Damara tapped her fingers on the oak desk. The steam from her cup of herbal tea caressed the taupe skin on her cheek, bringing comfort to her in this time of dread. The room was quiet; no one daring to say a word. Mere silence formed out of fear. They were required to remain calm, even in the most ruthless of situations. But at this moment, everyone seemed to be sitting in a cold sweat.

Nero sat at the head of the table, his hands clasped together as his chin rested on his thumbs. His locked hair was pulled into a low ponytail that ran down his back. Jace sat at his left and Urion to his right, both seeming sullen. Damara didn't know what to do. She looked at the three of them, scared that the responsibility of proposing a plan would come to her.

Once the silence had trailed on for too long, Damara cleared her throat. Nero's chrome eyes snapped to lock with her graphite ones as if to silently say, how dare she interrupt his thinking process.

"What are we to do?" she asked, sounding hoarse. Nero frowned. "I'm sorry. The silence is... uncomfortable." Damara had to choose her words wisely.

"Agreed," Jace added with a nod. "We have to end on a positive note here." Nero straightened up in his seat with a derisive smile playing at his lips.

"For the first time, in a long time," he began. "I'm going to have to say, I don't know." The others simply stared.

Truth be told, Nero always knew what to do in the worst situations, however, this one had rendered him clueless. He played numerous scenarios, over and over in his head, but all ended with disappointing results.

"We're fucked," Jace murmured, massaging his temples. "Our students aren't halfway ready for what we're about to encounter. Not even we are prepared."

"Let's just wait on Sibyl to return," Damara intervened with desperation. "She'd probably know what to do." 

The others agreed. Sibyl was a highly respected prophetess in Aspeon. She often went deep into woods where the trees grew tall and spread their leaves to form a thick canopy with Cadie, her trainee, for a serene environment. She usually came back with visions predicting the future and how to proceed. 

This time, she sent Cadie back with an unclear message while she was still out there. She hasn't come back since, and the Elders didn't know how to make a move.

"Would she return?" Urion asked. He rose from the table with a scowl. "The least we should do is tell the others." Jace rose a bushy brow. Urion was a risky man, fearless of the consequences. He often felt trapped, being on a team with self-restricted members was slowly killing his flame. "And if it comes down to the last option, we turn to Elias for a directive."

"Tell everyone? That would result in useless panic," Jace spat.

"No, I meant our students." Everyone stared at Nero. They all silently disagreed, but Nero was the head and represented them all publicly. He stared back for a second or two.

"Okay."

***

Once Nero was sure that everyone was here, he instructed Lander and his associates to close all the doors of the huge hall. The 'Tare Mansion' where elementals gathered was a well-known spot for its age and security. It was a domed-shaped building painted deep red with gold trimmings and tall brown double doors rooted in the entrance. The cylindrical windows were crystal clear with a tint feature of allowing those inside the building to see everything outside without returning the favour. However, inside was a rich chocolate colour to symbolize the humbleness of the assemblers, regardless of their power.

Nero stood on the highest platform and watched as Damara, Urion, and Jace took their seats on the stage and gazed at the crowd that stood before them. He mentally prepared himself for the task at hand.

"Welcome," he briefly stated, eyes like a hawk, catching every movement in the group of eleven individuals that had assembled. "I know you're all wondering why we're here." He began pacing the stage, his long black dreads swaying from side to side as he walked. "Sibyl has come back from her journey... with news." He felt it better to leave out the fact that she hadn't returned. "She has sent word that Aspeon is on the verge of a head-on collision with another planet."

The soft murmur gradually decreased into silence. Urion spotted Zephyra leaning against a brick column. She had her blonde kinks braided and they all stopped at her umber shoulders. Her mouth was agape once the words slipped from Nero's lips. He also saw Enlil standing next to Roman, their arms crossed over their chests identically. The only difference was that Roman was slightly taller.

"I ask that you keep this information confidential for now," Nero enunciated before walking off the stage and among the students. He watched as his students crowded him with their worried stares, and for the first time ever, he questioned his authority. The other mentors followed and pulled their students away separately to have a talk.

"What does this mean?" Candace asked as Nero pulled Roman, Kai and her aside. They were from the fire elemental team and he was their mentor. An honour Candace presumed, being mentored by the leader of the elders. She was always falling behind in their classes because she allowed herself to be distracted by Nero's 'physique'. He was a firmly built man that caught the attention of many, and Candace was one of the many to fall in deeply. However, this wasn't the time to gawk at his beauty as she usually did. This time, it was a life or death situation.

"It means that training would be ten times as harder. Time is of the essence," Nero replied. He placed a firm grip on Roman's shoulder. Roman was startled by the sudden touch. "I have faith in you," Nero mumbled. His eyes then fell on the others. "All of you. Don't let me down." That got Candace thinking.

Closer to the stage, where the russet light trickled down the walls, Damara stood with hers, Kaia and Demetri, including her daughter, Damia. She was somewhat dismayed but didn't show it, especially since Damia liked to scrutinize her every move. It felt great teaching the young ones to follow behind you. But in times like these, when they all looked up to you, it was difficult to seem untouchable.

"Mom, what are we going to do?" Damia had asked, her facial features mirroring those of her mother's. She glanced at Kaia and Demetri. Both seemed petrified. Reassuring others was only successful if you believed the words that came out your own mouth. If Aspeon was on a collision course, what did that mean for anyone?

Meanwhile, Jace was with the smallest group of the elements: water. With him stood the abstruse Hali and the suave Moselle. Even if his group had the least in numbers, he considered himself blessed. His two students possessed the talent of a whole civilisation. Hali and Moselle had perfected their strengths in ways unknown to generations before them. But their absurd power might hold the key to solving the huge problem they had at hand.

They seemed rather phlegmatic compared to others around who were currently experiencing the different phases of panic. Students usually possessed the characteristics of their element. Water didn't get agitated unless something huge unravelled. But the earth, air, and fire could become easily unstable, which was what was currently occurring.

"I guess you know what this means," Jace lamented. Moselle sighed with an anguished smile.

"It was inevitable," he responded, dropping his shoulders. Hali simply nodded. 

"If fate is on our side, we could divert this," Jace tried reconciling them. Hali's brows raised. "I'm not saying that 'teamwork conquers all'. Just know this is not the time for disagreements." Hali knew that comment was directed at him and a light frown developed on his face.

Nero peered over his shoulder. He glanced around the room. Damara, Jace and Urion had formed their groups trying to instil hope. He turned to return his attention to his students. They stared in horror once they saw his face. He guessed he let his real emotions slip through the crack. It made no difference masking his true feelings now, but if they focused on his dour it would be perilous.

Roman, however, seemed tenacious. Keep it up kid, Nero thought. You'd do yourself good to die with determination than fear. It loosens the muscles.

He sighed and plastered a toothy smile which made the others cringe. Where was Sibyl when you needed her reassurance? 

***

Hey guys. So I know lately that I've been introducing many characters in a short span of time, but I promise I would expand on their personalities later on as the story progresses.

Taja D'amore ♡