"What is happening?" Connor mutters, placing his head in his hands. He doubles over as though he might be sick.

"You have the power to control water. It's an ability called 'hydrokenesis'," Ellie explains. "We've figured out that our abilities are tied to our emotions. When we get upset, we can access them more readily." She looks pointedly at the water fountain.

"Are you telling me Connor caused that water fountain to explode?" Jemma asks, her face contorted in disbelief.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Ellie responds. "Which means that there's only one element left. You must have the power of 'geokinesis'- the ability to control the components of the earth."

"Oh, no I don't. You've got the wrong girl. I'm not one of you weirdos," Jemma spits. "Don't try to bring me into your little magic group."

Ellie narrows her eyes at Jemma. "None of us asked for these abilities, but we have them. Like it or not, Jemma, you're as much a part of this as we are. The sooner you stop fighting it and embrace your powers, the better off we will be."

Jemma eyes her skeptically, tossing a few locks of her long, blonde hair over her shoulders in a huff. Although she put on a tough facade, Dylan notices the way her hand trembles in fright.

"Say I did cause that water fountain to explode," Connor says, his words slow and measured. "Hypothetically, if I could control water, does that mean that everything else that this lunatic said was true?" Connor asks, pointing at Ovi.

Ovi smiles at him in an "I told you so" fashion.

"From what we can tell, yes," Dylan says.

"Then... does that means there really is some evil villain out there coming to destroy the Earth?" Jemma asks, her face turning pale.

All eyes turn to look at Ovi for confirmation. "Yes, Zagan is real," he says. "He's just as real as your powers. And he's already on his way to Earth." Everyone's eyes widen and they look at each other in terror.

"Zagan was born as a powerless being," Ovi explains. "He always envied those who possessed supernatural abilities, and vowed to be just like them one day. At a young age he began performing experiments and incantations to try to gain powers for himself. But despite his efforts, he was never able to obtain them.

"Until one day, he discovered that at the center of each planet, there is a sphere of magic that sustains all of the living creatures that reside there. This is a powerful magic, one that no one in their right mind would try to harness. To do so would require drawing upon the very darkest of elements by breeding death and fear. Not only would this individual be putting their own life at risk, they'd destroy the planet as well, causing everything on it to die. But Zagan had hatred in his heart and he didn't care what happened to others, as long as he had magical abilities at his fingertips.

"Once he got a taste of the powers within the cores, it became his obsession. Creatures who were not born with magic were not meant to obtain these abilities. Their bodies are not created for it. It will drive a mortal crazy, which is exactly what has happened with Zagan. He has become addicted to the power, engrossed with gaining more and more abilities. He doesn't care about the destruction he's leaving in his wake. 

"So far Zagan has destroyed four planets, and with each one he has grown more powerful. We suspect that he has the power of telekinesis and can cause hallucinations, but we are not sure what other abilities he may possess. No one knows the true extent of his powers," Ovi explains. 

"Let me get this straight," Connor interrupts. "You want a bunch of teens who didn't even know they had these capabilities until a few hours ago to stop the most powerful being in the universe, someone who is so powerful, we don't even know what magic he can perform?" Connor asks, his pallor more green than ever. "If this dude has all of these abilities, what could we possibly do to stop him?"

Ovi nods his head. "I know it's a lot to take in, but you really the universe needs you. Zagan does not plan to stop harnessing cores anytime soon. Only the guardians of the elements have a chance of overcoming the threat that Zagan poses. That is why it's so important that you start honing your abilities as soon as possible.

"Zagan has demonstrated no remorse for his actions.  He has already taken many lives and proven that he no longer has a moral compass. He has to be stopped, and the four of you are the only ones who can do that. The fate of the entire universe rests in your hands."

Silence falls over the group as they stare at Ovi with wide eyes.

Dylan's eyebrows furrow in thought. Zagan sounded like a character from a fictional fairy tale, something that Ovi made up to scare them. But in the back of his mind, Dylan knows that Ovi wouldn't lie. Everything else he had said has proved truthful. Why should they doubt him now?

"How long do we have?" Dylan asks.

"Based on our calculations, Zagan will be here in approximately one week."

Gasps and gulps echo through the group.

"You're telling me that we only have one week to learn how to control these powers?" Ellie asks, nearing hyperventilation.

"I know it isn't a lot of time," Ovi says. Connor scoffs and Jemma rolls her eyes. "But I have faith in you. You wouldn't have been given these powers if you weren't meant to control them. The elements that you possess, they're a part of who you are," Ovi explains.

This resonates with Dylan. The two times that he'd conjured fire, it had felt like the most natural thing in the world for him. He could feel the fire immersed inside his veins. He and the flames were intertwined, two parts of a whole. It amazed him that he hadn't found this magic sooner. Now that he had, he couldn't imagine going back to the way that things were before.

"Then we need to start training immediately," Ellie says.

"Speak for yourself," Connor says. "I didn't sign up for any superpowers, or to be some hero. I don't want to do this."

"It doesn't matter what you want," Ellie says, shocking everyone by her brusqueness. She was usually so quiet and reserved. "What we want isn't of importance any more. If we don't do this, the rest of the world will die. I don't want that on my conscious, and I don't think the rest of you do either."

Dylan thinks of his sister, his parents in Mexico, of his crazy Aunt Bernadette. He knew that he had to do everything in his power to protect them, despite how dangerous it may be.

"Ellie is right," Dylan says. "Zagan is on his way here at this very moment to destroy our planet and hurt the people that we care about. This isn't about us anymore. It's about the people we love. We have to do this for them. I'm in Ovi," he says, placing his hand in the center of the group. "Who else is with me?"

Dylan looks around at their unsure faces. Ellie doesn't hesitate to place her hand in the ring. She looks expectantly at Jemma, who had a petrified expression on her face. With a sigh of exasperation, she struts over and puts her hand in the circle.

"I guess I'm in too. If I have to be," she mutters.

Their eyes turn expectantly to the last member of their group.

"Connor?" Dylan asks. Connor snarls his lip and shakes his head. He puts his backpack on his shoulder and starts to walk away. "Connor, please," Dylan says gently, stopping him in his tracks. "We can't do this without you." It pained Dylan to say it, but he knew it was the truth.

This seemed to affect Connor, as he turns back to face them. An inner battle seems to consume him, as he stands and stares at them for a moment. The guilt bubbles up inside of him until he can't take it anymore. With a shake of his head he joins them, placing his hand in the middle of the circle.

"Fine," he says. "I'll join your little group. But don't mistake this for us being friends. After we defeat this Zagan character, you go back to your world in Loserville and leave me alone. Deal?"

Dylan wanted nothing more than to keep his distance from Connor whenever he could, so it wasn't a hard decision.

"Deal," he replies.

Thank you for reading this chapter! If you are enjoying my story so far, please don't forget to comment and/or vote! :)

© Dawn Norwell