Lord of the Rings

[Brian is walking down the hallway. Zon passes him and then continues to run.]

[Zon]: Sorry! Coming through!

[Brian continues to walk down the hall. A few panels later, Zon comes running back in the other direction.]

[Zon]: Excuse me! Out of my way!

[Brian]: Zon...

[Brian continues to walk until, for a third time, Zon runs past him.]

[Zon]: Watch where you're going!

[Brian]: Zon! What are you doing? STOP!

[Zon stops in place and then turns around and walks over to Brian.]

[Zon]: Sorry, I just had to be somewhere...

[Brian]: Apparently it was somewheres, if that is even a word?

[Zon]: Whatever. I have to go now.

[Zon runs in the opposite direction that Brian was walking in. He trips and a red ring goes flying in front of him.]

[Brian]: You found one, too?

[Zon]: What do you mean?

[Brian takes out a blue ring.]

[Zon]: Where did you get that?

[Brian]: I found it in my hometown: Sigara. It has water powers.

[Zon]: This one has fire powers. I found it in my hometown, Center City.

[Brian]: Do you think there could be more?

[Zon]: Probably...

[Brian]: Should I go tell the Magisters...

[Zon]: Yeah... I'll go find Ben and Jack, they were in Center City with me when I found it...

[They both run off in opposite directions. Meanwhile, an unknown figure teleports into the Academy in the Magister's secret room. He is a teenager and wearing two rings, one green and one orange on a necklace around his neck.]

[Child]: Success... This is becoming more physically draining without the power of the Energy ring, however.

[He looks around.]

[Child]: Two rings are here, but why are they here?

[He begins to walk out of the room and eventually enters the hallway. He begins to walk around but he doesn't find much of anything.]

[Child]: I do have to admit this place is very advanced...

[He walks around more and eventually enters the lobby of the academy. He continues to walk and goes down the hallway and eventually heads up a staircase to the second floor.]

[Child]: So I'm on the second floor now...

[He stops to look around and eventually finds someone walking down the hallway. It is Brian. He dives into a room but Brian seems to notice something. Brian runs over to the door.]

[Brian]: Who's there?

[He opens the door and finds the child inside, walking around. The child turns and notices Brian.]

[Child]: Hello...

[Brian suddenly stops and then turns around and runs in the other direction.]

[Child]: That was not the reaction I was expecting...

[He walks out of the room and then looks around.]

[Child]: He went this way... so maybe I should go in the other direction?

[He begins to walk in the other direction.]

[Child]: Where are those rings...?

[On the next page, Zon is running down the hallway.]

[Zon]: Where are they?

[He runs and turns a corner, colliding with Jack. Ben is walking next to him.]

[Jack]: Woah there!

[Zon]: Jack, guess what?

[Jack]: What?

[Zon]: Brian found another ring?

[Ben]: Where?

[Zon]: He said he found it in Sigara back on Earth... Know what this means?

[Jack]: There's probably more...

[Zon]: Yeah! He already went to talk with the Magisters... Come on, let's go...

[The three recruits begin to walk in the direction Zon was walking in.]

[Ben]: Is his ring, different?

[Zon]: He says it controls water but I didn't see it.

[The mysterious child bursts out from around the corner and collides with Jack.]

[Jack]: Not again...

[The child stands up and notices Zon's ring.]

[Child]: Where did you get that?

[Zon]: I found it... myself...

[Ben]: Hey!

[Child]: Well can I have it...?

[Zon]: I don't even know you...

[Zon begins to walk along but then he notices the two rings on the boy's necklace.]

[Zon]: Who are you...?

[Child]: I am the Ringmaster! Those rings belong to me!

[The child grabs the rings around his neck and places them on his fingers. He forms a huge air blast and fires it at the recruits. They scatter but Jack jumps and then fires electricity at the boy. He creates in earth wall in front and then throws the rock at Jack. He blasts a current in Ben's face as he tries to punch the boy, but he gets knocked back. Zon fires a stream of fire out of the ring but the boy blows it away with a stream of air and then throws rock after rock at Zon. One rock eventually hits him and knocks him to the ground. The boy runs over and takes his ring.]

[Ringmaster]: One down, one to go...

[He puts the ring on his finger.]

[Brian is running down the hallway.]

[Brian]: Who was that guy?

[In then next panel, the Ringmaster teleports in front of him. Brian notices the three rings on the Ringmaster's hand.]

[Brian]: Where'd you get those? Zon had one of those!

[Ringmaster]: Well I have it now and you're going to give it to me, too. Please tell me you have the ring of Energy!

[Brian]: Is that the blue one?

[Brian sends a giant water wave at the Ringmaster and then begins to run in the other direction. The Ringmaster runs and follows.]

[Ringmaster]: I don't think I introduced myself... I'm the Ringmaster, and you are?

[Brian]: My name is Brian, but you can call me your worst nightmare!

[Brian turns around and forms an ice wall in front of him. The Ringmaster crashes into the ice wall and then falls to the ground. The red ring goes flying away from him.]

[Brian]: Thanks!

[Brian jumps over to the ring and grabs it.]

[Ringmaster]: Very well, but I'll return to take them from you. And when I do I will have the fifth and final one. Victory will then be mine...

[He teleports away.]

[Brian]: That is one weird dude...

[On the next page, the four recruits are meeting.]

[Zon]: Maybe we shouldn't tell the Magisters yet?

[Jack]: We can handle this on our own?

[Ben]: Do we have any leads?

[Brian]: He seems more concerned about the fifth missing ring than he does about these two... The fifth one was... the Ring of Energy?

[Zon]: Then that makes this fire and that one water...

[Jack]: And the other two must have been Earth and Air!

[Ben]: So do we take action or do we wait?

[Brian]: It will be a while before he returns. For now, we wait...

[Zon]: And we don't tell anybody. Not even the Magisters...

[Brian]: Agreed. We can prove to them that we can do this on our own!

[Zon]: And we will... Don't you worry...

[The last panel shows the four recruits standing together.]

[The End]