In the avenues and boulevards of the ancient city of Oakland, swarms of people were buzzing with exhilaration, frenzied applauses and rapturous excitement enveloping the whole city.
The blissful and ecstatic crowds were jostling around, joyously singing and mirthfully cheering as they were making their way to the town center. There were going to attend a ceremony at one of the temple were a few captives were going to fight to the death just for entertainment.
They were on top of the world, over the moon like a dog with two tails. Their enemies had been crushed in battle so happiness was a dime a dozen.
As the elated and cheerful crowds were enthusiastically and euphorically chanting along the streets, Kodesh and his octet of clones were busy scouring the city, looking high and low for his family.
The octet of clones also possessed the unblind attribute so walls were as transparent as clear glass. But finding his family proved more difficult than he could have ever possibly fathomed. It was a needle in any stack. He rummaged any nook and cranny but couldn't find anything, not even a trace of them.
The rescue mission was a hard nut to crack and there was also something that was heavily contradicting Kodesh's powers. An antithetical power that was sapping his strength and numbing his keen sentience.
When his clones couldn't find his family, he knew he was left with just one place to search, the temple of their god that was emanating the soul draining sinister energy.
Standing some distance away from the grandiose and majestic temple, Kodesh stared at the splendid structure and a shiver ran down his spine. The more he looked at the colossal temple the more uncomfortable and unnerved he became.
Somehow getting close enough to observe the prodigious temple with his unblind ability, he perceived the interior of the temple, often having to close his eyes to interrupt the soul draining power.
Eventually he managed to scour the whole temple from floor to floor and his mood dimmed even more gloomy. There were no sign of captives anywhere inside the temple except for a few priests going in and out. It looked as if he had endured the overwhelming struggle of being drained by the power beyond the walls of the temple for nothing.
Thinking of that power that was sapping his strength, it dawned on him that he didn't see any entity inside the temple so it only mearnt the temple was going deep underground, perhaps there were dungeons below the structure.
With renewed hope, Kodesh focused his sentience towards the understructure of the temple and scoured it. He could glean on mazes and mazes of tunnels and underbuildings of corridors and offices but there were still no sign of captives. No matter how much he scanned the understructure, there were just no hostages or any sign of them.
He had to look elsewhere but there was no other place left to search. They had to be at the town center somewhere in the temples. And the eerily sinister temple was his best guess. Despairing and at a point of giving up, a rush of emotions roiled inside of him and a bitter sense of loss overwhelmed him. This was it. He was just about to look for them in the residential part of the city though he knew he would come back empty handed.
As he was about to leave, his clone perceived something that he had not seen before in the grand and splendid temple.
He had scanned at that part of the temple but didn't see anything, however his clone did perceive the group of what looked like captives bound to a single chain that was mounted on a wall. The antithetical power had blurred his unblind vision and he somehow missed them but for some reason, the clone did not. Maybe it was because the clones didn't have emotions nor any hint of fear so they were not jumping out of their skin at the eerily sinister presence of dark magic.
Seeing through the eyes of the clone, his gaze lingered among the captives. And the more the number of hostages reduced, the more his heart lurched in fear. He was looking for four people and he suddenly shuddered, quaking in his boots as only two people remained.
His eyes wandered a bit slower this time, like he didn't want to glean who they were. Anticipation, suspense and trepidation enveloping him and as his eyes lingered and against all odds it landed on a familiar face of his mother. A bright smile spread across his face from ear to ear, his eyes teary and full of joy. Right next to her mother, was his sister, still graceful as ever but this time she despondent and disconsolate. Kodesh couldn't help but ponder about the horrors they had seen for the past couple of days.
As a hint of content washed over him, memories of his family flooded his wits. He had never thought he would ever see them again but here he was. Well he was seeing them through the eyes of his clone but it was still the most surreal moment of his existence thus far.
Suddenly, the bright smile turned into a gloomy despair as soon as it dawned on him that his father and brother were not among the captives. That meant they were either dead or held somewhere else. But he didn't have the luxury to search for them. His element of surprise would be ruined the moment he attempts to save his mother and sister.
As he was contemplating and immensely pondering about what to do next, he came to a conclusion that his father and brother might be among the group of captives who were going to fight to the death for their lives to entertain the Oaklanders. So with that he traversed to the smaller temple, disguised as one of them.
The temple was smaller than the grand temple of their god but it was not in any way small. It had swallowed up over five thousand people in its belly and Kodesh sidled in and found a seat at the back of the temple as his clones scoured around for hordes of captives. He wanted to rescue them before they fought for their lives and he had a bit of time at his disposal because the ceremony was going to commence after the three kings had arrived.
As he was watching a few performances, trying to distract himself from pessimism, a velvety voice brushed against his ears.
"Are you enjoying the view?"
Kodesh's reply was stuck in his throat or perhaps he wasn't sure if the girl was conversing with him.
Shrugging his shoulders, the girl finally got Kodesh's attention and as soon as his gaze met the alluring girl, his heart was immediately melted by the drop-dead gorgeous girl. Judging by how quick his heart melted, the dazzling girl could easily cause multiverse warming.
She was by far the most attractive and alluring girl he had ever laid his sunny eyes upon. Her lustrous chartreuse eyes were like pools of celestial light, her lips juicy and tempting as a ripe fruit from the garden of the Eden. Her skin smooth as silk and delicate as beautiful petals. Her flowery scent wafting through the hall as if announcing her presence. She was simply perfection personified.
'Wow.' He thought to himself and immediately he asked.
"Did you say something?"
"Yes, I was asking if you are enjoying the view." The alluring girl asked, her teeth symmetrical and white as snow.
"Oh yes you're beautiful." Kodesh blurted out unwittingly and a mortified expression quickly formed on his face.
Oh I mean it's beautiful.. a beautiful display of talent. He replied, trying to hide his embarrassment.
"I'm Samantha by the way. And you are?
"I'm Darius." Kodesh replied as he was shaking the soft and delicate hands of the young lady and he immediately thought of Delilah.
With that he turned towards the entrance of the temple. The three kings who killed countless people just to get to him were about to make their way inside the temple but the girl wasn't done talking yet.
"So have you found your family?"