Ancestor Pier had been feeling uneasy these past few days. He didn't know what the source of his anxious thoughts were, neither could he conceive any possible problem. Was it Ancestor Bold? Had the man somehow bungled an easy mission? But that didn't seem to be a cause of worry for him. After all, Ancestor Bold failing was Ancestor Bold's problem. It had little to do with him. So what could be the source of his worry? What was the issue burdening his usually calm heart?
"Ancestor Specter. Or would you rather I call you Grandpa Pier like Lam and Lily." Suddenly a calm voice invaded his senses and sent him on the alert. He jumped to his feet swiftly, knocking the glass vase next to him onto the ground. It was a valuable piece, but in his anxious state that mattered very little to him.
"Who is that?" Ancestor Specter lifted his hand to reveal a dark brown aura as a golden armor was summoned around his body. His spirit was strong for he was a Phenom. While Telepaths were rare, they did exist. Ashera was a famed Telepath after all. But it wasn't that easy to invade the mind of a Phenom. Anyone that could so easily invade his mind – even in his disoriented state – was certainly a threat.
"Have you forgotten my voice so soon Ancestor? We spoke only yesterday." The voice appeared once more. And though Ancestor Specter had been prepared this time, this person was easily able to convey his thoughts to him again. And from the dull tone it seemed an effortless breach of his privacy.
"It's you?" Ancestor Specter's eyes were filled with some surprise. But when he recalled that this same person was someone Ashera had sent in her stead and a person who possessed her particular set of skills, he found that it wasn't so odd that the boy could speak directly into his mind.
"Yes, Ancestor. It is me. Can we talk?"
As you may have guessed by now, the person who contacted Ancestor Specter was Mane. After a slightly awkward morning with Sunflower where both of them tried to ignore the kiss they had shared the night before, Mane had taken his bath and dressed up. He then went to see the twins and had been with them till now. He had already sent messages to Ancestor Ice and Ancestor Storm and had received handwritten letters from them discretely. He needed those as proof so that Ancestor Specter would believe him when he informed him that Ancestor Ice and Ancestor Storm were now on his side.
"We can. Meet me in my study." Ancestor Specter frowned slightly and said.
He could tell from Mane's tone that the matter was seemingly very important. And that was why he picked out his study for it. It was the most secure place in the mansion and also displayed how seriously he was taking the matter. Of course, he didn't know that a Scholar could make just about any location secure by building a Barrier. It wasn't like Mane was going to tell him this.
"Very Well," Mane's reply was as sharp as his questions.
The young Supreme nodded at the twins and they left for the study. They needed to lead Mane there after all. Besides, he wanted them to be part of this meeting. It would be much easier to convince Ancestor Specter of the things he was going to talk about with the twins admitting that they had seen these things for themselves.
"Why haven't you recalled Aurora?" Hildegarde asked Mane as they made their way to Grandpa Pier's study.
Her question was a smart one. For Mane had indeed chosen to leave Aurora with Ancestor Fire. The Wraith kept a close eye on the lady following Mane's orders that Ancestor Bold and Ancestor Fire seemed to be hiding something. Since Ancestor Bold left Amalgamation, that only left Ancestor Fire to be watched. And Aurora had been with her ever since. Aurora had only reached out to him once since that time – though it was only yesterday she was assigned to Ancestor Fire so once was actually a lot.
She confirmed the findings of the twins in her report. However, the fact that the Wraith hadn't reported anything more yet meant that she had found nothing else especially interesting. To Hildegarde, the secret that both ancestors were keeping had to be their betrayal. And since Mane knew that now, she didn't see the point of leaving Aurora on Ancestor Fire's tail.
"Because her mission isn't over yet," Mane frowned and said.
"What do you mean?" Hildegarde was genuinely confused. How was Aurora's mission not accomplished? Mane said there was a secret. And he had found a secret. So what else was there to see?
"My senses keep screaming at me that there is something else. Whatever it was that unsettled Ancestor Fire and Ancestor Bold yesterday; whatever it was that made them so relieved that the Nature Barrier was finally fully functional; whatever that thing was still remains a mystery."
Initially Mane also had every right to assume that the secret the two were hiding was their betrayal. But his uneasiness regarding the situation remained. And the senses of a Scholar were never wrong. Added to his own intelligence, Mane concluded that there was more. For when he thought about the issue, it did seem doubly odd. After all, all the ancestors – excluding Ancestor Specter – had chosen the path of rebellion. This was a decision that had been made several decades ago. Any anxious thoughts regarding that ought to have been slowly dampened with the irreversible passage of time. And though one could argue that the barrier was insurance against Pazuzu in case he broke his promise and that was why Ancestor Fire and Ancestor Bold seemed so relieved, one also had to consider Ancestor Ice and Ancestor Storm. The latter two were desperately looking for a way to reverse their fate, and they had done that through Mane. However, in that moment they were also calm suggesting that there was something else Ancestor Fire and Ancestor Bold were hiding.
"So you are saying that those two are keeping a secret from the rest of the Elemental Ancestors?" Hildegarde frowned as she spoke. Why was Amalgamation full of dark alleys and deep cracks? There never seemed to be a dull moment.
"I do. And whatever it is, we would be sure to find out as long as Aurora remains with Ancestor Fire." Mane stated with a small smile.
People always let themselves go once they were alone. Mane was confident that Ancestor Fire would reveal a few clues in less than a week. He may not be in Amalgamation by then. But he wouldn't have returned to the Tower. There was something else he had to do before returning to the Tower of the Hundred. Anyway, those other issues had to wait. Right now his meeting with Ancestor Specter took premium priority.
Ancestor Specter made haste for his study room once Mane cut off his connection with him. His steps were taken with haste and every action filled with anxiety. Soon he was at the study. The door was already open so he reckoned that Mane was already inside. However, he was surprised to see his descendants when he walked in.
"Lam? Lily? Why are they here?" Ancestor Specter asked with a small frown while moving to occupy his chair.
"I needed them to show me the way here," Mane smiled and said. His response caused Ancestor Specter's brows to twitch ever so slightly at the young Supreme's impudence. If it was about showing him the way, then why on earth were they still here?
"Fine. They are part of this conversation." Mane sighed like a man who had been hurt by his lover's mistrust or lack of it thereof as he gave the actual reason for the twins' attendance.
"What's wrong?" Ancestor Specter asked worryingly seeing the nervous expressions on the faces of the kids he regarded as his grandchildren and treated like his own children. The unease he was experiencing; it couldn't possibly be because of them, could it?
"Go ahead. Tell Ancestor Specter what you found out." Mane's tone was replaced by a neutral one.
He lightly flicked his finger and the door which Ancestor Specter had left open in his disheveled state closed gently. With another flick of his finger a barrier was erected around the room. It was only after doing so that Mane felt okay.
"You and your over the top security measures," Hildegarde rolled her eyes condescendingly. Mane was in a city where he could handle the strongest warriors with relative ease. Yet he was still not okay speaking without a barrier.
"Arrogance causes one to fall, Hildegarde," Mane lectured his fairy, much to her displeasure. And she let him know about it. "I am older you know," Hildegarde huffed.
"Well fools grow older too," Mane mocked.
"What's that now?" Hildegarde's eyes flashed ominously as several merciless paths of revenge opened up right before her eyes.
"Nothing," Mane felt a chill go down his spine as soon as those words came out. And he was swift to rectify his words.
"I said even the beautiful grow old too. See, I was saying that you're are so beautiful that I have to remind you once in a while to pay attention to your surroundings. I also think it's a shame that the people of his world cannot see and appreciate your beauty."
Mane didn't know where the fear came from, but he wasn't going to doubt his senses. And true to their warning once Mane complimented her, that chill he felt disappeared.
"Good," Hildegarde nodded her head and gently patted Mane's shoulder.
"Whew," Mane sighed in relief and made a mental note to himself not to ever offend Hildegarde again.
The twins were about done with their report when Mane and Hildegarde's banter was over. Although they stammered and hesitated here and there, they told Ancestor Specter everything.
"That can't be right. It just can't!"
Ancestor Specter was off his seat by now. He pranced nervously around the room with the look of a deranged man. Mane couldn't blame him for his reaction though. It was a hard pill to swallow learning that your people planned to throw you under the bus.
"But it is," Mane stepped up and stood in the broken Ancestor's path. Had he been the one to present these facts Ancestor Specter would have rubbished them straight away. It was only because the twins – who had never lied to him and had even told him about Mane – were the informants that Ancestor Specter listened to everything.
"Tell me Ancestor, did you perceive anything strange about them over the past few years?" Mane asked with his hand on the older man's shoulder.
Ancestor Specter's gaze was filled with many emotions. He sighed in acceptance and slumped onto his chair while nodding his head.
"There were times they called for meetings – but they did so without summoning me. I just assumed that because I was the youngest there was still a need for me to prove myself. Or that it was because I was busy with handling the affairs of Amalgamation that they didn't always send for me; that it was for my own sake. I thought they were helping me. But now, it seems I was wrong."
Ancestor Specter seemed to have aged a great deal in these past few moments. His sunken eyes were filled with pain and grief. And the twins couldn't help but approach him and hold his hands. Although they didn't say anything, Ancestor Specter felt the sincerity of their hearts from their actions. And he couldn't imagine how much they had been through discovering this information firsthand.
"Hmm. I see" Mane rubbed his stubble without much care.
And then he went on to discuss the next course of action. He showed Ancestor Specter the letters of Ancestor Ice and Ancestor Storm as evidence that they were on the same side and promised that he would only kill Ancestor Origin. Of course, he had to prove that he was strong enough to do what he was saying. And he did do that, leaving Ancestor Specter helpless with nothing but his aura and Words of Power.
"Then you really are capable of doing this," Ancestor Specter's eyes were weary. He was tired of all this. And while he was surprised that Mane was far stronger than any of the ancestors assumed, the initial blow from Lily and Lam made this information seem trivial.
"When do you plan to deal with Ancestor Origin?" Ancestor Specter asked. His question brought a smile to Mane's face for he knew that the older man had agreed to help him.
"Today. In fact, I am going to do it now."