It is said that the issues that plagued us yesterday could become the hope that sustains us today. But there were times that the things that haunted remained as stains in our dreams until the very last day of our breaths. And the most haunting thing was worry; worry for one's loved ones.
Amalgamation was the closest city to the battleground between god and godling. And it felt the brunt of their fury. Sure their Nature Barrier helped offset most of the damage since it was more effective at dealing with damage caused by the elements. But even the Nature barrier couldn't defend against the wrathful hands of Mane and Shiva on its own. And the fact that Amalgamation was so close to the site of the battle wasn't helping matters greatly. Even the barriers that Mane had set up weren't that effective at keeping the storm out. And though it did provide some bit of protection, it was so minimal that it could be hardly counted as a contribution. The city that housed Elementals was a mess with debris flying everywhere and the few Elementals around scrambling to escape the chaos. There was one upside to all this though. Amalgamation was the only city that kept most of its Ancestors around and sent out most of its citizens. And though they didn't have their full force at their disposal, there were still quite a number of Ancestors around. Ancestor Fire's fight with Mane had been a mere illusion, and though all that Mane saw was true, she was in fighting condition; which meant that she could help. Ancestors Pier, Fire, Ice and Storm had swiftly moved out when the commotion started. And though they were alarmed by what was happening, they had a bit of understanding concerning the situation and so were better off compared to the average individual. Besides, there were more important things like the safety of their people to worry about than fussing over how a fight between Mane and Ancestor Origin was chaotic.
Several figures were running through the streets of Amalgamation. Many of these people were guards escorting their citizens to the underground bunker of the city. Yes, Amalgamation had an underground bunker. It was a measure that had been put in place since the city was founded. The ancestors saw it as a secondary measure against the Ancients before Pazuzu's existence was discovered. But who would have thought that it would be used today – and they weren't even the ones under attack!
The four Ancestors – Pier, Ice, Fire and Storm – had been scattered around the city when the chaos first began. They had split themselves into groups of two – Pier and Fire in one group and Ice and Storm in the other – and had set out to shield their citizens from harm while reinforcing the Nature Barrier with their own strength. However, with majority of the citizens having made it into the bunker, Ancestors Pier and Fire had already made it back. The two stood at the entrance to the bunker and kept every structural threat away from it while waiting for the other two ancestors to return.
"How long do you think this would continue?" Ancestor Fire asked as she prepared a fireball in her hands. Once the fireball was complete, the Ancient who was hidden as an Elemental tossed it towards a falling building with the nonchalance of one who had everything in the palm of her hands – not like she actually did.
*Boom*
The building was easily blown apart, but the explosion produced more debris and several stones came crushing down.
"I don't know," Ancestor Pier shook his head with his eyebrows furrowed in worry. He waved his hands towards the falling rocks and revealed why he was called Ancestor Specter. Several dark balls of light escaped his palms and swallowed the rocks whole and they disappeared without a trace! It was fascinating how this happened. Yet the mechanism behind his power wasn't completely understood. For his power wasn't of the darkness element although it acted very similarly to the elusive element.
"The bunker will collapse as well if this continues any longer," Ancestor Fire frowned and said. Ancestor Pier paired her with him so that he would be able to offset the potential damage she would cause with her element in her bid to destroy any threat. And it had been working just fine.
"Yes. This bunker wouldn't last for long." Ancestor Pier restated the words of his peer. While it was true that the bunker was something of a safe haven, it wasn't made to contain so many people. It was already overloaded, and the Nature Barrier was showing signs of cracking. Ancestor Pier estimated that the barrier would be able to last another ten or so minutes. But could it outlast the warring men outside? That was what he didn't know. The two ancestors were quiet for a while after that. They just focused on destroying any debris while dealing with their own inward thoughts on their own.
"The others have taken too long," Ancestor Fire finally broke the silent pact.
"It is expected," Ancestor Pier nodded his head and cancelled out another wave of incoming debris.
"You gave them another task?" Ancestor Fire furrowed her brows and asked. She was a smart woman. She hadn't lived all this while not to be able to identify subtle hints in speech.
"I did," Ancestor Pier didn't hide this. There was no need to.
"What was it?" Ancestor Fire asked.
"Well, you can ask them yourself Fire," Ancestor Pier smiled slightly and said. His eyes were focused on the path behind Ancestor Fire, and the older ancestor couldn't help but turn to see what was happening. And once she did, she was enlightened.
Ancestor Storm and Ice were walking leisurely, as though they were walking through a field of grass. But it wasn't their cool demeanors that struck Ancestor Fire; it was those who were with them. For Ancestors Ice and Storm weren't alone. Next to Ancestor Ice walked a small cat that kept licking its paw nonchalantly and a Silver Monkey that kept looking around with its eyes widened in curiosity. Apart from the animals, there was a person with Ancestor Ice. For a young woman with great beauty slumbered peacefully on the beautiful ancestor's shoulder. That was what her eyes could see. But if her eyes could go beyond the confines of this world, she would be able to make out the tiny fairy that was flying next to the monkey.
"They went for his companions," Ancestor Fire understood what Ancestor Ice and Storm had been asked to do.
"We found them exactly where they would be," Ancestor Storm was the first to speak when he and his best friend reached Ancestor Pier.
"How did you know that they would try to leave the city?" Ancestor Ice asked. Ancestor Pier had asked them to wait at the entrance to the city and bring back Sunflower – whether she consented or not. And as you may have guessed by now, the monkey was Silver and the cat was Sasha.
"Because that's what my grandchildren tried to do as well," Ancestor Specter sighed deeply as he turned to look into the tunnel behind him. This was the entrance to the underground bunker. And Lam and Lily were already in there. But just like Sunflower, they had to be brought in forcefully. The twins had wanted to help Mane when they felt the turmoil in the distance, disregarding that they were too weak to be of any true help. So they had to be brought without their permission. Their reaction however, informed Ancestor Pier of Sunflower's, and he had made preparations to make sure that Ashera's disciple didn't do anything careless. Who knew what Ashera would do to them if something happened to Sunflower? That woman considered the girls under her as her family and cherished them more than anything else in the world. Ancestor Pier hated to think what would happen if a single hair on her head was lost. Besides, Ashera wasn't the only one to worry about. There was a demon god running rampage just outside of Amalgamation. And judging from his relationship with Sunflower, any harm to her would probably lead to the destruction of Amalgamation.
"We'll be inside," Ancestor Storm stated and proceeded to leave. Ancestor Ice followed after her friend with Sunflower still on her shoulder. Silver and Sasha were right behind the two. And though the two beasts seemed like they couldn't care less about what was happening, they kept their eyes of Sunflower. Clearly they hadn't forgotten the mission that Mane gave them.
"I am going in as well," Ancestor Fire patted Ancestor Pier on the shoulder and said. "Seal the entrance behind you when you come in," Ancestor Fire reminded before disappearing down the hole as well, leaving only Ancestor Pier behind.
The administrator of Amalgamation had a complicated look on his face as several images flashed past his mind. All these images had to do with one person – Mane. And though the two's first meeting was not a pleasant one, Ancestor Pier prayed that he would be the one to return. The fate of his people and his family depended on it.
"Finish this quickly Mane."