Fire

Apollo took me to a room, it was all white and the only thing there was the big door they just walked through. It was ominous but safe at the same time, especially with the beaming lights that came down and danced around the room.

"Listen up kid, to be good at Zoe you need to know what it is." Apollo walked back and forth like he was a professor or an evil genius explaining an invention.

"Zoe is part of your essence, part of your energy, and linked to the brain. When you use Zoe it's physical and mental, you need to learn how to use both of those sides of your body to accurately use Zoe." Apollo said like a guide or a manual.

"There are three types of Zoe, Elemental, Detection, and Specialty Zoe. The one you're going to learn today is Elemental Zoe, and with enough training and focus, we can have you using it by next week. Regardless of that, Elemental works by focusing all your energy on the element you have. For example, I have earth, I focus all my energy on the earth bending and output of moving earth. You can also think of words, texture, and other things you find useful to help you use Elemental Zoe.

"So, how do I use Zoe?" I asked confused.

"Great question. For starters let's try to use your physical side of Zoe by trying to learn your element. If you calm down and evaluate yourself while learning your element you can find which element you belong to. I would say you need to try to get Zoe following through you but for some reason, you have Zoe already in your system, like your friend Goldie had." Apollo said, walking towards the big door in the white empty room before starting again.

"Alright, so your first task I-" Apollo got cut off. The room went dark and they couldn't see anything anymore. The room changed to an outside environment and Apollo was nowhere to be seen.

"We're under attack, I knew it. Koji was right about them knowing where the base is." I said in his head running around the environment he was put inside of. I ducked into this jungle area where I saw something I never wanted to see again... A No-Name.

CHAPTER 6: Fire

"What do I do? How did the no-names get inside of this facility, let alone inside of the room? Never mind that Z think of something, think, think!" Was all that was going through my head until it clicked. I then grabbed one thin and small, the other thick and long. As quietly as possible I laid down then started by putting the thick stick on the floor and put the small stick against it at a 45-degree angle and started to rub them together with all his energy.

I've never felt so scared in my life. Here I am making all this noise and a no-name is only a few steps back, one wrong move and he is eaten. Then to ease him the wood started to turn to charcoal and there was slight smoke coming from the area in which I was rubbing them together. Then I grabbed some straw that was nearby and made charcoal. It then started to make fire, as that was catching a higher flame. I grabbed two rocks and a thick stick, that wasn't as thick as the one he made the fire with but it'll have to do.

Tied the two rocks together with the stick in between, with his drawstring from his pants. Lastly, added a sharper point to the stick I crafted and grabbed more sticks. Put the now-going fire in front of him and picked up the sticks and started to throw each stick with fire on them saving the one he crafted for last.

It was going well, at first I missed horribly but after 2 sticks out of the 15, I was starting to hit with almost perfect acracy The No-Name was screaming in pain but it was still living. After I threw around 5 he started to feel at ease seeing the no-name screaming in pain still. That's when it stopped screaming and the fire on the No-Name went out and started to charge toward my direction. With that, I did the most logical thing I could... started to run towards a scorched volcano area.

"Nothing makes sense, first Apollo just disappears while they're under attack. Then I ran around and found a No-Name who manages to light one on fire and almost defeat it, just for it to stop the fire on his body and run straight towards me. Now he is in a scorched volcano area with lava lakes and random fire. This doesn't make any sense, but I couldn't have a chance to think because the earth under me was starting to shake and move on it.

I turned around to see a No-Name was inching closer and closer with no delay. I didn't realize it before but was eating something that he couldn't quite make out. Was it an animal like a Zebra or rabbit? It was quite decent in size considering the No-Name needed to use all its rows of teeth to chomp on the poor thing. The mouth of the No-Name was dripping with red blood, oozing all over his mouth the same with his eyes. He had sharp cuts all over his body as well, like something or someone was trying to fight it and lose horribly. Wait, sharp cuts all over its body, that's like Apollo wolf form. It had to be of decent size too, no. No. No! Again! It happened again! I'm still to wea-

I couldn't breathe. Not only from shock but the environment. The lava around them was high in temperature and smoke, he was losing oxygen fast and the No-Name wasn't getting slower. What can I do? What can I do right now? my brain came to nothing, and my thoughts were starting to become mush and unhelpful. "What would Alfred do? What would Apollo do? The Detective team? My grandma? My parents? What would they do?" Was going through my head while trying to run as fast as he can.

I'm running out of time, think. Think! I was trying to prevail, it was nothing. The air was getting almost unbreathable and his energy and mind were coming to a close but that's when he remembered what Apollo said before any of this happened.

"If you calm down and evaluate yourself while learning your element you can find which element you belong to. I would say you need to try to get Zoe following through you but for some reason, you have Zoe already in your system, like your friend Goldie had."

That's right, I already have Zoe, I need to calm down and focus on one of these elements and find out which one I can use. That's when I started to calm down and started to breathe. I was trying my hardest to stay calm but my focus snapped when thinking of Apollo dead and having to explain that to everyone, and coming to reality himself.

Even if Apollo is a crazy, egotistical, wolf-dog. He still liked Apollo for saving his life, willingly teaching him Zoe, and treating him with so much care. So Apollo being dead... That's when I saw grass and started to run with all the energy I had. I ran, and ran, and ran, and ran but my legs gave out on me due to the lack of oxygen.

"Come on Z, one more stroke of luck, one more," I said, trying to think about anything I can. That's when the No-Name opened its bloody mouth with multiple rows of teeth and started to rush toward me. That's when my adrenaline kicked in and I started to get up and sprint with an energy I'd never felt before.

"You think Apollo would want you to lose, You think he wants to mourn over his death by dying? Do you think he doesn't want you to get revenge for his friend? Huh, Z!?" I said to myself, picking myself up with all the energy in the world as I ran towards the grass field and ran towards a creek. "I don't want to get caught in the water. I've made some distance but I need to find my element, this is the best place to do so. I then closed his eyes and focused on his aura, his energy, his soul.

I then started to try to move the water, I tried while this time remaining calm. However, right when I thought I could do it my breathing got cut off and got brought me straight to my knees. "I'm too weak. I can't do anything. Every time I coward in fear, I have no right trying to avenge anyone when I can't even pick myself up off the ground or save someone in front of me. I'm a loser, a failure."

That's when I heard a voice as if there was a ghost "not yet, not this one yet, return to the last element, I'll help." a random voice said. "What? Who's there? Hello? Alfred? Kingsley?" That was all I could say before I saw the no-name coming this time from the left of him.

"How? Is he coming from my left? Shouldn't he be coming straight ahead, or maybe from my right?" That was all I could think about while I started to run towards the lava pits, listening to the man. I then took in all the oxygen I could before running back into the scorched volcano land. Once I got back there I tried to move the rock.

This has to be the element. The No-Name bent the rock so this has to be the one. Was I getting pranked? Was this all in some horrible overall prank? That was all I could think while I started to again start to lose my oxygen.

"Alright fine you got me, I've lost. You tricked me whoever you are. Was it you No-Name, who told me to go back to a place where I have no oxygen? Well good job making it seem like you can't speak, then having some ghostly type voice in my head. I know I'm crazy enough to try anything. Well, guess what, you won!" Z screamed out, loud and with a sad and desperate cry. Sounding like his age for once in his life.

"D- Z, the earth is not the only element there. You need to think, I can't help without your full focus. Stay calm and use your energy correctly say words that remind you of the element, after that leave it to dear old-" The voice stopped talking and went quiet like he got his tongue caught in a twist.

I thought about what he said until it practically slapped him in the face. "I see, I've been so focused on the fire being bad that not even once did I think it could be useful." I then stood up and started to close his eyes and focus. This time thinking of how fire functions, and everything fire.

"Fire provides light, heat, and ashes." I thought before he heard the voice again

"This is the last time I'll help Z. You're a smart kid, so please act like it. You can't keep scratching the surface and think you're going to get deep results, you need to dig deep."

What does that mean? Although that was the last time the voice said anything to help me get to that answer.

"Okay, Z think, think, think. Well fire burns, fire cannot be controlled. Fire is something that spreads even if you don't touch it. When you think of hatred you think of a firing flame. Fire is flexible, it helps fire up a grill, or warm up a house. But can also burn down that house, or stop that grill from working. I'm missing that fire itself is beautiful but given to the wrong person, fire's beauty can be taken away and used for horrible motives.

When I said that I could feel it, how fire relates to my life overall. My life so far has been flexible and easy to cope with. When I lost my parents I had my grandma. When I lost my grandma I got to be with a secret agency that swore to take care of him. When I struggle to pick up on a concept I have a voice inside my head telling me what to do.

All this time I've been okay with it, letting it cool down in my head. Even when my grandma died I didn't want to cry over her death because I didn't want to let my guard down, or be vulnerable.

Now it comes to the question: what if I let this flame go just this once? What if I allowed myself to be truly angry? To not always think about the next step and instead think about myself? With that, I took a deep breath and started to focus on that.

"I feel it, the flame inside my body. I never knew I had a fire like this inside of me. I allowed my life to be subsided all this time, but now I can see. Sometimes you got to let go of all your emotions, all your pain. Some do by eating steaks, others cook, but I'll let my hatred go by letting go of my flames... Until the day I die!"

When I said that he was able to make his hand a little hot and almost bend fire.

"I still can't do it though," I screamed in frustration, getting upset with myself.

"That's where I come in,'' the voice said out of nowhere. That's when I started to release a flame so hot that even when the No-Name was some distance away it got blasted away. I never knew I could do any of this or was I?

As the No-Name got blasted something very weird happened, it disappeared. Not by the flame but out of existence. That's when the environment around him faded and I was back into the pale wall room and the big room only this time with a big burn mark on one of the walls and some sticks and rocks on the floor as well. Then the doors opened and Alfred and Apollo walked into the room and up to Z.

"Young man! Where did you learn to do that so easily?" Alfred said with a surprised face.

"I- I don't know," I said with a surprised and confused face.

"Can you do it again?" Apollo said, looking at him with a hint of shock on his face.

"I can try." Boy did I try but to my avail, no fire.

"Well, I don't want you to break yourself trying to do it. Just remember that sensation and you'll go a long way in this training. If you finish fast enough you can join them on the mission back to Phronesis." Alfred said looking at Z who started to cry a bit.

"Z? Crying? Have I walked into an alternate universe?" Apollo said getting a hit on the head by Alfred.

"I'm just happy you guys are alive, I was so scared of losing you guys. Which is ironic thinking I just met you guys. However, my grandmother was never able to do the things you guys can. You're both strong and funny and protect the people you love. It doesn't make me love her less, it's actually the opposite. Now faced with things and people I never had, I just can't help but feel something and realize how strong she was for giving up a life where she could of taken care of herself and instead gave a little light to me. Even though I wish I could of gave her a proper goodbye, I'm glad that she never truly gone. Because she was a good person and you guys are good people. So she kind of still here... O- I'm rambling, sorry point is, I'm glad you're all alive and our base isn't under attack." I could feel the giant smile on my face, and it felt good. That's when Apollo and Alfred both turned their backs on me at the same time.

"Guys?" I said looking at Apollo and Alfred having their back turned at me with small sounds of sniffles and shaking.

"We're fine." They said in unison, wiping their noses and eyes while turning around.

"Well I guess this is it for training today, we'll pick this up tomorrow," Apollo said, still stumbling with his words but gaining his composure and looking up at the ceiling.

"Before we leave, what on earth did you do to the room? I generally thought I was going to die!" I said with tons of shock in his voice.

"That's one of the new inventions we call the simulation. All it does is simulates an area to make it have the effect of whatever we need it to have. It's a little cliché to call it the simulation making this the simulation room, but who cares when you're 25 years ahead of technology? Estimated 25 years anyways, and for the air, I just made the air thin so it felt real in some places rather than others. The same goes for our team that was using different elements to give you the illusion of simulation because frankly, I didn't want to be the one doing all the work." Alfred said before checking his pocket watch.

"Cheese and crackers, I'm going to be late and miss half of the steak deal at the dinner," Alfred said, putting his pocket watch back into his pocket.

"Did someone say steak?" Apollo said, getting out of his thoughts and looking down.

"I said steak, and come on I knew this was coming. Z wanna come?"

"No thanks, I'm probably going to bed."

"Suit yourself, alright dog boy let's go."

"I'm looking over that insult for now because you promised me a steak," Apollo said following the shorter man out of the room.

"Ever since the other top-five went on the mission out of state, you started to accept more of my antics," Alfred said while laughing and Apollo blushing

With that, I went to his room and laid down on my bed. "I'm going to sleep forever. It's only 7 pm as well, I'm sleeping till 4 pm just in case I miss something important. With that, I closed my eyes, got comfortable, and started to slowly doze off.

Until I remembered the meeting about the No-Names he said he would be at 10 am. I cried tears of pain, sorrow, and misery. I then closed his eyes again and tried to go back to sleep. I felt the tiredness finally kicking in and he started to slowly drift into sleep.

Up until he heard a knock at the door. I marched up to the door and opened the door to a broken-hearted Kingsley with tears streaming down his face. All the anger he got for having to get up vanished when I saw Kingsley crying and the words that came out of his mouth.

"Z, I came to inform you that we will not be having the meeting tomorrow," Kingsley said, wiping his tears.

"That doesn't seem like something to cry about, Kingsley. I love the department but we can always reschedule."

"That's not why I'm crying, Z.." Kingsley said with a pause before continuing.

"Koji got poisoned while he was out with Aza, and he can't move. If we don't do anything quick he'll die."