Element: Season One by Nick Venom (ebook reader with highlighter .txt) 📕

styled in a messy ponytail with fair skin and blue eyes, was his female best friend. Standing next to her was his male best friend---Gus---a jock in every department; Ranging from his closet of jerseys to his basketball medals. He looked like a typical jock bully, but he didn’t fit the stereotype. Instead, he was a timid jock who disliked attention and preferred smaller events and parties. He had met Skylar---who was Max’s childhood friend---hitting it off with them, earning the title of the third wheel as he, later, learned that Max developed a crush on Skylar. Skylar, however, never acknowledged his love, almost as if she was too dense to figure it out.

“How have you been?” A worried Skylar asked, rushing to his side.

“Are you okay, should you be in school right now?” Gus asked him.

Max nodded his head, declaring that he was fine and ready to return to school. However, Skylar didn’t agree with him, shouting,“don’t say you’re fine! People always use that excuse!. I want you to tell us your true feelings!”

Max opened his mouth to argue but couldn’t find the words to do so. He was stunned by her outburst, unsure of how to respond. “How are you truly feeling?” He asked, almost questioning her.

“Skylar,” Gus whispered, worried that her outburst had an opposite effect on him.

“She’s right. Anyone who says they’re fine, rarely is. At the moment, I don’t know how I’m doing. It’s a mix of sorrow, anger, regret. I’m not sure which is stronger.”

“It’s understandable. You’ve gone through a lot.” Skylar said, pulling Max closer to her. She hugged him, giving him a shoulder to cry on. He didn’t cry on her shoulder, lacking the tears to do so. He, also, didn’t want to cry into his crush’s shoulder. 

“We’re here for you,” Skylar said, caressing his hair. Gus took a step back and gawked at the sight of Max being cuddled like a baby. It was slightly embarrassing for Max, but he didn’t hate it.

After a long while, Skylar let go of him. She smiled at him, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. Gus, still watching them, glanced at a nearby clock. “Hey lovebirds, the bell’s about to ring. Let’s leave before I start crying.” He said, walking away from them. Max smiled and followed Gus, Skylar following after him. The first ten minutes of school had made him smile more than a week at home.

“This is a normal life. I can live a normal life after all.” He whispered, looking happily at the school.

Guardian watched from afar, one of his abilities granting him increased hearing. He heard Max’s words and shook his head. “You will soon learn that you cannot live a normal life. Not without your powers.” He then took out a paper map, marking the locations of other crystals. “He has one, I have one… now who has the others.”

 

Max enjoyed his first day back, almost as if he was in a dream. His classmates and teachers were kind to him, and he hung out with his best friends more than an average day. They seemed to drop everything to comfort him; something he felt that he didn’t deserve. 

The entirety of the day went off without a hitch. Everybody was respectful and kind to him. A heavenly dream that he didn’t want to end. Unfortunately, every good dream ends.

School ended, kicking all of its students to the curb. Friend groups walked home while others waited for buses or their parents to pick them up.

Max followed the former, walking home with Skylar and Gus, who lived nearby. On their way back, however, Max felt something. A weird sense that nearly made him vomit. The feeling of a gun aimed at the back of his head, the owner being trigger happy. He then glanced around, searching for the culprit of the feeling. 

“Skylar,” Guardian’s voice whispered from afar. Max didn’t pay attention to Guardian’s location, immediately pushing Skylar to the ground. Gus turned around and witnessed them on the ground. He opened his mouth to make a joke but stopped when he realized something new. A bullethole where Skylar’s head would’ve been. The shot came from over them, an incredible angle pointing down at them. Gus looked up and noticed a building overlooking them. He saw a slight lens’ glare from the building’s roof but it disappeared. 

“What in the world happened?” Skyler asked.

Gus quickly connected all of the dots. “You were shot at.”

Max looked up at Gus. He knew that Gus was right. 

“I can’t have a normal life,” He muttered to himself. “It’s impossible.”

 

TBC…

Episode Four "Elemental Essence"

Max brought Skylar home and informed her father of the circumstances. Her father nodded, absorbing the information. He seemed to have an idea of the culprit but never disclosed it to them. Instead, he called the police and had the situation handled, filing a police report. He thanked Max for the information before heading to the door. However, before he left, he arranged bodyguards and patrols to ensure Skylar’s protection. 

Max didn’t know, but Skylar’s father---Renix---was a wealthy businessman who had all of the money in the world in his pockets. He could afford the best bodyguards and high-tech security cameras and alarms than any other person in Chicago. 

Max, after ensuring her safety, returned home. The cheerful mood had turned sour. 

He entered his house, passing his drunk father laying in his chair, and went to the backyard. “Guardian,” He then called out. “I need your help.”

Guardian appeared out of nowhere wearing a black cape. He quietly observed Max before speaking. “What is it?” He muttered.

“I want to be stronger! I want to use my powers!” He declared. 

Guardian then nodded his head. “You want to be stronger?” He repeated.

“I do,”

“Then let’s begin your training.” 

Guardian then began training Max to become a hero. The first step was to have Max stand, with feet spread apart, staring at a lonely tree in the backyard. He clenched his fists, shouting as he attempted to form an assault rifle. He gripped harder and harder but to no avail. No matter what, he couldn’t form the weapon; almost as if it was a fluke. 

Max tried again, channeling his inner power. His body acted as the source of his power, swirling the light blue essence of the ice crystal within him in a small circle, endless but restricted. 

“We didn’t get a chance to build your foundation because…” His voice trailed off. “Ahem, anyway, I need you to begin forming your foundation. Consolidate the energy inside your body. The energy is swishing around in a small circle, following the same short path each time. However, you’ll need to change that small circle into a river, flowing endless and limitless. To do that, you must harness the elemental essence inside you and stretch it out into a river. Your river must not stop. It must continue flowing without your assistance.” Max nodded, sitting cross-legged, his fingertips touching each other. He sat silent, taking in deep breaths and exhaling repeatedly. 

Max silently counted to himself as his consciousness began to focus on the elemental essence. His consciousness discovered his elemental essence circling in a tight circle, restricted and contained. This limited his power and prohibited him from using his true powers; whatever it turned out to be.

He began forcefully stretching the circle out, but he couldn’t crack the circle. He stretched it out into a Nascar circle, but couldn’t change it into an endlessly flowing river. 

“I can’t do it1” He then shouted.

“You can! You need to try it again!” Guardian shouted.

Max nodded, trying his best to reshape the circle, but to no avail. No matter how much concentration or effort he’d put in, the results were the same. The circle kept its shape. It would never change… unless.

Flashes of Madeline popped into his head. The memories of their childhood as siblings, that annoyed each other often, repeated themselves through his mind. He played a movie, his mind acting as the projector, his body being the building, and his eyes taking in the glorious sights. Memories of the past swam around his mind. They were fish in the large sea that was his mind. They reflected the good memories of his past. 

Without Max doing anything aside from revisiting the past, the circle had broken and began forming into a different shape. It formed the distinct image of a flowing river. 

The elemental essence inside his body began reacting, dispersing a burst of cyan mist into the air. Max’s body then rose into the air, clouded in the cyan mist. Guardian hesitated to step in and interfere. Instead, he wanted to see the outcome.

Meanwhile, Max’s body had stretched out as armor found its way onto him. The light blue armor he had previously was gone. The shiny and vibrant armor was no more. Instead, he was given a mix of green and blue armor that worked as stealthy tactical armor. The armor was even bulletproof. Also, it resembled Iron Man’s armor but had a homemade esthetic to it. His mask changed from a typical helmet, not covering his eyes and mouth, to a helmet frame. The frame covered Max, not protecting much of his body until the mist covered the rest of it, displaying a nearly invisible barrier filling in the space. 

His power surged through him, revealing a plethora of weaponry ranging from simple daggers to bows to spears. However, he could not acquire any modern weaponry; almost as if he was restricted from them 

“You’ve acquired your strength. Now, let’s test it.”

Max looked up at Guardian and nodded. “I’m ready,”

 

TBC…

 

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Episode Five "Active Crimes: Robbery, Hostage Situation, and Pettiness'

Guardian located three crimes near them, pointing Max towards them. However, he didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he went into his house and brought out a hunting knife, etching his sister’s name on his left peck, over his heart. Guardian didn’t enjoy wasting time but understood that rushing Max wouldn’t be good for the future.

They then departed, discovering the first active crime. A gas station being robbed by a solo assailant. The assailant was dressed in a loose black hoodie and faded blue jeans. He was waving a gun in the cashier’s face, berating her as she gave him money. The