Chapter 4 - The Other Masters

"Amanda. Wake up! Amanda!" Amanda was sound asleep at two in the morning when she heard a familiar voice. "Amanda, the arctic region is being attacked by vampires! Amanda! We need you!"

Her eyes glowed from underneath her skin and the flaming color of red clearly blazing through her eyes.

"Trisha!" Amanda called out to the voice inside her head.

She got up immediately, recognizing the call of duty. She saw her entire body being sucked into a wormhole. She realized that Abasi, the master of time and space, was taking her for a journey.

"Wait! I'm not ready - Ahhh!" In a blink of an eye, she found herself falling from the dark sky!

She screamed until her entire body emitted fire, her clothes burned until it turned into dust. Her skin became wrapped with a different layer of protected reddish skin. When her hands stretched on both sides, phoenix wings formed in red and yellow flames, allowing to quiet her fall.

After a full transformation, Amanda oscillated her fiery wings to make a gradual landing, seeing the snow-covered land miles away.

As she steadily descended, she scanned the neighborhood and could see the master of the earth, Brody already getting into action. He had turned himself into a walking rock, so to protect himself from the vampires' bite.

Upon soiling her feet to the ground, the snow melted meters from where she stood, and the previously darkened town illuminated upon her presence.

The parasites that were within her reach burned down while those that were in a safe distance began to flee.

"You are not going anywhere, you fucking bat!" Brody said as he smashed his fist against one vampire, trying to run from Amanda's light.

Amanda sped through the town and one by one, she threw balls of flames at the running leeches. Catching up to a few, her hands pierced through the vampires' chests, crushing their dead hearts altogether.

"You could say, I need a little outlet right now! You guys are just... PERFECT!" Amanda yelled.

Successively, the invaders' pale bodies turned into ashes as Amanda roamed the nearly deserted town, burning them with her angry flame.

Screams of suffering could be heard from amongst the already dead, while the living shut themselves from the sight they thought only existed in the movies.

"Amanda! Catch!" She turned to find two bodies of parasites thrown at her. She took a leap to catch them one at a time, before setting them on fire with her hands.

Both vampires groaned as they felt their bodies in flames. Soon, they turned into dust, dirtying the soils under Amanda's feet.

Sensing that the surroundings had turned quiet, she shifted back to Brody saying, "I think we got every pest covered. Let's check each home."

Gasping for air, Brody changed back to his human form, stretching his legs and arms in the process. From arms of rocks and a body made of solid stone, he turned back to a frail-looking man. Like Amanda, he was also covered in another layer of skin, only that his' was the color of the land.

After shaking his head, he said, "I think so too. We will need to check on those who survived before calling Trisha."

It always amused Amanda about how Brody was chosen to be the master of the earth. She had previously imagined such an elemental being would be a bodybuilder or one from the military. However, there was no questioning of the crystals. The crystals themselves, they choose their masters. As Trisha said, everything was fate.

Looking around, Amanda's glow also tamed. Her eyes turned back to green as she remained in her second skin, covering the details of her body.

Both Amanda and Brody went from house to house, finding twenty-two survivors in the small town. Sadly, there were four casualties due to their late arrival.

The settlers were shocked after having seen them fight against the monsters. A few refused to open their doors for them, but Amanda could sense their life. She marked the houses with survivors and called in their leader, Trisha.

"Trish, it's time to make them forget," said Amanda.

They were at a small town in Norway, where only very few inhabitants resided. It was often a feast for vampires, but rarely do they attack in groups. They usually try to keep themselves from being exposed, and it made Amanda wonder what triggered this group to risk exposure, to risk their lives.

Vampires had hidden themselves from the world, not because they were powerless, but because they wanted to feed in secret.

Traveling from the Amazon, the other masters, Abasi and Trisha appeared before them in the same method Amanda did.

"Good morning, masters," said Trisha.

"Hey, Abasi! How come your appearance was much graceful than mine!" Complained Amanda.

"You are the master of fire. There is no need to give you a gentle entrance!" Said Abasi as he looked around the disturbance of the town.

"This was my fault. I - I did not sense it right away - "

"We were dealing with a beast that came from another world! It was beyond your control," Abasi tried to comfort Trisha, cutting off her thought of regret.

Sensing danger was one of Trisha's primary role. She held the crystal of the heart, enabling her to connect with all the living through feelings. May it be fear, love, or pain; she could feel them all if she preferred to.

With Trisha's powers, she could also convince anyone to act according to her will, at least those who are vulnerable. Demons, monsters, and those with natural capabilities were often hard to persuade.

"He is right, Trish," said Brody. "We can only try our best… Is Taara not done yet?"

"Right, where is Taara?" Amanda asked, realizing that the wind master was missing.

"She just returned from controlling a storm in North America. She said she was too tired to come here for a quick reunion," answered Trisha.

"Looks like a lovers' quarrel to me," Amanda suggested while glaring at Brody.

A frown appeared on Brody's face. "What? No - "

"It's almost day time, let us finish what we came here for," said Trisha as she walked to the first house with survivors, interrupting Brody's denial.

Trisha simply looked at the door and listened to the beating hearts. Her eyes sparkled in yellow before she directed, "Listen to my voice and fear not. Let me see you."

Her voice echoed to those who were inside, instantly binding them like a spell. It took minutes for the door to open and when the individuals appeared before Trisha, she said, "Remember this and only this... The town was attacked by a pack of hungry wolves that fled to the mountains at dawn."

Like zombies, the family of the first house repeated her words before Trisha spoke again, "Now, go back to sleep."

For the houses where a member had fallen, she did the same, letting them forget the truth behind the deaths, only to recall that it was a result of an animal attack.

However, for those families which were intact, she merely let them forget, saying, "You all slept through the night and did not hear the disturbance outside."

When the task was over, Trisha scanned the entire area, making sure all those with a beating heart were spoken to. Recognizing that the work is done, she then ordered the masters to return to their human lives.

She said, "Thank you, masters, for your help today… Until the next tragedy."