Afternoon sunlight spilled in random places through the filtering trees, spots of pale warmth caressing varying patches of grass with a fake love. Wind was a word nonexistent in the dictionary of the Swamp of Mystery, and its surroundings. The Minors and Council and Jeremy stood at the South-East opening, finishing up last thoughts before they were about to begin their final session. Dark, damp trees filled the inner part of the gated swamp, clouded with darkness and mystery. The deathly-looking leaves glistened in the bare light. Vines tangled within each other in a lock of hate, dangling from the thick branches. Animals of all sorts and sizes that seemed unnatural lived and crawled through the wet dirt and decaying life.
"Okay!" Madasora concluded. He brushed his fingers through his long, white hair and smiled with the pipe limp between his teeth, releasing a stream of grayness into the air. "You guys should start going in now," he insisted, practically pushing them through the weak, rusty gates that shook whenever someone would touch them from the outside.
A few moaned and began to walk nervously into the swamp, their steps unsteady and unsure. They had crooked grins of panic painted under their noses. They walked in through a crooked line, most of them looking like they were to collapse unconscious on the floor any second.
"Good luck!" Madasora wished with a smile, pretending as if they were just going to the playground for some fun, and not to a dangerous swamp known for its deadly history. His waving hand and wide smile made it look like he was sending the Minors off to pre-kindergarten.
The shortest being there, little Jeremy, walked up to Madasora and tugged at his sleeves. He peered up to find his head outlined with light, as if he were an angel with the brightest halo. Jeremy tugged harder, not feeling like using his voice right now.
Slowly, Madasora came to acknowledge him. "Hm? What is it, Jeremy-san?" he whispered in a low voice, peering down to find white eyes staring back at him.
"They're…" Jeremy began to whisper out, using a forced voice, a loud cough interrupting his voice. "They're going to be gone for the whole week?" he asked, a bit clearer this time.
"Yes, that's right," Madasora retorted. "Why do you ask?"
"Oh, no reason," Jeremy lied. The ten year old boy put a big grin on his face and thought, Yes. I'll make them realize that I still exist!
Just as Jeremy finished his thought, the last Minor walked through the gate. With a big push, Madasora closed the gate with his palm, and it shut with a loud, rusty clang. The ping echoed through everyone's ears, yet easy to ignore.
Inside, Zack, the loudest, most uproarious Minor's back began to twitch. He froze in his tracks, and shivered all over. His group turned back to see what was the problem, but all they found was a lost, panicky stare all over his face. With sudden, amazing speed, he sped toward the gates comically, clouds of dust surrounding his feet as he ran, shaking the ground humorously.
Madasora let out a resistant cry and put a finger towards the gates, signaling Zack to stop. "I wouldn't," Madasora warned. "The gates are electrified from the inside. Anything that tries to come out will get shocked with a million or so watts."
"But…" Zack began to complain, humorous tears beginning to streak down his face like thick white rivers of squiggly lines. "But… but!" he continued to mutter, not knowing what to say, the words lost in his stomach like a scrabble game's silver bag.
"Go on," Madasora insisted, waving his hand in a "shoo, shoo," manner, indicating that he wanted Zack to rejoin his group.
Zack continued to mutter indistinctively and finally gave up. He sighed in failure and began to walk back to Derek, who was shaking his head in a sort of disappointment with his eyes closed.
"Oh, and one more thing," Madasora said, catching the Minors before they separated to their assigned gates. Everyone turned back to find a serious lock on Madasora's expression. "Come back with scars," he insisted.
Shocked expressions went all around on the Minors side, and then finally Jeremy's side.
"There is only two ways you can come back, after all," Madasora said, showing two fingers, as if counting them down as he said each one. "One way is with scars," he said, putting one finger down into a fist. Everyone listened quietly and solemnly, meticulous as to what the council had to say. "The other way," Madasora began, peering from left to right to catch a glimpse of the Minors' facial expressions. "Is to not come back at all," he said finally, holding down the last finger to make a fist.
"What the…" Zack said, his back slouched with his arms dangling from the shoulders, his eyes dotted like bullets you find on a computer screen.
"So?" Madasora said loudly. "What're you waiting for? Go!" he announced.
Sighs went all around and everyone decided to finally obey, separating with high speed into their rightful groups, heading for their gates.
Group Three raced through the damp forest and wood, flying from one branch to another just by jumping. Derek was first, his steps light and careful, yet strong and meaningful. "I can't believe we have to do something so sudden," he complained under his breath. "I also can't believe I have to be stuck here with this guy, and get assigned to the farthest gate," he said, referring to Zack who had no idea Derek was talking about him lowly in a whisper to himself. Derek sighed as he wondered if his group was really going to survive.
Group One raced with even more speed, consisting of the Water, Fire, and Earth Minors. Walter held an anguished expression on his face even though he wasn't really mad at anything at the moment.
Eric held the same expression yet a kinder, welcome one. Mark concealed his emotions with a narrow stare that meant nothing but toughness.
Behind them by many feet away crawled out a large centipede the size of ten rulers behind a tree, its creepy legs scraping on the bark. It was painted a jewel yellow, and made no noise whatsoever.
Eric stopped on one branch and turned around, the two other members of the group passing him by a few feet, then stopping on their own branches. Eric showed out his hand and out came a huge stream of fire. The burning flames lit up the damp brown of the swamp, and made a direct hit, consuming the centipede in its breath. The orange flames wore off of the Minors' faces and soon, they continued to advance.
"Got to be careful of the things that live here, too," Eric muttered, jumping from branch to branch again followed by the other two. Cool damp breezes brushed against him that he made himself. The wet bark began to slime on his hands. Sunlight soon faded away completely, the canopy of bushy trees above becoming so thick it was like gum. The smell of decay and dewy grass filled the air.
Mark bean to jump ahead, sensing something of his own. He held back his fist as he jumped toward a tree in front of him, gravity pulling him down by the second. He pummeled his fist into the thick, damp tree and it split in two, releasing clouds of dust and a hidden serpent that flew out like a rope from a high elevation.
The snake landed on the dirt in a craze, soon followed by Mark. The Earth Minor stood bare feet away from the snake as it was consumed in wrapping soil. It was then compressed into the ground and Mark let out a battle cry as he crashed his fist into the soil again, feeling the coolness creep into his fingers.
There was a sudden shake to the ground and the snake was now for sure dead. Mark held his stance carefully as he looked up, soil caking the side of his face. "Things that live here like that?" he muttered proudly.
Group Two was the team full of mixed emotions. The three ran through the dirt, wanting to get to their destination faster than anyone else. Rick lead in the front, followed by Marissa at his side, and Lance a little behind the two.
I'm lucky to have Rick on the same team as I, Marissa realized, feeling the cool air brush against her one sleeveless arm as she ran past with full speed. Truthfully, she admitted to herself. I would be so lost in this part of the training without him.
"Wait!" Lance suddenly cried out. He froze in his tracks and put his hand out, a long silver blade protruding with lightning speed from the palm of his hand. The blade glimmered in the faint sunlight as it crashed dead into a branching tree above, giving a blunt thud against the wood.
"What is it?" Rick asked, stopping in his tracks frantically as well as Marissa followed suit.
As Lance drew back the blade into the palm of his hand, he answered slightly, "We're being followed," with a whisper. Marissa took a sharp gasp of panic mixed with surprise as her eyes widened in horror and her expression froze from alarm.
Meanwhile, Group Four raced through the towering trees as well by foot. Teresa followed the two Takiato brothers as they ran together side by side, giving each other trustworthy and loyal smiles back to back.
Someone who doesn't want bonds working with two others who are used to making them so efficiently and automatically… Teresa thought as she watched the two brothers run with a good amount of speed, their steps in sync. This doesn't look too good, Teresa realized. I might just leave this place different, or not leave at all…Teresa realized, closing her eyes gracefully as she felt dampness rush throughout her clothes and long, baggy sleeves.
Back outside of the Swamp and beyond the gates, Jeremy looked into the Japanese temple like portal. He watched the swirling blues and greens swim around in spirals like a flushing toilet. It almost seemed hypnotizing to him before he actually stepped in. He awoke from his trance and looked back, finding no sign of the Minors anymore at the entrance gate, not even the resistant Zack.
He sighed as his hair was brushed with the soft, rare wind that came every so often. He looked forward again to find the hypnotizing swirl. He sighed again and stepped in, losing himself in the spiraling colors.
Good luck, he thought finally as he stepped in, being consumed by the light. I hope you wish me good luck as well…
Far away from where the Minors began traveling, another Japanese Style Temple-like portal was opened up. It was outside the swamp, and swirled with a sickening purple and flashing red. It almost seemed demonic if someone were to stare into the holographic colors that swam like a bubble released into the air.
It was surrounded by the wet grass that was soon to die, and all other creepy animals watching the portal. It gave off no sign of any presence and just looked solemn, as if a monument for something.
Long after it had appeared, someone – or something stepped out. The presence looked to the gate with solemnity and said nothing, making no noise. The thing felt the cool air around it, creeping all over its clothes thoroughly like loving hands that had a deathly touch. And, as the portal was about to close, the thing felt the cool, wet grass under its feet, barely touching it with its pale, white shoes.