Ball Lightning - The Untaken Spirit

I stand alone, surrounded by frightened whimpering child and young
men already made ancient by the pick in their hands and the lashes on
their backs. Three months ago the storm warriors tore in to my village,
forcing men to mine for weather crystals and making the children watch
as their mothers were beaten and raped by the men of the storm.

Four warriors entered my house, dragging my shocked but fighting
husband into the street. Two of them, the leaders, stayed behind for
us. "We admire your spirit" they cackled again and again. They did not
only admire it, they wanted to rip it from my body and own it. I did
not let them take it, not even after ten days of their constant
beatings and humiliating rapes, it was the only thing I had left. My
husband, my pride, my joy and my home destroyed by their thunderous
power but my spirit is the one thing they cannot take.

For centuries they have slowly added the storm's elements to their
store, each time a weather crystal was found, one of them would absorb
it. They had already discovered the thunder, sheet lightning, lightning
bolt, hail and wind crystals. The search for the final five had been
going on for almost a decade. Targeting storms had slowly led them
closer to me, and before they realised that the power already dwelt in
a person rather than a crystal, they had sent the men out to mine the
local hills.

Repeatedly they tried to rip the power from me, attempting to make my
humiliation grow to a level where I would die of shame and give the
power to them, begging for them to kill me. That will never happen. The
suffering dealt to my people will always be in the back of my mind,
giving me the strength to block their attempts. They can torture me
forever but the power is always mine and always will be.

I am Aeryn, spirit of the sacred ball lightning and survivor of the
storm masters.