Will and Master Qi made their way to the courtyard, where lo and behold stood a small wooden statue of the god of air. He looked as though he was being held up by the thinnest piece of wood, surrounded by clouds. 

“Master, may I ask, how do you know all of this stuff?” Will queried as he entered the courtyard.

“Hahahaha…I have my eyes and ears and many sources of information, my boy! Well, that, and I’m old! Hah! I know things, I see things, that, and I also have monthly afternoon tea with the seers, love the finger sandwiches they do!” the old man stated with a cheeky grin.

“Touch this statue and charge it with some air magic, Will, it will help protect us and the power of air magic. It is the statue of the god of air.  This statue appearing is a sure sign from the gods!” 

Noticing Will’s doubtful gaze, Master Qi scolded him “Don’t look at me like that! Yes, of course, they still exist, somewhere in the world…anyway, breathe some life into it!” Master Qi smiled a wide toothy grin as Will turned to the statue and proceeded to touch it lightly.

The statue began to glow a bright light blue-grey as the wind picked up and blew gently all around, while little clouds began to float out of and around the statue naturally, the wind picked up more and turned into a small orb levitating the statue up a little way, to hover delicately off the ground.

The air itself had changed, a shift had occurred. Will felt invigorated and alive, suddenly, he knew what he could and couldn’t do, or at least had a renewed sense of confidence in his abilities at least and was now itching to try them out.

Calling upon the winds and the weather to fly, Will hovered for a few unsteady moments, then gathering his thoughts, shot off high into the sky. He had never flown this high before. He could feel the power coursing through his veins, the winds whipped about him as he danced with the clouds in the sky and called forth thunder and lightning, snow and ice, he was powerful and strong. It was as if a switch had been flipped inside him, unlocking all this potential.

He landed and bowed deeply to his master, “It’s like something has been unlocked inside me, Master Qi, is it because of that statue?” he said a tad breathlessly.

Master Qi only smiled broader and, nodded while laughing as he pulled Will into a warm hug.

“Congratulations, my boy! You have unlocked your full potential! But, take some books with you, as you still have much to learn to fully control your powers and you must remember to always be kind, and compassionate, be your healthy, happy self, and have fun! Go learn about the world, explore and enjoy,” the master said as he released Will from his father-like embrace.

“I raised you as good as my own and I am so proud of you, and somewhere, with the sky god, your parents are watching over you and us all. I know they are very proud of you.” Master Qi said warmly as he led Will away into the kitchens, where everyone had already gathered for their evening meal. 

The smell of the deliciously rich food floated through the air and fused with the heat of the dying day outside, making for a heady nostalgic mix; Will was transported back to his younger self, running around the kitchen and tasting his parents’ food before everyone came in bellies rumbling. Such joyful times he had in that kitchen hall.

Remembering himself, Will bowed and broke away from Master Qi to go sit with his classmates and ordered a big bowl of noodles in a clear but rich broth with pulled chicken, coriander and spring onions.

They all laughed and ate joyfully, for in two days' time would be his chance to go out into the big wide world. He finally had his chance to explore the lands he had so often read about and heard stories from the travelling merchants, who always stopped by the temple on their way through the bustling city.

Will had spent the next two days packing, reading and training for the people and places he might find out in the world. Their library was a cool respite from the blazing heat of the summer outside. Will found a book which spoke of the various rituals and cultural differences of the lands and popped it into his back for use as a reference book.

The second afternoon came and the land of the Sanctum had floated over to the lands of Onyx, where they will be moored for the next week.

“It’s time for you to go, m’boy, good luck,” Master Qi said as he walked Will from his dorm over towards the main gates of the air temple, where a group of students and teachers had gathered. 

Will gave them all a deep and respectful bow and a broad happy smile. “Thank you, everyone, wish me luck! I wanna see how well you’ve all improved when I get back! Haha” he said somewhat shyly.

Will set off with his foldaway staff and pole, his fan and his chain blades hanging casually from his belt sash. He took some time to wander the streets and take in some of the heady mixes of spices, flavours, smells, sights and sounds that made this a city teeming with all life had to offer. 

“GET YOUR FRESH EGGS HERE!” 

“STEP UP, STEP UP FOR AN AMAZING PRIZE TO BE WON!”

“FRESHLY COOKED HOT LUNCHES READY TO GO! GET IT WHILE IT’S HOT!” 

The street hawkers and vendors screamed out to no one in particular along a crowded street filled will people of all kinds, all jostling for space and trying not to get too deafened by the shouts of the merchants. Will smiled as he left the crowd behind, thinking that he would miss this place, his home, but these prophecies needed to be looked into.

Continuing on, along some narrow and some wider streets, he eventually made it to the national airship base to make the somewhat long journey to Onyx, the city of fire and brimstone, ruled by Mistress ‘The Flame’ Nuria. He had heard all kinds of stories about her and wondered if any of them were true. 

As he made his way through the airship base, he picked up supplies, water, clothes and the latest magical satchel, the ‘YuBag X’, it could hold anything and everything inside it of any size or descript, and swapped his things into it. Will was still unsure about the additional features and pondered if it’s worth paying extra for the latest model when they seem to come out with a new model every few months! Refocussing on the recent significant change in his life -  he was finally off! Off on his first proper travels outside of the city, off of The Sanctum; he had always dreamt of what the world was like.

As he stepped onto the ship the air smelled especially sweet and fragrant today, with clear sunny skies full of hope and promise. The wind gently twirled around him as the ship departed and set sail gently for Onyx.