Of Darkness and Shadows: Chapter 3

The next day, when Xavier woke up, he saw that everyone else had already woken up and that his sister Lidia was already making canned beans for breakfast. "Nice to see that you are finally up brother," Lidia said to Xavier smiling. Xavier looked around before finally saying, "Has our unknown host shown themselves yet?" Xavier asks Lidia noticing that their mysterious host has still not shown themselves yet. "Sadly no, but I'm sure that they will be here soon" Lidia replied in response to Xavier's question. "Well, I'm tired of waiting, so I suggest that we split up into groups, and then we look around the island for them, I mean after all they could be in trouble for all we know" Xavier points out as he suggests this to everyone.

Lidia just sighed as she said, "Alright, we'll separate into groups and look around the island after we finish eating, is that alright with everyone?" Lidia asks as she glances at the other Poptropicans as she said this to them, and the other Poptropicans nod agreeing with her, and with that Xavier sits down and he begins to eat with the other Poptropicans. After, they had all finished eating they got ready to separate into groups in order to go look around the island, and Xavier was deciding how many groups that they were each going to be in. However, right before Xavier could speak Octavia interrupted him saying, "Wait, why do you get to decide which groups we are going to be in, some of us might want to be in our own groups, and that just seems unfair" Octavia pointed out as she said this to Xavier. Xavier suddenly turns his head towards Octavia as he said, "Don't get snappy with me Missy, you will listen to what I have to say, or I will send you to detention, is that clear young lady?" Xavier shouts at Octavia in anger as he asks her this and Octavia looked confused as to why he was so upset all she did was ask him a question. "Xavier please, calm down," Lidia said quickly comforting Xavier in order to get him to calm down as she said, "Sorry everyone, he has some issues, just do what he says please," Lidia said begging them to do what he says.

The Poptropicans just glanced at each other for a moment or two, but then they nod agreeing with Lidia. "Alright, fine, tell us what you had in mind Xavier," Octavia said sighing. "Alright, here's the plan we'll split up into groups of two or more, and then using the map of the island to guide us we'll look around for our missing host," Xavier said explaining the plan to everyone. "Alright, who's going to be in each group then?" Lidia asks Xavier waiting for his response to the question that she just asked. "Alright, here are the groups, Octavia you will be partnered with Filera, and you two will search around the lake on the island, Amir and Winslow will search around the caves and see if there are any animals on this island, Ernie and Ilene will search around the mountains, Tim and Maria will look around the enchanted forest, and everyone else just spread out and see how much ground we can cover, and we'll all meet each other back at this tree once we have finished looking around the island, got it?" Xavier asks as he explained this to everyone.

The Poptropicans nod agreeing with Xavier, and with that everyone separates into groups, and they start to look around the island. Xavier and Lidia were looking around the field of decaying flowers to see if they could spot anyone. "Do you see anyone?" Lidia asks Xavier as she glances around the field of flowers to see if she could spot anyone. "Not really, and even though there's very little sunlight it's still blinding me," Xavier said trying to shield his eyes from the blinding sunlight by covering them with his hands. "I know what you mean," Lidia said as she moved her hands in order to do the same thing as Xavier was doing.

Suddenly, as Lidia was doing this, she notices that the wave of her hand makes the blinding sunlight move away from her, and Xavier. "Wow, did you see that?" Lidia asks Xavier confused as to what just happened. "See what?" Xavier asks Lidia confused as to what she meant. "Watch this" Lidia said fixing to show Xavier what she just did, and with that Lidia showed Xavier that she could move the sunlight and that she could make it brighter and brighter with just the wave and the movement of her hands. "Wow, how did you do that?" Xavier asks Lidia confused as to how she was doing this.

"I don't know" Lidia replied confused as to how she did what she just did. "Well, this is strange," Xavier said baffled as to how his sister was able to control the sunlight that was coming from the sun. Lidia just nodded agreeing with Xavier. Suddenly, Xavier felt himself being overwhelmed by this sudden urge to make the sky darker, and so being overtaken by this sudden urge inside him he raises his hands towards the sky and black looking smoke comes out of his hands heading towards the sky, and the black looking smoke seemed to be making the sky darker and darker as he was doing this, and Xavier seemed to smile an evil looking smile as he does this almost as if he was enjoying doing what he was doing to the sky as it continued to turn darker which each passing minute. "Um Xavier, are you alright?" Lidia asks her brother starting to look concerned for her brother as she asks him this.

Xavier suddenly shakes his head rapidly as Lidia asked him this turning him back to normal. "Wow, what just happened?" Xavier asks Lidia confused as to what just happened. Lidia was about to explain when suddenly the world around them, felt like it was spinning really fast around them, and then the next thing he knew the other Poptropicans who had separated into groups earlier were already back at the tree that was in the center of the decaying flower field that they were in right in front of them. "What, alright what just happened?" Xavier asks confused as to how everyone was back so fast. The other Poptropicans just started talking very fast and rapidly with each other arguing over whom should go first and tell them what had happened.

"Alright, settle down, enough, one at a time!" Xavier shouts telling everyone to calm down causing everyone to go silent as he shouts this at them. "Alright, Octavia and Filera you two go first, what happened," Xavier asks as he tells Octavia and Filera to go first. "Well, you see Filera and I were at the lake looking around for our missing host, the lake was very green, and there were no fish in it" Octavia began. "Yeah, and while Octavia and I were looking around for our missing host as we were talking with each other, Octavia fell into the lake, and I tried to help her, but the next thing I knew the water magically brought Octavia back onto dry land" Filera continued. "Yeah, and I didn't get wet at all, it was very strange that I did not get wet, anyway so we continued to look around for our missing host when we came across this log that was in our way, but then Filera here was somehow able to set the log on fire, and she didn't use a lighter or a torch, she did it with her own bare hands, and then the world started shaking, and then the next thing we knew we're here at the tree, and we have no idea how we got here" Octavia said finishing the story of what had happened while they were at the lake.

Intrigued by their story, Xavier then asks Amir and Winslow to go next. Amir and Winslow explained to Xavier that while they were exploring the caves, it suddenly got very windy in the caves that they were exploring the island, but then they explained that together they were somehow able to make the cold air and blazing winds cease in the caves, and that's when the world started shaking and then they were magically teleported back to the tree, they also added that there appeared to be no bears in the caves that they were exploring together only cobwebs and creepy spiders were in the caves as good as they could see anyway. Xavier then asks Ernie and Ilene to go next. They explained to Xavier that while they were exploring the mountains a huge boulder had suddenly come tumbling towards them, but Ernie was somehow able to make the boulder stop and move it out of the way without even touching it, and then a huge blizzard came out of nowhere, but Ilene was somehow able to make the blizzard stop, and that's when they were magically teleported back to the tree, they also added that there were no animals on the mountains that they were exploring. On a hunch, Xavier then asks everyone else to explain what had happened while they were exploring the island.

Wes explains that he was somehow able to control the weather while exploring the island with Eleanor, Eleanor explains that she was somehow able to control plants, Tim explains that he was somehow able to control time explaining how everyone had gotten there, so fast, and finally Maria explains that she was somehow able to control magic, and they all claimed to discover these powers while exploring the island. Xavier then begins to pace around in a circle pondering something while doing so. "Hum all of these stories are different, but they all have one thing in common, they have all claimed to discover new abilities that they didn't know they had before, and there are no animals or other Poptropicans insight on this island, but what could this all mean, there has to be a scientific explanation for all of this" Xavier said saying all of his thoughts out loud. "I can tell you what it all means because I am the one who brought you all here to this island" a mystic, magical, and mysterious voice came from behind Xavier as it said this all to him. Xavier is startled by this voice as he looks around asking, "Who said that?" Xavier asks confused as to where the voice came from.

"I did, I'm right behind you Xavier" came the mysterious voice again as it said this to Xavier. Xavier turned around only to see everyone staring at the tree for some odd reason. "I am the tree of magic, and I am the one who summoned you all from all across Poptropica to this island, this, will be the only time that I will be able to speak to you because I am using all of the magic that I have left in order to keep this island alive, so listen carefully" said a voice from the tree that they were all staring at. "Alright, the tree is talking, tell us oh great talking tree, why did you bring us here?" Lidia said trying to be polite to the talking tree as she asks it this. "I have brought you all here because you Poptropicans are the elemental bearers that were prophesied to be here one day" the tree replied in response to Lidia's question. "What, that's impossible, if we are the elemental bearers, then why are we just discovering these powers now?" Xavier asks the tree skeptical of this whole thing.

"You have always had these powers, you Poptropicans just never made an effort to unlock your true potential, and so your powers had decided to make themselves known to you when the time came for you to use them, and it looks like the time has finally come for you to use them" the tree replied in response to Xavier's question. "That makes perfect sense, to me," Lidia said smiling. "Seriously?" Xavier asks sarcastically.  'Now, please listen to me fellow Poptropicans, now that you have discovered these powers you must learn how to control and use these powers then once you have all mastered your abilities you all must work together in order to restore both magic and balance to this island" The tree said as it explains this to the Poptropicans. "Yeah, we know the drill, but what elements do we have?" Lidia asks the tree curious as to what elements they had.

 "Be aware for once you have mastered your abilities you will all become the embodiment's of the elements that you each hold within you, Lidia you  have the element of lightness, with this element you will be able to control, create, and manipulate light, and you will also be able to shine bright light whenever you want" the tree began. "Cool," Lidia said smiling. "Octavia, you have the element of the sea, this means that you will be able to control and manipulate water" the tree continued. "Awesome!" Octavia said smiling. "Amir can control and manipulate the air, Winslow can control and manipulate the wind, Filera can control fire, Ernie can control the earth element, Ilene can control snow and ice, Wes can manipulate the weather, Eleanor can control plants, Tim can control time and he can see into the future, but do not overuse this power, and finally Maria can control the element of magic it's self" the tree went on and everyone that it called upon just seemed amazed by this, but there was only one person it hadn't called upon and it was Xavier.

"Ahem, excuse me, but you haven't told me my element yet," Xavier said wondering why the tree hasn't told him his element yet. The tree seemed to pause for a moment or two before finally saying, "Xavier, I think that it is best that you don't know what your element is" the tree finally said almost sounding hesitant to tell Xavier this. "What, why not everyone else got to know what their elements are, why not me, it's just not fair, and I have a right to know!" Xavier shouts angry as he said this to the tree. "Xavier, it's just that the element you have is the most difficult to control of them all, and only a few have been known to master it, while others have been consumed by it, and it can bring it you great power, but it can also manipulate and corrupt others, and it's just too dangerous for you to know what it is Xavier, you will just have to figure it out on your own Xavier" the tree said to Xavier as it's voice starts to fade away saying goodbye to Xavier while doing so. "I'm not done talking to you yet, I want to know!" Xavier shouted, but the tree had disappeared from view, leaving Xavier to wonder what his element was, and what the tree meant by when it said that it was too dangerous for him to know as we're left off with a cliffhanger and the screen fades too black.