Mastery of the Elements

It was a peaceful day in Apotos, the cool breeze of the sea and the land blew across like a blanket of goodness. The coastal town of Windmill Isle was bustling with happy crowds and sell of Chocolate Chip Sundae Supreme was enough to make anyone happy. It seemed like yesterday that Sonic and Chip entered the city on another quest to save the world.

Just outside the city limits was the Earth Temple. The temple is surrounded by lush greenery and it's quite rich with wildlife. The stone columns and walls have become home to many climbing ivies and vines. A fountain details the entrance which was maintained as it offered a welcoming feel to the otherwise cold stone temple. Inside, the native flora was used as decor, giving it a nurturing place to thrive while keeping it under control and giving it a refined look. Visitors are offered rooms to stay as the trek up the mountain takes easily a day. Rooms are well maintained and quite comfortable, much to many's surprise given the look of the temple. This was the home of Gaia the Fox, the Guardian of Earth. She took great care in her plants and decor and took her job very seriously. The element of Earth was a tough element to handle but out of all the ones before her, she took special care as her role as guardian.

"Ah." Gaia sighed as she finished watering her plants inside the temple, "Seems like my flowers are growing pretty well. I sure wish I could try that Chocolate Chip Sundae Supreme at Windmill Isle from what I've heard. It smells pretty good."

Afterwards, she looked outwards toward the bright sky. "But alas I can't leave my temple, the element of Earth needs me and I take my job rather seriously. Perhaps one day I might be able to visit the outside world."

Suddenly a loud boom echoed within her temple alarming her and she rushed in. In the center a huge hole appeared and two figures emerged. One was an orange cat with blue robes and an ancient spell book. The other was a grey bat dressed in cowboy attire with a mean mustache.

"Gaia." The Bat sneered, "So you appear."

"Who are you?" Gaia demanded pointing Terrinnacaln the spear of Earth at them, "What do you want?"

"*sniff* Oh you don't know us." The cat cried, "We come from a different world. A world where fiction and reality co-exist. But the two of us have heard of you and your abilities."

"That spear." The bat ordered, "Give it to us. Now!"

"Don't count on it." Gaia shouted as she charged and pierced through the bat's chest. To her shock however, the spear didn't kill him. It impaled him but he did not flinch.

"That's impossible." Gaia gasped.

"Dear fox. You don't know what is possible." The cat sniffed, then she used her spell book and summoned six armored soldiers and ordered them to attack the temple.

Using her element, Gaia quickly attacked the soldiers with boulders, rocks, and dirt. They quickly went down but then Sorrow cast a spell on her that encased her in a block of ice minus the spear in her hand.

"Who are you?" Gaia gasped.

"I am Wrath the Sin." The bat ordered, "And this is my partner Sorrow. Mobius has it's share of legends with the world we originate from."

He calmly walked toward her and ripped Terrinnacaln out of her hand. "Like I said, the spear is ours." Then he walked toward an ancient drawing depicting her and the other guardians. "So there are five guardians in total. I believe it's time we've paid them a visit."

"Wrath! Stop!" Gaia gasped, "You can't contain the power of all five elements. That power is not meant for evil like you two!"

"*sniff* We tamper with things all the time, I'm sure we can manage this." Sorrow sobbed.

They left the temple and Sorrow conjured a spell to teleport them to the next area. It was only when they were gone that the ice encasing Gaia melted.

"The deadly sins?!" Gaia gasped, "This could be trouble. I may need some help." Luckily she knew where the sins came from, they could also have people who attempted to stop them. With the last of her power she quickly powered up the portal and chanted in a weird language.

"Send us heroes from different worlds. Bring forth heroes who can bring balance." She finished.

Immediately two more figures emerged, one was a grey chupacabra with blond hair, a grey shirt and teal pants, the other was a male boar with a backpack.

"What just happened?" The boar asked.

"Theoretically speaking we may have slipped into a hole in space that allowed us to enter a different dimension similar to our home while we had a time of leisure. In other words we've entered into Mobius right when I was about to beat you in Gin Rummy." The chupacabra calculated.

"Are you alight?" Gaia asked.
"Yes we're alright." The boar replied, "Where are we?"

"Judging by the salt air, the fauna, and the smell of Chocolate Chip Sundae Supremes I say we're just outside of Windmill Isle. You must be Gaia, the Earth Guardian am I right?"

"Yes, how did you know Anita?" "You know our names?"

"Of course Soren, I am well aware of other dimensions besides Mobius." There's something I must warn you about. You seem to know about the villains that attacked my temple."

"Wrath and Sorrow. Two of the Seven Deadly Sins. I could tell by the smell of gunpowder and traces of magic left behind."

"You are very smart."

Once Soren and Anita were aware of the situation, Gaia filled them in on who they were.

"When Mobius came to be, there were divine beings watching over and keeping balance over the land. However, being greater powers, they were summoned elsewhere and could not watch over the land the way it needed to be. Fearing the destruction of Mobius without guidance, they called upon 5 Mobians who they believed they could put their trust in.

To these five mortals, they gifted some of their essence. To one, they gave the power of the earth. To another, the power of fire. And another, the power of water. And to one they gave the power of air. And lastly, they gifted the final one the power of life. Tasking them with sustaining order to Mobius in their stead, the entities left Mobius in their hands. As a final gift of their provisions, they left to the Guardians each a chao to help them fulfill their tasks. Iris to watch over the earth, Tsukuyomi to watch over the fire, Anubis to watch over the water, Freyja to watch over the air, and Vercana to watch over life.
These guardians didn't carry the eternal life of the entities however, and they knew that it wouldn't be long before the world would lose its protectors. Because of this, they extended their blessing through the first born descendants of the guardians, and commissioned the guardians to produce an heir to continue in their stead. And with their plan in motion, the entities left Mobius to follow their own commands. Generations have guarded these temples and even today I Gaia and four others have guarded the elements. We guardians have been entrusted 5 weapons, each harness a given element and attack with elements infused in them."

She opened a book and showed the two pictures of the weapons.

"Tulinyrrà (Sword of Flame), Vodattrir (Bow of Water), Luftzrakr (Axe of Air), Vidilífiða (Staff of Life) & Terrinnacaln (Spear of Earth). But as you can see, the sins have already stolen Terrinnacaln from me and I fear they may be attempting to get the other four weapons."

"So what happens when Wrath and Sorrow get the other four?" Anita asked.

"What do you think?" Soren asked, "Back at home four of our friends have special element powers; Earth, Air, Fire and Water. You Anita have the element of spirit in you. Imagine what happens if all the elements are put together. They can create disasters so destructive, it could make WWI and WWII look like birthday parties."

"That is correct Soren, though I don't know what you mean by WWI and WWII. However since I and the other guardians can't leave our temples for the good of Mobius, I am entrusting you two to stop the sins and prevent them from unleashing chaos."

"But we don't know where they're heading." Anita said, "Where do we start? Hold on, where's the closest temple?"

"The Air Temple in Holoska. The Guardian there is Njöra the Wolf"
"Then Wrath and Sorrow are trying to get Leftzrakr next. We have to go now!"

"Wait, before you go take this." Gaia handed the two a compass which pointed north. "That is the compass of atlas. It points the direction toward the thief of elemental weapons. It should help you."

"Hey thanks. And take this while you're at it." Soren said, tossing Gaia a phone. "What's this?"

"An I-Phone. It lets you communicate with people outside the temple. My number's on the phone so call us if you have any more information for us to share. Plus it has an app that allows you to place take-out orders. You can get that Chocolate Chip Sundae Supreme with a push of a button."

"Wow that's very gracious of you." Gaia smiled.

"Don't thank me, thank the people down there." With that Soren and Anita raced out of the temple to stop the sins while Gaia immediately went on her new phone and ordered the sundae she wanted.

“So now what?” Soren asked once they'd entered Windmill Isle, “According to my calculations, Holoska's two continents away.

“Hmm.” Anita muttered looking toward a robot junkyard, “Well you’re an inventor right? Why don’t you just build something?”

“Anita, I’m good at building things from scrap but I’m not a Tony Stark.”

“You’re right, but you are what you are and that’s fine enough. Just build us a plane that gets us from here to there in a matter of seconds.”

“Alright, alright. But Anita you owe me some shawarmas and a banana split. Got it?” “Got it.”
“And you’re flying too. I have a fear of flying believe it or not.”

Before long, Soren finished work on a plane he called the Gust and they flew from Apotos to Holoska in about 10 minutes. The only thing they didn’t count on was how cold it was. They landed the plane a few meters outside an igloo village. Anita was freezing and shivering in the cold while Soren immediately put on a warm thermal jacket for warmth.

“BRRRRRRR!!!!!” Anita shivered, “IT’S FREEZING! I wish I packed more than my scarf for this trip.”

“The Air temple’s just across that partially frozen bay!” Soren pointed through the ice and blizzards, “I just hope this Njöra’s got her temple bundled up in this weather.”

“If only we can skate across we’ll be fine.”
“Got that covered.” Soren pulled out a pair ice skates from his pack.

“What will I do without you?” Anita smiled. After putting on the ice skates, the two zoomed across the bay hoping they’re not too late. “Phew, why couldn’t the air temple be in some desert oasis in Shamar than in this frozen landscape?”

“Everyone would flock to the temple then. These temples are isolated for a reason.”

“Well considering the fact that temples are a place of worship, it’s uncommon to build one in the outskirts rather than in crowded places. I for one know a lot of temples around 39us where they attract plen-”

“Eyes on the ice Anita!” Soren said, “You can give me an explanation later.” But right then a huge leopard seal rose out of the waters and started giving chase.

“Oh come on, I’m not a penguin!” Anita muttered as she dug her skate blade into the seal’s back. Unfortunately this made the seal chase them even more and eventually it grabbed Anita by the leg.

“AHHH!!!!” Anita screamed.

“Anita! Let go! Let go!!” Soren tugged on Anita with all his might and then he got the stronger grip and the leopard seal let go. The two lost their footing though and crashed into a snow mound on the shore where they rolled into a snowball.

In the Air Temple, Njöra sat by the fire in the center of the room bored beyond belief. She was the guardian of the air but it felt kind of lonely as she doesn’t get that many visitors. Right when she was about to make some tea, a loud boom arose from the entrance. To her shock when she arrived a huge snowball blocked the entrance but then she heard some muffled voices inside. Immediately after, Soren and Anita burst out of the snowball with Soren all dizzy and Anita blue in the face.

“Oh my.” Njöra gasped, “New visitors. I’ve never seen you around here. What happened here?”

“L-L-L-Leo----P---ard Seal.” Anita chattered, “Snowball. Frostbite in my rear, Frostbite in my teeth.” Quickly Njöra carried Anita to the fireplace where she quickly warmed up in no time.

“Sorry about the messy entrance.” Soren said wiping the snow off him, “Didn’t mean to interrupt your personal time.”

“No worries.” Njöra said gleefully, “I don’t get that many guests around here. It’s always nice to meet new people.”

“Soren the Architect and that is Anita the Chupacabra. A leopard seal mistook her for a penguin and the rest is history.”

“Oh I hope your friend is alright.” Njöra said, “Here come sit down I just made some tea.”

The two walked into the center room where Soren briefed the Guardian on what had happened. Anita had finished thawing out when Soren finished explaining.

“So these sins from your world have invaded and plot to steal the elemental weapons including Luftzrakr?”

“Yes. That’s why Gaia sent us to stop the thief of more weapons. Seems like we’ve beaten the sins to the punch.”

“I see, I’ll see what I can do. The axe of air has been in my protection for as long as I can remember. I can see that you two tell the truth but I must ask, what do the sins Wrath and Sorrow look like? Just asking, I’m curious.”

Soren was about to answer when the snow at the entrance exploded revealing Wrath and Sorrow with flamethrowers.

“There’s your answer.”
“Njöra!!!” Wrath shouted, “Give us the axe! And I’ll spare this temple from a slow burn.”

“Hey how rude coming here without invitation.” Njöra said, “My new friends told me about you and what you plan to do. That I can’t allow. So please leave and I’ll make sure you two are in one piece, you have my word.”

But Sorrow cast a spell and threw a clump of dirt right in her face. “Very well you don’t have my word.” Grabbing Luftzakr, Njöra rose up and fought against Sorrow while Soren and Anita battled Wrath with huge wrenches.

“What do you want with those weapons Wrath?” Anita demanded.

“What else, with the elemental weapons in hand the sins can grant access to how weather and how the Earth is made fit. With all five weapons, that is possible. Forget technology, this is the next step in conquest.”

“You don’t deserve the powers.” Soren said.
“And neither do they. I’ll get that axe and then Tulinyrrà is next on our list. You can intervene,

but you can’t stop us.”

Meanwhile Njöra had Sorrow cornered, despite being a powerful mage, she couldn’t handle all the wolf’s wind attacks and eventually she lost her footing and fell to the ground.

“Aww poor kitty cat.” Njöra cooed, “Did I hit you too hard. Here let me help y-”

“Stupefy!” Sorrow shouted as she cast a surprise stunning spell at Njöra. She immediately landed to the ground and dropped her axe. The moment she got up, Sorrow casually picked it up.

“Thank you but I can handle myself.” Sorrow said as she teleported away and Wrath did the same as well. Soon after only her head reappeared. “Oh I thought you might be lonely so here’s a little something to make you comfortable.”

The moment she left, a huge snow wolf slipped out of a spell and began to attack. “Oh bother.” Soren muttered. Anita threw a knife at the wolf but the knife went straight through. The wolf pounced onto Soren attempting to rip him apart. When it looked like Soren was about to be

“We’ll see about that.” Soren hit Wrath straight in the face with his fist and then knocked his

wrench into his groin.

turned into a pork rib special, Anita kicked the central fireplace onto the wolf which immediately melted the creature into slush.

“That’ll teach you to mess with my friend.” Anita said.
“Anita.” Soren said getting up, “That was uh very brave of you.”

“Hey it’s what friends do.” They were about to embrace and kiss when they remembered about Njöra. “Right we have to cure her.”

“Right I’ll go outside and get some snow to pile onto her.” Soren said.

“Better yet, let’s use this.” Anita pulled an air horn and pushed the button. Instantly Njöra woke up.

“Huh?! What?! Who?! Where?! How?!” Njöra gasped, “Hey where’s my axe?”

“Sorrow cast a stun spell on you and took your weapon.” Anita sighed, “That’s two down three the go.”

“Aww man.” Njöra muttered, “I was so close to beating that cat.”
“Slipped right through our fingers again.” Soren muttered, “Wrath mentioned Tulinyrrà, they

must be heading to the Temple of Fire in Chun-Nan next.”

“Amaterasu is the guardian there. We can’t let another weapon fall into their hands. So is there

any way to kill a sin?”

“You may already know this but the Seven Deadly Sins are immortal and I mean really

immortal. They’ve been around since the Big Bang and they’re shapeshifters. Even if you snap

their neck, crush their heart or break their spine they’ll still come back. But there is one way to

temporarily stop them from reviving. By simultaneously shooting them in the cranium and the

chest cavity.”

“Huh?”

“Good think we still have the Gust on our hands. We’ll be able to fly there in no time.”

“In other words, stabbing or shooting a sin in the brain and the heart at the same time is the safest

way to make sure you destroy the body.” Soren translated.

“Okay gotcha. Luckily I can communicate with Amaterasu, the fire guardian. Us guardians have

the ability to talk to each other through telepathy. She has contacts with Nephthys and Meduna

so they'll be aware of the sin's weakness."

“Oh yeah about that.” Njöra replied sheepishly as a loud rip echoed in the distance. When Soren and Anita looked out, they saw their plane getting swept away by the frigid winds and crashed into an ice calf with the remains falling into the water.

“The winds around my temple are very strong, so it’s easy for them to pick up heavy objects with ease.”

“*sigh* Oh well, nothing lasts forever.” Soren sighed, “Good thing we took out everyone from the plane.”

“Now how do we get to Chun-Nan?” Anita wondered, “Wrath and Sorrow must’ve gotten

Tulinyrrà by now.”
“Wait, I think I’ve got it.” Njöra grabbed a small hand pouch from her pocket which was filled

with ash.”

“You might recognize this as Floo Powder from the Harry Potter series. I am a big fan of them myself.”

Soren recognized it but Anita was still in the dark about the powder, mainly because she didn’t watch the movies or read the books. To her magic was just a bunch of hocus pocus baloney and even called the book series’ author a charlatan at some point. “Excuse me, what is Floo Powder?”

“Floo Powder is an effective use of travel.” Njöra smiled, “You just say where you want to go, throw the powder at your feet and it’ll transport you to that destination. Be careful, you have to say the destination loud and clearly otherwise the powder may transport you to a wrong location.”

“That’s promising to hear.” Anita muttered, “But I still don’t believe in that hocus pocus magic.”

“Anita, you have to trust her on this.” Soren said, “After everything we’ve experienced in 39us and here with the guardians, you still don’t believe?”

“The only thing I believe is an explanation for everything.” Anita said, “Every mystery has to have an answer. If they don’t then it’s not true.”

“You know I seem to remember you always leave milk and cookies out for Santa to this day.” Njöra mentioned, “And you slept with your adoptive parents for 5 days straight because you believed in the boogeyman.”

“Hey! How did you know?”

“The winds hold so many secrets. Even coming from people. Don’t worry, I won’t tell other travelers or the guardians about this.”

“That stays in this room, okay?” Anita muttered.

“Pinkie promise.” Njöra smiled, “Alright are you two ready?”

“Ready.” Soren said as he and Anita walked toward the fireplace with the powder in their hand.

“Chun-Nan!” They both shouted as they threw the powder. Immediately fire covered them and they disappeared.

“Hmmm I hope I didn’t give them exploding powder by mistake.” Njöra pondered.

Moments later, Soren and Anita reappeared in another building. They arrived in Chun-Nan but also landed in a china shop. Both of them crashed into a display case but they were able to hold it in place so it wouldn’t smash them. The same couldn’t be said for the actual China as they slipped out of the case and crashed into bits on the floor. The two decided not to take their chances and bolted out before the shopkeeper noticed.

Once they left they were blown away by the beauty and pristine of the place.
“Wow....” Soren muttered, “I never thought this part of the world would be so beautiful.”

“Neither did I.” Anita admitted, “I’ve seen the world technically on National Geographic but it’s nothing compared to the actual experience.”

“What do you like most about traveling? The sights, the food, the religion?”

“The history. The more you know about a country, the better you can understand it.” As they continued walking wondering where the Fire Temple is, Anita noticed a sign for some dumplings.

“Hot steamed dumplings. Get them while they’re nice and hot.” A vendor called.
“Ah let’s not waste any time. We’re on a clock and a couple of sins to catch.”
“It’s the new special. Goat meat special with a splash of blood sausage.”
“Well on second thought, I am starving.” Anita smiled, “I wonder how many mobiums they are.”

“Looks like we’re on the right road.” Soren said once they left the town and headed into the nearby hills, “Anita, can I ask you a question?”

“Ask away.” Anita said with a mouth full of dumplings.

“Well you’ve always had your neck deep in mysteries. But did you ever stop and think about the biggest mystery of all in your life?”

“What would that be?”
“Do you truly love someone?”

Anita looked at Soren and back at the road embarrassed, “I didn’t know it would be that personal.”

“I didn’t say it was personal.”

“Well those are some of the mysteries whose answers I’d like to keep secret. Truth is I am very good at solving mysteries and very bad at relationships. I mean who would want to be friends with someone who’s constantly nit-picking at your flaws?”

“While I admit that is very hard to get used to I have noticed one thing.” “What?”

“Despite your flaws, you have a true heart when it comes to friends and that’s something a lot of people don’t usually have.”

“Hmm, I guess it depends on how people look at me. The rest of the Five Guys are good friends, but not so sure on how everyone else sees in me.”

“What I want is for people to see you the same way I see you.” Soren replied, coming closer. “And how do you see me?”
“As the cutest chupacabra I have seen.”
The comment made Anita blush but she kept it within her for the moment.

Eventually the two made it to the Fire Temple, it looked so beautiful and pristine. Either Wrath and Sorrow haven’t invaded yet or they already stolen another weapon. Either way, the two armed themselves to the teeth just in case.

Entering the temple, Anita stopped when they were in the entrance hall. “What is it?” Soren asked.
“Clearly it seems that no one is allowed past this point.”

Anita grabbed a pebble and threw it at the doorway to the temple. Instantly the pebble burned up into ash as a fire wall emerged.

“Whoa.” Soren gasped, “I could’ve turned into a pork sandwich with that beam. Wonder what’s behind it?”

“It’s anyone’s guess I suppose.”

Then suddenly the two could hear bullet sounds and soon after, Wrath and Sorrow burst through the doorway with

“Return that sword to me western fiend and I’ll buy you a conical hat.”
“Like hell I’ll wear those!! After all you’re outnumbered two to one.”
“Don’t be so sure about that.” Anita called and that’s when the sins noticed the two.

“A duel I see, and an honorable duel it will.”
Wrath dropped the sword and kicked it towards Sorrow before engaging Amaterasu in a fist

fight.

The two engaged in battle as Sorrow fought against Soren and Anita.

“I think she might have and may have succeeded in demotivating all of them.” Soren joked.

Tulinyrrà in Wrath’s hands and Amaterasu chasing after them. The security

system didn’t fry them, only turned Wrath’s hat and Sorrow’s hood into ash.

“Your security system ruined my best hat!” Wrath raged at Amaterasu as he threw his hat to the

ground, “You and your need for privacy.”

“Ugh, you just don’t give up do you.” Wrath muttered, “Sorrow take care of those two, I’m

going to turn this cat into a dim sum special.”

“Be careful what you wish for foul sin.” Amaterasu said calmly as she posed to fight, “Your face

reminds me of a friend of mine. No matter, a familiar face won’t stop me.”

“Just give up already.” Sorrow muttered, firing a spell at them, “I have about 4 million times in

my lifetime.”

“You’d ever try going into a motivational speaking group?” Anita asked as she got a few stabs at

Sorrow.

Meanwhile Wrath proved to be strong and superior in brawling but he was mildly surprised that

Amaterasu was able to counter some of his attacks. The duel ranged from bare knuckle brawling,

to actual kung-fu moves that were almost similar to scenes straight out of a Hollywood movie.

“Give up now.” Wrath said as he gave out a punch which Amaterasu quickly deflected with her

hands.

“I’d rather die.” Amaterasu grabbed the bat’s hand and threw him to the ground. “Patience

warned me about you guys stealing the sword. He told me everything.”

“Did he? Did my brother tell you everything?” Wrath moaned, “The Sins and Virtues are aware

of the five elements on Mobius but there is one more secret. When Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and

Life combine all of the temples combine to create Aether. The Aether element is the rarest

resource available and highly volatile. If Sorrow can harness it, we will harness it and use it to

understand the secrets of the universe.”

Amaterasu gasped at the thought. Aether was the rarest element but also the most volatile. Right

then Wrath saw an opening and punched Amaterasu solely in the gut and she collapsed to the

ground.

“You don’t understand, the Aether is extremely volatile. You use that to power your weapons,

you’re going to implode Mobius!”

“We will see about that.” He left Amaterasu on the ground, grabbed Tulinyrrà in his hand and

teleported away with Sorrow.

“Did he just say the Aether element?” Anita asked as she helped Amaterasu up to her feet, “Is

that why the two are stealing the weapons?”

“Yes.” Amaterasu moaned, “I understand why Patience told me to guard the sword with my life.

But I failed him. Wrath took the sword and now there are two more weapons left.”

“Vodattrir and Vidilífiða.” Soren remembered, “The Water and Life temples.”

“I should’ve been stronger.” Amaterasu sighed, “Wrath mentioned Aether and then I was lost in

thought. He used my emotions against me and I lost.”

“Hey.” Anita said, “Patience wouldn’t want you to dwell on that fact. What’s done is done.

Wrath beat you, you lost but that doesn’t mean you can’t rise up again. Wrath and Sorrow have

two more weapons to collect. The two of us will make sure they won’t get their hands on them.”

It took a while but Amaterasu eventually got up.“Thanks Anita.” Amaterasu said, “You’re right,

Patience would want me to keep on fighting. The water temple is in Mazuri. Nephthys the

Leopard is its guardian.”

“Mazuri.” Soren said, “That’s about two continents over and the Life Temple next to Empire

City is halfway across the world.”

“I may have enough magic to send you to the Water Temple.” Amaterasu pondered, “You’ll

have to be careful with Nephthys, she’s a bit prickly. In fact I’ve heard no one has seen her smile

and she ignores people who she deems unworthy.”

“Regardless I’m pretty sure the other Guardians have told her about what’s going on. She may be

able to listen to us.”

“I hope so.” Amaterasu said, “I hope so.”

She rushed back into her temple and emerged a few seconds later with a spellbook which she

said was a gift from Patience.

“I have to be very careful with teleportation spells. You have to be specific on where you want to

go and there could be side effects to that spell.”

“No one ever said magic was easy.” Anita admitted, “I just hope you won’t teleport us right in

front of a herd of stampeding elephants.”

“Okay here goes.” Amaterasu chanted the spell in a weird language the two couldn’t understand.

Suddenly the two were engulfed in flames and they disappeared.

Somewhere in Mazuri in the desert sands north of the Savannah Citadel, the Water Temple arose

like a glimmering beacon in a sea of sand. Inside the temple glittering gold sparkled from the

walls to the ceilings which shinned even brighter as a cloud of flames emerged and dropped its

two passengers. Soren and Anita landed in the middle of a fountain soaking their clothes. All

their stuff in their packs however landed on solid ground.

“Who would’ve thought that they built a water temple in the middle of a desert?” Anita

muttered.

“I hear you.” Soren agreed, “It’ll be more understandable If they built it in Ababat.”

He was about to say more when he felt a poke in his back and someone shouted orders in

Mazurian.

“AHH! Don’t shoot, don’t shoot! We’re the good guys!! Honest!” Soren shouted, putting his

hands up.”

The attacker turned out to be a female leopard in egyptian garb, black hair and blue eyeliner.

Poised in her hands were a gold and light blue bow and arrow.

“You are not the intruders.” The leopard said in a stern voice, “Good you are here. Njöra and Amaterasu told me you two were coming.”

“You must be Nephthys.” Anita said, “The guardian of the Water Temple.”

“I am Anita.” Nephthys said, “Obviously you have come to protect the sacred weapon of the

water, Vodattir.”

“We have.” Soren said, “And miss, I mean Nepi, I mean Nephthys madam you will expect a very

brutal fight. This may be a two man strike force but these sins pack quite a punch.”

“First of all, it’s Nephthys, it’s not miss, not Nepi and certainly not Necky. Nephthys or Madam

is how you will address me.”

“Yes Nephthys.” Soren said.

“I see. So you’re here to protect my sacred weapon, Vodattrir. I hope I can count on you two to prove yourselves.”

“Yes madam. Do you happen to have a room in your temple that houses old junk like old robot parts?”

“It’s at the end of the hall. You can’t imagine how much junk Eggman used to dump into the rivers and oceans. What are you planning to do?”

“Knowing Soren I think he plans to build something.” Anita said, “He made a plane in Apotos with a few robot parts and an old clock.”

“Don’t let me down you two.” Nephthys muttered as she left to her room to prepare, “And remember I don’t have any rooms for overnight stays so if you want to sleep, sleep outside.”

“Don’t take it too personally.” Gaia said through the phone, “Nephthys may seem cold but she does her work diligently. Once she deems someone is worthy then she starts to respect them.”

The two had stationed themselves in the junk room where Nephthys directed them. Once there they contacted Gaia about everything that happened and what Soren was building next. In the middle of his temporary workstation he had the workings of what looked like a glove.

“Hmm. You, Chupacabra. Your gaze tells me that I seem very familiar to you. Have we met

somewhere?”

“Oh it’s just that you remind me of my friend. She’s a merhog princess and has mastery over

water as well.”

“So I heard that your newly built plane is sleeping in the Holoska sea. What are you building now?”

“Right now I’m creating a Gauntlet that channels the power of all five elements. Are you familiar with the Infinity Gauntlet from the Marvel Comics?”

“I’ve only read the comic strips some people accidentally left behind in my temple but I’ve never seen the movies. I can’t afford to get a TV.”

“Well this gauntlet I’m making is similar to that only it channels the power of Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Life. All it needs is a few energy blasts from each element to harness it. Once all five are connected it can access the Aether element.”

“Can it destroy the sins?”
“Yes. Plus I can hit either the brain or the heart once to kill them.”

“Of course Aether is highly volatile and electric so if you hit the brain it’ll cause a chain reaction in their bodies that’ll stop their heart as well. Any luck in locating the two?”

“Not sure.” Soren said, “But I have a feeling they’re on their way right now.”
No sooner later a loud boom echoed through the temple causing ripples throughout the walls. “They’re here.” Anita muttered.

“Shoot, the gauntlet isn’t complete yet. If they find out what I’m building I’m done for. Anita, you and Nephthys have to give me enough time to finish this gauntlet. She seems to respect you more.”

“Alright, that gauntlet better work.”

Anita rushed out of the room and headed to Nephthys who already had her bow ready looking at a portal opening up. Wrath and Sorrow emerged again but they stopped when they saw Nephthys.

“Wrath the Bat and Sorrow the Cat.” The leopard said, “Your time of thievery has ended. Surrender the weapons or I will drown you two in my waters.”

“You really are asking for it are you?” Wrath sighed, “Fine.”

The ground shifted again and four of Wrath’s personal sinners emerged at his side. All four of them were armed with daggers, swords and shields and staffs.

“Try me.” Nephthys said.

“Don’t forget about me.” Anita said, rushing in, “You can’t take down all those sinners.” “Anita this is my fight, you shouldn’t get involved.”
“Yes but I know these two a lot longer You won’t last a minute against these guys.” “Find, you keep those soldiers off my back, I’m facing off against Wrath.”

“Got it, and Nephthys, try not to die.”

Anita rushed into the Sinners with her dagger and fought them while Nephthys rushed up to the two sins to battle them.

Anita had an easy time fighting the sinners because of her dagger skills and chupacabra instincts. And even though they punched extremely hard she quickly got back up to fight.

“Here we go again.” Sorrow sighed.

Wrath attempted to punch the guardian straight in the face but she swiftly avoided the attack and retaliated by shooting an arrow at his back.

“Darn you feline. Hold still for once.” Wrath shouted. Everytime he tried to hit her, he ended up with another arrow on another part of his body. Nepthtys was agile as well as powerful.

“You may have the power of Earth, Wind, and Fire but you will never take my weapon from me.”

“The water is slippery.” Sorrow muttered, “It would not be wise to use brute force against an ever changing element.”

Nepthtys kept shooting water arrows endlessly at Wrath until he himself had more arrows in him than the quiver she had on her back. However Sorrow turned the tables on the duel when pulled out Luftzrakr and fought the guardian herself.

“Hey!” Nepthtys shouted, “That’s not fair!”
“Wrath may fight honorably, but I know when to intervene in a losing battle.”
She tagged teamed Wrath and soon she was fighting against the guardian.
“Where is your honor?” Nepthtys demanded, “Amaterasu said you had it in you.”
“True but only in my battles, I can’t intervene in other sin battles and they make the rules.”

Water was weaker against Air and Nepthtys knew this. She tried shooting one of her water arrows at Sorrow but she simply deflected it with the axe.

‘For a sin of sadness, she sure knows her skill sets.’ The guardian admitted. She attempted to dodge the wind attacks but then Sorrow spotted an opening and hit her square in the chest and she fell in a puddle of water.

Before she was able to get up, Sorrow grabbed Vodattrir from her grasp and stood around her.

“You are a noble and loyal guardian to the ever changing element of water.” Sorrow admired, “Water is life giving but can be dangerous. Perhaps I’ll relieve you of your head so they’ll remember you. Oh well, maybe someday they’ll find your corpse and try to remember you.”

Anita had finished off the sinners but she saw what was happening and tried to stop it only for Wrath to grab her by the neck and was about to choke her.

“I’m so sorry. Goodbye.”

She raised Luftzrakr and attempted to cut her when someone got in her way. It was Soren the Boar with the newly built Elemental Gauntlet.

“Pick on someone your own size will you?” He said.

Sorrow fired a gust of wind from Luftzrakr and to her surprise Soren used the gauntlet to channel the power and forced a whirlwind right back at him and Wrath. It blew them out of the temple and into the sands.

“After them!” Soren shouted, helping Anita and Nepthtys to their feet.

But when they emerged outside they were long gone including Vodattrir.

“Darn it.” Anita muttered, “Another weapon stolen.”

“And that leaves Vidilífiða left.” Soren said, “We have to get to Empire City and fast.”

“Soren is it?” Nepthtys asked, “It appears I underestimated you. You may be focused on your inventions, but your heart is certainly in the right place.”

“Hey when I see someone in need, I don’t wait behind the scenes.” “That gauntlet, what is that?”

“Oh it’s the new Elemental Gauntlet I built in the junk room. All it needs is a stretch of power from any of the five elements and it can channel that power.”

“Very impressive.” Nepthtys agreed observing the surge of air in the gauntlet, “And I assume that it can channel the Aether element when all five are collected.”

“Yes. With luck it’ll be the best weapon against the sins so here’s hoping it’ll not be used against us.”

“We have to hurry.” Anita said, “Wrath and Sorrow must be on their way to the Life Temple now.”

“With the air element in this, pretty sure we can make it to Empire City in a matter of moments.”

“If you have to leave, I’m not stopping you. Good luck you guys and may you always find light even in the darkest of times.”

As Nepthtys return to her temple she could hear Soren say, “She does have her way with saying goodbyes.”

Traveling across the winds was easier than both of them thought. It was like flying a plane only without the plane. Eventually they landed softly in the town center of Empire City. They were awe struck by how bustling the city was. Their home of Council City was never this crowded since it was so vast and the population was spread out. After admiring the sights, the two raced down to the subway where Anita was looking at the map.

“Uh Anita, what are you doing?”
“Looking for a station that stops at the Temple of Life.”

“Anita the Temple of Life is probably older than the city itself. There’s no possible way that they’d build a station right next to...”

“Here it is. We take this main train here. Then we go on the green track and follow it all the way to the end near the border of Westopolis.”

“I guess they really did think of everything.” Soren admitted.

Once they paid their tickets, the two got on the subway to one stop and then transferred to the green track. On the way, Anita picked up a conversation with Soren.

“The Elemental Gauntlet.” Anita said sniffing at it, “So much power contained in one device. Almost as if you have the power of the universe in your hands.”

Soren then took it off and put it in his pack. Anita was a smart girl but sometimes she had some tendencies of a puppy dog.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned about power is that it easily corrupts. I’ve seen it first hand on what it can do to people. The only safe thing to do is to make it’s wielded by people who are aware of what it is and that they can control it.”
“You’re an inventor are you? Aren’t you a least bit curious to see what you can discover?”

“Anita my friend, when you build as much gadgets and tools as I have, you’ll understand how dangerous some of them can be. Trust me, curoristy is a double-edged sword. It allows us to do and achieve great things. But too much of it and we can be delving into things that shouldn’t be tinkered with.”

“So you’re saying is that some mysteries are better left unsolved.”

“In a way, yes. There are going to be times when we want to learn everything and sometimes ignorance is indeed bliss. There’s a fine line between the known and the unknown and that’s important in life.”

“Interesting. Ever since the day I turned into a Mobian Chupacabra, I began to question everything from crypto animals to the different combinations of the rubix cube. I always craved for answers so much that I almost got wrapped up in them. I did once try to solve the mystery of the Rebobs for 12 hours straight without even taking a break for lunch.”

“Goodness, that’s extreme persistence. But there’s a time where you could stop and relax. Instead on focusing on mysteries, try binge watching a fun series, take a walk in a park or even fish without questioning anything.”

“I don’t know if I can do that honestly.”

“Lot of people can’t. And you know what I do reciprocate your feelings for me, so maybe I can help you take a break.”

“Soren.”

“Once we defeat Wrath and Sorrow, I can make a list of things we can all do for fun. Trust me you’re going to love it.”

Afterwards they continued down toward their destination while Anita continued thinking about Soren’s suggestion.

Eventually they reached the end of the line and when they left the subways they found themselves in a rural forest. In front of them were endless trees as if left untouched by humanity. Behind them laid the borders of Westopolis. As they continued walking they came across the Life Temple only it looked like a medieval castle more than a temple.

“Okay, cross your fingers and hope Vidilífiða isn’t stolen.” Anita said.

The two made their way to the entrance and knocked on the door, the figure who answered was a pink panther in a green and white dress. In her hand was a large staff with a glowing green jewel that the two felt a warming presence.

“Hello.” The panther said.
“Are you Meduna the Panther?” Soren asked.

“Yes, the Guardian of Life, you are Soren and Anita I guess? The other guardians told me you were coming.”

The two made their way into the temple, but Anita felt a weird presence coming from within.

“Then you must know of why we came. Two sins, Wrath and Sorrow have stolen four of the Elemental weapons. We need to protect the last one Vidilífiða from falling into their hands.” Soren explained.

“Yes, the staff of evergiving life. Indeed. Why don’t you sit down and discuss this over some snacks. I’m sure we have a lot to talk about.”

“You seem pretty calm for someone whose life is on the line.” Anita said.

“Well yes I am nervous but I always like to keep a friendly and calm demeanor just to make people comfortable. Now lets rest. You must have had a stressful day.”

“You do know when they come, you know where to hit the sins right?” Anita asked.

“Uh yes of course, the brain and the spinal cord right. Njora told me about it.”

“Right.”

“Come now.” Meduna said pouring them some tea, there’s nothing to be frightened about. I’m sure we can get along just fine.”

“LIKE HELL I AM!” Anita hissed and then without warning she grabbed her dagger and pierced Meduna straight in the chest.

“Anita?” Soren gasped, “What are you doing?”

“I know for sure that you’re not Meduna. A sin’s weakness is the head and the heart and you have to hit them at the same time. Plus you forgot the umlaut in Njöra’s name, Sorrow. Where’s Meduna?”

The whole room began to shift revealing it’s true appearance, the figure who appeared to be Meduna turned into Sorrow the Sin and the real Meduna was tied to a chair with Wrath watching her.

“It’s too late.” Sorrow sniffed as she pulled out the knife and stood up, “We have all five of the weapons and with it we’ll use them to unlock the Aether element and discover its powers.” The moment she said that a huge circle enveloped around her with all four weapons on the circle borders. As Anita and Soren were suddenly wrapped in magic chains, Sorrow walked toward the center. “All it needs now is the staff of life to reawaken the element.”

“And don’t even try to budge.” Wrath said, “You use your weapons, and I won’t hesitate to insert lead in this girl’s brain.”

Unbeknownst to him, Meduna grabbed a blunt knife from Wrath’s pouch and quietly cut her ropes.

“The elements of Mobius; Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Life. They come together to unlock the 6th and final element: Aether. Show us the power, give us the secrets of the universe. Bring them together!”

Sorrow chanted in an ancient language that even Meduna couldn’t understand. Before long a flash of bright light enveloped all of them. When it finally faded, all of them were in a large room that looked like a fusion of all the five elemental temples. Even more, all the guardians were there as well but the barriers between the sections prevented them from fighting.

“What the?” Gaia wondered, “What’s going on?”

“My axe!” Njöra gasped, “Give it back.”

“The aether element.” Amaterasu looked, “Such beauty and yet so destructive.”

“They won’t get away with this.” Nepthtys said, “We won’t let them win.”

“Heed my power.” Sorrow chanted, “Take all five elements and reveal the sixth. Show me the power of the Aether!”

Energy gleaming from all five of the weapons glowed and soon they all shot towards the staff and in turn released a beam that shot upward creating a huge portal. A strange dark and purple mist emerged outward and headed towards Sorrow.

“The Aether.” Sorrow said, “At last show me your secrets. Use it to power myself and that who I ally myself with.”

The aether started to engulf Sorrow and eventually Wrath increasing their power. Right then they absorbed as much of the element as possible. Their appearance didn’t change but Sorrow’s magic and Wrath’s ammunition did.

“No it can’t be.” Anita gasped.
“Let us go then.” Soren said, “You got what you wanted, so release us.”

“Now cool that mouth of yours.” Wrath said, “We always agree to let people go once we achieve our goals. However we are curious on how this element works and since you two always interfere with our plans, I believe a little target practice would be beneficial.”

“Sick Bastard!” Anita shouted.

Wrath and Sorrow raised their weapons straight at Anita and Soren.

“Nothing personal.” Sorrow sniffed, “But testing new abilities is what everyone does.”

“Of course there’s nothing to be said about test dummies.” Someone called out.

The two sins looks across and to their shock saw Meduna the Panther released from her bonds. Quickly she grabbed her staff and returned the four weapons back to their rightful owners.

“Slippery thing.” Wrath muttered, “No matter, element powers or not we will still take you down.”

“Don’t count on it.” Nepthtys said, “You guys may be sins but it’s five elements against one.” “*sniff* Then we won’t hold back.”
“For Mobius!” Gaia shouted.
“For Mobius!” The rest of the guardians repeated.

All five of the Guardians charged toward the two sins with Soren and Anita following.

The aether element was mysterious but also powerful as it amplified Wrath’s weapons and his strength along with Sorrow’s magic. Even still the two weren’t expecting to fight seven opponents all at once.

Gaia summoned rocks and boulders to hurl at the two, Njöra created whirlwinds and storms that dizzied and confused them, Amaterasu created fireballs to weaken the aether attacks, Nepethtys shot water infused arrows to slow them down and Meduna created life spells to severely weaken them. All while the guardians attacked, Soren and Anita had their backs while Soren was absorbing the tiniest amount of elemental energy from each attack.

The sins eventually managed to beat them at their game but then Wrath got hit in the face with another burst of energy and fell to the ground.

“The hell?” Wrath muttered and before he could react, another blast hit him in the chest reducing him to dust.

“Wrath!” Sorrow gasped, and then saw who hit him. It was Soren with the fully charged Elemental Gauntlet.

“Game Over Sorrow.” Soren said, “You will never gain control over the elements.”

“No.” Sorrow shouted though it was clear that she was frightened, “I have the aether, the most volatile element. You can’t beat me. You can’t!”

“You may have the aether. But you forgot something important.” Gaia said as the Guardians centered around Soren.

“Aether is just a combination of Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Life.” Njöra added.

“So we guardians can create Aether from our pure intention.” Amaterasu continued.

“Only people who are truly knowledgeable can master Aether to its potential.” Nepthtys said.

“And that’s why you sins will never understand the true power of the Aether.” Meduna finished.

“Good will always triumph over evil or evil will triumph over good but I will say that today’s the day that good will win.” Anita said.

All the guardians put their hands on the gauntlet and their elemental powers transferred into Soren’s gauntlet. The gauntlet was finally able to summon the sixth element of Aether.

“The secret is finally revealed.” Sorrow moaned as she awaited what was about to happen.

With the gauntlet pointed at her, Soren fired a huge blast of Aether right at the head of the sin. Sure enough the element hit her brain causing a chain reaction in her spinal cord which led to her heart to fail. He skin began to dust away, then her muscles, organs and finally her skeleton before all of them collapsed into dust.

“It’s finally over.” Soren sighed as he took off the gauntlet, “Mobius is saved.”

With the sins gone, the guardians cheered over their victory as Anita gave a surprise hug to Soren and kissed him, making him blush.

A little while before the temples separated and returned to their original locations, the guardians created a portal back to 39us for Anita and Soren. Before they left, Soren broke the Elemental Gauntlet (now the Aether Gauntlet) into 5 pieces and entrusted them to each guardian to keep it safe.

“Thanks for all your help.” Gaia said, “Fending off those sins certainly weren’t easy.”

“Well there were 2 of them and look at how much damage they caused. Imagine what would happen if all seven of the sins combined their power.” Nepthtys muttered.

“If there are seven of them, there must be five more on their team to counteract them.” Njöra smiled, “Right guys?”

“Right, there’s three more girls and two more guys on our team.” Anita said.

“You sure you don’t want to help us here in 39us?” Soren asked, “Our world can use a few guardians like yourself.”

“That is true but Mobius needs its protectors of the elements.” Meduna said, “Of course we can’t leave our temples but when the time comes to finding successors, perhaps one day we’ll visit your world.”

“You’re going to do great, I can feel it. And that’s something I don’t say often.” Amaeratsu smiled.

“Anita, I can tell from your face that you’re worried about the gauntlet.” Gaia said. “Well um yeah, wow. Lot of people can’t tell things from my emotions.”

“Do not worry, we’ll protect the pieces with our lives along with our weapons. Mobius is in good hands and 39us is in good hands too.”

“If you’re ever in Council City in the future, look us up.” Soren said, “We’re under Freddy’s Pier.”

The guardians raised their weapons and pointed them toward the wall in front of them. A portal made from Aether opened up toward Council City and the two walked in. Before it closed, Anita and Soren waved one last good-bye and then they were gone.

“Nepthtys?” Njöra asked, “Did I just see you smile tearfully as they left?” “Huh? What?!”
“Don’t deny, you started to like them.”

“Hey! FYI I started to respect them and no I was not interested in that wild pig.” “Don’t worry.” Amaterasu smiled, “This will stay between all of us.”

“I know we’re all heading back to our locations but do you think we could connect with each other like this for get-togethers and game nights? It would be fun.”

“That is something to think about.” Meduna agreed, “For now I think we all need a good-night’s rest. You never know who may come to our temples for blessings.”

All the guardians waved good-bye for now including Gaia and soon the Earth Guardian was back in her temple at Apotos.

As she looked out at the starry night, she wondered about the Five Guys, the Sins and her fellow Guardians. Life had a way of dealing unexpected blows but it was teamwork, determination and courage that allowed all of them to see another day.

Then to her delight, her Chocolate Chip Sundae Supreme was waiting by the fountain. And it was still intact. How did it get there, her delivery or a gift. She didn’t know, but she knew one thing when she took that first bite.

It was mighty delicious! 

THE END