Chapter 4
“It all began with the earth element. After searching the universe high and low, it chose this place to build a planet, the one we live on now. It built the planet, all it‘s land, oceans, and even weather patterns and climates. It also created all the things living on the planet. At first, the earth element controlled everything: keeping the living organisms
alive on both land and in water, controlling the weather and climates, and keeping the internal forces in check. But after a while, though, it became too much and the earth element watched its planet begin to crumble. That’s when it created the other elements: water, wind, and fire.
Now, don’t tell me those elements were already present. They weren’t. They weren’t because they didn’t control themselves. When the earth element made them in control and gave them power, they became elements. The water element controlled any water, be it lake, river, ocean or even rain. The wind element controlled the weather, particularly good with storms and lightning. It also controlled the winds. The fire element controlled the internal forces of the planet, like the mantle below the surface and volcano eruptions. The earth element left itself with all the living organisms and life on the planet in general, and it also controlled the earth itself. Being the creator and all, it still had some control over the other elements’ powers, but not as much as the other elements themselves.“
“‘How does all this concern us’ you ask? Well, Sam, remember just now when I gave you earth element equipment and said it would go good with you? It’s because you’re earth adjim. Jesse, being a water adjim, got the water element equipment. How do I know element and if you even had one in the first place? Besides the colors you always wear, I could tell by your personality and actions. That easily identifies one’s element. As for if you had one in the first place, I could sense an element within you; you gave off a sort of vibe, different from regular people. Let me explain the rest and you’ll understand better.
“Adjim?…” Sam started.
“I told you to let me explain the rest! Now don’t interrupt me again!” Merin snapped.
Sam blushed and stared intently at the floor.
Alright, as I was saying then,” Merin calmly continued, “now that we have the elements, we need to get them into objects and humans. This happens quite a few thousand years after the elements were created. Things on the planet had gone pretty well. Everything was stable and the animals and plants were adapting and evolving, some very rapidly. A species called humans were progressing the most out of all the animals. They had great knowledge and understanding, and the desire to learn more. They soon began to search for their creator and reason for being.
Humans spent generation after generation searching for these answers, but never finding them. At about the twentieth or so generation, a group of four warriors set out to find them too. This wasn’t too amazing, considering how many had set out before them to find the same answers. But they were different, they found the answers. They were wandering through a mysterious forest far from home, feeling all tired and battered and bruised, when they stumbled upon a clearing with the elements in it in all their glory, controlling the planet, its driving forces, and living things. The elements, being busy with everything else, hadn’t even noticed the four insignificant, half-dead humans in their forest. It even took them a minute to notice them in their clearing. The elements’ first reaction was to get rid of the humans. But before they did, they had to give them something. I mean, it wasn’t every day one managed to find the “gods” of a planet. What they gave the warriors was more amazing than the feat the warriors had just done.
Each element chose a different warrior, and gave that warrior the ability to use their powers. They also made their selected warrior’s equipment of their element to boost their elemental powers whenever they wore it. They called these special warriors “adjim.” No one knows why, they just did. Anyway, after giving them their powers, the elements used their awesome abilities and transported the warriors out of the forest to somewhere where they could find their way home, but not back to the forest.”
“I guess now is a good a time as ever to tell you something that may surprise you at first. I didn’t believe it when I first heard it, but then I saw one for myself. There are other intelligent species similar to humans, but not quite as intelligent in some ways. They also resent humans, because humans control most of the land. Some of them are very sneaky, and though that slyness they discovered the secret of the elements. Some of the other species also have elemental powers, but only because they discovered ways to extract elemental power from within a being.
Over the years, the resentment these beings had for humans had grown into a hatred, mostly because humans had gotten something they didn’t: special powers from the creators. That brought up many fights between humans and these other species. Adjims, the original warriors, who had returned to their homeland, and their descendents, were the deciding factor of victory in most of these battles. Over time, and many battles, adjims became know as humanity’s protectors. So, generations of adjims have been protecting humanity up until recently. About twenty years ago, it seemed that almost all the adjims had just up and disappeared nearly simultaneously. The few that were left disappeared one by one every year after that.”
“Humans began to fear attacks by the other species, and a few towns were actually attacked. After a while without adjim, humans began to hate them. They believed that they had been abandoned. I was lucky that this town even allowed me to stay here. When Tallum townsfolk found you two as babies lying abandoned in the woods, they had no idea that you were even potential adjims. That’s why they accepted and cared for you so much. That’s why they still let you live in the town, even after you came to visit me so many times. They don’t think you are adjim. But you are, and that’s why I just told you all that. Now, before I go on, do you two have any questions about what I have just told you?”
Sam, who had been waiting to speak for the whole tale, burst out, ”Is this the original warriors’ equipment? What exactly are these other species‘? How come we can’t use these powers now? What are we supposed to do nex-”
Merin cut him short, “Okay, okay! One at a time. Yes, that is the original equipment. I was lucky enough to be friends with the previous owner of the earth equipment, and he passed it on to me before he died. I found the water equipment while traveling here. I don’t know how it go to where it was. As for the other species, you just have to see them to know. Trust me, you’ll meet them. You could’ve used your powers for a while now, you just didn’t know you could, that’s all. The more abilities you learn , the better adjim you become. About the personality thing, it‘s easy if you know what look for.
Wind adjim are usually quick at everything: fast runners, decisive, and usually a little hyper. They lack defense though. Fire adjim are short tempered and impatient, and are almost always up for a fight. They are physically powerful, but are usually pretty slow thinkers. Water adjim are nice people, and try to avoid fighting if possible. They prefer to use elemental abilities over physical attacks. Now, for earth adjim, they are usually the loners. They are the quiet thinkers, and the people they befriend are stuck with them for life. But they also have some qualities of the other elements, and that shows up some times. But I‘m ranting now, aren‘t I?”
Jesse jumped in, “Like when Sam wouldn’t stop interrupting you. That would be like a fire adjim, right? And another question. Why don’t you have the water element weapon?”
“…It wasn’t with the rest of the equipment when I found all of it. I have no idea where it could be.”
“So….are you gonna teach us these abilities so we can use them?” Sam asked.
“Well, I can teach you some. You’ll have to learn the rest on you own. There are some things that can’t be taught, only learned. We could start now if you’d like….” Merin replied.
“Wait a sec, I have a couple more questions,” Sam cut him off, ”You said that the warriors found the reason we’re all here. What is it? And what do you mean by ’you’ll meet them’. How are we gonna end up meeting these creatures?”
“The warriors never told anybody else the reason for our being here. They said one must find it out for himself. And for the other question, I’ve been training you all these years for one thing,” Merin replied, “for you two to go and find the missing adjim.”
“
WHAT?!” Sam and Jesse said in unison, very shocked.
“And on your search, you’ll most definitely meet these other creatures. But for now,” Merin continued, completely ignoring their outburst, “I must teach you to use your elemental abilities so you can survive out there while looking for them.”
“Uh….okay.” said Sam, who had recovered enough from shock to reply.
“Well, let’s get at it then.” said Jesse, who was still just as shocked as Sam.
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Okay, screw the whole "remembering our world" thing.
I have story plan now. I will get to it eventually though. That I can promise.
It took me awhile, but I got it up. If it confuses you, I'm sorry, I've been writing in pieces and going back to change all kinds of things. Just tell me what it is that does, and I can either edit the story or better yet, just straighten it out in the next chapter.