CAPTAIN PLANET

Prologue

Gaia, spiritual protector of Earth, once ruled alongside six other grand beings. Together, they kept the Earth as strong and safe as they possibly could. But one day, her husband, Lord Zarm, grew impatient with the humans that inhabited our Earth. Originally, they all agreed that they would protect the humans, but Lord Zarm felt that they were not worthy of their protection. The other spirits and Gaia were forced to go to war with him. Unfortunately, Lord Zarm was too powerful. He was able to kill the other five spirits and almost kill Gaia. As she was near death, she gave up a portion of her power and used the spirits of her fallen friends to create a power strong enough to defeat Zarm. The entity she created was able help her defeat Lord Zarm and tore his spirit asunder, but the cost was great. Though she survived the attack, she was now unable leave Hope Island, the home of most of her followers. Also, without anyone to keep control of the entity's unstable power, it split up into powerful stones. With Lord Zarm defeated, she gladly rested at Hope Island and her followers keep watch over her and the stones. Everyone was safe…or so she thought.

Episode 1: Rude Awakening (Part I)

About two-thousand years after the war with Lord Zarm, a suspicious group was busy at an enormous oil rig in the middle of a lake somewhere near a forest. A fat man in a green military style uniform, black tie, and brown army boots was yelling out orders.

Fat Man: "Hurry up men! Send someone else down there! Keep looking! I want that artifact found!"

The man had no hair and was obese and mutated, having pig-like features such as his snout and even his misshapen teeth.

Fat Man: "I don't want that hag on my case because of your incompetence!"

Just after he said that, a female voice came from the fat man's watch.

Woman: "And just who are you referring to, Hoggish?"

Hoggish: "Christ! How long have you been listening in on me?!"

Woman: "You always forget to turn your communicator off, Hoggish. Or maybe the fat from your wrist just accidentally called me again. You didn't answer my question. Who are you referring to?"

Hoggish: "Umm! No one, Barbara! No one! Certainly not you! Ehehe."

Woman: "That's Dr. Blight to you, Hoggish. Have you found my artifact yet?"

Hoggish: "Ehh, no, Dr. Blight. We're still searching, but I'm sure we're getting close."

Dr. Blight: "Don't call me again until you find it. Blight out."

Hoggish: "B-by the way, Dr. Blight. Can we talk about that name? Hoggish is a little demoralizing don't you think?"

There was a brief pause.

Dr. Blight: "Very well. Get back to work, Fatass."

Hoggish: "Hoggish is fine. Why can't you just call me Ed? Or maybe Eddie. Mr. Edwards is even fine."

Dr. Blight: "Because your namesake is even more disgusting than your eating habits. Blight out."

Blight hung up.

Hoggish: "Grr…Rigger!"

A very skinny blonde man in a red shirt, green vest, green and red cap, cargo shorts, fingerless gloves, and dirty boots walked in.

John "Rigger" Ratz: "Yep?"

Hoggish: "How's it coming?"

Rigger: "Oil reserves? Found. Waste disposal? Bout half done."

Hoggish: "And the rock?"

Rigger: "Blight's stone?...Not found, sir."

Hoggish grumbles and hands Rigger a pistol

Hoggish: "Make 'em work harder and faster. Understood?"

Rigger cocks the gun

Rigger: "Hehehe. Yep."

Meanwhile, in a hidden location, Dr. Blight was standing at a large computer monitor in her lab. She was a tall, slender woman with short blonde hair and bleach-blonde highlights that covered the left side of her face. She was wearing emerald earrings, a lab coat, black gloves, high-heeled black boots, dark-pink shirt tucked in, tight black pants, and a white belt.

Dr. Blight: "Why do I even put up with that moron?"

Voice: "Nostalgia, perhaps. You have known each other since you were children, Dr. Blight."

Dr. Blight: "Knowing him for that long is even more reason to have him killed, MAL."

An odd, yellowish-green face with sunken in eyes appeared on the screen.

MAL: "Do you ever truly wish to help him with his condition? It cannot be easy living in his mutated state."

Blight chuckled.

Dr. Blight: "Haha. Who knows? Why should I anyway? Now his features match his gluttonous personality. But enough about Hoggish, my dear MAL, are you sure that one of the stones are there?"

MAL: "After making me scan the area twenty-three times, Dr. Blight, I have no doubt."

A large smile appeared on Blight's face. She walked over to a sealed door near the computer. After putting in a password, she walked in. In the room, there was a bright, dark-red stone resting on a pedestal. She sat in a chair and began laughing hysterically.

Meanwhile, at an uncharted island, the earth spirit, Gaia, gasped, awaking from her slumber. She was a very tall, dark-skinned woman with long, flowing black hair with light grey streaks. She wore a long, purple, toga-like dress and a golden band around her forehead.

Gaia: "No, it can't be. I haven't felt fear like this since…"

Gaia got up and rushed to a large room covered in crystals. She walked over to a very large and smooth crystal.

Gaia: "Oh great crystals, I know you feel the darkness that I feel. Show me it's location."

The large crystal dimly lit up and showed Hoggish and his men in the forest. The image then blinked out.

Gaia: "Oh no. The interference can only be from one thing. If that's the case, how did these humans find it?"

Gaia walked over to a pedestal with a silk sheet covering the top. She slowly removed the sheet to reveal four glowing rings. Two guards ran in the room.

Gaia: "I had hoped that this day would never come, friends. I had hoped you and I would be able to rest, but it seems I rested for too long."

Guard: "Lady Gaia! What's the matter?"

Gaia: "No time to explain. Find Ma-Ti."

As they were about to walk out of the room, the rings glowed brighter.

Guard: "Lady Gaia! Look!"

As Gaia turned around, the four rings lifted off of the pedestal, shot out of the room, and into the sky. They each scattered in their own directions.

Gaia: "What in the world?!"

Guard 2: "What do we do now, M'lady?

Gaia: "Go get Ma-Ti! Now!"

Guard 1+2: "Yes, Lady Gaia!

As the guards left, Gaia looked towards the sky.

Gaia: "Come back to me, my friends. Our world needs you."

Somewhere in Ghana, Africa, a young, fit, dark brown eyed, black man was leaning on a staff in the desert. He had a short black afro, brown eyes, and wore gold necklaces and bracelets, a dark blue shirt, currently wrapped around his head, and jeans. He was carrying a small plant. As he wiped the sweat from his face, the sun began to set.

Young Man: "Almost done…"

He walked on and on until he reached an oasis with a couple of trees and a nicely sized pool of water.

Young Man: "Ah! Finally!"

The man ran towards the oasis and dunked his head in the water.

Young Man: "Ahhh..I made it."

The man got up, took his staff, and pierced the dirt between two trees.

Young Man: "Couldn't make this easy, could you, mother?"

After forming a proper hole, the man placed the plant in.

Young Man: "Rest now, mother. Your final wish has been granted. Hmm?"

As the man paid his respects, he noticed a bright, green, glowing light next to the plant. He dug next to the plant and was surprise to find a glowing ring.

Young Man: "What is this? A ring?"

He stared at it.

Young Man: "…Something is not right about it."

As the man stared at the ring more, he became entranced. Without thinking he put the ring on. As he slid it on, the ground shook around him. The ring glowed more and the ground shifted wildly around him.

Young Man: "W-what is this?"

Suddenly, some of the trees around him swayed, taking odd shapes and the ground around him shifted more and more. During all of this, however, the ground directly under his feet didn't move one bit. Suddenly, the man vanished in a flash of green light. He was gone.

Angry Man: "You think I'm messin' around with you?!"

A large, angry white man was yelling at his son. His voice echoed throughout his apartment in Brooklyn, New York. He grabbed his son by his shirt and pulled him close. The son could smell the alcohol on his breath.

Travis: "Now see here, you little punk! You do what I say, when I say it! I don't care how old you are, or whether or not you think you're a man! You're under MY roof, boy! You hear me?"

The son stared at his father for a while before answering.

Son: "…Yes, sir."

Travis: "Good! Now get out of here and don't come back until you get my booze!"

Travis pushed his son towards the door.

The son kicked a trash can once he got to the sidewalk in front of the apartment.

Son: "Damn it!"

Marcus, known as Wheeler by his friends, was a young, blue eyed, muscular red headed man with bright blue eyes. He was wearing blue jeans and a brown jacket with a white shirt underneath. He stormed down the sidewalk, trying not to think about his father. Just then, his phone vibrated. He pulled it out and realized it was a text message from his close friend and ex-girlfriend, Trish.

Trish's Text: "Hey, Wheeler! Happy b-day, man! 3"

Wheeler: "Yeah, some birthday."

Still angry, Wheeler threw his phone across the street. Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice scream from a nearby alley.

Voice: "Somebody! Help!"

Wheeler, without thinking, ran towards the scream. When he got to the alley, Wheeler was shocked to find out that he knew both the victim and the attacker. It was the elderly Ed Jones, known as "Gramps" by most kids in the neighborhood, getting mugged by Jeff Alton, an old childhood friend of Wheeler.

Jeff: "Shut up and hand over your money, Gramps!"

Gramps: "Please, Jeffery, don't do this."

Wheeler: "Yo! Jeff!"

Jeff: "Who the-Wheeler?! What are ya doin' here?!"

Wheeler: "That's my line, bro! Didn't you just get out of of house arrest?"

Jeff: "Mind ya own business, Wheeler. This got nothin' to do with you."

Wheeler: "Well now it does, bro. I mean seriously. Gramps? He practically raised us all."

Jeff pulled out a gun and pointed it a Wheeler

Jeff: "Like I said, Wheeler. Got nothin' to do with you. By the by, you ain't my bro."

Wheeler: "Come on, Jeff. This ain't like you."

Jeff: "You don't freakin' know me!"

Gramps sudden whacked Alton on the back of his head

Wheeler: "Whoa! Right on, Gramps. Now get out of here!"

Gramps made his way out of the alley. Alton got up and saw Wheeler.

Jeff: "Ya messed up big this time, Wheeler!"

Wheeler ran off down the side walk with Alton chasing him down. Luckily, Wheeler's athleticism and familiarity with the town helped him lose Alton for a while down another alley. In the alley was an oil barrel. Wheeler hid behind it.

Wheeler: "Crap, this is bad."

Just then, Wheeler heard a sound coming from the oil drum. He looked in and saw a small, orange light from the bottom.

Wheeler: "The hell?"

Wheeler suddenly felt a warm feeling in his stomach. He decided to reach in and get the light. Suddenly, the light sparked. Wheeler quickly jumped back and the oil drum ignited. The light from the alley shined brightly, letting Jeff know where he was.

Jeff: "Got ya now!"

Jeff made his way to the alley. Wheeler, mesmerized by the fire, walked closer to the oil drum. He could of sworn that he could still see the small light in the fire.

Jeff: "Nowhere to run, Wheeler."

Jeff pointed his gun at Wheeler. Wheeler snapped out of his trance and backed up against the wall.

Jeff: "Shoulda minded ya own business."

As Jeff got ready to shot Wheeler, the flames from the drum shined brighter and brighter. The two of them saw the flames grow.

Jeff: "Ahhh! Crap, that's hot!"

Wheeler suddenly realized that he couldn't feel any heat coming off of the flames. It was warm, but it was also soothing. Jeff, not able to stand the heat, dropped the gun and passed out. The flames continued to grow, threatening to engulf the entire alley. Wheeler grabbed Jeff and dragged him out of the alley. The flames kept shining after they escaped.

Wheeler: "Oh, man! This is getting bad!"

Suddenly, the flames vanished. All gone. All that remained was the small orange light. It floated towards Wheeler. He could clearly see what it was now. A ring.

Wheeler: "Uhhhh. Ok?"

He then felt that warm feeling again and became entranced. He reached for the ring, put it on, and vanished in an orange beam of light.

A camera snaps a photo of a bird. It was taken by a young, long-haired, blonde, Russian girl.

*Note: (Rus)=Being spoken in Russian*

Blonde Girl: (Rus) "Amazing. A Siberian Grouse. I'm getting great pictures on this trip."

The girl was wearing a knitted, teal cap, brown shorts, a red communism star belt, white sneakers, and a yellow tank top with a long-sleeved, purple shirt wrapped around her waist. She also had tattoos on her arms: A red musical note on her left and a shooting star on her right. She was green eyed and had her hair was tied back in a ponytail. Along with her camera, she was also carrying a bag with her laptop in it. On the bag, her name was stitched into it. Linka Porkryshkin.

Linka: (Rus) "I should head back to camp. I'm starving."

As she made it back to camp, Linka smelled something awful.

Linka: (Rus) "My god! What in the world is that smell?!"

She covered her mouth and nose with her purple shirt. She heard noises in the distance and carefully checked out the situation. She saw various men dumping tons of chemicals into a nearby canal. Linka quickly hid behind some bushes. Recently, the news has mentioned biological terrorist causing trouble in various places in Russia. Recently, they started causing trouble here in Linka's home, Baley, Russia.

Linka: (Rus) "Bastards. Not again. Is the government even trying to stop them?"

Linka kept quiet and took pictures from the bush. So far, Linka was the only one to get any footage of the terrorist. Linka has sent various photos to many networks. People have been cracking down on them, but not enough. Usually, however, Linka was at a safe distance away. Suddenly, a man walked in front of the bush. Linka kept quiet to avoid getting caught.

Man: "As I have told you, Dr. Blight, I already have a fairly successful career. I just don't see much point in helping."

The man was short and round with patchy black, balding, hair. Though the rest of the men were wearing protective mask, he was not. Though he looked quite unhealthy, he didn't seem to be bothered by the noxious fumes.

Dr. Blight: "I assure you, Mr. Sheen-"

Man: "Please, madam, call me Sly."

Dr. Blight: "Very well. I assure you, Sly. This offer is definitely worth your time. I know and you know that things are getting tense for you. If it wasn't for MAL's security work, you would be caught by now."

Linka started recording the conversation.

Sly: "I assure you, Dr. Blight. Though your toy has certainly helped make things easier, no one catches me."

Dr. Blight: "Those pictures you mentioned say otherwise."

Sly sighed at that.

Sly: "Unfortunate as they may be, they're just some anonymous irritant's cry for attention."

Dr. Blight: "If you say so. By the way, you're welcome for deleting some of that 'anonymous irritant's' most incriminating photos."

Sly: "Really now? And you deleted them all?"

Dr. Blight: "Perhaps. A thank you would be nice, Sly."

Sly: "Perhaps? Did you delete them all or not?"

Dr. Blight: "Sly. You didn't say thank you."

He glared, fully catching what she was emphasizing with her tone.

Sly: "…Thank you, Dr. Blight."

Dr. Blight: "Very good. So you'll think about our agreement?"

Sly: "…I'll think about it."

Dr. Blight: "Great. Blight out."

Dr. Blight cut off communication

Sly: "…I admire her persistence, but her disrespect is starting to get to me.

Linka: (Rus) "Blight? What kind of name is that? Whatever. I got names. I should get out of here."

Linka waited for Sly to move away from the bush and she quietly snuck off. She was sudden grabbed by one of Sly's men and dropped her laptop bag.

Linka: (Rus) "Ahh! Let go of me! Let me go!"

Man: "Hey, boss! Found this one sneaking around!"

Sly: "Ahh. Who is this lovely gem? Don't tell me this is our anonymous little eavesdropper?"

Sly's men took Linka's recorder and played it. One of them also smashed her camera.

Sly: "Oh, how unfortunate for you, my dear."

Linka struggled to reach her pepper spray she had hidden in her shorts. She was also coughing do to the fumes.

Sly: "Not a fan of the fumes, dear? Admittedly, it is an acquired taste."

Sly took a deep breath

Sly: "Ahhhh! Fresh!"

Linka finally got her pepper spray out and sprayed the man that was holding her. She made a break for it, grabbing her laptop along the way. Sly's men were about to chase her.

Sly: "Wait! Give her a bit of a head start. Let's see how far this bird can fly."

Linka ran as fast as she could, still getting dizzy from the fumes. She ran and ran until she made it to a cliff and collapsed. She could hear Sly and his men coming.

Linka: (Rus) "No…not here…not like this…"

Just before she passed out, she heard a loud caw. She looked up and saw a falcon. It had something glowing in its beak. The bright white light gave Linka odd comfort. She looked closer and realized it was a ring. The falcon left the ring in front of Linka and flew off.

Linka: (Rus) "W-wait!...Come back!"

Sly and his men found Linka on the cliff.

Sly: "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Looks like this bird's wings got tired"

One of Sly's men gave Sly a gun.

Sly: "I'd give you a more creative goodbye. You know, for the theatrics of it and what not, but I have a schedule to keep. You understand."

Linka grabbed the ring and struggled to focus to put it on. She had no idea why. She was desperate.

Sly: "Trust me. This is much nicer than letting my men decide what to do."

Sly took aim and shot. However, Linka managed to put the ring on just in time.

Sly: "…What in the hell?"

The bullet was stopped just in front of Linka.

Sly: "What the?!"

A massive gush of wind suddenly blew Sly and his men on their backs. It was also blowing Linka off the cliff. She hung on to the end of the cliff until she couldn't hang on anymore. She was flung upwards into the air.

Linka: (Rus) "WHAT IN GOD'S NAME IS GOING ON?!"

The ring began to glow brightly and suddenly, Linka vanished. As the wind died down, Sly looked up in the air, stunned. He called Dr. Blight back.

Dr. Blight: "How can I help you, Sly?"

Sly: "…I think I'll take that offer."

Dr. Blight: "Wonderful. What, may I ask, changed your mind?"

Sly: "…A goddess."

Meanwhile, many people where relaxing and having fun at Hermosa Beach in California.

Surfer Girl 1 (Lil): "Whooo! Waves are looking delicious! Gonna be a fun day!"

Surfer Girl 2 (Becca): "Think Stan's new nemesis is here today?"

Surfer Guy 1 (Stan): "Whatever, Becca. She got lucky the other day. She shows up again, I'll smoke her ass. Right Ray?"

Surfer Guy 2 (Ray): "Sure."

Lil: "Hey! There she is!"

Lil pointed towards a girl standing next to a colorful van parked near the beach. She was an Asian girl with short black hair, light brown eyes, surprisingly pale skin for a surfer, and was wearing a gold medallion, a watch on her left wrist, a blue bangle on her right wrist, black belt, pink tank top, brown skinny shorts, and a purple mini-jacket. She was packing her van up. The surfer group ran towards her.

Stan: "Yo! Gi!"

The girl turned around.

Gi: "I told you already, man. You can't get your forty bucks back. I won fair and square."

Stan: "Forget about that. You heading out already?"

Becca: "Yeah! I thought we were gonna hang some more?"

Gi: "Sorry, kiddies. The road calls. I can't stick in one place for too long."

Lil: "Darn. I think Ray was about to confess his love for you, right Ray?"

Ray: "Sure."

As the group and Gi laughed and made jokes, they were unaware of shadowy figures in the distance.

Dark Figure: "It looks like everyone is having fun. Such debauchery. "

The figures voice shifted from a rather calm and collect voice to one of a much more sinister nature.

The other figures hissed and snarled

Dark Figure: "I know, I know. 'What about all of you?', you all must be thinking. It must be getting boring back home."

Meanwhile, Lil grabbed Gi by the arm

Lil: "Come on, Gi. Let's get a bite before you go."

Gi: "Hmmm. I don't know."

Lil: "Come on. My treat."

Gi: "Hmm. Well when you put it that way, why not?"

Gi locked up her van and made her way with the group to a nearby burger place.

Back with the dark figure

Dark Figure: "I'm starting to think this migration plan wasn't a good idea."

The other figures whined

Dark Figure: "Oh, don't get me wrong, it's nice to get out every now and then, but all we do most of the time is wait and hide in the shadows like cowards."

The other figures hissed

Dark Figure: "Yes, yes. I know, but I'm only trying to protect you."

Back at the burger place

Stan: "Come on, Gi. One more wave."

Gi: "You guys are persistent, you know that?"

Becca: "You know you want to."

Gi looked out at the beach an at the waves

Gi: "What do you think, Ray?"

There was a brief silence

Ray: "Sure."

Lil: "Alright! Come on, Gi! Let's go get wet!"

Gi: "Haha. Alright, alright. You guys go ahead to the beach. I gotta change."

The group made their way to the beach and Gi went to her van to get her swimsuit.

Back with the dark figure

Dark Figure: "You know what? It is far too nice of a day to stay hidden."

The other figures hissed and growled loudly

Dark Figure: "Carpe Diem, my friends! Hahahahahahahahaha!"

Back at Gi. She was searching though her van for her swimsuit

Gi: "Ah. Here it is."

Woman: "Ahhhh!"

Gi: "What the?!"

Gi turned around and was horrified by what she saw. Rat mutants, at least seven feet tall, were attacking the beach. Gi quickly grabbed a metal baseball bat she had in the van.

Gi: "What in the hell is going on?!"

Cop cars arrived on the scene, but were attacked by the mutants.

Lil: "Ahhh!"

Gi: "Lil!"

Gi ran on the beach. There was so much chaos on the beach that she couldn't see where the group was. Suddenly, she saw Stan running her way.

Gi: "Stan!"

Suddenly, an arm grabbed Stan's leg from beneath the sand.

Stan: "Ahh! Help! Gi! Help me!"

Gi dove and grabbed his arm, but more arms surfaced sand dragged Stan down

Stan: "No! I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die!"

Gi: "Hang on!"

Gi kept pulling. Eventually, all Gi could see above the sand was Stan's arm. She kept pulling. Unfortunately, she couldn't hold on anymore, causeing her hand to slip and her falling back

Gi: "Ahh!"

Suddenly, she felt someone grab her arm. She was about to take a swing at whoever it was then realized it was Ray. Ray picked her up and rushed to the van

Gi: "Ray! Wait! Lil and Becca-"

Ray: "Gone. All gone."

Gi was stunned. Ray managed to get them to the van. He gave Gi a slap to wake her up.

Ray: "Drive!"

Gi nodded and they both got in the van and drove off. Tears were rolling down Gi's face. Before she could mourn, however, three of the mutants attacked the van.

Gi: "Ahh! Damn it!"

Gi tried to shake them off. The mutants manage to get one of the van doors off and grab Ray

Gi: "Ray! No!"

Ray: "Keep going Gi! Keep going!"

Ray was taken to the top of the van. He managed to fight them off of the van, but they eventually overpowered him when they hit the ground. Gi kept driving, crying more now. It seemed that she got away…but Ray missed one. It got in the van and tried attacking Gi.

Gi: "Ahhh! Get the out of my van!"

She made a sharp turn, trying to get the mutant to fall out of the hole where her van door used to be. Unfortunately, it grabbed the edge and was hanging out of the car. Also, while distracted, Gi wasn't paying attention to the path and drove off into the water. Gi held her breath and tried to unbuckle her seatbelt, but it was stuck.

Gi: "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

Gi finally got the belt off and made her way out of the van and tried to swim to the surface. Suddenly, the mutant grabbed her leg. It's tail was stuck somewhere in the van and was being dragged under with it. Now Gi was going down too. She struggled all she could, but couldn't shake loose. She looked up at the surface and saw a dolphin swimming. Under it was an odd blue light that was sinking towards Gi. She was desperate and kept reaching for the light. Things were getting dark. She couldn't hold her breath much longer.

Gi: "P-please…help…"

Finally, she grabbed the light and realized it was a ring. Without thinking, she put it on.

Gi: "GASP!"

She could suddenly breathe. The water around her, the mutant, and the van shifted and swayed quickly.

Back on the beach. The dark figure walked the now very empty beach. He was wearing a tattered black suit covered by a large red cloak. He poked some of the abandoned beach supplies with his large, clawed, greyish, mutated feet.

Dark Figure: "Hmm. Perhaps we seized a bit too much of the day."

The dark figure looked towards the ocean and saw the water moving in unusual ways

Dark Figure: "Well. That's odd."

Inside the tornado was Gi, who fainted from the shock of the situation. The ring shined brighter and Gi vanished.

The dark figure watched as the water calmed back down

Dark Figure: "Hmm. Well. I think it's time to head back home. I have a lot to check up on now."

Back at the uncharted island, Gaia is still looking at the crystals.

Gaia: "Why did you leave? Why now? What are you looking for?"

A guard walked in the room

Guard: "Oh. I apologize, Lady Gaia. I'll just-"

Gaia: "Do not be silly, guardsman. Has Ma-Ti had any luck finding the rings?"

Guard: "…No. We had hoped you did. Are you sure he will be able to find them?"

Gaia: "Do not doubt Ma-Ti's abilities, my child. The shaman did not choose him as his successor for nothing."

On the shores of the island, a young boy had his left arm outstretched with his palm opened towards the ocean. On his index finger was a glowing purple ring. He was a young Indian boy with olive skin, hazel eyes, shoulder length black hair, and had an average build. He was wearing shaman-like clothing, no shoes, and the Gaian emblem on his shash: Gridded, golden circle. His eyes were closed.

Ma-Ti: "I must focus. I must not fail."

He remained quiet.

Ma-Ti: "…Why can't I sense them? I've always felt their presence before. Why now?"

Ma-Ti stared at his ring.

Ma-Ti: "…"

He continued to search. He then heard Gaia's soothing voice in his head.

Gaia: "Ma-Ti. I do not mean to disturb you."

Ma-Ti: "You could never disturb me, Lady Gaia."

Gaia: "Have you had any luck finding them?"

Ma-Ti remained quiet

Gaia: "It is alright, dear. I know you can do it."

Ma-Ti: "…I'm not so sure, M'lady."

Gaia: "Ma-Ti?"

Ma-Ti: "I never completed my training from Master Anand. I'm not sure that I am ready to wield the Ring of Heart."

Gaia: "Hush now, Ma-Ti. Anand was one of the wisest shamans I have ever had. At times, I would trust his judgment more than my own. He chose you on his deathbed not out of desperation, but out of love and trust. You are ready, whether you know it or not."

Ma-Ti: "…Very well, M'lady. I will not giv-GASP!"

Ma-Ti sudden had an immense sensation

Gaia: "What is it, Ma-Ti?"

Ma-Ti: "I sense them! I sense all of them!"

Gaia: "Excellent, Ma-Ti! I knew you could-"

Ma-Ti: "Wait…What the?!"

Gaia: "What? What is it?"

Ma-Ti: "They are all rushing this way! Incredibly fast! There is more…the spirits feel…heavier?"

Suddenly, a bright green light shot down from the sky and crashed on the island, causing a massive, but very brief earthquake.

Ma-Ti: "What?!"

Ma-Ti rushed towards the crash site. When he got to it, he found the young man from Ghana. The trees and vines around the crash were wrapped around him.