Elementals: A New Era: Book One

Chapter Ten

Luke felt a chill run down his spine as his consciousness came to, in this strange environment. A soft warm sand shifted beneath his toes as he tested his movement, the sand ran in all directions, disappearing over dunes in the distance. High above sat a sea of stars, randomly dotting a sky that confused him. He could tell it was night time, the sun wasn't up, it was cold, his eyes had adjusted to the strange darkness of the world. And yet, as he looked up at the sky, he couldn't understand why half of it was night, and half was day. Split straight down the middle of the sky, reaching from both ends of the horizon. Stars illuminated the night sky, while clouds shifted and formed new shapes in the day half.
Through the strange blanket of Darkness, Luke could make a humanoid figure standing ahead of him, its purple and red fur shone two toned in the weird Light. Two large ears turned and pointed towards him, registering his presence and alerting the creature. As it turned, Luke noticed a tail swept across the sand, its black and white coloration matching the split nature of the sky above. The creature's black and white eyes fell on him, and he felt immense fear as it wasn't one of peace or happiness, there was an intense sharpness to the creature's stare, a contrast to its fluffy soft fur. Four wings unfurled in an X as the creature knelt down, readying itself for something. A symbol began to shine on the creature's chest as an orb of Darkness appeared in one paw, and an orb of Light in the other.
"Luke!" Something deep called from around him.
The creature held out the paw with the Light orb, as if inviting him to take it. Luke wanted to take a step forward, but something held him back.
"Luke," the voice called again, this time closer. He recognized it.
Suddenly, something wrapped around his shoulder and he was pulled from the dream. Sitting up with a start, he thrust his arm out and heard a loud crashing sound from within the Darkness of his room.
"Ah fuck," a voice called.
"Oh shit, And, I'm sorry," Luke apologized as the large man stood and dusted himself off.
"All good, Luke, weird dream?" The man asked as he flicked on the light.
"Yeah, really weird," Luke yawned and stretched. He looked to his right and flicked the curtains open with his Powers, it was still dark out, his clock read 5:46am.
"Well get yourself ready. The dawn service is in just over an hour," Andrew explained. "Both you and Matt will be there with the other Elementals. This year's a big one, been fifteen years." He clapped his hands together. "Come on, up ya get, I'll grab Matt while you get dressed, then we can get some food and be on our way."
Andrew left Luke to wake up from the hazy dream he'd had, the boy managed to climb out of bed and shower briefly before putting on a t-shirt and top, as well as some pants and socks, before meeting Matt and Andrew in the hallway. The boy rubbed the sleep from his eyes as Andrew beamed at them both with a smile.
"I haven't slept in a real bed in years," Matt spoke as they began to walk through the base.
"You could sleep in one every night if you join us," Luke replied. "Once all of this is over, I mean. When we save everyone down there."
The three of them walked in silence to the dining hall, and after a quick meal, they headed down to the basement and climbed in Andrew's truck.
"Are the others coming too?" Luke asked.
"They should already be there, setting things up," Andrew replied. "I think they'll be excited to meet you, Matt," Andrew looked at the boy through the reverse mirror.
Matt seemed to cower in his seat, making himself seem smaller, he was clearly afraid.
"Hey," Luke turned to him from the front seat. "These guys are really cool. They'll accept you and show you why the topsiders aren't so bad. We'll show you what having a family is like."
"My family is Mikaido," Matt replied softly. "And Quinn and Dustin."
Luke sighed, his heart aching a little as the boy finished his sentence. He turned back to face the front and looked at Andrew, the man wore a look of concern, the two of them made eye contact for a second before he turned his attention back to the road. They pulled into a parking lot beside a large open grassy park, the carpark was empty aside from a single Agency vehicle that could hold Elementals. The three of them stepped out of the truck and made their way to the center of the park, where a tall rectangle slab of stone stood. Atop the slab stood a Wolf with wings, and big Cat, both facing opposite directions, their tails hanging in front of the others necks. Stacey and the other Premiers were working with Mari to build a stage, while King and Tsubaki talked off to the side. Zero watched as everything unfolded, he turned as Luke and Andrew approached.
"Hey boys," he spoke. "Glad you could both make it." He noticed another small boy hiding behind Andrew. "You must be Matthew." Zero slowly approached, pulling his field close to not scare the boy. "We met at the supermarket where you handed yourself in, it's because of me that Luke went into the Undercity with you. Do you remember me?"
Matt nodded and quietly stepped out from Andrew's shadow. The noise of talking alerted the others, King charged over with a splash, tackling and licking Luke. While Tsubaki walked over and began to examine Matt, the boy cowered once more as the larger Wolf sniffed at him. Tsubaki placed his head flat against the boy's hand and began to rub it before pulling away and smiling.
"You have a knack for finding Powerful strays," he spoke, looking up at Andrew.
"Matt," Andrew began. "This is Tsubaki, he's the leader of D.A.R.E, a soft and kind soul that's seen it all. He wouldn't hurt anyone in the Undercity."
"That's right, we want everyone in our city, both above and below, to live happily and safely," Tsubaki explained as he turned to the statue. "Asher and Sky gave their lives for everyone here. And we'll continue on with them in our memories and our hearts, ensuring everyone gets to live at peace."
"Asher?" Matt asked. "Was he...?" Matt pulled his goggles down and clicked his fingers, igniting them.
Tsubaki turned, King finally climbed off Luke and watched as the boy conjured Fire in the palm of his hand.
"What the fuck?" The young Wolf asked.
"How interesting," Tsubaki remarked. "You must be the first Fire Elemental since Asher..." the Wolf smiled, his eyes softening as a tear fell from his eyes.
"What's going on over here?" Stacey called as she walked over with Mari and Sean. "You must be Matt, Andrew's told us a lot about you. Didn't say you were a Fire Elemental though," she crossed her arms and looked at him.
"I hope you'll consider joining D.A.R.E," Sean shook the boy's hand.
"After we save everyone," Matt pulled away and scowled at them.
"Well yes, of course."
"Come on guys," Stacey began. "The show's about to start."
They began to walk back to the statue, time passed and dozens of people began to fill the park, surrounding the stage. It was soon time for the ceremony to begin. Tsubaki took his place laying at the foot of the statue, looking up at the remnants of his Love. The other Elementals all bowed and paid respect as Stacey began to speak.
"Thank you everyone, for showing up this early morning. I welcome you all to this special day, the day that we celebrate and remember the lives of those that came before us."
As she spoke, Luke looked at the slab and saw names etched on it. Mech. Fayne. Aylin. Kato. Nebula. A'rien. Glaziel. Alpha. Tamaki. Kouki. Dusk. Cookie. Zuka.
"These names are but a handful of Elementals that have given their lives for us, for you, to live at peace. To know that there is safety, comfort, happiness, all around you. Atop the statue is Sky and Asher. Sky, the Energy Elemental, and one of my sons, gave his life to fill this world with the Elements. Without him, we would still be living behind walls, separated from the rest of the world, there would be no nature. Asher, Tsubaki's other half, perished early in the final battle against Vision, but was brought back so that he could form the Totem of Love once more to help Zero defeat those that wished to hurt us. Tsubaki and Braxton are the only two Totem wielders that remain with us, but I know that the others are still out there."
Luke looked up at a nearby building, he blinked and squinted through the Darkness. Standing at the building's peak stood a Lion, and resting on its shoulder was some kind of bird. A howl came from another building across the road, he turned to see two Wolves standing against the rising sun.
"With every Elemental life lost, and every innocent life cut short, we will continue to fight for those that are here with us now. Everyone of you, we will fight for you, we will fight for this bright future that they gave their lives for. Our current team, Zero, Tsubaki, Mari, and King, they live and breathe and fight in the footsteps of those that came before. Let us now have a moment of silence to honor those that have been lost."
Luke watched as everyone's head dropped, the Elementals bowed their heads while Tsubaki lay his head down and closed his eyes. Luke followed, closing his eyes and lowering his head. A moment passed before Stacey spoke once more.
"Thank you for coming out, everyone. These past fifteen years have been hard, but we will continue to prosper and grow. D.A.R.E will continue to be at the forefront of protection, until the day that we are no longer needed. Thank you."
The crowd cheered and clapped before slowly dispersing, leaving the team alone. Stacey stepped down from her stage and met up with the others.
"That was a really nice speech, mum," Zero spoke first, looking up at the statue of his brother.
"I know our brother would be proud," Braxton rubbed the Husky's head.
"And thanks for honoring Asher," Andrew added. "I know Tsubaki liked it a lot. Speaking of... where is the old man?" The team looked around, Mari, King, Zero, Luke, Andrew, Matt, Braxton, and Stacey were the only ones around.
Zero expanded his field and found the Wolf, he ran to Tsubaki's side, the older Wolf still laying at the foot of the statue. Something was wrong.
"Mum!" He called for the others. Andrew charged forward and knelt down, placing his hand on the Wolf's chest. A moment passed. He shifted on his legs and wiped a tear from his eyes.
"He's gone."
A stunned moment of silence washed over the group.
"Cuz?" King stepped forward and nuzzled Tsubaki, tears streaming down his face.
"What happened?" Luke asked.
"I think..." Stacey began. "I think old age took him." She smiled and wiped a tear. "How poetic, choosing this moment and place to end his life."
"Wake up," King placed his paws on Tsubaki's chest and began pumping. "I can't lose you. You're my only family! Brax! Heal him!"
The Spaniel shook his head and smiled. "No, King. Tsubaki lived a long life, let him reunite with Asher at last."
King burst into tears and lay down next to his cousin, Andrew stood and backed away, leaving the grieving Wolf. He walked to Luke and Matt's side, the two boys standing and watching from the side.
"We're a family too," Andrew started. "We hurt when someone's lost, we cry, we grieve. We're all human, even if some of us are animals. We care. And we have hearts. I know you want to save everyone in the Undercity, but there are those that want to hurt us. And there are those of us that want to hurt you. But if we team up and work together, we can get rid of the bad on both sides, and be at peace, together, as one city, as one family."
Matt took a moment to respond, his eyes locked on the soft smile that Tsubaki wore. "He didn't die fighting. But he's still happy. Maybe we don't need to fight. Maybe there's another way."
"There always is. The first step, is keeping that TF Juice out of Neo's hands. Do you understand?"
"Yeah, I understand. I'll help.