The Elemental World Reboot

## ***Prologue ~ Lost Memories***

The smoke rose from the burning village.  Cries and screams from dying people rang in her ears.  She couldn’t handle it.  She couldn’t understand why, but she couldn’t remember anything before she woke up, finding flames around her and hearing the shouts outside the small building she was in. She may have not understood what the screams were for, but she knew that the flames were dangerous and ran for it.

She was now on a hill, looking down at the smoldering village that she probably once called home.

*Looks like I’m off on my own…*she thought. *Not that I* ever *remembered living there.*

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She just stared at the splintered building, standing absolutely still.  The whole building was broken and the pieces and furniture were scattered everywhere. But why wasn’t she feeling any pain for this?  She woke up near it and assumed that she had lived there, but…nothing came.  No tears, sadness or worry.  Just…a blank expression.

Besides… She looked around.  It looked like she “lived” on a mountain.  Below her, hundreds of feet down, was a luscious valley.

“I…I guess I can go down and see what it’s like.  Maybe find a new home.”  She started climbing her way down the mountainside.

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The blow sent her reeling back against the wall.  She looked at the person who gave her the black eye, her eyes narrowed and sending furious glares at him.  He just stared back at her with ready fists.

“Want more, Nova?” he asked.  “Because I’m ready.”

“I don’t even know you,” she growled.  “So how could you know me?”

He barked a laugh.  “Ha!  You’re going to have to do better than that if you want to get out of here.”

"You talk as if you’ve known me for a while.”

“Since we were kids.  What’s wrong, Colored Eye?  Can’t seem to remember things?  Well, then you’ll remember this.”  He lunged forward with his first going for her face again.  But it never touched her.  He stumbled into the wall and looked around.  “Where are you hiding, coward?”  he called, though it sounded fearful.

Nova appeared at the other side of the street in the shadows, panting. She turned to watch the boy look for her and made a break for it. *How did I do* that*?  Who was he and why did he say he knew me when*I *don't remember*him*?*

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He was laying on the muddy banks of the river, looking up at the cloud-free sky.  He took a deep breath of the fresh air around him and let it out.  But his mind was troubled.  He was trying to remember how he got a scar on his arm, but…he couldn’t remember.

*I’ll remember.* he thought.*I…I need to know how I got this scar. It might be important.*  He sighed and sat up, looking into the crystal clear water.  He knew what water was, so why did he not know where and how he got the scar?

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His body exploded with more pain as the whip tore into his back. He couldn’t scream anymore; he already did.  And now, he was in so much pain that he didn’t even bother.  But he was relieved when he realized that was the last lash. He was untied from the post and taken to the prison, where he was thrown into the cell.  He was almost sent into unconsciousness as his bloodied and bruised body slammed into the wall.

As he lay on the cold, damp floor of the cell, he tried to remember why he was whipped. He tried to remember what happened, but he couldn’t.  It was as if someone.....*erased* his mind.

## ***Chapter One ~ Meet and Seek***

Electric moved her head to the beat of the music around.  She didn’t care if others didn’t like it playing loudly from her headphones.  She was just going to enjoy herself no matter what others thought.  It wasn’t until she bumped into someone where she *finally*paid attention to the person.

He was a tall person, with light black hair and an odd goldish-white streak in his hair, and piercing blue and black eyes.  He seemed to be saying something, but as usual, Electric ignored it and just shrugged.  He frowned and pulled her headphones off.

“If you don’t turn off this blasting music, then I will destroy this,” he threatened.

Electric was unfazed by his threat.  “And?  Go ahead for all *I* care. I have more.”

He growled slightly.  “Doesn’t it make you deaf with the music blasting in your ears?

Electric shrugged.  “Better than going deaf from the overbearing leaders.”

He tilted his head.  “*You*work for the government?”

Electric let out an exaggerated sigh and groan.  “I wish I didn’t.”  She looked around.  “Can you keep a secret?”

He seemed hesitant but nodded.  She grabbed his hand and led him into an alley.

“I’ve been overhearing the meetings the leaders are in and overheard a specific meeting about taking over the entire land by kidnapping special people with unique powers to they can help conquer this land.”

The boy widened his eyes.  “Are you sure?”

“Dead sure.  I need to find these “special” people and get them far away from here.  But… I can’t do it alone.”  She slightly looked down and took a shy step back.  “Do…do you want to help me?”

“Of course.  I want to live in a free land.  Let’s go.”

Electric started moving out when she turned to look at him.  “Oh, I forgot.  I’m Electric.  What’s your name?”

“Time,” he answered.

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Fantasy had her arms crossed, with her leg over the other as she stared at the man.

“Listen, girl.  I like you.  But you need to learn how to cooperate.  Now.”  He tossed a few pictures on the desk.  “These are the people we need in order for our plan to work.  Can you find them?”

Fantasy smirked.  “Of course.  I’ll gather my team and have those *Elementals*by the end of the week.”

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Astra impatiently tapped her foot on the ground.  “Hurry up, you guys!  We don’t have all day.”

“Sheesh, we’re coming, we’re coming!”  Rune shouted as she, Scorch, and Atlas appeared.  “Why do you need to rush us?  The game isn’t until another thirty minutes.”

“But you *know*how rare it is to get good seats,” Astra said.  “These are the Power Games, for goodness sake.  The most popular sport in the land.”

“Also the *only*sport in the land that’s popular or even a sport,” Atlas said.

“Besides,” Scorch continued.  “It’s becoming a little boring.  Why do we keep going to see them?”

“Because of the powers the contestants have.”  Astra sighed.  “I wish I could have cool powers like them.”

“Honestly, Astra,” Rune said.  “You need to learn that you’re already special just the way you are.  You don’t need some power to be liked or more popular.”

“Or more likable,” Atlas added.  “But if we’re going to see the games, then let’s go!”

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Forest and her two friends Andalite and Alice were in line for the Power Games, though they doubted that they would get good seats.

Forest sighed dejectedly.  “We’ll never get good seats.”

“Yes we will!”  Alice exclaimed.

“That’s what you said last time, and the time before that, and *every.* S*ingle.* Time we went.”

“This time I’m *absolutely*sure we’ll get good seats.”

Forest noticed Andalite watching a group of people their age arrive behind them.  “Are y’all here for the Power Games?”  Andalite asked one of them.

“Yeah,” answered one of the boys.  “But we’re worried that there won’t be any seats left.”

“Speak for yourself,” the other boy said.  He had a red streak, which was slightly hidden in his brown hair, and blue eyes.

“Hey!”  Alice said from the ticket box.  “There are four seats left.”

The boy who said ‘speak for yourself’ took a step back.  “Go ahead. I’ve seen too many of the games to know what’s going to happen.”

“I’ll stay with you,” a girl said.  She had strawberry blonde hair, with an odd reddish-orange streak in her hair, and green-blue eyes.  “I don’t care much for the games either.”

“Can I join you?”  Andalite asked them.

The girl shrugged.  “Sure.”

Forest followed Alice in the stadium with the other two people, Alice giving them the other two tickets.  “We’ll tell you how it goes!”

“I *already*know what’s going to happen!”  the boy shouted back.

“Well, I’m Forest, and this is Alice,” she introduced as they walked in.

“I’m Astra.” the girl responded.

“Atlas,” the boy said.

Alice suddenly gasped.  “We.  Got.  BOX SEATS!! I *told*you we'd get good seats!”

Forest was shocked.  “How?! You have to reserve box seats ahead of time and they’re expensive.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Atlas said.  “Let’s go!”  He and Alice rushed to the box they apparently were sitting.  Forest narrowed her eyes.

*Something’s not right,*she thought.

## ***Chapter Two ~ Elementals***

“Whooohoo!”  Falcon whooped as glided through the air on her hang glider.  Her best friend was gliding behind her, not going as fast since Falcon had used her Fire to boost up her speed.  “Catch up, slowpoke!”

“Says the one who’s cheating by using her Fire!”  Ocean shouted back at her.

Falcon laughed and began to slowly descend.  She pulled her hang glider up as she landed and turned right when Ocean also landed.

“That was soo fun! We should do this more often.”

“Eh...”  Ocean said as she took off her glider.  “I’d rather stick to the ground, more specifically *water*, if you don’t mind.”

Falcon gently punched her arm, chuckling.  “You need to expand your limitations for your powers, Ocean.”

“Oh?”  Ocean gave her a doubting look.  “I don’t see *you* going anywhere near water lately.”

“You have your reasons, and so do I. Come on, let’s go get some ice cream. It’s getting pretty hot.”

Ocean followed Falcon as they made their way back to their village. Even in the hot afternoon sun, the village was all in a hustle and bustle.  Which was a little unusual.

“Why is the village so busy?”  Ocean asked.  “Is there an event or something going on that we missed?”

“How could we miss it when literally *everyone* talks about it?”  Falcon replied, struggling to weave in and out of the crowds.

*“ATTENTION EVERYONE!”*  a loud, echoing voice said, stopping everyone. *“THE PREFECT WILL WANT EVERYONE TO COME TO THE FOUNTAIN FOR AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT.”*

Ocean and Falcon wouldn’t have gone since usually these meetings were boring, but because of the large crowd, they got pushed and shoved in that direction.

Ocean was thankful that they were near the back, though they were still squished in between tall, and large, adults.

Ocean was able to see in between heads the prefect of their village coming onto the stage to the podium.

*“Thank you for coming on such short notice everyone,*” he said. *“As you all know, we have just received word from the head governor that we are supposed to be on the lookout for...*Elementals*."*

As the crowd began to murmur, Ocean and Falcon glanced at each other.

“These are dangerous beings, with power unlike anyone else’s.  You’ll be able to identify them by the odd color streak in their hair.”

At this, Ocean sucked in her breath.  She was glad and thankful Falcon came up with the idea of hiding *their* streaks.

*“We, in fact, had caught one just earlier.  Bring him forward,”* he said to two guards.

Ocean gasped along with the crowd when the slightly struggling boy was brought up, his pale amber and white streak showing in his dark brown hair. His clothes were slightly torn and there were a couple of bruises and cuts; the side of his head was even bleeding.

Ocean looked at Falcon, who glanced at her and nodded.

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The boy was being held by his upper arms, his hands and ankles chained, though his hands were covered entirely by a metal clamp of some sort. His whole body ached from the bruises and wounds he received when they first found him.

He had put up a good fight, but there were just too many of them and he had only unlocked his Elemental powers a couple of months earlier. So, it was still new to him.

He gave up struggling and just relaxed his body, letting the guards hold up most of his weight.

*“If*any*of you find an Elemental,*” the prefect continued.  *“Immobilize the Elemental and notify the authorities immedia—”*

There was suddenly a loud *BOOM* sound, followed by screams.  The whole stage started shaking and he heard low, yet loud growls as the guards released his arms, screaming.

He fell to his knees, feeling extremely weak.  He could hear screams and shouts from the crowd and prefect that something was blinding them.  He felt another’s presence and slowly opened his eyes as he saw a girl with a slightly hidden silver streak in her hair, her blue and silver eyes showing determination as she set to work unlocking his chains from his ankles and wrists.

“We need to get out of here, NOW!”  a voice said nearby.  The boy looked around to see another boy bending the sunlight into the crowd’s faces.

“Time, we can’t get out!  There’ll be too many guards or us to escape.”

Two girls appeared, their colorful streaks faintly hidden under their hair.

“We’ll help. Ocean?”  one of the girls asked the other.  The girl with a light blue streak closed her eyes, turning to face the crowd.  A huge wave of water appeared in front of her, creating a barrier between them and the prefect and crowd.

She turned back to face the others.  “It’ll only stay up for three minutes so we need to leave!”

“Finished!”  the girl next to him exclaimed.  He felt so relieved to have those chains off.  He opened and closed his hands to stretch them as the boy came and helped him up, supporting his weight.

“Where’s Alpha?”  he asked the girl who released him from his chains.

“Making sure we have a clear getaway path.  Come on!”

The five of them left the village, spotting a large gray and silver wolf up ahead, barking at them.  The girl patted his head.

“Good job, Alpha.”  She turned to the others.  The boy was starting to feel tired but he tried to hold his own weight from the other boy’s shoulders.  “There’s a place we can hide out nearby.  Lead us to it, Alpha!”

The wolf panted and took off, the rest of them following. After walking fast for about five, ten minutes, they came upon a tall mountainside, though the wolf was scratching a part of the mountain.  Where he was scratching, it opened up into a doorway and a small tunnel.

The Elementals followed the wolf, the doorway closing behind them. After about fifty paces, they came out of the tunnel into an open-air cavern, with vegetation growing everywhere, including a small waterfall.

The boy pretty much collapsed from exhaustion, taking the boy, Time, by surprise.

“Uh...  A little help, girls?"

Two girls came and help Time get the boy to a soft, mossy spot. The wolf approached them, plants and herbs in his mouth.  The girl with the light blue streak scratched under his chin, taking the plants.

“Thanks, Alpha.”  She tended to the boy's wounds and bruises, using the herbs the wolf brought, and her water power to clean them.

Another boy, with a dark gray and silver streak in his dark wavy hair, his dark blue and gray eyes looking at each of the other Elementals.

“Glad you all could make it.  I’m Wizard.”  He shook hands with Time.

“I'm Time.”  He motioned to the girl next to him, who helped break the chains.  “This is Electric.”

“Nice to meet you,” Wizard acknowledged with a nod.

The girl with an amber-red streak in her hair turned to him.  “I’m Falcon.  This here is Ocean and he’s...”  She furrowed her brow at the wounded boy.  “Um...  What *is* your name?”

The boy took a slow deep breath, slightly wincing.  “I’m Paradox.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet all of you,” Wizard started.  “And you’re free to stay here as long as you need. Though we need to find the other Elementals, *if* there are even any more, before the government gets them.”

## *Chapter Three ~ Chased and Captured!*

“Thief!”  the merchant shouted after her retreating form.  She smirked as she sped across the road, the stolen goods in her bag safely.  She had traveled to the next village and she had no money, so what could she do but steal. She really didn't prefer it, but in order to survive, she had to.

She made it to the outskirts of the village, where she hid in a small grove, behind a boulder that almost acted like a very small cave, just big enough for her to curl her body in, sitting up or laying down.

She sat against the cold rock, her knees pressing into her chest, as she took out the contents in her bag and started eating.  She only took a few bites, putting the rest away for later.  She’ll need it for her journey.

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She looked around, taking in the scenery and to get her bearings. She seemed to be near a village that must’ve had some celebration or whatever, seeing how all the villagers were scurrying about and screaming at the top of their lungs.  Never mind, she took that back.  Judging from the screams, something bad happened, and pretty recent too.

She barely took two steps into the village when a villager saw her, screamed and backed up while pointing at her.

What in the world?!  she thought.  What’s with these people?  It’s like they’ve seen a ghost or something.

That’s when she realized that everyone else was staring at her.  She heard clanks and turned to see armed men breaking through the crowd and her first instinct kicked in.

RUN!

She bolted out of the village, hearing the shouts from the men behind her.  She heard something like a whizz and felt a prick in her shoulder.  Her eyes grew heavy and darkness consumed her as she hit the ground.

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Nova ran until her legs could go no farther and her lungs might explode.  She collapsed beside a river, and weakly pulled herself to the edge to take a drink. The liquid was cool and refreshing, just what she needed after a long hard run.  But when her stomach growled, she knew she had to find food somehow.

She got up to her feet, stumbling as she just followed the direction of the river flow.

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“Here you go, young man.  Thank you for helping me get across.”

He nodded, smiling at the woman.  “You’re welcome.”  He got back in his makeshift, but sturdy raft, rowing back to the other side.  He made a decent living, escorting people. As he reached the shore, he saw a girl around his age, possibly older, panting for breath as she walked.

“Hey!”  he called. “You okay?”

She jumped at the sound of his voice but she nodded, paused, then slightly shook her head.  She looked like she might pass out or collapse from exhaustion, so he rushed to her side and caught her just in time before she collapsed to the ground.

He helped her get to his raft, where all his supplies were. He rummaged through the sacks and pulled out a canteen of water, a small chunk of cheese and a piece of bread.

He handed it to the girl, who took the food slowly and devoured them like she hadn’t eaten for days.

“Don’t choke on it or eat that fast,” he warned her.  “It’ll make you sick.”

She nodded, slowing down.  She drank a bit of water before wiping her mouth with her arm.

“Thanks.”

He nodded.  “No problem. So...why were you out of breath?”

“Just getting away from my town,” she answered.  “It was starting to get weird.”

“Do you have anywhere to go?”  he asked.  “Because I—”

*Whizz—Thunk!*

They both looked up to see an arrow stuck in the mast and turned around to see dark figures in the forest.  The boy grabbed a crossbow he had kept hidden underneath the sacks, placing it in the girl’s hands as he pushed the boat away from the shore.

The girl at first was shocked and hesitant with the crossbow in her hands, but when she looked up and narrowing dodged another arrow.

She brought the crossbow up and pulled the trigger, slightly taken back from the power.

Five men came out from the trees as they glided across the lake, shouting at the retreating raft.

Just as they were getting out of range from the arrows, the boy thought he heard one of the men shout something like ‘You can’t hide forever, freaks! We’ll find you!’.

Wow.  That was actually pretty accurate.  This boy has some hearing.

He turned to the girl.  “You okay?”  She nodded. He smiled.  “I didn't even get to introduce myself.  I’m Fen.”

She slightly smiled back.  “Nova.”

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He was awoken by the creaking of the cell door, followed by slightly high pitch grunts before the clinks of the chains sounded, the key locking them.

“What about the other?”  a deep voice, whom he recognized as one of the guards, asked.

“He’s too weak to try and escape,” another voice said as the cell door closed.  “He wouldn’t be able to move with extra weight on him either.”

“You’re getting too soft,” the other said as their voices faded down the stone halls.

He thought he heard some crackling noise, followed by the dropping of the chains.  He tried moving, but his body exploded with pain from his earlier beatings.  He moaned as soft shuffling neared him.

“Are you okay?”  a soft voice asked near him.  “Never mind, I take that back.”  The voice now sounded like it was trying not to hurl.  “Let me try to bandage those...—*gulp*—wounds up.”

He heard some quiet scuffle that sounded like the person was digging through something—a bag most likely.  If they had a bag, he was surprised that they let them take it in the cell with them instead of it getting confiscated.

*Pop.*

A sweet smell suddenly filled the damp, dense cell.  “Okay, this is going to sting so, try not to pass out.”

He gasped and gritted his teeth as something wet and stingy entered his whip wounds.  He closed his hand into tight fists, which were shaking, and he was trying not to go into unconsciousness as sweat began forming at his forehead.

After a few excruciating minutes, the person stopped rubbing whatever the sweet smell was on all his wounds and covered them up with bandages to prevent infection, both hoping that there already wasn't an infection.

Because the person needed to wrap the bandages around him, he painstakingly had to move slowly so she could wrap him.  Yes, she.

She smiled a bit at him.  “How does that feel?”

“A little bit better now,” he answered truthfully.  “Thanks.”

“We’re going to get out of here as soon as you can get on your feet, got it?”  He nodded. “I’m...Grendel by the way. What’s your name?”

He then realized that he didn’t remember his name.  So he came up with something that he had always dreamed of having when he was in his cell.

“My name is...Imagine.  Imagine Hope.”