Ash watched the Grandmaster out of the corner of his eye as she finished her piece of cake. The perfection of her movements seemed impossible. She never lost her center, regardless of where her arms or legs shifted. His grandpa glowed with pleasure, obviously enjoying the company of the Grandmaster.
It had taken awhile, but Ash’s Throat chakra led him to believe the Grandmaster’s words hid some great sorrow under her smiles and laughter. He knew those smiles were genuine, and the Grandmaster had even hinted at the source of this sincerity. She’d revealed that she’d only recently passed the Master’s trial, and it had taught her many valuable lessons including the importance of her fellow practitioners.
Ash wished Grandpa Pine didn’t have so many stories and jokes. The Grandmaster hadn’t revealed much about herself and seemed happy to let Grandpa control the conversation. Ash’s curiosity about the Grandmaster only grew.
Grandpa patted Ash’s knee under the table, but when he glanced over, Grandpa kept his attention locked on the Grandmaster, describing the demons people had seen around the plaza del diablo. A topic the Grandmaster thoroughly enjoyed. Ash realized his Grandpa’s behavior was intentional.
Grandpa Pine’s Heart and Throat chakras would have detected the sadness in the woman almost immediately, and maybe also the woman’s reluctance to talk about herself. Knowing this, he had purposefully created a situation that provided the most comfort for the Grandmaster.
Ash’s Throat, Heart, and Third Eye chakras all confirmed his hypothesis held merit and was likely correct. It had only taken him three hours and a nudge by his grandpa to understand what the old man had recognized immediately. Ash smiled wryly to himself as he squished the last of his red velvet cake with a fork.
Grandpa Pine patted Ash’s knee again, likely sensing that Ash had finally understood. This time when he looked at his grandpa, the man gave him a quick smile, before returning to his story. Ash brought the fork to his mouth, once again marveling at Grandpa Pine’s abilities.
Flashing from the TV caught Ash’s attention and he glanced over. The strobing light came from a “Breaking News” banner scrolling along the bottom of the screen. Forgetting his manners, he stood, strode to the end table, and used the remote to turn up the TV’s volume.
Ash had successfully ignored the TV when the video of a hydra had appeared, knowing his grandpa would be furious if he watched the TV over entertaining a guest. The hydra wasn’t that surprising really assuming the truth of the rumors that dragons soared over China.
Now though, something completely different had occurred.
The Grandmaster joined Ash and Grandpa Pine stepped over to the radio, silencing the salsa music.
“He is obsessed with that explosion in Egypt,” Grandpa Pine said.
Ash didn’t take the bait and studied the live video feed coming from the Mediterranean Ocean. The sunrise there gave everything a soft golden look.
The newscaster laughed uncomfortably. “Can you repeat that, Michelle? It sounded like you said scarecrow.”
Michelle responded but the video feed remained, focusing on a sparkling tube that stuck out of the water. Her voice quavered. “That’s right, David. We will confirm it in a moment. The current video feed is the view from our hotel’s roof. Julian has almost finished assembling the telescopic gear.”
“There are two plumes of smoke on the horizon,” David said.
“Yes, it appears two ships from the Chinese carrier group were damaged from engaging the hydra. It isn’t known if—”
Michelle suddenly stopped speaking and Ash leaned forward. The quality of the video feed made the distant figure look like a smudge. Screams came over Michelle’s open mic and a moment later the video feed, obviously delayed, displayed why.
A black horse separated from the figure hovering in the air. The creature flapped large bat like wings and shot upward into the air.
The video feed went black and Ash’s breath caught. Before he could say anything it returned, this time the images much closer and clearer as the news crew switched to the telescopic camera.
Ash’s jaw dropped and he leaned backward from the TV, a primal horror filling him at the sight.
The strong scent of cinnamon filled the air and the Grandmaster hissed. She stepped forward and kneeled in front of the TV.
The figure hovering in the air did look like a hooded scarecrow. Ripped burlap, dank straw, and terrifying eyes stitched from black thread each in the shape of an “X.”
Ash hadn’t seen the Grandmaster move, but she suddenly appeared directly in front of Ash. “Where is this happening?”
“Egypt,” Ash responded, a surge of adrenalin spiking his blood from the suddenness of her move. “Coast of Mediterranean Sea by Alexandria. It’s on the other side of the world.”
“It—” Grandpa Pine started but stopped because the Grandmaster had disappeared.
Ash looked around as Grandpa Pine called out, even opening the door, and looking outside.
The Grandmaster had vanished.
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Ash refocused on the TV and his grandpa joined him.
The massive hydra had turned its heads away from the Chinese carrier group and now faced the scarecrow. A flurry of missiles launched from the Chinese ships and the scarecrow disappeared, appearing next to the hydra from some sort of teleport.
Instead of attacking each other, the hydra sped away, aimed for the sparkling tube that protruded from the sea. A massive black oval appeared from the scarecrow’s left wrist and with a wave of his arm, he snatched the missiles from the air.
The video jostled as the camera man focused on the hydra. It had stopped near the tube and formed a nest with its eight heads. Three more figures appeared. Two stunningly beautiful women, one in white and the other in black, dropped down into the hydra nest. The remaining figure hovered in the air, white light erupting from his skin and golden eyes blazing.
The camera turned its focus back to the scarecrow who now sat astride the black steed, and they hovered hundreds of feet in the air.
Michelle had remained silent, likely as stunned as everyone else. Her mic remained open because more screams sounded and a couple of seconds later the video revealed why.
Grandpa Pine crossed himself and began reciting the Lord’s Prayer. Neither one of them was very religious, but Ash second guessed that decision now.
A pale horse galloped through the air. A black cloaked figure sat astride the steed holding a massive scythe like a flag in its right skeletal hand. The scarecrow and the winged mount shot upward, and the pair met five thousand feet above the water.
The video at this distance wavered from the warming air as the sun rose, but as Death and the Scarecrow met, they greeted each other in a shockingly familiar way.
“Christ on a candlestick,” Ash whispered.
Grandpa Pine couldn’t speak, his mouth open in astonishment.
The two apocalyptical figures each placed a fist in front of them with an open palm on top. The greeting used by the Bamboo Viper Step Clan.
The pair appeared to speak to each other but after a moment the Scarecrow turned to the distant Chinese fleet. Flashes appeared at the same time on six different ships, smoke billowing into the air. The Scarecrow glanced upward, raised his arm, and circled it like looping a rope around it before yanking downward.
The screen went dark and a moment later the newscaster appeared, his fingers pressed against the speaker in his ear.
David looked up at the camera. “We lost our satellite connection, but I am told rerouting the feed is automated, and we should—”
David disappeared, replaced by the two figures speaking again. Ash desperately wished he could hear that conversation. What would two mythical beings like that talk about?
The Scarecrow turned to the Chinese ships again and disappeared. After a moment the camera zoomed out and quickly found the distant figure. It was hard to see but it looked like the Scarecrow clapped, and a massive wave formed as the sea reacted to the clap’s power. As the fifty-foot wave raced toward the flotilla, the Scarecrow returned to Death in an instant.
As the pair continued to speak, the black horse reared on its hind legs, and then dashed upward through the air, directly toward the circling fighter jets high above.
The Pit had caused changes across the world, and Ash knew most governments had suppressed the effects occurring inside their countries. The two figures in the air, and the three at the hydra, didn’t appear to have originated from the Pit though, and that would likely terrify everyone in the world. His heart thumped loudly in his chest.
The lower third of the screen split into two as the network spliced in feeds from other sources. The original feed moved to the bottom left, and the larger top portion now contained a much closer and clearer picture of the Scarecrow and Death, probably from an aircraft. The bottom right focused on the hydra and the three people on it.
Scarecrow moved its arms as if speaking, but the horrifying hood hid the creature’s face, and Ash considered if maybe this was its natural form. Why did he assume a human existed under that burlap.
As if answering Ash’s question, the terrifying visage disappeared, revealing a man.
A man Ash recognized.
Grandpa Pine gasped and held out a trembling finger. “It’s him”
Ash’s entire body shook as powerful emotions surged through his body. In disbelief, he ripped his eyes from the television and glanced at the picture on the end table. Piercing blue eyes met his gaze. His skin prickled and he hugged himself, trying to stop his trembling. After a second, he wrenched his attention back to the TV.
The man, of all things, bowed to Death. When he straightened, he shocked the world again.
Grandpa Pine touched his chest and staggered backward.
The man who had saved Ash during the trial, who had thrown him across the barrier, the friend of the Grandmaster, had spread giant wings.
Ash’s savior was a literal angel.
“Are those strings?” Grandpa Pine choked out.
Leaning forward, Ash studied the video, pulling his eyes away from the unmistakable piercing blue eyes of the angel. Each wing looked like a cross between a harp and a primal axe.
The lower right portion of the screen flared brightly as the man sped away from the hydra. A moment later, the golden eyed superman hovered next to Death and the Angel. Ash didn’t think he could be shocked further, but he was wrong.
Goldeneyes held out a fist and placed his palm across it, bowing slightly to Death. And once again, Death returned it.
Grandpa Pine gripped Ash’s shoulder as if holding himself up. “How is this possible?”
Ash shook his head. “Maybe it’s a coincidence. Maybe our ancestors thought it was a special greeting, but it’s just a common greeting for aliens.”
But Ash didn’t believe that, and Grandpa Pine’s Throat chakra would know.
As the three mythical beings spoke casually to each other five thousand feet in the air, the winged black steed had damaged each of the fighter jets above, and at some point, a giant turtle had surfaced with an American submarine beached on its shell.
The steed galloped away from the smoking jets, returning to the angel, who had stretched out a hand and casually lifted the submarine off the turtle and placed it gently in the water a thousand feet away.
Goldeneyes and Death bowed to each other, and once again performed the Bamboo Viper gestures. Then the man turned to the horse, speaking to it. With no warning, the steed dashed toward shore. The man screamed and in a burst of white light, chased the horse.
“Are they racing?” Ash whispered.
Death and the Angel continued to talk for a bit longer and then, just like before, they bowed to each other and finished it with the Bamboo Viper sign.
The winged horse and Goldeneyes, having reached the shores of Alexandria, had turned and now raced toward the hydra. The angel disappeared, teleporting directly to the hydra’s back. He placed an arm around the blonde and smiled as the brunette shouted at the pair racing toward them.
With a mass of bubbling water, the hydra sank into the water, disappearing in a blink. The steed and golden-eyed-man appeared unconcerned, and both smashed into the water, creating massive rings that spread outward.
Death hovered in the air, its hood angled down, as if watching the group now under the water.
Then, Death disappeared.
The camera zoomed backward, but nothing remained except the sparkling tube sticking out of the sea. So much had occurred there were no words to describe it. The correspondent, the newscaster, Ash and his grandpa, probably the world—everyone wrestled with how to comprehend what they’d just witnessed.
For a few moments, the world had become silent.