Hi! This is legitimately a fanfic. The protags of this story are the vitriolic Runics who served as the male counterparts of the guardians in one of the later issues of the comics. I gave them an overhaul. All that my version retained are their (first) names, their general appearances, and the original idea of giving the guardians some male counterparts.

I owe the general idea of playing around with these characters to my friend ZarahXan, so be sure to thank her too.

NRDCS: The Champions of Arucar

Solaris. The capital of Junovia, blessed by the protection of the netherien court of Arucar. A fine day like most others proceeded, and in the Academy of Dur Salein, students were hugely anticipating the end of classes.

Like for example, in the Advanced Robotics class: the seniors. They'd been working on their circuits for an hour and a half, and there was only so much progress. Every now and then, the older students would glance at two rather enthusiastic sophomores, Ran-rah Luevan and Cromo Arkharon, the stars of the class. Now, while it was expected of an Arkharon kid to be excellent, his lab partner had the tendency to convince the professor to extend class hours – oh, joy.

In another laboratory, the students didn't particularly care about the time. And especially today: their classmate in front was the sacrificial lamb of the day. Shalin, Shalin, the instructor would sternly scold and throw him questions. Shalin, Shalin, his classmates would whisper and mock. And Shalin Ere'vos, the poor boy, his fluffy hair wanted to curl inwardly and stay there, for he could only stall for the time and his grades. Every now and then, he'd glance at his cursed seatmate, Darmon Reimer, who had tricked him into this situation. And Shalin, Shalin, could not do anything more than stand regally in front, taking every bullet wound of a quiz that should've been for the entire class.

And in yet another classroom, a lecture on literature went on. The classics of antiquity. The sacred texts of society and culture. And it was so… so…! So! Damned! Boring! Students struggled to stay awake, but what could they do against the totally unrelatable descriptions of people and their mediocre lives? Not to mention, their teacher had such a dull voice that somehow rewound time and turned off gravity. Nashter Diacores, however, kept himself up by counting. Counting, counting. Tapping on his armdesk. Tapping. Tapping. Counting.

"Fifty. Fifty-one."

Counting under his breath. Counting. Just a little bit more.

"Fifty-four. Fifty-five."

Tap... Tap…

"Fifty-eight. Fifty-nine. Sixty—"

The bell rung.

Nash jumped and ran out.

"Oh, finally! Sweet, sweet bell!" he announced, skipping about. "Airfield, here I goooo!"

This was the Academy of Dur Salein, and these five boys were the most special students it had.

Students filled the hallways and buzzed about, like bees swarming away from their hive. Some headed straight home, some to their clubs, and some to their lockers. Teachers scolded here and there, but what more could they do against kids and their absolute love for freedom?

"Nothing!" sobbed Shalin, banging his head against his locker. With the grace of a Shakespearean actor, he held out his arms and knelt on the floor. "All that work… it is now nothing! Now, watch your local heartbroken man Shalin Ere'vos fail this one class he fought tooth and nail for to hang onto!"

"Dude, chill." Darmon gave a few pats to Shalin's back. "Chemobio is always a pain in the neck, and everybody's already sure they're repeating it."

"But did you have to involve me in your massive failure? Like a sacrificial lamb for your entertainment?!"

"Well, you have the floofy hair for it!"

Shalin groaned, and his eyes turned to two other boys behind them.

"My engineer brethren, help!" he cried, bowing before them.

Ran-rah laughed. "Oh, did my dudes do well in Dur Salein's Doom Course?"

"Heck, no!" "Barely, but I've accepted my fate!"

Shalin stood and covered Darmon's face. "So I need your help, Ran-rah. I need remedial lessons or I'm gonna have to repeat this class under the same Mr. Doom VonDoom!"

"Oh, let me walk you through," Cromo offered, "I'm heading to the library myself."

"You're a life saver!" Shalin threw himself at his friend's feet. "…also, I may just be imagining it, but your hair's getting a little long. Won't Papa Arkharon scold you for that?"

The other boy ran a hand through his di-colored hair. "…huh. I'm gonna tell my hairdresser."

Ran-rah shrugged. "Call me if you need extra help, my dudes. You always know who's the best in Chemobio."

"You say that again!"

They turned their attentions back to their respective lockers.

"So who's ready to hit the airfield?!"

Nash's loud voice raised some heads, but only Darmon replied in an equally loud voice.

"Me! Darmon Reimer! I'm ready!"

"Ready to mow down the field, Reimer?"

"Ready to be this year's MVP, Diacores?!"

"Yeah!" "Yeah!"

They bumped chests and shared a high five. Darmon wrapped an arm around his teammate.

"Shh, guys," Cromo hushed, "No need to be this loud!"

"Leave them be Captain." Ran-rah shook his head. "They've got a record to live up to."

Shalin rolled his eyes. "Leave them to their horse-playing. Let's go, Cromo!"

But something shone from within Nash's sling bag. The five boys were stunned for a brief moment, even when the light disappeared.

Shalin sighed and gestured to the bag. "…okay, change of plans."

"To the briefing room!" announced Nash.

The four others nodded, and followed their leader to a room protected by a numerical keypad. Nash entered the code and the metal door slid to the side.

"Oh, they're here…" some girls murmured. Ah. Their local cheerleading squad.

Darmon turned to them and winked. "We'll be right back soon, ladies!"

"Good luck!" "Go, Runics!" "We love you!"

"Thanks, ladies!"

Darmon blew a few kisses, and promptly followed his friends inside.

The room was a meeting room like any other – a long, circular table, some seats, and some decorative plants. The difference was that there was extra space on the other end of the room, and there was a slot for a circular object near the head of the table.

Nash's friends took their seats as he himself took out an amulet from his bag – the orb that shone from earlier. Protected by silvery, metallic encasing, the crystal had purplish hues and fit perfectly into the slot. Nash then proceeded to sit on the other end of the table.

Light projected from the orb. The amulet began to show holograms from the dimension that protected Junovia with all its glory. A figure of an old woman in a black robe and an equally black head garb appeared.

"Ciao, ciao~" she greeted.

The boys greeted back, "Hi!" "'Ey, Momsy!" "Athuri!"

"Sorry for bothering you on such a short notice."

The boys chuckled. It couldn't be helped; that was part of the job description. They even signed a waiver that stressed that part!

"So, what's up?" asked Nash.

"Here."

Athuri's image was replaced by what seemed to be a power generator, various wires and light bulbs attached to it. Ran-rah and Cromo awed at its grungy, well-preserved form.

"If any one of my dad's babies ran on that, I am so stealing it for an around-the-world adventure in 60 days," Cromo exclaimed.

"So, this is some super battery," observed Ran-rah, "But it's gotta be a power supply for something really, really big. We're not talking everyday use for civilians here; we're talking big corporations. Like… like power generators for factories."

"Or for rocketships."

"Right."

Shalin groaned. "A villainy-looking battery is the Runics' enemy for the day, and it looks like it could blow up and take everybody with it… like in movies."

Athuri laughed, still off-screen. "Glad you like it, boys, because you're going to, in fact, destroy this!"

Cromo and Ran-rah moaned in agony. Shalin cheered, "And now the Runics walk away from the burning debris! Mission accomplished!" as he pretended to adjust the sunglasses of an action movie protagonist.

"But what exactly is it, Momsy?" asked Darmon.

"It's a supercell!" she answered, "Like Ran-rah and Cromo said. It was used in the last war of the Sinoans, which your predecessors dealt with."

Nash nodded and hummed. "The Sinoans… the ones who worked with complex wiring and machinery, to build mechs."

"Gigantic mechs!" added Cromo.

Athuri clapped. "Correct! Very good! And some Sinoan rebels are trying to revive it. The supercell is dangerous, and more and more people are considering yet another war, because they believe it is the only way to be heard and to solve their problems. If yet another war happens, Sinoa shall cease to exist. You must destroy the supercell."

"Can't we just confiscate it?"

"Nope."

"Please? Can't you give an exception for this one?"

"No exceptions, Cromo."

A portal appeared in front of the room's extra space.

"Good luck, boys," Athuri bade, "May the dragons' power help you. If you are lost, never forget to seek the kindness of the Heart of Arucar."

The hologram disappeared, and Nash took the amulet.

"Okay, before anything else!" Ran-rah announced, "I need to give myself a little bit of pep-talk."

"Me too!" Cromo agreed.

The three other boys just glanced at each other, but they obliged. Darmon slung an arm around Shalin, who extended his legs on the table. A quiet moment passed by, only punctuated by Nash's tapping on the table.

Then Cromo said, "Okay. Let's do it."

Nash smiled and held out the Heart. "Champions, unite!"

The room went dark.

Five bright orbs released from the amulet and absorbed into each boys' chests. Draconic figures then shot up from their feet, circled about, and swallowed them. In an instant, the boys were bathed in the colors of their elements – byzantium purple, flax yellow, taupe, cadet grey, and Prussian blue.

Over the boys' bodies appeared their blessed garbs of chartreuse green and sky blue. Cloth of purple and deep green wrapped around them and decorated their uniforms. Gloves and shoes slipped onto their hands and feet, and webbed wings grew from their backs.

The elemental lights released them – or rather, older versions of themselves. Grown men, in full champion garb, ready to take the world on. Finally, the orbs from before reappeared on their chests, only to fade into the five holy symbols of nether, imprinted against their shirts.

"Nashter of Time!"

"Ran-rah of Poison!"

"Darmon of Void!"

"Cromo of Metal!"

"Shalin of Gravity! ...ugh, so we say, but I wish we had an actual audience to pose for."

The boys laughed, still holding their poses. It's practice for someday. And someday they'd get that awesome transformation sequence with an audience soon.

"Alright. Let's go to Sinoa!"

And the group jumped into the portal.

Dark.

Dark and spooky. An almost endless expanse of night, grass and, and wires greeted the champions. Besides the grass swaying in the wind, there was no other sign of life. The bluish flower hologram fluttering along could barely count as lively, when Nash could not even take it in his hand. At least, it served as a light source.

"The Runics have entered the world of Sinoa, and they are met with a rather dark and cold environment," Shalin observed, gesturing to the field. "And it's also so... deserted."

"Yeah," said Ran-rah, "It could be my jam, but this place is way too dark. Too... dangerous."

"Like enemies could pop out anywhere!"

"So, Shalin... you lead the way."

Shalin puffed out his cheeks. He was still reveling in the depths and lifelessness of the place! Oh, well. It was his function, anyway. He knelt to the ground and placed his palm against the soil.

"Gravity!" he commanded, and thrums of energy scanned the field before them. It thrummed once, twice, thrice... "There's activity towards that way."

Shalin thrust his body to the left, where all the wires seemed to be heading. Well, that should've been self-explanatory.

"Follow the wires!" Nashter directed, and the boys flew west.

The wires wound about, and the air was cold. Somehow, in this world, a storm could generate itself without much effort. With focused minds, the boys beat their wings and directed their eyes to the horizon. The somehow unchanging scenery was only punctuated by more holographic flowers perched upon the ground.

And finally, a camp appeared.

"Wait!" Shalin raised a hand, and the boys dropped to the ground. Once again, he summoned his element and felt for life. "A camp of vehicles, filled with mechanical life and some personnel…"

"This doesn't look like it has good defenses." Darmon cocked his head and touched Nash's shoulder. "I think we could just run inside and destroy the thing!"

Cromo sighed. "For a world so advanced to make huge mechs, I am so disappointed to see rotten old vans and trucks..."

"I guess?" Ran-rah shrugged. "I think they're transformers!"

Gravity thrummed under their feet. A few lamp lights flickered. The holograms swayed to the wind, a little out of sync.

"Shalin, what do you feel?" Nash asked.

"I think there are bots and people roving about. The supercell is underground, but I don't know if we stand a chance if we just bust in," Shalin reported. "These vehicles could be something like transformers, like Ran-rah said!"

"Alright. There's probably a security system around here. We should disable that. Try to feel for a place where people are pushing all sorts of buttons."

Shalin felt the ground once again. He pointed to the right. "That way."

The boys sneaked around. They narrowly avoided a few robotic guards scouting the area. They proceeded towards a suspicious van, which many wires were hooked to. Ran-rah held his hand out and flaxen yellow energy surrounded his palm. Four black spheres settled between his fingers, energy still active around them.

"Cover your noses!" he warned as he threw the spheres towards the van.

One. Two.

Smoke appeared. People coughed. Bodies dropped.

Ran-rah waited. One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

"Okay, move in!"

The boys pushed themselves inside the van and awed at the intricate wirings. Luckily for them, there were no robotic defenses awaiting to obliterate them. Screens and buttons and keypads greeted them as coldly as the land did.

"Nobody touch anything without my permission," Nash directed, "So, Cromo, Ran-rah, work on it."

As the two boys did, Shalin busied himself with looking through the unconscious personnel's IDs. Meanwhile, Darmon found a manual carried by another unconscious personnel, and began to read. Nash simply kept an eye on his teammates.

"Cute guy, evil motive," Shalin moaned, "Why do the good-looking guys have to be problematic villains?"

"You're probably just unlucky. Try the next world over. There'll be better guys there." Darmon shrugged.

"You said that last time!"

"Shal, I can't predict the future, you know!"

"You suck."

"Tch."

The two boys stuck their tongues out at each other.

"Anyway, is that thing you're reading important?"

Darmon moved next to Shalin and showed him the manual. "Well… it says that the supercell has to be shut down properly, or else its power will take down everyone and everything within a 100-mile radius."

Nash turned to them. "Then that must be why the supercell wasn't destroyed after the war. People were scared it'd destroy them in the process."

"Probably..." "Yeah..."

"And how does one shut down a supercell like this?"

Darmon flipped the pages and scanned through the many technical terms. "Um, there are five levers you need to pull up at the same time. You gotta wait for its indicator lights to completely go out. Then you disconnect the cell from any active connections, so I guess we gotta take out the wires. After that, it should be safe to actually destroy the thing."

Shalin cocked his head. "Yep, sounds villainy enough."

Then Cromo announced, "All done! Security protocols disabled. Nothing will shoot or transform into a weapon anymore."

Nash smiled. "Good."

"What can I say?" Ran-rah leaned against the control panel. "We're good at handling other people's babies!"

Just then, an alarm blared through the sound system. Wrang! Wrang! Wrang!

Ran-rah's teammates looked at each other, then at him. Ran-rah turned to the control panel and realize his elbow hit a big red button. Oops.

Shalin glared at Ran-rah. "The voice in my head says you suck."

"Not now!" Nash took their wrists. "Run!"

They flew away, led by Nash. Alerted personnel began shouting and shooting. Laser fire covered the sky. Cromo's hands glowed with energy and easily yanked a metal truck door off its hinges, using it as a shield. Similarly, Darmon's hands glowed and opened black void portals to absorb some of the fire.

"You should've just disabled the power!" cried Shalin, "Also we're going the wrong way! The supercell is the other way around!"

"Okay, change of plans!"

Nash turned around and his teammates followed. Cromo and Darmon covered them from behind. The boys ducked, now lead by Shalin.

"It's underground!" he informed, "This way!"

But enemies rushed towards them.

"Poison!"

Ranrah released smoke bombs from his hands, each one detonating two counts after he dropped them. That ought to have taken out a handful of personnel.

But still, the boys were followed. Behind them, more people shouted, and more shots fired. The boys struggled to fly faster.

Cromo then realized that the area they entered was covered in metal. He held his hands out and shouted, "Metal!"

The metal walls around him bent and sealed the hall. The personnel's weapons might eventually drill a way through, but he had to buy his team some time.

Adrenaline rushing and blood pumping, the boys arrived in a very bright room. The coated personnel raised their laser guns and shot. Darmon's void portals shielded his teammates in time. Cromo called forth his element, and the guns exploded on themselves, knocking out the scientists in shock.

Or at least, they looked like scientists.

And now. The supercell.

First and foremost: it was huge. It stood about three meters high, and was probably half as wide. Nash and Shalin gasped, astonished and fearful for its killing potential. Darmon whistled in awe.

"B-behold…" Shalin spread his arms, "The supercell!"

"Oh, yes! Look at this baby!" announced Ran-rah, "...goodbye, Baby, I will dearly miss you."

"Me too."

Now, that statement did not come from Cromo. The voice was not at all manly; it was sultry, and it had an air of pride and evil to it. The boys turned around and took a fighting stance as they faced the fur robe-clad woman that greeted them.

"Hello, boys," she said, "You must be the Champions of Arucar. It's pretty impressive you got this far!"

With all that Sinoan tech? Yes. The boys squinted their eyes, but Nash inwardly sighed. Here it goes...

"Why do you want to revive the supercell?"

"Oh, my dear boy, you are too young to understand."

To be honest, Nashter only asked out of politeness. He whispered, "Time," and directed his finger to the woman. The woman's words became garbled, much like when a soundtrack is fast-forwarded, without the change in pitch.

After a few seconds, he released his magic.

"...and so the world needs..." The villainess' enthusiastic eyes changed. "Hey, wait a minute..."

"Sorry, I kind of have to be home by dinner. And my mate here has an appointment with his hairdresser." Nash chuckled. "Can we get this over with?"

"Child, you do not understand!"

"Shalin, restrain her!"

And Shalin yelled for gravity. The villainess fell to the ground, immobilized by his power. Darmon guided void portals around the woman's limbs, ensuring she could not move from her position. Shalin released the gravitational force and relaxed.

"There are five levers and you can't pull them like this!" mocked the woman, "Two of them are in the other control room!"

"Oh yes, we can." Cromo raised his hand and calmly said, "Metal."

At once, three levers ripped themselves off the massive control panels and floated to the boys' hands. The wires were still attached to each of the levers, thankfully long enough for that to happen. Cromo walked into the room the woman came from and did the same. He came out with two more levers, and handed one to Nash.

"Now!" Nash commanded, and the levers went up.

"Noooo!" the woman cried, but she could only watch in vain.

The supercell's mechanism moaned as it powered down. The indicator lights went out one by one, with Nash assisting its shutdown.

Once the room went dark, Cromo commanded the connecting wires off the supercell.

"Okay, Nash. We're Clear!"

The boys summoned energy into their hands, each pair glowing purple, flaxen, taupe, grey, and blue.

"Time."

"Poison."

"Void."

"Metal."

"Gravity."

Jolts of power directed towards the supercell and surrounded it. It bathed in the light of the elements, before safely crumbling into ashes.

They released the woman, who cried before the spot the supercell once took.

"We almost had it!" she moaned, "We almost won the war! What are we going to do now?! Our voices shall never be heard. Our precious voices shall be drowned out…!"

Nash sighed. "A word of advice, Miss: the Overseer would normally have people like you imprisoned, but she didn't give us the order."

The woman turned around, her mouth agape and her brows furrowed. She couldn't say anything.

"I suggest you use this time to think things over... and I guess you could also consider a safer way to negotiate your rights."

She grimaced, but she eventually turned her head away. That ought to do it.

Shalin skipped about and placed his hands on his hips. "The Runics have destroyed the supercell, and once again, the Champions of Arucar have saved the day!"

"You're right!" Ran-rah held his hand out for a high-five.

Nash nodded and summoned his amulet. His friends surrounded him.

"Heart of Arucar, take us back."

They were bathed in a cool light, and they found themselves back in the briefing room at school. Their eyes had to adjust to the light, but they were glad to be back home.

The boys stretched about as Nash inserted the Heart into its little slot.

"Mission accomplished, Athuri. There were no casualties."

Athuri clapped her hands in the hologram. "Very good! Congratulations! You're a really great team, Runics."

"Thank you, Ma'am."

"Now, get some rest. You need it."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Thank you for your help as always."

The boys bowed before her, and the hologram slinked back into the Heart. Nash held out the Heart once more, and his team detransformed. Once again, they were back to average teenage boys they were, wearing their unique style and their preferred gel.

"That was nice," Ran-rah said, "But I gotta get home and work on the timing of my smoke bombs. Still a little too slow."

"Remember what Athuri said, Ran-rah," Nash warned, "And don't overdo it."

"Yep. I won't."

Shalin grumbled and cocked his head. "So I guess Mr. Arkharon here has to go home too?"

Cromo laughed. "Oh, yes. But we can still study through the web. IM me, okay? But don't blame me if I'm slow to reply. I have to get my hair cut immediately."

Shalin nodded.

"I'm gonna head straight for the grocery, or else the manager will have my head," Darmon informed, anchoring his elbows on Cromo and Shalin's shoulders, "What about you, Nash?"

Nash answered, "I'm gonna go home too. I just… I'm just gonna hang around here for a while."

"Alright. See you guys."

"Yeah."

"See you!" "Bye!" "Don't forget the team project for PhysEduc!"

Nash watched his teammates leave. Was today the day? No. Not yet. He was fine. His friends were also fine. There were no casualties.

"Shan Yanjing, kind one," he begged under his breath. "Have mercy on us. Please give us more time…"

Nash headed out and took one last look at his locker. He didn't need to take any of these books home… ah. He had homework in AnTrig. He grabbed the exercise module and closed his locker.

Nash dragged his feet to the bike stand and inserted a coin on a lock. The lock released and he took the communal bike. Shan Yanjing, kind one, how much more time do we have left?

He cycled up the familiar road leading home. Leaves crawled up walls, and solar panels followed the setting sun. Trees separated the main road from the bike lane and the sidewalk. Flowers lined every window. Nash was so glad he lived in a place like this. The beautiful world soothed his worries, even a little.

As he turned around the park, Nash parked the bike to a rack and set the lock. He proceeded to walk the last few streets down to his apartment block. The blue one that had this big tree that he loved to climb. Yes… that one… He ascended the stairs. Two sets, and he'll be there. One… Two… Third floor. Five doors from the stairs. Door number 315. Home.

He unlocked the door and headed inside. He kicked his shoes off and ran towards his bed. How thankful he was for this awesome bunk set-up. The space below was used for his personal desk, and his clothes were stored on the side.

"Welcome back, Gangster!" his dad greeted from below the bunk.

Nash tried to match the man's enthusiasm. "Hey Dad..."

"Oh, don't tell me, you got in too much of air football practice? Been time-warping again to do that? Come on!"

Nash imagined his dad gesturing to the medals and trophies stashed on the desk below his bunk.

"You already have so many medals! Don't push yourself too much, Gangster."

"Psh... Dad, I know. The Overseer already warned me about it. Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."

"Oh, you better!"

"I just did a mission today, Dad. I'm just tired. Don't worry."

"Okay. Will you eat dinner?"

"Yes. I'll eat. I just gotta rest for a second."

"Okay, Gangster. Love ya."

"Love you too, Dad."

Nash listened to his dad's footsteps until they were gone. The boy closed his eyes and rolled about on his bed. He still had a project to work on. The exams were coming. Dur Salein had requirements and he still had to tour Solaris for the Art Appy. And Arucar...

Nash sighed. He did sign the waiver. He accepted his role. And yes, he did accept the pain that would be part of it.

If only he could slow it, the way he slowed time sometimes, for the moments that count…

You can find my reimagined version of the Runics on my DeviantArt; link is on my FFN profile.

Also, for clarifications:

x - The respective counterparts of WITCH are NRDCS - Nashter, Ran-rah, Darmon, Cromo, and Shalin.

x - The respective counterparts of quintessence/energy, water, fire, earth, and air are time, poison, void, metal, and gravity. The first set of elements are aether-oriented; the second set are nether-oriented.

x - Thematic coloring: aether elements are magenta, cyan, red, green, and indigo; nether elements are byzantium purple, flaxen yellow, taupe, cadet grey, and Prussian blue.

X - Kandrakar's equivalent is Arucar. Likewise, Heatherfield, Earth is to Solaris, Junovia.

As for the near future, I don't have much else for these guys beyond a bit of backstory. So if you'd like to read more of them, please let us know!