-CHAPTER FIFTEEN-
•The Ghost Tribe Rises•

Seconds turned to minutes, minutes turned to hours, and hours turned into a lifetime; the journey seemed never-ending. The sun, which lit the way to the exit, grew dimmer and dimmer as time flew by.

"I thought this safehouse was nearby." Charles said to James.

"I never said that; I said it was in the forest, not how far." James replied.

"I hope we're getting close," said Hawk, "The beasts are more likely to attack when we have a bad sense of vision."

James suddenly stopped at a tree covered in vines and thorns. "We're here."

"Here?" Jennifer said, "Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack." He sliced through a pair of thorny vines and a secret panel revealed itself; the mark of the Supernatural clan was engraved on it. Jennifer rubbed her hand across the symbol.

"What the--who made this place?" She asked.

James hesitated to answer. "Our Mother did. She's really good."

"She was good," William replied. "She died in this forest."

"I'm sorry to hear that. What happened?"

"Some things don't need to be talked about."

James continued to work on the panel, trying to open the entrance.

"Are you almost done with the door?" William asked.

James pressed down on the panel repeatedly, but nothing happened.

"It's not working. We might have to find a different place after all."

"Maybe we don't," said Charles. "We just need a tree that isn't dead." He rubbed his hands across the bark of the dead tree and it began to grow.

The darkness that consumed it vanished, branches stood upright, leaves began to sprout, and roots rose up from out of the ground. The mark on the panel began to glow and a door appeared, replacing the bark.

"That's impressive." Hawk said.

"Yeah, and completely noticeable." Mcduff added. "It's the only tree that's alive in this entire forest."

"Don't worry; once we're inside we can put a cloak around the tree so no one can see it."

William grabbed his hammer and began to walk away.

"Where are you going?" James asked.

"To find my own shelter. If you want to die in your sleep, be my guest." He approached a boulder that sealed the entrance to a cave, and slammed his hammer into it; it cracked and busted open, forming a path to the entrance.

"He's pretty strong." Hawk said.

James sighed. "Yeah...and I apologize for his behavior. He means well; he just has really bad trust issues."

"Obviously," Jennifer replied.

"I don't blame him though. Growing up the way we did, I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Unlike me, William grew up with the assumption that anyone who isn't a part of our clan are enemies and can never be trusted. And now that both our parents have faced mysterious deaths, it's kind of hard not to believe

"I felt the same way when I lost my Mom and Dad too. You never really recover; you just learn to endure the pain."

"William was never good at enduring the pain, he would just pass it on to other people. We were there when our mother died; we were too young and too weak to defend ourselves. After what happened, William and I dedicated our lives to getting stronger so that we could protect ourselves, and anyone else in need. We did our job well, but we couldn't prevent our father's death."

"When did your father pass?"

James took a moment to answer. He felt a bit of discomfort; he struggled to get his words out.

"The night before the exam. I think he might have been assassinated."

Jennifer stood clueless, then it hit her, like a ton of bricks and her eyes began to water.

"P-Principle Ronald...is he your father?"

There was an awkward silence.

"Yeah...he wanted to keep it a secret to draw away unwanted attention. The only people who knew until now were Crowley and the members of the Council."

"Oh my--I had no idea." She stepped away.

"He was a good man, a little strict at times, but he had a good heart. I really don't understand why someone would go after him after all that he's done to help everyone."

Jennifer's hands were shaking and she was working up a sweat.

"I'm sorry for your loss," she said, with hesitation.

"I'll be alright I just hope William can keep it together."

Charles approached James and gave him a pat on the back.

"I speak for all of Restriction when I say we appreciate what your father has done for us; keeping all of us safe."

"I thought he locked you guys away because you were mixed breeds," said Mcduff.

"That's what I thought at first, too, but after seeing how people reacted to us being in the exams, I noticed exactly what he was doing: he was protecting us. We're not as bad as people make us seem, we're not different from any one of you; we're just victims of past blame."

"I promised Argo and Julia that I would help you guys out of here, and I will do that. I don't break a promise, no matter what it is." James replied.

"How will you do that? Principle Ronald is gone; he was the one who made all the final decisions."

"The Council is here; all we have to do is talk to them after the exams."

"You think they'll listen to us?"

"They can't refuse the son of the 'king'." Mcduff replied.

"Sounds like a plan." Hawk said, "Let's focus on staying alive though. Let's get inside. I don't want to know what comes out at night."

"You guys go ahead and go," said Charles. "I'll stay and be on lookout."

"You sure about that?" James asked.

Charles put his fingers to the ground and they began to sink within the earth; tree roots and dirt suddenly rose up, forming into a wooden house.

"I'll be fine."
He placed traps inside and then entered the safe house. The eye on the panel closed and then the tree vanished from sight.

People built treehouses all the time, but this was the real deal. The inside resembled an actual house, but more enhanced. The walls were made of bark and vines, there was furniture made of grass; a pond and fresh fruit that hung from the ceiling.

"This is way better than the academy dorms," Mcduff said, eating an apple from off the wall.

"Your mom really built all this?" said Jennifer.

"She had help from the other Elites."

"It's really nice," she said.

Jennifer had the look of pity drawn upon her face. She suddenly began to remember a disturbing conversation.

"I want to ask you something but I'm not sure if I should."

"It's alright; go ahead."

"Well...I heard something about the Supernatural clan and I was just wondering if it was true. When you die, are you really reborn as a monster?"

James didn't speak, he only nodded.

"Our bodies are physically, mentally, and spiritually connected to the souls of spirits, demons, and other types of creatures; that's how we're able to summon outer-world beings. No one knows how we managed to possess such a gift, let alone be able to control it without much of a problem."

Mcduff faced a wall and put his head against the vines.

"So what happens when...you know." Jennifer asked.

"When we die our bodies reverse the link between us and everything we've ever summoned. Once that happens we give a random creature life through our bodies, along with our power."

"So you die but your body lives on?"

"Yeah...it's been told throughout our clan that after Veritas was created, someone stole a sacred artifact and he, along with the rest of our clan, was cursed with eternal life; even when we're no longer in control."

"Is there any way to lift the curse?"

"My only advice would be not to leave a body behind to be taken."

"You mean--"

"Yes...we have to destroy ourselves just before we die. That's why we have these scars."

Mcduff lifted his shirt and revealed a disturbing scar; Jennifer realized it was the same scar she had seen on James' neck.

"It doesn't hurt as much now, as it did when I first got it."

"What happened?" Jennifer asked James.

"Each time a new member is born in our clan they have a personal ceremony to scar them; it's mandatory."

"What does the scar represent?"

"Death..."

"Every scar looks different but has the same purpose-it acts as a mask, hiding the darkness within us."

"What do you mean?"

"If we can't find the courage to finish ourselves off-the device implanted in us will finish the job for us."

Hawk and Charles lost their appetite and stopped eating the fruit. Jennifer was more worried than she already was before.

"Maybe we should get off this subject." James said. "We should get some sleep."

He opened the door to another room that had grassy pallets for everyone to sleep on. Everyone claimed a spot and rested. Hawk hung Quicksilver on the wall.

"I wonder how many people have been taken out so far," he said.

"I'm sure we'll see bodies tomorrow," Charles replied.

The lights dimmed and everyone went to sleep. Jennifer had trouble doing so; the dark thoughts were clouding her mind and the guilt was ripping through her heart like a heated dagger.

******

The next morning, screaming and the sound of intense fighting echoed throughout the entire forest, waking James and the others out of their sleep. A boy suddenly came running through The two-man team stumbled upon the wooden house and they rushed inside. The ground rumbled as a ghost tribe ran by.

"Whoa, I thought we were going to be slaughtered for sure."

"David...I lost my ray gun, give me you're backup."

David had an attitude and slapped the boy in the back of the head.

"How many times do I have to remind you, Kenny, to keep your weapons on you at all times?"

"It's not my fault; that temple was going down and I didn't want to be buried alive."

"So tell me, how is throwing a lit torch into a tunnel filled with gasoline not your fault?"

"Well, you're the one who stole their ancient artifacts!"

"Well it was worth it," David said, holding up the bag of gems.

His momentary daydream was put to a stop with the start of a suspicious noise.

"Hey, do you hear that?" Kenny asked.

"Nope...you're paranoid, man, you're just hearing things. Now, let's go before that scary tribe comes back."

"Hold on." Kenny rose to his feet and started walking towards the noise; the floorboards squeaked with every step he took. The beeping grew louder once he reached the center of the room. He stumbled onto a cracked board and his leg was sucked through.

"David, help me!"

David rushed over to Kenny, and tripped over a wire in the process. The frequency of the noise increased, until...boom! A shuriken bomb exploded beneath the floorboards, leaving nothing but a permanent silence.

"Sounds like I caught a fish." Charles said, with a yawn.

"You're killing people now?" Hawk said.

"We have to survive some type of way."

James pushed a button wrapped around in vines and the doorway to the tree opened. They all gathered their gear and stepped out of the safe house. Hawk walked to the wooden house; a shuriken was pierced through the door.

"Did you kill them?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

James said nothing he just stared blankly at the door; he could see a glowing aura illuminating within the house.

"What's wrong?" Jennifer said.

"There's something on the other side."

"Yeah...bodies," Charles replied.

James opened the door and saw that the room was filled with shurikens; they were in each wall and stuck to the ceiling.

"No blood and not a body in sight; must have been a rat or something? Hawk said.

James kneeled over the hole and looked down inside; the two boys were huddled down, shaking intensely.

"How's it going boys?"

Kenny jumped at the sight of him.

"Please, don't kill us!" Kenny yelled.

"Calm down. I'm not going to kill you."

"Thank you, you can you even have our bag of gems."

David wanted to slap him for offering up his gems, but Kenny bumped him and whispered, "Ghost tribe..."

"I'm not going to take that from you," James said.

"I insist," said David. "I'm not even interested in them anymore."

He tossed the bag out of the hole and a multi-colored aura shined upon James' face.

"Where did you get these?" He said, urgently.

The two boys remained silent. Hawk joined them and examined the bag.

"I've seen these; who's down there?"

He took a glance inside the hole and noticed David and Kenny.

"Why am I not surprised?"

"You know these two?"

"Unfortunately, yes. They're with Evolution. They're the ones who blew up the temple."

"What temple?"

"There's a big ancient temple about a mile from here."

James quickly turned towards the boys.

"What have you done?!"

"Umm...James," said Jennifer. "We got visitors."

James reached the doorway and noticed a ghostly tribe; each warrior held a shield and a spear. A warrior wearing a feathered hat stepped forward; he had strange markings tattooed on his face. James kneeled then stood back to his feet. The chief spoke in an ancient language; James was the only one who could understand.

"You have stolen something from us," he said. "Those who robe the Kumate are cursed for eternity."

"What's he saying?" Jennifer asked.

The chief banged his staff against the ground, demanding attention.

"Hawk, bring me that bag?"

Hawk handed James the bag, making sure to stay on guard. The boys climbed out of the hole, attempting to escape through the back door; they were stopped by William, who was standing on the other side.

"Where do you think you're going? You're the reason they're here, so you're stuck with us."

James presented the gems; the chief nodded sincerely.

"You shall accompany us return them to our sacred temple."

"Yes, sir..."

"What's going on," said Jennifer.

"Get your gear. We're taking a detour." James tossed the bag to David.

"You two are coming with us."

They followed behind the tribe on a path that led in the opposite direction of the exit.

"We're never going to make it to the end if we keep doing everyone favors." William complained.

"They can help us," James replied. "I thought you of all people would remember who they are and what they're capable of."

"Who are they?" Hawk asked.

"The Kumate Tribe," William said. "They're a vicious, well-trained pack of warriors that train and prepare themselves for anything and everything. They fear absolutely nothing.

"Unfortunately, that 'fear none, fight all' motto is what eventually got them killed," James added.

"You guys sure do know a lot about them," said Jennifer.

"Do you remember when we told you our Mother was killed in this forest? Well, the Kumate were there that night, and so were we.

"They killed her?"

"No, they saved her; well...tried to. Before that night our Mom had volunteered to come into this forest and investigate with the Elites. Upset with the fact that we couldn't go, William and I followed her anyway. One thing led to another and we walked into an ambush."

"Was she reborn?"

"Yes, but not as a monster; she was reborn as a divine spirit."

"A divine spirit...? Why was her transformation different?"

"The Kumate knew of the curse and brought us back to their temple. They painted ancient symbols on her forehead using her own blood; then they spoke a special chant and freed her from the curse."

"That's possible?" Mcduff said.

"Yes...they're the ones who cast the curse upon our clan. They saved our Mom, but they kept her soul locked away; they believe she is some kind of goddess sent to them by the Almighty."

"Why?"

"Our Mom had special powers; nothing anyone had ever seen before. Her soul was so unique and pure that they tried to salvage all they could and sealed it all away."

"Where...?"

James pointed to David.

"In that bag; each of those gems holds a piece of her soul and her power."

David examined them, thinking back to something he had remembered.

"Wait...are these the so-called gems that Crowley wanted us to find?"

James snatched the bag away from him, and in a harsh tone said, "These aren't going anywhere. They're staying in this forest with the Kumate; it's where they belong."

"You don't want the reward?"

"I will not hand over my Mother or her power Do you have any idea what could happen if anyone got their hands on these? Nothing good, I can promise you that."

David and Kenny remained silent as a church mouse.

"For someone who's a part of the Evolution clan, you two are really stupid." William said. "We should have just let the Kumate take care of them. It would save us the trouble of having to babysit."

"We can handle ourselves!" Kenny yelled.

William grabbed him by his shirt and lifted him off his feet.

"You two idiots would be dead if it weren't for us; know you're place!"

The Kumate banged their spears against their shields and stopped at a smoky field. All that was left were burnt huts, smoke-covered grass, and the destroyed remains of the ancient temple.

"It's worse than I thought," said James.

The chief turned and approached him.

"Fix our village, now!"

"We don't have time, Chief. We're in the middle of something."

The chief swept James off his feet and he fell to the ground; the chief placed his staff on James' chest. William and the others took out their weapons.

"No! Put them away," said James.

"What's his problem?" Charles said.

"He wants us to fix the temple."

"No way! That would take forever, and we don't have that kind of time."

David rustled through his gear and took out a small cube out of his pocket.

"I got this."

"What's that?" James asked.

"Just watch..."

He tossed the cube toward the temple; the object lit up on impact and a blue grid formed over the ruble. Suddenly, every piece of the temple began to bind itself together with another piece, until the entire temple was reconstructed to its original design. The chief was impressed. Hawk stared at him with a surprised expression.

"Do you mean to tell me you could have fixed the temple this entire time?"

David was nervous and spoke in a soft tone.

"Yeah; it must have slipped my mind." He chuckled nervously.

"Can we go now," we still have a test to finish." Kenny complained.

The chief got James' attention and made his way towards the temple. James and the others followed behind. The chief stopped at the door. He held up three fingers and pointed at James, William, and Jennifer.

"He only wants us to go inside." James said. "Give us a few minutes," he said to the others. "We'll be right back."

They entered the temple and all the tables and everything else that was previously destroyed was back in its original place.

"What do you think he wants with us?" Jennifer asked.

"I don't know but we don't want to make them even madder than they already are. They basically run this forest; they know all and see all that happens here."

"Why don't they do something about the traps?"

"A spirit can only do so much."

"Right..."

Chief stopped at a silver pedestal in the shape of a bear head. He reached inside its mouth and its rocky eyes lit up bright red. The wall behind it rose and a secret, but familiar room was revealed. They followed the spirit down a long, narrow hallway. The smell of scented candles drew James' attention. They strayed from their current path and entered a half-empty room filled with nothing but a variety of scented candles, religious items, and a black casket that sat in the center of the room. William quickly tapped James' shoulder.

"James, this is-."

"I know..."

James was happy but at the same time frightened

He reached out; thinking to his self if he was ready to see what was lying on the other side. As his hand touched the surface, the chief appeared next to him with his staff drawn.

"Take your hand off our tribes' belongings!"

"I can't," he said, softly.

"You dare disobey the Chief. The punishment for insubordination is the suffering of a dreaded curse or eternity."

He started to speak and evil sounding chant; James didn't show any sign of fright. The chief caught sight of the unique necklace that hung around James' neck, and lowered his weapon.

"It's you...the son of our goddess. After all these years, you have finally returned. Forgive me."

The chief suddenly kneeled down out of respect, and worshiped James' presence.

"What's going on? Jennifer said.

"He remembers..." William replied.

He stood next to James and signaled to the chief, letting him know that he could stand.

"Many years...she said you two would return one day."

"She...our Mom; she talks to you?" James asked.

"All the time...her body may be at rest, but her spirit still wonders the lands of the Forbidden Forest. I'm sure she came and spoke to you recently as well."

"She came and spoke to me; I don't think so."

"Divine spirits don't usually present themselves face-to-face. Maybe she came indirectly...like in a dream."

"A dream...?"

James thought back to when he had heard his Mother's voice; which he thought he had only imagined. "She contacted you for a reason; it's urgent."

"What do you mean? What's going on?"

"Someone has been coming to the forest for the past week; sneaking through shadows, leaving strange objects and devices. We weren't given any knowledge that Mr. Nightfury was sending in more people."

"Ii wasn't his orders; he's been replaced."

"He stepped down from his 'throne'?"

"No...unfortunately, he's no longer with us."

"Was his body discovered?"

"I'm not sure. I didn't see it with my own eyes."

I'm sorry to hear that; can you ask the others to step out for a second?"

James turned towards them.

"He wants to you two to step out; it won't be long?"

"Sure thing..."

The chief looked over at the casket and then at Jennifer as she walked away.

"Is she a friend of yours?"

"Yeah..."

"Can she be trusted?"

"I can vouch for her."

The chief nodded and pointed towards the casket at a small white button. James pushed it and a four-slot rack opened up on the side of the casket.

"The gems...place them in their rightful places."

James did as he said and put the gems in their slots. The slots each began to glow a different color and the aura inside of the gems illuminated brighter than before; oddly enough, the blue gem remained the same.

"What are you doing?" James asked.

"I'm extracting your mother's powers back into the gems. Why you might ask; because they no longer need our protection."

"Why, this is where they've been for years and nothing's gotten to them."

"True, but the temples already been invaded and destroyed; it's only a matter of time before someone finds the secrets that lie within it."

"So what are you going to do with them?"

"The choice is yours; I'm giving them to you, hoping that you can keep them safe and locked away."

The moment was overwhelming. James wanted to take them but he didn't want to take the risk that came with them being in his possession.

"I'm dead. I can no longer keep them safe. I'm sure your mother would want you to have them, too."

"The chief struck a nerve and left him with no other option. He grabbed the gems and stuck them back in the little bag.

"I know it feels like a big responsibility, because it is; keeping those gems away from the evil-minded is critical to keeping the rest of Veritas safe."

"I understand, but-"

"Put the bag away and protect them with your life; no time to talk.

James saw a flicker in the corner of his eye. He could see a large mass of people rushing through the forest.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" The chief asked.

James had forgotten that they were all in the middle of the exam. He quickly put the bag away and called William and Jennifer back into the room.

"Is everything okay?" Jennifer asked James.

"If we stay here any longer, it might not be."

"Get back to your assignment," the chief said. "I hope to see you two again, but under better circumstances."

James and William said their temporary good-byes to their mother and, along with Jennifer, rushed to the grand entrance. They pushed through the golden doors, examining their gear; the others were sitting around talking, completely unaware of what was going on.

"Finally..." David sighed.

"Make sure your supply is in good condition," said James. "We got to move."

"Wait, what's going on?" Charles asked.

Suddenly, a loud uproar pounded against their eardrums. The other clans were racing towards the exit with high hopes of being number one, and at the same time proving that they're clan was superior to the others.

"That's what's going on." Jennifer replied. "We need to get there quickly before the portal closes."

"Portal...? What portal?"

She felt guilty for not telling everyone and spoke softly.

"The exit is a portal; it's set on a timer to close. I saw it at the base we blew up."

William stepped up and gently pushed her.

"And you just decided to keep that from us? That would have been good to know hours ago."

"We didn't have the time to talk about it; too much was going on."

Mcduff was pacing back and forth; thinking about what was going, hiding the fact that he was nervous.

"Time...Man's greatest enemy."

"What are you talking about," William said. "That a bunch of bull-"

"Wait, why would Crowley leave an active portal in the forest?" Charles said. "Every monster could easily get out; what was he thinking?"

"Like Jennifer said, we don't have time to talk about it right now," said Hawk. "We'll figure it out later."

"How much time do we have?" James asked Jennifer.

"Not much; it's going to take a miracle, but if we leave now we can probably make it there just before it closes."

James secured the gems in his vest, keeping them hidden. He kissed the statuette on his necklace and drew his sword.

"You heard her; that means no more breaks, no more favors, and no more detours. This is the last stretch. Let's show them what we got."

The allegiance stood tall and proud; once again, they were faced with another difficult task and they knew it would take more than just skill to complete; it was going to take some self-discipline, and a lot of luck.

-Quick Authors Note-

Excuse the weird resurrection of Kenny. This is how the story was going originally but there were changes along the way--same for future chapter uploads. It'll all be fixed when I go back and edit.