The Ascended and the War

            Jake spent months with the rebellion of mages, learning better ways to stay undetected and how to fight the Ascended. Spending so much time with the rebels and the regular outcasts was an enlightening experience. He heard all the stories of the people who tried to escape the Ascended, some made it, and many didn’t. He found confirmation of when the first Ascended was spotted in an old book one of the refugee mages had. The first recorded sighting was in the early eighteen hundreds. When a criminal fleeing the law was struck down with lighting. Since then the Ascended talked to the world leaders, helped protect the streets without becoming an over powering force and slowly earned the peoples trust. Once the Ascended were trusted and widely welcomed, they started becoming more involved in the lives of humans, and protected the world a little more strictly. Then in the 1900 hundreds the first of the ‘damned’ appeared and was declared as a risk to humanity and since then the Damned have been hunted. The general populace accept that the Ascended know best and buy the story that the Damned have their powers because of a deal they made with the forces of darkness. Jake learned so much, but no matter how many books he read or stories he listened to, he couldn’t find any information on where the Ascended came from. The religious citizens of the world claim the Ascended are sent from their god, but the Ascended never confirmed or denied this.

            Don had a plan in motion, the rebellion would stop hiding and running and collectively attack the Ascended chambers in the biggest city in the country. New hope city, was originally Newton burg, was the location of the first Ascended sighting. Since many believe the Ascended chose this city on purpose, the largest Ascended chamber was built here. Since people figured the Ascended like the area, businesses and residence started popping up all over the place, trying to be as close to the ‘central hub’ as possible, desiring the increased protection they would get from being close to the source on earth. All of this information was assumed and again the Ascended never confirmed any of this, they just went along with it. Regardless if the central hub was important to the Ascended or not, the rebellion would attack this one to send a message that they are not backing down and they have the power to strike at the heart. Don hoped the rebellion will also get answers when they crack the Ascended chambers open and see what the inner workings really look like.

            Jake and the team was preparing for the big mission, even though they all had powers they were going to bring equipment with them too, like communicators, flashlights, explosives and rations incase they get trapped somewhere. Some of the rebellion carried guns and used their powers to enhance the bullets because their powers alone weren’t strong enough. Now with the right equipment, people and the right plan, they were ready to take the fight to the Ascended.

            Under the cover of night, Don, Jake, Sidney, Samantha, Gregory and the rest of the rebellion moved through the capital city with stealth and ease. Soon they approached it, a large square structure, white marble walls and gold edging and a gold ornamental roof, this was the ‘crown’ and it was more than decoration. The whole structure looked like a white and gold treasure box with a door in the front. The rebellion of mages ran between buildings and made one mad dash for the golden door of the Ascended chamber. They were worried that while they ran for the door they would be exposed and struck down before they could enter the building. Luckily everyone made it inside without alerting the guards or the Ascended.

            Once inside, Jake looked around the first room. It was a simple room, decorated with silver statues and silver edgings around the walls, but simple nonetheless. With a few chairs and desk that sat behind a clerks window. During the day someone would sit behind this wooden paneled window and receive reports from civilians. The reports would be entered into the computer and sent to who knows where.

            Don cracked the lock of the wooden door with his elbow, the door swung open and everyone rushed into the back part of the room where the clerks worked and processed orders. Then Jake saw it, the only important thing in this room, and the door to the rest of the building, a mysterious back room that no one had ever seen. Fire began to burn around Jake as his excitement grew. “Calm yourself Jake, we need to be careful” Don warned. Jake wasn’t listening. Fire burned in his eyes and now engulfed his whole body. “This is it guys, lets break this shit down and get some answers! Everything we all went through, the secluded lives and the hunting, the reasons will be behind this door. Jake approached the door and touched it, his mind racing with possibilities of what lays beyond. “How do we open this thing anyway? I don’t see a handle or lock” Jake asked as he turned to his team. Then he saw Sid cover himself in shadows and launched his body at the door. Jake jumped out of the way. Sid hit the door with incredible force, Sid kicked the door then did a roll in the air sending shadows out to grab the before it fell. The door was torn off its hinges but not a single sound was made, thanks to the shadows that covered the room.

            Beyond the door was another room, larger than the first, white and empty. The only thing in the room was a platform in the center of the room with lighting rising up from it. The group approached the platform, but as they did, light shaped like people with wings began to flow out of the light source in the center. It was the Ascended and this platform and pillar of light seemed to be where they came from. Jake understood a little, it made sense why no one was allowed in the back room and why the chambers were needed in the first place, but he still couldn’t figure out what the Ascended were or why they ‘protected’ earth. “I sense you are all damned. Have you come to turn yourselves in?” Asked one of the Ascended in a calm, emotionless voice. Jake and his group held their ground, but the non-elite members looked nervous and gripped their specialized guns tightly. Don stepped forward “No, we came to demand answers! Why do you hunt us? We haven’t committed any crimes and we never choose to have these powers” Don told the Ascended. “You are a threat to humanity and yourselves. The damned should not exist and we are trying to remedy this problem” Replied the Ascended. As it spoke the five of them all slowly raised their arms and created flaming swords. as soon as the swords appeared the Rebels with guns opened fire.

            Bullets infused with different elemental abilities shot out from a dozen different guns. The five Ascended twitched and shook as to be expected of anyone being shot by a machine gun. But when the firing stopped The Ascended didn’t seem damaged that badly. Wings rose up from the backs of these beings of light and they held their swords out ready to strike. Don’s fingers lit up and five different type of power shot forth from his hand. Don’s hand produced a swirling, twisting energy beam of, Ice, Fire, Lighting and shadow energy. The fifth was a strange pale blue light that no one had ever seen before. The beams glowed and after the blast was finished the energy left a trail that hung in the air like a ghost that didn’t realize it had to pass on.

            Don’s elemental strike reduced the first Ascended to ash and knocked the other four backward. Don held onto his hand as it throbbed and looked burnt after using all that power. “Rebels, retreat and protect the fortress. Elites, stay with me” Don said, trying to catch his breath. Jake figured the back room to the Ascended chamber was going to be important, but by the look on Don’s face and the fact that he told almost his whole unit to retreat showed that this chamber was not only important, but going to be incredibly dangerous.
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Sorry everyone for the delays. this is the third part of the Ascended series and looks like there will be just one more to finish it all up. I promise it will be worth the wait.