I have always been in tune with the ocean.

My mother says it is because she found me laying between the waves in a makeshift basket, left alone to nature by the family who never wanted me. The children in the village say it is because I am half fish, half human, my mind always fleeting towards the sea instead of staying on land. They mostly mean this in a bad way. I always stink of fish and shrimps from when my mother and I sell them in the market. I see it as a compliment sometimes; I am the only one in the village who can hold my breath for more than a few minutes. It is something I am proud of, even though it causes weird looks over my shoulder and strange rumors to circulate.

I do not have a lot of friends. My mother is my constant companion, and I spend most of my days fishing or talking to her. There is a reason why the people around the village do not talk to me, but I do not really remember it because it happened when I was a child. Nobody tells me exactly what occurred, it is considered a taboo subject prohibited by the elders. I only know that someone got hurt, and the village blamed my mother and I because we were foreigners and the trouble coincided when we came to live in the village. They banished us to the edge of the forest. I think it is unfair, but mother never complains so I try not to, as well.

I spend most of my days adrift beneath the ocean waves. The sea gives my family everything we need. We wash our bodies in its shallow depths behind a cove of mangroves away from prying eyes. We use spears and woven nets from scraps of nylon to get fish and crabs to sell and eat for supper. The shells we pick from the shore adorn our window sills and serve as jewelry for our handmade dresses. My mother and I live a simple life. It is not much, but it is home.

As a child, I am used to begging my mother for stories before bedtime. Sometimes it is a tale of young love between a brave knight and the clever princess who outsmarted the dragon. Other times, it is about legends and old prophecies. But my favorite story of all is about the birth of the four goddesses. I beg my mother to tell me the same story every night, to the point that I can recite it in my dreams. She always smiles and shakes her head, teasing me that she is too tired but by the end of the night, she has her hands buried in my long dark hair as she plays with the ends in tandem with the lull of her voice. It always feels like a dream.

The story goes something like this.

Before the dawn of time, there is nothing in this world. It is dark and cold. Nothing lives in the barren husks of earth that are empty and vast until a great big ball of fire erupts from the ground in a raging inferno. The fire explodes, and out comes the first phoenix screeching with all her might. She is Ardea, the fire goddess. Ardea is headstrong and independent. She is the first born, and her place is always ahead of her sisters. Then, there comes a great gust of wind so strong that it creates the first typhoon. Swirls of dust circle the earth like a ferocious howl. From inside the storm comes Era, the wind goddess. She is cold and intense like the wind she is born from. Era and Ardea do not get along. They are like fire and ice, warmth and cold, forever circling each other. The two goddesses remain alone at first as they explore their new world. Ardea spreads flames everywhere and Era follows, blowing away the heat. This continues for days, a cycle of creation that turns the world black from the ash. But they are not alone for long. The ash, it seems, is magical.

From the darkest part of the cinders emerges another maiden. She stretches herself upwards from the earth and is named Maya. From where she springs, a trunk of leaves bursts into a large and beautiful tree which we now call the Jacaranda. She is the earth goddess, from where life begins. Each step she takes sings for nature to bloom and thrive. Maya is joyful, with always a hop in her step and a smile on her cheeks. Her spirit is young and ever so bright, just like the life she gives to others. The three goddesses are in conflict and do not know what to do. Ardea and Era keep chasing each other in heated disagreements, and Maya continues to flee from her violent sisters. Chaos and confusion reign over the three for many years until the first rain.

The sky above opens like a chest and pours a heavy waterfall of tears causing the earth to flood. The water keeps pouring, leaving the three goddesses shaken. Ardea's fire weakens from the water drenching her flames. For the first time since her birth, Era is forced to stay in one place for the wet storm is too strong to fight with her winds. Maya embraces the Jacaranda and takes shelter from the rain. The goddesses have ceased their destructive actions and there is calmness. Then the rain stops, and from the wettest ground emerges a maiden in swirls of blue and green. The ground creates the first lake from where a water nymph was born and she is named Taniwa. She is calm and gentle just like the tides of the ocean at dawn.

Despite being the youngest, Taniwa proves to be the wisest of the four. She is brave enough to summon the other three goddesses into a meeting and persuades all to work together. They agree and thus, the creation of our world begins. Ardea creates a ball of fire with her hands that becomes larger and larger until it spans the whole horizon with its heat. Era uses her winds and with a great gust of air, she pushes the fire away from the ground and into the sky. This ball of fire becomes the Sun. Maya shapes the ground into a stone so big with lots of holes and craters. Ardea touches the stone and it begins to glow brightly before Taniwa drenches it with water to soften the hue. Again, Era pushes the stone and places it on the opposite side of the Sun. This stone becomes the Moon. Maya rejoices and runs around with gusto, and where she steps, trees and flowers bloom. The dead land turns green and life prospers. Thus, the earth we know is born.

For a while, the four goddesses are at peace. Their new purpose is creation, and they put their souls into making a safe haven. Maya forms shapes in the clays before giving the breath of life. These new creatures become the first animals and they roam the earth, populating and maintaining a balance of the ecosystem. Ardea creates volcanoes that spew lava and with the help of Taniwa and Era, they steam and cool the molten flames to create thousands of islands full of life. Maya forms more clay figures and molds them close to perfection. They are the first people, and they walk and serve the mother goddesses who creates their generation. Their children, and the children after, all worship the four goddesses who watch over the human race. Until something inside the goddesses cracks and makes a gap wide enough for darkness to seep in.

The goddesses become jealous of each other and want the powerful magic only the others have. Ardea wants the healing touch of water. Maya wants Era's strong wind. Taniwa wants the breath of life. Fire is Era's new interest. They bicker and argue. Jealousy turns into hate, hate turns into madness, and madness turns into chaos. No one is immune.

The people and animals are terrified. Many perish. The world is dying. In a desperate attempt to stop the massacre of more living things, a humbly fly brings itself towards the mighty four knowing it might perish in their hands and never return. The fly proposes an idea to avoid the apocalypse. It suggests the goddess to remove the dark emotions inside each of their souls and to cast it in a hole so deep it never sees the light of day. The four goddesses agree. They clutch inside their chest and found the malicious spirit burrowed beneath their ribs. They scream as they claw away the bitterness, hate, remorse, jealousy, and greed. The fly's suggestion works, and as a reward, the fly is transformed into a beautiful white dove that still signifies peace to this day.

The goddesses work together to create a large jar that can house their darkest desires. Maya provides the clay to build the foundation. Ardea uses her strongest flames to bake the sides stronger than any force of nature. Era sucks all the air inside to create a vacuum so intense that the lid can never be opened by man. Lastly, Taniwa takes a strand of her silver hair and sew a thread that bound the jar close with magic. The four goddesses each has a turn to vanquish their negative emotions inside the jar. Ardea throws a ball of fire with a sickly green hue. Taniwa splashes dark water that is so heavy and putrid. Era hurls a freezing wind that cut everything in its path. At last, it is Maya's turn and she exhales plague and disease into the mouth of the jar. But during the process, Maya coughs and her concentration is broken, letting slip a sliver of breath she uses to create living things. With a final incantation, the lid closes shut and the goddesses are pure once more.

My mother always ends the story after this part as she tucks me in bed to sleep. As a child, I never question what happens after. Legend says that the twisted emotions in the jar come to life. There are howls that sometimes escape from somewhere deep in the ground like a cry of anguish and mania. When tremors shake the earth, people warn other that it shakes as if something terrible wants out. And when the night comes and darkness looms over villages, children run home scared and crying about the demons that watch them from the trees. These are cautionary tales, of course, to warn children about exploring dangerous places outside the parameters. Everyone knows the goddesses succeed, and they rule the earth with a just and kind hand. They have always protected humankind from the worst of nature, and they win over darkness in triumph. They are always there to watch over us.

Or do they?

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A/N: Hey everyone! So this is the prologue of the new book called "AQUA" that is rewritten from the same storyline as my first book, "The First Element: Water." I hope you fall in love with this one as much as you did my first book eight years ago.

Also, I dedicate this newly revamped prologue to my friend, The1mystique! Y'all don't know how this person inspired me to rewrite this story, and they were so kind throughout the process. They even offered to brainstorm with me for new plots and are always a huge help this is my first time writing a story in present tense and it's a bit unnerving haha.