WARNING: This is from like, almost two eyars ago, and I KNOW my writing has gotten so much better than this. Like I said, I wanted to re-write it, but I don't think I'l have time for that for a long while yet, so here's the first chapter (It's really short) to see how it goes over. I can hardly read it anymore, that's how ashamed of it I am ^^" Maybe if I get more confident I'll make another world for just my stories.

If you got an opinion on it, lemme have it, even if you say it sucks XD

(I'm sorry for spelling errors and everything! This was before spellcheck and I was dumb XP)

Ryo
Chapter 1

He didn't have many belongings. A small bag that carried his few supplies, the clothes on his back, and an old, yet decorated sword. He held it out in front of him for a moment, simply staring at its beauty. It was an old sword, older than him, with silver designs of the known Elements; Fire, Water, Ice, Air, Earth, Lightning. It was what the sword represented. The Elements all working together to create the recovering world. No Element was meant to be better than the others, and they were all combined into this single Blade. The man smiled at his gleaming sword, yet it pained him. Of course it was beautiful, and costed more than his own life, but it was a priceless heirloom given to him.
He shook off the feelings the sword awoken in him and tied it to his waist in it's usual position. He'd spent enough time looking at it since he received it nearly six years ago. There was no use trying to think back on the dead. It wouldn't bring them back.
The first rays of light of the oncoming dawn were peaking over the horizon. The man smiled to himself, lifting his small empty bag over his shoulder. He was doing his best to be quiet, though he was sure he had nothing to be worried about. He was in an abandoned building in the Dead Lands, the outcast desert that surrounded Hollow and possibly the known world.
The man brushed aside the cloth covering the doorway to the abandoned building and shook himself in the morning air, facing the close dawn. He was almost twenty-eight, and fairly tall, with brown hair that spiked in the front, but was shorter in the back. It was messy, but he preferred it that way. His eyes were a deep green color, almost unnaturally deep for most people. He wore black pants and boots that went halfway to his knees, with a simple black shirt. He wore other small accessories, but nothing of great importance.
The man turned slowly around, away from the slowly rising sun, to take one last look at what was his home for the last six years. The city had been abandoned for as long as anyone alive could remember. It was the remains of a much greater city that fell in the Great War, thousands of years earlier. Most of the city was in rubble, but the few remaining buildings gave shelter to the banished people of the Dead Lands.
The man smirked. Dead Lands. Whoever named it wasn't being very creative. The land itself was nearly barren, hardly producing anything for the always hungry people who lived in the waste. Water was scarce, and hardly ever suitable for drinking. Most of the world was in this condition, as far as the country of Hollow was concerned. Hollow was the only real country. No other lands existed that supported humans was known to them. After the Great War, most of the land was poisonous, and Hollow was the only land where people could thrive.
The man smiled again to himself. He had been one of the few who could manage a living in this unforgiving terrain, but he had to leave. The Border was to the east, and he turned away from the city and started walking along with the rising sun. The warmth of the day slowly started to heat the earth, but it didn't bother him. He had grown used to it. The dusty earth blew up with the wind, but he didn't mind. The Dead Lands didn't bother him anymore.
By noon the sun was in the sky, burning bright. The man kept walking, and through the heat haze a wall came into view. The man saw the wall, and started walking faster. He wished he could fly, to save him time, but he couldn't use his Air powers now. He was a Fire User in Hollow, one who manipulated and summoned Fire to do his bidding. Flying was out of the question for now.
As he approached the barrier a gate came into view, and with it, guards. Positioned upon their tower, soldiers of the empire looked down upon the earth where the man walked. He approached the gate with no concerns.
"Stop right there," yelled down a soldier. The man stopped and stood patiently. He knew what was to come. Soon a soldier came out of a doorway that left to the gate's watchtower, followed by a scribe. The soldier and the scribe walked closer to the man, the soldier dressed in the Imperial Blue of the Army of Hollow and carrying a spear. The scribe wore the simple white robe of a monk, and carried a small clipboard of paper and a pencil. The man did his best to give them a smile. The soldier stopped several feet from the man, not even looking at the brown haired man.
"Name?" he asked. The scribe held his clipboard readily.
The man smiled. "Ryo," he answered simply. The scribe gasped, and the soldier flinched. Soldiers observing from the watchtower held their arrows at the ready from the soldier's reaction.
"Ryo?!" he said in disbelief. Ryo nodded. The scribe looked at his charts and names and dates.
"It's been six years to the day," Ryo told the scribe, being polite. The scribe looked up, then nodded. Ryo then turned to the soldier. "Is the Council still running the country?" Ryo asked. The soldier nodded. "Then the laws haven't changed, have they?"
"No..." answered the soldier. “But they might still try and do something to you. We shouldn't even let you pass without alerting someone at the palace..."
"Don't worry!" Ryo said happily. "I have someone at the palace who might help me, I should be fine." He started walking past the scribe and soldier, then added, "I didn't betray anyone, it was all a misunderstanding..."
The soldier just nodded, then yelled up at the gateways soldiers to open the gate. Slowly, the great stone doors of Hollow opened for Ryo. He made a thankful motion towards the soldier and walked through hastily before they closed again.
The other side of the gate was completely different from the Dead Lands. Grass grew alongside the road towards the capital city of Hollow. The great city glistened in the morning light and Ryo welcomed the sight. Six years he had been gone, and finally he was returning.
Ryo started summoning the energy to fly, then stopped. He couldn't. Not anymore. In this country, he was a Fire User. Fire Users couldn't use wind. He shrugged it off and began running. Farms and fields surrounded the city of Hollow. No one from any of the farms paid any attention of Ryo as he ran down their roads towards the city. Ryo preferred it this way, he didn't want to have to stop and talk to anyone until he got to Hollow.
There was no wall around Hollow. The city was open to anyone who came, being the capital and holy city.
Ryo entered the city's streets and found himself in the market. Merchants and vendors called out their items and prices and Ryo made his way through the crowd of people doing their shopping. He made his way out of the market and onto one of the many main streets leading to the city's center, a great palace of marble and stone.
The city's main square was located outside the great palace, and people loomed about, doing their business. Ryo walked across the great square, looking around him in amazement. The city had hardly changed in the six years he'd been gone. He stopped in at the palace gate and rang the small bell. A slot opened in the door and a male's voice spoke.
"Sorry, no visitor’s to the palace today."
Ryo couldn't see the face, but he recognized the voice.
"Open the door, it's Ryo!" From the other side of the door he heard something heavy-sounding fall, then a curse, then came the voice again.
"Ryo?! No way!" The door opened and there stood a man in the military's blue uniform with straight shoulder length blue hair and cerulean blue eyes. His eyes were wide with shock and disbelief as he stared. He stood still and gaped at Ryo a few seconds more.
"Oh my God...." he finally said. Ryo braced himself, and two seconds later his best friend was squeezing the life out of him. He started talking really fast, "I thought you were dead man! The just disappeared and no one knew where you were! Kima made me look everywhere! EVERYWHERE! And you know me; I'm incompetent, or whatever! People said they thought you were dead! I thought you were dead! Oh, my god-Where the hell have you been?! I never gave up on you, but the Council did, and I had to be interviewed to see if I was helping you, and--Leo! Leo was looking for you too!"
"DIMI!" Ryo half screamed, half wheezed from within Dimi's death grip. He instantly let Ryo go. Ryo wheezed a small laugh. Dimi had always been a funny, weird and unique individual. Ryo was one of the few people that could tolerate him without becoming annoyed too easily.
"What...did you say?" he asked.
"Yeah!" Dimi said, still excited and talking fast. "After the ordeal with you and Mel's dad word got out about you, we all went looking for you! We looked and looked, but you were nowhere to be found! Everyone was beginning to think you were dead, and--"
"That's nice Dimi," Ryo interrupted.
Dimi gave off his trademark, goofy smile and went on. "I can't believe you're here! Kima's gonna be so happy to see you! And--"
"What about Mel?" Ryo asked, interrupting again. Dimi's happy face suddenly fell a little. Ryo tilted his head a little confused. "Dimi?"
Dimi looked down a little rubbing his head.
"I dunno how to tell you...but you should see her right away. She probably wants to see you. You can stay with me after, if you want....me and Leo are still bunking at the old spot." The old spot had once been an abandoned mansion at the edge of town, for poor construction. When they were younger, Ryo, Leo and Dimi bought it cheap and fixed it up themselves.
Ryo nodded and entered the palace courtyard, shoving his bag into Dimi.
"I'll see you guys later then." he said quickly, leaving Dimi alone at the gate. Dimi stood for a few moments watching Ryo leave towards the castle entrance.
"I wonder if he's gonna be okay..." he said to himself.