(Outdated) The King of Elements (part 2)

Chapter 88

Ian woke up, determined. He wouldn't let the Edge Walker incident shake him. Instead, he used it as a reason to join the Kurai Elites. He was powerless against the Edge Walkers; he almost let Dre die. Ian had to get stronger, for Dre, for the worlds' sake. He got dressed in the bathroom, giving himself a look over before he went back to the Kurai Elite's HQ. Yawning, Dre left his room and leaned across from the bathroom door. "You sure you wanna do this?" he asked as Ian slid on an old pair of his uncle's steel gauntlets. Ian was dressed in Marcus's old Kurai Elite uniform; a mesh shirt under a silver, sleeveless jacket and a pair of white cotton pants that was tucked into a pair of silver shin guards. He looked over to Dre and furrowed his brows before turning back to the mirror. Dre continued. "I mean, you are just now at the end of your Apprentice year, and you've got enough time to-"

"Did you decide to grow a pair overnight?" Ian interrupted, looking angry. "It looks like you've forgotten who you were talking to. Or-" his eyebrows suddenly rose, "did you get some last night?" He remembered that Dre came back late the night before after "hanging" out with Kim to cheer themselves up over the exam.

"What? Dude, no," Dre said. Raheem walked out of his room, looking as if he'd just woken up.

"Hey dad. Dre became a man last night," Ian told him in an almost mocking tone.

"Dre, you're grounded," Raheem said. He looked at his door over his shoulder before he grinned and gave Dre a thumbs up.

"Nothing like that happened, dad," Dre said as he drew out an exasperated breath. "Kim and I just kissed last night. We're going out now, you know."

"Ah." Raheem nodded his head thoughtfully. He squinted as he looked at Dre. "You do look different though, but I just can't place my finger on it."

"I'm telling you, dad. Dre's hiding something from us."

"Shut it, Ian," Dre exclaimed past his father. Ian snickered as he pulled his braids into a ponytail. "It doesn't have anything to do with Kim and I. Well, not exactly. It has to do with Hiro." Raheem gave Dre a perplexed stare. "He's been training me in my sleep. He told me that in order for me to get the King's Blessing, I'd have to defeat him. Somehow, I did it before the exams started."

"Uh huh. So what is the King's Blessing?"

"When he was alive, did you ever notice his hair and eyes change color?"

"I think."

"That's the King's Blessing. It allows me to use Hiro's element, but only when I have the Suscéptor." He folded his arms. "The only thing about that is that he really didn't tell me anything else. From what I've heard from Michael, it happened during the exams, but I have no idea how to even bring out the power even if I have the Suscéptor with me."

"Can't you just ask him the next time you go to sleep?" Raheem asked, leaning against the wall beside Dre.

"I can't believe you're actually buying into this, dad," Ian added in. Abigail walked out of the room, her head wrapped in a silky, beige cloth. "Morning, ma."

"Morning boys," she yawned. "You've got a whole lot to learn if you think that this is hard to believe."

"You were listening?" Raheem asked, looking befuddled.

"You thought I wasn't?"

"I thought you were sleep."

"Nope." Abigail grinned. She turned to Dre. "So, why can't you ask Hiro about it?"

"He said that the only way that I can go back is to have the Suscéptor. But, of course, I can't do that because it's still in the museum. And Toney already told me that I can't get it until the world is ready to know that I'm the King." He gave a frustrated grunt. "I didn't even think of asking him while I was there. I was too surprised that I even beat him."