The Enchanter

Something happened when Theodore was going through his late grandmother’s jewelry. Next to a blazing fireplace for [[light]], he accidently dropped a diamond ring he was examining right into the fire. Panicked, he suddenly [[thought]] for the fire to [[disappear]].

The electricity had gone out but Theodore had to get his grandmother’s possessions in order by the next day. He was the only family she had left, and, in her will, she gave the choice to him whether he would keep her collection or have an auction business sell them. Not seeing a use for them other than gaining a few bucks, Theodore scheduled the auction for the day after this one. [[Back->Discovery]]

To his amazement, the flames swept into the diamond until it was fully snuffed. The jewel acquired a bright orange glow but was still clear in color. Hesitantly, Theodore plucked the diamond from between the charred logs and a warmth permeated his skin. It was comfortable and he could somehow feel the intensity of the flames inside just waiting to be [[released]].

Theodore made one of two choices. [[He aimed the diamond toward the firplace and willed the flames to release]] or [[He aimed the diamond out of the open window and willed the flames to release]]

With his arm outstrecthed, jewel in hand, he imagined a stream of fire shooting out of the open window. The sparse living room drowned in orange as a torrent of flame leapt from the diamond and flew out of the window and into the backyard. Theodore's awe was shortlived as he noticed piles of leaves catching the flame. A small blaze quickly followed. The man [[ran out of the house]] to try to stomp the fire out before it grew too large. or Seeing no fire extinguisher, the man [[quickly ran to the kitchen]], diamond in hand.

Theodore stomped only a small portion of the flames before he couldn't stand the heat anymore. He quickly ran into the house's [[kitchen->quickly ran to the kitchen]]

Entering the kitchen and not seeing any vessel substantial enough, Theodore quickly tested his newfound ability by running the diamond underneath the sink faucet, willing it to absorb the water. To his surprise, it did so easily. A slight blue hue took over the jewel as the man focused on the water entering it. After a few moments, he leapt out of the house and sent a focused stream of water at the fire. The fire that had been growing started to receed and dwindle away. Once the fire had been reduced enough to be effectively stomped out, the diamond ran out of water. Theodore sighed in relief and quickly stomped the spattering flames out on the grass. [[Next->Plan]]

The flames erupted out of the diamond in a turrent and caused the fireplace to shudder as the wood instantly burnt to ashes. Theodore stared in amazement at the charred and empty fireplace and tried to gather his thoughts. The jewel could contain things, or at least fire. He knew that but what else could it carry? And could the other jewels in his grandmothers accessories do the same? Theodore collected the other jewelry he had been going through and started a new fire for light, once he had gatherd some logs and kindling. [[Next->Plan2]]

Theodore collected the other jewelry he had been going through after reentering the house and started a new fire for light, once he had gatherd some logs and kindling. Once the fire was lit with a lighter he had, Theodore examined the types of jewels in front of him. Two diamond rings, three blue sapphires set in an oval pendant, and two bracelets with two emeralds on each. He thought about what to do [[next->Convergence1]]

Once the fire was lit with a lighter he had, Theodore examined the types of jewels in front of him. Two diamond rings, three blue sapphires set in an oval pendant, and two bracelets with two emeralds on each. He picked up one of the two bracelets and went to the kitchen to test if he could have it collect water. After turning on the tap and putting the emeralds under the faucet, he willed them to absorb the water. He watched in fasination as the water was sucked into the jewels and not a single drop was wasted. The man allowed the jewels to do their work for a few minutes before he shut the water off. He then willed the absorbed water to come out as he held the bracelet above the sink. A huge stream dropped into the metal basin, quickly filling it and not allowing the drain to do its job. Theodore, who had been considerably splashed, willed the jewel to stop, allowing the water in the basin to be drained. He then willed the water to exit the jewel more like how the faucet did so. It worked perfectly and the rest of the water made it's way down the drain. Theodore thought about what to do [[next->Convergence1]].

Theodore thought of three choices: [[1->Normalcy]] -(text-colour:yellow)[ Try to live life normally, only use his powers minimally and limit risk of being found out.] [[2->Help]] - (text-colour:cyan)[Find the limits of what is possible and try to help people with his newfound ability.] [[3->Selfish]] - (text-colour:red)[Delve into the darker nature of his power and look out only for himself.]

(text-colour:cyan)[Deciding to try to help people, Theodore finished sorting out his Grandmothers items and passed them off to the auction house the next day but he kept a few of the jewels for himself. One of the diamond rings and one of the bracelets with the two emeralds. Once arriving back to his one story home on the outskirts of the city Helmstay, Theodore looked up jewelers and made an appointment to have the diamond and emeralds refitted into new wear pieces. He had to wait until the funds from the auction came in so he set the appointment for the next Friday, giving him ten days to come up with designs for what the jewels would be in. He also researched methods he could use in order to help people.] [[Next->H.Jewelers]]

(text-colour:red)[//Deciding to use the power for his own gain, Theodore finished sorting out his Grandmothers items and passed them off to the auction house the next day but he kept all of the jewels for himself. He drove his rundown hunchback into the city Helmstay and went into the first jewelry store he found after parking. It was a small store with a sign reading "McEllis Jewelry Store". Bells chimed when Theodore lightly pulled the door open and walked in to see no one there but glass counters in a reverse U shape. They held many enticing valuable objects, such as diamond rings, earings, bracelets, etc. Plenty for his uses. "I'll be with ye inna minute," A gruff Irish sounding voice called out from the back room. Not wasting any time, Theodore hopped over the counter and into the sellers area. He pressed his back against the wall next to the back room's door and waited. A short old man with white hair opened the door and stepped into the sellers area to see no one there. "He-," His call was cut short as Theodore snuck behind him and hooked his arm around the old mans neck. He only applied enough pressure to his victim's carotid arteries for him to pass out for a few minutes. Once that was done, Theodore pulled him into the room he just left and left him laying in a corner. The newfound criminal glanced around the room and found the security tape system, which he promptly absorbed into one of the emerald bracelets. He left the other jewelry from his Grandmother inside his car, aside from one of the diamond rings. He then walked out of the back room and absorbed all of the counters along with their contents. His laughter echoed in the newly empty room as he discovered that all of them fit in just one of the emeralds, and he felt that there was plenty of room left. A small shuffling noise from the back told him that the jeweler was awake, so Theodore swiftly left the store and made his way to the bank across the street.//] [[Next->Bank1]]

(text-colour:yellow)[Deciding to live his life normally, Theodore finished sorting out his Grandmothers items and passed them off to the auction house the next day but he kept a few of the jewels for himself. One of the diamond rings and one of the bracelets with the two emeralds. Once arriving back to his one story home on the outskirts of the city Helmstay, Theodore looked up jewelers and made an appointment to have the diamond and emeralds refitted into new wear pieces. He had to wait until the funds from the auction came in so he set the appointment for the next Friday, giving him ten days to come up with designs for what the jewels would be in.] [[Next->N.Jewelers]]

(text-colour:yellow)[Theodore got the funds from the auction house three days before the appointment with the jeweler but he was lucky enough that he was able to reschedule for earlier. The man drove his rundown hunchback into the inner city and parked in a small car garage. He kept the jewels in a medium size bag on his back, along with the quick designs he drew for them. He passed an electronics store on his way to the jewelers, that had televisions playing the [[news->news1]] but ignored it as he continued and reached his destination. A small store with the sign reading "McEllis Jewelry Store". Bells chimed when Theodore lightly pulled the door open and walked in to see no one there but glass counters in a reverse U shape. They held many valuable objects, such as diamond rings, earings, bracelets, etc. "I'll be with ye inna minute," A gruff Irish sounding voice called out from the back room. Theodore took the time to examine some of the pieces in the counters. A few minutes passed before the door to the back room opened and out stepped a short white haired old man wearing round glasses. "Henric McEllis," The man said as he reached his hand out. "Theodore Lassiter," The two shook hands. "Ah, me three o'clock. Follow me to the back and lets 'ave a look at what ye brought." Henric opened a locked door inbetween the front counters and had Theodore follow him]. [[Next->N.Jewelers1]]

(text-colour:yellow)[Henric led him to a medium sized room next to the main back room. A table with tools sat in one corner and drawers and shelves of materials such as metal, wood, etc., lined the walls. Two armchairs sat in the back of the room away from the worktable. Henric sat in one and gestured for Theodore to sit in the other. "What can I do ye fer, lad?" The old man asked. "Well, I have these pieces of jewelry that I inherented from my late Grandmother and I wanted to have the jewels reset into a new piece," Theodore explained as he took the ring and bracelet out of his backpack along with his sketch of what he wanted. "Sorry about yer loss," Henric said as he looked over the sketch before taking a cursory glance over the jewels. "Hm, give me two days and I'll 'ave this done fer ye." "Only two days?" "Yep," Henric nodded. "This plan o' yers ain't difficult. Come back this time Thursday." "Thank you, Mr. McEllis," Theodore said before leaving.] [[Next->N.Jewelers2]]

(text-colour:cyan)[Theodore got the funds from the auction house three days before the appointment with the jeweler but he was lucky enough that he was able to reschedule for earlier. Over the past few days, he came up with a gameplan he thought could work and he was excited to start. The man drove his rundown hunchback into the inner city and parked in a small car garage. He kept the jewels in a medium size bag on his back, along with the quick designs he drew for them. While walking a few blocks towards his destination, he took note of the many buildings in [[disrepair]]. He passed an electronics store that had televisions playing the news and caught some of the broadcast. "-ources say that mining sites across the world are turning up empty since the Rupture of Supers three months ago, where all known beings with powers mysteriously disappeared. The Space Explorers Association has declared in their latest press conference that they plan to send teams of scientists and miners to the Meteor they had labled XS-409; a meteor that preliminary scans show to be abundant in resources such as coal, iron, titanium, and many more that make up structures across planet Earth. The mission is scheduled to take place in two years, so that the best candidates can be found and trained. There are many conc-," Theodore's attention was pulled away as a man appeared behind the television, looking at him. "You just gonna stand there or are you going to come in and buy it?" He said. "Sorry. I'll be on my way," Theodore sheepishly replied, continuing towards his destination. A small store with the sign reading "McEllis Jewelry Store" quickly came into view. Bells chimed when Theodore lightly pulled the door open and walked in to see no one there but glass counters in a reverse U shape. They held many valuable objects, such as diamond rings, earings, bracelets, etc. "I'll be with ye inna minute," A gruff Irish sounding voice called out from the back room. Theodore took the time to examine some of the pieces in the counters and replayed the broadcast in his head. Could he help somehow? He could definitely help with relocating material but how would he join the mission? A few minutes passed before the door to the back room opened and out stepped a short white haired old man wearing round glasses. "Henric McEllis," The man said as he reached his hand out. "Theodore Lassiter," The two shook hands. "Ah, me three o'clock. Follow me to the back and lets 'ave a look at what ye brought." Henric opened a locked door inbetween the front counters and had Theodore follow him. ] [[Next->H.Jewelers1]]

(text-colour:cyan)[Henric led him to a medium sized room next to the main back room. A table with tools sat in one corner and drawers and shelves of materials such as metal, wood, etc., lined the walls. Two armchairs sat in the back of the room away from the worktable. Henric sat in one and gestured for Theodore to sit in the other. "What can I do ye fer, lad?" The old man asked. "Well, I have these pieces of jewelry that I inherented from my late Grandmother and I wanted to have the jewels reset into a new piece," Theodore explained as he took the ring and bracelet out of his backpack along with his sketch of what he wanted. "Sorry about yer loss," Henric said as he looked over the sketch before taking a cursory glance over the jewels. "Hm, this is a bit complicated. Give me about a week and I'll 'ave this done fer ye." "A week?" "Yep," Henric nodded. "This plan o' yers is difficult. Come back this time next Thursday." "Okay. Thank you, Mr. McEllis," Theodore said before leaving. As he walked back to his car, Theodore noticed a breaking news report as he passed the same electronics store. "-ack with amazing news that we hope will raise your spirits. The Southern District of Wahteck has just reported findings of gold and iron ore in their previously closed mines. The President of Wahteck, Kilgone Drestoi, has come out with a speech where he theorizes that the energy of the powered has returned; not just because of the resources but for they have located a powered human in their midst. We do not have access to their information but eye witnesses report a young woman who seems to be able to shapeshift into animals. With these startling revelations, it begs the question, will th-" Theodore was interrupted by the same person as before. "Sorry," He held his hands up and walked away.] [[Next->H.Jewelers2]]

(text-colour:red)[//There was just one place on Theodore's mind to visit before he left Helmstay for good. Not only was it the bank he used but it also had cameras that could place him at the jewelry store when it was robbed. Walking into the medium sized building, the man took note of one security guard at the door, two bank tellers, one person who looked like a manager and only a few people on the main floor. This information was of no use to Theodore however, because he did not intend carry out his plan dramatically. He leisurely walked up to one of the women at the tellers and politely asked to speak to the manager. "How may I help you?" A tall lanky man with a comb over asked. "Hello, my name is Theodore Lassiter and I'd like to see my lockbox to deposit some valuables." "Very well sir. Your identification and password please." After Theodore gave the man his information, he was led into a handprint scanner locked room. It was small and the walls were covered by columns of metal lockboxes that were arranged like drawers. The lanky man retrieved Theodore's box and just unlocked it when police sirens suddenly sounded outside, in front of the jewelry store. "Excuse me sir, while I see what the commotion outside is about," the manager said. "Your box is unlocked so you may deposit your items and I'll be back shortly." Once the manager left, Theodore quickly opened his box and used a diamond ring to absorb what was inside. He went to a locked box on the wall and concentrated on absorbing what was inside without absorbing the box itself. After a few seconds, he felt the energy of the jewel strengthen as he successfully did it. Without wasting any time, he quickly went box to box and absorbed the contents of each. Every absorption took less and less time as he went. After he took the contents from all of them, he slipped the ring into his pocket where the emerald bracelet also was.//] [[Next->Bank2]]

(text-colour:red)[//"I apologize sir," The manager walked back into the room with a couple of police officers. "I must ask you to go to the main floor to join the others so that I may take these officers to review our security tapes. Unfortunately the jewelry store across the street has been robbed." "Well I want to view the tapes too because apparently the same thing happened here!" Theodore put on his best angry expression as he held up his box with the lid open, revealing it being empty. "What?!" The lanky man and officers exclaimed. "My box is empty! I don't have a bag with me and the only things I have in my pockets are my phone, wallet, and the two things i intended to deposit!" The manager quickly made his way to another box and unlocked it, revealing it to be empty. He hurriedly did the same to multiple others to reveal the same results. The bank's been robbed and they don't know how it was done. "Let's review the tapes!" Theodore kept up the act. "Sir, we're sorry that this has happened, but we can't risk something happening to the footage." One of the officers said. "To hell with that! What am I going to do? Break the only tape that will tell us who did this? Are you a fuc-," He was cut off as the manager held his hand up in front of Theodore's face. "You're right sir. If you agree to stand behind us as we review them, you can come along," He said, trying to defuse the situation. The officers tried to say something but the manager was already on his way to the security room. Theodore and the officers just looked at eachother before following.//] [[Next->Bank3]]

(text-colour:red)[//The four men entered the security room and stood in front of the monitor next to the taping system. The security guard from earlier was already sitting in front and was going through the verification applications to pull up the footage. As they all waited, Theodore stealthily slipped the diamond ring out of his pocket and aimed it toward the taping system. The others didn't notice him close his eyes in concentration and absorb the tapes from a distance. For good measure, he also took the harddrives and microSD's. An error appeared on the computer monitor as Theodore opened his eyes. "The hell?" The security guard tried exiting from the error message but couldn't. He swivled his chair and pressed the eject button on one of the taping boxes. The flap opened but nothing came out. "What's going on?" One of the officers asked. "The tape's missing...," The guard replied, shock evident on his face. "Are there any back up tapes? Maybe something on the harddrives?" Theodore hastily asked, keeping appearances. The guard and manager were both flabbergasted as the monitor said that it detected nothing. The guard retrieved a tool box from below the desk and took the backplate off of the taping system. Everyone was shocked to see that the system's harddrives were missing.//] [[Next->Bank4]]

(text-colour:red)[//There was a flurry of activity after the shocking discovery. Theodore kept up his act of being angry with the bank while the officers took his and others information for later contact. When he exited the bank, he saw multiple police cars along with an ambulance in front of the jewelry store. The old man he knocked out earlier, was sitting on a gurny breathing oxygen out of a tank. The police had everyone leave but told them to stay in town. Theodore kept his act up until he rounded a corner. His face then shifted as a grin took over. He made his way to his car and got the hell out of dodge.//] [[Next->S.Finish1]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X=")[Five Years Later] (text-colour:red)[//Theodore was sitting in a plush chair with his feet kicked up on an ottoman, watching the news. The room was adorned with ancient relics stolen from museums and lined with furniture. He was at his mansion on a nameless island he bought the year prior. It had small beaches and most of it was forest. It had a small mountain in the center, which laid the foundation for Theodore's home. He gazed outside to see the sky bathed in pink and orange as the sun set under the horizon. A breaking news segment pulled his attention away from the sight and towards the television. "-ust been informed that the Museum of Power has just reported that their archival relics, the tools used by the missing superpowered beings, have gone missing themselves. It is speculated that 'The Enchanter', named by the rings on his hands in the only footage that exists of him, was behind this heist. Authorities still have not been able to identify the man, for his face was not visible, but we ask anyone who may know the identity, to ple-," The broadcast was cut short by Theodore as he turned it off. "The Enchanter, eh?" He smirked as it was his first time hearing the name ascribed to him. "I like it."// ] [[Fin.->Title]]

(text-style:"emboss")[(text-colour:white)[''The Enchanter by Ryan Hood'']]

(text-colour:yellow)[When Thursday rolled around, Theodore made his way back to the shop. There were a few customers when he entered and he could see Henric helping them. Seeing that he was busy, Theodore walked around and looked at the products for sale. There was nothing new that he hadn't seen the last time he was there. Only a few minutes passed before Henric made his way to him. "Good day, Mr. Lassiter," He said. "I 'ave yer piece all nice and finished in the back. Let me grab it." He swiftly walked to the back and returned with an object covered in cloth. "Here ye go," Henric placed the object on a counter and removed the cloth to reveal a small bracer made of steel. It was slightly polished and the three stones were set down the middle. The emeralds sat on the outer edges and the diamond sat inbetween them. "It looks amazing!" Theodore exclaimed as he picked it up and slipped it onto his forearm. Henric smiled as Theodore paid him. "I don't know much 'bout the fashion sense of it but I'm glad ye like it." "Thank you," Theodore replied, not wanting to explain more. "I can definitely see myself coming here again." He walked by the same electronics store on his way back to his car and heard a [[breaking news->news2]] segment, but ignored it as he was excited to test his bracer.] [[Next->Life]]

(text-colour:yellow)[Once Theodore made his way back home, wearing the bracer the entire time, he ran a few more tests with what could be stored and how the crystals eject what they had absorbed. He went to his backyard, which was massive since he lived on a mountain top, and touched his hand to the ground to see if he could absorb some dirt without the jewels directly touching it. To his surprise, it worked but a liitle too well. Pieces of the earth below him leapt into the diamond at the center of the bracer and kept drawing material in until the diamond couldn't hold anymore. Theodore was worried that the stone would break but it didn't. Rather, the earth kept piling up on and around the stone like something that would get stuck at the end of a vacuum. Theodore didn't notice the massive trench in the ground before he willed the diamond to stop. The mound on his arm dropped into the hole with a thud. He scratched his chin while wondering how to test the ejection. With a shrug of his shoulders, he raised his arm so that the bracer was facing in front of him. Aiming at a tree roughly ten meters from him, Theodore willed a pound of dirt to fly out. Once the image appeared in his head, a loose clump of dirt exited the diamond and hit the tree with very little force. Frowning, the man wondered if he could compress the dirt before it left the stone. He held out his arm again and imagined a pound of dirt compressing into the size of a baseball. He then released it while willing it to go fast. A loud thud and crackling sound was heard as the ball of compressed dirt and rock hit the center of the tree. The ball fell apart on impact but not before leaving a significant dent and sending small cracks up the trunk.] [[Next->Life1]]

(text-colour:cyan)[A week passed and Theodore was itching to get his jewels back and start testing them more. "Good day, Mr. Lassiter," Henric greeted when he walked into the shop. "I 'ave yer piece all nice and finished in the back. Let me grab it." He swiftly walked to the back and returned with an object covered in cloth. "Here ye go," Henric placed the object on a counter and removed the cloth to reveal a full size bracer made of steel with bronze lining the cuff and back. It was slightly polished and the three stones were set down the middle. The emeralds sat on the outer edges and the diamond sat inbetween them. The diamond was slightly raised higher than the emeralds, which were sitting in intricate groove patterns. "It looks amazing!" Theodore exclaimed as he picked it up and slipped it onto his forearm. Henric smiled as Theodore paid him. "I don't know much 'bout the fashion sense of it but I'm glad ye like it." "Thank you," Theodore replied, not wanting to explain more. "I can definitely see myself coming here again." "Before ye go lad," Henric said. "May I ask a question?" "Shoot." "Ye wouldn't happen ta be a super now would ye?" Theodore's eyebrows shot up in surprise but before he could reply, the old man interrupted him. "Ye don't 'ave ta answer, but I won't tell anybody if ye are. The bracer ye had me make just reminds me of the armor of the hero, Bastion." Henric said, scratching his chin. "Anyway, the way I see it, is that if the same energy that is providing ye with yer powers is bringing back the planet's resources, then it's all good, especially with the increase supply of product." Caught off guard, Theodore just nods his head and leaves the store.] [[Next->Testing]]

(text-colour:yellow)[After weeks of experimentation in the silence of his mountain top home, Theodore concluded many things. The jewels do have a limit for how much they can absorb of something, but they will also still attract it if willed to do so, leaving the substance to coalesce around the stone. After many attempts, it was also discovered that air itself could be absorbed and expelled much like dirt. The air could exit as a small breeze or as a pressurized beam of hard hitting wind, enough to blast a tree to splinters. He could also store multiple different materials at the same time and decide what to extract in any order he wanted. Theodore spent days researching and self-observing how his power worked. He analyzed how he had to will the stones to do anything, so he hypothesized that there must be a tangible force that allows him to absorb, manipulate, and extract material. With that theory in mind, he tried absorbing energy itself. Not air or sunlight, but the energy he felt when using his power. It took many tries but he was eventually able to detect it flowing throughout his bracer. He latched onto the energy and extracted a small portion of it from the jewels. He felt it as a ball of ever moving particles sitting in his hand, completely invisible to the naked eye. Feeling its buzz, Theodore aimed his hand to a nearby tree and released the ball as a beam. A sonic boom erupted as the beam bore a perfectly smooth hole through the tree and many others behind it, ending with the energy dispersing when hitting a boulder roughly a mile away. "God damn!" He exclaimed. He thoroughly enjoyed his experimentation but did not know what to do with the bracer other than to have fun and help with menial tasks. Resoluting himself, he knew what he wanted.] [[Next->Life2]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X=")[Five Years Later] (text-colour:yellow)[Throughout the past five years, Theodore had been living an easy life atop his mountain. He discovered how to collect solar energy through the stones and have them act as batteries. He also constructed a very tall lightning rod with rows of quartz crystals on top to collect electricity when struck. In two years, he completely paid off his mortgage and bought most of the property on the mountain, leaving him with a happy life of solitude. He used his power flippantly without fear of being discovered and turned his home into a self-sufficient homestead. Sipping some coffee while sitting on his house's porch, Theodore looked out over the exspanse of forest and lakes around his home. He sighed contently and he closed his eyes to enjoy the sun basking on his face. He was happy with how his life turned out. ] [[Fin.->Title]]

(text-colour:cyan)[Once Theodore made his way back home, wearing the bracer the entire time, he ran a few more tests with what could be stored and how the crystals eject what they had absorbed. He went to his backyard, which was massive since he lived on a mountain top, and touched his hand to the ground to see if he could absorb some dirt without the jewels directly touching it. To his surprise, it worked but a liitle too well. Pieces of the earth below him leapt into the diamond at the center of the bracer and kept drawing material in until the diamond couldn't hold anymore. Theodore was worried that the stone would break but it didn't. Rather, the earth kept piling up on and around the stone like something that would get stuck at the end of a vacuum. Theodore didn't notice the massive trench in the ground before he willed the diamond to stop. The mound on his arm dropped into the hole with a thud. He scratched his chin while wondering how to test the ejection. With a shrug of his shoulders, he raised his arm so that the bracer was facing in front of him. Aiming at a tree roughly ten meters from him, Theodore willed a pound of dirt to fly out. Once the image appeared in his head, a loose clump of dirt exited the diamond and hit the tree with very little force. Frowning, the man wondered if he could compress the dirt before it left the stone. He held out his arm again and imagined a pound of dirt compressing into the size of a baseball. He then released it while willing it to go fast. A loud thud and crackling sound was heard as the ball of compressed dirt and rock hit the center of the tree. The ball fell apart on impact but not before leaving a significant dent and sending small cracks up the trunk.] [[Next->Testing2]]

(text-colour:cyan)[After weeks of experimentation in the silence of his mountain top home, Theodore concluded many things. The jewels do have a limit for how much they can absorb of something, but they will also still attract it if willed to do so, leaving the substance to coalesce around the stone. After many attempts, it was also discovered that air itself could be absorbed and expelled much like dirt. The air could exit as a small breeze or as a pressurized beam of hard hitting wind, enough to blast a tree to splinters. He could also store multiple different materials at the same time and decide what to extract in any order he wanted. He could also have the jewels absorb and release material at the same time, and not needing to hold or think about it happening. Theodore spent days researching and self-observing how his power worked. He analyzed how he had to will the stones to do anything, so he hypothesized that there must be a tangible force that allows him to absorb, manipulate, and extract material. With that theory in mind, he tried absorbing energy itself. Not air or sunlight, but the energy he felt when using his power. It took many tries but he was eventually able to detect it flowing throughout his bracer. He latched onto the energy and extracted a small portion of it from the jewels. He felt it as a ball of ever moving particles sitting in his hand, completely invisible to the naked eye. Feeling its buzz, Theodore aimed his hand to a nearby tree and released the ball as a beam. A sonic boom erupted as the beam bore a perfectly smooth hole through the tree and many others behind it, ending with the energy dispersing when hitting a boulder roughly a mile away. "God damn!" He exclaimed. He thoroughly enjoyed his experimentation but rethought about how he wanted to help people. A sudden thought went through his head. ] [[Next->Helping]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X=")[Five Years Later] (text-colour:cyan)[Over the next five years, Theodore would buy quartz crystals in bulk and imbue them with as much solar energy as possible. He did the same with water and air. He also traveled to a country where lightning struck nearly everyday. He set up massive lightning rods, each with rows of crystals set to absorb the electricity when struck. Theodore would periodically switch out the crystals and used the charged ones as batteries for a multitude of things. His power allowed the crystals to absorb so much, that one row of ten could power a metropolitan city's power grid for two years straight. Hiding his identity, he helped develop systems to properly use the energy once extracted and later developed the energy source for the ships and technology for the mission to meteor XS-409, to collect natural resources. Coal wasn't much of a necessity anymore due to the reliable energy of Theodore's crystals, but metals and certain minerals were still needed for infrastructure. Though natural resources were reappearing, it would be decades before the amount needed would appear. The first mission was a success as Theodore was able to go and use his jewels to reliably carry materials. Because of the orbit of the meteor, the team of people that went only had a small time table, so they got all that they could and returned to Earth. It is theorized that only 0.0002% of the resources from the meteor were extracted but the material collected would help Earth for decades. More missions were scheduled to take place once the meteor made its way back near Earth, which was estimated to take around forty-five years. Everyone wanted to know his identity and get their hands on his super charged crystals, but he only let companies he trusted use them to help the people of Earth. If he found out or felt that the crystals were being misused, he would stir the energy inside and cause them to crumble to dust. Though he didn't have to be near the crystals and specifically will them everytime for them to work, he always had a connection to each and every one. Not knowing who he was but figuring out how his power worked, the public started calling him 'The Enchanter'. Theodore became fond of the name and was excited to continue helping his people.] [[Fin.->Title]]

Helmstay, along with most of the world, started to lose access to natural resources once the powered beings disappeared. Mines across the world started to turn up empty, even when scans from before the disappearance indicated more resources. Many theories came about for why this happened but the most popular one was that whatever energy the powered used was also responsible for the creation of resources across the world such as iron, coal, gold, etc. Many believe that when the powered disappeared, they took all of that energy with them, leaving Earth to slowly wither. No one knows for certain though. [[Back->H.Jewelers]]

To his expectations, nothing happened. The fire continued burning and the ring just sat underneath, the metal of the band bluing as the heat permeated through it. Theodore snatched a poker from beside the fireplace and fished the ring out. With it hanging from the end of the poker, he set it on the brick step in front of the hearth and continued sorting out his Grandmother's items. [[Next->Title]]

(text-colour:yellow)["Sources say that mining sites across the world are turning up empty since the Rupture of Supers three months ago, where all known beings with powers mysteriously disappeared. The Space Explorers Association has declared in their latest press conference that they plan to send teams of scientists and miners to the Meteor they had labled XS-409; a meteor that preliminary scans show to be abundant in resources such as coal, iron, titanium, and many more that make up structures across planet Earth. The mission is scheduled to take place in two years, so that the best candidates can be found and trained. There are many concerns however, that even with the advancements in space travel technology, that placing people on a rapidly moving meteor will be too risky. We'll have more information for you after the break."]

(text-colour:yellow)["We welcome you back with amazing news that we hope will raise your spirits. The Southern District of Wahteck has just reported findings of gold and iron ore in their previously closed mines. The President of Wahteck, Kilgone Drestoi, has come out with a speech where he theorizes that the energy of the powered has returned; not just because of the resources but for they have located a powered human in their midst. We do not have access to their information but eye witnesses report a young woman who seems to be able to shapeshift into animals. With these startling revelations, it begs the question, will there be a new age of supers?"]