The electricity was frightening. The closer they got the fiercer it became. Alex’s barrier became a magnet to the electricity as it battered against it. Small cracks appeared, allowing small sparks to erupt inside the barrier, making Jimmy jump.
“How can it penetrate your shield, Master?” yelled Chris.
This was what had happened before, back in the alleyway and Alexander stopped when the lightning became too much. Jimmy turned his hand to rock and tried to hold the barrier.
“The lightning burns,” he screamed.
Chris pulled Jimmy behind him. Alex knew this was not ordinary lightning: rock should not be affected at all, let alone to the degree the lightning had affected Jimmy.
“Another pulse coming!” screamed Chris.
“Ice the barrier,” replied Alexander, his voice slightly quavering, but calm.
Chris touched the barrier, turning it to ice a second before the wave hit. The wave shattered the ice, flinging the group, unconscious, to the floor a couple of doors away.
Chris awoke to pitch blackness. The lightning had stopped and the Head Master was on his feet, trying but unable to enter Max’s room, an invisible barrier keeping him out.
“Let us try. We’ve been invited in before,” said Chris, slowly standing upright.
Chris lifted a blinking Jimmy to his feet and then made his way to the door.
“I’m coming in, Max,” called Chris.
Max groaned. He could barely move his body, but he had to get to his desk. He crawled to his chair and summoned all his strength to lift himself up and grab the sealing ring from the envelope. When he placed the sealing ring on top of the full black ring around his scar, the ring took effect immediately, restricting his power and leaving Max with a black quarter ring. He could feel the connection open up, giving him twenty-five percent of his full power. He keeled over and lay on the ground as Chris and Jimmy crouched next to him.
“It’s good to see you,” Max mumbled as he grabbed Jimmy’s hand. “What happened?” Jimmy’s hand had turned red and begun to swell up. Jimmy shook his head. “It’s nothing,” he replied.
Deep down, though, Max knew it was his power that had done this, but how? How many were injured because of him?
* * *
It was eight forty-five the next morning when Max turned the handle to the Head Master’s office and peered around the door.
“Come in,” said Alexander, grimly.
Max closed the door behind him and sat opposite Alexander. There was a tension between the two and silence reigned for a moment.
Finally: “Do you know what happened?” asked Alexander.
“No, Sir.”
Alexander grew silent, his eyes fixed on Max, carefully choosing his words.
“You matured. That means your scar goes black with ink and your power grows.”
Max sat in silence. This was all new to him.
“How many?” he asked, quietly.
“In the dojo, only me and you,” replied the Head Master.
“What does this mean?”
“I don’t know,” sighed the Head Master.
“What do we do now?”
“You carry on with your class schedule,” said Alexander.
“What if this happens again?” He was terrified of hurting anyone else.
“You can only mature once. You will be fine. Now, off you go.”
Max made his way off the Masters’ level, taking no notice of the big statue as he passed. He entered the history classroom, which was noisy with the students’ chatter. As he walked in, the noise quietened and he could see that everyone was whispering about him. They had never seen anyone mature before and it was obviously a hot topic throughout all three schools. Max took a seat next to Rachel, slouching low and wishing he could disappear down the pillar. His chain of thought was broken by Rachel’s comment.
“They have been waiting for those posters for months now,” she said, trying to take his mind off the events of the previous night.
“What posters?” Max questioned, jerked back to the present.
“Didn’t you notice the ten people at the back?” Rachel laughed.
“I did, but you know I try to avoid big groups.” She grinned wryly and indicated for him to go and look. He got to his feet, making his way to the back of the room and the group. The ten people dispersed on Max’s approach, except for one boy, who stood in place, trying to take a good look at Max’s ink scar. The back wall held four posters of what looked like Gods.
The poster on the left held the image of what appeared to be a political looking man with a white beard. His posture conveyed that he was a man of importance. White robes wrapped his body from his left shoulder down to his waist.
The poster next to this showed the most beautiful woman Max had ever laid eyes on. Her skin looked bright with warmth and her hair was long and curled over her shoulders. Hazel eyes that no man could look at without being dazzled. But there was something else besides her beauty; she looked like the kindest and gentlest person in the world. No other woman Max had seen came close.
At the bottom of the poster, the name “Vita” in big bold letters stood out like a light in the darkest of places. “Life” it said, just under the name.
“She is the mother of all powers,” said Rachel, once again showing how smart she was.
Max skipped over to the third poster. The man looked like he had been in plenty of wars, with angry scars across his chest and shoulders. He looked like a stern and bold kind of man, no hint of a smile on his face. He looked straight ahead in the poster, giving Max the impression that he was still engaged in battle.
He wore battle armour that shone brightly, ensuring that he would stand out from the rest of his platoon and which would inject fear into the heart of his enemy. The armour was lined with gold and he held a shield in his right hand and a spear in his left. He looked like a man who would run, rather than walk, and always be the first into battle. Long, dark blond hair hung beside blue eyes that stared out from a helmet that covered most of his head. Max’s eyes ran down to the name at the bottom: “Cleon” with one word beneath it: “Glory.”
The last poster was different from the rest and had a golden outline around it. “Philo,” was the name Max read, the writing in gold lettering and placed under his feet.
This man had a kind face and was pictured on one knee, looking up. He looked extremely strong, the kindness in his face overpowered by his muscular body. He had black hair and brown eyes, with iron skin with no scars.
He and Rachel made their way back over to their seats. Rachel was finding it impossible to keep the eye contact to a minimum and she couldn’t help but glance at him every few seconds.
“Can you not eyeball me? It’s bad enough the rest of the school is doing it,” said Max in a slightly irritated tone.
Rachel said nothing, turning bright red as she tried to avoid his eyes.
“Now, if everyone could please turn around,” said Ms. Figg, walking to the back of the class and standing before the first poster.
“Everyone should know who this is,” said the teacher, pointing her long ruler at the white robes of the politician.
“Cato,” yelled someone at the back.
“Correct, but the main focus on this lesson today is this man here,” she said, pointing to Cleon, the man in the battle armour.
The students went quiet, waiting for her presentation on the Gods.
“I have some notes with information highlighted, so if you could hand them out, James, that would be much appreciated.”
James got up from his chair, taking the notes from her hand, and laid one on every desk.
“I will give you some time to read on your own, but don’t forget there is a test next Friday, so it would be wise to study that highlighted information.”
Max was surprised to find himself hugely interested in the subject of the Gods. He picked up his piece of paper and began reading.
“The God gifted with every power
except the elements. There have been many different accounts from people who recall seeing a Godly figure fly through the air as if he was a hawk. Others said he had the strength of a thousand men, being able to stop a comet from hitting the Earth. What was feared the most by his enemies was that the variety of his abilities made him unpredictable. The first school in his name was put up in his birthplace of Rome. Many others followed with the expansion of powers that were spread out across the planet. One of the most useful and well-known powers held by Cleon was the ability to teleport wherever he wished. Upon seeing the destination in his mind it took only seconds until he reached the desired spot. The credit for a great many discoveries has been attributed to him.
It has been questioned how such a powerful man could vanish from the Earth without a trace. It has been written down in the scroll of Cleon that he had crumbled under the weight of the many powers he possessed. In other writings, it was said that there was an agreement between the Gods to give up their powers to the people, so that they could rest in the temple of Vita and watch over the Earth in its development.”
Max finished reading, feeling his problems somewhat lifted from his shoulders. He had developed enormous respect for the Gods since he had begun to learn about them. He knew that they were real. Others might call him crazy, but he could feel some sort of connection to the immortal beings.
“Before I let you go to break are there any questions?”
The room was quiet as the students looked around them, waiting for the first question to pop up.
Max put up his hand. “Who was stronger out of Cleon and Philo?” he asked, genuinely interested.
“That’s a very masculine question, Maximus. Truthfully I couldn’t answer that, too many debates on the topic,” she replied.
Max wasn’t satisfied with her answer. He wished he could see them all in person. What a sight that would have been, Max thought.
“Yes, Jill.”
“What’s the deal with the schools that he started?” she asked.
“They were set up for the same reason as Philo’s were, to provide education to Power Users. However, the number of schools is almost triple that of the Elementrix branch. They first expanded all across Europe, covering the United States, down through India and then all across the world,” she said, walking around the front of the class and avoiding the sunny spot on the floor.
“What is the Vita temple?” another girl shouted out.
Ms. Figg hesitated, seeing that they were drifting from the topic of Cleon. “That’s for another time; it is already hot and sticky and you guys can’t keep still, so off you go,” she said, watching the students exit the classroom, wanting that fresh, cool air.
It was now two days until the first Assessments began. All the foreign students were training hard, displaying their skills for Max to study. He sat on the rock overlooking the training.
“Too slow,” he muttered to himself, watching one of Master Lee’s students swinging his swords. He had noticed that the pressure from the other night had grown. The knowledge that he had put his friend in a cast was scary. He had lost control of his power, injuring almost half the school. “That’ll go down in the history books,” they said behind his back. Their piercing eyes stayed in his mind.
“Are you all right?” asked Chris, appearing from behind Max and grabbing his shoulder.
Max jerked with shock, losing his balance and plummeting over the edge of the rock. For a second, he floated in mid-air before falling towards the field with a scream. Chris leapt off the edge, caught hold of Max by the collar and Max found himself sliding down an icy pathway to the ground. Max jolted, releasing enough energy to make the boys split in opposite directions, tumbling onto the ground. All activity on the field stopped, the students watching as Max grabbed a sword and stormed towards Chris.
“What are you doing?!” yelled Chris.
Anger ripped through Max as he swung the sword at Chris. Quickly, Chris produced an ice sword, blocking Max’s attack.
A flurry of quick blows was traded, leaving both boys dripping with sweat. The crowd around them grew larger, impressed by the display of skill.
“You know better than to sneak up on me!” Max yelled.
“You are pushing the only friends you have away from you,” Chris shouted back.
“Exactly. If you’re not my friend I won’t be able to hurt you,” Max said with quiet desperation.
“That’s not the right way and you know it. We are all stronger together than alone,” said Chris.
“I will not be the end of you.”
“You’re right. You won’t,” said Chris throwing his sword down at Max’s feet. “I’m done,” said Chris, as he turned his back and disappeared into the crowd.
Chapter 13
The First Assessment
Maximus struggled to open his tired eyes, feeling a violent tugging on his arm. Bright light filtered through his eyelids.
“Wake up, you’re going to miss the opening of the Assessments,” yanked Jimmy.
“It doesn’t start until midday,” Max complained, pulling his arm free and turning under his blankets.
“You have to eat breakfast; it’s the most important meal of the day.”
“Yes, Dad.” Max sighed and threw back the blankets.
The dining room at breakfast was filled with lots of excited students. Deep black uniforms with expensive blazers and very sharp dress pants and shoes adorned the Elementrix Main students. Master Lee demanded that the uniforms were tailor-made for each individual student. Max could only just make out the badge; a dragon with “Main” printed underneath was stitched into the blazer.
His chain of thought was broken as he spotted Chris. Max could still feel the tension as he made eye contact and Chris immediately looked away, sitting down next to a group of students.
“What is the name of Danny’s school?” asked Max, flicking his head towards Chris’s table, where he sat with Danny and his friends. The uniforms surrounding him were a different colour than those of the Main. Danny’s school insisted on paler colours: light blue and white blazers surrounded the table. Their badge showed a sabre-toothed tiger raking the air with its giant claws.
“They’re Elementrix Spear,” replied Dave from Max’s left.
“Why Spear?” queried Jane.
She had yet to hear the story. It was on her wish list to visit the school in Rome; she had heard unbelievable tales of the school’s set-up. Columns of old Roman stone carvings welcomed visitors to the old school. The settlement was as old as the Pillar, with huge bath houses for all the students. Summer was hot and fields of wheat and grain coved the vast landscape. The students were taught how to produce the food they ate, learning from a young age how to sustain a healthy lifestyle of work and training. This was the reason their personalities differed from those who attended the Pillar and Main. The students were reserved and polite, hesitant about stepping into danger.
It was Jimmy who told the story.
“I heard that the establishment was home to the strongest Nons the world had ever seen. Their choice of weapon was a spear in the master hand and a shield in the other.
“For four days the brave men held the fort against an enemy that was no man, but rather a beast hunting them for food. For four days the beast stalked the fort, circling its fortifications as if studying them. On the fifth day the gates were left open for the beast. The animal approached the men with caution and then… BOOM!” yelled Jimmy to the shock of the table, making them jump with surprise and filling the hall with laughter.
“How dare you!” yelled Jane, hitting Jimmy on the arm.
Max found the story intriguing, wanting more. “Carry on!” he shouted over the laughter.
“Well, the battle was fierce and the beast took the lives of half the squad, but the men eventually prevailed. The head of the beast was set on a spear in the middle of the settlement for all to see. And that’s why the school is called Spear and that’s why the badge has the emble
m of a sabre-toothed tiger,” concluded Jimmy.
“Wow. But if that’s the case, then why are they so conservative now?” questioned Jane.
“I guess times have changed,” replied Max.
At that point, the doors to the main hall opened with a thud. The Elites from Pillar entered. This was the first time Max had seen the formal dress of the Pillar. It comprised a white blazer with red incorporated in a pattern down the sides, ending in a point. The rest of the outfit was white, with square, boxy dress shoes.
His eyes rested upon Hilary’s as she entered. The girls’ blazers were more feminine, with a thin scarf to cover the neck.
Hilary spotted Max straight away. She hadn’t had time to ask him about the previous night’s incident and she blushed as his eyes met hers. She wanted to talk to him, but the thought of being in his room scared her; the writing on the wall made her feel uncomfortable. How many generations had lived there? How many secrets lay engraved in the walls?
“Keep your eyes up,” she said, as she passed Max with a huge smile.
His eyes had wandered from her face to her chest. His honest intention had been to examine the badge, but nevertheless, he felt himself blushing.
He had, however, seen that the badge depicted two lions, which stood on their back legs facing one another with swords crossing in the middle. Max tugged on Jimmy’s shirt.
“What does our symbol mean?” asked Max, pointing at the Elites.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“Try me,” grinned Max.
“It means that even the king of the jungle has a weapon.”
“Whoever designed it should stick to mopping floors,” commented Max, looking more closely at the detail of the lions.
“The lion represents the king of all animals. Since we are the founding Elementrix school we are the king school,” replied Jane, squeezing chocolate sauce all over her pancakes.
“Well, we all know who is going to top the Assessments!” yelled Mark at the top of his lungs.
“Pillar Hoo Haa!” repeated the Pillar students.
Maximus Thatcher Page 17