Under the night sky filled with stars, five young teens emerge from a forest naturally ablaze and reached a large metal gate out of breath but they haven't broken a sweat.
Alex takes the lead and walks towards the gate removing a card from his storage ring. He walks to a metallic booth to the side of the gate. In the booth was a guard with green hair dozing off.
Alex knocks on the hard glass to get the middle aged men's attention before inserting an orange card in a slot with the letter 'C' written on the top right. It had intricate dark yellow circuitry going through it with a chip located on the right edge. The card looked like a futuristic bank card with an image of of a shield with two swords crossing behind it in a "X' format taking up most of the left side of the card.
The middle age man yawned and grabbed the card that went through on his side in the booth and tapped it on a chip reader accessing all the info on the card that pulled up on a screen next to him. He didn't really pay attention to the screen due to the characteristics of Alex that made up the main branch and immediately pressed the button to give them access to the gate.
Metallic gears started to sound and the clanking of something being unlocked until the double doors opened up to a beautiful city view.
Lanterns, filled with ever-burning fire, lined the cobblestone streets, casting a warm, orange light that danced in the shadows. These lanterns, suspended from ornate metalwork, swayed gently with the breeze, their flames undeterred by the wind, as if imbued with a life of their own.
Walking through the gates, the air itself seemed to shimmer with heat and energy. The buildings, constructed from dark stone and reinforced with fire-hardened clay, bore elaborate carvings depicting legendary fire elementals and historic battles fought with flames. Roofs were crowned with fiery spires, their tips glowing as if kissed by the sun's last rays.
In the heart of the clan, large braziers filled with crackling fire illuminated public squares, where the inhabitants, dressed in robes of deep reds and golds, gathered. Their faces glowed in the firelight, eyes reflecting the very element they commanded. Children chased each other, trailing sparks and laughter, while elders sat in quiet conversation, their voices low and resonant, like the comforting crackle of a hearth.
The marketplace buzzed with activity, stalls offering exotic goods and alchemical fire potions, the air filled with the enticing aromas of roasted meats and spiced drinks. Fire dancers performed in the open spaces, their movements fluid and mesmerizing, as flames coiled around their bodies, responding to their every gesture with dazzling displays of light and heat.
Above it all, the grand citadel of the clan loomed, its massive structure crowned with a colossal pyre that burned day and night. The pyre's flames stretched high into the sky, a testament to the clan's power and mastery over fire, visible from miles away.
Alex, Kevin, and Sophie walked through the gates with no change of expression, since they grew up in this big clan since birth and gathered most of their sites already. Grayzer and Windy followed behind them with a small smile on their face. Even though they also grew up most of their lives here they experienced it differently as servants of the main branch, so coming across this sight puts a relaxation on their bodies. They felt safe within the walls of the clan compared to the dangers of the Blazing Phoenix Forest.
Alex turned to face Grayzer and Windy, "Take that girl to your premises, I want you to contact me the moment she awakes."
The smiles on Grayzer's and Windy's faces disappear and they take on a serious expression before replying "Yes, young master!"
Alex nods his head and turn to his twin brother and sister with a brief smile. "Let's head back home, some of us have rewards to assimilate." Alex finishes teasingly at the end while looking at Kevin who responded by sulking causing both Alex and Sophie to laugh. That's when something unexpected happened that would've shocked Atlas.
Kevin and Sophie started to levitate as if some unknown force released the gravity that surrounded them. This seemed to be something new to the twins because they seemed to struggle at first until they stabilized themselves at around 3 feet which wasn't quite high.
Alex smiled proudly at his younger brother and sister, "You guys are getting better, but don't get carried away. You just entered the spirit realm." He turns to his servants one last time and nods at them before he starts to float up as well. He grabs each of his siblings hands and focused on pushing flames from the bottom of his feet to act like thrusters flying away with his siblings to their abode at the main branch side.
Grayzer releases a sigh and adjusts Atlas on his back. "You'll be doing the explaining to mom." He says to Windy as he begins to float up as well.
"Why me?!" Windy questioned as she followed her brother to the sky as they head off in the opposite direction where the side branch family resided.
This looked a lot easier for them compared to their young masters. People of the wind element do tend to use it more for flight so they have an advantage to those in the same realm.
"It was your idea to bring her in for questioning." Grayzer said
"Oi! It was a logical reason." Windy said following close behind.
"Maybe, but you didn't have to carry them the whole way. It's a fair trade. I carry, you talk."
"Fine!" Windy agreed pretending to be angry with air filled cheeks causing his brother to let out a laugh. Not long after they arrived at a small area that looked like a small village within the city and landed in front of a hut made out of straw for roofing and logs for the main body that was decently sized to fit 3-4 individuals.
"We're home!" Windy and Grayzer greeted as they walked through the front door of the hut.
A woman with curly green hair and green eyes walked in from the kitchen area of the hut to meet her children. This woman went by the name of Rose FireStride.
"Welcome home," Rose greeted happily to seeing her children home safely.
"Hmm?" Rose tilts her head when she saw Atlas on Grayzer's back. "Who is this?"
Grayzer looks at Windy with raised eyebrows and nods his head towards their mother as if saying. 'Well...explain.'
Windy sighs before she begins to explain what caused them to bring Atlas here in his unconscious state.
"I see, so you're planning to question them once they wake up." Their mother nods understanding the situation. "Well bring a change of clothes and bring them to Windy's room. You don't expect them to sleep in burnt clothes do you."
"Why are we helping them? We don't even know if they're friendly." Windy mumbled while she still goes to her room and picks out a change of clothes while Grayzer and Rose follow her. As they get in Windy's room he walks to the bed and places Atlas on it.
"Welp I'll be right outside." Grayzer says after placing Atlas on the bed and closing the door behind him so they can change Atlas.
Rose goes by the bedside and began to rip off the burnt shirt and pants leaving him in just what was left of his underwear underneath.
'What strange clothes.' Rose thought as she ripped them off. 'I've never seen this style of undergarments before either.'
As Windy was bringing the change of clothes which looked similar to an all black Shaolin monk outfit. Rose took the opportunity to rip off the undergarment leaving the elephant trunk in its full view.
"Ara ara, that's interesting?" Rose said as she stared at the male genitalia. Windy dropped the change of clothes on the floor as her body froze and gradually began to turn red from the bottom up.
"KYAAHH!!!" She screamed as she ran out the door and closed it behind her. Grayzer who was already outside the door looked at Windy confused.
"What happened? Why'd you suddenly scream?" Grayzer asked.
Windy squatted down with her red face in her hands.
"S...is...ac...lly...a...e"
"What?" Grayzer asked confused
"Sh...is...act...ly...a...ee"
"I can't hear you, idiot."
"SHE IS ACTUALLY A HE!" She yelled out shocking Grayzer this time around.
"What?!"
"I SAI—"
"No no I heard you this time." Grazer replied "so you're telling me the person we thought was a girl is a guy."
"Yes!" Windy answered putting her face back in her hands, embarrassed by what she just saw.
"Heh, so you saw his di—"
"Shut up!" Windy yelled glaring at her brother with her red face causing him to laugh out loud.
"Oi!" Windy called out to Grayzer who finally stopped laughing.
"What is it?" Grayzer asked as he wiped the tears from his eyes from laughing so hard.
"Let's switch rooms for the night." Windy said
"No way!" Grayzer responded shaking his head and crossing his arms.
"Come on! I can't spend the night with a boy in my room."
"I can't either, dummy. That said boy looks likes a girl. Even if they have a d—"
"Grayzer!" Windy yelled in a whisper standing up from her squat position and punching her brother in the arm.
"Sheesh Sis, relax!" Grayzer began rubbing the sore arm that his sister punched. "Just sleep on my bed. I'll take the floor, no one needs to spend the night with he/she."
"That works." Windy replied nodding her head and running a hand through her bob cut style hair.
Not long after Rose exited Windy's room and closed the door behind her with the scraps of Atlas's burnt clothes in her hand.
"Well he's all changed now." Rose said putting emphasis on 'he' causing Windy to blush again and a giggle to escape Rose's mouth.
"I'm surprised you went through with changing him." Grayzer said looking at his mom who raised an eyebrow.
"Well I saw one to have you both conceived and I even had to see yours unti—"
"Oookkkaayy you can stop there." Grayzer replied quickly to stop her from finishing that sentence heading to the kitchen area to find something to eat.
"Didn't need to know that part mom." Windy said walking behind her brother.
Rose smiled at her two children and thought to herself. 'They grow up so fast.'
She followed behind them both into the kitchen as they talked together through the night and having a quick snack before heading to sleep to start a new day.