My skin hisses as water falling from the sky make a stop upon it. The fires within me burn from both passion and embarrassment after having an official first loss in a battle marked on my record. My name is Kaede Hiolne, Great General of the Fire Kraeka. At a young age, I had proven that I was faster, stronger, smarter than the rest of my kind. I could have become the leader by ancient laws prevented that no matter how many times I beat him in a duel. Over two thousand years in service as the Great General where I have never lost any single battle until just a little over an hour ago. I underestimated the humans in that little base and laughed at the pathetic defense against me or my command. Rin Kazashi... I've heard her surname before but couldn't believe it at the time. She held the family name of Kraeka her kind derived from. The humans might have forgotten about them as they had been hunted down to extinction but I will never forget the Human Kraeka. Now as to how that surname exists on just a normal girl is beyond my knowledge. The storm above me grows louder as the wind gales around me. In the distance, the clouds spiral creating a mass of a collection of trees and clouds. Realizing that bolts of electrical energy were coming from thin air rather than the storm, I made a mental note that a skirmish was happening in the distance and carry onwards. My mind wanders back towards my past thoughts of how I had lost my small siege of a base. I should have acted sooner when I realized the technique that Rin used on my group. If the Kraeka side of her family had to not survive it certainly just has to be their bothersome technique. It was a powerful ability, being able to manipulate another person's aura at your own will. Even at her young age as a Human, she seemed to have mastered it all together. I was mostly shocked but I can't say I'm not impressed with her either. That style of fighting must have originated from the old Kraeka side of her family and successfully passed down through the generations which would make her the strongest human in her current state. I pause my walking when an electric bolt passes by to strike a nearby tree. I flare up my aura around me in anger, thankfully receiving a yelp of fear in the distance.

"Gods no that's a Fire Kraeka I'm not fighting that!" I hear the rustling of leaves and gusts of wind indicating the Air Kraeka had paid me a visit not realizing who I am.

I deeply sigh before continuing onwards. I hated this continent and everything it stood for. It was lawless and therefore created a social norm of being out for yourself. In this case, those Air Kraeka attacked me thinking I was an easy target simply because they just can. I luckily can handle myself but my kind usually avoids the area if we can afford to. The rain picks up to pelt my skin with more water, basically causing a fog around my position. The perpetual storm above Commerce is my highest annoyance with the place. Don't get me wrong I like peaceful rain like the next lady my age, it is just a headache when you're alone in the middle of the woods.

After traveling a few miles practically talking to myself out of annoyance or boredom I finally reach a clearing in the woods. I stood a fairly large stone arch that scaled about five stories up. It had a nice light, sandy color to it and was rough over the course of erosion. Running up its sides and across its top were ancient runic Kraeka writing. Not a soul I know that can read it as its meaning has been long lost to us, but I do understand what it does in this case. They were part of an old magick system that involved pushing your aura into one particle rune to activate a complex spell. Parts of this process is known to the Earth Kraeka, the masons of the Kraetians, but it doesn't use any of the old languages. This particular structure happens to be a gate of transport. Briskly walking up to the structure I place my hand onto a curvy rune to the right. One by one the runes glow softly and the center has energy slowly fill in the empty space. Once it connected all of its edges it became a sort of window into another place in the world. I had to make a few adjustments to where it was supposed to take me as what I currently saw through it was an ocean view. I hesitate before putting my hand on the rune again to look around the view of the ocean. The beaches shone with the sunlight beaming down upon them and the waves crashed peacefully onto the shore. I recognized the landscape as a place called Meteorite Bay, an area a battle had taken place that decided the fate of the second great war. The destruction from it caused no survivors and the reformation of the landscape of the area, creating the bay and floating islands spanning for miles. I wanted to be there but I was back home defending it from a siege. I gather my thoughts back, remembering I needed to report in my loss, and recalibrate the location for the gate. Some fine tuning of my auras flow brings about a change in the image. Behind the aura made image was a chamber I had first entered the portal from. It resides within my capital and is connected to the main barracks. I take a meditative breath to prepare myself for what was to come and pass through.

Going through these gates is usually an unpleasant feeling. The aura that powers it feels invasive in your body unless you had activated it. Most people tend to get headaches or stomach problems from sudden climate changes. I've been through these thousands of times and I still bend over gagging.

"Great General? You're back!" One of the guards watching the gate gleefully exclaims towards the others. "If you're back so soon then was the siege a success?" Her eyes sparkled in anticipation.

"I'm... afraid the squad was wiped out. We ran into an unexpected..." I narrow my eyes as I think back to the battle. "Annoyance. Taking the base alone wouldn't mean anything so I retreated." I point out to several wounds Rin had given me. "Even I wasn't safe."

This causes the girls to mutter and stir. It's to be expected of them, the news of me accepting a loss hasn't been heard of since I took up the title of Great General.

"Oi get back to your post! Send the message to the lord that I have returned with grave news. If they need me they know where to find me." I walk briskly past them out of the room and into the open air of the Capitol city. It had been named Pyrhh, sharing a name with the nearby mountain range. The air shares a hint of sulfur and the surrounding earth has some volcanic sand mixed in. It gives the area a darker tint but to me nowhere else I would call home. I walk down a dirt path within the barracks with the purpose of getting to the sparring grounds. We take pride in our ability to spar one on one with anyone and usually dedicate our time to it. I enter the doors to an open spaced training ground. It was eerily quiet except for a single female of my kind doing her daily training.

"Ah, Xerena! Just the lady I was hoping to meet. Quick hand me a polearm." I casually walk and take off the heavier pieces of my armor. She turns to me in surprise while messing up some of her footwork. Xerena is, what I'm proud to say, my apprentice. Through training under me, she has proven herself to become a First Star General and I can say she has far more growth left in her.

"Lady Kaede! You're back so soon!" She scrambles around to grab a polearm and toss at me. I put down my halberd as I catch the staff, the weight much lighter than my real weapon. I twirl it briefly and put myself into a stance.

"I'm only back so soon because everything went disastrously wrong. I need to vent a little, so come at me!" I charge at her swinging with purpose and catching her slightly off guard, her reflexes were good enough though to at least deflect my blow. She hopped back to regain her foothold while putting herself into a similar stance that I did.

"Alright, granny don't be mad when I finally beat you!" This time she charges forward at me swinging from above. I put a lot of force behind a parry, the sound resonating within the room and causing her staff to pop out of her hands.

"Just cause you became a star under my tutelage doesn't mean you have the strength or wits. Practice the wits and we'll work on the strength." I pick her staff up, tossing it over to her. "Keep fighting like that and I'm afraid a skilled human could easily best you."

"Ha! I'd like to see a human try!" Through chuckles, she re-stances.

"Xerena." I rest the pole on its end while placing the palm of my hand on top of the other end. "A human beat me today in a duel." I felt embarrassed as soon as the worst left my mouth.

Xerena falls over a brief moment. "What?" She rubs her eyes and stares intently at me. "I must be tired because there's no way you're telling me that a human-"

I nod as I clash with Xerena's staff. "Forty-five of my squad were gone before I had a chance to rethink the strategy. One human." We slide away from each other to disengage. My knuckles go white as I clench my fist around the training weapon. "Just... Just one human..." I let out my frustration in a yell swinging towards Xerena in front of me. I hear her yell out as she tried to block it, only to be sent across the room. I drop the staff out of guilt and rush over to her while calling out her name. My annoyance and anger didn't deserve to be sent her way. "I'm sorry Xerena, that was uncalled for-" I was reaching down to pick her up until she yanked her staff to sweep my feet. Catching me off guard I of course fall to the ground also.

"Don't underestimate me Kaede" She smirks as she picks herself off the ground. I simply laid there in fake awe.

"Wow, even my pupil is outwitting me today. What has the world come to." I clamber to my feet like I had been hurt for eternity only to receive a grim look from Xerena.

"One human really bested you Kaede?" I heard the concern in her voice override the disbelief her expression was showing. With a sigh, I get up to put my polearm back where it was and pick up my own halberd.

"She was... a skilled fighter for a human. Complete with a technique I haven't seen since the second war. She cut them down only hesitating at first and gained confidence as she fell more. When I finally clashed with her..." I was resting the halberd in both hands, clenching down on its shaft. "She was able to match my blow and hold her own. I made the realization a fight on my scale would have cost more than gained and so as others joined her I announced her win." Deep in my thoughts, I was running my fingers along the flat side of the Halberd to trace its intricate design.

"Wait." Xerena at this point was sitting cross-legged on the floor with the training staff resting on her legs. Her curious tone brought me out of my thoughts and stop tracing with my fingers. "There exists a person in this world that can be equal in your power?"

"Yes... and well no." I join her on the floor and set my Halberd to the side. "No as in her technique allowed her to gain the power exponentially to fight back. Without that, she could have held herself off still from her skill alone, but eventually, succumb to the greater strength difference." Xerena's eyes get darker in contemplation.

"That sounds a bit scary, even if it's just one human." A spark of curiosity brings back some color to her as she perks up. "So what exactly was she doing?"

"Aura Manipulation." I make a motion with my fingers dancing through the air. "Long lost secret of the now deceased Oraeka. I have a feeling she doesn't know of its origin either, nor her family names secret." As Xerena tilts her head in confusion I continue forward. "Yes. Her surname is Kazashi. Rin Kazashi. Old powerful Family they were, the Kazashi's. Rivaled only by the Yuutsu family back in the second war." My apprentice's eyes were bulging from this knowledge.

"So if that's the no side of the answer... then who equals your strength?"

Xerena didn't mean for it but her question brought back old sharp memories of someone I knew very well before the second war. Realizing I hadn't answered I clear my throat.

"That... would be Kutaru Yuutsu. My uh... deceased ex." Xerena looked stricken before me, raising her hands and waving them wildly.

"SORRY! That was an inappropriate question ma'am-"

"It's fine Xerena." I try to wave her concern away just to hide my embarrassment for even a small moment. "We ended up on the wrong sides of a war. He himself ended it. I find myself... envious of that moment of time." I bring myself to stand up while scrubbing dust off the simple clothing I had underneath my armor from earlier. Picking up the armor to put back on brought its cold feel back onto my skin. If only the heat from the memories the battles I've partaken in would wear out. "That is until you came along. If I had any other purpose in this world, then training you have been worth it Xerena." I smile towards her while strapping the metal to myself. "Just keep practicing. Before long I could see you as a second star soon enough which would put you immediately under me in battle. Of course, you're still under me but I'd like to keep my eye on your commanding style."

"Aye, sir Kaede." Slowly spoken in sarcasm, Xerena goes to pick up another training dummy to put into the center of the room. This time instead of a polearm she was practicing her use of fire and aura flow.