The Temple of Air

New Hayward, Present Day;

"Stick close to me Sam, these can be dangerous streets this time of night."

The young boy gave his mom a slight glance, followed by a head nod. Night had fallen on them quickly as they left the movie theater. The concerned mom tightly held her son's hand, but not too tight. They walked two blocks down the street. Her heart pounded as she knew, they would have to cut down an alley. These allys were usually teaming with lowlifes and criminals. But sadly, she was a single mother and couldn't afford a car to drive them around.

As they neared the entrance, the mother stopped and knelt down in front of her son.

"Listen to mommy Sam. Whatever happens, don't make eye contact and keep walking. Never stop."

The boy sadly nodded. He knew she was going to say this because she would say the same thing every time they walked home from the movies. Every other time, they would walk straight through with no problem. So the boy figured it would be the same thing this night. He was sadly mistaken. They slowly began to walk, both looking straight ahead and walking at a quick pace. They never even made it to the halfway point, before three men stepped from the shadows. Each man held a gun in hand and a scowl on their faces. The mother pulled her son tightly to her front. The men quickly surrounded them so they could escape the ally. One of the men wore an old scruffy looking ball cap. He used his gun to push up in the bill of his cap just slightly.

"Donations mam.....and we won't hurt the kid. Empty your purse!"

The mother looked down at her son. He looked terrified. She gave him a reassuring nod. She slowly turned her purse upside down and allowed the contents to fall out onto the ground. The other two men quickly swept in like the predators they were. After searching through it, they quickly rejoined their conrad.

"There is nothing!" One said.

The mother grew nervous. They had spent the last of their money on the movie. She had nothing to offer them, and that was very dangerous. The one with the hat glared at the woman.

"Where is the money? We aren't robbing you for makeup and some ibuprofen!"

The mother shook her head.

"We spent all our money. I have only what was in my purse!"

"That's too bad. Because I am not leaving empty handed. But you know, you are an attractive woman. I think we can work something out."

The mother looked angry. That was dishonoring her husband who had died in the war.

"How dare you! I am not some slut who would give up her dignity for anyone!"

The man chuckled.

"Well, you are tonight!"

He snapped his finger as the three moved in on them. She put her son behind her.

"Whatever happens to me, you know where the police station is. Go there and report what has happened to me."

"No mommy, I won't leave you!"

The men laughed.

"How sweet! Stick around kid, you may learn something about manhood!"

They were about to tackle the woman to the ground.

"Show some honor, you pathetic thugs!"

The men stopped. At the entrance to the ally stood a man in an ancient looking nomads robe. He was bald and had ancient tatoo markings all over his bald head. The men clearly underestimated the nomad as they laughed.

"Mind your own business!"

They all three raised their guns to point them at the nomad. The nomad quickly commanded a current of wind and threw it like a boomerang. The current sliced through their guns. The three men all jumped back.

"What was that?" One asked.

"Who cares! We'll beat his tattooed head into the pavement." Another said.

The one with the hat snapped his fingers again. The other two quickly moved in on the nomad. The nomad quickly extended both his fists. A burst of wind came from both. The two approaching thugs found themselves swept up by the wind and slammed into the alley walls. The one with the hat quickly went for a knife that he'd hidden in his left boot. The nomad used a current of wind to reach out and grab the knife away from him. He watched as his knife was tossed away by the wind.

"What are you man? How are you doing that?"

The nomad made wide arm movements as he created a whirlwind of air underneath the man. The whirlwind lifted the man up off the ground. The man cried out in fear. The nomad then commanded air currents to lift him up off the ground so that he was eye to eye with the thug.

"I am from another plain. The air is my allie and it is at my very command. You will stop taking advantage of those less fortunate or I will return for you. Do I make myself clear to you?"

The man nervously nodded his head. He nodded it so much that his hat fell off. The whirlwind lowered him back down to the ground. As soon as his feet touched the pavement, he was running down the alley. The nomad slowly lowered to the ground over by the mother and her son. He gave them both a polite head nod.

"You are both safe now."

"We are greatful sir. I am Mary and this is my son Samuel."

He looked down at the boy. He could tell the boy was very excited.

"Hello, Samuel."

"How did you do that Mister?"

Mary nudged her son quickly.

"Sam! That is not polite!"

The nomad chuckled.

"That is quite alright! My name is Lee Chow. I come from the Air Plains."

"High in the East Mountains?" Mary asked.

"Very good. Would you two like to get ice cream with me? We can talk?"

The boy became overly excited.

"Can we mom?"

Mary smiled as she nodded. The three quickly left the alley and walked to the nearest ice cream place. They found a table and sat down. Once they ordered their ice cream, Lee began to talk to them and explain things.

"Long ago, there were two dragons. One was the dragon of the air plains. The other, the dragon of fire mountain. Both dragons were at odds for command over the world. Each dragon had human followers who devoted their lives to them. Those humans were given the power over air. The fire dragon gave his followers the power over fire. The two clans went to war, while the dragons spectated. This world was ravaged due to that war. The air dragon could see the evil he was a part of. He tried to reason with the dragon of fire. The fire dragon reveled in the chaos and destruction. His fire wielders were doing to the world, what he had always wanted. And so, the air dragon did what he never wanted to do. He had to defeat his opposite. And so, the mountains were shaken as the two dragons went to battle. In the end, The air dragon defeated his brother and imprisoned him within the planets firey core. When the fire dragon was defeated, the fire clan lost their power and were wiped out by the air clan. The Temple of air became a training place for would be air wielders. And that very place is where my story begins."

Air Village, many years earlier...

Lee knelt down by his grandmother's garden, as he worked the soil. His grandmother had taught him everything she knew about gardening. But what his grandmother didn't know was that he was special. He had been born with air wielding powers. When he's finish in one part of the garden, a current of air would lift him through the air and set him down by another part of this rather large garden. After a few hours, his grandmother came out with a pitcher of water. She poured some water into a cup. He drank it gratefully as it quenched his thirst. She took a good look at her garden.

"It looks marvelous Lee. It is supposed to rain tonight. Things will grow nicely. A few more hours and I'll have a nice meal waiting for you."

The young boy licked his lips as he nodded. Just then, two Nomads entered their lot, wearing their proper robes. Lee's grandmother politely greeted them.

"Welcome to our home, I am Sia Chow. This is my grandson Lee."

The Nomads looked down at Lee.

"The boy is the reason we are here. The Nomad high council has sensed a wind wielder here at this village."

Sai chuckled.

"Oh no, no wind wielders here."

The Nomads gave her a serious stare.

"Are you sure mam?"

She started to nod her head, but stopped. As she glanced over at Lee, she could see a very nervous look come over his face.

"Lee? Are you not telling me something?"

Lee looked ashamed.

"I was scared to tell anybody grandma. When it first happened, I was terrified."

Sai knelt down to look her grandson in the eyes.

"Never be afraid to be a wielder of the wind. It is an honored gift from the great Wind Dragon."

"We have been sent to bring you to the Temple of Air. It is there that you will master your power. You are one of us now."

Lee looked at his grandmother. She smiled at him as she nodded.

"What about your garden?"

Sai chuckled.

"I have been gardening since I was a little girl. My garden will be fine. You go and fullfil the destiny that the Wind Dragon has placed upon you."

One of the Nomads touched Lee's shoulder.

"After a month of training, you will be allowed to come and visit your grandmother."

Lee's face lit up.

"Okay, let's do this."

"And so, the wind Nomads took me to their temple."

"Was it awesome?" Sam asked.

Lee nodded.

"It was the most awesome thing I had ever seen in my life."

The wind Nomads stopped at the base of Air Mountain. Lee could see no pathway up the mountain.

"How do we get up to the Temple?" Lee asked.

The Nomads smirked.

"Air and wind are our allies. The wind does more than just blow. It can lift as well. It can give us the ability to ride on its currents."

One of the Nomads grabbed hold of Lee. They both used air currents to lift all three of them off the ground and up the mountain. They soon cleared the top of Air Mountain. Lee was astonished at what he was seeing. The Temple of air was not on the top of the mountain, it hovered a hundred feet above the mountain top being held up by strong air currents.

"How is that possible?" Lee asked.

"This is a feet only accomplished by the wind dragon himself. He gave the Temple to us Nomads."

The three floated up to the entrance to the Temple. As they landed within the main lobby of the Temple, they were met by other fellow recruits. The Nomads looked down at Lee.

"Welcome home, Lee Chow."

Mary too found this story quite interesting.

"Sounds like the wind dragon cared a lot for his people."

Lee nodded.

"I spent the rest of my childhood training at the temple. My wind wielding powers grew stronger and stronger as I trained. And when it came time to graduate, I became a Nomad master."

The young recruits looked so excited. They too had marveled at the sight of the Temple. Now Master Lee stood before them.

"Welcome to the Temple of Air. I was your age when I too first stepped foot within this place. I was proud to train here and learn the ways of wielding wind. Today, we begin your first steps. You will learn to manipulate the wind to your will. That is the start of wind wielding. Now, mimic everything that I do."

And so, Lee started with basic forward wind strikes. With every punch, a burst of wind would blast out. Next, he did front snap kicks. Each kick blasted a burst of wind. He followed up with flip kicks which also fired wind bursts. The recruits tried to mimic, but never came close. Lee finally pointed his palms down towards the ground as wind currents lifted him off the ground. The recruits were amazed as they watched their teacher float off the ground. He finally floated back down.

"And now, you all know what you must practise. These basic fighting techniques will begin your path down the road of being a Nomad."

Lee stepped back and observed as the students practised. One student caught his eye. This one seemed unfocused as he would not practise with the others. Lee finally went over to him. The boy was much older than the others, a teenager.

"What is your name, young one?"

The boy scowled at first but then his face found peace.

"I am Chie Low. When my power first manifested, it terrified my mother. She insisted I come here. I....wasn't ready!"

"The whole point of training means preparing yourself for the trials ahead of you. Take your time."

The boy nodded. As Lee walked away, Chie had a sinister grin on his face. That night, Lee laid down for a long restful night. He had soothing dreams. This was a technique the elder Nomads had taught him. His dreams quickly turned to unrest, as he saw a vision of the fire dragon destroying Air Mountain. The dream was so unsettling, that it woke him. As soon as he woke, he smelled smoke. He jumped up and quickly left his personal quarters. The hallway was full of smoke. He suddenly thought of the students and began to search for them. Before he could find any, he was met by other Nomads.

"Master Lee, we must evacuate!" One said.

"But the students!" Lee yelled.

The other Nomads looked sorrowful.

"This fire is very strange. All the students parished. Their fire started within their quarters."

Lee gasped.

"How is that possible?"

"We must go, Master Lee!"

Lee and the other Nomads quickly used wind currents to help them escape through a nearby window. As they flew away from the burning temple, Lee caught sight of Chie Low standing beneath the burning temple. When their eyes caught sight of each other, Chie smirked. Flames burst from his feet like jet thrusters and he flew off the mountain and to one of the villages down below. Lee and the Nomads landed on the top of the mountain. The Temple of Air began to break apart. Lee and the Nomads commanded the wind currents to deflect falling debre.

"Chie Low, he's done this."

"Who?" One of the Nomads asked.

"The new recruit, he was struggling yesterday."

The other Nomads looked confused.

"There is no recruit by that name. Every recruit is chosen because we sense them."

Lee suddenly realized that he'd been played.

"He lied! I saw him use...fire to escape the mountain."

"There are no fire wielders! The fire dragon was locked away within the core of this world."

Lee looked angry.

"I know what I saw. Chie is definitely a fire wielder. But how is this possible?"

"With the Temple of Air destroyed, our clan will be weak. And this fire wielder will not make our destinies easy."

Lee sighed. He lifted high into the sky and looked down over the Air city of New Hayward. He knew what he had to do. He then floated back down.

"With this new threat, a Nomad must go down and live amongst the people."

The other Nomads looked shocked.

"No Nomad has ever done that before. Do you know what you are suggesting?"

"If one is able to fire wield, that must mean the fire dragon has returned. The people are going to need me."

The other Nomads nodded.

"Then go in peace, Master Lee."

Sam quickly finished off his ice cream.

"And that is how you have come to be here?" Mary asked.

"That was many years ago. I've spent the last ten years searching for the mystery of this fire wielder."

"So has the fire dragon returned?" Sam asked.

"No. That is the ultimate mystery. How can one wield fire, without the fire dragon?"

After eating their ice cream, they all stood outside the shop.

"Thank you again for saving us." Mary said.

Lee gave her a curtious bow.

"I am merely doing what the wind dragon expects out of me. Helping those in need is my purpose."

With a burst of wind, Lee flew off into the sky.