Chapter 11
Marissa
It seemed like a dream when they all awoke the next morning. They lay on a high hill overlooking the ruined village. The houses were gone, covered in still steaming lava. Everything was charred black, craters were in the ground from falling stones. The air was smoky, and black clouds were slowly drifted away.
"It must be a dream," Jenna whispered as she looked down upon the ruins. "This can't be happening."
"What could have possibly caused this?" Isaac whispered.
"The stars," Alex shook his head. "My mom...she said the stars had been stolen."
"Without the support of psyenergy," Picard eyes slowly looked around. "Mt. Alph erupted. The Elements were imbalanced."
Mia's hands glimmered a pale blue as she cast ply on her wounds. "Well at least they're back now."
"Yes," Ivan nodded. "But what now? Do we go after them?"
"The stars?"
"What else would I be talking about?"
Alex looked towards the peak that was now silent. Were they the only survivors?
"We must search for other people who survived," Felix said, as if reading Alex's mind.
Everyone agreed as they headed towards the village. They hadn't gone far when they heard someone call.
"Wait!" Yelled a hoarse voice. Everyone turned around to see a friend coming over the hill. It was Garet. He was covered in ashes, bleeding from his many cuts. The Fire Adept swayed as his strength gave way.
"Garet!"
They hurried towards him, Mia trying to heal him. He stared half dazed into the sky. Tear tracks were running down his face, he was crying not to long ago.
"Garet!" Sheba shook him. "Are you alright?"
Garet's eyes swayed to Alex. "Mar . . .Marissa . . ."
"What?" Alex shook him gently. "What about Marissa?"
"She's . . . she's stuck."
"What? Where!" The Mercury Adept felt a certain hope his sister would be okay.
"By the cliffs," Garet coughed, and Picard cast Ply. "That way."
He took off at a sprint, not bothering to see if his friends were following him. His heart pounded in his chest. She had to be okay...
* * * *
He couldn't will himself to turn the page. He knew what had happened. She had died. That's why she wasn't here today. Alex grimaced. He didn't want to know what happened next. His mom...his dad...
The Mercury Adept threw the diary down in anger. How could he have let this happen? Why couldn't he have done anything? Clenching his fists tightly he felt all the anguish draining into them, a blue aura surrounded him. Why?
Something flashed outside. Alex distractedly threw the psyenergy to the side making his room turn to ice. There was another flash. It came from not far away, from the direction of Sheba's house. Silently, he left the room, and somehow found himself out on the lawn. Briskly, he set off down the road towards the flashing lights.
* * * *
"Sheba! Stop it!" Ivan came from a nearby house.
"Leave me alone Ivan!" The distressed girl screamed at him.
"Someone's going to see that lightening!"
"They can't see it Ivan," she glared. "They're not like us. Just because we have different blood they hate us."
"Sheba..." he sighed. "Please, you're going to wear yourself out."
"I can't help it. Every time I'm reminded of that day I can't help ..."
"Me too, Sheba," the Jupiter Adept sat down next to the sparking friend. "We can't work ourselves about what has already happened."
"Out of all the Jupiter Adept's in the village, we didn't see that day once!" Sheba yelled. "Why?! If we had been stronger, think of how many lives we could've saved."
"We were to young back then," he reassured.
"That's what makes me hate it most. Maybe if..." she clenched her hands, bolts of lightening emanated from them.
"Stop," Ivan put his hands over hers. "Sheba, I know how you feel. It wasn't our faults."
"Where do you lay the blame then?"
"There is no blame. Maybe there was some chance that it was meant to be this way. We cannot determine everything. That's what the Gods' jobs are. It was Jupiter who didn't allow us to see that day, and maybe it was Mars, Venus, or Mercury who didn't warn their own kind about what was going to happen."
"I don't understand," Sheba sobbed.
"All I'm saying, is that it isn't our fault this happened, and Jupiter is the one who wanted it this way. Maybe some good will become of this in the end."
"Good? Ivan, how can you say that?"
He paused, unable to think of a reply. Alex stood behind the wood fence, listening to every word the two Jupiter Adepts had to say. His breathing quieted as he waited for the response. Finally, Ivan spoke. "If we stick together, Sheba, I know everything will be alright. We have the Gods on our side this time."
"That's the most pathetic thing I've ever heard!" A harsh voice laughed, and the two friends jumped, and Alex looked over the top of the fence he was hiding behind. On the other side of the backyard, the Mercury Adept saw four figures standing in silhouette against the moon. Fire illuminated from their fists, showing their strangely colored faces. One of them, Alex knew.
It was Karst.
Marissa
It seemed like a dream when they all awoke the next morning. They lay on a high hill overlooking the ruined village. The houses were gone, covered in still steaming lava. Everything was charred black, craters were in the ground from falling stones. The air was smoky, and black clouds were slowly drifted away.
"It must be a dream," Jenna whispered as she looked down upon the ruins. "This can't be happening."
"What could have possibly caused this?" Isaac whispered.
"The stars," Alex shook his head. "My mom...she said the stars had been stolen."
"Without the support of psyenergy," Picard eyes slowly looked around. "Mt. Alph erupted. The Elements were imbalanced."
Mia's hands glimmered a pale blue as she cast ply on her wounds. "Well at least they're back now."
"Yes," Ivan nodded. "But what now? Do we go after them?"
"The stars?"
"What else would I be talking about?"
Alex looked towards the peak that was now silent. Were they the only survivors?
"We must search for other people who survived," Felix said, as if reading Alex's mind.
Everyone agreed as they headed towards the village. They hadn't gone far when they heard someone call.
"Wait!" Yelled a hoarse voice. Everyone turned around to see a friend coming over the hill. It was Garet. He was covered in ashes, bleeding from his many cuts. The Fire Adept swayed as his strength gave way.
"Garet!"
They hurried towards him, Mia trying to heal him. He stared half dazed into the sky. Tear tracks were running down his face, he was crying not to long ago.
"Garet!" Sheba shook him. "Are you alright?"
Garet's eyes swayed to Alex. "Mar . . .Marissa . . ."
"What?" Alex shook him gently. "What about Marissa?"
"She's . . . she's stuck."
"What? Where!" The Mercury Adept felt a certain hope his sister would be okay.
"By the cliffs," Garet coughed, and Picard cast Ply. "That way."
He took off at a sprint, not bothering to see if his friends were following him. His heart pounded in his chest. She had to be okay...
* * * *
He couldn't will himself to turn the page. He knew what had happened. She had died. That's why she wasn't here today. Alex grimaced. He didn't want to know what happened next. His mom...his dad...
The Mercury Adept threw the diary down in anger. How could he have let this happen? Why couldn't he have done anything? Clenching his fists tightly he felt all the anguish draining into them, a blue aura surrounded him. Why?
Something flashed outside. Alex distractedly threw the psyenergy to the side making his room turn to ice. There was another flash. It came from not far away, from the direction of Sheba's house. Silently, he left the room, and somehow found himself out on the lawn. Briskly, he set off down the road towards the flashing lights.
* * * *
"Sheba! Stop it!" Ivan came from a nearby house.
"Leave me alone Ivan!" The distressed girl screamed at him.
"Someone's going to see that lightening!"
"They can't see it Ivan," she glared. "They're not like us. Just because we have different blood they hate us."
"Sheba..." he sighed. "Please, you're going to wear yourself out."
"I can't help it. Every time I'm reminded of that day I can't help ..."
"Me too, Sheba," the Jupiter Adept sat down next to the sparking friend. "We can't work ourselves about what has already happened."
"Out of all the Jupiter Adept's in the village, we didn't see that day once!" Sheba yelled. "Why?! If we had been stronger, think of how many lives we could've saved."
"We were to young back then," he reassured.
"That's what makes me hate it most. Maybe if..." she clenched her hands, bolts of lightening emanated from them.
"Stop," Ivan put his hands over hers. "Sheba, I know how you feel. It wasn't our faults."
"Where do you lay the blame then?"
"There is no blame. Maybe there was some chance that it was meant to be this way. We cannot determine everything. That's what the Gods' jobs are. It was Jupiter who didn't allow us to see that day, and maybe it was Mars, Venus, or Mercury who didn't warn their own kind about what was going to happen."
"I don't understand," Sheba sobbed.
"All I'm saying, is that it isn't our fault this happened, and Jupiter is the one who wanted it this way. Maybe some good will become of this in the end."
"Good? Ivan, how can you say that?"
He paused, unable to think of a reply. Alex stood behind the wood fence, listening to every word the two Jupiter Adepts had to say. His breathing quieted as he waited for the response. Finally, Ivan spoke. "If we stick together, Sheba, I know everything will be alright. We have the Gods on our side this time."
"That's the most pathetic thing I've ever heard!" A harsh voice laughed, and the two friends jumped, and Alex looked over the top of the fence he was hiding behind. On the other side of the backyard, the Mercury Adept saw four figures standing in silhouette against the moon. Fire illuminated from their fists, showing their strangely colored faces. One of them, Alex knew.
It was Karst.