Tamer From The Street

Jia sat cross-legged in a patch of the palace garden that Armin had sneakily converted into their makeshift 'Tamer Academy.' Armin, ever the stoic, stood nearby with his arms folded and his trademark frown of mild irritation.

"Breathe, Jia. In… out… try to at least pretend you have rhythm," he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Jia was doing her best to focus, but every time she inhaled, it felt like her ribs were conspiring against her. "I am breathing, Armin. If I weren't, I'd be dead. You know, like your sense of humor."

He raised an eyebrow. "If you call that breathing, then I'm a dragon."

She rolled her eyes and resumed her focus. Over the past week, she'd gone from barely managing a deep breath to locating a suspiciously long-forgotten muscle spasm. Progress, right? Armin, however, seemed less impressed.

"At this rate, Jia," he said with a sigh, "you wouldn't be able to tame a fly. And trust me, flies are surprisingly resistant."

Jia huffed, brushing her hair back. "Good thing I'm not trying to tame flies then, isn't it?"

"You sure? A fly might be more forgiving than Yui when she finds out what you're up to."

The mention of Yui made Jia flinch, but she covered it up with a smirk. "I'll take my chances. Now, if you're done being Mr. Encouragement, can we move on?"

After a chaotic session of what Armin generously called 'training' but Jia referred to as 'public humiliation' with the only audience being himself, she excused herself from the palace. Using her usual excuse — 'Kai needs me' — she left Armin behind to brood in peace.

Jia walked briskly through the deserted streets of the human district. The difference between this area and the dragon palace was stark. The humans here were gaunt, malnourished, and their clothes hung on them like they were wearing oversized rags. The dragons' disdain for humans was evident in every cracked brick and empty soup bowl.

Jia tried to avoid making eye contact with the few that walked past, knowing that her relatively healthy appearance and confident stride would make her a target. But as she passed a particularly dingy corner, a bony hand shot out and grabbed her ankle.

Startled, she let out a small yelp but quickly regained her composure. She turned to see an old man with a greasy, tangled beard grinning up at her with yellowed, broken teeth. His eyes, however, gleamed with an unsettling sharpness.

"You smell like the mountains," he rasped, his voice like gravel being poured onto a tin roof.

Jia's heart skipped a beat. She crouched down, her eyes narrowing. "What did you just say?" she whispered.

The old man chuckled, his grip tightening slightly. "Mount Qi. I can smell it on you. You've been near a tamer."

Her mind raced. How could this bedraggled old beggar possibly know about her training with Armin? "Keep your voice down," she hissed, leaning in closer. "How do you know that?"

The man's grin widened. "Because I was once… long ago. Before this wretched place became what it is now."

Jia raised an eyebrow, skepticism written all over her face. "You? A tamer?"

He nodded, his greasy hair bobbing with the motion. "Over a thousand years old, I am. My Qi is nearly depleted, but it's just enough to keep me alive. I've been waiting… waiting for my master to return."

Despite herself, Jia found her curiosity piqued. "Your master?"

The man's eyes seemed to glow faintly as he spoke. "A tamer like no other. He could control all five elemental beasts. Fire, Wind, Earth, Space…" He paused dramatically.

"And Water," he finished, his voice dropping to a near-whisper.

Jia froze. "Water?"

The old man nodded solemnly. "The missing element. The one they don't speak of anymore. But it exists. Oh, it exists."

Her thoughts immediately went to Kai. He'd mentioned the elemental beasts before, but only four of them. Why had he left out Water? Was it truly lost, or was there something more to the story?

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked, her tone wary.

"Because," the man said, his voice trembling with a mixture of desperation and hope, "you smell like destiny. And maybe, just maybe, you're the one who can bring balance back."

Jia stared at him, torn between brushing him off as a lunatic and believing his wild tale. "Balance, huh? Sounds like a lot of work."

The old man chuckled. "It always is."

She pulled her ankle free from his grasp and stood up. "Well, thanks for the… insight. But I've got my own problems to deal with."

As Jia walked away, the old man's raspy voice echoed in her ears, sticking to her thoughts like burrs. "The missing element."

She shook her head, trying to push the words aside, but they clung stubbornly. A fifth element? Water? How did I not put this together before? I mean, I know water exists. I drink it. I bathe in it occasionally—when Armin isn't dragging me through taming drills. But why hasn't anyone mentioned it as one of the beasts?

Her mind flashed back to Kai. He'd rattled off the names of the elemental beasts with the confidence of someone reciting their grocery list: Fire for blood phoenixes, Wind for the Azure dragons, Earth for the black tortoises, and Space for the white tigers. That was it. No water. Did he just forget, or was it... on purpose? The idea sent a chill through her, like she'd stepped barefoot onto a wet stone. He'd never hide things from me, right?

She paused mid-step, looking back over her shoulder toward the alley where the old beggar sat. If Armin's "stonewall-taming curriculum" keeps being a dud, maybe I'll go back and squeeze a bit more information out of him. Although, knowing my luck, he'll probably want payment in something absurd. Like a whole roasted chicken.

Her thoughts drifted as she stepped onto the dusty path leading to her home. It wasn't much—actually, it wasn't even "not much." It was a room, barely larger than a pantry, with walls that looked like they were one bad storm away from crumbling, which happened quite often when the dragons visited. The contrast between her shabby house and Kai's palace bedroom, with its soaring ceilings and silk-draped opulence, was always like a slap in the face.

She stopped outside her door, her hand hovering over the doorknob. This is what I've been clawing my way up from since day one. And now here I am, dating the literal son of the matriarch. A dragon boyfriend, of all things. If this were a romance novel, I'd be the plucky underdog everyone roots for. She chuckled bitterly. But in real life? All I feel is the imbalance. Not just because we're different species, but because…

Her thoughts drifted back to the first time she'd met Kai in the woods. They were teenagers then—well, she was. Kai's age was always a little fuzzy, what with dragons aging slower and all. He'd been arrogant, cocky, and overwhelmingly loud. She'd liked him immediately, not that she'd ever admit it back then.

But the gulf between them was always there, even in those early days. She remembered hiding her ragged clothes beneath a tattered cloak, hoping he wouldn't notice. Of course, he hadn't—not because he was polite, but because Kai's brain was usually too preoccupied with thoughts of food, showing off, or his mother's disapproval.

Yui. The thought of the matriarch made Jia's chest tighten. That woman was a walking nightmare—a dragon who radiated cold disdain like an ice storm. Yui would never approve of her, not in a million years. Jia's entire plan to learn taming wasn't just for self-preservation; it was a desperate attempt to tip the scales in her favor. If she could tame Yui—or at least keep her at bay—then maybe, just maybe, she'd stand a chance.

Jia sighed heavily as she stepped into her tiny home. Her carefree facade crumbled the moment the door closed behind her. Here, in the privacy of her own space, she didn't have to pretend. She didn't have to be the witty, cunning human girlfriend of a dragon or the "stonewall" student who was completely unfazed by Armin's constant critiques. Here, she could just be… Jia.

She sank onto her creaky bed, staring up at the cracked ceiling. What am I even doing? The question had been haunting her more and more lately. She loved Kai—she was sure of that. But love didn't erase the imbalance. It didn't fix the gnawing guilt in her gut every time she thought about taming Yui. And it certainly didn't explain the mystery of the fifth element.

Five elemental beasts, she thought, her brow furrowing. If that's true, then everything Kai's told me is incomplete. Either he doesn't know, or he's hiding it. But why would he? And what does it have to do with this so-called tamer from a thousand years ago?

Her fingers idly traced the edge of her worn blanket. If this fifth element is real… maybe it's more than just a missing puzzle piece. Maybe it's the key to everything. The key to balancing the elements, the beasts, and even… this ridiculous relationship of mine.

She let out a soft, humorless laugh. "Listen to me, acting like some big-shot heroine. Get a grip, Jia."

But as much as she tried to brush it off, the old man's words refused to leave her mind. The one they don't speak of anymore.

She sighed again, rolling onto her side. "Great. Now I've got a centuries-old prophecy to deal with on top of everything else."

Her eyes drifted closed, but her thoughts kept spinning. Tomorrow. Tomorrow, I'll ask Armin about the fifth element. If he doesn't know, then I'll find the old man again. And if all else fails... well, I'll figure it out. I always do.

With that, she drifted off to sleep, the weight of her thoughts pressing down on her even in dreams.