Chapter Twenty-Seven

The Wait

The wait to face an impending fate is excruciating

Theoreous

Earth/Inferna (The Iron Cage) EarthYear 1999

A hundred horse-riders, soldiers from armies of different states that were handpicked by the five Potens, came forward to enter the Iron Cage behind their saviors. Besides being brave soldiers and skilled fighters they were firm believers in this cause. And belief was the highest criterion on his friends' list.

Theoreous asked Vasilias to hand the keys to one of his commanders. Three soldiers pushed the keys into three different holes and turned them together. Two soldiers standing on either side of the entrance pulled the levers and the two massive gates slowly begin to part.

Theoreous looked at his friends and, after a moment of hesitation, they yanked their horses forward. Some blank faces were a sign that not everyone was in favor of this plan. This was his idea but some of them had not bought it.

The moment their horses crossed the entrance, they stepped into another world. The surroundings were gloomy and they felt the heavy air crushing them under its weight. The landscapes looked scorched with almost no vegetation around. Their men started suffocating inside their heavy metal armor due to the severe heat, but the next moment a sudden chill froze their blood.

Before they could acclimatize to the extremes of Inferna, they felt something whoosh past them. Theoreous broke into a queer smile. His friend Gilbert had rightly predicted that some Soulments might dash for the open gates. The Potens had cordoned off the area behind them with high-metal barricades before opening the Doors of Hell. The fleeing demons hit the barriers and got trapped.

The rogue Souls attacked the soldiers patrolling the area out of desperation. However, outside the boundaries of Inferna, the Soulment magic fell short against well-equipped human armies. Soldiers, clad in metallic armor and carrying iron weapons, seared these dark shadows with their swords and spears. Shrieks of distress and cries of agony echoed around the woods as demons were pulverized by humans.

People who had assembled in the clearing came closer to witness the unusual battle between the seen and the unseen. They saw smoky silhouettes catching fire and their dark forms burning like coal. Those who doubted the presence of demons were now convinced of the danger that lurked behind these boundaries.

***

Tri

Earth (India. The Wall of Freedom) EarthYear 1999

The wait to face an impending fate is excruciating. Every second of the Darkest Night jangled their nerves. All Raksha's forces could do was to hide behind the huge iron wall and wait for enemies to strike. They didn't even know what they were facing because their enemies could come in any form, size, or shape. Fire or rain, acid or snow, poisonous mist or infernal beasts, or even AirCars, nothing was out of the question.

Soldiers of Holy armies posted on towers above the Wall strained their eyes to spot any unusual activity but there was no movement at all. For hours, other than the mind-numbing silence that gnawed at hearts, there was nothing else.

Tri was on the edge, of the wall and her mind. "I can't believe this. They have wasted two hours doing nothing. Something isn't right."

Professor Matthews was lounging on a wooden chair specially placed for him on one of the towers above the wall. "Maybe they saw the wall and decided not to take their chances. Why does the Brainsucker seek problems when none exist?"

"Seriously? You know that not fighting on the most important night is not an option. Why are they just wasting time?"

Harbux let out an exasperated sigh and closed his eyes. "This is a long night Miss Mind-Bender. Maybe they are just playing on nerves before the strike. Just like you, hundreds of others are wetting their pants waiting for the attacks."

"And you seem as relaxed as if you are vacationing on a sunny beach. Believe me, whatever Mysha may think of you, I still have my doubts."

"Harbux is well past the time when he used to get irritated by people questioning his loyalty." Harbux didn't even bother opening his eyes while replying. "Try some other trick or just let Harbux enjoy the peace before some dim-witted people like you destroy the calm."

Tri was about to vent out more of her frustration on Harbux but one of the guards interrupted her. "Look there. Something is coming."

A car was hurtling towards the Wall of Freedom.

Tri shrugged. "You spoke a little too soon Harbux."

Harbux finally opened his eyes. "You must be happy that you finally got the action you were dying for."

"Blow it up," Raksha ordered her soldiers.

Three canons were fired at the oncoming car. One of the projectiles hit it under the bumper and the vehicle was blown up in the air. Four bodies fell out of the car when it hit the ground and exploded.

Another car came dashing towards the wall.

"Hold fire, don't shoot. There are people inside," Raksha screamed.

The car crashed into the wall and got crushed by the impact. However, it didn't catch fire. Two ladies crawled out from the back of the car.

"Help," a girl in her early twenties looked up at the wall and pleaded. "Please help." She was drenched in blood.

Mysha was standing beside Raksha. Before they could decide anything another car crashed into the wall. More injured people dropped to the ground.

"I can't let my people bleed to death. Open the doors and bring them in," Raksha ordered her husband.

"For God's sake Raksha, that is exactly what they want us to do," Mysha shouted. "The moment we open that door they will swoop in."

"We have multiple levels of security. If they breach a gate, other barriers will stop them. But I can't let my people suffer like that."

A small gate in the Wall opened and a company of the American Holy Army rushed out of it. They cautiously moved toward the injured, but the moment they got close, both the cars exploded, killing all the passengers and the soldiers around them.

"Well, I told you this is a trick to lure us out."

"Shut up and look over there," Max said pointing in the distance. A group of around ten people, their hands and feet tied with a rope, were slowly walking towards the wall.

"These are Bheels," Arun muttered.

"Bheels?" Max asked.

"Native tribes. They live in small communities in nearby villages. The red turbans on their heads tell them apart," Arun replied.

"Demon's curse. Now we know why they kept us waiting. They were collecting human shields."

"I pulled all my forces here and left these poor people to fend for themselves." Raksha cursed herself.

"For someone's information, this is not your fault. You did what you... Oh, God!"

A thick dark smoke engulfed the hostages and they were up in flames a second later. Their painful shrieks numbed the minds of every human in the vicinity.

"Shnikes! That's Hubberts at their horrific worst. We should've expected this."

"Holy Angels, there are more," Ryan said pointing towards another group of tribes.

Max grabbed a binocular from one of the soldiers. "There are many many more."

"They are using my people to defend themselves." Raksha was in tears. "I am no Warden if I let my people get slaughtered like this."

Mysha looked at her friends. "Well, we can't hide behind these walls and let them butcher innocent humans."

"Tiny-Little-Witch, don't let your emotions rule your brain. If you charge at them you will kill more people than you save."

"Maybe you are right Julian," Mysha shot back. "But what kind of saviors we are if we let hundreds of souls go to waste without even trying to save them?"

"Open the gate, Arun," Max declared. "It is time to take the fight to our enemies."

Soldiers of the Holy Army charged out of the western gate of the Wall. They spread on the field to face their enemies, but where were the enemies? Who were they supposed to fight?

"Secure the hostages," Mysha ordered her troops.

Soldiers cautiously moved toward the tribals but a chill swept across the field and froze everyone in their tracks.

"Inferna's wrath, Hubbert buddies, come on. Same old tricks. Give me something more."

Ryan stretched his hands in front and let out a loud grunt. A strong wind, blowing through Wavey's sky-blue avatar, raised the temperature back to normal.

Hubberts took the temperatures further up by burning the grass around the soldiers' feet.

Ryan grunted again, he had now turned dark blue. Heavy rain lashed across the field dousing the flames.

"Let us put an end to this," Mysha shouted. "Brendon, Max, let us get going."

The Potens came together and joined their hands. Brendon stamped his foot and Olivia's red mist engulfed everything. Nothing moved.

The soulments that made up the fire were now distinguishable amongst the flames. It was necessary to identify individual entities to target their true forms. Many more dark shadows lurking behind the hostages also became visible.

Max needed Mysha's push. He tightly clutched her hand, and in that frozen moment, his gold mixed with Mysha's black and merged into Olivia's red. Tens of golden Max ran around the ground, pointing the Anti-Soulment guns at the hearts of the frozen shadows and pulling the trigger.

When Brendon broke the Brenfreeze, tens of guns simultaneously hit their targets. The specifically designed shells pierced the soulments and nailed them to their spots. They couldn't move and withered in pain. The human soldiers now had easy targets in front of their eyes. They fired incessantly till the Soulments blew up in puffs of smoke.

A fog descended on the ground making people scream. Boils started popping up all over their skins.

"Hell's hole, Acidic mist."

Mysha signaled to Raksha and she nodded. Strong water jets were fired from the Wall. The iron-infused solution ripped through the Soulments forming the mist. The cold water also soothed people's burning skin.

But the Souls were in no mood to give up. The moment the water jets stopped, another cloud of mist, thicker and denser, made up of hundreds of spirits, gushed toward the humans. However, it hit an unexpected barrier. A steel fence rose from the ground and created a blockade between the mist and the humans. The Soulments within this fog stopped before this unexpected barricade and that moment of hesitation was enough for the Potens to pounce on them.

Brendon again stamped his foot. With Mysha's help, hundreds of Max rushed to direct the water jets and guns at the foggy shadows hanging near this fence. Another shoot-out and many more poor souls were annihilated.

"Jeez sweetie, that fence's inch-perfect. Ya nailed the illusion. Ya fooled the demons. Ya even screwed my brain for a moment."

"Screwing you is no great achievement," Tri said with a wink.

"Holy Angels! How can people even think about screwing while fighting for their lives? You both are hopeless."

That is when they heard someone clapping at a distance. There was chaos all around, but those claps thudded their minds. Everyone looked in its direction and finally, they got a glimpse of the person they were waiting for.

"Impressive. We must admit you guys have got better since our last meeting," Hubbert said stepping into the dimly lit ground from the dark shadows of a thick banyan tree.

"N who's we?" Brendon called back. "R ya the real thing or one of the cheap copies floatin' around?"

"That is the problem. You people still don't understand. We all are one, parts of One technically. If you think that the guy in Flesh and Blood is real whereas all his brothers are fakes, then you know nothing, Brendon. You know nothing."

"Mister I-Am-a-Fan-of-GOT, if you all are equal then why he sends you to die while he hides in the shadows?" Mysha asked.

"Why one person should carry all the burden when there are more than twenty of us to do the job," Hubbert said flashing his typical cold-blooded smile while calmly adjusting the cuffs of his expensive suit. "And Mysha, how can you forget that he did come out of the shadows to send your son to Infernal hell."

Mysha's face was flushed. She wanted to charge at Hubbert but Max held her back. "Don't tell me this battle isn't big enough for your boss to make an appearance? Does someone think he can win here by using his lowly pawns like you?" Max tried getting under his skin.

"Max, such a lame attempt? We are not as awful as your girlfriend in controlling our emotions. You need to do way better to make us lose our heads let alone beat us."

"Good Heavens, I think we aren't doing a bad job," Ryan quipped. "Just ask your poor friends who got annihilated moments ago."

"That was not even the tip of the iceberg."

"I think I've heard ya enough," Brendon said leveling his Anti-Soulment gun at him. "Now lemme send ya to hell."

Brendon pulled the trigger. All the soldiers around him followed suit.

Hubbert snapped his finger and the bullets had no target to hit.

Max glared at Brendon. "Was it necessary for someone to let out a warcry before shooting? This Hollywood macho man stunts won't win us this war. Why didn't you catch him by surprise?"

"How'd I know'is vanishin' skills r so much better than ya," Brendon shot back.

Their verbal spat was interrupted by a scream. One of the hostages fell to the ground and froth started to come out of his mouth. Before Potens could comprehend the situation, people began collapsing all around them.

"Snakes!!" Mysha pointed to a jet-black cobra jumping from one hostage to another. It was hard to spot them in the darkness, but it was clear that these Soulment snakes were so poisonous that a single bite meant instant death.

"Demon's curse! What have these Soulments turned into? Do they even realize that this venom will corrupt their Souls forever?"

"Secure the hostages," Max ordered his men. "Take them inside the Wall."

The snakes were everywhere and they were moving so fast as if they were flying. They needed some exceptional strategy to hunt them down.

Tri tightly clutched Mysha's hand and began moving her lips. Thousands of people popped up onto the battlefield out of thin air. Potens were used to seeing tens of Max dashing around in BrenFreeze, but right now there were a hundred duplicates of every human on the field, doing exactly what their original was doing. Tri's projection had completely overwhelmed all the human and Soulment minds. They all saw an ocean of humanity where it was impossible to discern real people from their copies.

Snakes tried leaping from one person to another but landed in thin air. Tri connected all the Potens through PMN, Potens-Mind-Network, so they were able to see through her illusion. Max and Ryan went after the snakes whereas Brendon identified the real humans and tried to slowly move them toward the safety of the Wall.

But Hubberts won't give up that easily. A sudden fire erupted all around the area and the ensuing commotion caused Tri's projection to flicker.

"Ryan, get us some water."

"Holy Angels Tri, I am human not a lake," Ryan said clearing his throat. Tri could understand his frustration. He had done a lot of heavy lifting and had already lost a chunk of himself.

"Good Heavens Wavey, let us pull up some clouds from beyond the hills," Ryan ordered his Guardian.

While a heavy shower was dousing another soulment fire, four speeding trucks began plowing through the crowd. The Soulments driving the trucks didn't give a dime about what lay in front of them. Their trucks passed right through the dummies but mowed down the real humans.

"Dimwit Dullard, what are you waiting for. It's time to put all that practice into action," Julian shouted at his disciple.

Max glared at one of the trucks that was charging at him and whistled with all his might. The truck was a mere couple of feet from him when it became airborne. Max dismissively waved his hand to send the truck flying. He sent the other three tucks packing as well.

The snakes and trucks had done a lot of damage. The Potens regrouped their forces to relaunch their attack. Despite Hubberts' mix of new and old tricks, DreamTri, BrenFreeze, MaxDash, and Thunderous-Ryan aided by the Bond were trumping them. A bright golden Stokes, a hot red Olivia, and a sparkling blue Wavey merged well with Harbux, but it was Sia's darkest pink that created the most devastating amalgam with Harbux's pitch black.

Tri kept sifting through her bag of illusions to pull out one trick after another. She messed up Soulments' minds while her friends kept annihilating them. People say war is all about mind games, Tri took the saying to another level.

Her projection of a huge dragon had just made some Soulments run for cover when she suddenly let go of Mysha's hand. "Mysha, believe me, we must stop!"

Mysha looked at her friend with wide eyes. "Well, there are hundreds of more hostages out there."

"Honestly we need to pause and think. Cars, fire, mist, snakes. Then more trucks, more fire, and more mist. We are close to midnight and this same sequence keeps repeating again and again. There has been no real effort to enter the Valley."

"For God's sake Tri, doesn't this mean we have kind of succeeded in keeping them at bay?"

"Seriously? Do you honestly believe that? More than twenty Hubberts wreaked havoc in tandem as a prelude to Nox. But on the big night, they failed to show up. Does this make any sense?

"Sweetie, one of them did show up."

"That was a too-obvious friendly appearance just to keep us interested."

"Brainsucker is again searching for a killer shark in a puddle of water," Professor Matthews said in a croaky voice.

"Shut up Harbux. Don't you dare try your theatrics to divert our minds. Honestly, I know something is brewing out there. You are trying to save your people."

"Harbux will not let his loyalty be questioned again," Harbux roared. "Lest you have forgotten, you were the one who used his powers the most tonight. Ask Sia, didn't Harbux help her reach way above her limit? Harbux helped you, and your feeble little pinky, muddle the brains of his brothers whilst your friends mercilessly slaughtered them in the name of saving the hostages. You all killed more Souls than the humans you saved, yet, you doubt Harbux."

"I can't believe this. How can we all be such fools? This exactly is the plan. Isn't it, Harbux? Keep us occupied in this small rescue mission while Hubberts execute their master plan. Believe me Harbux, I can see right through you. Tell me what are you up to?"

"Brain-Drainer's brain has gone down the drain. You little brat, Harbux knows why you hate him so he won't bother with your preposterous allegations."

"For God's sake, stop it!" Mysha had had enough."We are in the middle of a battle and you two can't stop fighting."

"Believe me Mysha, we are killing clueless imps and spirits who are sacrificing themselves to distract us. We need to quickly locate Hubberts and find out what are they up to."

Mysha paused for a moment, fidgeting with the lock of her hair that was always there whenever she was lost in her thoughts. "One of them was here so they must not be too far. Let us spread out and see if we can capture any of them."

"That is exactly what they want," Harbux protested. "They want you to get scattered so that they can take you down one by one in the open. They are playing on your patience and you are falling into their trap."

"Honestly Harbux, Hubberts do what we least expect them to do," Tri said with a fire in her eyes. "So this time, let us do the unexpected."