Editing Kanimaeli - Spirit of Air (section)

==Path to Another World==

The Air, my very essence, was not mine to command. Not fully. I tried to conjure a thick fog to shield us from view as the dark elves watched, but the moment the tendrils of mist began to form, they were sucked into the surface like a thirsty sponge. My fog thinned, dissipating almost as quickly as it had appeared. My friend Xlotl, ever the font of invention, created water from nothing, but it, too, was instantly absorbed. It was a bizarre, unsettling sight. "One, two, three, go!" he shouted, and without a second's thought, we all leapt into the strange pool. I think Pi might have gone on "two," but it all happened too fast to be sure. My only focus was on following Xlotl and the others as they surged toward a shimmering curtain of water. I willed my body to follow, to pass through the veil with them.

We emerged into a land that was… nothing. A flat, featureless desert stretched out in every direction under a sunless daylight. It was an unnerving void, a blank slate where the world should have been. Xlotl pulled out the compass, and I reached out with my will to move the Air. It was sluggish, heavy, unlike the free, playful currents I was used to. It resisted my touch, but I managed to coax it into a slight movement. Enough. "This way," Xlotl announced with his usual confidence, and we all fell into step behind him.

At first, the journey was pleasant. The air was warm, and the ground was firm. But as we walked, a disquieting humidity began to build, a heavy moisture that settled on my skin and weighed down my spirit. The Air felt cowed, as if it had no right to be here, and that feeling of unwelcomeness was more uncomfortable to me than the rising heat. The air thickened further until we were walking through a heavy, vertical rainfall. The water came down so hard that we were forced to take shelter under Xlotl’s massive wings.

The water rose, becoming a deep pool that forced Xlotl to swim. Pi and Antinniera climbed onto his back to stay out of the water, but I simply walked above the surface with my ring keeping me above it, although soaked through by the punishing downpour. As Xlotl began to fully swim, a black disc appeared before us, its bottom just grazing the surface of the water. The compass directed us toward it, and we entered, only to be met by an impassable barrier. A vision of a burnt, fiery wasteland flashed in Xlotl’s mind. The compass wanted to take us there, but we couldn't proceed. We needed fire.

Antinniera, with a flash of insight, placed the Crown of Fire upon her head. Instantly, the black disc rippled and flickered with black flames, a mirror of the crown's power. Pi led us through a curtain of fire, and we emerged… in the same place. But this time, the rain and clouds were gone. A blazing sun beat down upon the land, and the heat was oppressive. The water we had just walked on was warming rapidly until it became a scorching bath. Even out of the water, the heat was unbearable.

Antinniera, protected by the crown, was unbothered. I gave her the ring so she could walk on the water and joined the others on Xlotl's back. Pi used a scroll to levitate Xlotl above the surface, and as soon as he rose, another disc appeared. The compass confirmed it was the way forward. Pi touched his granite ball to the disc, sensing it was an open gate, though he couldn't control its destination. Antinniera, ever bold, didn't hesitate. “Yes!” she said, and dove in, pulling us with her through a wall of solid rock.

Once again, we emerged into the exact same barren place, the disc fading behind us. But this time, the temperature was easing, and the water was rapidly draining into the ground. The Air here was terrified! It would not move for me, no matter how hard I tried. Xlotl had to use dweomer to force a slight movement and activate the compass. It was still hot, but bearable now. We traveled with Pi and me walking and Xlotl levitating above the ground and flying forwards with Antinniera riding his back. A fine dust was kicked up with every step.

This was a hateful place. It felt like we needed to connect with the Earth itself. Pi, seemingly on the same thought, pulled out his pickaxe and hammered it into the ground. It only made a small hole. It needed a proper activation. He tried again, using its power to create a wide, smooth, descending tunnel. It was a perfect, protected void, and we could breathe more easily within its confines. As we walked through the earth, a disc appeared before Pi. We had unveiled the exit!

If the previous barriers were meant to keep out the Queen of Storms, this one felt like a specific challenge for Ilyiana, a test of life and order. We needed the gem of Life to proceed, and Xlotl and the others looked at me to use it. It felt right, a matter of balance, and I agreed. But the moment I touched the stone, a powerful, overwhelming compulsion washed over me. I had to protect it. From the gate, from my friends, from everyone. It was too important to let go.

Antinniera started to approach, and I thrust the gem into my robe, backing against the wall. I needed to keep it safe. I needed to get away. They were blocking the exit, and as Xlotl began to chant, I knew I had to run. I made a break for it, but Antinniera was too quick. She wove a hypnotic pattern that held me in a trance, and while I was frozen, she took the gem. She then ran out of the tunnel and into the dusty void, affected by the same compulsion, and as my senses returned to me I just saw her go.

I started after her, but I was too slow. Then, Xlotl's prayer stopped her in her tracks, holding her immobile. I reached her, but she was too heavy to move. I called to the others, and they joined me. Pi took the stone, and the strange compulsion that had driven us faded. We were ourselves again. Xlotl released Antinniera, and we returned to the disc.

This time, Pi touched the stone to the surface of the disc. The black glass rippled, turning a green hue and acting like waving grass. Pi and Antinniera disappeared into it, and Xlotl and I followed. We were moving through the void, and Xlotl gathered the others as we traveled. We landed in a beautiful garden, filled with lush growth and the clean, sweet scent of living things. Before us stood a beautiful woman and a creature of pure, flowing air. Aerali, Lord of Air. My heart soared - we had found him!