Deviation Actions
Literature Text
Chapter 7- Rocky Path Ahead
Part 1
Unknown time---Phosphorous Fields
A world of gray grass, this is what Polonium was seeing. Numerous elements walked around her as if she didn’t exist. There was Cobalt, Zirconium, and Nitrogen. Weren’t they all obliterated? She reached a hand out to touch one of them, but her hand went straight through their body. Polonium saw Bromine appear from out of the ground and set the hill on fire. The elements fled in terror from the growing blaze. Gravity seemed to intensify as she somehow found herself lying down. She realized she was not Polonium; she was some orange-skinned element. Calcium maybe? The real Polonium was walking towards her. Once Polonium arrived, she silently grabbed one of her swords and stabbed into her victim’s chest. The world spun into chaos.
Part 2
September 5, 2015---Lattice Palace, Polonium’s chamber
Polonium stood up in bed. It wasn’t unusual for her to have dreams where she was a different element and was somehow obliterated by herself. She thought of those dreams as reminders that she was a weak element becoming stronger every day. Her opponents would do right to fear her sword.
She found Iodine outside lifting boulders in their training spot.
[Iodine]: “Morning, Polonium.”
[Polonium]: “What’s up?”
[Iodine]: “Preparations for the tournament.”
[Polonium]: “Meh. I’m going to win anyways. We should have it tomorrow and save everyone the time.”
[Iodine]: “Your training may be coming along well, but that does not mean you are ready to face everything.”
[Polonium]: “Are you asking for a duel? I am perfectly fine with schooling you right now.”
[Iodine]: “No, any more duels will have to wait until after the tournament.”
[Polonium]: “But it’s so boring around here.”
[Iodine]: “If you are feeling bored, sleep all day like my brother, Bromine.”
[Polonium]: “No thanks. I’d rather train in real life than see myself in my dreams.”
[Iodine]: “Dreams?”
Polonium told Iodine about her nightmarish experience the previous night.
[Iodine]: “These dreams, do you think there is more to them?”
[Polonium]: “They happen often so maybe there is. I don’t really care to be honest.”
[Iodine]: “Let me ask you something. When you first started training under me, I told you your biggest weakness was that you needed direction. Do you feel like you’ve found that?”
[Polonium]: “I told you I don’t do riddles.”
[Iodine]: “Think about it. You have become strong for what purpose? What do you aim to do with that strength?
[Polonium]: “Be the strongest of course.”
[Iodine]: “That’s… redundant. I suppose I will ask you again another time. What will you do now?”
[Polonium]: “Search for more training boulders. We’re out.”
[Iodine]: “We still have this one.”
Polonium lifted the large rock above her shoulders and crushed it into thousands of tiny pieces.
[Polonium]: “Not anymore.”
Part 3
Silicon Valley, Family 11 Residence
Copper was busy drawing her latest comic when she heard the door open. She put down the paper and turned to welcome her brother, Silver, as he walked in.
[Copper]: “Hello Silver! How was your search?”
[Silver]: “Decent. I need to expand the area again. My next location will be the plains.”
[Copper]: “You must be very tired. Rest please.”
[Silver]: “No, not yet.”
[Copper]: “How much sleep are you getting?”
[Silver]: “Enough.”
[Copper]: “Rubidium wouldn’t mind you taking some time to rest. Please don’t strain yourself.”
[Silver]: “I’ll be fine, Copper.”
He went to his room, got a large cloth bag, and set out again. Copper was getting worried. She went to Gold’s room and shook the sleeping element until he woke up. To say he had a rude awakening would be an understatement.
[Gold]: “Aghhh, what?? What is it!?”
[Copper]: “I’m worried our little brother isn’t getting enough rest.”
[Gold]: “He’ll be fine, sister. Please let me get some more sleep.”
He closed his eyes and promptly received a punch from Copper straight to the shoulder.
[Copper]: “I said I’m worried! Get up and go keep an eye on him!”
[Gold]: “Okay, okay!”
Gold got out of bed and put on his armor, a golden duplicate of Silver’s.
[Gold]: “Do you think I should take Vivi?”
[Copper]: “Sure. Silver took his weapon so you might as well take yours.”
[Gold]: “Heh, alright. I’m off then. Take care, little sister. I should not be gone too long.”
[Copper]: “Take care my brother.”
The still-sleepy element departed in search of his more determined brother. Copper turned to look back at her comic. Two elements could be seen talking to each other in the pages. She would have gone after Silver herself had finishing this comic not been such a priority. This comic needed a fitting ending. Besides, she probably was worrying too much. Her brothers would be fine. She reached for her pencil and continued drawing.
Part 4
Silicon Valley, main hall
It had been a long time since Mercury’s last council with the Nobles. This was a good thing since it meant the survivors were in less danger. Still, it never hurt to be take precautions.
[Mercury]: “As you may know already, we have been here in Silicon Valley for a little more than a month. I know that is a small amount of time, however, we must remember this was always meant to be a temporary village until we were rested enough to leave again. The rogue elements came very close to discovering the village last time. Let us not give them another chance by staying in place.”
[Xenon]: “You bring up an interesting point. Tell me, how many protons have we collected since we arrived?”
[Mercury]: “24.”
[Helium]: “Funny number, but too low.”
[Neon]: “Why is it so low?”
[Mercury]: “From what Rutherfordium has told me, when an element is obliterated, its protons scatter within a certain radius. If memory serves, very few elements were obliterated by the halogens the last time we were here.”
[Helium]: “Should we prepare for a final sweep of the area?”
[Neon]: “Let us not be hasty. There have not been enough expeditions into the mountains nearby to say this area is done with.”
[Argon]: “I say we take Mercury’s advice and leave while we can.”
[Krypton]: “You’re forgetting that in the past week alone, Silver has found at least 6 protons. Or um, maybe I am not remembering right.”
Krypton scratched his head.
[Xenon]: “Your memory is right. Silver has been working day and night, pushing the limits of our search areas. We should look at his diligence as an example.”
[Helium]: “What do you propose we do, Xenon?”
[Xenon]: “Aid his searches by sending more elements with him. And also work at expanding our boundaries.”
[Radon]: “It probably would be best to stay anyways. The mountains offer some security since there are only two ways to enter and exit.”
[Argon]: “Like that will help us if we ever have to leave.”
[Radon]: “We can have elements guard the entrances during the night. That will ease our fears as we stay here longer.”
[Neon]: “If we stay here longer, how much will that be?”
[Xenon]: “One month. After that, it will be simply too risky to stay.”
[Helium]: “That sounds about right.”
[Radon]: “I agree.”
[Argon]: “I won’t bother disagreeing.”
[Krypton]: “All consenting Nobles raise your hands.”
All of the Nobles raised their hands.
[Xenon]: “You have one month to collect as many protons as possible. Silver will join you in leading the expeditions. Pick a few elements to do watch over the village as well.”
[Mercury]: “I will take care of it. Farewell, Nobles.”
Part 5
Manganese Plains, northern area
It was afternoon when Silver had arrived at his destination: Manganese Plains, home to boulders that defied gravity by floating freely over the ground. Silver tapped one and watched it travel slowly in the air, dropping some snow. The wind blew gently lifting Silver’s new cloak. He recalls how he got it.
Two days prior to his journey to Manganese Plains, Rubidium had shown up at his home.
[Silver]: “This is a surprise. Do you need something, Rubi?”
[Rubidium]: “I made something for you.”
She presented the cloak to him. It was well-threaded and made of a silver fabric that fit in with the rest of his silver armor.
[Rubidium]: “I-It’s not like it took me a week to make this. Idiot!”
Silver smiled and took the gift.
[Silver]: “It’s incredible. Thank you, Rubidium. What does this mean?”
There was a “U” shape fixed into the back of the cloak.
[Rubidium]: “That’s the symbol for “union.””
[Silver]: “Union. How fitting.”
[Rubidium]: “Hmph. Then why aren’t you wearing it?”
[Silver]: “Oh, my apologies. I will right away.”
Ever since that day, Silver had made it a point to wear the cloak whenever he ventured. He had done a lot of venturing too in the short span of ten days. Sleep was a temptation that he fought every minute that he was awake.
He climbed onto a floating boulder in the hopes of getting a better view of the terrain. From on top, he could see a field of rocks, but not the purple glow that showed a proton was in the vicinity. Maybe if he sat down, he could focus better. Before he knew it, he was laying down on the large boulder. The thick layer of snow had made the surface very comfortable. He fell asleep. An hour had passed before a voice entered his dreams.
[????]: “Silver. Wake up. Wake up! Darn, wake up!
[Silver]: “Huh? Woah!”
He lost his balance and fell off the rock. Who was speaking? That voice sounded eerily familiar…
[Polonium]: “About time.”
Uh oh.
[Silver]: “Polonium! Could this be a dream? What are you doing here?”
[Polonium]: “Oh this isn’t a dream. More like your worst nightmare. I came here looking for more training materials and it looks like I found the best one.”
She cricked her neck to both sides and unsheathed her two swords. Silver followed suit in bringing out his own.
[Silver]: “You won’t be taking me back to Fluorine.”
[Polonium]: “Fluorine? Hah! If I had wanted to drag you back there, I could have taken you out in your sleep. In fact, why were you sleeping unguarded? Only an idiot would do that.”
[Silver]: “You wouldn’t be the first to call me that, believe me.”
[Polonium]: “No matter. I’ve wanted a rematch since our last encounter in the forest.”
[Silver]: “You’ll get more than you bargained for if that’s the case.”
[Polonium]: “Cocky words coming from the element who needed help. Or was she holding you back? I know that feel.”
[Silver]: “She helped me stay on my feet. She still does actually.”
[Polonium]: “Let’s see how long you can stay on your feet before I knock you down!”
[Silver]: “Just try your best!”
The two formidable elements rushed forward to do battle. Silver swung left with his sword which was immediately blocked by Polonium’s right sword as she turned to counter with her left. He ducked and jumped back before her right could slash again. Polonium was barely getting started. She continued to slice and turn rapidly towards her opponent. Silver could hardly keep up with the pressure of blocking two swords at the same time. He leapt into the air, catching her off guard, and knocked her left sword out of her hand.
[Polonium]: “Not bad.”
Fortunately, she had remembered Iodine’s training and switched to a single-sword stance. Silver approached her carefully in his own stance. While the two elements sized each other up, the clouds began to swirl with tension. It started snowing lightly.
Polonium charged forth. Silver brought up his sword. Block! He slashed downwards! Parried! He stepped to the side to avoid Polonium’s ferocious upward swing. She noticed her mistake and used her armored arm to absorb the impact from his next attack. Her other hand brought her sword up to knock Silver’s away from him. Having no weapons, he grabbed Polonium’s. The two wrestled over the last sword within reach. Whoever managed to get a hold of it would have the immediate upper hand. Polonium used her sheer strength to slowly gain control. Silver knew if he kept trying, she would eventually win. He resolved to use one quick burst of energy to throw it out of their hands. Now both elements were unarmed. Silver shot electricity out of his hands and hit Polonium in the chest. She dodged the next wave of lightning by getting behind one of the nearby boulders. She pushed it towards him and shot twin beams of light from her palms. The blue element managed to dodge the light beams, but was hit by a chunk of the rock that had broken off.
[Polonium]: “You’re overmatched!”
[Silver]: “Let’s see!”
For as much talk as the two elements had of beating each other, they found themselves enjoying battle. It was rare for both elements to be able to have an all-out battle. Polonium began charging light into her hands for her ultimate attack. Her body glowed light blue. Silver saw his enemy powering up and decided to do the same. Electricity arced gracefully around his body and gained power with each passing second.
[Polonium]: “POLONIUM! PULLLLLSE!!!”
[Silver]: “A THOUSAND VOLTS!!!
Polonium fired a massive beam of rainbow-colored light that would have certainly obliterated Silver had he not countered with his array of high voltage lightning bolts. The resulting explosion consumed all of the boulders in sight, leaving nothing but a large crater behind. Polonium and Silver were standing in it. Both of them had become evidently exhausted.
[Polonium]: “Not bad. I may have broken a sweat there.”
[Silver]: “Same here.”
[Polonium]: “Let’s continue this dance, shall we?”
She walked over to pick up her two swords. Silver got his.
[Silver]: “No boulders to give you cover now.”
[Polonium]: “As if I ever needed them!”
[Silver]: “I’m ready whenever you are-“
[Gold]: “Wait!”
Silver turned and saw Gold in the distance running towards him.
[Gold]: “Phew! Glad I made it in time!”
[Silver]: “Why are you here, Gold?”
[Gold]: “Your sister was worried about you so she asked me to come. Good thing too since we can teach this chalcogen a lesson!”
[Polonium]: “Psh, please!”
[Silver]: “This isn’t a fight to obliterate so let me handle it.”
[Gold]: “What? But I saw that explosion!”
[Polonium]: “That was just for show.”
She sounded very proud of herself.
[Silver]: “I’ll explain on our way back to the village.”
[Gold]: “I’m sure you have a good explanation, but your sister wouldn’t forgive me if I just watched. I can guess how many punches I’d get for that, heh. So give me and Vivi some action too!”
[Silver]: “What do you have to say, Polonium?”
[Polonium]: “Eh, I don’t mind.”
[Silver]: “Get ready then, Gold.”
[Gold]: “You don’t have to tell me!”
Gold brought out his double-bladed scythe and anxiously prepared for battle.
The two brothers engaged the lone chalcogen in combat. Polonium found herself playing defense for this battle, much to her annoyance. She began to overload her core to draw as much energy as possible. Forward slash, block, downward slash! Gold realized their opponent was gaining the upper hand so he overloaded his own core and doubled his offense. Silver did the same. This was more than Polonium had asked for. The brothers fought together with a flawless combination of attacks. They… would… not… win! With one final slash of her sword, she collapsed and started to fade. She was unconscious.
[Silver]: “What happened?”
[Gold]: “She took out too much energy from her core. This is its way of saying she needs to rest or else.”
[Silver]: “What do you think we should do with her?”
[Gold]: “Not saying we should do this, but we could obliterate her right now.”
[Silver]: “No. She had the chance and didn’t take it. This isn’t an evil element that we are dealing with.”
[Gold]: “I’m not so sure. She’s obliterated quite a few elements in the past, little brother.”
[Silver]: “It would be wasteful to just let her go. Hmm…”
[Gold]: “Let’s take her back.”
[Iodine]: “That won’t be happening.”
Iodine had been listening to the brothers’ conversation from above and, having heard enough, swooped down low. The halogen’s wings fluttered as it made its landing.
[Gold]: “Iodine!
[Iodine]: “Hello, Gold, Silver. Bromine told me he had encountered you in the forest, but you can imagine how skeptical I was. Why would you come back now of all times?”
[Silver]: “I have my reasons.”
[Iodine]: “So you did run away?”
[Silver]: “Yes.”
Silver felt uncomfortable with lying, even if it was to an enemy.
[Iodine]: “I’ll believe you though it makes me wonder. If you did run away, why did you elements start the feud? Why continue to fight when you acknowledge you were in the wrong?”
[Gold]: “We’ll keep our reasons to ourselves, Chalcogen.”
[Iodine]: “I would think you are a more reasonable element than that. There must be more.”
[Gold]: “You want more?”
He got his scythe into battle position.
[Iodine]: “Wait. Bring down your weapon. I am not here to fight. She was under my watch and now I am here to bring her back.”
[Gold]: “We still have to fight then. I know what your family will do once they found out you met us here.”
[Iodine]: “Listen to me, Gold. I have no desire to continue the feud. There is no need to worry that I will report this incident to Fluorine. Polonium shares this trait with me although you may not believe it.”
[Silver]: “Iodine is right. Polonium told me she did not care for Fluorine.”
[Iodine]: “Fluorine will not know about our meeting. You see, I desperately need a favor.”
[Gold]: “What is it?”
[Iodine]: “I need for Silver to meet me here in one week so I can explain the rest. If he follows through, it may mean negotiations. The end of the feud. Hopefully.”
[Silver]: “Why me?”
[Iodine]: “You are the key behind the start of the feud. You must be there. Gold may join you if he likes.”
[Gold]: “I will bring the whole village if it means my brother’s safety.”
[Iodine]: “That would not be recommended. Trust me.”
[Gold]: “All of your proposal sounds strange. I don’t see any reason to trust you.”
[Iodine]: “I regret not being able to give you something to prove you can trust me. Give me a week and I will.”
[Silver]: “Hmm…”
[Gold]: “Little brother, don’t bother thinking about it. Talking with these elements is useless.”
[Silver]: “I will do it.”
[Gold]: “What??”
Silver thought about the incident in the forest when Magnesium was obliterated.
[Silver]: “If it means the feud might end, I will take that chance. I don’t want what happened to Magnesium to happen to any other elements.”
[Gold]: “That may happen and worse if we listen to this halogen.”
[Iodine]: “I know. I will give you some information if it will help ease your worries. Continue walking east of here towards the star, Wye. You will see a large crystal structure. That is our new base. I can show you to prove my words.”
[Gold]: “We could be heading into a trap if we go now. I will check out the directions later.”
[Iodine]: “I can understand that. Will it be enough evidence to trust me?”
[Silver]: “I will accept your request.”
[Gold]: “Silver!”
[Silver]: “We’ll talk shortly, relax. This meeting will take place at dusk in one week exactly. Is that a fair time?”
[Iodine]: “That is perfect.”
[Silver]: “Good.”
[Gold]: “What about Polonium??”
[Iodine]: “I will take her and make sure she remains silent.”
[Silver]: “Will she be at our meeting?”
[Iodine]: “No. I will be there. Alone.”
[Silver]: “Alright.”
[Iodine]: “That will be all from me then. I look forward to our next meeting.”
The winged element stooped down to pick up his fallen apprentice and took off into the skies. The two brothers watched them disappear into the distance.
[Gold]: “I sure have a lot of questions right now for you.”
[Silver]: “They will be answered, I assure you. First, I want to know why you were following me.”
[Gold]: “That’s easy. Our sister was worried that you were wearing yourself out so she asked me in her “gentlest” way possible to watch after you. I accidentally fell asleep in the snow on the way though. The explosion is what woke me up.”
[Silver]: “Fair enough. I am a cautious element myself so I know that she has is taking safety measures. Onto your questions.”
[Gold]: “I’ll try to ask as calmly as possible… Why in Axiom are you trusting those rogue elements??? You don’t have any reason to!!”
[Silver]: “RELAX. I am an analytical element. Logic is my way of existence. I determined this was the best course of action given the circumstances.”
[Gold]: “What circumstances?? I’m still waiting on an explanation.”
Silver hit his forehead with the palms of his hand.
[Silver]: “Ugh, I said relax. You know that through battling, we can learn about each other, right? I have battled twice with Polonium, and I could tell that something has changed in her. Her attacks were stronger yet the intensity was different. She had made it clear before our battle that she didn’t want to obliterate me. Her attack pattern matched her intentions. There’s also the fact that she bothered to wake me up.”
[Gold]: “You were lucky, little brother. If it had been any of the other elements, you might not be here anymore. You would have disappeared like… before… This is why your sister and I worry about you, and why we don’t trust them!”
[Silver]: “Gold, but-“
[Gold]: “No! Your sister and I were in pain for so many months putting you back together. Listen to us! We were betrayed by the chalcogens. She is one of them! I would rather go on forever fighting them than risk your existence even once!”
[Silver]: “What if trusting them was the only way to save me?”
[Gold]: “We will never be in that situation.”
[Silver]: “If we continue to be enemies, that statement will be true. But I know that today, I did not fight an enemy. There was a mixture of sorrow and joy in the blades that were pitted against mine.”
[Gold]: “Why are you bringing emotions into this?”
[Silver]: “Even I know that emotions are important in analysis. We will see soon if I was right to believe so.”
[Gold]: “Little brother…”
[Silver]: “I know, Gold. You don’t want anything to happen to me. So stick by me and we will see this path through. I haven’t exactly left you with another option.”
[Gold]: “Heh, I didn’t think you could be rebellious.”
[Silver]: “I’m being realistic. Now let’s go home so Copper doesn’t send the whole village looking for me.”
The two brothers began the long walk to the village.
Part 6
Lattice Palace, Polonium’s chamber
Night had fallen when Polonium finally woke up. She stood up in bed and looked around, expecting to find Gold and Silver. Iodine had been what she found instead.
[Polonium]: “Mind explaining what’s going on?”
[Iodine]: “I followed you to Manganese Plains after our previous conversation and saw you fall unconscious after using too much energy. I brought you back after.”
[Polonium]: “So you saw that battle? Why didn’t you help!? We could have owned those two!”
[Iodine]: “You undoubtedly wouldn’t have been happy if I intervened in a battle that you were obviously winning, right?”
[Polonium]: “Meh. Where are the elements?”
[Iodine]: “Back at their village more than likely.”
[Polonium]: “I’m going back.”
[Iodine]: “You will not. I was fortunate enough to get you into the palace without drawing the other elements’ suspicion. If we keep disappearing for long periods of time, Fluorine may become curious as to our whereabouts. I should also remind you that you aren’t well-equipped for facing the elements again. Who knows what would have happened if I had not gotten you before Gold or Silver.”
[Polonium]: “Are you saying I can’t take care of myself? Let’s think back and remember you are the halogen that promised to train me to become the strongest. Looks like that was a waste of time.”
[Iodine]: “Direction takes considerable time to find, Polonium.”
[Polonium]: “I’ve had enough of that riddle. What I need is my rematch!”
[Iodine]: “You aren’t ready!”
[Polonium]: “Shut up! You couldn’t get a flower ready for spring if you had all the nature power in Axiom!”
Polonium stood up in front of her bed, angry with her mentor’s apparent discouragement.
[Polonium]: “I was stupid to think a halogen could help me get stronger. The only element around here than I can depend on is myself. There’s no time to waste on noobs like you! You weak, worthless, powerless element!!!”
Her words were venomous to the core and hurt Iodine’s. The halogen had been expecting some level of gratitude from its apprentice, not this fury.
[Iodine]: “I am sorry you feel that way.”
The winged element walked towards the door, but was stopped by Polonium.
[Polonium]: “Wait…”
[Iodine]: “…”
[Polonium]: “I am the weak, powerless element. I couldn’t even save my sister…”
A single tear emerged from her left eye. Crying was something she never partook in as she believed it to be a sign of weakness.
[Iodine]: “What happened to Sulfur was unfortunate, but I would hardly blame you for it.”
[Polonium]: “That doesn’t matter. I wasn’t strong enough to save her, fight back against my brother, or fight for my family against you halogens. It’s why I need to become stronger.”
[Iodine]: “Remember what I told you. I can teach you all the techniques and skills that I have and you can still be just as weak if you are lacking direction. That is something I cannot teach. Give it more time. Once you find your direction, you will be able to face Silver and get the rematch you want.”
[Polonium]: “I’m starting to hate that word: direction.”
She sighed.
[Polonium]: “Alright.”
[Iodine]: “That reminds me. We are not to tell any of the other elements about today’s incident. I am sure you weren’t planning on it anyways.”
[Polonium]: “You’re darn right. I can’t have your family chasing my prey away. Do you think the survivors will stay in their current base?”
[Iodine]: “I have a feeling they will.”
[Polonium]: “Good, good. I’ll show them all what kind of element they’re dealing with next time.”
[Iodine]: “I am sure you will. For now, we will keep training until that day so be ready.”
The halogen left the room.
[Polonium]: “I will.”
Part 7
Lattice Palace, Fluorine’s chamber
Polonium had given Iodine a surprisingly large amount of information in the span of one day. The halogen had been especially surprised to hear that she had grieved over the loss of Sulfur. She must be an element who takes a long period of time to react emotionally. That was interesting and could prove useful in the future. A plan had begun to form in Iodine’s thoughts that could potentially change the future of his family. There was just one more move to make…
[Fluorine]: “You had a question for me?”
[Iodine]: “Yes.”
Iodine looked around the room. Fluorine’s chamber consisted of her bed, a desk, two chairs, and a vase filled with flowers. On the wall were four swords, two of which belonged to elements that Fluorine had obliterated herself.
[Iodine]: “What happened to Silver?”
[Fluorine]: “What?”
Fluorine was surprised to hear such a random question. Iodine knew the topic made her feel uneasy and prodded at her by repeating the question.
[Iodine]: “What happened to Silver?”
[Fluorine]: “He ran away.”
[Iodine]: “There must be more.”
[Fluorine]: Why are you so concerned over old news?”
[Iodine]: “I had a dream about what caused the feud. Silver was obliterated by one of us and the next day, our entire family was obliterated by the village elements. I felt compelled to ask questions when I woke up.”
This “dream” that Iodine spoke of was really just a lie the element had made up to weed more answers out of its sister. The lie had the intended effect as Fluorine was shocked to see how close it was to the truth.
[Fluorine]: “That is a strange dream, yes. However, we know that he ran away because none of us obliterated him.”
[Iodine]: “What if there is a possibility that Astatine obliterated him after all? I heard that in the encounter at Carbon Forest, he was not fighting with any sort of skill. Odd considering how he was revered as a legend in sword combat. He also didn’t seem to recognize us. It’s like… he was a different element.”
[Fluorine]: “Aren’t you answering your own question? That element in the forest was clearly an imposter or Silver somehow forgot how to handle a sword.”
[Iodine]: “Isn’t that strange? An element forgetting how to wield a sword is like an element forgetting how to walk. Silver could forget his memories, but not his fighting style. That comes naturally.”
[Fluorine]: “I guess it’s a mystery.”
Iodine could see that Fluorine was becoming very uncomfortable at Iodine’s mentioning of Silver. Perfect. She would be eager to get Iodine out of her chamber which made her more susceptible to agreeing to anything the winged element had to say.
[Iodine]: “I suppose so. Moving on, there is another more serious matter at hand. The elements have gotten restless, and I feel that they may fight at any moment if we do not move the tournament to a closer day. One week, really, would be the ideal time I believe.”
This was another lie. If Fluorine had checked with her family and the chalcogens, she would have seen that while there was tension, it would be a large exaggeration to say they were restless. Regardless, she believed Iodine’s words. Her sibling was an expert in the field of deception and knew how to work around her psyche.
[Fluorine]: “A week? Are you sure about this?”
[Iodine]: “Very sure. It would be wise to remove tensions from the families as soon as possible.”
[Fluorine]: “That is something I have wanted for a long time.”
[Iodine]: “Let that time come to an end now.”
[Fluorine]: “Hmm… Okay. I will make the announcement.”
She got up from her chair and walked towards the main chamber to summon the other elements. Iodine followed her.
[Fluorine]: “Halogens! Chalcogens! It has come to my attention that I may have been unreasonable in scheduling the tournament so I’ve decided to move it to one week from now.”
[Selenium]: “You didn’t want to hold a council for this announcement first?”
It was clear the leader of the chalcogens did not appreciate being left out of an executive decision.
[Fluorine]: “My apologies, Selenium. This was a recent decision that I deemed best for everyone. The pairings will be:
|Bromine vs. Astatine | Polonium vs. Iodine | Tellurium vs. Chlorine | Selenium vs. myself | in that order.
[Astatine]: “Whaaa-?”
[Bromine]: “Why do I have to fight against my beloved sister?”
[Fluorine]: “We outnumber the chalcogens by two so it was only logical to have a match like that. Consider it a warm-up for the remainder of the tourney.”
[Bromine]: “Hmph.”
[Chlorine]: “Heheh, now I get to settle things with ye’, chalcogen.”
[Tellurium]: “We’ll see.”
[Polonium]: “What do you know, I get to face against you in the tourney.”
[Iodine]: “It will be a match to remember, I am sure.”
[Fluorine]: “With that said, I will leave you elements to retire for the night as I am tired. Goodnight.”
Both families parted, anxious for the battles that would be had in a week.
Part 8
Silicon Valley, storehouse
In spite of the rumble in the rocks that Silver had partaken in, he had found 2 protons. One of them turned out to be the last needed to restore Sodium. All of the survivors crowded around the storehouse to witness the miracle of restoration. Rubidium grabbed the last proton marked with an “11” and placed it into the pile of other similarly-marked protons. They rearranged themselves into a humanoid shape and created a blinding flash of white light. There, laying where the protons once were, was the element, Sodium. She was a silvery-white element with a height that was just barely larger than Hydrogen.
[Sodium]: “Hm?”
[Rubidium]: “Hello sister!”
[Sodium]: “Sister?”
[Mercury]: “I will let you take care of this.”
Most of the elements left except for Rubidium, her newly-restored sister, Silver, Gold, Copper, and Cadmium.
[Copper]: “Wow, I’m so happy for you!”
[Gold]: “Congratulations, Rubi!”
[Rubidium]: “Don’t call me that.”
[Gold]: “Heh, fine.”
[Cadmium]: “What a time to be around! I was wondering if we’d ever witness another restoration.”
[Gold]: “With my brother on the job, you won’t have long to wait!”
Rubidium turned to face Silver. She smiled in that dazzling way that only he could truly appreciate.
[Rubidium]: “Thanks, Silver.”
[Silver]: “You’re welcome, Rubi. I am glad to have been of service. Hopefully, Gold is right and the next element doesn’t take much longer.”
[Cadmium]: “It won’t because we will be helping you this time! The Nobles announced that we have to split into groups and I made sure Mercury assigned us together.”
[Copper]: “You hear that, Silver? You can finally sleep.”
She punched his shoulder playfully.
[Silver]: “Thank you, my friends. Let’s get them. Together!”
[Everyone]: “YEAH!”
The elements walked out of the storehouse that day, feeling optimistic for what the future had in store for them. Axiom’s stars shined brightly too with everlasting light, the light of hope.
