by Mazhar, S
***
The sky was slowly turning to glorious hues of pink and orange with the setting sun. The mood around Salvador stayed the same, though: grey, drab and depressed. The mages busied themselves in their work, not talking much. Scott kept himself locked in his Hub. The Hunters were uncharacteristically subdued too, staying at or around the table, talking in low tones.
Rose finished her day’s work and left the Stove. Instead of retiring to her cottage, she headed in the opposite direction, to the lake. She sat down at the bank, watching the setting sun reflect in the still, calm water. It was so strange to think that something so tranquil and soothing could wreak havoc and destroy homes and lives. She had seen footage of tsunamis before, on the news channels. She’d even watched a movie or two re-enacting the disaster. But until now, she had never really thought about it.
Footsteps approached from behind her. Rose turned and smiled at Kyran.
“Hey,” he said, taking a seat next to her. “What are you doing here?”
Rose took a moment to answer. She stared at him, taking in the tired and defeated look he shared with the rest of the Hunters today.
“Nothing,” she replied. “Just didn’t want to go inside yet.”
They sat in silence, staring ahead at the glistening water of the lake.
“Was it really bad?” Rose asked after a few minutes.
Kyran paused before nodding. “Yeah,” he replied. “It was bad.”
Rose didn’t know why she was asking. It wasn’t going to make her feel any better, but she couldn’t stop herself. “Any idea how many casualties?”
“Too many,” he replied.
Rose felt the uncomfortable churn in her stomach get worse. “That was aid in those boxes, wasn’t it?” she asked.
Kyran smiled a bitter, grim smile. “Salt on their wounds,” he muttered. “We couldn’t stop the energy flow from spilling out and destroying their world, so we take aid to them whenever a disaster strikes.” He turned to look at Rose with fierce anger lurking in his eyes. “So we can tell ourselves we’re doing something. So maybe we might be able to get some sleep tonight.” He shook his head in disgust. “Truth is, the only way we can help them is to prevent the disasters, not offer insufficient help afterwards.”
“The Gates,” Rose said. “That’s the only way to stop the power from spilling out?”
“The only way,” Kyran confirmed. “But until we clear out the demons from those zones, we can’t set up the Gates.”
They lapsed into silence.
“When I was younger, I used to wonder about natural disasters,” Rose said. “I guess everyone does at some point. You see the aftermath of earthquakes and tsunamis and you think, why does this happen? Why is Mother Nature so brutal?” She shook her head, looking down at the ground. “It turns out the reason lies in another world, another realm altogether.”
“It wasn’t always like this,” Kyran said. “Once upon a time, when all the Gates were up, the human realm was safe. And once this war is over and we defeat the demons, the Gates will be back up and the human realm will be safe again.”
Rose looked over at Kyran. “Tell me something,” she said in a quiet voice. “Why is it in the fight between mages and demons, it’s the humans who get hurt?”
Kyran was taken aback by the simple question. He held her gaze for long minutes but finally looked away, not having an answer.
***
The loud bangs rang in the air. One by one the flying bottles were smashed by the pellets. Aaron lowered his hand after his last target exploded in an impressive shower of glass. He smiled, immensely pleased with himself. It took endless hours of training but now he could hit moving targets with ease. His teacher, though, wasn’t as happy.
“What did I say?” Kyran snapped.
Aaron clicked the small lever on the side of the gun. “Sorry,” he said quickly.
Kyran glared at him, giving him one of his slow you’re-an-idiot head shakes.
“Decock your gun or I’ll decock you, got it?” he warned. Distractedly, he waved a hand to sweep the shards of glass to one side of the clearing. “Right.” He turned back, surveying Aaron. “Your aim is improving but you’re still taking far too long to take the shots.”
“Aiming does take a bit of concentration,” Aaron quipped back.
“It has to be quick,” Kyran said. “You have to go from one target to the other without taking so much as a breath in between.”
“I’ll get there,” Aaron said.
“So you keep saying,” Kyran replied. He waved a hand at Aaron. “Come on, I wanna try something else.”
Aaron put the pistol into its holster and followed Kyran to stand in the middle of the clearing, facing him.
“Your weapons are important,” Kyran said, “but your true weapon is your power.”
Aaron tensed. His aim was improving, as was his footwork when dodging attacks, but when it came to using his Elemental power, the only thing he could do was the ripple. According to Kyran, it wasn’t enough.
“When you’re in Gated zones,” Kyran continued, “your powers will clear an area faster than any sword or gun.”
“I don’t get it,” Aaron grumbled. “I thought the whole point of a Gated zone was that it was a demon-free area?”
“Demons are like viruses,” Kyran said. “Nasty viruses that come back, even if they’ve been defeated and thrown out in the past.”
“So it’s just a circle?” Aaron asked. “We just keep on fighting? It never ends?”
“Hey, you’re the one who wanted to be a Hunter,” Kyran said. “One of the neatest tricks to fight demons is to turn the ground itself into a trap.” He pointed to the ground between them. “Turn this area into a sinkhole.”
Aaron gaped at him. “Excuse me?”
“A sinkhole,” Kyran repeated. He drew a circle with his finger, mapping out the ground between them.
“Okay,” Aaron started, licking his dry lips. “How exactly do I do that?”
“You’re the Elemental,” Kyran replied. “Figure it out.”
Aaron drew out a slow breath and raised his hands, staring at the ground, willing it to give way and sink into itself. He stayed like that for about a minute. Nothing happened. “Am I supposed to say something?” he asked, glancing up at Kyran.
“Yes,” Kyran replied. “You’re supposed to admit out loud that you’re an idiot.”
Aaron dropped his hands. “You’re not helping.”
“You’re not listening,” Kyran said. “You’re an Elemental, Ace. You can use the power of Earth as you see fit.”
Aaron breathed out and tried once again. He stared at the ground, begging it to cave in and form a sinkhole. Again, nothing happened.
“Okay.” Kyran sighed. “Maybe we should start with something a little simpler.” He surveyed the area. “Alright, bend that tree.”
“Bend what?” Aaron frowned. “What good would that do?”
“Just do what I’m saying,” Kyran said. “Bend that tree over there.” He pointed to a small, thin one.
Aaron turned around and focused on it, bringing up his hands again. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t make even a single leaf move.
“Take control, Ace,” Kyran encouraged. “Anything and everything that’s connected to the ground is under your power. You can twist it to your will. You just have to want it badly enough.”
Aaron pushed harder, willing his power to rush through him and escape past his fingers. He wanted to bend that tree in front of him. He felt a slight tingle in his fingertips and the leaves on the branches ruffled a little, but that was the extent of it.
“Damn it!” Aaron ran both hands through his hair.
“Come on, Ace,” Kyran said. “Keep trying.”
“What’s the point?” Aaron spat. “I’m obviously never going to get this!”
“You’ve done it before,” Kyran said. “You split the ground to stop a car from running over you. That’s pretty intense. If you can do that a
s an instinctual reflux, you can do pretty much anything.”
Aaron exhaled slowly and raised his hand, aiming at the tree.
“Don’t think about it too much,” Kyran instructed. “Free your mind from the constraints of how to do something. Focus instead on what you want. You want to change the ground. You want that tree to bow before you. Make it so. Command the ground to do as you say, Aaron, don’t ask it.”
Aaron tried to do what Kyran said. The result was – nothing.
“It’s not working,” Aaron groaned.
“You’re not focusing, Ace.”
“I am!” Aaron snapped. “I’m trying! I don’t know how to command the stupid tree!”
“Obviously.” Kyran smirked. “Otherwise it would be doubled over by now.”
Aaron’s hands curled into fists. “Either help me, or stop talking.”
“I am helping,” Kyran said. “I can’t demonstrate this power. The element of Earth is your power, Ace.”
Aaron forced out a breath. He pumped and shook his hands, trying to get rid of the pins and needles sensation in his fingers. He aimed again and this time, he put every last bit of his concentration into it.
Still nothing happened.
“Come on, Ace,” Kyran said, irritation seeping into his voice. “Strip away everything: the guns, the blades. Take it all away and you’re still left with your power. No one can take that away from you,” he said. “Use it, Ace. It’s yours. Command it.”
Aaron tried; he forced all of his energy forward and tried to bend the tree in half. The leaves swayed in response.
“Come on, Ace,” Kyran groaned. “It’s not that difficult.”
“You do it then!” Aaron snapped.
“I would if I were the Elemental for Earth,” Kyran replied. “But it happens to be you. So drop the attitude and get on with it.”
Aaron tried again. The branches moved a little more, swaying from side to side.
“Is that it?” Kyran asked. “That all you got, Ace?”
“Stop calling me that!” Aaron dropped his hands and turned to face Kyran. “I get it, okay! I get that I’m rubbish at this. You don’t have to rub it in every single time!” he shouted. “My name is Aaron! Call me Aaron, or call me Adams if you have to, but quit this Ace business, alright!”
Kyran stared at him with something akin to amusement. “You think that’s why I call you Ace?” he asked. “To make fun of you?”
Aaron glared at him. “Don’t you?”
“Yeah,” Kyran admitted, “but not for the reason you’re thinking.”
“Then what is it?” Aaron bit out.
Kyran grinned but shook his head. “It’s not important,” he said, “but if you tried a little harder, or had any confidence in yourself, you wouldn’t be so paranoid as to think everyone’s making fun of you.”
“Shut up!” Aaron growled. “I am trying hard! And how am I supposed to be confident about something I don’t know how to control?”
Kyran raised his eyebrows. “Don’t you?” he asked.
Aaron paused. Kyran tilted his head, gesturing for Aaron to look behind him. When Aaron turned, he saw a whole cluster of trees had bent in half. Their trunks bowed in arcs and full heads of green leaves touched the ground. Ironically, the one thin tree he had been aiming for was still standing tall and proud in the middle of the bowing trees. No sooner had disbelief clouded Aaron’s mind than the trees snapped back up, violently swaying, their branches shaking countless leaves free.
With wide eyes, Aaron turned back to Kyran.
“Anger and rage are like speeding,” Kyran said. “It propels you to go further, faster than you thought possible, carrying you with its momentum, but if you don’t know when to let go, you’ll inevitably crash.” He moved forward and clapped a hand on Aaron’s shoulder. “Use your anger if you have to, until you gain the confidence you need, but don’t let it overtake you. You do that, and you’ll fail.”
Aaron nodded.
Kyran smiled and stepped back. “You perform under stress,” he stated. “You split the ground on instinct because there was a car coming at you. You did a perfect ripple but only to throw a vamage away from Sam.” He tilted his head to the side, observing Aaron. “You need to learn to do the same under calmer situations.” He gestured to the trees. “Again, but this time, get the tree you were targeting.” With a slow grin, he added, “Alright, Ace?”
***
It wasn’t long before Aaron found himself accompanying the Hunters on another trip out of Salvador. This time it wasn’t a hunt. It was a trip to the City of Balt, to meet with someone named Mandara, who had asked Scott for help on a ‘missing-mages’ case in Zone L-26.
Aaron felt jittery as Lexi passed through the glowing portal shaped like Aric’s mark. Kyran swerved the bike around and paused, waiting for the rest of the Hunters to pass through the portal and arrive at his side.
Aaron took in his surroundings. They were at one end of another long road, similar to the one they had just passed outside the Gate of Salvador. But where that path was lined with tall green trees and a clear blue sky, this one had acres of flat land stretching out on either side of it. Far off in the distance, Aaron could see rocky mountains tinted white with frost. The sky was like a snapshot taken at the point of sunset: a beautiful array of orange and red, with the golden sun giving out its last rays.
One after the other, the Hunters arrived, passing through the portal. When the twentieth and last Hunter arrived, Skyler and Ella led the way onwards, racing along the glittering white stone pathway.
They arrived at the Gate, which was the exact replica of the towering mass of white that guarded the entrance to the City of Salvador. Skyler and Ella got off their bikes and walked over, slipping off their gloves. Each placed a palm on the door and spoke.
“Skyler Avira.”
“Ella Afton.”
The symbols on the door brightened before fading. Aric’s mark was the only one left before it too slowly melted into the door. Ella and Skyler climbed back onto their bikes and led the rest into the City of Balt.
The place wasn’t all that different from Salvador. There even was a long table planted in the middle of the street. Tall buildings lined both sides of the road. Some were houses, others were shops – or what was commonly referred to as stores in the mage realm. A few mages were crowded outside a partially open door, through which Aaron could smell freshly baked bread.
The Hunters parked their bikes and climbed off. They huddled in a circle, scanning the area, ignoring the mages of Balt.
“Scott said to speak to Mandara,” Skyler said to the rest of the Hunters. “He’s the one who requested our help. Don’t bother with anyone else.”
He turned around and met a fist. It was mostly the surprise, rather than the blow, that made Skyler stagger back. Aaron stared at the punch-thrower. A familiar red-haired girl stood, seething at Skyler.
“You son of a demon!” she cursed.
“Is that how we’re greeting Skyler now?” Kyran asked. “’Cause I like that.”
Skyler stared back at the girl with wide eyes, a hand over his nose.
“Bloody hell, Bella!” He recovered, pulling his hand away. There was no blood. The punch wasn’t hard enough.
“You let humans into a Q-Zone?” Bella cried. “Humans, Skyler! You let humans into a Q-Zone when you refused us!” she came forward, prompting Skyler to step back.
“Now hold up.” Skyler held up a hand. “You failed the ring.”
“Humans!” Bella shrieked. “Did you have humans win the ring?”
“No, obviously–” Skyler started.
“Exactly, no!” Bella glared at him. “What the hell–!”
“Bella.” A deep, rumbling voice interrupted from behind her. “Give the boy a chance to speak.”
Everyone turned to see a tall, dark-skinned man with black tufts of hair flecked with grey. He was dressed in long robes and sandals. He stood with his arms behind him, staring at Skyler with seriou
s brown eyes.
“I’m sure Elemental Avira has a fascinating explanation as to why he allowed two humans to enter a place he went out of his way to prove the Hunters of Balt couldn’t handle.”
Skyler, Aaron noted, wasn’t looking too good. His face was pink, his nose a little red. The usually icy blue eyes were now burning with humiliation and anger. With his fists clenched into tight balls, he stepped out of the Hunters’ circle to meet the man.
“Mandara, I presume?” he asked in a clipped tone.
“Your assumption is correct.” The man inclined his head and held out a hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Elemental Avira.”
Skyler shook the man’s hand. “I wish I could say it was a pleasure to be here.” He threw a sideways look to Bella. “But I’m afraid that would be an outright lie.”
The man – Mandara – smiled, but it didn’t reach his solemn eyes. “You must forgive Bella,” he said. “She is a little...high spirited.”
“With a mean right hook,” Skyler said, rubbing at his nose.
Bella glowered at him.
“I believe Scott has already briefed you?” Mandara asked, getting to the point of business.
“Yes,” Scott replied.
“Come.” Mandara said. “Rest and have some refreshments before we discuss the situation.”
Skyler followed after him, leading the others. Kyran paused to grin and wink at Bella. She smiled back at him.
Mandara led them all to the table, where a great selection of food was prepared for them. Skyler and Ella had a quick bite and left the table with Mandara, disappearing into one of the cottages for the meeting. As Aaron enjoyed his second helping of chicken fried noodles, he struck up a conversation with two Hunters of Balt – Andrew and Mark – seated opposite him.
“So what exactly is the problem in L-26?” Aaron asked.
“There’ve been a number of disappearances,” Andrew replied. “There are another three sub-zones that have to be conquered before a Gate can be set up for the L-Zone.”
“Which means that although we chased out the demonic forces from L-26 a year ago, they tend to sneak back,” Mark added.
