After Walter disappeared, Jonathan called out his teammates. A group of four, including three men and one girl, walked into the room. Among the four men, one was an old man with a white goatee and shoulder-length hair. He looked wise and calm. Contrary to the old man, the two youngsters beside him looked funny, playful, and mischievous. They looked exactly the same as the other except for their hair color. One had short brown hair, while the other had short black hair.
The young girl was the short one in the group. With her curly brown hair and blue eyes, she more than made up for her short height with gracefulness. They all slightly bowed as a gesture of greeting their leader Jonathan.
"We are five hours away from Sinith. Did you all read your mission briefings?" asked Jonathan. He looked at the twins as though he knew they wouldn't have bothered to read them.
"Relax, Captain. We got this. As usual, we will follow your lead, knock out some bad guys and finish our missions," The one with the black hair said. He was nonchalant, without a worry in this world. Hearing them, Jonathan could only sigh. The twins might be playful here, but they would be completely different and dependable during the mission. Because of that, Jonathan only threw a deadly glance and did nothing more.
"I have a question, Captain," the girl raised her hand,
"What is it?" asked Jonathan.
"We don't know anything about the eternal flame or why it's called that. The briefing literally has nothing on it,"
Jonathan looked at the old man for his answer because the old man knew more about the eternal flames than him. Unlike them, the old man was a mage and a scholar.
"For now, the only thing you need to know is that it's far more important than all of our lives," said the old man. Although his answer disappointed the team, they chose not to ask any more questions about the flames.
"Suit up. We are moving out in ten," Jonathan said as the team exited the room. After they left, Jonathan walked toward the armor case. He slowly opened the glass door to pick up his armor. This set of armor had a squared helm with a faceguard shaped in the face of an owl. Attached to its side were two wide angel wing-shaped ornaments.
The shoulders were oval, wide, and quite large. They were decorated with several rows of small, sharp spikes. Each row reached from back to front.
The upper arms were protected by rounded, layered metal rerebraces, which sat perfectly under the shoulder plates. The lower arms were covered by vambraces which had two blades attached on each outer side, all sharpened and ready to be used as a weapon. Jonathan picked up the armor pieces and put them on. His chest plate was made from various layers of squared metal sheets. It covered everything from the neck down and ended at the groin.
The golden armor sparkled in the light. Layered metal cuisses covered his thighs while metal greaves with a small aze head attached to each outer side protected his lower legs.
Finally, he slowly grabbed the golden mace hanging on the wall before him. The letters 'GE' on an eagle was engraved on his chest. It represented his superhero name, 'Golden Eagle'. Despite being a C-class hero, Golden Eagle had a superior track record than many B-class heroes. That was the reason Walters chose him to lead the team of gifted ones.
Jonathan had led the Justice Force too many successful missions, but this was going to be different. Jonathan had no idea a hero turned anti-hero was in Sinith, looking for the same eternal flame as them. A while later, his team returned to the room wearing their own suit of armor. None of their armor was as fancy as Golden Eagle's because they had superpowers. Hence, they cared little about armor.
The girl wore jade green robes, hiding her curvaceous body. The old man wore simple white robes and a pointy hat. The twins wore red latex suits and capes.
"Ian," Jonathan turned his gaze toward the old man. With a nod, Ian extended his hand. Before they went out for a mission, the team had a ritual of holding hands. Since Ian was a mage, he was able to see glimpses of what lies ahead of them. In other words, he could vaguely see the future.
They all locked their hands and stared at Ian. To their shock, Ian's body jerked. The old man groaned as though he was in pain.
"Ian," Jonathan raised his voice.
Suddenly, the old man let go of Jonathan's hands before collapsing down. His face was drenched in sweat.
"What happened?"
"Are you alright?"
"The fuck happened?"
The team members became worried.
"Someone…someone is there…someone powerful…someone with vengeance…" Ian mumbled. Jonathan had never seen Ian so terrified. The hatred Ian felt from the person he sensed was nothing he had ever felt. Besides, something dark was with him.
Ian saw glimpses of his teammates dying. The man he saw in his dreams killed every single one of them and took the eternal flames to himself. Jonathan helped Ian up to his feet. The young girl quickly ran out of the room and entered the room with a glass of water.
Ian emptied the water down his throat with a single gulp.
"There is a gifted one in Sinith. Do you know anything about that?" asked Ian.
"You mean a hero or a supervillain?"
"Neither," Ian shook his head.
"Walters didn't say anything about another gifted one in Sinith. Is he the reason for what happened?"
"We need a better plan and more people," Ian answered, ignoring Jonathan's question.
Jonathan creased his brows. This mission was handed over to him by Walters herself. She pulsed so many strings to get this mission to his team. The last thing Jonathan wanted was to disappoint her. He would look incompetent and weak if he asked for more men when he was just a few miles away from his target.
"Forming a better plan is one thing, but asking for backup is out of the question. This mission is ours, and I have full trust in my team. Ian," Jonathan put his hand on Ian's shoulder.
"Whatever or whoever you've seen in your dreams, it's nothing we can't take on,"
"Are you afraid old man?" The twin with the brown hair asked. Ian sighed.
"I am not afraid. I am just worried," said Ian.
"I understand, but we cannot wait until we receive confirmation from Walker whether there is another gifted one. This might be a test for what we know. We go there, kick some mercenary ass, get the flame and get the hell out of there," said Jonathan.
"That sounds like a great plan to me," said the black-haired twin. Ian knew better than to argue with these young bloods. At least now that he knew the danger waiting for them, he could protect them from harm. They all looked relieved when Ian gently smiled.
Afterward, they all prepared themselves to reach Sinith. The flying ship ascended to the air and flew through the clouds. The ship used the clouds as a cover. When the ship was directly above the kingdom, the floor opened. Immediately, the wind gushed inside. Their hair and robes fluttered in the wind.
"Cyclone, go!" Jonathan ordered the young girl as she nodded and jumped down through the opening.
He then turned his gaze toward the twins.
"Mini!" The blacked haired youngster let loose of his body and fell down,
"Jumbo!" Following the black-haired twin, the red-haired one jumped down the opening leaving Jonathan and Ian behind.
"Don't worry. I got your back as always," Jonathan had to raise his voice because of the wind.
"I know,"
Finally, Ian jumped down the opening, followed by Jonathan. The two of them nodded at each other in mid-air. They continued to free fall, aiming for the forests surrounding the mountain where they suspected the eternal flame to be. Unfortunately, the mercenaries were swarming the area. When the forest was just ten meters away from him, Jonathan's armor glowed as golden wings appeared on his back.
He quickly flapped the wings, slowing his descent. He closed his wings around his body to protect himself from the branches when he fell through the canopy. He landed a safe distance from the mercenaries roaming around the mountain. The smoke coming out from the mountaintop formed dark clouds in the sky. The volcanic mountain threatened the entire kingdom with its bubbling lava inside.
But despite everything, the mercenaries roamed around the mountain and guarded it with their life. Jonathan followed the fumes coming from the mountain and the bright orange lava leaking out. The lightning storm above the mountain gave it an eerie feeling.
They planned to meet at the edge of the forest and regroup. Until then, Jonathan hoped they would be undetected by the mercenaries. The forest around him was deadly silent. Good thing the canopy wasn't thick enough to block the blue moonlight completely.
"Why didn't Walters tell me there's another gifted one in Sinith?" Jonathan asked himself while making his way through the forest. The thought someone had blocked everything about Draven didn't even come across his mind. As far as Jonathan was concerned, the UFH servers were uncrackable.
Many thoughts ran through Jonathan's mind. Ian's reaction and words caused a strange uneasiness in his heart for some reason. At this time, Jonathan had no idea this mission was about to go wrong…very wrong…