Chapter 10: Heroes!?
...
"Let's go home, Aur." After hugging for minutes, Asher whispered slowly.
Aurora gave a light nod as they slowly separated from each other. She blinked back tears, her grip on his hand tightening almost imperceptibly as they finally separated.
Now, their eyes darted towards Liora's figure, waiting for her to speak. And it didn't take too long.
"The Awakening ceremony is now completed," Liora muttered, in her usual kind voice and angelic voice echoing across the room, as she pronouncement. Scarlett looked at her with appreciation.
"Thank you for attending my children's ceremony, Saintess Liora," Scarlett responded, her strained yet polite.
"It was my honour, Sword Maiden," Liora replied, her eyes lingering on Asher for a beat too long.
"I have no doubt they'll achieve great things. May their paths be blessed." Giving them a final blessing and brief exchange of pleasantries, the Agnes family turned to leave.
Liora stood all in the silent chamber, the soft murmur of water echoing softly. Her gaze drifted to the spot where Asher had stood moments ago.
What's going through her mind? Nobody knows besides her.
…
Chaos reigned near the temple entrance.
News of the Agnes twins' Anima awakening had exploded online, spreading like wildfire through social media, and people sending the news to their friends and family.
[News: The children of the legendary Sword Maiden, Scarlett Agnes, were about to awaken their Anima.]
[News: Will there be a new Legacy!?]
[News: Sword Maiden visited the God of temple!!! Is this the arrival of the New Saint…]
Give them a break, the ceremony barely ended and they were already crowning them before they could even catch their breath.
The vultures, so-called reporters, had come to the temple like flies on a dung heap, their cameras flashing like a malfunctioning lighthouse.
They want to see the continuation of the Agnes family's legacy.
More than half an hour had passed since they entered the temple, and damn! The wait was agonising.
Whispers and speculations filled the air, punctuated by the clicking of camera shutters and the whirring of drones buzzing overhead,
The Agnes family was emerging! Cameras flashed, reporters lunged forward, and microphone booms scraped against each other.
"They're coming back!"
"What did they awaken? Surely it's a sword!"
"Miss Aurora! Mr. Asher! Share your Anima with the world!"
"It's definitely Sword!"
"Swords! They have to be Swords!"
Now, outside, the situation felt like a stampede of brain-dead cattle. A frenzy of questions bombarded the family.
Reporters jostled for position, their voices rising above one another. "Sword Maiden, can you tell us..." one reporter began, only to be swallowed by the cacophony.
"Will they follow in their parents' footsteps?"
In the sky, drones roamed around the family. On the ground, there were even two or three individuals who were getting carried on the stretcher. Poor guys, looks like someone had already tried to cross the line.
"Lady Scarlett! Can you tell us what they awakened?"
"The public wants to know! Will they protect humanity?!"
"Sword Maiden! Can you reassure the public? Are they the future pillars of the Agnes family?!"
"We would like to hear from you."
"Miss Scarlett! We want to know! The public wants to know!"
"Are they the next generation of heroes?"
"Lady Scarlett! A word please!"
"Sword Maiden!" one voice boomed, followed by another, "Reassure the public! Are they worthy successors?"
"What'd you get?" "Will you fight for us?" "Will you be the new heroes?" Some questions were towards Asher and Aurora too.
Hero. The word had a taste like horse piss alcohol that he had tasted yesterday night. He wasn't some pre-ordained champion, destined to fight humanity's battles.
Those heroes were more like public punching bags, paraded around for photo ops whenever another monster decided to poke its head out.
Dealing with this media circus was enough to make him wish he'd awakened the power of invisibility.
Frantically they screamed, thousands of eyes were now drawn towards Aurora and Asher. Scarlett hid them behind her from this crowd.
She had anticipated a crowd, but not this overwhelming, uncontrolled frenzy.
She didn't want to deal with them.
Still, she had to do something, and She did.
Asher caught a glimpse of his mother, her expression was of a controlled fury.
Suddenly, she glanced at them.
She didn't just look at them; she saw them, in all their desperation and lack of respect for her children's privacy.
Scarlett stopped. Not a physical stop, but a psychological one.
The swirling tide of reporters and onlookers found themselves silent, the flashing cameras and droning machines, all frozen.
Asher felt a prickling sensation on his skin – the unmistakable presence of his mommy's power.
In that instant, the world held its breath.
No shouts, no questions.
An invisible force constricted the throats of the reporters, their shouts and questions dying in their mouths.
Their faces contorted in panic as they clawed at their necks, eyes bulging with terror.
Asher couldn't help a smirk. But hid it behind the big mommy guardian. He would love to have laugh and let out loud cheers for such a display with applause. Unfortunate for him!
They saw a blade flash before them, they felt their death nearing them.
Scarlett didn't speak. She didn't need to.
The silence itself spoke volumes, a testament to the legend of the Sword Maiden.
Scarlett, her gaze like ice, swept over the frenzied crowd.
"Is there anything further you'd like to ask?" Scarlett's voice, smooth as silk, tone low and dangerous, sent shivers down everyone's spine, but she didn't let it affect her children.
Asher knew that tone.
It was the one reserved for fools who dared to overstep their boundaries.
The silence remained, only the sound came from the ragged gasps of the choked reporters.
"Good," she continued, her lips curling into a harmless smile.
"As for your concerns about the future of my children," she paused, letting the weight of her words hang heavy in the air.
"They are not yours to decide. What will they do? What will they become! As for being the pillar or protector. You don't have to worry any of this. They will choose their own paths, and you," she looked down at them with a disdainful air, "have absolutely no place in determining their destiny." her voice echoed dangerously, the silence carried across, carrying over like a death sentence.
The threat was implicit, and the message was clear.
They weren't heroes, they were ogling for, they were just kids.
Their lives, their futures, were not for the public to decide or speculate.
With a flick of her wrist, the pressure lifted.
The crowd stumbled back, coughing and gasping for air, their faces a mix of fear and dawning realisation.
The crowd, still shaken and subdued, backed away, creating a path for the Agnes family.
The reporter's face flushed with a mix of embarrassment and fear.
Without another word, Scarlett took her children and turned towards the waiting car.
Stella, as ever the loyal Maid she was, opened the door for her.
She glanced at the atmosphere around Asher and Aurora, finding something different about it, but refrained from asking anything.
Scarlett cast one final glance at the scene before them.
The car pulled away, leaving behind a stunned and humbled crowd, which gradually began to disperse.
Some of the drones and reporters wanted to give chase but they didn't, simply watching them disappear from their vision.
Asher glanced back one last time, a cold amusement in his amethyst eyes.
This was just the beginning, and the world wasn't ready for what was coming.
…
…
…
***
Was Scarlett's Speech a bit forced? I think it was but also, little necessary the way she spoke. What do you think? (๑•﹏•)
Also, Powerstones?! You have POWERSTONES? Can I have all of them? Please?ლ(・﹏・ლ)