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As the oxygen in his icy casket depleted, Novvus began to lose his sense of being. The darkness around him became a gray haze, and the feeling of being trapped in an enclosed space left him.


The haze soon dissipated to allow a bright yellow sun to shine down on him, causing the dark-skinned boy to squint and sit up. Staring in his face was a boy that looked exactly like him, but twelve years younger. He had a white scarf tied around his forehead, from which Novvus could see sported a sizable lump. The boy had hazel eyes that seemed to shimmer like droplets of amber frozen in time. The young dark-skinned boy was standing over Novvus, his right arm outstretched in an offering of assistance. Novvus reached out and grabbed the boy's hand, and to his surprise his arm was just as big as his replica's.
"You should pay more attention to your surroundings, brother." said the other boy as he pulled Novvus to his feet. "You tripped over that rock over there." The blue-eyed boy scoured the sandy ground until he found the protruding rock a stone throw away.
"Thanks." he said in a voice he hadn't used in over ten years, allowing the other boy to pull him up. They were in the middle of the desert, as far as Novvus could see. All around them were sand-swept dunes and wind-eroded rock monoliths.
"Is your foot okay?" asked the other boy. Something about the boy was very familiar, but Novvus couldn't put a finger on it. He moved his left foot in small circles. His ankle was a bit irritated, but otherwise it was fine.
"I'll be fine." replied Novvus, walking in a straight line to prove his point. The hazel-eyed boy smiled.
"That's a relief. Let's go." he said, and began walking away. Novvus began to follow, then after a few minutes of walking asked,
"Where are we going?" The hazel-eyed boy looked at him quizzically. He cocked his head to the side, walked up to Novvus, and placed the back of his hand on the blue-eyed boy's forehead.
"Man, that fall must have knocked a few screws loose up there." said the hazel-eyed boy. "We're heading to the Sacred Oasis to meet up with our grandfathers to train." he said as if it were a matter of fact. For a few moments, Novvus fought hard to remember what the boy was talking about, then a torrent of memories flooded into his consciousness. Images of past doings began to play in his vision, the main ones being of a water hole in the middle of the desert where three old men sat in meditation. Novvus suddenly broke into a toothy grin, finally remembering who the boy was, and what they were supposed to be learning that day. He also felt like a fool for forgetting his twin brother, but the good thing was that he didn't make that fact obvious.
"Come on, N!" he called back to Notwen as he ran ahead, "Last one there is a rotten egg!" Notwen smiled and began to follow after Novvus.

"As Notwen's maternal grandfather and caretaker, i take on the responsibility of teaching him the ways of the Urajjo. That is, if fate decides for that to be the case." said Dharo. Novvus could tell that the blind man was disturbed by Pathik's statement, but kept his head cool. The bearded man now looked at Natsu, in expectation of the same pledge.
"And as Novvvus' paternal grandfather, i also take on this responsibility." said Natsu after a few moments. Pathik nodded and got to his feet, effortlessly keeping himself afloat over the water's surface. He took a step forward and addressed the boys.
"It pains me to say this, but one of you will have to say good-bye to the other today." This statement jogged Novvus' memory farther. Though he could not remember the day's proceedings, he knew that at the end of the day he would depart Wind Country, never to return. He glanced at Notwen and saw that he was looking at him as well. "Our family has been gifted with the power to control the elements at will, an ability that was only used by the Urajjo of old. Both of you have inherited this power over the elements, but only one of you is this era's virtuous king." Pathik now moved towards the twins until he was directly in front of them. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and placed his left hand on Notwen's head while placing his right on Novvus'. To the blue-eyed boy, the bearded man's touch felt light and gentle, almost soothing. His hands then began emitting a white aura. "Fear not." said Pathik without opening his eyes. "I am reading your seven chakras and identifying the Urajjo chakra, which is supposed to be located in the center of the brain." Pathik remained in this position for two minutes. His eyes were moving quickly behind his eyelids, like someone experiencing a vivid dream. Behind him, Dharo and Natsu kept their eyes on the bearded man, waiting for the verdict that would change their grandsons' lives forever. The chakra on both of Pathik's hands flared up and became flecked with gold. "This is...impossible!" said the bearded man, opening his eyes and staring at his hands. "The two of them have the Urajjo chakra!" he said in disbelief.
"What?!" said Natsu, a shocked expression on his face.
"How is this possible, Pathik?" asked Dharo. Pathik removed his hands from the boys' heads, watching the white-gold chakra diminish.
"It appears that this may be based on the fact that they are twins." said the bearded man slowly. "While i was searching their chakras, i found a thin chakra string that connected the them to each other. If i am correct, only when one falters will the other gain the full use of their Urajjo chakra. Until then, both should be trained in the ways of the virtuous kings." The two grandfathers gazed at their grandsons, a look of such awe and sadness that Novvus felt it in his soul.

Suddenly Dharo was behind Notwen and Natsu behind Novvus. Before he was able to react, the blue-eyed boy's feet left the ground.
"Novvus!!" cried Notwen, who was about to run after his brother, but was stopped by Dharo's firm hand. No matter how much he struggled, the blind man's grip wouldn't falter.
"Notwen!!" cried Novvus, who was now hoisted up on his grandfather's shoulder. He extended his arm, trying to reach his brother. His vision began to be blurred by tears. How could grandfather be so cruel?! he thought. To not even let me say good bye to my own brother! Novvus shut his eyes as the tears started to fall over his cheeks. He took a deep breath, then shouted so his brother could hear him. "No matter what, I promise that after i'm done with my training i will find my way back here and see you again! You hear me?" He knew that Notwen was crying as well because he heard him sniff. Then came his reply.
"Okay!" Notwen's voice faltered, but he managed to say, "I'll be training hard too, so make sure that you don't lose to anyone until we are able to see each other again!"
"Okay!" Novvus called back. Soon, the Sacred Oasis was far behind them and the only thing that could be heard was his grandfather's footsteps in the sand. The gray haze that had enveloped his consciousness returned, and soon the scene faded to black.


Novvus was now back inside the air pocket. The oxygen was nearly gone and he felt light.
I have to fulfill that promise i made so long ago. he thought. Notwen, i'm sorry i failed to keep the promise i made to you back then, and hope that this gift can make things right... Novvus cleared his mind and meditated on the connection he had with his twin brother. He found that there was a thin chakra cord that extended from his body and away from the frozen wasteland that had become his grave. This is for you, brother! Take it, for i no longer have any use of it! With that, Novvus flared his chakra up to its limit, then sent it all through the cord. A golden chakra orb surrounded by a bubble of blue chakra sailed away from Novvus body and out into the night. The dark-skinned boy's body went limp, his eyes closed but his lips curved in a content smile. So ended the life of Novvusor du Sokkulor.


A few hours later, the orb entered the airspace over the deserts of Wind Country, where it began it's descent. It passed over the walls of the Hidden Sand Village, and kept going until it hovered outside of a window on the second story of a small house. After a few seconds, it passed through the glass pane and into the room of a sleeping blonde boy. A white scarf was tied around his forehead, concealing a rather large lump in its center. This is where the chakra orb hovered now. It then began to descend slowly and pass through the scarf until it was within the sleeping boy's head. It was there where it fused with a similar golden orb. From the doorway, a bearded man watched the proceedings with a sad face. He closed the door to the room quietly and returned to his own quarters.