Chapter 4

Tessa's heart sunk. She knew his words to be true. No one was coming. Her only hope was to save Medo herself. 

"Well if your so confident then tell me about this supposed false history. " She stated bluntly. 

Odade shook his head, "I have come entirely too far to be distracted now. You wouldn't believe me anyway...at least not yet. But I know someone you might listen to...Come, number 3..awaken. " 

A bright white orb flew from his staff and embedded itself in one of the statues. The statue immediately changed becoming a wind elemental. The figure turned around, approaching the barrier. Tessa could not believe her eyes. It was her older sister in her transformed state. 

"ST...STELLA! How....are you here?!? "

"Hello little sister. My how you have grown. You look just like Mom...it truly is good to see you. Though it could be on better terms. " 

The sudden appearance of her dead older sister had Tessa visibly shaken, seemingly lost for words. In truth she was afraid of her sister. Stella had become unbelievably strong. Her core was at least on the 6th stage. She had visibly manifested armor that swirled around her like a bladed dress. Her aura was so powerful that it made her feel insignificant and puny. 

Stella continued talking while Odade pulled red energy from Medo's core which slowly began to cover his entire body. 

"We were taught a false history. School tells us that the Great War ended with the 7 elemental clans banding together, raising up heroes that destroyed the mighty monsters outside the wall. This was not true. While the seven clans did take part in the war, they were not the heroes they claimed to be. There was an 8th clan, the shadow. Those born with a shadow core were unique in that they could absorb any type of energy and use it at will. This clan once ruled the nation. Odade's great great grandfather was the emperor who led his army into battle against the ancient monsters, ending the war. As they returned...the seven clans named them traitors because they feared their power. With great cunning and manipulation they forced the shadow clan to follow their every command or die. They destroyed the cores of the shadow, ensuring that even future generations would not be born with a working core thus creating the very first compressors. " 

Tessa couldn't believe what she was hearing. It simply was not true. There was no way. 

Odade interjected, "The stories about my parents were true. They did perform experiements....just not upon hunters. They experimented on other compressors. Even their own son. Thanks to this sacrifice, I was able to do things other compressors could not. Why?!? To regain freedom! Now, thanks to Medo I can finally be rid of these accursed markings. The time has come. I have his ability. Stella, summon the others. You all must help strengthen me during this time. " 

Stella waved her hand and the orbs Odade had collected flew across the room into the six other statues. The cores seemed to sink into the strange stones and then flared to life. They transformed from rock into powerful elementals of every element. Each one was easily as strong as Stella with the exception of the apparent newest member, Medo. 

"MEDO! " Tessa yelled out as she saw him in his elemental form. Which was very disconcerting considering his human body was on the stone table. "You can't seriously be joining him? Right?!?" 

Medo shook his head at her as he took his own body off the stone table and moved it to the side. "You haven't seen what I have. Odade will make sure you are not harmed. I'm sorry Tessa, you can't change my mind. " 

The seven powerful elementals moved to the edges of the room as Odade climbed on the stone table. He was surrounded by a red energy which Tessa recognized as the flame wolf's regeneration ability. 

No one would listen to her. She yelled for them to listen to reason, to stop this madness. Beating upon the barrier with her bare hands she realized that they were all ignoring her. 

Seven different colors of energy arced through the air as the elementals shared their power with Odade. Odade floated into the air above the table as he began the process of removing his compressor markings. His whole body glowed as the runes activated. 

Tormented screams escaped his lips as Odade's body began to be ripped apart on the molecular level. 

With the added strength of the elementals energy the regeneration ability was able to keep pace. His flesh regenerated as quickly as it was destroyed. 

Tessa realized this was the opportunity she had been waiting for. No one was paying attention to her. Focusing, she transformed into her elemental state. 

She knew time was of the essence so she began to build as much power into one blast as she could. 

Odade's screams had begun to die down somewhat, so Tessa knew it was now or never. She saw Zarthias turn his eyes towards her, no doubt able to sense her energy, but he was unable to stop what he was doing. 

Tessa sent the blast into the miniscule crack she had noticed in the barrier. The lightning left her hand and smashed into the barrier, worming it's way into the crack. It splintered, spreading across the barrier but it was not enough. 

Odade now had a dark purple glow emanating from his chest. Tessa was confused, overwhelmed with emotion. So many thoughts ran through her head that she couldn't focus. She believed that Odade had used some sort of mind control to make the others obey. 

"I HAVE TO SAVE THEM! " She thought to herself. "Even if I die! I will stop Odade!" 

Pushing aside all other thoughts, Tessa focused on her lightning. With every ounce of willpower in her possession she shaped the lightning into the form of a drill. Surprisingly,it worked. The lightning became the object of her desire and drilled into the barrier. With every moment the drill caused more and more cracks to form. 

With a great 'SNAP!' the barrier broke, disintegrating into particles of light. 

All of the powerful elementals turned to look at Tessa in surprise but none of them moved or spoke. Building up lightning, she blasted herself forward, intent upon knocking Odade away with her own body. 

It worked, but not in the way she imagined. 

Tessa slammed into Odade, knocking him across the room like a rag doll. 

 Then suddenly she was floating outside of her own body looking down at herself. Time seemed to have frozen, allowing her to look around at what was happening. 

Tessa's body appeared to be trapped within the energy from the seven elementals. When she knocked Odade out of the way her elemental form became the object of a vast energy transfer. Peering close, she saw her own core. A tumultuous sphere of lightning that crackled and sparked wildly within. 

Something was happening to it though. The seven colors of energy were penetrating the edges of core, seeping into it. As they touched upon the lightning the colors swirled in a circle, spinning like a vortex to the middle. In the very center was a bright white light that grew larger and larger until it encompassed the entire core. 

Suddenly she was back in her body. Tessa could feel the different types of energy flowing, connecting to her. Her mind touched upon the elementals, understanding their thoughts. It was perplexing for they truly desired to follow Odade. He was not controlling them at all. 

 She knew everything and yet nothing. It was as though she could see for miles and yet not feel her own body. The flow of information and power was too much for her to handle. Unable to retain her elemental state she was forced to return to her human form. 

She heard Odade say, "You are too late, Tessa. It is complete. Stop the transfer before it kills her. " 

The elementals stopped the energy transfer, causing Tessa to fall to the stone table with a light 'thud'. 

 Her consciousness was quickly fading like she was about to black out. Her eyelids felt so heavy...she could barely hold them open. 

Tessa heard voices but the young womans mind had become muddled, clouded like a dense fog had settled in so it was unclear who was speaking. 

" Her core has changed..." 

"You cannot allow her to live.....She will become a threat...." 

"You can't kill her! We had a deal!" 

"Leave the girl. We have no need for her. Nothing will stand in our way. " 

The last voice was deep and booming which caused her to pry open her eyes to see who it was. 

No longer was Odade the diminutive man she remembered. In his place was a massive 7 foot tall elemental shrouded in darkness with a deep purple glow radiating from inside his chest. 

"A shadow core.. " Tessa thought to herself as her consciousness faded into darkness.