Wan Sin was hugged by everybody, though no one really felt like celebrating. They had lost. Their master plan had been destroyed. And to top it off, one of the few weapons that they knew could have harmed Exitium for sure.
They had helped Uro to his feet, and he had contacted the Headquarters. A car was dispatched to pick them up.
"No doubt Exitium sent people to retrieve his body. He will be back in it by now. This is bad. His body is where all his power is housed. He will be ten times more powerful than he was possessing Wan Sin," murmured Uro.
"Where's Melody?" Asked Lifei.
"Back at Headquarters. I sent her there to keep her safe. I have recalled your aunts and uncles, as well as the Oracle and Mentri. Armatus and Vivus are some of the best warriors, so I can't get them back, but I do need advisors," said Uro.
Not long after, a car arrived. Everybody got in.
"To the Headquarters," said Uro. The car shot off.
•~•
The first place we went to was the infirmary, to look for Ana. When we reached the infirmary, Ana was lying in one of the beds, her eyes closed. Anna was standing nearby. Anna saw us and nodded.
"She's resting. Let's talk in the hall," whispered Anna. We walked out and into the hall that connected the Infirmary to the lobby. Uro pulled a pocket watch out of his pocket and twisted one of the knobs. The minute hand moved counter clockwise a few spaces.
"Alright. No one can hear us now. Do you know where Aunty Nani and Dawn are? Did they escape?" Asked Uro.
"As far as I know, Nanithell and Dawn were captured," said Anna.
"By the nightmares?" asked Uro.
"By a dragon," said Anna.
"What?" hissed Uro, shocked.
"Apparently the dragons have chosen to act. The moment it became apparent that Exitium had left, several of them swooped down and torched the nightmare camp into ash, while snatching Nanithell and Dawn to safety. They were carried to the Dragon City, where our psychics could no longer see them," said Ana, "Other psychics report that the Aes Sidhe have mobilized their forces. They are marching toward us, and all our troops are busy elsewhere. As per your orders, I searched for people to aid us, but nobody is free."
Uro was silent for a long while. Then he spoke, "All right. We face a grave situation, far worse than any other in all of our long, long history. We shall have to split up. Call the others."
Ana hurried away.
"Your parents are on the way. Wait for us in this room," said Uro, ushering them into another room. It was small but cozy, with couches and bean bags. The floor was covered in a thick carpet. The children lounged on the beam bags and couches, while Aida sat in a rocking chair.
"Just because I don't look my age doesn't mean I can't act it," said Aida, smiling.
Soon, the adults began to file in, Animo, Wan Sin's mother, Ventus, Shanae and Lifei's mother, Viribus, Cassandra and Melody's mother, Mentri, the Oracle and finally Uro.
Animo embraced Wan Sin. It occurred to Cassandra that they no longer had a single father between all of them.
"Very well! Let me brief all of you. The Aes Sidhe are approaching us, unopposed, and they will reach us within two days. The dragons may have joined the war, but we're not really sure, Exitium has reentered his old body, making him ten times more powerful than before. He is leading the Aes Sidhe army. We are now resorting to grasping at straws. We shall consort with the wisest and most ancient of beings in the hope of gaining some idea of how to defeat Exitium. It will be dangerous, of that there is no doubt. I am sorry to drag you children into this again, but we have no choice. We are short on man power. You will all be splitting up. Animo, Ventus, Viribus and Aida will go to the Dragon City. Mentri, Oracle and Shanae will go to search for the Kraken, the oceans' most ancient and mysterious entity. Wan Sin, Cassandra, Lifei and Melody will go to the abandoned mines beneath the Forgotten Plains to seek Obulan, the Terra Worm. And before any of the other adults protest, Obulan is known to be benevolent, and having a team made out of children may play on his sympathies," said Uro as Animo and Viribus opened their mouths to protest. "Alright. It is time to save the world!" Declared Uro. He beamed happily. "I've always wanted to say those words,"
•~•
A sea of moving creatures flowed over the land. They didn't move with any coordination, but they were intimidating nonetheless. Creatures covered completely in spikes, skinless beasts with claws like swords, shambling piles of decay, an armored man with no head or helmet atop black horses with read eyes. Leading the army was a tall figure, easily taller than any man alive, he had grown taller for a while before stopping when he had returned to Earth, Exitium now stood at 12 feet tall, with an eye that shone like a star, and an eye that reflected no light; it was black as the void. He wore no armor, but instead wore a sharp suit that was deep blue, with silver buttons. Buckled to his waist were two swords, each longer than a human. (FYI, one foot is about twelve inches, and one inch is about three centimeters I think, which makes Exitium over three meters tall, plus he's like a normal human made three times larger, he's not super tall and thin or anything)
Exitium stalked across the earth, death given form, destruction gifted life. It felt good to be back in his own body again, he reflected. A pity that the portal had reformed; he hadn't realized that they didn't know that they could've shadow walked back with his body. Another pity that his nightmares hadn't slain Nanithell and Dawn. They were great fighters and powerful assets of the enemy. At least Trawl had escaped. Exitium did not have any great fondness for the human, but his psychic illusions made him a valuable asset. Exitium did not pretend that tricking Uro and the children had not brought him joy; it had. And the looks on their faces when the sword had shattered... absolutely priceless.
Dragons. Exitium hated dragons. It was a hate buried deep in his history. They had been a major cause to his defeat in the nightmare war. If only they had stayed out of this war. Not that they could. They had stalled as long as they dared. The ancient pact had been far more than a signed piece of paper; it literally could not be broken. Nobody knew the exact contents of the scroll, though Exitium suspected that it had something to do with why the tribes could not attack each other or humans. Still, Exitium wasn't that worried, all things considered. The sorcerers wouldn't prove a challenge, and the pact wouldn't interfere with the Aes Sidhe massacring the sorcerers, because Exitium wasn't, in theory, from any of the tribes, and he was the one ordering the Aes Sidhe around. Exitium was part First, part Nightmare.
The two tribes that remained wouldn't prove a challenge...
