The Fire Mages all stood, surprise mixed with anger and indignation in their voices as they all shouted. The voice heard over all of them, though, was that of their First Counselor, Keyf Marwen. Heated rage poured from his face into his words as he responded to the First of the Water Mages.

"How dare you suggest that we are at the core of this! If we were not in this room, I would kill you where you stand."

"That anger you so acutely portray is not only the cause of why I bring this up, but the disruption of the power in the world," Hearn Watine, First of the Water Mages, responded. As was befitting to his position and his power, he always spoke will a calm, flowing grace. Usually, it worked to the advantage of mediation. This time, however, it only served to build the figurative flames.

"That is it! Watine, I will-"

Deilor Grant, First Counselor of the Earth Mages could take it no longer. If there was a challenge within the Council while the rest of the world was being thrown into chaos, it might never recover, regardless of their intentions.

"That's enough!" His voice carried through the chambers, overpowering all those speaking. The Fire Mages ceased shouting, the Water Mages discontinued their quiet murmuring, and the Air Mages...they had been quiet to begin with. They never seemed to get involved in the shouting matches that took place here. "In the courts of Life, Monolith acted as a barrier between Ifrit and Aqueous, former friends, each pushed to bitter hatred of the other because of the manipulations and lies of the Fallen. Apparently, this still continues." Turning his hard gaze to Keyf, he attempted to bring down his anger. "There will be no challenging today. The two of you are the strongest Mages sitting in this Council, and yet you persist in acting like children. Keyf, if you challenge Hearn, then you will defeat him. But you also will die." Turning to Hearn, he continued his verbal punishment. "You are intelligent, but not wise. You knew the effect your thoughts would have on him," he said, nodding to Keyf, "but you voiced them anyway. And when it seemed prudent to back off, you pushed him further. Wisdom would say that we all have to work together to stave off this disaster; your actions do not reflect that motive. You have no wisdom."

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes for a moment. This was not going to work. The Fire and Water Mages had been at each others throats for months now, but it had never come to this. There were veiled threats and suggestions, but nothing as open as one actually blaming the other for the current state of the nations, and no one from one Element had ever formally challenged any from the other. If something didn't happen soon, this Council would fall into as much disarray as the rest of the world threatened to.

"Be calm," a voice said in his ear. "You are Earth. Be as immovable as a mountain. As solid as granite. As strong as steel. You are Earth." Opening his eyes, he glanced to his Second and Third, expecting one of them to be whispering to him, but they were too far away. Besides, they were preoccupied with one of the many tasks they had set themselves to.

Looking up, he scanned his eyes around the room until he saw the Air Mages. Each of them were moving their lips, but no sound reached his ears. Not even a murmur. They were each whispering, but he could not tell to whom.

Finally, he looked to Urry Paent, the First Air Mage. He was the only one not moving his mouth, and he was the only one looking at Deilor. Staring was more like it. His lips moved again, and Deilor heard his wispy voice as if he were standing not and inch from him.

"Steel. Steel is as strong as iron, but will yield when necessary. Iron will snap before giving an inch. Both are from the earth, but steel is tempered. You must be strong, but you must also be smart. You must be...wise," he said, his lips turning up in a smirk. He nodded and seemed to wait for a response.

Deilor nodded back to him, and opened his mouth. He had the idea to say something else full of wisdom. He had no idea what it would be, and knew he would end up looking like a fool, like as not. But if it helped to dispel the growing contention, his embarrassment would be well served.

Before he could talk, however, the ground began to shake. He could feel that it was a Mage doing it, and a quick glance around the room showed that it wasn't one of the many Counselors. A wind began to howl, growing stronger and more fierce with every shake of the earth until it seemed like the chamber in which they sat was going to be torn apart. Rain began to fall inside the room, drenching the Mages. Dielor looked towards the Water Mages, but none of them seemed responsible. Quite the contrary, in fact; it looked as if they were actually trying to stop it and failing. The combined might of some of the strongest Water Mages ever failed to stop this indoor rain. But the most confusing event of all were the torches. Between the wind, rain, and shaking of the earth, Dielor knew that they should have been knocked from their holders and extinguished. Instead, they were as solid as if they had been nailed to the walls, and burned as brightly as ever. Even brighter than ever. And brighter still. The flames danced so fast and so high that he had to squint to see through the light they were producing.

He turned to his Second and his Third -- Earth/Water and Earth/Fire Mages, respectively -- but they both shook their heads. Whomever was doing this was not in the chamber. Dielor flexed his fist as he attempted to keep his footing amidst the fury. He would find whoever was doing this, and the Council would make them sorry they had ever attempted to disrupt these proceedings, no matter how many or how strong they were. They would pay. They would--

Abruptly, everything stopped. The wind died while the rain slowed to a drizzle, then disappeared. The earth found equilibrium and stopped shaking. The torches fell from their holders and went out, plunging the room into darkness.

Before any of the Mages could react, the main door opened, and a man walked through. Staggered, more like. The light from behind him shrouded his face so Dielor could not see him. Whoever he was, he must represent those who caused this disruption.

Dielor called out to him to announce himself, but his voice didn't even reach his own ears. He noticed in the dim light that others were speaking without sounds, too. Someone was silencing them.

He looked to Urry, and the man opened his mouth to speak. He, however, he was heard by all. He barely spoke above the merest whisper, but his words were carried to each and every Mage in the Council.

"He shall not be announced by man or beast, but by the Elements. Nature shall be his forerunner, his herald, his ally. His face shall be known, but his power incomprehensible." Dielor knew what Urry was quoting. The prophecy could have been repeated by just about any of the Mages in the room, but the time was not right to be reading tales. The features of the man's face began to be more distinguishable, as if he, himself were giving off light. Finally, Dielor recognized him. Even wearing soiled, threadbare rags and covered in mud, Dielor knew him as his old friend. And enemy. Mayen Kathil, he thought. What on earth are you doing here? He looked like he could barely muster the strength to stand. "He shall be covered in rags but adorned in glory," Urry continued. Mayen continued standing in the middle of the chamber, clutching his hands to his left shoulder. It seemed that if he were to let go, the rags would fall to the floor. "He shall be a servant to each of the Elements. He shall be killed by each of the Elements, but they will fail. He shall die, yet live." Dielor grimaced as he remembered the time he'd attacked Mayen with a stone blade, sending a scar from his right hip to his left shoulder where he clutched his hands. He knew about the time Urry send an arrow made of nothing but air at him, catching him in his gut. The surgeon who saved him said that his heart had stopped beating for a few seconds while he was sewing him up; Mayen had actually died. Dielor looked at Keyf and Hearn, and he knew that they were both remembering the times he had served them, as well. Then something clicked in Dielor's mind. Had they tried to...? Was this...? It couldn't be Mayen! "He shall survive marked by nature, his final ally."

Mayen pulled the rags from his shoulders and bared his chest. An audible gasp shot through the room like a spear. His whole right arm was covered in a burn scar from his shoulder to his wrist. At his wrist, his skin changed from a hairless, red scar to a very pale, almost white pigment. His nails were black and dead, never to grow beyond what they were. Frostbite, Dielor guessed. He didn't have to look to see the scars made by his stone knife and Urry's dart of air.

As the Mages adjusted to seeing these scars, Mayen stood up straight. Under the rags, he was wearing silk trousers and a gilded sword meant for a king's hip. Dielor repeated the prophecy in his mind. "His face shall be known. He shall be covered in rags, but adorned in glory. He shall be a servant. He shall be killed. He shall be marked." The final portion of the prophecy had not yet been said, but every Mage in the Council was thinking it. "He shall stand before all to save the world, or to destroy it. He shall be called the Lightning Mage."

Urry stood from his seat, walked toward Mayen, and stood right in front of him.

"I killed you, once. You returned. Each of us tried to kill you; Air, Earth, Fire and Water. Each time, you recovered. You bear a mark from each time one of us used nature to kill you. The elements heralded your coming." He fell to his knees in front of Mayen. "You are the Lightning Mage."