The Elements
The test

With each step I took, more goosebumps appeared on my skin and shivers ran down my spine. The white is almost blinding and it makes me want to turn around and ran the hell out of here. There were a few people standing on the chairs and all of them were staring blankly into space. As I passed one of them, he raised his head and stared at me with dark cold eyes.

I fought back the urge to whimper in fright and walked quicker, trying to avoid making eye contact with another one of them.

Come on, Shadow. You’re fine. Yes, your whole word was turned upside down in a matter of minutes and you may day today, but you’ll be fine. I mean, at least I won’t have a boring death.

This time I wasn’t able to stop myself from screaming when the guy seating on the chair I just passed grabbed me by the wrist and got up from his chair. “Everything ends when the chosen one appears. The destiny has to take its course, and when the chosen one comes, the darkness into lightness turns.” he said in a deep yet monotone voice while staring into my frightened eyes with his cold black ones.

He kept repeating the same phrases again and again, and stepping closer and closer to me. My fingers started to tingle and I had the sudden urge to wrap my hand around his jaw when a nurse came running with a syringe in her hand.

“Come on, Root. It’s time for bed. Leave the poor girl alone.” she calmly told him and I felt his grip on my wrist loosen after she injected him whatever it was in the syringe. Two bulky guards came and took Root to God knows where, but most likely to his room.

The nurse turned back to me and smiled. “I’m sorry for that. He usually doesn’t do that. He never talks to anyone, only sometimes he would mumble some things and go back to staring into space, but he never did that before.” she said in deep thought. “But I assure you, he would never do you any harm since he can’t use his powers.”

“W-What’s wrong with him?” I asked shakily as I stared where Root has been only a few seconds ago. I almost jumped out of my skin when I felt a hand on my shoulder, but when I turned around it was Hazel looking at me with a worried look.

She sighed. “Well, by the way your fingers stared to glow without a solid color or element in particular, I think you’re here to replace out your element, right?”

I slowly nodded my head and she smiled. “Then you know the potential risks of this process. He came here a few years back to take his test and he passed it, but he suffered one of the less possible risks. When the power is too strong for somebody, they usually day because their body or mind can’t bear it, but there is also another variant, one which is less encountered. His body had no problem bearing his power, but his mind wasn’t and instead of dying he went mad. He is well aware of his surroundings and he can walk and even talk when he feels like doing it, but he’s just crazy. He can’t control his element since his mind is broken, but sometimes some weird things would happen...” she trailed off and my curiosity got the best of me.

“What things?” I asked and tiled my head a little to the side.

“I shouldn’t be saying this, but I already said it, didn’t I?” she mumbled to herself and then looked back at me. “This happens with all people like him. There aren’t too many of them, but I think that they do lose their element, but they gain another power. In Root’s case, he would sometimes say something that for that moment wouldn’t make sense at all, but after a while it comes true.”

“D-Do you think he can see the future?” I asked in disbelief staring at her like she had 2 heads.

“Yes. Or a great gut feeling, but he has something that involves knowing something will happen long before we know something like that can happen. I think that whatever he told you may be one of his visions. If you can decipher what he said, then you have a free glimpse of the future. Now, I really need to go, but good look at your test.” and with one last smile she was gone.

I almost wanted to run after her, grab her by the shoulders and scream at her that she can’t tell me something like that, not when that guy was talking about some weird ass chosen one. I’m no chosen person. I was just at the wrong place and at the wrong time. Yes, this must be.

“Shadow? Are you okay? Do you want to talk about what he said?” Ash asked slowly not to startle me.

“Yes, I’m okay and no, I really don’t want to talk about that. He was talking gibberish and you heard the nurse, he’s crazy.” I keep rambling as I stated to stroll down the hall in a weak attempt to convince myself that he was just a crazy guy and not some future seeker.

I stopped dead in my tracks and clamped my mouth shut as I turned the corner. In front of me there was a girl around my age on a hand barrow and I broke down crying when I saw the state she was in. Her face was covered in blood and more of it was coming out of her eyes, mouth nose and ears. Her eyes were wide open like she was staring at ceiling with a look of pain on her face. I wanted to turn my head from her, but my eyes were glued to her face. I was finally pulled away from that horrible view when Ash placed his hands on my shoulders, turned me around and press my head into his chest to block the view.

“Shit.” I heard him muttered under his breath.

I looked at Hazel and he put his head on Ash shoulder to block the view and he had tears streaming down his face too.

I’m gonna die. Today is the day I die. I won’t see Arnold ever again or my parents. I’ll never graduate, go to college, replace a job and live my life.

“S, stop. You won’t die. You are more stronger then that girl. She died because the power was to much for her and her mind or body was weak but, this is not your case. You’ve got this.” Hazel said and wiped his tears away.

Ash pushed me a little back so he could looked at me. “Haz is right Shadow. You’ll be fine. You will go there, take the test, pass it like no one has, you will take your power and come back to us so we can train you to be the very best.” he said and looked right into my eyes, his eyes shining with more seriousness then usual.

I chuckled at his allusion at Pokémon. I wiped my tears away. “You two are right. I can do this. Now let’s go before my bravery vanishes.” I said and started to walk again.

You know that moment when you’re scared shitless about a certain thing, but then you have this sudden wave of courage that pushes you to do that thing? I think this is what’s happening to me right now.

I walked past five doors and at the sixth one Ash said this is our destination.

“Come on, S. Open the door.” Hazel encouraged me when he saw that I was staring at the door.

I placed my shaking hand on the door knob and opened the door. Unlikely the rest of the building, this room was a nice shade of green and the floor was made of cedar wood. My eyes landed on a door that was placed in the middle of the room, but what’s weird is that the door was glutted into the floor, but that’s all. It wasn’t touching the ceiling, nor any kind of wall. It had a metallic grey color and it was covered in stones of different colors from pink, blue or green, to orange, black and white, but all of them were dull. They weren’t sparkling how would you expect from this kind of stones.

Another detail caught my attention. Above the door’s frame was a square with a stone in the middle, but this one was transparent. It didn’t had any color and it was slightly bigger than the others.

“Hello, kiddo. You must be the one who has to take the test today, right?”

I turned my head to look at the owner of the voice. Next to a long lab table filled with calculators and some medical equipment I can’t name, was a tall man wearing a lab jumper, with white hair and soft brown eyes. Even if he has white hair he doesn’t look older than 30.

“Yeah, the one and only.” I said and walked into the room to make space for Ash and Hazel to came in.

“Oh, Ash and Hazel! I wasn’t expecting you two here!” the lab man said and smiled.

“We came here with Shadow.” Ash said monotone.

“Still not much of a talker, huh? Anyway” the lab man said and looked at me “I’m doctor Snow and I’m here to monitories and make sure you are okay while you take your test.” he extended his hand for me to shake.

I reluctantly took his hand and shook it. “Shadow Renoir.” I wanted to tell him that he wasn’t so good at his job since that girl died, but I thought it would be better if I keep my mouth shut.

“Nice to meet you, Shadow. Now, I think those 2 already told you what you’ll have to do, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then we should get started. To get into your mind you’ll have to go through that door you were examining earlier.” he said and pointed at the grey door.

“Okay, but I have a question. While I’m in my head, what happens with my body?” I really want to know this and this question was on my mind since they told me about the test.

“You don’t have to worry about your body. That’s why I’m here. Now come on. Shu!” he said and pushed me in the direction of the door.

I looked back at Hazel and Ash. Hazel gave me a thumbs up and mouthed “You can do it”, while Ash just gave me a short nod. I gave them both a small smile and turned my attention to that door and took a deep breath.

Come on, Shadow. You’ve done harder things that this. You can do it. Stop being a coward.

With my confidence back, I ran through that door.

When I first looked at the door, the interior was full of light. Now, when I walked in, everything is peach black.

So, when I walked in, the test started. This means that this black hole is my mind which is kind of worrisome. Now, I need to walk out of here, but firstly I need to be able to see where I’m going. I feel like I need to light up this place.

Shadow, firstly you have to figure out what this place is.

I waved my hands around to see if I could touch something. I felt nothing. I smelled the air to see if I’m somewhere outside. Nothing. I bend down and touched the floor. It was puffy, but it wasn’t grass. I think this is a carpet.

I’m in a room.

I need to replace the light switcher. Yes, I know, a normal person would try to replace a door but, I feel like I should go for the light switcher.

Think.

I walked in this room through a door, so it should be the front door, and this place must be some kind of a living room. Where the light switcher is situated in a living room?

Variant nr.1: Next to the front door.

I backed until I hit the wall with my back and I started to search the wall with my hands, but I couldn’t replace anything.

Variant nr.2: On the opposite part of the room.

I started to walk slowly ahead, trying to not bump or hit something along my way

I was about to hit my foot on something that felt like a sofa, but I ducked just in time. If this was the sofa it means that I’m in the middle of the room.

Good, keep going.

I continued to walked until I could fell the wall with my hands. I started to move them trying to replace the switcher. I was about to give up when I felt something with my left hand. I moved my right one there too, and by it’s form it must be a switcher.

Bingo.

I took a deep breath and turned the switcher on.

The whole room light up and I had to cover my eyes because it was too bright. I waited for a minuted and I uncovered my eyes.

Now everything was white except that in the middle of this room was a pedestal and on it was a yellow glowing globe.

“I see that you passed my test, dear.”

I looked around to see who talked, but when I saw no one I understood that the globe talked.

“Yes, I think I did.”

“Very well. I’m proud that I have such a smart partner but, can you bear me? Can you bear my power? Can you survive?”

I thought for a minute before I answered. “Yes, I think I can. And I’ll tell you why too. I can bear you because you are me. You are another part of me, and if I could handle myself for so long, I can handle me from now on too.”

“If you are confident it’s a good sign. Now come here and touch me so we can connect. After that we’ll see if you can keep your word.”

“I can and I will.” I said and I walked next to the pedestal.

When I touched the globe it started to glow brighter and it somewho engulfed me in it’s glowing. I could feel how I was lifted from the ground and how the power made it’s way into me. I could feel it into my veins, lungs, heart, mind, everywhere! But it wasn’t painful how I thought it will. It was warn and nice. It was like I meet an old friend.

Then, suddenly everything went black and when I opened my eyes and tried to take some fresh air, water engulfed me. I started to panic and I was gulping more and more water, when 2 pairs of hands took me out of the water.

I used my hands to wipe the water from my face. Now that I could see clearly I looked around and saw Ash on my right side holding my shoulder and Hazel on the other side doing the same.

My face broke in a big smile when I realized that I was back in the lab. “I did it guys! I really did it!!” I said and they smiled at me.

Yes, both of them. Even Ash.

“Thank God.” Hazel said and felt on the floor.

“Kiddo, we thought we lost you there for a minute.” doc Snow said and looked relived.

“Really?” I said and looked at Ash and Hazel.

“Yes, really. Your pulse stared to get slower and we thought you got caught in your mind but then you came back.” Ash said and tightens his hold on my shoulder like he wanted to make sure that I was truly here.

“Sorry for making you all worry. I don’t know why my pulsed slowed down because everything was fine up there.” I said pointed at my head. “Oh, and I have a question. Maybe two. Why I’m all soaked and the most important one. WHAT ELEMENT I HAVE??!” I yelled at them in excitement.

Doc and Hazel started to laugh at me and Ash was the one who answered my question. “You’re soaked because we placed you in this water, which actually is made of fairy tears. The tears of a fairy has healing properties and it this case, gives you more time in your head and if something goes wrong, it helps.”

I frowned at him and looked down at the water. “I don’t know what to say. I’m kinda disgusted that I stayed in someone tears, but I’m also thankful.”

Ash shook his head, but he had a small smile on his face.

“Come here kiddo! Let’s show you your element.” doc said and motioned for me to came next to him.

Ash and Hazel helped me to get out of that water and I walked next to doc.

“Now look at that stone up there. The one that was colorless before you went in. What color is now?”

I looked up where the stone was and saw yellow.

“It’s yellow. What element it’s yellow?” I asked with my eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“You, honey, have lighting bolt as your element. You have to be careful because it’s the strongest one, but also one of the rarest. Just you and another person have it in our times.” doc said and smiled at me.

“Oh, my sweet candies, that’s awesome, but it terrifies me at the same time. Hey! Can you tell me all the elements because I have a feeling that I’m missing some of them.”

“Earth, air, water and fire are the most common ones, but there are some rare ones like lighting bolt, sunlight, snow, storm and starshooter. The rare ones are well, rare, because they were common back in the good old days, when our ancestors were still alive, but when they died the now rare powers disappeared and they somehow appeared again in our days. And by when our ancestors lived I mean 1000 years ago.” Hazel said like it was something completely normal.

“WHAT?” I yelled completely shocked.

“What what?” he said and looked confused. Right now he looked like a puppy with his big hazel eyes and his head tiled on one side.

“Do you mean that I have an element that was gone for 1000 years and then BOOM it just came back?” I said slowly so he could understand.

“Yes, S. That’s what I said.” he said and rolled his eyes.

“Can you tell me who has this element except of me? Because you said that are 2 of us.” I said and looked at doc.

“Me. I have the lightning bolt as element.”

To say that I was shocked would be an understatement.