Great Spirits

∆ Five ∆

Punga walked around Silas like a predator stalking its prey. His tattered robe slid across the ground with a graveled sound. Silas turned to him as a result. Punga's dark eyes lingered on Silas. Soon Punga directed his gaze to Wren which made Wren back further behind Silas. 

Silas was growing anxious, Wren could tell. The carefree expression that Wren wanted to slap from Silas' face for so long was gone. Silas' arms tensed and his brows were tightly drawn. Punga stayed relaxed and calm as ever. When Punga smiled, he twirled his finger around in the air. His face contorted into some monstrous thing before returning to normal yet Silas continued to stand his ground.

"Do not think I will show mercy because of your memory failing you," Punga said. 

"What mercy is there to give? I need none."

"Because you are some great remnant of a god?" Punga spat. "Do not make me laugh, Täne."

The sound of rising water rushed through Wren's ears. Wren spun around and saw a wall of waves amassing from the great flood. Drops of it spattered onto his cheeks as he looked on in sheer terror. It rose from every side of the small sliver of land they were on. The white of the water and the spraying mist painted an image of a great white shark coming to ensnare them in its jaws. 

"You are weak."

 As soon as Punga uttered those words, the water came crashing down, roaring inside Wren's ears. Silas slapped his palms against the ground. It rumbled and shook beneath their feet, throwing both Punga and Wren off balance. Wren fell to the ground and was hit by a shower of cold water raining down on him instead of the gigantic tidal wave he saw only moments ago. He closed his eyes and covered his head with his hands in fear of more coming, but none ever did.

Wren lifted his head the second Silas had Punga by the throat and slammed him deep into the ground. It fissured and cracked under the pressure. It would kill anyone else, but Punga was still alive. Punga grabbed a handful of Silas' hair, pulling him down onto him. Out of Punga's robe, Wren saw it. A dagger. Wren had to do something, but what? 

He propped himself up by a gigantic tree that he did not remember being there before. Below it was marks scorched into the ground. It looked to be a circle with rune markings inside it, but Wren could not pay much mind to it. He had to find a way of helping Silas. As he looked around, he saw more of the town that was once covered in a sea of water.

Wren shot towards them and smacked the dagger out of the way of Silas' throat. It went into Silas' arm causing blood to gush from it. Wren wrapped Punga into a chokehold pulling him off of Silas with all of his strength. Punga knocked his head against Wren's forehead.  Wren reeled to the ground near the edge. Silas came between them and blocked the dagger with his hand.

"Go," Silas beckoned. 

Wren shook his no. What if it were true? What if Silas was as weak as Punga said? He could not leave him there with a man trying to murder him. And his hand... 

 The water was receding, which spelled for nothing but disaster. Wren's eyes widened as soon he saw Punga's hands rising with another wave threatening to drown them both.

Silas took that same bloody hand and covered Punga's face with it, sending him down into the water. 

"You did I—"

Silas put a hand out, stopping Wren from coming any closer. He planted both his feet onto the ground. While both his arms were outstretched, he gradually brought them towards himself. He balled his hands into fists and unclenched them with uncanny rhythm. Silas faced his palms to the sky and rose them as if he was lifting something heavy.