Last of the Legacy

Sven

Ria

Fire licked at her skin, burning her. She fought for a way out of her fiery torture. “Sven!” Her brother was nowhere to be found. Where was he? She struggled against the arms of fire bringing her closer to the pit. “Sven!” Finally she pushed out of the heat only to fall onto cold stone ground. Breathing heavily, she stood up and grasped the wall for support, adjusting her eyes to the darkness of the room. Where was her brother? She felt the wall and continued on before stumbling across something soft. A body. She looked down, a body covered in blood. Completely covered, the only thing she could catch was the green converse high-tops. Sven’s high-tops and then the flames caught her again.

Ria woke up gasping for breath, the cold night air slamming into her nose. “Sven,” she gasped. Her brother moaned and turned in his bed to face her.

Seeing her pale face covered in sweat, he frowned and got up. “Ria?” Ria shook; she couldn’t get her words out of her mouth. Everything was stuck inside her throat, choking her. Sven walked over, concern written all over his face. Gently, he massaged her throat until she could breathe properly again. “Better?”

“Fire,” gasped Ria, “Everywhere, grabbing me. You were there…blood everywhere.”

“Shhh…” Sven gently wrapped his arms around her holding her closely letting the healing light seep through his fingers into her body, calming down her frightened system, soothing her back to sleep.

“NO!” Ria pushed away from him. “You have to know what I saw!” Sven nodded his face grim. “I was in this fire pit, flames were everywhere. They had arms and they were reaching for me. I got out and began to look for you. I tripped over you. You were covered in blood, dead, on the floor. Your converse soaked. What is going on? Are you going to die?”

Sven sighed, “That’s not the first time you dreamed of fire. You’re firedanced. Your element is fire. You won’t die or burn if you stay in fire. I will. I am earthdanced. I heal, you destroy. It’s simple.”

“So you would die if you touched fire?” Ria frowned.

“Not really, but it doesn’t suit me,” her brother answered. “Now go to sleep.” Once again, Sven enfolded his sister in his embrace and sent her to sleep.

~

“Come on slow-poke,” Sven called over his shoulder as he jogged up the trail.

“Wait up you cheetah!” Ria shouted. Sven laughed as he slowed down and allowed his panting sister to catch up.

“You sound like a horse!” he teased.

“I’ll…get…you…for…this…” Ria panted. “Just…let…me…catch…my breath…”

“Liking the hike so far?” Sven laughed.

Ria glared at him, “More like a marathon. You sprinted up that hill like a rabbit. What happened to enjoying the scenery?”

“Oops, forgot about that.”

“Yeah right.”

“Come on, let’s keep going,” Sven pushed Ria ahead of him. “Let’s go snail-brain.” Ria tossed him an evil glare, promising that she would get him back for this. Sven rolled his eyes and shrugged. Together, they continued up the mountain.

Soon, they reached their cliff, a circle of smooth stones sat at the center of the flat edge. Sven sat down and slipped off the backpack that he had been carrying. Ria slumped down next to him. The two of them stared off into the distance, staring at the beauty.

Suddenly, Ria groaned. Sven turned to see his sister bowled over, fire growing from her fingertips. He reached over and touched her, allowing dirt to flow from his hands in an attempt to smother the flames. The flames caught on to his hands and refused to let go, biting into him. Sven struggled to kill the flames but it only grew stronger, reaching for him. Consuming him, burning him. He slumped down and allowed the pain to overtake him.

~

Ria opened her eyes. She was in room made of black marble. A throne stood in front of her. A figure in white sat on top of the throne. “Welcome Firedance Warrior,” the figure boomed.

“Where am I? Where is Sven?” Ria struggled to sit up only to realize that she was tied to the chair. “Let me go!”

“No Warrior, you must watch.” The figure waved his hand and an alter appeared with…Sven’s body on it.

“Ria?” Sven’s weak voice broke through her trance.

“No!” Ria launched herself against her bonds, but they were made of iron.

“Watch little warrior, watch this sacrifice!”

Ria stared in horror as flames jumped out from the alter and began to lick at her brother. “SVEN!” she screamed. “Let him go!” The figure only laughed at the two siblings feeble attempts to get free. “No, I won’t let you do this!” Ria glared at the figure and unexpectedly, flames of blue leapt up and consumed the figure.

“What? What is this?!” the figure screamed.

“Burn in your own fire ditch!” Ria shouted as the flames ate the figure up and he disappeared. “Sven,” Ria whispered weakly, all her strength gone.

“Ria,” Sven groaned. He turned to glance at his sister and smiled softly then closed his eyes. Ria smiled too and closed her eyes as well. The two bodies lay in a chamber of stone, one with fire flickering every so often at her body and the other with plants growing beside him. Eternally.

Two figures watched, one of the figures winced at his new burn wounds. “You acted too quickly. They’re gone. The last element warriors are gone.”

The fire figure glared at the other one, “You wanted this too,” he accused.

“Yes,” the other figure replied , “But not so soon. Our legacy is dead with them. Our success and wonders.”

"And our failures."