(Authors Note: You might wanna check up on the last chapter, 'cause I totally changed it. And yeah. Just to tell you people, you should check every once in awhile for updated text. Now that school has started, I won't have enough time for this anymore, okay yeah maybe I will. Sorry that I didn't update the story in such a long while, please keep reading okay?)

-Update Line-

(That's an update line so you know where I added, though there are usually a couple chunks of detail added before the line…)

The Palace

"Who's Deran? Oh that idiot who lives in this house," he gestured to the building they were in earlier. "No, my names Hexshem and I need to get you guys…err…girls out of here before I get into trouble…" Dien's exhausted body could stand no longer without rest and drifted off to sleep.

Her eyes fluttered open to find herself in an over-fluffed bed. She was used to the hard ground after all those years living on the move. Next to her sat a boy near the age of 17. His hair was as black as night and was short compared to the other man. Hexshem, was it? He was at the height oh around 5 feet 7 inches, with dark black eyes on a sharp edged face. There was a scar across his chest continuing along his arm that was about 8 inches long. Wearing nothing but breeches he stared at the ceiling and chewed at an apple.

"Excuse me…" Dien sat up and looked at the boy.

"Yes?" He turned his head to look at her.

"Where am I and who are you?"

"You are in the Palace as a guest. My name is Zeyk and I was to look after you while you slept. It's been three days now actually," he replied casually.

She blushed, "Oh I'm sorry I've slept so long…"

"It's no big deal really, it takes a lot of mage power to activate a shi'koir. Two of your friends are still sleeping, one of them woke up last night and couldn't go back to sleep. She's in the yard next to the garden practicing with the trainees, though they're probably on a break now, those slackers," he said referring to the trainees.

"Oh, can I go too? I need to practice."

"In that case you might want to get dressed, I'll wait outside then show you the way." She looked down and her cheeks turned red as the door shut behind Zeyk, the blanket was barely up to her shoulders.

Dien got up and went to the close decorated with many designs of a variety of flowers. Looking around she noticed that everything in the room was made for someone with the rank of at least a High Lord. She opened the two doors to find her old breeches a couple of dresses which she dismissed immediately and newer breeches along with a couple of short sleeved and long sleeved shirts. Picking out a pair of breeches and a t-shirt she got dressed.

What is this place? She thought to herself while putting an arm through a sleeve. Pausing to think with her shirt half on, then Oh! How could I have forgotten! She hit her forehead lightly with her palm. This place was the guys most wanted place to raid! Now I can see why.

"Excuse me, but are you done yet?" came a voice from behind the door.

"Oh I'm sorry, I'll be right out." She finished dressing and came out of the room. Zeyk was leaning against the wall and staring again.

"Follow me," he said and started to lead her down a hallway. It took awhile before they finally started to speak. "I guess I should fill you in on some things. For example you are one of the Four of the Great and I'm one of the Four of the Chosen. Naph—"

"Yes I already know that, but tell me of the Chosen, no one's ever mentioned that to me before."

"Hmph! Well, there are two gods, the Great Goddess and the Chosen Guardian. There were originally fourteen Creators, who created the universe and our world by using their life force. They also had to choose among themselves who would look after their creation and he became the Chosen Guardian. Every era has their own Four of the Great and Four of the Chosen. Each of the four excels in fire, air, water, or earth; the basic magic of the world. Naphaerin, Hexshem, the one who brought you four, Cenvyul, and I are the Four of The Chosen. I possess the power of fire, Naphaerin possesses the power of water, Cenvyul the power of earth, and Hexshem the power of air." He said all that like as if it were nothing important to him, as if they were simple matters of life.

"Oh. You mentioned earlier that we were in the Palace. Who lives here?"

Zeyk was slightly taken aback at what he thought was a stupid question with an obvious answer. But he replied with the same calmness. "We are in the Queens Palace. Her Majesty the Princess of Myar." At this they entered a training area with a hard dirt ground made by hundreds of trainees from the past years. In a corner stood Shen next to a boy that was shooting pebbles out of his hands.

"—don't worry you'll learn eventually," she heard the boy say as Zeyk and her walked over. His head turned to reveal a soft face with a smile, brown eyes and dark hair that covered his right eye but was otherwise short, when he heard them coming. "Hey Zeyk! It seems your patient has awoken," he said, eyes glittering with amusement. Turning to Dien, "The names Cenvyul but just call me Cen (pronounced Sen) it's much shorter, and you fire girl are Dien am I correct?" He looked her up and down.

"Err…yes I am," she said nervously. He's the wind guy, wait no that's the one with the long blond hair and the earring, so he must be… earth!

"It's a pretty nice day," he said. "You wanna practice with us?"

"Well that is what this place is for ain't it?" said Zeyk from beside her. Dien took this time to look at Cen. He was well built and looked strong but not as strong as Zeyk did. Like Zeyk he wore no shirt and looked skinny or fit in other words. His feet were bare, like the rest of them, and he too wore breaches, which was probably the training outfit here.

"Lets get to it then!" Cen said enthusiastically. He used the back of his hand to wipe his forehead of sweat. Dien let out a gasp. For a brief moment she caught a glimpse of the right side of his face. There was a long five-inch scar where his right eye used to be. Despite that he still looked as charming as he was. No one else seemed the least bit bothered by his look.

-Updated line-

"Dien…Dien!" said Zeyk, annoyed.

"Oh, sorry." Dien gave another one of her uncommon blushes.

He lifted an eyebrow. "Lets start with meditating, first open-handed then with a sword. I trust you know how to use a sword."

"How did you know?"

"Well, you're hands are tougher than a regular girl your age and we also have mages who have tracked most of your lives. That's how your guardians knew when you had to go," replied Zeyk coolly.

"Oh."

"Okay, now follow me. I don't want you to catch anything on fire." He led her into the middle of a wide dirt area, which took up most of the training field. "Now stand across from me and let your hands fall to your sides…relax your muscles. Close your eyes, concentrate on the power within…the fire at your center. Keep your breath slow and steady, calm..."

Dien followed obediently, breathing slowly in and out, though she wasn't quite sure about the whole process. At home she would casually cast out fire at her own will. This seemed a more complicated version.

"Bring your hands slowly up, palms facing the sky, but keep them below the elbow. Now feed your Flame into the embers at the center of your hand." She began to feel her hands slowly warm up. Crack! Ssss…Something to the right of her had caught flame and was sizzling on the dirt. "Control your energy, thief, don't let it wander. Pull it in and bring out a fireball on each hand."

The comment stung at first before she realized that it was true and she was proud to be one of the top members in the famous Karshel Gang.

"You can open your eyes once you think you've got the spheres out."

Dien opened her eyes and saw two medium-sized fireballs. The dark red flames in each globe danced like molten lava, churning and spinning inside their limits.

Zeyk looked at hers, smiled in approval then turned back to his own that had a tint of blue among the red. "Now we'll merge the two balls." He brought his hands closer together and the balls met to fuse into each other creating a ball with blue streaks.

Dien started to bring the balls closer but the heat was getting to intense. Beads of sweat began to form upon her forehead.

"R-in! Na-ph-aer-in!" called a girl. She emerged from behind a building wearing a soft dress just two inches above the ground.

"Bing!" yelled Dien, the fires evaporated into the air and all concentration was lost. "Over here!"

The girl turned her head and her face lit up then went into a frown. She walked over to where the rest were training. "Wow…that's a big scar!" she said looking at Zeyk who didn't seem to notice anything unusual. "Why are you all wearing boy's clothing? Their dresses are so fine!" She gave them a twirl then let them settle. "Have you seen Naphaerin?"

"Yeah, after he saw to you Hex asked if he could look after Feng for him," replied Cen.

Bing blushed at seeing the boys naked chests then pointed at the breeches Shen and Dien were wearing. "So why are you wearing those?"

"Well…do I look like I'd be wearing a skirt?" Dien smiled her response. Never in her life, had she ever willingly worn a dress and if she did she never put it on without a fight first.

"So what's your excuse Shen?"

"Never had one, never put on one, never intend to."