"Now as seasoned warriors and individuals of great understanding, you certainly know what I mean when I say do not get in my way, don't you?" Mane asked rhetorically. He did still receive an answer.
"The Barrier." Ancestor Ice said as her beautiful face scrunched up into a frown. Ancestor Storm was quick to pick up on what Mane really wanted as well. The young man was asking them not to use their Keys when the time came. As for the moment he needed them to be quiet, it was certainly at the time Mane would be ready to strike.
"Yes, the Barrier. I need you to do the needful. Do not invoke the right to your Keys. That's all I need you to do." Mane tapped his fingers on the armrest of the chair he sat on. His eyes conveyed a calm that put both Ancestor Ice and Ancestor Storm off. For they were not used to having people acting so confidently around them.
"And what next after that? If you kill the Ancestors Amalgamation would be weakened significantly. There is no way we can go against the other races if we lose so many of our powerhouses at once. Even without Pazuzu's onslaught, we would still fall to the other races!"
Ancestor Storm stated one of his many concerns. Even if they were to agree to what Mane was asking of them, the results would be the death of three ancestors! And the loss of Ancestor Origin alone would be enough to drastically weaken their strength as one of the three Great Races. In the end even if they did defeat Pazuzu, Elementals were bound to be weaker than Ancients and Barbarians. And no one needs to explain what will happen as a result of that.
"I don't plan to kill them all. I only want Ancestor Origin." Mane waved his hand with a nonchalant expression on his face.
"But even losing Ancestor Origin would be a big blow to us," Ancestor Storm stated with a huge frown on his face. While he didn't appreciate the tone and gesticulations Mane was using, he couldn't talk against that. The boy had shown that he was much stronger than them. And in a world of power, strength mattered far more than age. It was strength that determined seniority here. So right now Mane was their senior.
"I think you are mistaken about something," Mane stood up and walked to the two Ancestors. Lily and Lam kept their mouths shut, though they kept their worrying eyes on their friend. While they weren't too attached to Amalgamation, they wouldn't want the city of Elementals to grow weak and be picked off. And this was especially so since their own direct ancestor was one of the leaders of this great city. And although they were slightly worried about Mane's disregard of their race's plight, they trusted that their friend wouldn't abandon an entire race. And so they just kept their eyes on him, trusting that he knew exactly what he was doing.
"I understand that Ancestor Origin is largely responsible for how far your race has come. And I understand his importance to your race." At this point Mane was standing directly above the two Ancestors.
"But…" he stated and bent his knees so that his eyes were level with theirs.
"I am not your babysitter," Mane stated coldly. His eyes showed no room for concession, and the words Ancestor Storm and Ancestor Ice wanted to speak didn't make it out of their mouths.
"Without Ancestor Origin, you Elementals wouldn't be as strong as you could be, but you wouldn't be so weak that the other races would pick on you. With 6 Ancestors commanding the affairs of your race, you will still be fine. Add that to the Nature Barrier and you will be able to defend against any sort of attack." Mane was sincerely getting annoyed by their many requests. He was being kind by deciding to spare the others. But that was where his kindness ended.
"Do you understand?" Mane asked with a dull tone. His happy mood had long evaporated with the many requests these two were making. Ancestor Storm and Ancestor Ice looked at each other and sighed helplessly before nodding their heads reluctantly.
"Good," Mane's smile returned to his face upon seeing them submit, and he retreated to his couch.
"They sure are greedy," Hildegarde scoffed with disdain. Just like Mane, she could easily tell that Ancestor Storm and Ancestor Ice were being unreasonable. They were exaggerating the importance of Ancestor Origin to their race knowing full well that he wasn't as vital as they were tooting him to be. After all, both of them fighting together could hold the old ancestor back, so clearly he wasn't some omnipotent warrior. And sure one may argue that his administrative prowess may be his strongest point; that was what Ancestors Storm and Ice were trying to convey. But Mane knew that was not true.
According to Ashera, Ancestor Origin made decisions mostly based on his own selfish desires. Per Ashera, the one who was best at administrative duties was Ancestor Pier. In fact, Ancestor Pier was actually in charge of the administrative duties of Amalgamation. To Mane it was silly for Ancestors Storm and Ice to try and deceive him, considering that he was 'Ashera's Herald'. There was no way Ashera wouldn't tell Mane about the affairs of Amalgamation when she made the decision to send him here.
Also, due to the Nature Barrier, there was no way anyone would be stupid enough to attack Amalgamation. If Ancestor Origin was to die, his Key would be passed on to another. And Mane was already planning to bind the Key to Lily. Since the Elemental Princess was loved by Nature, such a barrier would meet its full potential in her hands. Besides, it will act as extra insurance since Mane had no intention of taking the twins along with him when he leaves Amalgamation. Once he returned to the Tower of the Hundred, the young Supreme intended to spend most of his time clearing the Curse Trial. He would have almost no time for the twins even if he was allowed to bring them along. Their purpose and training were best served here.
In all honesty, if it wasn't for the sake of the twins and Ashera, Mane wouldn't be bothered about the fate of the Elementals. This was especially so since they planned on rebelling and putting the world at risk for their sake. Mane thought it kind that he was targeting only the ancestors in the first place. Although some would say the general Elemental population didn't do anything wrong and that it was their leaders who made the decision to rebel, Mane didn't believe in that. The rebellion of the Ancestors was meant to save the lives of the Elementals. There was no way any of them would have given up their lives for another's. Some may have felt the shame of the decision, but Mane was willing to bet his identity as a Supreme that no one would have gone against the decision. And the best example of this was the fact that two Ancestors had agreed to betray the world because the majority believed it was the right way to go.
"Now, is there anything I should know seeing that we are all on the same side?" Mane crossed his fingers and asked. His blue eyes flashed brightly as his vision alternated between the two Ancestors.
Ancestor Storm turned to look at Ancestor Ice with a questioning expression on his face. His expression seemed to convey that there was something he knew, but didn't want to say if Ancestor Ice wasn't in agreement. Ancestor Ice looked at him and after a briefly hesitant grimace, nodded her head at Ancestor Storm.
"There is," Ancestor Storm sighed as he rubbed his temples.
"Well, go ahead then," Mane gestured for the one who had the power to command the element of his bloodline with a small smile on his face.
"Your friend – the Ancient Prince – is in trouble," Ancestor Storm stated with a slight look of regret on his face. From the way Mane and Dan interacted, he was certain that if any harm came to the Ancient, Mane may very likely go berserk. He may even reverse his decision to spare the other ancestors and may end up killing them all.
"Oh? What kind of trouble is Dan in? Did he not just leave Amalgamation?" Mane's reaction surprised both Ancestor Ice and Ancestor Storm. They expected an angry outburst from the young man. But he was so calm that both couldn't help but grow even more worried thinking that Mane was very likely one of those who were still calm even in their rage, Those guys were the most dangerous to come across.
Lily and Lam however were quite alarmed by the news. They knew Dan and were quite close to him because of his relationship with their actual grandfather – Old Fan. Neither knew that Dan was here in Amalgamation. And they couldn't help but worry about him now.
"Ancestor Bold was sent to kill him. I am sorry." Ancestor Ice gritted her teeth as she squeezed those words out. She slightly winced, expecting Mane's aura to come pressing down on them. But there was nothing. A second passed, then two, then three, yet Mane was still silent. The two ancestors lifted their heads to look at Mane and were surprised to see him still calm. He was even smiling at them. Lam and Lily however, weren't able to keep their calm.
"Mane! We need to leave Amalgamation right now to help Dan!" Lily was the first one to speak between the two. She grabbed Mane's arm with great urgency and proceeded to stand up.
"Yes! We must move now!" Lam too jumped off the sofa and was about sprinting to the door when a strong arm held onto his own arm and pulled him back.
"Mane?" Lily had a confused expression on her face as Mane refused to budge. Rather than allowing himself to be dragged by her, Mane was the one who pulled her back into her seat. And he did the same with Lam.
"Relax. Dan is fine. I sent someone to protect him when he was leaving." Mane smiled slightly and said. His words calmed Lily and Lam down greatly. Although now they couldn't help but wonder whom Mane had sent. Mane had only arrived in Amalgamation with Sunflower. And she wasn't a Phenom. So they were very curious about this person.
"You knew?" Ancestor Ice asked with a stunned expression on her face. How did he discover this?
"Of course. I could hear you lot discussing your plans you know. The other ancestors owe you their lives. If it wasn't because of what you two said back there, I wouldn't have spared any of them." Mane stated, nonplussed by the entire situation.
"You were testing us," Ancestor Storm realised and a small bead of sweat formed on his forehead. He couldn't help but tremble slightly thinking about what might have happened if he and his friend had remained silent about this.
"Yep," Mane replied with a small nod. "Are there any other secrets you wish to share?" he continued.
"Yes. It is about Pazuzu. Since we are in the same camp now there is something you must know." This time the words spoken by Ancestor Ice were spoken quite swiftly with very little hesitation. Who knew what else the young man knew and whether he was still testing them? Ancestor Ice looked briefly at Ancestor Storm as she spoke. Both had complicated expressions on their faces like a pair of stealing siblings who had been caught.
"Pazuzu doesn't just want the talented Elementals. There is one thing he wants more than anything else in this world." Ancestor Ice had a guilty expression on her face when she said this. And Ancestor Storm clenched his teeth in frustration.
"What does he want?" Mane couldn't help but bite the bait. What was it that Pazuzu was so keen on? Ancestor Ice sighed for the nth time today before croaking out what that one thing was, with her fists balled up.
"Ashera. He wants Ashera"