Eclipse

V. The Beginning

I.

"Ugh. Just how much longer are we gonna have to wait here?"

"Who knows," came the disgruntled response from a second girl, who casually rolled her eyes as she gave a flick of her dark, wiry locks. "It's not as if Associate Darko's proven to be the most reliable."

"Yeah," the first girl who'd spoken chimed in, folding up her arms. "Did he even say what this meeting's about?"

"No, but well, I hope it's on Elise," the second one muttered. "It's been AGES since he said he'd return with her. I'm so ready to put on this stupid ceremony already."

"I'm sooo hungry," the first girl moaned as tugged on the sleeves of her dark button-up shirt. "We should've gone to supper hours agooo."

"Oh please," the second girl sighed as she turned to face her. "Do you ever think about anything but food?"

"Um, yeah, obviously."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, really!"

"Not!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

The third girl, who stood a fair distance behind the others, simply rolled her eyes as she tuned out the noise. She'd already heard enough bickering to last her a millenia.

She took a glance up at the portal in front of her, its colors pulsing as they swirled with energy. She shuddered lightly as a sudden breeze came up, it hitting against the back of her neck. She pulled the pure white coat she wore closer to her chest, lowering her gaze as she did so.

Sher herself pondered what their associate had summoned them out to the helicopter platform for. Whatever it was, it had sounded urgent, which also led her to suspect it had something to do with their fourth general.

It had been eons since any of them had seen Elise, after the unusual circumstances that had led to her to be banished in the first place. She had to admit she wasn't exactly looking forward to seeing that sadistic, psycho-maniac woman again. She highly doubted the woman's time in Pandoria had done anything to help her mental case. Elise was definitely her own separate concoction of crazy.

Yet alas, if it meant they were finally free to put on that ceremony, then so be it. She'd accept the woman any day. Because, that day was far overdue. The day when all those imbecilic, human riders would fall, and her master would resume his reign.

She had to stop herself from jumping as another, sudden breeze came up to seize her. Yet this one was far different from the first. This one was laced with something powerful, something dangerous. And she knew exactly what it was.

Almost instinctively she straightened her back and dropped her hands to her sides. The pose was much like that a soldier makes before his superior.

She lifted her eyes, facing the new figure a fair distance in front of her.

"Generals," the man before them spoke, lifting his head with a sense of authority. He balanced his weight on the cane between his hands as his gaze swept over all of them, a faint smile on his face.

"Associate," the girl in the red cloak returned, her tone far different from the one she'd used moments before.

"Today," the man continued to speak, "Is our day. I want you to remember today as our day of victory. Today is the day the Soulriders lost the war."