• Five Years Later...

    It had rained hard and long, but had finally ceased. A cemetery was crowded with both Demons and Humans alike, both mourning two, who were now gone: a demon and her human husband. Ember, her demon husband, Ignite, and their two young children, Blaze, a four-year-old boy, and Phoenix, a two-year-old girl, stood silently in their all black mourning clothes as two black oak caskets were lowered into the ground.

    "Derrick and Shionna Mason," the preacher said, "were both the best at their jobs, both striving for peace between both Demons and Humans. It is tragic that they both lost their lives in the line of duty. Even though they left behind a daughter and grandchildren, they will both be missed."

    Ember looked down, blinking away her tears away. She had been there when both her parents had been killed.

    I was training to do what both Mother and Father did for a living. I knew my father was aging like all humans do while Mother and I age much slower.

    We had been called to a case of about ten demons of varying clans, which were killing humans who happened to get in their way. I was scared, of course, since this would be the first battle I was to be in.

    It seemed to be going nicely, but a single demon refused to give up peacefully. He was an ice demon, with blue eyes like the sea and light blue hair that was shoulder length. His skin was a pale blue, and he was dressed in a blue suit.

    My father was caught in tough battle with this demon. Mother was just about to come and help him, when the demon, using a whip of ice with a sharp point on it, whipped my father in the throat and stashed his jugular vein.

    "DERRICK!" Mother yelled, rushing to him faster.

    The demon whipped it again and stabbed Mother in the heart.

    "MOTHER!" I screamed, frozen in fear and hurt.


    Ember had commissioned a statue to be built and placed on their graves, which were next to Atsume and Luke's, to commemorate their heroic deeds and great sacrifice.

    Her husband soon grabbed her hand. She looked at him sadly, but covered it up when her daughter grabbed her skirt. Ember looked down, released her husband's hand, and scooped up her daughter.

    "I miss Grandpa and Grandma," the two-year-old wailed. Her long brown hair fell to her mid-back and her eyes were bright orange. Two tiny horns emerged from her forehead. Her ears were pointy, and she had all the heightened senses of her mother. She, however, wasn't able to manipulate fire quite yet, but she was still young, so no one was worried.

    "I know, little Phoenix," Ember said, wiping tears from her daughters eyes, "but their deaths were honorable and avenged." She remembered how she had avenged them.

    "You killed my parents! For that, you will die!" I yelled at him.

    He looked at me with his icy eyes. "A half-breed, are you?" He said, whipping his ice whip.

    I snapped again, like I had at Horatio, five years prior. I felt the fire circle me, but this time, instead of it only being a stream of fire, I allowed the explosion. I willed myself to explode.

    After the explosion, I noticed that my parents' bodies where not burned at all. I cradled my mother's body, crying to her. "MOTHER! MOTHER!"

    I went over to my father and cradled him too. "FATHER! FATHER!" I screamed, tears rushing from my eyes.


    Blaze, their first born, who looked exactly like a younger version of his father, walked up to his mother and grabbed her free hand. "Are you okay, Mommy?" He asked.

    "I'm fine," she said, squeezing his hand.

    Eventually, the crowds left, leaving only Ember, Ignite and their children.

    Soon, however, Estelle and Oscar walked up to them. Phoenix jumped down and raced to her aunt and uncle. Blaze followed behind his baby sister and joined her with his only relatives left alive.

    "Thanks, Estelle and Oscar for watching the kids so we can work." Ember called to them.

    Estelle scooped up her niece while Oscar took up Blaze in his arms. "I'm just happy to help, since I can't seem to have any kids of my own." Estelle said.

    "It'll come, Sis." Ignite said, trying to comfort his sister.

    Estelle and Oscar turned and left, taking the kids with them and leaving the two alone. "Are you sure, Ember, that you wanna take over your mother's duties right now? Don't you want some more time to mourn?" Ignite asked, embracing her from behind.

    "It's what Mother would have wanted. I'm fine to work." Ember answered.

    "If it's what you want," he turned her and kissed her softly on the cheek. Soon, he headed back to their car.
    Atsume Ember looked sadly at the graves of her family. A tear fell down her right cheek. "I'll always love you, Mother, Father, Grandfather Luke and Grandmother Atsume. I miss you all." She turned and left the cemetery, joining Ignite at their car.