There, they didn't know about everything else and no one would be scared of him. Kiyan thought as he hugged his parents. Feeling Ray's question about why he was suppressing his bending he opened his mind and let Ray understand what he had felt and had seen in the alternate future.
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Kendra retook her seat at the wall and thought about the events of the day. First of all Kiyan knew who she was even without ever having seen her in person. Almost like he could feel her but she had been shielding her mind so he couldn't have. But when he opened his mind to her, he had formed a coherent message and sent it to her with a feeling of familiarity. Like Kiyan had known her for some time. This probable future didn't have him learning to do that for another day at least. Even then not with such skill for some time.
Another thing, how had he known that Fred would have a mistrial and that without her intervention no one should have known he was an earthbender. Perhaps the most confusing was when she had been guiding Kiyan with the bending test. He should have shown some sort of aptitude in all the schools of bending, she had felt him resist fire, earth and air bending. Even more confusing was when he had misrepresented his waterbending. He shouldn't be able to control water so well in his first attempt. No something wasn't right at all. Time would tell, but come to think of it time felt different, it felt like this had all happened before only differently.
As it was Kiyan was gaining skills at a rapid pace. Kendra knew that he would need training soon. She thought about the academy for a moment before dismissing it. This was something that the academy was unprepared to deal with. If Kiyan had been suppressing his abilities then he might not reveal them at the academy even. No, other arrangements needed to be made.
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The event was over for the day and all of the villagers present congratulated Kiyan, Fred and Jeremy on their good luck. The rest of the day went by like a normal day in the village. Jeremy and Kiyan worked in their family's gardens that were next to each other and discussed the events of the day. Fred joined them in a few minutes and began trying to break up dirt clods with his new found bending but only managed to raise some dust before he gave up. Jeremy thought it rather funny and Kiyan was feeling high on life.
An afternoon swim finished the day and Kiyan thought back on how this day had been so much different this time than the first. Prometheus joined with a thought on how this seemed to be a better aberration of the time line than before however there might still be consequences.
That night he slept peacefully without any dreams marking the passing of the night. Vague awareness of Kendra’s presence was all Kiyan remembered when he woke in the morning. Remembering the events of the day he thought of how it could be changed. Today was the day that Addy was going to bond with Fred. Last time had been a near disaster so he decided to make another change. Kiyan initiated the change by loading a pack for the camping trip that should happen later today. Finishing the bag he hurried down to the kitchen were Marisa was just getting ready to make breakfast.
“Up so early! Is something wrong Kiyan?” Marisa joked but made Kiyan almost falter and blurt out his plan.
“No nothing I just wanted to spend some extra time swimming this morning.” Kiyan had to invent an excuse in a hurry.
“Hmm it wouldn't be to go and try bending in secret now would it?” James inferred as he entered the room. “Off with you, you rascal and keep Ray with you, wouldn't want you to drown.” Kiyan took that as an opportunity to escape.
“Remember when you were that young and excited James?” Marisa gave her husband a hug and rested her chin on his shoulder.
“Ha, I don’t know what are you talking about, I have been that young and excited for nearly seventy years now.” James quipped with a mischievous smirk.
“Honestly if I didn’t know Kiyan wasn’t related to you...” Kendra sighed and released her husband. “You are just as bad as he is.”
Kiyan meanwhile had made it nearly to the lake when Ray showed up. Sliding into the water he created a ripple and let its own energy carry it across the lake as he felt for Addy. Finding her in the middle of the lake swimming slowly across he reached out with his energy and pulled the water around her. He started slowly moving her to his side of the lake. When she was in range Kiyan felt Ray connect with her and begin transferring information about humans. Kiyan hoped that the by warning her about human weaknesses Addy could avoid the near disaster of last time. The feral mind that Kiyan felt through Ray seemed to understand what he meant as Addy shifted into her humanoid form and left the lake. She melted into the woods and was gone a minute later.
Kiyan felt better as he went to the normal swimming spot and was soon joined by Jeremy and Fred for the morning. It wasn't long before both Kiyan and Jeremy were both making drops of water float in the air around them. Kiyan knew he could do more but didn't want to betray his hidden abilities. Jeremy soon got bored with making drops of water defy gravity and the boys walked out of the water.
The boys began following the path that left the lake. Kiyan was relieved when he sensed Addy waiting in a stand of trees that bordered the trail. She walked into sight and the boys stopped in their tracks. Kiyan turned and looked at Fred noticing that the bonding had already begun. A look of astonishment soon filled Fred's face as Addy made her choice known to him. She approached and paused for a moment before Fred nodded his head in acceptance. Reaching out and supporting him with her vines before he collapsed she took care not to let him down to hard.
Carlisle rounded the corner just in time to see Addy initiate the bonding process. Something was definitely different, he had dreamed about this the night before but the events were in the water not here in the forest. Recognizing the creature as a dryad he moved the boys back to give Fred room. Sending Jeremy for Fred's parents he turned to Kiyan with a look that Kiyan knew could only mean one thing.
“Why are you hiding from everyone Kiyan?” Carlisle asked impatiently. “I know you are a telepath, a skilled one at that, I saw this happening in a dream but it happened in the lake. How did you change it?”
“Please don't tell anyone, I don't want them to look at me like that. I saw it and I couldn’t stand it, they were afraid of me and they looked at me like I was someone else.” Kiyan blurted as he felt his plans crashing down around him.
“Don't worry I won't tell anyone but what do you mean you saw it.” Carlisle saw the conflict on Kiyan’s face. It reminded him of when he had first discovered his abilities.
“I was in the future three days then I woke up yesterday.” Kiyan wasn't willing to admit more. More about any of the other things that had happened like being a descendant of an ascended. The dreams that had been bothering him. Or about what the future had been like.
Three days, in detail, Carlisle thought, I rarely have visions with that level of clarity. Kiyan was indeed special but he could understand what he feared. The burden that Kiyan would have been forced to carry was something Carlisle wouldn't force on any one. “Your secret it safe with me.” Carlisle sent the message to Kiyan who seemed to calm down. Hearing people approach he turned in time to see Fred's mother arrive in the clearing.
“A kayloo? I have never seen one like this before.” Fred's mother said as she grasped Fred's hand. “I'm here now Freddy there isn't anything to be afraid of.”
“It is a dryad, they are usually pretty reclusive until they decide to bond.” Carlisle relayed the information Kiyan offered him telepathically.
Fred began to wake up again and Addy released him from her vines. Kiyan could sense the Addy he remembered. Addy must have notice all the people around her because she suddenly began emanating waves of nervousness. Fred sensed this also and whispered something in his mother's ear. Smiling she looked at her husband and said something in his ear. Kiyan smiled to himself as he turned to go toward home.
“Kiyan! Wait up.” Fred seemed insistent. “Addy is nervous being around so many people so mom and dad are going to let me go on a camping trip to fin
ish bonding and I was wondering if you and Jeremy could come. It would be a lot of fun wouldn't it be?”
“Let me go ask mom and dad” Kiyan replied.
“OK I'll go ask Jeremy then.” Fred was off in a run.
“Before he could open his mouth when he returned home, Marisa started speaking. “Of course you can go, I'm happy for you and Fred. Fred's dad was already here and he asked if we would let you go with Fred.”
“Awesome, let me get my camping stuff.” Kiyan responded enthusiastically.
“Oh I almost forgot, there is a bender in town, he came by while you were swimming and asked if he could train the three of you boys instead of you having to go to the academy. I think his name was Corban or something like that.”
As Kiyan grabbed his pack he thought about what Marisa had said. Corban, strange that he should show up when he hadn't last time. Well come to think of it not having to go to the academy wasn't a bad thing but the deviation bothered Kiyan. This was an aberration that had never occurred to him as a result of his actions. If this could change what else would?
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As Corban ate breakfast he reviewed the last few hours of his life. Only a few hours ago he'd been preparing to teach a class at the academy. As a protégé bender he had been offered the teaching position some time ago. Teaching had allowed him to learn of the other two schools of bending from the other instructors. It was possible for him to manipulate both earth and water on a basic level. Nothing more than causing a pebble to levitate or a few ripples. He didn't like anyone knowing because it was commonly thought that only ascended could do that. He had been feeling bored with the academy after the first few years. Teaching the same thing day after day, few were the pupils that could even approach his level of bending. There had been no challenge in life and for a near immortal with a sense of adventure and no challenge, life was not satisfying.
Last night he had been approached by Kendra, the leader of the ascended and offered the position of tutoring a boy. He was to be discreet about the boy and train his two friends as well. A change might be interesting, he thought, besides an ascended wouldn't make him train someone without some sort of talent.
There was much to do in preparation, he had already visited the parents of Kiyan, next he needed to find some place to stay and a place to bend that was out of the way. His train of thought was interrupted when he saw one of the boys hurry past where he was sitting.
Catching up to Jeremy, Corban introduced himself and matched the boy's pace. “Looks like you are planning on going camping by the looks of that pack.” Corban observed.
“Ya, Fred just bonded and Addy is nervous about being around so many people so we are going over the ridge to the glow woods.” Jeremy explained without paying much attention to the stranger that had struck up the conversation.
Corban was about to ask if he might be able to join them when he saw Fred walk around the corner with Addy. Corban stopped short, a dryad, he mumbled to himself, Kendra hadn't told him about that. He had only seen one other dryad before in his life. They were said to only bond with the most powerful benders. Perhaps this would be even more interesting than he had originally thought.
He watched as Addy shifted into a large creature and bore Fred off at a rapid pace into the forest. Seeing Kiyan talking to Jeremy about something with Kiyan's kayloo beside them he decided to go and ask if he could join them on their adventure. It might be a good chance to get to know his future students. To his surprise Ray suddenly shifted into a winged creature, lifted the boys onto his back and leapt into the air. This was indeed going to be interesting. Corban wouldn't miss out on this adventure.
Bending the air around him Corban lifted off the ground. Hearing a startled cry nearby, he turned and waved to a woman who had dropped her load. A small village like Loomis probably didn’t see many airbenders capable of flight.
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Kiyan reveled in the wind in his hair as Ray sailed over the land. Letting his mind wander he sensed a stranger approaching quickly. Looking over his shoulder he saw the stranger flying through air and gaining on them. Ray must have sensed Kiyan's misgivings because he gave a burst of speed. No matter how fast Ray flew the stranger kept gaining. A flicker of fear and Prometheus appeared in Kiyan's mind’s eye.
“Don't worry, I think he is this Corban that we heard about. I'm pretty sure Kendra had something to do with him being here.” Prometheus offered an explanation. Kiyan had to be sure. He reached out with his mind and sent the question to Kendra.
“Kiyan, if he had been a threat I would have turned him to ashes before you saw him. You can trust him.” Kiyan was about to close the connection when he felt Kendra hesitate. “Kiyan, Is there someone else there with you?”
Prometheus' voice echoed through Kiyan’s Contact with Kendra. “Kiyan is only on guard because of some minor alterations to the timeline.”
Kiyan felt the air around him shimmer as waves of confusion emanated from Kendra's energy. The feeling of reality being supplanted by the mind flooded Kiyan. Finding himself in the library in his mind he wondered what was happening. Prometheus appeared only a moment before Kendra flashed into view. Kendra was in a form that Kiyan had never seen her in. She was a humanoid form that glowed with pure light. Her features were clearly defined and her eyes sparked with lightning. She was even more beautiful in this form than Kiyan even knew possible.
“Theo, you were dead! How long have you been in this universe without telling me?” Kendra thundered ominously. Kiyan wasn't afraid of her but incredibly he sensed a twinge of fear from Prometheus. And what was this about an ascended being dead?
“Kendra dear, I had to wait for Kiyan to awaken before I could escape the dark universe. I only managed to find him yesterday. It takes time to transfer one’s self through the dimensions. I'm sorry you thought I was dead. I promised you I would return. I told you that I would come back to you someday.” Prometheus seemed to be trying to calm Kendra.
Kiyan was puzzled over a few things, an ascended being dead? A dark universe? He had saved Prometheus? If Prometheus or Theo as Kendra was calling him was his father and he and Kendra were in love as it appeared then Kendra must be....... Kiyan was rocked to his core. He was the child of two ascendants, the most powerful ones in the known worlds. Things began to make sense now. His powers, why Kendra cared for him like she did, how he had been able to do the impossible and reverse time. Sucking in his breath he forced himself back into reality. Upon leaving the library of ages, he could no longer sense Kendra or Theo.
Kiyan was recalled to the present by Jeremy’s exclamations of awe over Corban’s aerobatics. The air bender was flying circles around Ray. Observing Corban he felt the air as Corban bent it to his will, how it supported him and obeyed him. Kiyan was so fascinated by what he was able to learn of airbending from observing Corban that he didn't even notice Fred and Addy’s arrival.
When they reached the glow woods, Addy began spinning a net in the tree. Corban twisted the air and settled down lightly on a limb. Kiyan noticed Corban's hands begin glowing with a white light before he put his hands on the tree. The branch began growing and reinforcing Addy’s net.
“Your hands, they were glowing, how did you do that?” Fred asked inquisitively.
Corban stepped back and almost fell out of the tree, making a mental note about growing some railing he answered. “Only life mages can see life energy. You should be too young to be able to sense it. What color was it?” He had to be sure, if Fred had seen something else maybe some of his firebending perhaps, instead of life bending. Corban didn’t recall having fire bent but it was a more likely explanation.
“It was white.” Kiyan answered.
“I didn't see anything” Jeremy said.
The weight of his assignment began to dawn on Corban. This was indeed no ordinary job. Two life mages at the age of twelve. Observing Jeremy informed him that there was nothing ordinary about the third boy in his charge either. Corban couldn't remember ev
er having seen a young waterbender glowing with so much energy. Strangely Kiyan was nearly invisible. Traces of color appeared before melting away. It was almost as if Kiyan had not yet developed an elemental affinity. Even more strange was that Corban recognized the traces of color to belong to several if not all of the basic elements. Fred glowed a deep shade of green. This was going to be some adventure.
Corban had time to collect his thoughts as he followed the boys on their cave adventure. He was only slightly surprised when the group met Draxos in the cave.
That night Kiyan couldn't get to sleep and decided to watch the stars. Getting out of his hammock and quietly going to the edge of the platform he paused when he saw someone there already. Going ahead and sitting down next to Addy, Kiyan looked up at the sky enjoying the silence and thinking all that had happened. Hearing some rustling Kiyan looked up in time to see Fred sit next to him.
“Addy told me what you did, Kiyan how did you know she wanted to bond with me?” Fred whispered quietly.
“I saw it happen before. You almost drowned, I couldn't let that happen again.” Kiyan didn't want to have to keep secrets from his friends, especially one with whom he had so much in common.
“What do you mean you saw it happen before? You mean in a dream right, like a seer?” Fred was only trying to make sense of what he was hearing.
“No I have lived today twice, apparently I'm the son of an ascendant and have the ability to travel in my own time line.” Kiyan said quietly.