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Chapter 8- Duels Of The Eight

Part 1

September 6, 2015---Silicon Valley, Family 12 Residence

A day had passed since Silver’s battle with Polonium. He had spent some of that time analyzing alternative techniques that could help him beat her if they met again. This had given him an idea that he would try out. He knocked on the door of the metal home. Mercury answered.

[Mercury]: “What do you want, Silver? You should be looking for protons with my sister and the rest of your team.”

[Silver]: “Gold said you were the only element in the village who could teach me a particular sword technique.”

[Mercury]: “Oh? What technique is this?”

[Silver]: “I want to learn how to dual-wield.”

[Mercury]: “Come inside.”

Silver entered the house.

[Mercury]: “You know that dual-wielding is not simply using two swords at the same time. There is more. Your thoughts must be able to handle two battles, two different attack planes. You come to me and expect me to believe you are ready for that level of sword combat?”

[Silver]: “Yes.”

[Mercury]: “Hmph. Be thankful that the Nobles acknowledge you as a contributing member to the village. If not for that, I would not bother. I see you as nothing more than holding back your siblings. They were once very proactive in the affairs of the village, but ever since your obliteration, they have become shadows of themselves. Just look at your brother. He was once a respected navigator for us until he became obsessed with restoring you. I remember when the chalcogens betrayed us, the only protons he saved were yours. We lost a lot of elements in that battle…”

All of this had already been told to Silver long ago. He knew that Mercury did not like Gold and the fact that Cadmium was with Gold made tensions worse.

[Silver]: “I did not come to be lectured in history. I came to learn how to fight better. You want the village to be safe, and I can help you with that.”

[Mercury]: “If you can master the skill. Let’s make a wager to see if you won’t be a waste of my time. I will teach you if you can demonstrate aptitude for dual-wielding.”

Mercury tossed Silver a spare sword that had been hanging on the wall.

[Mercury]: “Okay, Silver. Impress me.”

Part 2

September 12, 2015---Lattice Palace, palace grounds

Three Space was a universe where time just seemed to fly. The halogens and chalcogens felt this phenomenon in how quickly their tournament had approached. Bromine approached the small crystal coliseum that Selenium had made for the occasion. His sister, Astatine, entered from the opposite entrance. Both of them did not like the idea of a fight, even if it was friendly. Bromine took battling very seriously. What if he lost his cool and hurt his sister? Conversely, could she bring herself to fight? She had only obliterated two elements in her entire existence. When it came to experience, Bromine was far superior.

[Bromine]: “Are you ready my sister?”

[Astatine]: “As ready as can be. I hope our battle goes by quickly…”

[Fluorine]: “I will restate the rules! You may use your powers and weapon of choice. Whoever can pin the element underneath them shall win the match!”

Bromine lifted his heavy axe. When it came to cutting down elements, this was his way of going about it. Astatine had taken a more defensive approach and brought a large shield.

[Fluorine]: “Fight!”

Bromine ran forward and brought his axe crashing down on Astatine. This would have sliced off her left arm had Astatine not lifted her shield in time. Phew… She pushed the shield against Bromine, but he proved to be far too strong. After three more successful blocks, the blue element used her shape shifting power to form into a serpent-like shape and coiled around her brother. Bromine could feel an intense pressure from all sides, crushing his body. His axe hit the ground. Should he let her win now? No, Fluorine had wanted them to last longer. He created a field of fire around himself that forced Astatine to let go lest she should be burned down to her protons. Fire began to spread to all corners of the battlefield. Low on options, Astatine shifted into a ring shape with her spikes protruded and charged at Bromine with a fast spin dash that sounded like a buzz saw. He lifted his axe to absorb hit after hit from Astatine’s deadly spikes. Forget Fluorine, he was going to finish the battle now!

[Bromine]: “Hraaaaaaaah!!!”

He erupted like a volcano and consumed Astatine in fire. She screamed in pain which snapped her brother out of his crazed state. Bromine commanded his flames to die down and rushed to pin his sister, effectively ending the battle.

[Bromine]: “Sister!”

[Astatine]: “I am okay, brother… That fire… really had me smothered…”

She smiled to let him know she was truly okay.

[Fluorine]: “Bromine is the winner! That will conclude round 1. Selenium will repair the battlefield so the next match can start. Polonium, Iodine, prepare!”

Bromine carried Astatine back to her chamber and laid her in bed. She promptly fell asleep. What in Axiom could have made Fluorine think this was a good idea? Pitting brother against sister was stupid. The only thing more stupid was him thinking that he could actually control his temper. His failure to realize that cost his dear sister… He returned to the coliseum. Maybe when the next round finished, she would be awake. Then he would apologize.

While Bromine pondered over his sister’s status, Iodine was pondering over a plan for the upcoming fight. Polonium knew all of Iodine’s tactics by now. She would undoubtedly go for a full-out offense. The winged element walked into the arena.

[Iodine]: “Are you ready, Polonium? Today is your chance to show me what you have learned!”

[Polonium]: “More like today is when the student becomes the teacher!”

Both elements unsheathed their swords.

[Fluorine]: “Fight!”

Polonium charged towards her teacher and slashed in an “X”-like form. Iodine blocked with one sword and swung the other around for the counterattack. The sword was swiftly blocked. Both elements continued slashing and blocking for quite some time before Iodine decided to try a different plan of attack. The winged element flew into the sky and remained there. Polonium wasn’t going to let her opponent build any sort of momentum. She fired beam after beam of light into the air in an attempt to strike the halogen down. One of them was a direct hit and caused Iodine to fall back to the ground. The chalcogen got her weapons ready. This could be it. She was mistaken as Iodine broke its descent at the last second and tried to crash on top of her. That attack won’t work this time! Iodine barely managed to regain balance and bring its swords up for the block. Polonium saw an opportunity for close combat and took it. She dropped her swords and punched Iodine once. Twice. Three times in the chest! Before the halogen could react, she grabbed onto its hands to wrestle for her opponent’s swords. Iodine felt a drain of energy as Polonium overpowered it. This would not be how it ends! The winged element leapt forward and tackled her to the ground. Iodine went for the pin, but was met with an uppercut to the face, followed by a headlock. Try as it might, Iodine could not break out. Too much energy was being drained… Iodine submitted.

[Fluorine]: “Polonium is the winner! This ends round 2!”

The other chalcogens had been cheering on their sister from the sidelines.

[Selenium]: “Excellent fight, Polonium!”

[Tellurium]: “Good job.”

[Polonium]: “What can I say, there was only one way this could end.”

She followed Iodine into the palace. Fluorine took the time to announce that the next round would begin after an intermission of an hour and also went back into the palace.

[Polonium]: “So? Have I proven myself enough?”

[Iodine]: “You have exceeded my abilities this time. I still don’t know if you have found what I have mentioned to you before.”

[Polonium]: “Who needs direction anyways when you have these?”

She flexed her arms proudly.

[Iodine]: “Remember what I am going to say, Polonium. Strength alone will not always be enough. There are bigger reasons to fight. I was able to find one in training you and I found greater strength despite my loss at your hands. One can only reach their maximum strength when they fight for something greater than themselves. That is what you need. I won’t speak down on your victory of course. You have my sincerest congratulations.”

[Polonium]: “Thanks. I wonder if I’ll ever understand half the stuff you say.”

[Iodine]: “Maybe one day.”

Iodine saw Polonium’s family approaching.

[Iodine]: “I will leave you now to your family, my former student.”

Truer words could not have been said. Iodine exited the building and checked to see if anyone was around. The winged element decided now was the time and took flight for Manganese Plains. Bromine happened to walk around the entrance and notice his sibling leaving. Didn’t Iodine want to see the next round? Maybe Iodine felt bad for losing. Astatine was still sleeping so he decided to follow the fellow halogen.

[Chlorine]: “Are ye’ leaving? The next round will start soon and you don’t want to miss my win!”

[Bromine]: “I need to let out steam while Astatine gets better. Fighting gets my temper going.”

[Chlorine]: “Heh, you can’t control yourself, can ye’? I wouldn’t worry about it; she has to be strong enough to take a little fire.”

[Bromine]: “That’s an understatement. I torched her when I didn’t mean to.”

[Chlorine]: “Our eldest sis’ demands we be able to take anything. Astatine should be ashamed of herself if she can’t even take your fires.”

[Bromine]: “What did you say?”

[Chlorine]: “What? I am only thinking of Fluorine’s wishes.”

[Bromine]: “You know, Chlorine, you have the snarkiest way of showing your concern. I hope you lose your round and learn you aren’t some invincible element.”

[Chlorine]: “So you want to talk down on me? That’s fine, I’ll laugh even more when I show you up!”

Chlorine ran to the arena in a frustrated rage. How dare his brother give him attitude. He was probably siding with those filthy chalcogens. Too bad Bromine was wasting his time by “letting out steam.” He would miss a great match. Chlorine would just have to rub it in his face later!

Part 3

Manganese Plains, northern area

Iodine arrived at the designated place. To the halogen’s surprise, Silver was already waiting there in the snowy landscape along with Gold, Copper, Cadmium, and Rubidium.

[Iodine]: “You’re here early.”

[Gold]: “Right back at ya.”

[Silver]: “Well? Where is your part of our arrangement?”

[Iodine]: “Feeling impatient, hm? That is to be expected of course seeing as how I made you wait so long for this moment.”

Iodine paused to gather its thoughts, then continued.

[Iodine]: “You may not realize at first, but I am a lunatic. Many elements have been obliterated by my swords. Many electrons have been stolen by my hands. But once the electron’s effects inevitably faded, I would be left unstable, craving even more electrons for that burst of power. To compound my issues further, I learned that taking an element’s electron creates a bond of memories. For countless nights, I have had recurring nightmares that involve the elements I obliterated. Parts of their memories are now my own. That cannot be a coincidence. Had I known that stealing electrons would have such dangerous side effects, I would have never followed my sister. We are all doomed to face the punishment of eternal instability. We have fought against our fates by finding something to devote ourselves to. Purpose. Something that gives us peace. I had given myself a purpose, and today that purpose has been fulfilled. There is only one matter left to resolve at this point.”

The solemn halogen brought out its two swords. The survivors all got their weapons.

[Iodine]: “Come now, Silver. Give me one last battle before our negotiations. Put me at peace.”

[Silver]: “Everyone stand down. I will take care of this.”

[Copper]: “But-!”

[Rubidium]: You idiot! I can’t just stand and watch!”

[Silver]: “Please. I have to see what there is left to say. With our swords.”

Silver didn’t wait for a reply and rushed to do battle with the winged element. Iodine played the defensive role in the battle and analyzed his adversary’s technique. Forward slash, right slash, forward slash! Block, counterattack! So this was Silver… Their fight lasted a short time before Iodine conceded.

[Iodine]: “That will be enough from me.”

[Silver]: “Then we can move onto our negotiations?”

[Iodine]: “I am sorry, Silver. I lied. Truthfully, my family is going down a path of ruin that I have longed to distance myself from. My fate will be determined by my hands, not my sister’s. But if it is a consolation to you, you have one less halogen to worry about. I am out.”

[Silver]: “Wait!”

The winged element took to the air and flew away. In the course of their battle, Iodine had gotten the last piece of information it needed. Silver’s technique did not match that of the legendary Silver. They were two different elements which meant Fluorine had lied or the survivors were withholding some crucial knowledge. A lie… or a hidden truth… or something even bigger was happening. Either way, the information did not add up. This was enough to convince the halogen that there was no point in risking its existence for a petty feud. Iodine would not join the survivors for sake of betraying its family directly, but would not go back and continue serving under Fluorine’s orders.

[Iodine]: “Sorry, Polonium. I hope you find your purpose, and the strength you seek.”

Iodine flew away into the twilight…

[Gold]: “Well that was a waste.”

[Silver]: “Not quite. We are one enemy less.”

[Copper]: “Um, you know Iodine could have been lying like it did this whole time.”

[Silver]: “His actions made it appear that he had no choice but to lie. It would be wise to trust and attempt to move on from fighting. Such is my thought process.”

[Copper]: “Your way of thinking is almost as strange as that halogen.”

[Rubidium]: “That’s the idiot for you.”

[Cadmium]: “We should tell Mercury about what Iodine said. I’ve felt bad keeping the meeting a secret.”

[Gold]: “Just making sure he wouldn’t blow this out of proportion. But yeah, let’s do that.”

The group of elements began walking towards their village. Little did they know that during Silver and Iodine’s battle, Bromine had wandered upon the scene and watched from a safe distance behind some boulders. He was puzzled as to why Iodine simply flew away after their battle instead of pursuing the villagers to their base. Even more puzzling was that Iodine flew in the wrong direction. Maybe he was trying to not lead the survivors to the halogens’ base? That must be it. Bromine decided he would follow the survivors then and see for himself.

Part 4

Lattice Palace, palace grounds

While Iodine and Silver had their meeting, Tellurium was walking towards a meeting of his own. The arena was set for him to finally teach Chlorine how to respect the chalcogens. He walked into the center of the coliseum and readied his sword.

[Chlorine]: “Hope ye’re ready for a real beating!”

[Tellurium]: “Sure.”

Tellurium would not lose this fight. He couldn’t. His family depended on his victory. She depended on his victory...

[Fluorine]: “Fight!”

He snapped out of his daze in time to notice Chlorine running in for the first strike. Chlorine’s weapon of choice, sharp metal claws, shined maliciously as he swiped at Tellurium. The chalcogen hid behind one of the pillars of crystal in the battlefield. Speed and stealth would be the best way to handle this fight. The wall of crystal dissolved as Chlorine began firing large drops of chloric acid from his palms. Tellurium retaliated by summoning bolts of lightning that struck Chlorine directly. When he recovered from the electrocution, Tellurium had disappeared. Which pillar of crystal could he be behind? It didn’t matter. Chlorine spun in a circle and sprayed acid in all directions, melting all of the pillars and some parts of the coliseum.

[Chlorine]: “Where are you??”

He was answered with another bolt of lightning to the back. Tellurium came in fast from his opponent’s rear, ready to deal the final blow. Chlorine countered in time and launched a wave of acid up close. Tellurium’s lightning-fast speed kicked in as he jumped out of the way. He picked up a piece of melted crystal and hurled it. The halogen stuck his metal claws into the chunk of crystal and ripped it in half.

[Chlorine]: “Hahah! Come o- Oof!”

Tellurium had been behind the chunk of crystal and, upon Chlorine breaking it, had punched him in the face sending the halogen to the floor. Tellurium put one foot on the halogen’s chest and held his sword to Chlorine’s head.

[Tellurium]: “Pinned.”

[Chlorine]: “No!”

Chlorine held his hands up to fire a volley of acid, but his sister’s voice stopped him.

[Fluorine]: “Tellurium wins! Round 3 has ended!”

[Chlorine]: “NO! Grr…”

[Selenium]: “Yes! Superb technique, Tellurium!”

[Tellurium]: “Naturally.”

[Fluorine]: “Selenium, you know what do.”

She gestured to the battlefield.

[Selenium]: “Give me 10 minutes.”

Back inside the palace, Astatine had awoken, fully restored and curious as to her brother’s whereabouts. She walked into the main chamber.

[Astatine]: “Why Chlorine, have you seen our brother, Bromine?”

[Chlorine]: “What do I care? He wanted this to happen!”

Astatine ignored whatever her upset brother was rambling on about and asked again.

[Astatine]: “Please let me know where he is. His presence, I do so miss.”

[Chlorine]: “Fine, if it’ll make ye’ stop bothering me. It looked like he was heading towards Manganese Plains. That’s the only place to go ‘round here.”

[Fluorine]: “Chlorine!”

[Chlorine]: “Oh this can’t be good…”

Fluorine angrily marched over to her brother as Astatine exited the building.

[Fluorine]: “So what happened to your talk about beating the chalcogens??”

[Chlorine]: “I… I slipped up! I’m sorry, big sis’!”

[Fluorine]: “You disappoint me, Chlorine. You have caused so much trouble with your gloating and arrogance. I give you a chance to prove your words and this… epic fail is the result! Let this be a lesson to you! I don’t have time to waste on incompetence!”

[Chlorine]: “I-I’m sorry, sister… I won’t fail ye’ next time, I swear on my existence… I’m sorry…”

[Fluorine]: “Learn your place.”

The leader of the halogens stormed away. Humility was a quality that she wanted her brother to learn so she took full advantage of the situation to teach it. Chlorine seemed to receive the message well based on his reaction. He got up from the floor and wiped away his tears. What should he do now? He dared not show his face at his sister’s match; her inevitable victory was a sight he was unworthy of seeing.

[Chlorine]: “The loser’s circle is where I belong… Guess I should join Bromine.”

Little did he know that Tellurium had been just around the corner and heard of the entire scolding. He saw Chlorine leave. That meant all four halogens were out. What could they be doing? Plotting revenge for their losses in the tournament? It was definitely suspicious. Tellurium resolved to go after Chlorine and see what was going on. Polonium saw him approach the exit.

[Polonium]: “Where are you going? Selenium will be fighting Fluorine soon.”

[Tellurium]: “I need to relax.”

[Polonium]: “It’s not like we’re battling as spectators.”

[Tellurium]: “…”

[Polonium]: “I’m going with you.”

[Tellurium]: “No.”

Now Polonium was really curious. The palace had gotten quiet lately and Tellurium looked like he knew why.

[Polonium]: “If we wait around here, Fluorine’s going to start asking questions. You don’t want that, and I don’t want that. So let’s get moving!”

[Tellurium]: “…Okay.”

They departed, hot on the trail of the elements who left beforehand.

Part 5

Lattice Palace, palace grounds

Selenium entered the coliseum. There were few moments in his existence that had such build up, such importance. This battle would determine the course that his family would follow. Truly, the future was at hand. He could not lose.

[Fluorine]: “Hmm… where is everyone else?”

[Selenium]: “They are probably resting.”

[Fluorine]: “All of them? That is too strange.”

[Selenium]: “I wouldn’t worry. This battle has been a long time coming for me. Please do not delay it any longer.”

[Fluorine]: “What is the point of us fighting if none of the others see it?”

[Selenium]: “This is not a battle to provide entertainment. It is to prove a point, no? A duel between the leaders of the strongest families on Axiom… will be a spectacle that only the two of us can appreciate!”

[Fluorine]: “It would be a shame for my family to miss our duel. But I can honor your request.”

Honor, as if Fluorine could possess that. If he could beat her in battle, he would have a chance to obliterate the leader of the halogens with no witnesses. These were Selenium’s thoughts as he mentally prepared for what would be the toughest battle of his existence.

Fluorine sprouted a single arm of plasma from her right side and lifted her sword. Only one sword? Hmph. Selenium unclipped the long spear from his armor. Okay… calm down… focus… he could do this!

[Selenium]: “For my family!”

He charged into battle with the strongest element in existence. Fluorine would prove to be worthy of her title as strongest element. She spun around elegantly and blocked all of Selenium’s moves. He was able to get her into a stalemate with his spear holding strong against her sword. That was when he learned why she only brought one sword. Two plasma limbs immediately sprouted from her left side and grabbed Selenium’s weapon while the right moved in for the finish. He quickly sprouted a pillar of crystal from the floor to block the unexpected attack. No weapons? No problem, Selenium made a chunk of crystal appear and sculpted it into a makeshift spear. Fluorine twirled her newly gained spear and swung her sword to strike Selenium. He ducked and used his new spear to counter his former. The addition of a weapon into Fluorine’s arsenal helped her gain a slight edge in the battle. In truth, she was only exerting half her energy. It was when Selenium knocked the spear out of her plasma hands that she realized her opponent had a chance of winning. She decided to try a new tactic and launched numerous volleys of plasma arrows from her body. Selenium created a large wall of crystal that broke after the third volley. Was plasma that strong!? He raised both hands and manipulated the walls of the coliseum to come together and crush Fluorine. The halogen was swift and jumped, ducked, and ran past all of the crystal structures he could make. Darn!

Their battle continued from the late evening until midnight. They looked at each other, evidently exhausted.

[Selenium]: “One last joust, Fluorine?”

[Fluorine]: “No. I will end this in a much quicker fashion!”

She sprouted three spare plasma arms and stretched them towards Selenium who immediately cut them. While he cut them, Fluorine had moved in closer and sprouted three more arms. Selenium cut two but the bottom caught his leg and threw him into the air. He constructed a pillar of crystal to land on and looked below at Fluorine. She must be running out of patience by now… Another wave of plasma arrows was sent in his direction causing him to have no choice but to jump from behind his pedestal structure. Both elements were on the floor once more. Fluorine let go of her sword, overloaded her core, and calmly walked towards her opponent. Selenium quickly followed suit. The end of their battle drew near. Releasing unfathomable amounts of power, Fluorine launched a vicious assault of plasma. The leader of the chalcogens tried to keep up, but even drawing out his maximum strength, he could not solidify a strong enough defense. One of the arrows pierced through and struck him in his chest. It was over. The barrage continued and buried Selenium in his own walls of crystal. He escaped his tomb and was promptly kicked to the floor. Fluorine wrapped all of his limbs and his neck with her plasma arms. One of them held a sword nearby. He could see it glint in the night time. Was this the end? There were still no other elements around. If she obliterated him, she could play it as an accident and gain support from her siblings.

[Fluorine]: “A good battle. You almost pushed me to my limit.”

She placed him down and extended her hand which he shook, confused.

[Selenium]: “Wha-?” Why are you treating me with this unexpected grace?”

[Fluorine]: “I have honor, Selenium, contrary to what you may believe. I also know you were planning to obliterate me if you had won. All of your strikes were surprisingly aggressive. I could see they were meant to be crippling blows.”

[Selenium]: “…and you still believe you should shake my hand?”

[Fluorine]: “This tournament has served its purpose to help you vent out your inner tensions. You feel better, yes?”

[Selenium]: “I will admit that I do.”

[Fluorine]: “Good. I will forgive your aggressive moves because of the service you have provided for my family’s cause. The survivors cannot be forgiven. With the tournament over and our families’ issues put aside, we can finally concentrate our efforts into finding them.”

[Selenium]: “Once our families return you mean.”

[Fluorine]: “Where are they?”

[Selenium]: “Every single one is gone. I do not feel so optimistic over their whereabouts…”

The leader of the chalcogens was right in saying so. Six elements could not simply disappear without an important reason. He looked to the stars, worried for the fates of the two families. A cold wind blew and told of an ominous future ahead.

Description

Chapter 8- Duels Of The Eight

Part 1

September 6, 2015---Silicon Valley, Family 12 Residence

A day had passed since Silver’s battle with Polonium. He had spent some of that time analyzing alternative techniques that could help him beat her if they met again. This had given him an idea that he would try out. He knocked on the door of the metal home. Mercury answered.

[Mercury]: “What do you want, Silver? You should be looking for protons with my sister and the rest of your team.”

[Silver]: “Gold said you were the only element in the village who could teach me a particular sword technique.”

[Mercury]: “Oh? What technique is this?”

[Silver]: “I want to learn how to dual-wield.”

[Mercury]: “Come inside.”

Silver entered the house.

[Mercury]: “You know that dual-wielding is not simply using two swords at the same time. There is more. Your thoughts must be able to handle two battles, two different attack planes. You come to me and expect me to believe you are ready for that level of sword combat?”

[Silver]: “Yes.”

[Mercury]: “Hmph. Be thankful that the Nobles acknowledge you as a contributing member to the village. If not for that, I would not bother. I see you as nothing more than holding back your siblings. They were once very proactive in the affairs of the village, but ever since your obliteration, they have become shadows of themselves. Just look at your brother. He was once a respected navigator for us until he became obsessed with restoring you. I remember when the chalcogens betrayed us, the only protons he saved were yours. We lost a lot of elements in that battle…”

All of this had already been told to Silver long ago. He knew that Mercury did not like Gold and the fact that Cadmium was with Gold made tensions worse.

[Silver]: “I did not come to be lectured in history. I came to learn how to fight better. You want the village to be safe, and I can help you with that.”

[Mercury]: “If you can master the skill. Let’s make a wager to see if you won’t be a waste of my time. I will teach you if you can demonstrate aptitude for dual-wielding.”

Mercury tossed Silver a spare sword that had been hanging on the wall.

[Mercury]: “Okay, Silver. Impress me.”

Part 2

September 12, 2015---Lattice Palace, palace grounds

Three Space was a universe where time just seemed to fly. The halogens and chalcogens felt this phenomenon in how quickly their tournament had approached. Bromine approached the small crystal coliseum that Selenium had made for the occasion. His sister, Astatine, entered from the opposite entrance. Both of them did not like the idea of a fight, even if it was friendly. Bromine took battling very seriously. What if he lost his cool and hurt his sister? Conversely, could she bring herself to fight? She had only obliterated two elements in her entire existence. When it came to experience, Bromine was far superior.

[Bromine]: “Are you ready my sister?”

[Astatine]: “As ready as can be. I hope our battle goes by quickly…”

[Fluorine]: “I will restate the rules! You may use your powers and weapon of choice. Whoever can pin the element underneath them shall win the match!”

Bromine lifted his heavy axe. When it came to cutting down elements, this was his way of going about it. Astatine had taken a more defensive approach and brought a large shield.

[Fluorine]: “Fight!”

Bromine ran forward and brought his axe crashing down on Astatine. This would have sliced off her left arm had Astatine not lifted her shield in time. Phew… She pushed the shield against Bromine, but he proved to be far too strong. After three more successful blocks, the blue element used her shape shifting power to form into a serpent-like shape and coiled around her brother. Bromine could feel an intense pressure from all sides, crushing his body. His axe hit the ground. Should he let her win now? No, Fluorine had wanted them to last longer. He created a field of fire around himself that forced Astatine to let go lest she should be burned down to her protons. Fire began to spread to all corners of the battlefield. Low on options, Astatine shifted into a ring shape with her spikes protruded and charged at Bromine with a fast spin dash that sounded like a buzz saw. He lifted his axe to absorb hit after hit from Astatine’s deadly spikes. Forget Fluorine, he was going to finish the battle now!

[Bromine]: “Hraaaaaaaah!!!”

He erupted like a volcano and consumed Astatine in fire. She screamed in pain which snapped her brother out of his crazed state. Bromine commanded his flames to die down and rushed to pin his sister, effectively ending the battle.

[Bromine]: “Sister!”

[Astatine]: “I am okay, brother… That fire… really had me smothered…”

She smiled to let him know she was truly okay.

[Fluorine]: “Bromine is the winner! That will conclude round 1. Selenium will repair the battlefield so the next match can start. Polonium, Iodine, prepare!”

Bromine carried Astatine back to her chamber and laid her in bed. She promptly fell asleep. What in Axiom could have made Fluorine think this was a good idea? Pitting brother against sister was stupid. The only thing more stupid was him thinking that he could actually control his temper. His failure to realize that cost his dear sister… He returned to the coliseum. Maybe when the next round finished, she would be awake. Then he would apologize.

While Bromine pondered over his sister’s status, Iodine was pondering over a plan for the upcoming fight. Polonium knew all of Iodine’s tactics by now. She would undoubtedly go for a full-out offense. The winged element walked into the arena.

[Iodine]: “Are you ready, Polonium? Today is your chance to show me what you have learned!”

[Polonium]: “More like today is when the student becomes the teacher!”

Both elements unsheathed their swords.

[Fluorine]: “Fight!”

Polonium charged towards her teacher and slashed in an “X”-like form. Iodine blocked with one sword and swung the other around for the counterattack. The sword was swiftly blocked. Both elements continued slashing and blocking for quite some time before Iodine decided to try a different plan of attack. The winged element flew into the sky and remained there. Polonium wasn’t going to let her opponent build any sort of momentum. She fired beam after beam of light into the air in an attempt to strike the halogen down. One of them was a direct hit and caused Iodine to fall back to the ground. The chalcogen got her weapons ready. This could be it. She was mistaken as Iodine broke its descent at the last second and tried to crash on top of her. That attack won’t work this time! Iodine barely managed to regain balance and bring its swords up for the block. Polonium saw an opportunity for close combat and took it. She dropped her swords and punched Iodine once. Twice. Three times in the chest! Before the halogen could react, she grabbed onto its hands to wrestle for her opponent’s swords. Iodine felt a drain of energy as Polonium overpowered it. This would not be how it ends! The winged element leapt forward and tackled her to the ground. Iodine went for the pin, but was met with an uppercut to the face, followed by a headlock. Try as it might, Iodine could not break out. Too much energy was being drained… Iodine submitted.

[Fluorine]: “Polonium is the winner! This ends round 2!”

The other chalcogens had been cheering on their sister from the sidelines.

[Selenium]: “Excellent fight, Polonium!”

[Tellurium]: “Good job.”

[Polonium]: “What can I say, there was only one way this could end.”

She followed Iodine into the palace. Fluorine took the time to announce that the next round would begin after an intermission of an hour and also went back into the palace.

[Polonium]: “So? Have I proven myself enough?”

[Iodine]: “You have exceeded my abilities this time. I still don’t know if you have found what I have mentioned to you before.”

[Polonium]: “Who needs direction anyways when you have these?”

She flexed her arms proudly.

[Iodine]: “Remember what I am going to say, Polonium. Strength alone will not always be enough. There are bigger reasons to fight. I was able to find one in training you and I found greater strength despite my loss at your hands. One can only reach their maximum strength when they fight for something greater than themselves. That is what you need. I won’t speak down on your victory of course. You have my sincerest congratulations.”

[Polonium]: “Thanks. I wonder if I’ll ever understand half the stuff you say.”

[Iodine]: “Maybe one day.”

Iodine saw Polonium’s family approaching.

[Iodine]: “I will leave you now to your family, my former student.”

Truer words could not have been said. Iodine exited the building and checked to see if anyone was around. The winged element decided now was the time and took flight for Manganese Plains. Bromine happened to walk around the entrance and notice his sibling leaving. Didn’t Iodine want to see the next round? Maybe Iodine felt bad for losing. Astatine was still sleeping so he decided to follow the fellow halogen.

[Chlorine]: “Are ye’ leaving? The next round will start soon and you don’t want to miss my win!”

[Bromine]: “I need to let out steam while Astatine gets better. Fighting gets my temper going.”

[Chlorine]: “Heh, you can’t control yourself, can ye’? I wouldn’t worry about it; she has to be strong enough to take a little fire.”

[Bromine]: “That’s an understatement. I torched her when I didn’t mean to.”

[Chlorine]: “Our eldest sis’ demands we be able to take anything. Astatine should be ashamed of herself if she can’t even take your fires.”

[Bromine]: “What did you say?”

[Chlorine]: “What? I am only thinking of Fluorine’s wishes.”

[Bromine]: “You know, Chlorine, you have the snarkiest way of showing your concern. I hope you lose your round and learn you aren’t some invincible element.”

[Chlorine]: “So you want to talk down on me? That’s fine, I’ll laugh even more when I show you up!”

Chlorine ran to the arena in a frustrated rage. How dare his brother give him attitude. He was probably siding with those filthy chalcogens. Too bad Bromine was wasting his time by “letting out steam.” He would miss a great match. Chlorine would just have to rub it in his face later!

Part 3

Manganese Plains, northern area

Iodine arrived at the designated place. To the halogen’s surprise, Silver was already waiting there in the snowy landscape along with Gold, Copper, Cadmium, and Rubidium.

[Iodine]: “You’re here early.”

[Gold]: “Right back at ya.”

[Silver]: “Well? Where is your part of our arrangement?”

[Iodine]: “Feeling impatient, hm? That is to be expected of course seeing as how I made you wait so long for this moment.”

Iodine paused to gather its thoughts, then continued.

[Iodine]: “You may not realize at first, but I am a lunatic. Many elements have been obliterated by my swords. Many electrons have been stolen by my hands. But once the electron’s effects inevitably faded, I would be left unstable, craving even more electrons for that burst of power. To compound my issues further, I learned that taking an element’s electron creates a bond of memories. For countless nights, I have had recurring nightmares that involve the elements I obliterated. Parts of their memories are now my own. That cannot be a coincidence. Had I known that stealing electrons would have such dangerous side effects, I would have never followed my sister. We are all doomed to face the punishment of eternal instability. We have fought against our fates by finding something to devote ourselves to. Purpose. Something that gives us peace. I had given myself a purpose, and today that purpose has been fulfilled. There is only one matter left to resolve at this point.”

The solemn halogen brought out its two swords. The survivors all got their weapons.

[Iodine]: “Come now, Silver. Give me one last battle before our negotiations. Put me at peace.”

[Silver]: “Everyone stand down. I will take care of this.”

[Copper]: “But-!”

[Rubidium]: You idiot! I can’t just stand and watch!”

[Silver]: “Please. I have to see what there is left to say. With our swords.”

Silver didn’t wait for a reply and rushed to do battle with the winged element. Iodine played the defensive role in the battle and analyzed his adversary’s technique. Forward slash, right slash, forward slash! Block, counterattack! So this was Silver… Their fight lasted a short time before Iodine conceded.

[Iodine]: “That will be enough from me.”

[Silver]: “Then we can move onto our negotiations?”

[Iodine]: “I am sorry, Silver. I lied. Truthfully, my family is going down a path of ruin that I have longed to distance myself from. My fate will be determined by my hands, not my sister’s. But if it is a consolation to you, you have one less halogen to worry about. I am out.”

[Silver]: “Wait!”

The winged element took to the air and flew away. In the course of their battle, Iodine had gotten the last piece of information it needed. Silver’s technique did not match that of the legendary Silver. They were two different elements which meant Fluorine had lied or the survivors were withholding some crucial knowledge. A lie… or a hidden truth… or something even bigger was happening. Either way, the information did not add up. This was enough to convince the halogen that there was no point in risking its existence for a petty feud. Iodine would not join the survivors for sake of betraying its family directly, but would not go back and continue serving under Fluorine’s orders.

[Iodine]: “Sorry, Polonium. I hope you find your purpose, and the strength you seek.”

Iodine flew away into the twilight…

[Gold]: “Well that was a waste.”

[Silver]: “Not quite. We are one enemy less.”

[Copper]: “Um, you know Iodine could have been lying like it did this whole time.”

[Silver]: “His actions made it appear that he had no choice but to lie. It would be wise to trust and attempt to move on from fighting. Such is my thought process.”

[Copper]: “Your way of thinking is almost as strange as that halogen.”

[Rubidium]: “That’s the idiot for you.”

[Cadmium]: “We should tell Mercury about what Iodine said. I’ve felt bad keeping the meeting a secret.”

[Gold]: “Just making sure he wouldn’t blow this out of proportion. But yeah, let’s do that.”

The group of elements began walking towards their village. Little did they know that during Silver and Iodine’s battle, Bromine had wandered upon the scene and watched from a safe distance behind some boulders. He was puzzled as to why Iodine simply flew away after their battle instead of pursuing the villagers to their base. Even more puzzling was that Iodine flew in the wrong direction. Maybe he was trying to not lead the survivors to the halogens’ base? That must be it. Bromine decided he would follow the survivors then and see for himself.

Part 4

Lattice Palace, palace grounds

While Iodine and Silver had their meeting, Tellurium was walking towards a meeting of his own. The arena was set for him to finally teach Chlorine how to respect the chalcogens. He walked into the center of the coliseum and readied his sword.

[Chlorine]: “Hope ye’re ready for a real beating!”

[Tellurium]: “Sure.”

Tellurium would not lose this fight. He couldn’t. His family depended on his victory. She depended on his victory...

[Fluorine]: “Fight!”

He snapped out of his daze in time to notice Chlorine running in for the first strike. Chlorine’s weapon of choice, sharp metal claws, shined maliciously as he swiped at Tellurium. The chalcogen hid behind one of the pillars of crystal in the battlefield. Speed and stealth would be the best way to handle this fight. The wall of crystal dissolved as Chlorine began firing large drops of chloric acid from his palms. Tellurium retaliated by summoning bolts of lightning that struck Chlorine directly. When he recovered from the electrocution, Tellurium had disappeared. Which pillar of crystal could he be behind? It didn’t matter. Chlorine spun in a circle and sprayed acid in all directions, melting all of the pillars and some parts of the coliseum.

[Chlorine]: “Where are you??”

He was answered with another bolt of lightning to the back. Tellurium came in fast from his opponent’s rear, ready to deal the final blow. Chlorine countered in time and launched a wave of acid up close. Tellurium’s lightning-fast speed kicked in as he jumped out of the way. He picked up a piece of melted crystal and hurled it. The halogen stuck his metal claws into the chunk of crystal and ripped it in half.

[Chlorine]: “Hahah! Come o- Oof!”

Tellurium had been behind the chunk of crystal and, upon Chlorine breaking it, had punched him in the face sending the halogen to the floor. Tellurium put one foot on the halogen’s chest and held his sword to Chlorine’s head.

[Tellurium]: “Pinned.”

[Chlorine]: “No!”

Chlorine held his hands up to fire a volley of acid, but his sister’s voice stopped him.

[Fluorine]: “Tellurium wins! Round 3 has ended!”

[Chlorine]: “NO! Grr…”

[Selenium]: “Yes! Superb technique, Tellurium!”

[Tellurium]: “Naturally.”

[Fluorine]: “Selenium, you know what do.”

She gestured to the battlefield.

[Selenium]: “Give me 10 minutes.”

Back inside the palace, Astatine had awoken, fully restored and curious as to her brother’s whereabouts. She walked into the main chamber.

[Astatine]: “Why Chlorine, have you seen our brother, Bromine?”

[Chlorine]: “What do I care? He wanted this to happen!”

Astatine ignored whatever her upset brother was rambling on about and asked again.

[Astatine]: “Please let me know where he is. His presence, I do so miss.”

[Chlorine]: “Fine, if it’ll make ye’ stop bothering me. It looked like he was heading towards Manganese Plains. That’s the only place to go ‘round here.”

[Fluorine]: “Chlorine!”

[Chlorine]: “Oh this can’t be good…”

Fluorine angrily marched over to her brother as Astatine exited the building.

[Fluorine]: “So what happened to your talk about beating the chalcogens??”

[Chlorine]: “I… I slipped up! I’m sorry, big sis’!”

[Fluorine]: “You disappoint me, Chlorine. You have caused so much trouble with your gloating and arrogance. I give you a chance to prove your words and this… epic fail is the result! Let this be a lesson to you! I don’t have time to waste on incompetence!”

[Chlorine]: “I-I’m sorry, sister… I won’t fail ye’ next time, I swear on my existence… I’m sorry…”

[Fluorine]: “Learn your place.”

The leader of the halogens stormed away. Humility was a quality that she wanted her brother to learn so she took full advantage of the situation to teach it. Chlorine seemed to receive the message well based on his reaction. He got up from the floor and wiped away his tears. What should he do now? He dared not show his face at his sister’s match; her inevitable victory was a sight he was unworthy of seeing.

[Chlorine]: “The loser’s circle is where I belong… Guess I should join Bromine.”

Little did he know that Tellurium had been just around the corner and heard of the entire scolding. He saw Chlorine leave. That meant all four halogens were out. What could they be doing? Plotting revenge for their losses in the tournament? It was definitely suspicious. Tellurium resolved to go after Chlorine and see what was going on. Polonium saw him approach the exit.

[Polonium]: “Where are you going? Selenium will be fighting Fluorine soon.”

[Tellurium]: “I need to relax.”

[Polonium]: “It’s not like we’re battling as spectators.”

[Tellurium]: “…”

[Polonium]: “I’m going with you.”

[Tellurium]: “No.”

Now Polonium was really curious. The palace had gotten quiet lately and Tellurium looked like he knew why.

[Polonium]: “If we wait around here, Fluorine’s going to start asking questions. You don’t want that, and I don’t want that. So let’s get moving!”

[Tellurium]: “…Okay.”

They departed, hot on the trail of the elements who left beforehand.

Part 5

Lattice Palace, palace grounds

Selenium entered the coliseum. There were few moments in his existence that had such build up, such importance. This battle would determine the course that his family would follow. Truly, the future was at hand. He could not lose.

[Fluorine]: “Hmm… where is everyone else?”

[Selenium]: “They are probably resting.”

[Fluorine]: “All of them? That is too strange.”

[Selenium]: “I wouldn’t worry. This battle has been a long time coming for me. Please do not delay it any longer.”

[Fluorine]: “What is the point of us fighting if none of the others see it?”

[Selenium]: “This is not a battle to provide entertainment. It is to prove a point, no? A duel between the leaders of the strongest families on Axiom… will be a spectacle that only the two of us can appreciate!”

[Fluorine]: “It would be a shame for my family to miss our duel. But I can honor your request.”

Honor, as if Fluorine could possess that. If he could beat her in battle, he would have a chance to obliterate the leader of the halogens with no witnesses. These were Selenium’s thoughts as he mentally prepared for what would be the toughest battle of his existence.

Fluorine sprouted a single arm of plasma from her right side and lifted her sword. Only one sword? Hmph. Selenium unclipped the long spear from his armor. Okay… calm down… focus… he could do this!

[Selenium]: “For my family!”

He charged into battle with the strongest element in existence. Fluorine would prove to be worthy of her title as strongest element. She spun around elegantly and blocked all of Selenium’s moves. He was able to get her into a stalemate with his spear holding strong against her sword. That was when he learned why she only brought one sword. Two plasma limbs immediately sprouted from her left side and grabbed Selenium’s weapon while the right moved in for the finish. He quickly sprouted a pillar of crystal from the floor to block the unexpected attack. No weapons? No problem, Selenium made a chunk of crystal appear and sculpted it into a makeshift spear. Fluorine twirled her newly gained spear and swung her sword to strike Selenium. He ducked and used his new spear to counter his former. The addition of a weapon into Fluorine’s arsenal helped her gain a slight edge in the battle. In truth, she was only exerting half her energy. It was when Selenium knocked the spear out of her plasma hands that she realized her opponent had a chance of winning. She decided to try a new tactic and launched numerous volleys of plasma arrows from her body. Selenium created a large wall of crystal that broke after the third volley. Was plasma that strong!? He raised both hands and manipulated the walls of the coliseum to come together and crush Fluorine. The halogen was swift and jumped, ducked, and ran past all of the crystal structures he could make. Darn!

Their battle continued from the late evening until midnight. They looked at each other, evidently exhausted.

[Selenium]: “One last joust, Fluorine?”

[Fluorine]: “No. I will end this in a much quicker fashion!”

She sprouted three spare plasma arms and stretched them towards Selenium who immediately cut them. While he cut them, Fluorine had moved in closer and sprouted three more arms. Selenium cut two but the bottom caught his leg and threw him into the air. He constructed a pillar of crystal to land on and looked below at Fluorine. She must be running out of patience by now… Another wave of plasma arrows was sent in his direction causing him to have no choice but to jump from behind his pedestal structure. Both elements were on the floor once more. Fluorine let go of her sword, overloaded her core, and calmly walked towards her opponent. Selenium quickly followed suit. The end of their battle drew near. Releasing unfathomable amounts of power, Fluorine launched a vicious assault of plasma. The leader of the chalcogens tried to keep up, but even drawing out his maximum strength, he could not solidify a strong enough defense. One of the arrows pierced through and struck him in his chest. It was over. The barrage continued and buried Selenium in his own walls of crystal. He escaped his tomb and was promptly kicked to the floor. Fluorine wrapped all of his limbs and his neck with her plasma arms. One of them held a sword nearby. He could see it glint in the night time. Was this the end? There were still no other elements around. If she obliterated him, she could play it as an accident and gain support from her siblings.

[Fluorine]: “A good battle. You almost pushed me to my limit.”

She placed him down and extended her hand which he shook, confused.

[Selenium]: “Wha-?” Why are you treating me with this unexpected grace?”

[Fluorine]: “I have honor, Selenium, contrary to what you may believe. I also know you were planning to obliterate me if you had won. All of your strikes were surprisingly aggressive. I could see they were meant to be crippling blows.”

[Selenium]: “…and you still believe you should shake my hand?”

[Fluorine]: “This tournament has served its purpose to help you vent out your inner tensions. You feel better, yes?”

[Selenium]: “I will admit that I do.”

[Fluorine]: “Good. I will forgive your aggressive moves because of the service you have provided for my family’s cause. The survivors cannot be forgiven. With the tournament over and our families’ issues put aside, we can finally concentrate our efforts into finding them.”

[Selenium]: “Once our families return you mean.”

[Fluorine]: “Where are they?”

[Selenium]: “Every single one is gone. I do not feel so optimistic over their whereabouts…”

The leader of the chalcogens was right in saying so. Six elements could not simply disappear without an important reason. He looked to the stars, worried for the fates of the two families. A cold wind blew and told of an ominous future ahead.