Chapter 2: Who Are You?

                                    

                                          
I was a good fighter. Well, I fought my share of battles at the castle, against my siblings, none of which I ever won. But practice makes perfect. So I glared at the creature, gathered my courage, and...ran away, following the stone path opposite of where I came from. Then whoosh! A force slammed into my back, shoving me to the ground. It felt smooth yet powerful—wind. I smiled. This was getting interesting.
                          
I regained my bearings, brushing off the dirt on my jacket. I couldn't outrun the ghost thing, so I put up a defensive stance. He slowly floated towards me effortlessly. 
                          
"Come at me!" I provoked, which wasn't a smart idea at that time.
                          
The ghost shot me an annoyed face that said: "I know!" He threw a punch, and I blocked it. He tried to break my defense, and I ran a few meters away just to brace for cover again. Now this routine replayed several times, until I was feeling tired. Ironic, that was for him to give up. So I screamed a loud, shrill, piercing cry that echoed throughout the mountain's flat peak. Then I blacked out from a final strike. 
                          
The dream that followed would eventually be the biggest pestering question of my life. I wished I wouldn't remember it, but since the forces of nature hate me, I wasn't too surprised. It was about my childhood. I only recalled the first time I met my siblings in the castle as the earliest memory I had, when I was five. But a secret vault of past memories were simply unchained, and one scene played out vividly. 
                          
A tall man was kneeling to meet my height. He was semi-familiar, but I didn't know how he was. His face was gentle and loving, but also fearful and depressed at the same time. He finally opened his mouth. "Jace, do not ever forget you were born for—"
My dream cut, and snapped me back to reality. In my mind I yelled and longed for what the man had to say further. What was I born for? I didn't have any talents or powers! So what was my purpose? Then I was enlightened for a moment. I never wanted a new life, I desired a purpose. A role to play, a special job in the world, or even a long-lasting companion. However, deep inside I knew I would always be a boy with nothing to show on the outside and empty on the inside too. Forget all that!
                          
I opened my eyes slowly. Two faces hovered over me, fortunately blocking the blinding light. One girl and one boy, both about my age, both wearing light blue shirts
                          
"I think he's awake!" the girl said. She had light brown hair, black eyes, and a neat appearance. The male had black, curly hair and dark eyes, probably Asian. 
                          
The boy panicked for a second. "So what do we do?" he ranted. "Prince said just watch over him because we're closest to his age. He never said what to do if he actually woke up!" 
                          
The girl punched him in the shoulder. "Calm down, Lance, Prince will be here soon. Why don't you go get him?"
The boy nodded and sped off. The brown haired girl sighed and smiled at me. She didn't look dangerous, so I felt peaceful at last. Then I straightened up. 
                          
"Who are you?" she asked. 
                          
I opened my mouth, but no reply was said. "I don't really know anymore. I'm Jace, and you could call me...a wandering traveler."
                          
She laughed. "I'm sorry, but, Jace, only people who told the old woman the right words may enter Camp Zephyrus, and those people are selected knights—descendants of wind gods. But pertaining to your recent fight with Old Jack, it seems you have no powers, which is a disqualifying attribute for a so-called 'son of a wind god'."
                          
"I never said I belonged here," I retorted, "nor do I want to stay here."
                          
"Yeah, well, wait for Prince to arrive first, then we'll figure this out. Anyway, I'm Elyza."
And right on cue, a winsome boy, quite older than me, burst through the door. I've never seen such a display of one's ego in only a glance. He walked with style, half-dressed similar to royalty, and wore a prideful smile like he owned the mountain. Lance trailed behind the prince.