first round in this challenge. Fortunately, none of the five of us were elected for the first round. The chosen elementals climbed atop of icebergs, glaciers, any mobile blocks of ice, before pummeling into the icy depths below.
Jahazrimi casted a spell onto the sea, emanating frost blue light. “On the count of three, you will all begin to breathe underwater.” It was hard to believe how she will keep track with so many elementals going in at once.
“One…….two…….three!” At once, they all dived down into the icy depths below. A massive tsunami of hypothermia causing water is heading towards us. The elementals are afraid and tried to evade and run away. I was planning to run too, when Ajax casted a frost shield, blocking the tons of water that were about to pour on our faces.
“Sissies.” He sneered at the elementals who were all drenched and cold.
It wasn’t before long that an elemental gave up and rose to the surface. He tried to cheat by grabbing a quick, deep breath and diving back to the sea. But he couldn’t, because he was frozen to ice, and ice is less dense than water, so Jahazrimi knew at once he was out of the game. That was the spell she casted on the water, I presumed. Immediately, I saw many, many more blocks of ice forming in the water.
“Five minutes are up!” Jahazrimi shouted. She undid the spell and the survivors rose to the surface. After a couple of minutes of calculations, she promulgated: “Congratulations to the 5762 elementals who survived, the rest of you will be returning to Alun-alun Masyarakat Pengadilan where you’ll all be sent home. I heard tons of groaning at once.
“Thank you for all coming.” She replied sympathetically. “Thanks that at least you all have the courage to help serve out kingdom.” She turned back to the others.
“Alright, round two begins now.” At once the kakitangan began searching for the elected elementals for the second round. Ajax and Matthius were in for the second round. I hoped that they both will survive this round. Ajax stood on top of a cliff, while Matthius climbed up a glacier. Jahazrimi casted the same spell into the water again.
“In….tiga…….dua…..satu…..pergi!” At once, Ajax and Matthius plunged into the freezing sea. I quickly ran into a cave to seek refuge from the merciless tsunami. I was shivering and panicking, but when I came out, I found Matthius and Ajax. Drenched, but happy. Time must have gone by so fast because I was utterly frozen.
“We did it!” Matthius said with glee. Giving a hi-five to Ajax. He then faced to me. “Only 4168 survived, and we’re two of them.”
“That’s awesome! So glad you two could make it!” I smiled with a huge grin on my face.
“Alright, congratulations to you all who made it!” Jahazrimi said. “Let the third round begin!” John was one of the elementals chosen for the third round. I did not want to talk about it. He did not make it. He rose to the surface after four and a half minutes. It was SO close. Although I didn’t really know him, but he was sort of a friend to me. We all wished our goodbyes to him, and he waved a hand at us and left. Surprisingly, he was smiling at us, like as if nothing ever happened, that was probably what I like about him most, a forever lasting optimistic spirit.
“Let the fourth round commence!” Jahazrimi shouted. The kakitangan began running around looking for the assigned candidates for round four.
“Hello sir.” I turned around. It was a kakitangan. “Are you Sayan Sejuk?”
“Yes I am.”
“You’re one of the assigned elementals for round four. Would you come with me please?”
“Sure.” I followed behind him. I figured as much that I would be chosen sooner or later. The nearer I walked into the sea, the more deeply I panicked. The wind was colder exponentially and so did my anxiety. I chose a very high cliff so that I may be as distant from the treacherous sea as possible. I took a deep breath, the cool air stinging my nose and prickling my feet. I was about to regret my decision being here when I heard a voice call my name. I turned around. It was Amelia. Turned out she was chosen too.
“Why did you come up to such a high place like this?” She asked me as soon as she caught up with me, inhaling the cold air. Unlike me, she did not hinder from this hiemal weather at all. She let her long, blonde hair fly with the wind and I can smell the eau de parfum she put on. It smelt nice. Aromatic fougere it’s called, if I remembered clearly, the mixture of all types of perfume fragrances together. It was perhaps the only thing that prevented me from feeling the burns in my feet and my skin.
“The nearer I am to the sea, the bigger my anxiety.” I replied.
“It’s silly for you to be afraid. You’ve lived in one of the harshest environments in all of Air Raya. Such a small thing like this wouldn’t affect you.” She smiled back. Perhaps Amelia and Ajax were right.
“You know what? Thank you for your encouragement.” I smiled, obtaining the new confidence I had in myself. Perhaps I can hold my breath underwater for five minutes, who knows.
“Alright, set your places everyone!” Jahazrimi alerted. Once again, that spell was used into the sea. “tiga……..dua……..satu……..pergi!” All at once, Me, Amelia and the other 49998 water elementals dived into the sea.
It was FREEZING. I can’t stress it enough. It was like being in temperatures thrice as worse than being stuck in the freezer with the water, rapidly absorbing all of my energy away, prickling my skin. My blood was rushing back to my chest and head, saving the most vital organs. I can feel the warmth dissipate from me. No wonder so little water elementals could survive this challenge.
Slowly, the luminosity decreased as I plunged even further to the depths of the sea. I tried to dig out a hole in the seabed and cover sand all over me to prevent heat loss, but even if it did, it was negligible. Such a waste of energy for that I thought to myself. It was amazing how my brain can still function properly after all this time being in the icy depths of the sea. But it was too much for me to handle, I need to gasp for air, energy and warmth. But, suddenly, a thought came into my mind.
My brain flashed me back into the moment the tsunami was crashing towards us. Ajax was using a frost shield! That’s it! I can cast spells to make me stay alive under this deleterious environment. I first used an air spell I’ve learned back when missionaries from the Air Kingdom came to visit Berlumpur Air. I blasted the water surrounding me. I then immediately cast a frost shield around me, 360 degrees of pure protection. It was still very sejuk, but at least it is still much warmer than the water itself.
Despite the darkness being in close proximity to the seabed, there was a huge clock I can see at the surface. It was a spell casted from Jahazrimi herself. When the clock turned zero, we are all allowed to reach the surface, moving on to the next round. I eyed at it two minutes and fifty two seconds, two minutes and fifty one seconds, two minutes and fifty seconds, I was waiting for it to end eagerly. During that cursed 170 seconds, I decided to explore around this sea and whatever life it may hold.
It wasn’t long before something caught my eye. Out of the grayish yellow of the sand of the seabed, there was a strong yellow in the shape of seaweed. I decided to take a closer look. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was not seaweed, it was hair. I would’ve recognized it anywhere.
“Amelia!” I shouted.
She was lying still at the bottom of the seabed, her eyes closed, as if comatose.
“Amelia!” I shouted even louder. Perhaps my frost barrier did not pass on the message, or it’s just the fact that my voice would be bubbly in the sea. I ran towards her. I quickly took off my frost barrier. At once, energy and heat started to dissipate from me again. But it didn’t matter. It was about saving a life. I felt her pulse. Nothing. I watched for bubbles coming out of her nose. Nothing. I was in great panic. All I could do was to create a larger frost barrier to protect both of us.
I blasted away the water with all my might, and shielded both of us with an even larger frost barrier. Alright, we’re in a much warmer place now I thought to myself. But I can’t warm the interiors of the frost barrier. I haven’t learnt any fire magic yet. All I could do was to stare up and wait for the clock to turn zero. Twenty four seconds. Darn it! A life’s at stake here! Damn it!
“You’ll be alright Amelia.” Like as if she will be able to respond me.
“I just want you to know that I thank both you and Ajax offering such encouragement to me. I wouldn’t have made it if it weren’t for you guys.”
I stared at the clock Sepuluh, Sembilan, Lapan, Tujuh, Ennam, Lima, Umpat, Tiga, Dua, Satu, Kusung! At once, the clock was gone and I lifted the frost barrier to the surface. Upon reaching the surface, I saw thousands and thousands of frozen bodies. Sad, I said to myself. When I reached the mainland, I quickly tore off the frost barrier, and I laid facedown on the boreal ground. It felt so much warmer than the icy sea. Ajax and Matthius rushed towards us.
“Are you alright?” They both asked me. Despite my complete lack of energy to move, Ajax lifted me up. He felt very strong.
“Me?” I paused, panting. “I guess I’m alright. Her? Not so good.”
“What happened?” Matthius asked.
“Found her in the seabed. No pulse, no breathing.” I looked at her. I didn’t want her to end this way.
Ajax felt her pulse in various locations. “She’s alright, she just needs to stay in a warm place and in a couple of minutes, she’ll be awake.”
We quickly lifted her up and dragged her into a cave. It is cold, but it would block out all the freezing harsh winds. The cave was far away from Jahazrimi. So all we could her were murmurs, but at least it informed us that Round 5 was inaugurating.
“It was sad John had to leave so soon” I started an icebreaker.
“True.” Matthius replied.
“It was because he lived in one of the urban areas of Air Raya. This was why he wasn’t trained like us. It was Tamadun Selatan if I remembered clearly.” Ajax said.
I nodded, having to face the inevitable. “It was just…..too soon.” I said. “He was SO close! Four and a half minutes!”
“True” Ajax replied.
I was shivering badly, with my face being all drenched. I think that even ice started to form my outer covering of my skin.
“At least it didn’t seem to hinder him too much.” Matthius noted.
I looked at Amelia. Her face started to grow less pale. That’s a sign of recovery. Ajax saw me stare at her.
“So…..how’d you find her?”
“Ohhh….decided to explore around the sea while I still have time, caught her lying in the seabed. Glad she’s okay.”
“You two are very fortunate you have passed the challenge. Only 924 have passed! Could you believe it!?” Matthius tried to interrupt.
“Wow……” I replied.
“Told you a person from Berlumpur Air could do it!” Ajax tried to cheer me up.
“Yeah, thanks to you and Amelia for encouragement.”
“Hey! What about me?” Matthius made an offended face.
“You’re a keldai.” I joked at him. “You never offered me kind words of encouragement to me.” Suddenly, I heard faint coughs. I looked down and faced Amelia, she was puffing out bits of water.
Matthius and I quickly raised her up to a sitting position.
“What happened?” Amelia asked, softly, her eyes barely open.
“You were in a coma.” Ajax replied “Sayan sav….” Murmurs.
“Must be Jahazrimi.” I said. “Can you walk?” I turned to face Amelia.
“Yeah…” she got up cumbersomely. We all headed back to the plenum when I felt a pat on my shoulder. I turned around.
“Thanks…..” Amelia smiled, her skin was beginning to become rosy again and her eyes are active again.
“Tidak ada masalah.” I smiled and continued walking to the plenum.
“Tahiah! Congratulations to all of you who made it. According to my statistics only 20397 made it! Can you believe it! 10% chance! Now we’ll be heading to Air Alasan to do the first REAL test! Let’s head out!”
Wow. I thought to myself. This is just the first round and only 10% survived. Geez. Maybe it seems I CAN have the opportunity to become an air tuan after all! We four made it to the next round. It was an epic moment. I felt pride in myself. A kakitangan assigned us to an ice dragon to ride its back on to fly to Air Alasan.
“I’ve never learnt dracotrian before.” I commented anxiously.
“It’s okay, he’s well trained, he wouldn’t let you guys fall. He’s called Blossom.”
“Awww…..he’s so cuddly!” Amelia touched the ice dragon’s furry skin. Blossom made a small purr, like a cat. No wonder he was given such a cute name. We all rode on Blossom, with Ajax at the front, then Matthius, Amelia and finally me at the back. The kakitangan gave a command, and Blossom flew. Air Asalan off we go!
Although I hadn’t taken any dracotrian lessons before, riding the dragon was very serene, it was like as if Blossom had a human mind of its own. We were above the clouds. It was very ethereal, like as if we’re running on the clouds themselves. The Achilles’ heal was that higher altitudes meant colder winds. My skin hurt at this height. Alamak.
It was about an hour’s ride before signs of Air Alasan began to show.
“Can you see Air Alasan?” Ajax turned towards us.
“Yeah. Didn’t know it was so big.” I kept my mouth open.
“Just like it was last year.” Matthius said.
After a few minutes, signs of Air Alasan began to stand out. It was a huge fortress floating on a cloud. With massive stone walls and fortified barriers, it must have taken years of construction along with the Kingdoms of Earth and Air. Blossom is a very amiable ice dragon. His landing to Air Alasan was so nimble and elegant that we hardly felt any recoil. We got off Blossom and touched the ground of Air Alasan with our feet. It was surprisingly warm, as if it absorbed all the energy from the sky itself. We then sat around beside Blossom, waiting for the rest of the water elementals to arrive.
As soon as the last ice dragon arrived at Air Alasan, Jahazrimi called out “Welcome to Air Alasan! This would be where the toughest challenges would take place, to determine whether you all have the capabilities to become an air tuan!” The applause was so loud it could be heard for miles.
“Welcome to Round dua!” Jahazrimi said with a smirk.
“Everybody…” Ajax said
“Everybody huddle to the middle!” Matthius shouted.
“Why?” I asked.
“You’ll see.” Ajax said. Even he seemed a bit panicky. All four of us ran quickly to reach as center of the water elemental crowd as possible.
“Melepaskan!” She shouted. Immediately, secret doors opened, and out came……oh no…….pufferfishes. All the water elementals screamed.
“Be careful. Be witty. Be strong! This is where I lost remember, Sayan?” Matthius shouted.
“Yeah. Now I realized why you didn’t pass this round.” I replied in fear.
The pufferfishes inflated and throw poisonous projectiles at the water elementals, one by one, they all fell down. Other pufferfishes just gave the water elementals a nasty bite and they immediately fainted. I was in shock.
“Behind you!” I turned around to see a pufferfish launching itself to attack me. Ajax crafted a water harpoon and threw it at the pufferfish. It did not injure it, but it pushed it away with huge force.
“Thanks. I owe you one.” I stared at Ajax.
“Don’t mention it.” He replied.
The pufferfish continued to charge towards me. The moment he was about to bite me, I jumped over him and did a somersault, and faced towards it. The pufferfish now treated me like I was his enemy, it inflated itself, and launched venomous needles towards me. Luckily, I remembered to cast a frost shield. The needles pierced the shield, but not completely to hit me. I sneered at the pufferfish. Out of anger, it tried to attack somebody else.
I then saw another pufferfish, lancing towards me. I dodged every of his attacks, trying to recap all that I’ve learnt about Air Seni Bela Diri, the martial arts in Air Raya. It snapped. I ducked. It launched a needle, I kicked the needle away. I then quickly casted a water pillar and it blasted the pufferfish into the sky, making it land to the ground with a thud. It then inflated upon the impact. I blasted it away knocking down other pufferfishes.
The chaos lasted for half an hour. Alongside with the hundreds of pufferfishes that fell, so did thousands of water elementals. They weren’t careful, witty or strong enough to overcome them. I was glad that the four of us survived this sabotage, not for Matthius and Ajax though. Only 11283 remained. The rest were healed by the kakitangan and were sent home.
Hope you all enjoy it and comments are appreciated 
!
Poll
