Zephyr: The Elemental Clans

191 - The Course Of History

Grisha Astra - POV;

"CRASH!"

An ear-splitting sound echoed through the Coliseum as the magical barrier erected around it concaved significantly before shattering into oblivion with an outward force that knocked down and tossed aside the spectators below, haphazardly. The protective glass walls around our, the officials', reserved seats cracked and splintered before eventually giving way and launching a barrage of deadly projectiles at us. Luckily for the... less powerful among us, the stronger Vessels including myself acted quickly to defend the members of the Heirarchy along with the other dignitaries.

*"Lord Astra!"* one of my underlings' voice blared through my earpiece, *"There's something going on! Incidents are being reported in from all over the city!"*

"Shit," I cursed under my breath before turning to the members of my Squad and ordering them loudly, "I'm leaving you all in charge. Protect the officials with your lives, Enforcers!"

"Aye, sir!"

I bolted out of the back entrance which led to the roof and bounded across the rooftops and skies atop the bolts of my lightning as a million thoughts zipped through my mind. Could he have been making his move? Was this one final push of desperation against odds that would spell his certain failure? Or was this some other threat?

"BOOOM!"

"BOOOOOM!"

"BOOOOOOOM!"

I whipped my head around at the deafening series of explosions, only to see the Coliseum billowing thick clouds of surging smoke as it went up in flames. I didn't have much time to deliberate on that matter however as a second later, bombs went off interspersed throughout the city landscape beneath me and as far as my eyes could see. Panicked cries and frightened screams rang out from every direction of the dense, concrete jungle as the citizens scampered helter-skelter towards some percieved notion of safety; a notion that simply might not have existed. I swiftly went to work, landing amidst the chaos to render aid to anyone who would require it.

"Hello?! Hello?! Does anyone here me?! Enforcers, come in if you hear me!  This is Regulus Grisha Astra reporting in!" I shouted into a communications device I carried on my person, in an attempt to reach back-up, "There are multiple simultaneous attacks throughout Fenix City! We need back up, now! Hello?! Is anyone there?! Damn it!"

I tossed down my arms, upset by my inability to get through to the channels of the other Enforcer Squads.

"Jean!"

"Yaaaaaaaaaah!" the man yelled as he fell with his broken fourth-storey balcony. I zoomed into the air at lightning speed, catching him by the jacket and, as I passed by, I tossed him back into his room with the woman who screamed his name. I let my momentum continue to carry me upwards and planted my feet into the bottom of the overhead roof's edge before launching myself back towards the plummeting debris. With an electrically charged leg, I proceeded to zap between the concrete slabs and pounded them into dust, thus allowing them to drift down harmlessly onto the crowd gathered below.

"Versailles! I know you can hear me!" I yelled into my device again, "You always have this personal channel open  between us both! Fenix City is being assaulted! I need to get through to the armies of the World Heirarchy! Get them in here now! Versailles! Answer me for God's sake! Is this thing broken?!"

I shook my device violently but it seemed to be responding normally. I raised it to my lips once more, to call the the most trustworthy person I knew. This was my final hope of assessing the situation.

"Indira! Indira, are you there?! Indira!" I called for my daughter through the piece of technology but alas the response was the same as before.

"BOOOM!"