Chapter 30: A New Family

“The moment I get out of the hospital, you grill me on what’s going on,” said Eramar in irritation. “Why do you think I know what’s going on?”

“Because the Minister has been visiting your room every day for the past week,” answered Ryan Uruks impatiently.

Eramar laughed. “Who knew you’d become such a shrewd character at the tender age of sixteen? You have a few wins under your belt, and all of the sudden, you’re the big man in the Fire Ministry. Oh, how wondrous it is to be so young and so naïve.”

“I’m not leaving here without answers, Eramar,” insisted Ryan.

Must’ve got that stubbornness streak from his mom’s side.

“Alright, I’ll tell you what I know, but it’ll have to be quick. I’m meeting with Doctor Wilson in a little while, and she would be very upset if I were late,” said Eramar before taking one last satisfying swig of his hot chocolate.

Wiping the chocolate mustache from his mustache, Eramar began. “Dutch cracked after a few days of joint interrogation between the Fire and Water. Not a mean feat on the Mental Division’s part given how difficult it is to interrogate a Wielder-Level Elemental.”

Eramar sighed dejectedly. “To think that a Mystic could’ve infiltrated so far up. It might’ve happened to another Ministry, but it still scares the hell out of me. Anyway, he gave us the names of several other Mystic operatives, including those in the Ministry of Earth and the Ministry of Air.

“You’ll be glad to hear that both Ministries have issued a ceasefire to look into the case. With the subsequent Mystic hunt that followed, I think it’s safe to say that we have dealt with most if not all of the Mystics in the Fire and Water Ministries; and even those that may have managed to remain hidden will be too scared to cause any trouble for a while.

“However, we suspect that the Mystics might have a larger amount of operatives hidden in the lesser Ministries. Unfortunately, before we could get anything else out of the man to confirm all this, he croaked.”

“Wait. He just died.”

“We suspect it was some kind of telepathic spell implanted in his brain that was designed to activate should he start leaking information. Whoever the Mystics are working for these days, they are thorough. They’ve obviously been doing this thing for a long time.

“Dutch knew next to nothing about his employers, only that they have a great deal of influence in the underworld. The one who hired him personally was a third party, so I doubt we’ll be able to trace it to the real conspirators.”

“What about Galzar?”

“Ah, now that’s the real story,” said Eramar before taking another sip of his drink. “Well, it’s kind of strange and a little creepy to tell you the truth.”

“What? I can take it. I just got to know. What happened to Silvia’s father?” Ryan’s eyes were as intense as his tone. Eramar appreciated a good thirst for knowledge.

“Well, you see, they were barely able to talk to the guy. It was less than two hours into the interrogation session and the man didn’t give us squat. But then, he smiled and said five words. No sooner had he said it did he suddenly dissolve into a puddle of stinking Dark Water. Some kind of self-destruct switch embedded to not only keep him from giving out information with his words, but with his body as well. I suspect that Galzar knew who the real culprits were, otherwise, they wouldn’t have gone to such extremes to keep his mouth shut.”

Ryan turned away from Eramar, crumbling up the napkin in his hand. Saria told Eramar that Ryan and Silvia had developed some kind of relationship together in the short time that they had known each other. But Eramar didn’t know just how intense that relationship went until now.

He’s so young and he’s already seen a friend die in battle. He’s too young to know about the consequences of war. All of them are too young. However, there’s nothing to do about that but just move on and help out the younger generation where we can.

Ryan finally turned back to Eramar. “So, the booby trap that killed Galzar, you think it was set to activate once he said a certain phrase.”

Eramar smiled in admiration. “Now you’re thinking like a pro, kid. That’s exactly the same conclusion that the investigation squad came up with. You’re starting to get pretty smart, you know, when you’re not being so idiotic.”

Ryan grinned confidently. “Give me some credit, old man. I did help prevent a war, you know.”

Eramar gave him a good smack on the head for good measure. “Don’t get cocky, boy. We have enough hot shots running around this Ministry. Plus, if I’m going to be able to make something of you someday, I need you humble and malleable.”

Even when he tried to act serious, whenever Ryan was around, Eramar found himself smiling like a little kid. As for Ryan, he seemed no more the worse for the lecture and quickly brushed it off like nothing happened.

“Anyway, what was the phrase that Galzar said? What were his last words before he died?”

Eramar had hoped Ryan wouldn’t ask that. Truthfully, it still kept Eramar up at night just thinking about it. “He said, ‘All things succumb to darkness’.”

Ryan gasped. Eramar could feel the boy’s pulse quicken and his breathing stop. All in all, the kid didn’t have a very good poker face.

“All things succumb to darkness,” repeated Zanderius Alastar as he listened to Eramar’s and Ryan’s conversation from a few miles away.

All in all, a good beginning, considered Zand. Now the only thing left was the ending. Hopefully, the middle won’t be that bad. There were no civilian casualties in the war and the citizens recovered financially for the structures that were lost.

The Imperial Senate had ruled in favor of the Ministries and found Gregory Industries fully responsible for the damages, especially those caused by the nuclear explosion. Even minimized, Omega caused more damage to the city’s infrastructure than the intense but short conflict between the Ministries.

Who said that politicians can’t get a few things right every once in a while?

Zanderius hovered on an invisible platform of condensed air hundreds of feet up overlooking the busy streets of Tarrus. Hannah Lioness stood nearby, a woman whose unyielding strength could never be fully estimated.

The Sacred Vessel of Purity had placed a spiritual shroud over himself and Hannah to hide their presence as well as their physical essence. As of right now, no one on Tarrus could see, hear, or touch them. They were like ghosts watching over the living.

As if to reiterate this point, a ship passed right through them as it prepared to leave the atmosphere. Zand was quickly greeted by the faces of dozens of unaware passengers before the vessel disappeared into the upper atmosphere.

Hannah turned to Zand in concern. “Is it him? Is he making his move at last?”

Zand sighed. So much yet to do and so little time to do it. I’m too old for this adventure nonsense. I should retire and write a book or something. At least, that’s what Zorron wanted to do. He was the smart one back then.

“No, he’s not ready to make his move. At least not yet,” said Zand as he watched Ryan Uruks from the distance. It was uncanny how much the boy resembled his father. It made Zand feel nostalgic for the past.

So often, we don’t know that we’ve lived the good old days until we’ve grown older and left the good old days behind. Thinking back, I wish I’d paid better attention back then, because those memories are sometimes the only things that keep me going.

Out of habit, Zand removed his golden watch from his pocket and checked the time before putting it back in its pouch. It was 8:31 a.m. on the first of January, the start of a new year.

“I suspect that this plot was only the first stage in a much larger plan. Our enemy is a patient one. He’s been waiting now for centuries. He can afford to wait a little longer until he has gathered his full strength. But for now, the children are safe, and that is all that matters.”

Hannah growled under her breath, a little bit of her old youth rising to the surface. Zand had kind of missed that fiery quality of hers, so it pleased him to see that she regained a little of her old passion after her exchange with Ryan.

“I can’t stand just waiting around like this. I don’t want to protect them from a distance anymore. I want to be there with them in body as well as in spirit.”

Zand smiled knowingly. “You’ve grown quite attached to that boy, haven’t you?”

Hannah’s face took on a haunting expression. Zand could understand why she was hesitant to voice her feelings out loud. “It’s ... it’s just that he’s Richard’s son. He has so much of his father in him. I feel responsible to protect him since I wasn’t there to protect his father. It’s a burden that I have to bear.”

“But not one that you have to bear alone,” consoled Zand. “It’s alright. I know exactly how you feel. You need not speak any further on the subject.”

Hannah crossed her arms. Zand knew it to be an act of pride to save face. An unnecessary gesture in his opinion, but one he would not deprive the young lady of. “That’s why I hate hanging out with you, old man. You already know everything, and you have a good old time reminding everyone of it.”

Zand chuckled a bit at that. “You’ve certainly picked up a few unsavory habits from that unruly youth.”

Hannah scoffed, but Zand could still detect the slight trace of a smile on her lips as well as in her heart. “Well, if I did, it’s your fault for giving me the assignment of watching over him.”

“You didn’t have to take it, you know?”

“Yes, I know,” said Hannah, looking away. “But I did, and I suspect that you knew I would.”

“No,” said Zand. “I didn’t know. Despite what you think, I don’t know everything. But I hoped you would, for your sake as much as his. You both have a lot of healing to do.”

“We all do,” uttered Hannah softly.

Zand nodded. The worst of it is that Ryan’s journey has only just begun, and he’s already endured enough pain to last a lifetime. I pray that he’ll be able to heal from both old and recent wounds. In any case, it seems that our enemy already knows of the boy’s whereabouts ... not just him, but all three of them. Otherwise, the Fallen would never have returned to Tarrus. An unfortunate occurrence, but not an unexpected one.

Zand took in a deep breath, letting the full realization of what was to come wash over him. He knew full well that the presence of the Children of Destiny could not stay hidden for long. He just hoped that they could have a little more time away from all that. Too often, the young are made to suffer for the transgressions of the old.

However, now that the seal was broken, he could now take a more active hand in seeing to their wellbeing. The dark forces of the Eternal Coalition won’t dare to interfere for now. And yet, despite that, Zand couldn’t help but feel like he missed something vital. Something, or someone, that had yet to be taken into account.

As Zand’s brow furrowed in deep thought, Hannah brought him out of his daze. “I’ve seen that look before. What’s wrong?”

“I can’t shake the feeling that there’s something I’ve overlooked. Some hidden piece to this puzzle that seems insignificant, but needs only be placed properly to glimpse its quintessential meaning.

“Lord Gregory just doesn’t strike me as the kind of man who would risk his precious resources on some mad endeavor for power and vengeance. He valued his possessions too much, but more importantly, he valued his life far too much. A man like that, as vile as he was, would not take such a risk willingly.”

Hannah paused, her lips tightening in thought. “Do you think it to be some kind of telepathic suggestion?”

Zand cupped his bearded chin as he considered. “Possibly. But for the life of me, I can’t imagine how. Nobles are trained to resist all but the most powerful of telepaths. And from what we know of him, Lord Gregory not only complied with the two Goblins, but did so under the presumption that he was the architect of the entire scheme.

“For a telepath to not only manipulate a noble, but to do so without the man even being aware of the touch ... it staggers the limits of belief. I’m not even sure I could be that subtle. No doubt a telepath of that caliber would have mind powers equal to that of the ancient Sages themselves. A truly disturbing notion to think that our enemy has such a pawn in his employ.”

“Then it must be the Sacred Vessel of Corruption himself,” replied Hannah. “Or at least one of his Dragon Lord underlings.”

“I’m afraid not. I would be able to sense a telepathic intrusion of that magnitude. No, this is someone else, someone less powerful, but more skilled in the arts of deception. I have no doubt that their allegiance is to the dark races, but beyond that ... I just don’t know.”

Hannah shook her head. “That just can’t be. Every Elemental with telepathic abilities is carefully catalogued and monitored by the Monks. It is a law that has been upheld since ancient times, partially because telepaths are considered the most dangerous of the Elementals. There is no telepath, Elemental or Mystic, that is unaccounted for in our records. And I’m afraid that there is no telepath on record capable of the feats you are describing.”

“Perhaps, but could he not be an unregistered Elemental?” probed Zand sternly.

“A being with Elemental powers that neither the government nor the Order of Light knows about?” said Hannah in disbelief. “I’m sorry, but such a thing is simply not possible.”

Zand could understand Hannah’s skepticism. She had served as one of the scribes after all. Part of her duty was to catalogue and record every Elemental ever born through the aid of the prophets, especially the telepathic ones. This was how the Ministries knew about possible candidates ahead of time.

And it was true, there had never been an unrecorded Elemental birth since the beginnings of Elemency. Even the few Mystics that still wandered the universe sprouted out of the Ministries, though some still hid themselves amongst the Elementals. Some, but thankfully not nearly as many as before due to recent events, a blessing that Zand had hoped for when he sent Ryan out on his quest.

All in all, Zand could understand why such a notion would strike Hannah Lioness as impossible, that is why he chose to let the matter drop. But still, Zand would make sure to keep a close watch out for this nameless telepath, whoever he may be.

“You might be right, Hannah,” lied Zand as he turned back to watch Ryan.

Hannah breathed a sigh of relief as the tension left her body. For a moment, the two of them felt content to just watch and wait as Ryan Uruks ran along the Fire Ministry grounds.

Hannah squinted to see what Zand saw, but her eyes weren’t as sharp as his ... no one’s were. “What’s going to happen now?” asked Hannah.

“We watch as the boy slowly becomes a man. We observe his progress and wait until the time is right to tell him the truth. We help him only if the other side interferes as per the status quo. And we do the same for every single one of the members of Squad 99, as well as the other Two Children of Destiny.

“They don’t know it yet, but those children will one day decide our future. It is up to us to safeguard them from unwanted influences. But ultimately, they must make the choice of where their destinies lie. They must make the choice just as the rest of us did.”

Hannah looked down at her feet as a slight bit of mischief flashed in her blue eyes. “You know, you probably could have pulled a few strings and given Ryan the rank of Second. I would think he’s earned it after this latest fiasco.”

“That is true,” said Zand, a tad mischievous himself. “But what would be the fun in that? I had already saved the planet once by the time I was his age, and I still had to take those horrible qualifying exams. As far as I’m concerned, Ryan doesn’t get special treatment. He’s going to suffer from every tedious piece of old school parchment the same as I did.”

“You know, you like to act the saint, but you’ve got a mean streak sometimes,” she said playfully.

“Never said I was a saint. I’m just an old man who likes to pretend that he’s saintly.”

Saria stood facing the life-sized image of Hephaestus Sorric in her office. It was only a holographic projection that shimmered and fuzzed in the light. Seen head-on, it looked three-dimensional, but at an angle, it became two-dimensional. However, illusion or not, it didn’t detract one bit of the man’s presence.

“So it’s true then?” asked Saria, relishing the optimism that their recent progress had sprouted in just a few short days. “The Earth and the Air have really called a ceasefire?”

“Yes, indeed,” answered Sorric. “Apparently, they intercepted Silvia’s speech during the broadcast, so they already had their suspicions on the legitimacy of the war.”

“Enemy or not, I must say that we owe a lot to that girl,” said Saria sadly. “Her last act of life brought us peace.”

“I agree. The damage was extensive, but it could have been a lot worse ... a hell of a lot worse if it hadn’t been for that broadcast,” said Sorric, speaking from experience. “I still shudder at the thought that one of my Wielders was a Mystic.”

Saria shrugged, and thought of a careful reply so as not to be insensitive. She could only imagine how she would feel if one of her own Wielders turned out to be a Mystic. “I suppose it has happened before, but rarely, and not for at least a thousand years. Only the cream of the crop are chosen to be Wielders, and of those chosen, only those given a blessing from the Monks can attain the status. It makes me wonder if we’ve given those peace-loving pansies too much power over us. If even they can make a mistake like this, then we should not be held accountable to the Monastery’s whims.”

“Though I understand your chagrin, I disagree. The Monastery has always served as a balance between the Ministries ... holding us in check and giving us a much-needed moral anchor. The Ministries are often the fists that protect the Empire, but the Monastery is its heart.”

Saria scoffed dismissively. Hard to believe that behind his cynicism, Sorric was a true believer. Saria could live a thousand more years, and probably never understand this man. “Agree to disagree, but it’s still disturbing that they gave their blessing to a Mystic.”

Sorric shook his head, seeming pained. “It’s not that hard to believe. From what I know of him, Dutch was a good man and a loyal Elemental for most of his career. The sad fact is that people change, even people who live as long as us.

“The Monks use Light Elemency to screen a person’s soul of dark ambitions before they give the rank of Wielder. But they can’t see a person’s future. Not even Seers can see a man’s entire future.

“Dutch must’ve turned sometime after he became a Wielder. If anything, it means that we need to cooperate more with the Monastery ... have all our Elementals attend the Light Ceremony regularly as a checkup for darkness, even our Wielders.”

Saria sniffed. “Like I said, agree to disagree. I’ll have our telepaths attend the Light Ceremony more often to confirm their sincerity, but nothing more drastic than that. More telepathic screenings are what we need to crack down on Mystic infiltrators in our midst, not religious mumbo jumbo. Thanks to our new telepathic questioning techniques, we’ve caught several more Mystics among the Seconds and Thirds, and sent many more running to the farthest corners of the universe.”

“Well, to each his own. Or her own, in your case,” said Sorric amusingly.

Though they didn’t agree on everything, Saria had to admit, having conversations like this was preferable to their previous negotiations. Amazing how much things could change in just a week. After coming to armed conflict, the Ministries of Fire and Water were growing closer than ever before.

That and the trade deal that benefited both Ministries was just the icing on the cake, giving the Fire Ministry better food and medical supplies as well as Senate ties, and giving the Water Ministry more Sun Gems of which District 9 had plenty. Maybe Zand’s cockamamie dream of the Ministries becoming one again wasn’t so outrageous. Oh, what was she saying? Of course it was.

“By the way. Are you really going to make a vote in the Imperial Senate for the reconstruction of Grimic?”

“Yes,” replied Saria without a moment’s hesitation. “And if they don’t agree, I’m going to use whatever resources the Ministry of Fire has available to aid in the process.”

“You know what they’re going to say to that. They’ll say that all available resources must be applied to reconstruction here on the planet in the areas that the skirmishes affected. Even with Gregory Industries taking fiscal responsibility for the bombing, the Ministries did their fair share of damage as well.”

“I know they’ll say that, and I don’t really care. What happened here was because of our own folly. What happened on Gackbar was our fault as well. It’s high time that we Elementals started taking responsibility for all our mistakes, and not just the ones that affect us directly. It won’t change what happened, but even still, I know in my heart that it’s not only the right thing to do, it’s the only thing we can do if our claim to peace is to be justified.”

“Well said. I too think that there are certain wrongs that need to be set right. Now that Dutch is finally off the council, perhaps I’ve got the chance to start weeding out the corruption that has plagued the Ministry of Water under my watch. I wish to follow the example of the Ministry of Fire.”

Saria nodded appreciatively. “High praise, indeed. I’ll have to spend a little time with Grafael to find humility again.”

“Speaking of which, how is the infamous Grim Team doing these days?” asked Sorric. “We owe them a great deal of thanks as well. If not for their heroism and sacrifice, none of this would have been possible. Truly remarkable for ones so young.”

“They’re doing just fine actually. They’re getting ready to accept their final member as a full-fledged Elemental at last. After much deliberation, and a little coaxing on my part, the council decided to grant Ryan Uruks the rank of First.”

“Well,” said Sorric thoughtfully. “If anything, that boy certainly has an interesting career to look forward to.”

Saria’s smile deepened. “He does at that.”

“Caw,” shrieked the golden-winged hawk, Tyrant, as he lay perched on Ryan’s head before resuming his normal routine of pecking his master on the forehead like a woodpecker. But Ryan hardly noticed as his face shrouded darkly. As if losing Silvia wasn’t bad enough, hearing about her father’s gruesome death disheartened him more. And to top it off was the mystery that the Dark Creature left him to solve.

‘All things succumb to darkness’. I get that it’s a prelude to something very bad. But still, it’s driving me crazy trying to figure out what it all means. If that psycho who killed my parents really is talking to me in my head, then why hasn’t he tried to kill me yet? Why is he so fixated on me in the first place? What is he trying to tell me?

For some reason, Ryan got the impression that the Dark Creature wanted to communicate a certain message. He wanted Ryan to take something away from all of this. Whatever it is, I’m not going to listen. I’m not buying into this guy’s mind games. Whoever you are, wherever you are, I swear I’ll find you one day and kill you for all the pain you’ve caused.

The memory of Silvia haunted him. He had wanted to save her so much and yet he had once again been helpless against the forces of death. Thinking about Silvia caused Ryan’s eyes to wander down his arm, where he held her flowerpot underneath his elbow. The blue rose had remained just as vibrant as when he first saw it on the night of Silvia’s death.

There’s nothing special about me, thought Ryan to himself. Silvia was the real special one. Silvia gave up everything for strangers that she hardly even knew ... that she had reason to despise even. I’ll never forget your sacrifice, Silvia. I’ll never forget you.

All these thoughts and more plagued Ryan. He hardly even noticed his track from the marketplace to the new apartment complex he had been assigned to as a First-Level Elemental. As far as his subconscious could tell, the hallways were nicer looking. Cleaner walls, freshly mopped and swept floors. Though, that was about all he registered.

Ryan approached the room he had been assigned with his hands in his pocket. He remembered getting the message from his medallion. The voice said to go to room 111A on the east wing of the Guardian Hall. If he forgot, he could always take out his medallion again and the address would flash in a small flame above the magical object.

The voice said that Ryan’s medallion was the key to opening the lock. He didn’t need a key to get into his room last time, but then he figured that it must be because now he was officially an Elemental and not some Grunt in training, which meant he warranted better security. Ryan brought his medallion up to the door, and it dissolved in a flash of flames. As he walked into his new room, Éclair and the other members of Squad 99 greeted him.

“Surprise!” shouted Éclair along with everyone in the small, bare apartment living room.

Éclair looked as gorgeous as ever in a blue open-shouldered top, a white skirt, and glass slippers. Grafael, wearing his usual red and silver armor, tittered with a bottle in his hand while looking tipsy. Tork, also in his usual attire, circled the floating chandelier above them as if in some kind of marathon. When Tyrant saw the Dragon, he immediately flew from Ryan’s shoulder to join Tork in a race to see who the faster flier was. Rachel, wearing a red, long-sleeved shirt and tight black leather pants, somehow looked less grumpy than usual. Leon, in his formal, Victorian-styled black coat and dress pants, actually managed to look more grumpy than usual. Even Thisimius was there, which explained the smell. And as an added bonus, Thomas had come as well.

The adorable little kid fell to his knees, bowing ostensibly. “Master! Master!”

Not so great, Ryan almost got caught in the arms of the old crone, Nanny Eliza. “How about a graduation smooch?”

Cedric stood by Nanny Eliza’s side. The strange, silent man made a gesture with his finger which Ryan almost interpreted as the birdy, but knowing Cedric, it was probably a very weird way of saying, ’Good Job’.

Most surprising of all, David Kavic attended too, looking trim and well-dressed as ever in his dark business suit. Ryan had decided long ago that Kavic was a good guy, which made his presence a welcomed one. As Ryan gawked in surprise, Thisy took it upon himself to wrap him up in a crushing bear hug, or more accurately, an Ogre hug since a bear probably wasn’t as strong as Thisimius.

In between breaths, Ryan managed to say, “What ... is ... going ... on?”

In reply, Éclair gave him a good smack on the head.

“And why does everyone keep doing that to me?” asked Ryan as he rubbed his head gingerly.

“Why do you think?” said Éclair with her hands on her hips, who had suddenly changed from cheerful to indignant. “It’s because you’re a muffin head! We’re here to officially welcome you as a member of Squad 99, dimwit!”

“But I was already a member,” said Ryan in confusion as he extracted himself from Thisy’s smelly embrace.