Kaili was all youth and fire, that bastard. He was small, even for one descended from the mountain people, and his blue eyes were alight with electricity. I hated him, the lousy mutt. At least, I thought I did.

We were of the Wu Xing, or the elements. In our culture, the elements are water, fire, wood, metal, and earth, and all those born with magic in their blood have a small chance of inheriting the power to control one of these. Powers such as those of the Wu Xing are rare; I was surprised that Kaili, a fire elemental, had crossed paths with myself, a metal elemental.

I looked down on him because I came from a family of elementals and he did not.

He saw fire, saw it ignite and change and extinguish. I built myself metal bones until I was little more than a robot. He died a valiant death and loved it, that damned mutt. He left me here. A flashy pedigree does not stop the rust. My skin will wear thin and my bones dissolve but I will live on, a machine alone with the memory of a boy’s fire-bright eyes.