"Now let's get back to the twins and see what they have found," Mane mumbled to himself and slowly walked back into the city.
"Are you okay? You seem awfully stiff." Mane asked Hildegarde. For the usually talkative fairy had been quiet for a very long time.
"I am fine," Hildegarde's lost expression was quickly replaced by her usual playful gaze. Her stiff legs started to swing up and down again, and her demeanor changed to what Mane was used to.
"It was just that I realised that we are alone again. Like how things were before." Hildegarde combed her hair with her thin fingers and said.
Although to the World of the Three Great Races Mane was only gone a while, he was stuck in the Barrier for a very long time. It was a couple of months at the very least. And in all that time, the Watchers kept their eyes on him. So he and Hildegarde were never truly on their own. And when they left, they left with two new friends. Added to the fact that Sunflower now followed Mane everywhere, Mane hadn't been alone for the past two years. So Hildegarde perceived that the days of having the Supreme to herself were long gone.
"You do know that it wouldn't last for long right?" Mane smiled slightly and said. They were on their way to meet the twins. And from there they would go back to Sunflower. So they weren't truly alone.
"Yeah," Hildegarde replied with a slightly dull tone that even Mane who was famed for his high level of denseness could fathom.
"How about we tour Amalgamation a bit," Mane offered.
"Really?" Hildegarde's eyes brightened when Mane spoke.
The main reason why she was so unsettled was because she would eventually have to choose between Mane and her race. She thought it would be an easy choice to make, but the longer she stayed with the young Supreme the more she yearned to see exactly how his life would pan out. And she didn't want to view it from the sidelines. She wanted a front row seat to where the action was. For right now she regarded Mane as her own family – like a 'little' brother.
"Yeah," Mane chuckled and nodded his head. "Yay!" Hildegarde exclaimed. Mane smiled faintly as a result. He had never seen her this expressive before. He didn't know what was on her mind, but if some quality time together was going to solve that, he was more than willing to help out.
So the two went to every place in Amalgamation. They visited every store – which wasn't difficult because there weren't many – and saw every beautiful scenery there was to see. Amalgamation was truly a beautiful place. And the two spent most of their time marveling at the sights they had failed to appreciate in the beginning. They spent hours touring the city. And only called an end to their adventure when the sun showed signs of calling it a day as well. It was only then that they returned to Ancestor Pier's place.
The first thing Mane did when he arrived wasn't to go and see Sunflower, but to extend his aura and confirm the twins' location. He found them where he expected them to be – in their rooms. As for Ancestor Pier, he wasn't around. If Mane had to guess, he would say that the old man was with Ancestor Origin. And it was likely that the others were as well. As for what they were doing together, Mane wasn't concerned about it even a little bit. They may be waiting for Ancestor Bold to return with news. Or they may just be having a meeting about the recently updated Nature Barrier. Whatever it was, Mane concluded that it had very little to do with him. Hence he was not worried.
Mane walked calmly to Lam's room first. He knocked on the door and waited for the Elemental Prince to come out. And soon Lam was out. He looked calm but Mane could see traces of worry in his eyes. Though they were deeply hidden, Mane still found them out. The young prince had found something!
"Oh it's you Mane!" Lam's eyes flashed slightly when he saw Mane. And the worry in his eyes disappeared greatly as though with Mane here everything could be easily solved. It was amazing that even after growing so much, the young prince still depended so much on his old friend.
"We should go to Lily's," Lam spoke quickly before Mane could even get out a word.
Mane simply nodded his head at the suggestion. He was thinking that the twins would be together after their 'heist'. As for why they were in separate rooms, Mane didn't know, neither did it concern him so much. Both walked over to Lily's room with a sense of urgency. Lam led Mane and he moved so briskly that Mane was force to follow in his pace, not like it was actually an issue. Soon they were in front of Lily's door. And Lam rapped the frame of the doorpost anxiously like he was a convicted thief escaping from the authorities.
"Calm down Lam," Mane couldn't help but put his hand on Lam's shoulder to try and calm his friend down. He hadn't seen Lam this battered before. And that made him worry a bit. What exactly had the boy found out that made him so worried?
"Whew. Hahaha. Sorry. I was a bit anxious." Lam took a few deep breaths to calm himself. But they didn't seem to do much because his feet shuffled around nervously like a boy going to profess his love to a woman. It had only been a few seconds since Lam knocked on the door, but soon it was opened to reveal the slightly disheveled figure of the Elemental Princess.
"Lily? Are you okay?" Mane was slightly taken aback by the sight he before him. And he had every right to ask the question he asked.
Behind the half open door was a slightly disoriented Lily. Her hair was a little off. For some strands strayed too far from the pack. Her eyes were slightly swollen, indicating that she had shed a few tears. She wore a large white T-shirt that went past her knees and nothing else. But the T-shirt was mostly wrinkled, indicating that she had likely been fidgeting uneasily upon her bed. Seeing her like this made Mane slightly guilty that he didn't come over earlier. But he soon pushed that guilt to the side when he remembered that it was necessary to help Hildegarde as well.
"Mane!" Mane's voice seemed to shake the dazed princess awake. And she frantically grabbed onto the young Supreme like she was a survivor of a shipwreck and he was the last remaining raft.
"Sigh," Hildegarde sighed exasperatedly as she was swiftly knocked off Mane's shoulder by Lily's arm. But she didn't complain. No one would after seeing the state Lily was in. She resorted to finding comfort by landing on Mane's head and wrapping herself with his hair. This made his hair appear weird to any observer. For while most of it was curled up and gently cascading backwards, the central strands were held upright and slightly twisted into waves.
"What's going on?" Mane asked whiles gently rubbing Lily's trembling back. His backrubs seemed to help somewhat. For her anxiety was reduced greatly. But she didn't stray from him. She remained within his embrace like a frightened little lamb; or like a bunny shaken by its burrow's destruction.
"Let's go in first," Lam said and widened Lily's door so he could enter. He was much calmer now, but his uneasiness still remained.
"Okay," Mane replied and slipped in as well with Lily still within his embrace.
With his senses he didn't pick up anyone else in the house. For even the servants weren't around for some reason. So there really was no need for Lam to be so discrete. But Mane didn't see the need to say this. After all, he wasn't omnipotent or omniscient. He was also prone to making mistakes. He closed the door once he was inside and set a small barrier around the room to make it impossible for any outsider to hear them. Then he scanned Lily's room again to make sure that they were the only one's here, and that there was no odd device or creature that could spy on them. Once he confirmed the results of his search were negative, he was comforted. And he slightly eased his vigilant spirit.
Lam quickly grabbed a seat once he was inside, leaving only the bed for Mane to sit on. Mane didn't complain. He also sat down while repositioning Lily who was still clinging on to him so she could be seated comfortably upon his laps; still within his embrace.
"So, now tell me: what happened?" Mane asked again when they were all settled.
*Sigh*
Lam rubbed his temples with a tired expression on his face. Then he started to speak.
"The Ancestors – all of them with the exception of Grandpa Pier – are traitors. Every single one of them is a traitor!"