Chapter 52 - Majority Decision

"... Are you sure about this?" Jayson questioned.

"About what exactly? Mai replied as she led Jayson downstream.

"Didn't they say you're a diver? I'm sure they're gonna need you here."

"There's fourteen of us divers. They should be able to carry on with business as usual without me. Besides, I think there would be some benefits to having me as a member of your party."

"Like?"

"Well, for starters, it's quite obvious that none of the elders can leave the village at this time. It would only cause unrest in the village. The elders provide security for everyone with them just being around. That's where I come in as the next best option to represent the village if we're going to be traveling to Ventus. My family's name, 'Aira', is well known across the lands, and it would provide validity for our group as well as confirm our attachment to Aestus. You and Kaden can't exactly do that even if you both possess water essence."

"You hold yourself very highly." Jayson said snarkily.

"It's the opposite, actually." Mai replied sternly. "As things are currently, I don't think I'm worthy to have such a name, but I strive to be one day. That's another reason why I want to do this. It's the perfect opportunity for me to show that I'm capable of taking on tasks like this."

"... Sounds like that name brings some serious expectations."

"Naturally. But the last reason why I want to do this is because I simply want to help. You remind me a lot of myself. I can tell that you're a genuinely good person who just wants to help in any way they can, but you shouldn't take on stuff like this alone. You need to rely on others, especially when you have good people around you who are willing to help."

"... Yeah, you're right." Jayson replied happily.

Mai proceeded to lead Jayson to a small camp just outside of the village's main construction area where Avery and the others were living temporarily. Upon seeing their weakened older brother, Sayu and Nakayla immediately ran over and hugged Jayson with large bright smiles engraved onto their faces.

"Thank you all for staying safe." Jayson said as he hugged the two girls.

"Bluejay." Called Avery as she and Shaedon approached wearing frowns instead of smiles. "Make this the last time you make me worry about you like this! You're lucky I was panicking back when the lake fell, because if I were calm, I would've slapped the life essence out of you! How'd you expect to get out of there once the water fell!?"

"Heh, I didn't think that far ahead."

"I should strangle you!" Avery exclaimed as she placed her hands around Jayson's neck.

However, she then stepped forward, allowing both of her arms to wrap around Jayson to embrace him with a tight hug of her own.

"You're still the same, Avery." Jayson said softly.

That comment caught Avery off guard for a momenr, as she knew he was referencing her behavior now was similar to how they were as kids. She quickly released him and stepped back without saying anything.

"Are you mad at me too, Shaedon?"

"No. But about Camie..."

Shaedon struggled to find the words that he wanted to express before Tanner and Mano eventually crept their way into the group. Both boys displayed looks of sorrow, regret, and fear.

"Jay, we... I... we didn't - "

As Tanner stumbled his way through his thought process, Jayson leaned over and hugged the two boys as well.

"I'm glad you're both okay." Jayson stated. "We can talk about what happened later, but don't beat yourselves up over it. You didn't know anything. At the end of the day, only Camie knows what really happened. Until we can talk to her, don't jump to any conclusions, alright?"

"You think Camie is okay?" Mano asked.

"Yeah, she's a tough girl. I'm sure we'll see her again. With that being said... I may be leaving you guys for some time very soon."

"Huh, why!?"

"But you just got back!" Sayu exclaimed.

"I know, calm down guys." Jayson said as he looked around at all of their disappointed faces. "It's not confirmed yet, but I may be traveling to a very far land, and it's unclear how long I'm going to be gone."

"Then we'll come with you!" Tanner exclaimed.

"Yeah, just like before." Nakayla added.

"No, this is different." Jayson replied firmly. "I want you guys to stay here. All of you." He said while looking at Avery. "I brought you all here with me because I thought that the safest place for you all to be is by my side, and no matter what we encountered, I'd protect you. I still would protect you all with my life without hesitation, but I've realized that I can't keep sheltering you all forever. This place is safe, and I believe even if it's just temporary, we can call this place home. So, during that time, I'm going to do what I can to help out, and I know there are things you guys can do to help out as well, but this one is just for me."

"Then who's gonna look out for you?" Avery questioned.

"I'm not doing this alone. It seems like there are a few people who have my back, so you don't have to worry about me, alright?"

"... If you say so."

"No fair! I want to adventure too!" Sayu exclaimed.

"I promise you, Sayu, we'll go adventuring again when I get back." Jayson assured with a grin.

"Yay!"

"Jayson, I'll be heading back now." Mai stated from behind everyone as the others finally acknowledged her presence. "Have a good day."

"Thank you, Mai, I appreciate everything."

"It's the girl from before."  Avery thought to herself as she watched Mai walk away.

"What have you guys been up to while I was gone?"

"We've had to put the survival training you gave us to use since there isn't much of a village anymore." Tanner stated.

"Don't you have any filter!?" said Nakayla while pushing Tanner's head down. "One of the elders occasionally checked on us, and she gave us back a pair of spark gloves."

"Avery showed me how to make tea for everyone!" Sayu stated.

"That's nothing special. All you have to do is boil water." Mano replied.

"Mmm, then why can't you do it!" 

"Alright, calm down." Jayson said with a slight grin. "Can you make some for me, Sayu?"

"Of course! Right this way!"

.....

After leaving the elders, Kaden found himself wandering through the village on his own, pondering on all of the new information he received from the interaction.

"With how the elders were speaking, it should be safe to assume that their thinking of retaliating against Ignus. Going off of what Via told me, Ignus isn't a country you would typically want to start beef with. The fire continent has the highest population of people among the four great lands, and now that they have the Phoenix back, I assume the internal conflict isn't going to last for much longer. That guy, Kajar, is most likely going to become the next king for what he did. Whenever Aestus confronts them, it's going to be a tall task, which is why they want to enlist the help of Ventus. The air continent has the second highest population, but Via said their people are probably even more divided than those of the fire continent. However, she didn't say why. Now, for some reason, they need the help of Aestus, and I'm supposed to go and figure out why and then offer that help accordingly. Do I really want to get caught up in all this?

Kaden sighed and ran both his hands through his hair as he continued to think about various things.

"Jayson's a good kid. How does he really feel about the water and fire continent possibly going to war. Even if they're in the wrong, that's still where he grew up."

"If you think any harder, you're gonna burst your brain." said Aaron as he approached from the side. "What're you up to."

"Looking for you actually, and Via too. Where's she?"

"Putting away some books we recovered from her old home. In between helping the villagers with her air essence, she's spent a lot of time reading over books her mom collected in the past. Elder Claire says two brothers who are mixed blood should be arriving here sometime in the next few days."

"Mixed blood?"

"Yeah, water and air. They should take some of the workload off of me and Via. Never mind that, why were you looking for us?"

"A favor to ask." Kaden stated. "A pretty big one."

"Hmm?"

.....

The Next Morning.

A tired Kaden yawns and casually ascends the wooden staircase leading to the new elder's courtyard. He turned the corner and found both Jayson and Mai, along with all four elders waiting on his arrival.

"I thought you were trying to wake up earlier nowadays?" Mai questioned.

"Eh, nobody's perfect." Kaden answered as he walked beside Jayson.

"Good morning, Kaden. How are you this morning?" Elder Aira asked.

"Never better, granny."

"That's good to hear. Well, let's not waste any time, shall we?"

"Everyone isn't here yet, though."

"Those two are running an errand for me." Claire said while smiling peacefully. "We'll catch them up to speed later on."

"I'm sorry, who's missing?" Jayson questioned.

"Friends of mine." Kaden replied.

"On the matter of these individuals before us traveling to the air continent and investigating the issue that Ventus requires assistance with. Where do you stand, sisters?" Asked Elder Faye.

"..."

"I'm in favor of letting them go." Claire stated first. "We wouldn't be able to stop Kaden from attempting the gate either way, and if the quick access to the air continent is there, then what's the harm in having them at least check in with Ventus?"

"This mission would also serve as a good opportunity for Jayson to prove himself." Treya added. "Doing this would certainly help the villagers' perception of you and your family, which is why I'm also in favor of them going."

Elder Faye exhaled deeply while lowering her head and closing her eyes momentarily, while at the same time, Kaden smirked just slightly as he knew that they were more than likely about to receive permission to travel to Ventus. Both of them returned their focus to Elder Aira as she stepped toward her granddaughter without displaying any form of emotion.

"...Mai, do you really think that you're ready for something like this?" Maleah questioned. "Give me an honest answer."

After the incident, Mai, who previously felt very diffident towards her own abilities, had now since grown more confident in what she is capable of and was awaiting a chance where she could have displayed her growth. However, now that she was staring her grandmother in the eyes, being observed be her elders and peers, and having the opportunity presented to her, she was feeling mixed emotions. She grasped her pants' legs and hesitated to give an answer.

"...I-I don't know." 

"This isn't exactly the best time to be indecisive." Treya commented.

"I know ma'am, it's just -"

"Mai, listen to me." said Maleah, interrupting her. "I understand better than anyone why you would want to take on this mission. This is more than just you wanting to prove to us that you're ready to take on these kinds of responsibilities. No, more than that, you want to prove it to yourself. The work you've put in when nobody was looking, you want to know it wasn't in vain. I understand. This mission is a prime example of what your parents use to do, and you don't want to let this opportunity pass to follow in their footsteps. I get all of that... But I won't give you this mission if you're not confident in your own abilities. Stop comparing yourself to others because there are things that only you are capable of, but when you compare yourself, you lose sight of those things only you can do. Recognize that there are things you can do and things you can't do, then act accordingly. That's what makes a good leader. So before you answer this question, I want you to acknowledge the hands you're taking with you and what they are capable of... Mai, do you think you're ready for something like this?"

Mai raised her hands as she gazed down towards them and thought about the question briefly. That's when she finally came to the realization of what exactly Elder Aira was getting at. She took a quick glance at Jayson's hands that were calmly resting at his side, and then she looked over to Kaden, who had his hands interlocked behind his head. Kaden then displayed a friendly grin and nodded his head as he made eye contact with Mai.

"... Yeah, I'm ready." Mai stated confidently. "We can do this."

Maleah smiled, turned, and walked back to her fellow elders, relieved that she was seeing her granddaughter grow before her very eyes.

"I am also in favor of letting them go." Maleah said proudly.

After hearing her decision, there were a multitude of different emotions among the group. Jayson kept his calm and composed appearance as he was ready to accept whatever outcome the elders decided, while Kaden wore a more confident demeanor as he believed from the start that this was going to be the eventual outcome. Then, there was Elder Faye, who was the only elder who seemed against the idea.

"Well, it doesn't matter what i say at this point since the majority has already spoken, but I want you three to know this." Faye stated. "My major concern with this mission is that there are too many unknowns. An unknown land to you all with an unknown issue. We don't even know if Kaden will complete the gate on his first attempt."

"I will." Kaden replied confidently.

"I don't doubt that you will, but it is still a variable. After having some time to think this whole thing over, I understand that if this goes well, it could be very beneficial for us. But I don't want to lose any more of my people. I wish there was a way to alleviate all of my concerns so I could just sit back and wait for the good news, but that isn't possible."

"Have faith in them, sister, and then you won't have to worry." Maleah stated.

Faye reached into her pocket and slowly stepped toward Jayson.

"I do have faith in them." Faye replied as she presented Jayson with his spark gloves. "Yet I worry nonetheless."

"... Thank you." Jayson said as he accepted his gloves back.

"The decision has been made." Claire announced cheerfully.

"You all have until noon to prepare for your journey." Treya stated. "Do whatever you need to do in the village, then meet us at the eastern trail outside of the village."

"Yes, ma'am." Jayson and Mai replied in unison.

"You got it, auntie." Kaden happily responded.