Chapter 2:

Forthwith (all of a sudden)

Elemental Solicter


It has been 2 years since Marlin adopted Jack and Aden. Now, Jack is a tall and well-built boy though only 14 years old with black and pinch brown eyes. It was a start of a new morning and Jack was still sleeping on his bed until sunlight flashes on his face through the glass window and he woke up "A new day began, let's see what has been stored for me?". He says to himself. Before leaving his bed Jack smells something, "Aaah...not this again, June". (Falls of his bed due to his hasty habits).

A few moments later...

"June, this is the 3rd time in a row your stupid cat has pee on my bed". Jack comes rushing from his room towards the staircase where June and Aden were standing, with his bed sheet in one of his hands and questioning June about her cat's regular behavior. "Huh! I don't know why does he like your bed? Maybe he thinks it's already dirty with you sitting, so what difference would it make". June taunted Jack. "What did you say?” Jack questioned June with a frustrating tone. Aden steps into the conversation saying “Calm down brother... we will clean it together". "Ok, now breakfast is ready you guys" Marlin shouts from the kitchen. Even after a minute, no one responds. "Geez, what happened". Marlin asks herself.

Their house had a ground floor and a 1st floor, June, Jack and Aden were having their arguments on the 1st floor on the staircase whereas Marlin was shouting from the ground floor from the kitchen. "Huh! Still no response. (Hears arguments) Stop fighting you both on that stupid cat Lemo again and come here on the table for breakfast". Marlin orders everyone.

After that, within a flash of a second everyone arrives at the table. It was a cold silence on the table, even one movement of the chair was having a huge disturbance on the decorum of the room. Breaking this silence Marlin interrogates Jack. "Jack, so now how is it going on with the professor your studies and all?” "Oh yeah, it's going quite well. Doc has been teaching me everything he could since the past 2 years". Jack replies in a flash. “What about you, Aden?" Marlin asks Aden. "Well, I don't know. I am still struggling to find out where can I be perfect? As you said to work in the medical department till I find out what's good for me, I am just doing that". Aden replied to Marlin. Giving Aden a morale boost Marlin says," Don't worry, you will find it out soon". Facing Jack, Marlin asks him, “Jack you do remember, what I told you yesterday, don't you? With a puzzled face, Jack stares at Marlin. "Gah! You forgot right." Marlin with a disappointing face asks Jack. "Of course not. I do remember you told me that you will be visiting the Central province to meet your friends and told me as the second eldest member of our home to return home early for today". Jack replied with a confident face. "Good, you never disappoint me, Jack". Marlin praises Jack.

"Yes yes, yes. Finally, the day I was waiting for, has arrived. Doc told me when I will be having a long day off we are going to try something special and today is that day. Not like the other days when due to Marlin, I always had to return home early". Jack was talking with himself. "Ok now leave you three we will meet at dinner". Marlin orders everyone. Jack left the house to move towards Dr Marco's lab for his experiment.

“Please, leave me today I don't have any cash". With a crying tone, a boy was begging the group of 2 boys to leave him.

On his way towards Doc's lab, Jack notices something unusual happening on the street and decided to wait and watch it. At the same time, there were also some military officers passing by and watching this scene. "Hey, shouldn't we shall stop it? One of the officers asked his partner. “No. There is no point even if we stop it today. This happens daily with these people in one or the other corner of the street. Just do a blind eye and move on". Saying this much both the officers take a leave from there.

The Northern Province people were thrown out of their province due to some military activities going on. The people of the Northern Province were all scattered around the whole Berland. They were outcasted, tortured and humiliated by the people of every province.

"What, you forgot to bring the cash? You worthless runt". One of the boys shouts at the boy and kicks on his stomach, the boy losses his balance and falls to the ground. "How many times, shall I say? I don't have any...” The boy shouts above his tone on both the boys but got interrupted by one of the boys kicking on his face. The boy's nose started to bleed he was only able to open his eyes a bit. The boy who kicked shouted at him. "How dare you even speak without our permission, have you forgotten your place. You shouted at me with that loud blatant mouth of yours in our home (province)".

One of the boys notices a bag with the boy and tells his partner." This scum must be lying just like another day. Let's check out his bag". Both of them move their hands towards the boy's bag but suddenly someone catches their hands from behind. "Enough of this already. Leave him". The unknown person was Jack and was requesting the boys to leave the poor boy alone. One of the boys waved his hand the one caught by Jack and says, “Why don't you mind your busi...". Jack interrupts the boy by punching on his face and another one by kicking on his stomach. "Aaah...aah" both of the boys were crying due to their pains and were bleeding from their nose and the second one was spitting blood out of his mouth. "You got your lesson now get lost". Jack orders both of the boys to leave and hearing that they both ran from there without even looking behind.

Jack gives the boy a hand and says, “Hey, get up. Tell me what your name is?” The boy gets up catching Jack's hand. “Thank you" saying this much the boy ran from there. "Hey, wait". Jack shouts and calls the boy but the boy runs away without even looking behind. Jack was also in a hurry so he decided to move on.

Jack started walking on his path towards Doc's lab. Dr Marco was an engineer who used to work in the technical department; also he was the leader of his department until he resigned. Doc was not much happy with the sudden change of the government after the apocalypse. Due to the death of King Ledberd their younger son took the crown and he was the one behind the shifting of government. Doc believed people to be free like a bird but the military government is what makes people believe that they are in a cage. Even so, Doc never agreed in a democratic nation either. It was like he is fighting with his own dark thoughts and then coming to a conclusion, he was a complete mystery man. Jack reaches Doc's lab which was outside the city on a plain land with a huge Saraca asoca tree outside. As soon as Jack opens the door there comes a sound, "You are late today, Fowler". Doc said to Jack checking his watch. “Yeah, it was a little messed up on the street". Jack replied.

After some time Jack asks Dr Marco "So shall we begin"?

“Surely. I am only waiting for my subordinates to show up then we can start". Doc replied. Doc's lab was a dark grey room mostly dull, except there was another cubicle room in the middle of the huge lab. Its walls were of the same height as the parent room rejecting that it had a large glass at the far side wall beside the door. Though Dr Marco was passionate about engineering but by heart he was a Chemistry Lover. He loves to mix up the matters and see the astonishing results out of them. For him, "Chemistry" is just another word for "LOVE". And that was the time when I joined Doc as he was in a need of an assistant; also I had a bit of interest in engineering so it worked out well.

“Good morning, Doc". One of the subordinates enters the room greeting Doc. One behind the other everyone arrived for the experiment we planned. We were going to try to make the mightiest, the most exclusive Elemental Stone. This is the powerhouse for the Gages used by the Solicters. The apparatus we needed was brought by Doc, after a long wait of 2 years, we were performing this today. Doc assigned all 5 of us the tasks.

"Did you hear the news? Again one of the Solicters was brutally murdered by those hoodlums". The most talkative one shares the news with everyone.

“Yeah. I did hear. At the start, we had 20 Solicters in total in our province but now that number has been reduced to 10. The wise one replied.

"Well, I would be ready to give my life for the country. Because being one of those Solicters is just so much awesome!” A troublesome shares his wish.

“Shut your mouth. They are among the country's elite soldiers. As for you, you are the biggest troublemaker in this whole Berland". The pretentious of everyone replied.

And right at that moment a flask of liquid fells down and breaks by the troublesome.

"See what did I tell you?" Pretentious one taunts the troublesome.

"Yeah, yeah... Whatever. Troublesome replies.

“Jokes apart. I have heard that the military is recruiting new people for Solicters to fill up the voids. The wise one declares a statement. (Facing Jack) What do you think, wish to try? Wise one asks Jack.

"No, not interested. I do think they are marvelous and all but I am not the kind of the guy who loves fighting." Jack denies.

"Even so I say that, I honestly want to be one of those but not because of their marvelous things but I want to be a traveler and explore this world". Jack talks with himself.

“Hey, enough of your trash talks. Get your hands on deck". Doc shouted at everyone.

Finally, after a long day, we finished preparing everything we needed. And now we were ready to perform it. We were performing it in the cubicle room, and we arranged everything we needed in the room.

"Fowler, it's a little risky so better be out of the room and close the door from outside". Doc ordered Jack to be out of the room. Jack moved out and was watching everything through the glass window.

Doc added everything in a beaker. At first, it showed a yellow colour then suddenly the solution changed again in orange colour.

After that, Doc sprinkled something on the solution, and now the solution starts boiling with vital fumes coming out of it. After few moments the solution settled down with a red colour.

"Doc, what's next?” The pretentious one asks Doc.

“This is the required result. Just wait let me find out my syringe then we will test it on the mother frog". Doc replied and moved on to check on his table for the syringe. Just after it the solution again starts to boil up and was changing its colour from red to blue. Even after few minutes, the boiling did not stop but the solution settled down with a blue colour.

The wise one asks Doc. "Hey Doc is it fine if the solution changes its colour from red to blue?” Doc was busy searching for his syringe and without looking he replies. “No, not really. It's kind of abnormal". (Looks towards the solution)

"Run...Run...Jack quick open the door". Doc orders Jack with a feared voice. Hearing it, Jack quick opens the door and steps his right leg inside the room to pull out Doc and his subordinates. But right at that moment the solution explodes and Jack gets dashed on the tree outside. The explosion was devastating. Jack opens his eyes and sees Doc and his subordinates body in front of his eyes.

“Doc...?" Jack cried out.

He tries to be on his legs but gets collapsed all of a sudden. He sees towards his legs, the left leg was fine but the right one was changed into a soft black substance which was so soft that with a gust of wind Jack's leg was flying in the air in pieces.

"AAAH...MY LEG"

HOW DID THIS HAPPENED?

Jack cried.

Jack faces forward and starts crawling towards Doc and his subordinates.

"PLEASE NO, IT SHOULD NOT BE WHAT I AM THINKING.

NO, IT'S NOT. STAY STRONG! STAY STRONG!”

Jack gives a boost to himself. But suddenly a gust of wind blows Doc and his subordinates body with Jack's leg far away.

"NOO... Dr MARCO...?

Jack cried out loud.

After screaming his eyes gets slowly shuts down and he faints.