Young Earth Soldier

(Valin's POV)

"You're the youngest. The final born of our Chosen. Do you know what that means?" Tana asked while braiding my waist-length hair.

"It means… I survived longer than the others."She giggled."Precisely! You're sharp! All the other Chosen were killed in battle on the same day, yet your previous incarnation stood his ground and fought for years on his own before falling."

She tied off the braid with a ribbon, pulling it into a high ponytail, then turned me to face her."That means we have great hope for you! Also, your powers manifested very early. You're possibly the most remarkable Chosen on any planet."

I was taken from my family at a young age. My grasp of the Earth element was astounding, and my identity as a Chosen one was obvious even when I was only one year old. How that was discovered is… a painful memory that plagues me to this day.

That's when I was forced into the palace with three older boys: Netalai, Rytem, and Raijian. We're not blood, but we're bonded by the roles we share. Netalai is the mist. Rytem is the sound. Raijian is the fire. For years, it was just us—studying under Tana.

We were going over my lessons. She tried to explain concepts to me, but I made it clear they were already obvious. I even reworked some formulas to make them more efficient.Initially, I was excited to share what I was working on—until she suddenly started shouting,

"BORING! You're too smart, I hate it! I hate it! I hate it!"

I was startled. She bit down on her thumbnail and scrunched her broken face, then turned back to me and smiled."I guess we can move on to your next lesson then."

That's when she took me away from the others, into a large stone cell where another boy was waiting.

He looked dirty and tired. I could feel it in his gaze—his fear and sadness. He must've been locked up for days. But why?

"Fight him," Tana whispered.

"Why?" I asked.

She grinned. "It's time to put what you've learned into action."

I glanced at the boy. He was trembling slightly, but still raised his guard like this wasn't his first fight.

"Go on… why are you hesitating?"

"He… doesn't want to fight me."

She tilted her head in confusion."So?"

What can I say to get through to her?

"I don't want to fight someone so weak… He should eat first. A balanced meal. And sleep. I'll fight him after that."

She pouted."Oh… How about I just kill him and bring you someone healthier?"

She raised her hand toward him. I shouted "No!" and manipulated the minerals in her bones, causing the offending arm to crumble.

"F**k!" she screeched.

Guards rushed in. At first, they turned their weapons toward me, but quickly realized they couldn't get close. The pressure around my body was too intense. They gave up and dragged her away.

The boy was crying. As soon as we were alone, I rushed over and whispered,

"I can help you get out of here. They'll track me down no matter what, but you can escape."

I petted his head, then he embraced me and said,"No… they have my mom. I can't go anywhere."

He cried harder. I patted his back to comfort him and ease the awkwardness. I tolerated the hug for two seconds before pushing him off and leaving.

I'll have to figure out where his mom is… Hopefully not the King's harem. I hate going there.

Tana came to my room later, her arm in a cast. I must've really shattered the bone. It wasn't healing quickly. She looked angry, but instead of lashing out, she kissed my forehead and said,

"You did well… I had the boy fed. He's sleeping now, so you'll fight him tomorrow."

After she was gone, I wiped the kiss away and pulled out the astronomy book I'd stolen from the library. I wish I could see the stars in real life. Or travel to another world and count every light in the sky.I finished the book in ten minutes and hid it in the tunnel I'd created under my floor, with the others I've collected.

"Hey, Valin! What are you doing?!" Rytem asked, barging into my room.

"Are your eyes working?" I asked, gesturing to the obviously empty space aside from a bed and my empty hands.

He laughed like I'd just told a joke and sat beside me on the floor."I heard if we behave, we can get a bookshelf in our rooms."

"Why would they tell you that?"

"No one told me. I hear everything," he said with a sheepish grin.

"That's creepy."

"For example, I heard you reading."

I stared at him. Was there a point?

"You'd probably enjoy a bookshelf more than any of us… So you should start behaving."

"I haven't done anything wrong."

"You hold back. I heard the whispers about you before you came. How you can control minerals in blood and bone. Generate your own gravitational force field five miles in diameter. They say Just testing it out, you killed over five thousand people."

The memory shook me. I started hyperventilating. Why is he bringing this up?

"You haven't shown even a fraction of that here."

"I don't want to hurt anyone!" I yelled.

Now he frowned."Now you're the one being creepy."

Then he left, leaving me alone with my dark thoughts and self-loathing.

The next day

"He's so beautiful. Are we sure he's a prince and not a princess?""The last Earth incarnation stood his ground alone for three years!""This one's even more remarkable than the last!""I just want to take him home and cuddle him!""He took out a whole neighborhood by accident—imagine what he could do on purpose!"

"Can I touch his hair? I bet it feels like silk!"

The whispers grew louder each day. More and more people came to see me at the palace, simply to praise me for my deepest regret.

Today, I finally snapped.

"F**K ALL OF YOU! SHUT UP! YOU THINK YOUR STUPID F**KING COMPLIMENTS MAKE ME HAPPY?! YOU'RE ALL TRASH! PEOPLE DIED! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

The force of my anger knocked the three visitors into the wall. The stone cracked on impact. Stunned, they got up and limped or crawled away.

Tana came and hugged me."There, there. It's okay. I guess you got overstimulated. I tell them to reduce the vis—"

"Get your disgusting hands off me! I struggle not to puke every time I look at you! How dare you touch me!"

She stopped smiling and frowned."…It's time for your fight, isn't it?"

Training Cell

Tana brought me back to the same stone cell. The boy from before was standing there, better fed, more alert.

"Now… fight him. And do well. If I feel like you're holding back too much, I'll kill him myself."Her voice had lost all patience.

"Is it just hand-to-hand?" I asked. I couldn't fight without killing him unless I was allowed to restrain myself.

"No. Test your theories on Isolated Increased Gravity. Not on us—just on him. Then, attempt an Isolated Decrease to throw off his footing. After that, turn his body into a magnet. I want to see how practical your knowledge is."

I increased the gravity around him. He fell onto his hands and knees, screaming. I stopped there. She can't tell when I'm holding back.Once he couldn't lift himself, I lowered the gravity until he floated to the ceiling.

Then I magnetized him. The guards' weapons rose in their sheaths. Tana's jewelry pointed toward him.

"Wow… I can see the possibilities. That's good enough. You can kill him now."

"No," I replied.

She looked shocked.

"I don't want to hurt anyone anymore." I paused. "Except you. I have no qualms about hurting you."

She pouted and stomped out.

I approached the boy and leaned down."What's your name?"

Instead of answering, he hugged me. His face got a little too close, and I reflexively punched him.

His body hit the floor, bounced up, slammed into the wall, spun across the ceiling, and fell back to the floor.

Damn. I meant to hold back.

"Ow…"

…Oh good. He's alive.

I healed him, and he smiled.

"My name is Noah."

"Sorry for hitting you, Noah. I don't like being touched."Especially kissed—but I'll leave that part out.

"I just… wanted to see if you spared me because you thought I was cute or something. You're very beautiful, by the way. I had no idea princesses lived in the Chosen wing."

I glared.

"I'm not in love with you. I'm not a girl. And I'm not gay."

He looked like he'd been hit with a double whammy.

"I just… don't like killing people," I clarified.

"I'm not gay either, but I'd make an exception for you!" he said proudly.

I rolled my eyes and stood.

"Too bad for you. You're not exceptional." I remarked.

Noah stared at me, awestruck, stunned again.

"I just… I think I'm falling deeper in love with you," he mumbled tearfully.

"Get over it!" I shouted. Still?! Ugh. He's annoying.But I don't regret saving him.

That night, I helped Noah and his family escape. There was a short investigation into their disappearance… but once my involvement was discovered, the case was dropped.