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Chapter 1- Faith Restored

Part 1

July 17, 2015---Carbon Forest, village storehouse

Gold and his sister, Copper, are busy gathering protons. Excitement is in the air as they prepare for a special ritual.

[Copper]: “So are you ready??”

[Gold]: “That’s a silly question, Copper. Of course I am!!

[Copper]: “I think I’ve got the rest of them. Let’s goooo!”

A green element, Magnesium, appeared from the doorway.

[Magnesium]: “Sorry I took so long! Everyone should be here shortly. I know you’re excited, but please, please wait for them.”

[Gold]: “Haha, after all this time, I think we’ll be fine waiting a few more seconds.”

[Copper]: “I think I hear them coming now!”

As she said this, the doorway swung inwards to reveal the elements they had been waiting for. Carbon, Silicon, Gallium, Rutherfordium, Palladium, Chromium, Rubidium, Hydrogen, Cadmium, and Mercury walked in. The storehouse quickly filled up as the elements crammed in to witness what many would consider a miracle.

[Copper]: “Care to do the honors, Gold?”

[Gold]: “Gladly!”

He lifted a proton, with the number 49 engraved in it, high in his hands as if it would ascend to the sky above.

[Gold]: “Come back to us… brother!”

Moving swiftly, he placed the proton into the arranged pile before him. Light bathed the room as the protons rearranged themselves into a more familiar shape.

Gold rubbed his eyes and looked at the storehouse floor. There before him lay Silver who stared blankly at his brother. Mercury broke the silence.

[Mercury]: “You have your brother back now. Bring him up to speed and make sure he is battle-ready by the end of the day.”

[Copper]: “We know, Mercury. We’ll take care of it.”

[Silver]: “Battle-ready?”

The other elements left the storehouse now that the ritual was over. Only Silver and his siblings remained.

[Silver]: “What was he talking about? And who are you two?”

[Gold]: “Ya know, Copper, I knew hearing that question would hurt. I didn’t think it would hurt this much…”

[Copper]: “I know… but he’s still our brother…”

Silver continued to stare at them blankly, not having the slightest idea what his siblings were talking about.

[Gold]: “About a year ago, you ran away from our village. Shortly after that, the Halogens had an insurrection and obliterated most of the elements. To make matters worse, the Chalcogens formed

an alliance with them so we were heavily outnumbered. That day wasn’t a good day for us…”

Copper noticed her brother struggling to speak so she took over the explanation.

[Copper]: “Rutherfordium discovered a way to restore obliterated elements. By bringing together all the protons of an element’s atomic number, we could restore that element. The downside is that the element would have none of their previous memories… So um, we’ve been working hard to restore other elements to help us fight back against the rogue families.”

[Gold]: “Fluorine is their leader. We don’t know why she would hunt other elements or how she even convinced her family to go along with it. They’re the most electronegative elements on the periodic table so they’re a lot stronger than us naturally. It’s our job to build a resistance big enough to fight back which is why we hone our skills at using blades to bridge the gap between abilities and capabilities.”

[Copper]: “Um, but we aren’t going to make you go out there if you don’t want to. I’d rather have you stay here whenever the elements go out in search of protons.”

[Gold]: “Copper is right about that. We’ve lost you once before and we don’t want to go through that again. I’ll teach you the basics of how to use a sword, and she will help you use your power. The decision is yours to make when we’re done. You must have a lot of questions to ask so please ask away.”

[Silver]: “I don’t even know where to begin… Is this all real?”

[Gold]: “Haha, silly Silver. I wish it wasn’t, but that is our current situation. If you’re in a dream, I promise I’ll be the first element to wake you up.”

[Silver]: “Dream, what’s a dream?”

[Gold]: “Uh, Copper make sure to give him some basic education while you’re helping him with his power.”

[Copper]: “Aw, why do I have to go through all that basic, boring stuff?”

She playfully punched Gold on his shoulder.

[Gold]: “Sorry. I’m a busy element, Copper. Got lots of stuff to do.”

[Copper]: “Yeah. Sure.”

She exited the storehouse, but not before giving Gold another punch on the shoulder.

[Copper]: “Good luck with your training, Silver!”

[Gold]: “Alright! Let’s get started. Come with me.”

Gold led Silver into one of the backrooms of the storehouse. There, he pulled one of the wooden poles off the wall.

[Gold]: “This should do. Here. I’m gonna train you in basic sword combat, but first, we’re going to practice with these.”

[Silver]: “What if you get hurt?”

[Gold]: “Hah! These are wood, Silver. Wood! Even without our armors, we’ll be fine. It’s your own safety you should worry about here.”

[Silver]: “I think I’ll be okay. What is that on the wall?”

He pointed to a double sided scythe that was hanging on the other wall.

[Gold]: “Oh that’s my scythe, Vivi.”

[Silver]: “What's a "vivi"?”

[Gold]: “Thats it's name. Haha, when your weapon is the only thing that saves you in battle, you grow a certain kind of attachment to it.”

[Silver]: “I guess…? Why call it that?”

[Gold]: “To be honest, it just feels right. But that’s beside the point. I need to start training you!”

Gold positioned Silver’s fingers in the appropriate positions around the pole’s base. Silver paid close attention to every detail.

Barely an hour of existence, and Silver found himself not liking the strange mess he had come into. And yet… there was something about Gold and Copper’s tone when they talked about losing him. There were a lot of answers he wanted, but he didn’t know enough to ask the proper questions. He would have to see this mess through to find them. He turned to Gold.

[Silver]: “Let’s go.”

Part 2

Carbon Forest, village main hall

Behind almost every collection of individuals there exists a system of authority to keep all matters running smoothly.

While Mercury may have had the role of navigator, the leader of the survivors, there were other elements who had even more authority than him: Helium, Neon, Argon, Krypton, Xenon, and Radon. They were Family 18- the Noble Gases, otherwise known as the Nobles. These elements were holding a council.

[Mercury]: “As you know, we have been at Carbon Forest for two months. I think it is safe to say in that time, we have gathered all the protons there are to find. I propose we move to a newer location.

[Helium]: “Do you know where the next location will be?”

[Mercury]: “Yes, Hydrogen Ocean. Seeing as how we have not run into the rogue elements here, I chose a place with close proximity. There should be plenty of opportunities to find protons in the cliffs near the ocean.”

[Argon]: “We can’t be so quick to leave the forest’s security. At least have one more search to find any leftover protons.”

[Neon]: “I agree with Argon’s last point. Before we leave, we should have a final sweep through the forest.”

[Krypton]: “Wasn’t an element restored today?”

[Mercury]: “Yes, it was Silver.”

[Krypton]: “Ah, yes. Now would be a good time for him to have his first assignment.”

[Mercury]: “I can arrange for that. And what of my proposal to move?”

[Xenon]: “It will be put to a vote. All in favor shall raise their hand.”

The Nobles all raised their hands. It was decided.

[Mercury]: “I will make preparations immediately.”

[Xenon]: “We leave it up to you.”

[Mercury]: “It will be taken care of. Farewell Nobles.”

Part 3

Carbon Forest, village storehouse

[Copper]: “No, no, not like that! Focus!”

[Silver]: “Ugh, sorry!”

Having finished his basics in using a sword, Silver had exchanged teachers to learn how to use his power. Copper told him he would be able to use electricity in the form of lightning. Even after seeing her use her power to make ice from the atmosphere, he found it impossible to believe that he could make lightning out of nothing. Well, Copper said it had to do with manipulating photons around you, but that didn’t make sense either. He would much rather be training with a sword…

[Copper]: “There, did you see that? A spark!”

[Silver]: “Huh? What?”

Was she bluffing to get him more encouraged? He couldn’t tell. That must have been the tenth time he heard her say that…Wait, aha!

[Silver]: “I see it now!”

A small ball of electricity danced around his hand. He had to concentrate immensely to keep it from disintegrating.

[Copper]: “Try pointing your hand and your thoughts in a certain direction to send the electricity that way.”

[Silver]: “I think I understand.”

He directed the electricity downwards and it dissipated upon making contact with the ground.

[Silver]: “Interesting.”

[Copper]: “Fantastic! Your technique is starting to bloom.”

The doors to the storehouse swung open as Magnesium entered.

[Magnesium]: “Big news! Mercury has assigned us to work together!”

[Copper]: “Oh my word! That’s great! What’s the assignment this time? And what’s our team?”

[Magnesium]: “We’re going to search the northern area of Carbon Forest for protons. Gold, Carbon, and Rubidium are going to be joining us. We leave tomorrow morning.”

[Copper]: “Did you hear that, Silver? We get to work together on your first assignment!”

[Silver]: “How exciting.”

Gold burst in through the doors.

[Gold]: “Guys, guys! Guess what!”

[Magnesium, Copper, Silver]: “We know!”

[Gold]: “Haha, guess I’m late. But if we’re gonna go out, Silver should have his rightful weapon. Can’t have him walking around with a wooden stick. Hah!”

He went into one of the backrooms and emerged shortly after with a sword in his hands.

[Gold]: “This used to be your sword, Silver. I remember finding it on a hill and hoping there

would be a day where I could give it back to ya. Today is that day. Make us proud, little brother.”

Part 4

Downrising Falls, main chamber

Axiom was full of many wonders that would be deemed impossible in other universes. One such wonder was the appearance of waterfalls that moved upwards, hence the name for this particular cave, Downrising Falls. Here, water flowed towards the ceiling and to the cave’s exterior where it would fall down and move back into the cave, repeating the process indefinitely.

It was in this cave that Family 16 and Family 17 made their home. Presently, Fluorine was holding a meeting with Polonium and her sister, Sulfur.

[Fluorine]: “What do you mean you still haven’t found them!?”

[Polonium]: “What else can I mean? We haven’t found them.”

[Fluorine]: “After 3 months of searching, I expect to have some results by now. They can’t be moving around without leaving some sort of evidence behind.”

[Sulfur]: “I totally mean this with respect Fluorine, but Axiom’s huuuge! We need more time to find the survivors.”

[Fluorine]: “No, you need a more competent element joining you on your searches. Bromine!”

Upon hearing his name, Bromine appeared from one of the smaller chambers in the cave.

[Fluorine]: “Go with these two elements and expand their search southward.”

[Polonium]: “We won’t need him. He’s just going to slow us down!”

[Bromine]: “What did you say, Polonium?”

[Polonium]: “Did I stutter?”

[Bromine]: “Grr…”

The two elements stared at each other, tension quickly building up. Sulfur saw it, and nervously laughed. She didn’t like fighting.

[Sulfur]: “Okay guys, that’s enough playing around. When do we leave Fluorine?”

[Fluorine]: “In an hour. That should be enough time to gather your supplies.”

[Sulfur]: “We’ll be ready, right Polonium?”

[Polonium]: “I’m always ready.”

[Sulfur]: “That’s the spirit!”

[Bromine]: “Hmph. I’ll go get my sword and meet you then. Don’t keep me waiting.”

[Fluorine]: “I have some other matters I must attend to as well. I hope this search yields more success.”

She and Bromine left to one of the other chambers.

[Sulfur]: “That was close. I thought you were going to fight this time!”

[Polonium]: “Meh. He’s not worth the time.”

[Sulfur]: “I wish you would get along with them.”

[Polonium]: “They’re Halogens, Sulfur. I don’t trust them, and you shouldn’t either.”

[Sulfur]: “They don’t seem too bad…”

Polonium sighed. Her sister was kind-hearted, but naïve which led to these debates. Whatever, as long as she could use her swords, she would protect her little sister from these corrupted elements.

[Polonium]: “We should get our weapons. It won’t be long before we’re on the field again.”

[Sulfur]: “I’m right behind you, Polonium!”

Part 5

Hydrogen Ocean, beach area

Mercury and his friend, Radon, are busy examining the area of their soon-to-be home. The oceans’ waves crash violently against the shore. Axiom’s stars, Ecks, Wye, and Zee, glow softly in the distance, signaling the coming of dawn.

[Radon]: “This place is lovely.”

[Mercury]: “After being on the run for so long, I thought a more tropical location would help the elements relax.”

[Radon]: “I certainly approve.”

[Mercury]: “Now then… Is there something on your mind? You didn’t speak at all at today’s council.”

[Radon]: “So you noticed? I’ve been wondering… What if we should try negotiations again? With Silver back, the cause for their fighting should be gone, no?”

[Mercury]: “The situation isn’t as simple as you’d like it to be. Even if we could find Fluorine and arrange to talk with her, I doubt things would go well. She’s too volatile.”

[Radon]: “You can’t be so sure of that.”

[Mercury]: “It is my duty as navigator to ensure the survival of the elements. As such, I am skeptical of anything that could compromise their safety.”

[Radon]: “I understand. Maybe it’s just that I’m tired of this nomadic lifestyle. By the time, I get settled down, it’s time to move again.”

[Mercury]: “Hydrogen Ocean is near our current village. If you ever want to visit the forest, you just walk straight north for a few minutes.”

[Radon]: “It’s not the same.”

[Mercury]: “I’m sorry, Radon.”

[Radon]: “No, don’t be. As a Noble, I must make the elements’ safety my first priority. I should stop complaining. My siblings wouldn’t like it if they heard me like this.”

[Mercury]: “You are always free to confide in me if you choose- hey, what’s that?”

[Radon]: “Huh?”

Mercury pointed to a large rock on the beach. On its surface was a small funnel-shaped formation of wind, similar to a tornado. It sent sparks of electricity in random directions. If ants existed in Three Space, this tiny storm would have posed a real problem. Otherwise, it was harmless.

[Radon]: “Well now. A voltage storm and here of all places.”

[Mercury]: “It’s at phase 1 so it will be a long time before it becomes a threat. Although this does mean I may have to find another location for our new village.”

[Radon]: “And just when I was starting to like the ocean… Heh, not really.”

[Mercury]: “We still have enough time for our assignment tomorrow. Let’s report back to the

other Nobles about this.”

Part 6

Carbon Forest, Family 11 Residence

From learning how to use a sword to learning what a dream is, it had been a long day for Silver. He really just wanted to, what was the word… sleep!

[Gold]: “Hey Silver, you okay? You’re spacing out or something.”

[Silver]: “Huh? Wha-? Oh, sorry. I’m tired.”

[Copper]: “Just one more time through the cards. Pleaaase?”

She held up a stack of cards with the symbols of the different powers that elements could have.

[Silver]: “Ugh, okay, one more time and then I’m done learning for the day, er- night.”

[Gold]: “You can do it, Silver!”

[Silver]: “Lightning means electricity usage. Flames means fire wielder. Cube means mineral manipulation. Spiral means atmospheric command. Star means photon amplification. Sphere means shape shifter. Wing means flight. Leaf means nature power. Double helix means plasma power.”

His head hit the table.

[Silver]: “Spare me, please!”

[Copper]: “Hmm… your descriptions are kinda bland. Hee, but you are getting better.”

[Gold]: “Great work, little sister. You’d make an excellent teacher.”

[Copper]: “You’re only saying that because I did your work.”

[Gold]: “So are you saying you don’t like teaching your little brother?”

[Copper]: “Well, um, no, it’s just that, um… Agh! You’re confusing me!”

She punched Gold on the shoulder.

[Copper]: “Hmph.”

[Gold]: “You hear that, Silver? That’s the sound of your big sister giving in which means you’re free to go.”

[Silver]: “Finally!”

He fled to his room before his sister could protest. As a newly restored element, he didn’t know what it was like to sleep, but he was looking forward to the experience. Copper said all an element had to do was close their eyes and let serenity come to them. Serenity couldn’t come fast enough for Silver.

Silver plopped onto his “bed,” which was really just a large bag filled with grass. For elements, who are not as receptive to the sense of touch as humans are, this was an ideal place to rest. Light entered through a window in the room.

What would tomorrow bring? Was he even ready to partake in what his fellow elements were doing? He thought of his siblings. As quirky as they were, he liked them.

[Copper]: “Um, Silver?”

The sound of Copper’s voice startled him. He awoke and answered sloppily.

[Silver]: “Y-yes?”

[Copper, Gold]: “Goodnight!”

[Silver]: “Goodnight you two.”

Outside, the wind silently blew, gently lifting leaves off the ground and throwing them into the dark sky.