The world is inhabited by gods; each land and country has a ruling deity. Humans were created under the power of these gods, who, in allowing humans to live and die independently, bestowed upon them elemental powers. Each land and each person is different, giving rise to many different elements. Each individual possesses a unique element, thus shaping their destiny.
According to cosmic legend, humans are composed of the five elements, and all things and phenomena are made up of these five basic elements, constantly interacting to create movement, balance, and transformation in nature, society, and the human body.
Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth
Metal: Hard, sharp, restraining, accumulating.
Wood: Growth, upward, beginning, dynamic.
Water: Soft, flexible, tolerant, containing.
Fire: Warm, bright, energetic, spreading.
Earth: Stability, firmness, nurturing, reproduction
And this six-year-old girl also possesses an element within herself.
"Earth, rise up!!!"
A little girl's shout rang out as she reached out her hands towards the flat ground where a frog stood. No matter how much she shouted, the ground remained motionless.
"Rise up!!!"
She shouted again, but the ground didn't budge. The frog turned towards her, croaked once, and then left, as if mocking her efforts.
"Ugh!"
She grabbed a nearby stone and threw it into the river. The stone hit the water, and water splashed onto her face. Her innocent face contorted, and she crouched down, bursting into tears. Her cries attracted the attention of two adults.
A large hand lifted the little girl up, then a cold tissue was gently placed on her small face, wiping away the dirt.
"Come on, stop crying. You're still young, it's just that your element isn't strong enough yet. You'll be able to do it when you start school."
Her mother was a water element user, her name was also water, Thuy.
"That's right, so you don't need to rush. You'll probably be much stronger when you grow up."
Her father was an earth element user, his name, like her mother's, was also related to the element, Son.
And the little girl's name was Thach Anh, her parents' nickname was Tun. Initially, the little girl found it strange that they called her by a nickname instead of her real name. They explained briefly that the nickname was easier to pronounce and more familiar.
"I won't! If the other kids can do it, why can't I?!" - Thach Anh
"Don't rush, rushing won't help. It's best to be patient." - Thuy
"But...!" - Thach Anh
"Your mother is right. The element doesn't always arrive immediately; it will come, it's just a matter of sooner or later." - Son
Hearing her parents say this, the little girl's face fell sadly. Looking into the distance, she saw children her age using their elements. Some with the fire element were breathing fire, others with the water element were running on water, and some with the earth element were creating large, cool models of themselves.
Hearing this, her parents exchanged glances.
The girl's family lived in a small city called Hanoi, where the people mainly made a living through trade and farming. However, life there was quite comfortable; they didn't have to worry about food or clothing.
Her father was an architect, and his designs were highly regarded. He occasionally traveled for work, and although she didn't know what places he went to, he always returned exhausted.
Her mother was simply a housewife, cooking, cleaning, and raising the children. These were her responsibilities; sometimes she would go out to the fields to sell produce at the market to help ease her father's financial burden.
Thach Anh pouted. Why did every family have parents doing such important jobs, the simplest example being exorcising evil spirits?
Meanwhile, her parents did such mundane work; she couldn't understand.
So, whenever her parents were asleep or at work, she would secretly take one of the long wooden sticks, just the right length for her small height, and brandish it. If it broke, she would immediately recycle the broken sticks into small pieces of firewood to burn in the fireplace.
Killing two birds with one stone, she successfully concealed the evidence while also helping with her work.
That night was no different. While her parents were asleep, Thach Anh ran far away, climbed and jumped across the small river, and ran to what she called her secret training ground.
Actually, it was just a forest not far from the village, but few people passed by, or perhaps no one at all, because of rumors that there were evil spirits there.
What's so special about evil spirits? Isn't it just a shield to give her some privacy?
Thach Anh sat down and began her meditation. Meditation is a method of training the mind, focusing attention on the present moment by directing it towards the breath, sound, or a specific object to calm thoughts, reduce stress, enhance awareness, and achieve a state of peace and clarity.
It also helps to regulate the flow of energy in the body more effectively without disturbance.
'When I first became aware, I accidentally overheard my parents saying that I carried a disturbed energy flow. At first, I didn't understand what it was, but after trying to use elemental energy many times without success...'- Thach Anh thought, feeling frustrated.
Seeing no elemental flow appear within herself, the girl began to grow angry. She stomped her foot forcefully on the ground, each stomp accompanied by anger causing tremors to erupt where she stood.
"Damn it! Damn it! Why can't I do it?!" - Thach Anh
Another stomp caused the ground to sink.
"Why is it so unfair to me?!" - Thach Anh
Another stomp caused everything around her to shake.
"Am I really that useless?!" - Thach Anh
This time, a fist slammed into the ground, causing cracks to spread beneath her feet. Before she realized it, the ground had collapsed, sending her tumbling into an underground pool. Emerging from the water, she was still disoriented when she saw the current carrying her toward a waterfall.
"Oh no!" - Thach Anh sighed in frustration.
She tried her best to swim against the current, but a child's strength was no match for the power of the water. She clung to the last glimmer of hope, grabbing onto the rocks, but they were too slippery. A sharp pain in her arm sent her reeling, and she was swept away by the waterfall.
Her small body plunged into the water, the impact causing her head to spin, making her feel dizzy and faint.
'It hurts...it hurts so much...'
Her mind became hazy, and she wanted to close her eyes.
Suddenly, something gleamed in the darkness, a shimmering golden light that captivated Thach Anh. The light shone from above; she had to swim towards it. Even though her body ached slightly, Thach Anh struggled to swim upwards. She was determined to see what that light was.
As she got closer, the light shone brighter and brighter, causing Thach Anh to swim faster towards it. She could feel she was about to reach it.
Her small hand reached out, and upon touching a hard, cold, and rough object, it seemed to separate easily. Thach Anh used her small hands to pull it off, but she needed to catch her breath to continue diving. Luckily, there was a spot nearby where she could surface. After taking a breath, she dived down again to retrieve the mysterious object stuck to the wall.
She kept doing this repeatedly, unaware that the blood flowing from her arm, mixing with the water, was inadvertently attracting something closer.