Hiro Kouen was recently going through his father's belongings in his family's home in Sularia.  He hadn't gone through his belongings in his father's forge since he had died.  Everything had a thick cover of dust on it.  The forge was cold and dead.  it brought back bittersweet memories, good memories of spending time with his father, and the sad ones of losing him.  He found the handle of Temenos, the famed blade his father used that could absorb elemental magic that his father used.  His father was a Phoenix Knight, but at one point he was capable of using all four elements.  The handle was very heavy, disproportionately to the size of it.  Maybe some amount magical power was left in it, or maybe not.  It was a blade not forged in Revaliir.

There was a bunch of books HIro found on his father's work desk.  Books on fire, magical theory, enchanting weapons, sword techniques.  Things a blacksmith and a Phoenix Knight, a magical swordsman focused on fire could use.  He flipped through some of the pages, finding them with notes scribbed on the sides of the page.  There were magical formulas, and he had made some improvements to them.  His father was smarter than people gave him credit for, Hiro noticed.  There was also a journal, written by Sabishii himself.  He had no idea his father had kept a book of his thoughts and musings.  He held the book in his hands, wondering if it was right to go through it.  Working up the courage, he started reading through the pages.  Sabishii had written about his thoughts on life, love, missing his wife (who was Hiro's mother).  A couple past experiences with other women, as well as battles he fought in DaeLuin.

There was a large section Sabishii had written though, about wanting to reawaken latent magical power within himself.  Elemental magic.  Magic relating to the four elements.  He had once been able to access all four elements, but he had lost access to those elements when he left DaeLuin, along with much of his strength.  He related it to an order of Knights he was involved with many years ago, in a faraway land, far off from DaeLuin, where the knights each had elemental specialties, but the training was similar for each specialist.  It was a battle style revolving around swordplay and magic.  The master of this order of knights, the master of this style, could use magic of all four elements, and could even weave the elements together, combining them together for more potent spells.  But it was a very difficult style to learn, let alone master.  Even Sabishii himself couldn't combine elements together like that.  He started off only being able to use fire, before unlocking other elements  But fire remained his specialty.

Sabishii also wrote about the connections to a group of warriors called "Mana Knights" unrelated, but similar to the Order of Elemental Knights that Sabishii trained with..  They were magical knights in DaeLuin that could cast arcane magic.  Spellswords,Mana Knights, Red Mages, Elemental Knights, Phoenix Knight, Storm Knight, Terra Knight, Glacier Knight, there were many kinds of knights and magical warriors that could use sword and spell together.

Hiro read the journal end to end before closing the book.  He wiped the tears from his eyes.  The last chapter of the journal had talked about not wanting to let his son down, hoping he would pick up his torch, to become a great hero like he had in DaeLuin.  Few people knew Sabishii in Revaliir, mostly those who had came from DaeLuin originally.  But he wanted Hiro's name to become as well known, or even more so in Revaliir, than his own in DaeLuin.  There was now a look of determination in his eyes.

"I know what I must do, Father.  I won't let you down."

Some time later, the young man made his way to the Temple Library: Tae Eisalae, domain of Lord Drae, God of Knowledge and Magic.  If anyone could make sense of this, and help him unlock this potential, shed some light on this Elemental Knight mystery, and allow Hiro to use it for himself, it was Lord Drae.  He entered the temple through the normal method, having been there before when he was courting Lady Sapphire.  Hiro was wearing his crimson armor, and carried with him the journal that his father had written, and the handle of Temenos.  Why?  He didn't know.

He made his way into the Temple LIbrary, reminded of the time that Hiro was shown his place by Lord Drae, thrown off the stairs before being caught right before he hit the ground.  In case he messed with Sapphire's heart.  He swallowed hard.  The God had to know he was here. 

"Lord Drae, I am here again to speak to you., my father passed away.  He died in battle, fighting against Lord Xunatar, and Lady Dalanesca, when they threatened the world.  I was there with him, though we were unable to stop them with their seven deadly sin curse plan.  However, in his belongings, he left behind a journal, he talked about magic knights, a way to unlock the power to use all four elements, and weave elements together in combinations.  Can you help me reach my potential, please?"  He looked around the Library, seeing no one else there.  "On a personal note, I hope Lady Sapphire is doing well.  I haven't seen or heard word from her in ages."  They broke up some time ago, though with no hard feelings or anything.  They just weren't working out at that time, and decided to separate.

There was no immediate answer. In fact there didn't seem to be anyone wandering the main floor of the Library. After a few minutes of typical library quiet, a large feline, easily the size of a tiger with a pelt that mirrored the sky at night padded softly up to Hiro and rubbed up against him. The boy was a familiar face. Lightly Tar Eisalae grabbed the hem of Hiro's cloak and pulled him towards the Codex, the Tree of Clarity, and the crystal staircase. The celestial cat was rather insistent in tugging on Hiro's cloak before it released him and moved quickly over to the crystal levitating disk that would carry them up into the Occulus. The giant cat sat down and waited for Hiro before they began the ascent up to the Keeper's throne.  

 Drae was standing in the Occulus, papers and books scattered across a table that was situated behind his throne while Myrra chewed happily on a rattle on his armchair throne, the plush pillows keeping her upright. As the platform came to rest beneath the giant crystal orbs that represented Revaliir and her sister moons, Drae looked up from his work and acknowledged Tar Eisalae and Hiro's arrival.

 "You know, Hiro, most people wait to start conversations until they actually see people face to face, rather than start talking to them in an empty doorway,” Drae said as he continued shuffling around his papers. He paused and looked up at the young man who had once been courting his daughter. “It’s been a while. You look good, kid. I am sorry to hear about your parents… a lot of good people were lost during the onslaught of the Seven Deadly Sins… a lot of innocents…” he grew silent and knocked on the heavy wood desk.   

“Sapphire is doing fine. She’s in Karith at the College there. She’s thriving and happy. Now… you came to me to help you reach your full potential. I’m curious to hear why you think you haven’t already reached it,” he said as he came around the desk and folded his arms across his chest. Myrra babbled happily on his throne and shook her rattle at Hiro before it clattered to the floor. She shrieked loudly and Drae lifted a hand and the rattle flew back up into her pudgy hands.  

There was no one in the library at first, Hiro's eyes glanced about, looking for signs of movement.  Then he felt a tugging at his cloak, looking down, a beautiful celestial cat, Tar Eisalae, who Hiro had been familiar with, was leading him to where presumably Lord Drae would be.  He briefly petted the cat before following the large cat to the levitating disk, which brought the two of them up to the Occulus, where Lord Drae was sitting down, along with his child.

"Yeah, sorry, I guess I have a habit of leaping before I look, but I figured you would know what I'm saying no matter where in your domain I am, being a God and all," Hiro smiled, with his hand behind his head, slightly embarrassed.  The conversation took a more somber tone though, when went to the topic of his parents.  "It's okay.  Mother died due to the Sins themselves, father and I went to confront those responsible, Dalanesca and Xunatar, and . . . it didn't go well.  I wish there was more that we could've done, but I guess it was a foolish decision.  But it was ours to make, both Father and mine.  I just wish he could have made it out of there alive."  His father was immolated by Dalanesca's hellfire.  But even in death, Sabishii did not falter, he embraced Dalanesca, in an attempt to take her down with him, even though the incredible pain of burning alive through an infernal fire he could not resist.  Any mortal flame, any mortal enemy, it may not have turned out that way.  But their opponents were Gods, it wasn't possible.

Drae answered his question about Sapphire, she was fine, she was happy, learning at the College at Karith, which is why they broke up.  She wanted to learn at the school there, and didn't have time for a relationship.  Hiro understood.  "Good, I'm glad she's happy and doing well."  Back to the point, he wanted to reach his full potential, and Lord Drae wanted to know how Hiro thought he wasn't already at his full potential.  "I would think I haven't peaked yet at only 18 years of age," he said with a laugh.  "But seriously though, my father, he was originally human with a fire affinity, he became a Deity of the realm he was in, and it changed him to a full kind of elemental, but when he fell, he remained powerful.  Not only was he still strong with fire, he started feeling the pull of other elements.  He was able to learn the other elements.  I have some of his notes, his journal, it talked about using his training as a Phoenix Knight, a warrior using the power of righteous fire, as a stepping stone to achieve something higher.  He became stronger for a mortal, but he felt there was something more than just being able to master the four elements.  Maybe there was a way to combine them.  I'm my father's son.  I can only use fire right now, but I know if I train and learn more, I can learn the other elements, like he did, maybe become better at them, and maybe start combining them in different ways."  Hiro pulled out the journal he found his father had left behind.  "He also had a sword that could absorb any of the elements he focused into it.  It was named Temenos.  I have the hilt of the blade, it has some magic left in it, and father left behind notes on how he made it, and ways he could have improved on the magic properties of the sword.  So I'm going to have to find a proper blacksmith maybe, and find the materials required to build a sword to surpass the sword my father had.  I'm going to focus on the getting stronger part first though, of course.  If any aid could be offered, though it'd be appreciated.  Please help me, Lord Drae."  His eyes wandered toward the beautiful child, Myrra that was playing by him.  He smiled at Myrra, she was a beautiful child.

Drae looked thoughtful and moved around his desk to examine Hiro. He circled him, very vulture-like, for a moment. Yes, yes. The boy did have the potential to be a lot more. He had the capability too. The product of a phoenix and a powerful pyromancer, certainly fire was strong in him. But fire could lead to a foothold into the magics of wind and earth. Water would be tricky. 

"Iris!" Drae called quite suddenly. Drae's avatar, Iris, a young woman who looked like she could have either been Drae's daughter, or even much younger twin sister, which was hard to determine appeared. 

"Yes, Sir?" she asked standing pristinely practically right behind Hiro. 

"You remember young Hiro Kouen?" Drae asked. "He was courting Sapphire some months ago?"

"We did not have the pleasure of meeting, but I do know of him. It is a pleasure to meet you, Master Hiro," she replied, giving Hiro a slight bow of respect. 

"Hiro, this is my Avatar Iris," Drae said, introducing the pair. "Iris will help intermittently with the training I am prepared to offer you. In the meantime, Iris will you please take Myrra to Lady Angela?" 

"Certainly, Master Drae," Iris replied brightly before she moved past Hiro, her undulating silver-green-blue eyes examining him briefly in passing before she scooped up the baby from Drae's throne. Myrra babbled happily and pulled lightly at Iris's hair as the pair disappeared back down the stairs into the main library. 

Drae turned his full attention back to Hiro. "May I see the hilt of this blade Temenos?" he asked, holding his hand out expectantly. 

Hiro knew he could do more than just fire, his father was able to, so it certain he could do it too.  It wouldn't be easy, but he would work hard and train hard to learn what he needed to learn to become much more than he was currently.  Drae circled around Hiro, as if examining him and his potential.  The God then suddenly called out for someone named Iris.  A young woman appeared, who looked much like Drae, and could probably pass as a daughter or baby sister.  He introduced Iris to Hiro, as his Avatar.  She appeared behind Hiro, causing Hiro let out a gasp of surprise, as he turned around and took several steps back.  He didn't hear her approach him, he didn't sense any movement, so she must have been summoned or teleported here.

"Oh!  You gave me a start!  The pleasure is mine, Lady Iris, nice to meet you, I'll work hard to meet you and Lord Drae's expectations," Hiro said, bowing to the lady to also show his respect.  She was asked to take his daughter back to Lady Angela, which she did, taking the child and leaving the room.  Hiro was asked to see the hilt of his father's sword, Temenos.  Hiro reached out his hand and after a moment of concentration, summoned the hilt into his hand, the hilt having an overworldly appearance, it was made with a dark metal that appeared to give off magical tingles when touched.  HIs father forged this sword, it was his trusted weapon.  "From what I know, Temenos was made using an alloy of star metal, metal from a meteor that fell from the heavens, and combined with techniques and other metal to give it elemental properties.  It feels like it can drain the mana out of me if I let it.  My Father, Sabishii, he forged this while he was still a deity in DaeLuin, the world we originated from.  He used the techniques passed down to him through generations of Kouen smiths, and from another Deity, a God named Judge."  He handed the hilt of Temenos to Lord Drae as he was requested.  The hilt had a surprising weight to it, despite it's size.  It belonged to a blade that could be wielded in one hand, or both, a bastard sword.

"I'm told he was a powerful, wise, and well respected Deity.  Father said he was almost Omniscient, but I don't know if that was hyperbole, or the truth.  I was also told he was killed after saving the realm from destruction.  He was stabbed by a poisoned dagger after exhausting his power.  Father told me many stories as a lad.  What the hell kind of poison could kill an immortal, even a weakened one?"  It baffled his young mind, that something, other than a Godslayer weapon, or the death of a World Tree, could kill a Deity, even if the natural rules of DaeLuin might be different than the rules of Revaliir.

Drae took the celestial metal hilt and felt its weight in his hands as Hiro gave the history of the weapon. Like Hiro mentioned, Drae could feel the hilt draw upon the mana that was an essential part of his being unordered power itself. He pulled back on the mana experimentally, but paused and raised an eyebrow when the fallen god Judge was brought up. 

"I wasn't one of those individuals who had a double come from your other world during the Time Death, but Judge is one that I am familiar with. He was a predecessor of both Naota and Xunatar for the domains of dreams and chaos. He created Hoja Mesto as his domain initially. I keep several of his and his son Mendean relics here in Tar Eisalae," he explained as he pushed mana into Temenos. A blade of pure energy burst forth from the hilt. With a thought the energy became fire, magma, crystal, ice, water, and plasma in turn before he withdrew the mana again and returned the hilt to Go to.

"Contrary to popular belief, Hiro, the gods are not completely invulnerable. Immortal, yes, but not invulnerable. We can fall at the hands of another god, or by the will of the Voice and the World Tree," he told the young man and folded his arms across his chest. "But we are not here to discuss that matter. You are here for me to teach you. You have the capability to master all the elements. We just need to address how."

Hiro had handed the remains of Temenos to Lord Drae, he experimented with it, he could see the energy flowing around it as he toyed with its power.  Hiro mentioned the God Judge from the other realm.  It seemed, while Lord Drae did not come from DaeLuin, or had a double here, he knew about him, and explained that he created the city Hoja Mesto as his domain originally, and he owned several relics of both Judge and his son, Mendean.  With that said, he could see the mana flow into Temeons, and it erupted from the hilt in many different forms and combinations.  He felt the heat from fire, the magma from combined fire and earth, the chill when he combined earth and water-ice to make crystal, ice, pure water, and then finally to combine air-lightning with flame to create a powerful surging energy, plasma.  Hiro's eyes lit up as he watched all of this happening.  He tried taking note of what he was doing, as he studied the flows of energy from Lord Drae to the sword, and the effect it had on it.

"That is what I want to learn to do.  That's what I want to do.  Not only channel the different elements, which my father could do after falling from being Avatar of Fire and training hard, but combine them in different forms, which he could not do.  That is how I plan to surpass my father's skills.  If I could combine elements, and unleash, say, plasma to melt defenses, or combine water and lightning, maybe create electrically charged crystals, it'd be difficult for a foe to defend against.  I would like to think using my powers and abilities creatively in combat is one of my strong suits, and this would play into that."  Hiro smiled at the God who would be his teacher.  Hiro took the hilt back and put it away for now.  Drae talked about Deities not being totally invulnerable, despite being immortal.  A God could kill another God; or the Voice and the World Tree could kill or make a Deity fall.  It was good to know, though ultimate, Hiro did not dream of destroying Gods.  He hated Xunatar and Dalanesca for what they did to his father, but there wasn't much he could do against them.  He had to make his own impact on the world, and that was not through killing a God or two.  They would get theirs, eventually, not through his hands, but maybe through karma: the belief that those who do good, would have good things happen to them, and those who wronged others would befall poor fortune.

"Yes.  Agreed.  So, my father always talked about emotions enhancing magic, or getting in tune with the elements.  We would train for fire in, or near a volcano.  I've tried to channel the element of water by sitting in the snow, but that wasn't working, I almost caught my death by cold that way," he laughed.  "Maybe I started with the wrong element to learn first.  Earth and air are closer to fire than water is.  Water might be hard to learn, but not impossible, I think.  I focus through force of will to make fire do what I want, concentration, controlling mana from my body and the environment,"  Hiro demonstrated by summoning a small flame to his fingertips, growing it larger to the size of a common fireball that would fit in his hand, growing it even larger, then dissipating it into nothing but smoke in the air.

"Naturally, Hiro, the element that is most opposite to you is going to be the most difficult to learn. And learning it might require some drastic steps. You have fire mastered already, and that is an element that runs through your family. So, water is what we will tackle first. Though, sitting in the snow obviously did not work for you. Making yourself cold doesn't necessarily allow yourself to connect with the element," Drae explained as he flicked his finger and blew the smoke from Hiro's hands and out of the Occulus. 

"Come with me," he said, motioning for Hiro to join him on the floating disk, and it began to descend to the main floor. "We are going to see what we need to do to unlock this potential in you." He walked past the Tree of Clarity and through the rows of shelves towards the archway that would take them into the training rooms. He snapped his fingers and the entire room began to shift, the stone walls and floor slowly receding as water filled the space left. 

"Snow is essentially like magma. Magma is superheated rock, and snow is simply water that has had all heat removed. You are not going to be able to move snow from the get go. It is water's extreme. So, we are starting with water, in its most basic form."

Hiro listened to Lord Drae has he explained that it would take some drastic steps to learn water, and that's what would they would start with first.

"I imagine after learning to control water, everything else becomes . . . elementary?" he smirked at the pun he just made.  "Makes sense, that's why you want me to start at the hardest element for me learn first, then go back and learn the other elements, which would be easier, since they have more in common with fire than water."  Hiro nodded, and followed Drae onto the floating disk, which descended to the main floor.  He followed the God into one of the training rooms, where the walls and ceiling started to move, the whole room starting to fill with water.

Lord Drae started to explain that snow was like magma.  Magma was rock that was heated to the extreme, while snow and ice were water with the heat removed and made solid, crystalline.  "That makes sense, so we've got a room filled with water.  What would you like me to do?  Take my shirt off and jump in?  I expect to get wet no matter what you have me do, Lord Drae."

"It isn't just that it is the polar opposite of your choice element, it is also the opposite of you in personality. You and your family all have heated, passionate personalities that are powerful and potentially destructive like fire. Sometimes more than a little impatient. Water is your opposite in every way. Fire consumes all in a brief moment, while water slowly whittles away at what obstructs it. Tell me, Hiro… what do you have to control in yourself in order to control your fire?" Drae asked as the room continued to change around them. He stood at the edge of the water and smoothly made pushing and pulling motions with his hands. The water at his feet slowly receded and came forward, imitating the waves upon the ocean.