Now, Manila

Cal woke to the sound of a loud chime in his ears.

He waved the notification away.

There was a more pressing concern that needed his attention.

He jumped to his feet.

“Oh good,” Eron said lightly. “I’m going to need an explanation.”

“It’s a lot,” Cal replied with a groan. His head felt heavy and muffled. “Like a hangover, but worse,” he muttered.

“Does it have something to do with that?” Eron said.

Cal followed his brother’s finger point.

“Fuck me… is that—”

“It looks like a baby, judging by the wiener it’s a boy—”

Lilah woke with a groan.

Eron rushed to her side. “You okay?”

The girl grimaced, but nodded. “My head hurts.”

“That happens a lot,” Cal said.

“As long as you’re okay, we can figure this problem out,” Eron gestured at the baby boy.

“Awww,” Lilah cooed as she hurried over to the baby’s side.

“Wait!” Cal and Eron warned.

Cal was faster. He telekinetically lifted the baby out of Lilah’s reach.

“Your powers are back,” Eron said. “What the hell did you guys manage?”

“It’s— it’s a story,” Cal said as he exchanged looks with Lilah.

Together, the two of them told the tale of what they saw and did in the gray void.

It was a disjointed telling.

Like trying to tell another of a dream you had.

When they finished Eron zeroed in on the issue. “You’re trying to say that the fog entity is now that,” he gestured to the floating baby in front of Cal.

Cal peered closely at the baby trying to discern the trick. “I’m not.”

“But that’s what you’re implying. That you somehow convinced it that it couldn’t be safe— as if that makes sense, that it only wanted safety this whole time— unless it turned itself into a baby? C’mon, bro… I’ve seen a lot of weird crap and this is…” Eron shook his head with disgust.

“I think that’s exactly what happened,” Lilah said with a pout as Cal gave no indication that she was going to let him hold the baby.

Cal heard that thought. He realized that Eron was growing angry. He realized that he was no longer alone with his thoughts. There were two, make that three, next to him. His reach spread farther with frightening quickness. That’s how he knew that people still lived in the city. Less than hundred now. The largest group was moving rapidly to the north. He shut it down. He wasn’t ready to learn what had happened to the others. Who had lived? Who had died? His father?

He quickly rebuilt the walls around his thoughts. The voices dwindled into their customary whispers.

He turned his attention to Eron. “My powers are back. Yours should be too.”

Eron glanced at their dark surroundings.

“Go out, get some sun. It’ll make you feel better,” Cal said.

“Right,” Eron nodded as he headed for the door.

He stalked out into the hallway and quickly found a window. He ripped the makeshift bandage from his arm with a wince. The bloody surface of the exposed muscles had dried and stuck to the fabric.

He spread his arms wide as he let the glorious sunlight bathe his exposed chest. It washed over him and everything was good.

Aches and pains vanished.

The flesh and skin on his arm grew back as he watched.

His senses expanded.

What had been a muddled mess became sharp and clear as it should’ve been.

It was as though a blindfold had been lifted from his eyes and plugs pulled from his ears.

For a moment the weight on his shoulders felt light as a feather.

He let the feeling linger for as long as he could until he had to return to reality.

It was over.

The month’s long gray nightmare had ended.

He hadn’t played a part in that, but didn’t care.

The important thing was that it was done.

The fog was gone.

He could see all the way to the horizon through the window.

Bright blue skies over a dark blue ocean.

The survivors were safe now.

There was only one thing left to do.

He steeled himself.

He had to make sure that the fog entity was truly gone. He had to make sure it could never come back.

Eron returned to the dark senate chamber after a few minutes in the sunlight.

Fresh skin had grown over the wounds in his arm and back, a lighter shade of brown compared to the rest of him.

Cal waved him over. “I scanned the baby and as far as I can tell it’s human… don’t ask me how that happened. Anyways, I need you to use those super senses for a second opinion.”

Eron reflexively did as his oldest brother asked and scanned the baby. “Looks human to me,” he shrugged.

“Details please,” Cal said.

“What do you want? Its got a brain, heart, organs that are human-looking,” Eron suppressed a flash of annoyance.

Cal stilled a moment.

It was gone in an instant, so fast that Eron hadn’t been certain he had seen it even with his senses.

“That’s what I thought. I also looked into his thoughts and memories. Nothing going past the moment he opened his eyes to your face,” Cal nodded at Eron. “If he was a bird, you’d be a mom,” he grinned.

Eron forced himself to keep his face neutral.

“Okay, point is there is nothing in that little brain that remembers being the fog entity,” Cal continued.

“So, you’re saying that it isn’t the fog entity,” Eron said.

“Yeah, pretty much,” Cal’s eyes narrowed, “Entirely human body. No memories of anything before he came into existence. What other conclusion can there be.”

“I don’t know, but logic doesn’t always function as it should when it involves magical bullshit,” Eron said.

“Good thing we have the magic that can answer this question,” Cal turned to Lilah.

“You want me to make a sigil?” the girl’s eyes widened. “What if it hurts him?”

“It’s not—” Eron caught himself.

Cal regarded him for a moment. “It won’t hurt him,” he said to Lilah, “I promise, but if you don’t feel comfortable—”

“No, I’ll cast my spell. It’ll be good to make sure that the fog isn’t going to come back,” Lilah said.

Cal lowered the baby until he was just in front of Lilah.

Through out it all the baby had remained silent, his fat arms and legs waving and kicking randomly as his eyes roamed the cavernous darkness of the senate chamber.

It took an effort for Lilah to draw the yellow-gold sigil in the air over the baby’s face.

He babbled at the light and grasped for it.

Eron held his breath as the tiny fingers touched the light without any noticeable effect.

“Well that settles it for me,” Cal eyed Eron.

Eron let out the breath. “You don’t know that its a baby,” he said softly.

“He. He is a baby, completely human,” Cal said. “Have you not been paying attention? Our powers, Lilah’s magic. All of them led to that one indisputable conclusion.”

“I’m not saying your wrong.” The words tasted like vinegar in Eron’s mouth.

“What’re you saying then?” Cal gestured at the baby. “He’s a baby, looks to be at least three, four months old.”

“How do you know?” Lilah frowned.

“He’s got that pudginess going. Newborns are all wrinkly and thin, almost like hairless rats— what? It’s true, most people just won’t say,” Cal said at Lilah’s aghast expression.

“Because it’s mean,” Lilah said.

Eron could tell that Lilah had missed the undercurrent that his brother hadn’t.

“I’m sorry. I wish you were right, but I can’t take the chance that you’re wrong,” he said.

“Please, please, please… don’t do this. C’mon, man. We’ve won. It’s over. The fog is gone. It isn’t in this baby,” Cal held his arms out to Eron. “If our word isn’t good enough then at least let us bring others in on this. We’ve got magical kid geniuses. You’ve got a Doctor, right? We run him through the most rigorous testing we can think of… give him that chance.”

Lilah looked from Cal to Eron as things began to dawn on her. “Wait— what’s going on?”

Eron couldn’t look her in the eyes, nor his brother. “We don’t know if it’ll always stay that way. We can’t guarantee that one day the fog might be reborn through that baby.”

“What’re you saying, Kuya Eron?” Lilah whispered.

“You can hate me if you want, but I won’t let it— it won’t ever hurt you or anyone else again,” Eron said.

“No.” Cal jabbed a finger at Eron. “You can’t play the martyr. This is unnecessary.”

“You weren’t here. It murdered thousands of people! Our relatives!”

“They’re all free now,” Cal soothed. “Because the fog is gone. You must’ve seen it? Outside the window? Any trace?”

“You’re not getting it!” Eron snapped. “I’m not arguing against what you’ve said. Not against what our powers have seen. Nor what Lilah’s magic revealed. I’m saying that can change at any time and there’s no way any of us can be certain that one day everything that happened here will happen somewhere else.”

“You want us, me and Lilah, to walk out of here and leave you with baby so you can kill him?” Cal said flatly.

Lilah gasped with horror. “No. Please, Kuya Eron, I promise he’s just a baby. Otherwise my magic would’ve hurt him, right? Right?”

Eron ran a hand over hair that had grown longer than he usually preferred. He couldn’t bring himself to say the words.

“If you can’t speak of what you intend then you know it’s wrong,” Cal said.

“You’re in my head!” Eron snapped.

“No. I don’t need my powers when I can see the look on your face and your body language,” Cal said.

Truth.

Cal’s pulse was slow and steady in Eron’s ears.

Lilah’s and the ba— its weren’t. Their hearts raced.

“Just— just don’t make this harder than it already is! You think I want to do this!” Eron said.

“Then why do it at all?” Cal pleaded.

“I already told you!”

“Your reasons suck. Not when we can take measures to mitigate those risks.”

“What can we do? Keep an eye on it at all times? Ready to kill it the moment it shows signs of turning into the fog?”

“Yeah, that’s a start, but we can workshop solutions. Plans and contingencies. So on and so forth.” Cal’s voice softened. “Our first solution should never be to deal death… that takes a lot out of a person,” he whispered.

Eron sighed. “Then let me be the one to take that loss in this.”

Cal took a deep breath. “I’d be a very poor older brother if I let you do that.”

“You didn’t have a chance. I want you to know that this is my decision and responsibility. I—”

“Don’t do this.”

“I hold no malice to you or even that,” Eron stared at the baby. The poor, oblivious baby. “This isn’t for revenge. This is to prevent future suffering and death.”

“Please.” Cal and Lilah echoed each other.

“I’m really sorry to the both of you. I hope you will realize that there was nothing you could’ve done.” Eron took a step forward.

“I also have to apologize to you,” Cal began, “for what I’m about to do to you in order to get it through that thick skull that killing a baby is never—” he cursed, “seriously, man! You even considering what our dad and mom will think? I mean what the fuck? I’d think you were being mind-controlled or there’s a parasite in your brain if I didn’t know better—”

“Enough!” Eron snapped.

“Well… let’s do this then,” Cal said.

Eron dashed forward with a burst of speed that left chairs and desks scattered in his wake.

Cal and Lilah were slow-moving statues as he reached in between them for the baby.

He grabbed… air.

He blinked to a metal-clad fist punching him in the face.

Off his feet, he wasn’t braced.

The blow sent him flying into the second level of the senate chamber. He crashed through several rows of chairs.

He climbed to his feet and looked down to the floor level.

Cal stood alone.

Lilah and the baby were gone.

“Huh?”

“Mindfucked,” Cal shrugged.

Eron listened.

He could hear his brother’s breathing and heartbeat, but nothing else in the building and in the streets outside. He didn’t understand why he couldn’t hear Lilah and the baby.

“They couldn’t have gotten far. You’re in my head,” Eron scowled.

“I told you. I’d be a poor brother if I let you wet your hands with innocent blood,” Cal said. “Dad’s not far away. He’ll be coming soon now that the fog’s gone. How are you going to explain your crazy plan to him?”

“You’re really going to run to Dad with this?”

“If you’re not going to listen to me, then I’m going to have to defer to a higher authority.”

“All I have to do to put an end to your bullshit mindfucks is to knock you out.”

“Well… you can try.”

Eron did just as his brother suggested.

Lilah’s heart nearly beat out of her chest. She could barely hear the baby’s cries over the blood pumping in her ears.

The baby… the fog baby?

No. She was sure that wasn’t the case.

He may have come from the fog, but he wasn’t it.

Her magic couldn’t have been wrong.

She held the baby tight to her chest as she ran out of the senate building and into the sunlight.

She clung to the words that Cal had said to her when things had gone so wrong.

“Take him and run! You’ll find my dad!”

Time had seemed to stop for everything except her and Cal.

He had burned directions into her head. Assured her that there’d be no monsters in her path.

She had taken the baby out of the air and ran from the chamber while Eron had stood like a statue, staring at nothing.

“Please stop crying,” she soothed the baby. “No one’s going to hurt you.”

The poor thing.

She couldn’t believe what had just happened. It felt unreal, like a nightmare. They had won. They should’ve had safety, a chance to rest without fear.

But, now two brothers fought.

Why would he want to kill a baby?

He wasn’t like that.

Lilah couldn’t understand. He had always been kind and gentle with her and the other kids. Always made them feel safe and secure by his presence.

So, why now?

What had changed?

Keep running and don’t look back!

The words rang in her head.

I can’t, I’m scared, why? she thought.

I don’t know, but I know how strong you are. You can do this. I’ll guide you to my dad.

He won’t stop crying!

That’s their thing, but I think I can help you out with that.

The baby suddenly fell silent.

Lilah panicked for a moment then realized that he had just fallen asleep.

When you find my dad tell him everything. I’d do it myself, but I’m going to have to focus all my attention on Eron. Good luck.

She nodded as she felt the presence in her thoughts withdraw.

Lilah ran with a heavy burden in her skinny arms.

She ran from sounds like thunder that seemed to fill the air.

She never looked back.

Eron punched through a heavy wooden desk.

Cal stood in his blue and yellow armor backed up toward the dais at the other end of the cavernous chamber.

The darkness was no longer an issue for Eron. He continued his flight toward his oldest brother.

One punch was all he needed.

Knock Cal out.

Reveal the baby—

Not a baby, he reminded himself, but the fog entity.

He had to be careful though, he couldn’t hit his brother too hard.

Distracted thoughts in a fight were costly things.

He failed to notice the flying desk that slammed into his side and knocked him to the floor.

The weight combined with Cal’s telekinetic force was enough when he wasn’t braced to resist it.

More impacts crashed down on him from what felt like every direction.

A mountain of desks and chairs stood in the middle of the senate chamber floor with Eron buried at its base.

“Is this the best use of our time?” Cal said. “With the fog gone, who knows what could happen next. Someone has to make sure that encounter challenges won’t suddenly turn into spawn zones now that they’re free too. That’s you and me.”

Eron grit his teeth and fought the tons of weight on top of him.

He burst through the makeshift mountain, overwhelming Cal’s telekinetic force.

His older brother staggered and clutched his head.

“I don’t hear anything out there. That’s your doing, isn’t it?”

“I wouldn’t endanger the people out there. There is no threat to them, yet… anyways I’m only keeping you from noticing Lilah and the baby,” Cal said.

“Which is the problem. The threat. It isn’t just a baby.”

Dozens of desks and hundreds of chairs rattled against each other as they rose in the air to swirl around Eron.

“Looks pretty cool, but ultimately useless. You can’t hurt me with furniture. All you’re doing is ruining this place,” he said.

A tornado of debris whirled around him.

“Since when did you care about stuff like this,” Cal said.

“This place is a memorial to our old world. I’ve started to think that might matter.”

“Guess that depends on perspective.”

“Then, I’m asking you to stop. It’s pointless anyways.”

“Don’t know about that. I’m not trying hurt you. Just slowing you down.”

Eron scowled down at his brother and launched himself fists forward.

The debris tornado closed in around him, but he was ready.

He punched his way through ignoring all of the hard hits Cal delivered.

A storm of splintered wood and plastic filled the chamber as Eron tackled his brother into the floor.

The hardwood flooring was ruined as he pushed Cal’s helmeted head into it while flying just above.

A hard, metal-clad knee struck Eron in the solar plexus. Hands pushed down on the inner part of his elbows, bringing his head down. The same hands pulled on the back of his neck while boots were planted on his hips.

Eron went up, over and upside down into the giant flag and the wall behind it. He pulled the flag down with him as he slid to the floor and landed on his head.

He was quicker to his feet than his brother. He lifted the enormous desk and threw it.

Cal was still on the floor, but he caught it with his telekinesis and sent it flying back.

Eron’s fist turned the desk into a spray of jagged splinters, which came back and pelted him.

Ineffective, but annoying.

Eron dashed in just as Cal was getting up.

He aimed a kick at his brother’s helmeted head. A light one just to be careful.

Cal’s head rocked back.

More desks and chairs struck out of nowhere, but Eron was ready for them. He slapped them out of the air. The one or two that hit barely budged him.

Eron followed up his attack with a bit more force in his punches.

Somehow, Cal was able to bob and weave out of the worst of the flurry.

Eron hadn’t expected that. He should’ve had a significant speed advantage over his brother. As a matter of fact, he was feeling a little slower, more sluggish for some reason.

The momentary distraction allowed Cal to land a four-punch combination. A right jab snapped Eron’s head back, a left straight rubbed his stomach, a right hook touched his cheek and a left uppercut tickled his chin.

Eron straightened and fixed his brother with a scowl. “You’re still messing with my head?”

“Don’t drop your hands in the middle of a fight,” Cal warned with another hook to the side of Eron’s face.

He rolled with the blow and fired back.

His bare fist clanged against the metal covering Cal’s stomach.

Discomfort, visible through the translucent faceplate, flashed across his brother’s face.

Eron slipped his head to avoid the metal clad fist and countered with wide, looping punches that blurred to the human eye.

Once again, Cal managed to just avoid them to land two hooks into Eron’s ribs.

They didn’t hurt, but he felt them.

“You’re lucky you only lost the two little fingers on your hand. Good thing you got to keep the punching ones,” Eron smirked.

“Wouldn’t have made a huge difference when we’re taking superstrength into account. I can break that thing with a finger poke,” Cal pointed past Eron.

“Not going to fall for that.”

“So you say,” Cal shrugged.

A huge desk struck Eron from behind, while the floor was torn from beneath his feet.

He pitched forward to eat a metal clad knee.

He reached out, but Cal leapt back out of reach.

Desks and chairs bombarded Eron from all directions.

“This again? Getting old!”

Eron flew through the maelstrom with a burst of speed and tackled his brother.

“Let’s see you try that telekinetic storm crap when you’d be right in it too.”

“Me and the armor can take it.” Cal managed to get the words out despite the lung-squeezing bear hug.

True to his word what seemed like every piece of furniture in the senate chamber pelted the two Cruces brothers as they careened in their struggling flight.

No matter how hard he tried, Eron couldn’t overpower his brother’s telekinesis.

Growing frustrated, he head butted his brother right in the faceplate.

“Dude!” Cal snapped. “Careful with the armor. It’s bespoke. I can’t fix it if you do too much damage.” He jammed his forearm into Eron’s throat to prevent a second one.

What felt like fingers began to pry Eron’s grip around his brother’s back loose.

“Then stop this bullshit!” Eron snapped right back. “Every second you waste is one closer to the fog coming back. You’re putting Lilah and everyone else in danger.”

“You’re just wrong on that.” Cal finally freed himself from Eron’s hold. He brought both feet up and planted them on Eron’s chest, kicking him down with added telekinetic force.

Eron slammed into the floor.

He reacted quicker this time. He was already flying to circle Cal as desks, tables and bits of railing crashed into the spot he had just vacated.

A heavy weight from above struck him right across the back.

Unlike before he was ready for Cal’s telekinetic attacks and had braced himself.

The invisible force didn’t significantly alter his flight.

He didn’t give Cal time for a second attack. He zoomed right past him and lashed out with a kick.

Cal desperately tried to twist his body out of the way, but failed.

It was his turn to taste floor.

Cal was slower to get up than Eron had been.

“Going to need a bit more force,” Eron murmured.

“Are you slowly ramping up until you find what it takes to knock me out?” Cal frowned up at him.

“I don’t want to permanently damage you despite how much of a bast— asshole you’re being.”

“Nice catch on the b-word and thanks for being considerate. That makes me feel better. Even if my body isn’t loving this right now,” Cal groaned.

“You can’t fool me by playing possum, so I’ll go easier on you,” Eron scoffed. “I’m listening to your heartbeat… elevated, but steady.”

“That isn’t necessarily a good indicator of truthfulness. I could just be good at self-control,” Cal said.

“What I’m hearing is that you want me to hit you harder.”

A beat.

“You’re super close to the amount of force needed to put me to sleep.”

“Huh… that’s a good idea. I don’t have to punch in the head. I can just choke you out. A little bit of time without oxygen to brain should put even you down long enough,” Eron mused.

“Let’s not.” Cal thrust his hands to the ceiling.

The entire chamber rumbled.

Dust shook from the ceiling and fell like snow.

“What’s with the pose?” Eron brushed dust from his shoulders. “I know for a fact you don’t need gestures to use your powers.”

“For looks and misdirection,” Cal said.

“Let me guess… you’re going to rip the pipes or cables in the ceiling and use them to tie me up?”

“Close, but not quite,” Cal smirked.

Eron’s eyes widened. “Don’t do it! This is, like, a historic building!” he warned.

“Never liked governments and the monuments built to them,” Cal smirked. “Although, I’ll concede that some monuments are worthwhile.”

The shaking reached a crescendo as Eron zoomed down toward his brother.

He was too late.

The ceiling and everything else above fell down on top of their heads like an avalanche.