Through the open doorway which faintly emits the teal hue, the gaping aperture in the dirt wall of the building, exits the slender man in the brown overcoat with steady steps before being followed by the mature woman in the black blazer and tailed by the petite woman in the white hoodie.

Upon exiting the store, the three reposition themselves to be beside one another in a horizontal line, the woman with the short amber hair in the middle, the man with the bald wrinkly on the left, and the shorter woman with the long pink hair on the right. Almost immediately upon their reentry back to the outdoor cave, locals strolling about the rocky roads begin to cower away, veering towards the opposite side of the street to make distance from them as others mutter and judge once at a safe distance especially after the hearing of the gunshot from where the aliens left.

They make their way down the road, once again on their quest to find their ally. The woman in the center occasionally glances at the distant buildings in search for another possible area to scour, the woman on the right frequently glimpses at the myriad of locals tossing disgusted and agitated stares at them, and the man on the left just faces straight forward without focus on the rest of the city, just following along now.

They walk side by side steadily down the road’s center, walking amongst the rest of the city’s people who stroll up and down the streets, distinguished by their bony figures and gray skin as well as the lack of visible hair. They wear rags over their torsos, some with hoods that hide their heads, and blue bomber jackets all scattered around the city.

From side to side Dana analyzes the many buildings in their path, studying them just from the outside to determine which would be the best to dive more deeply into. She wears a light frown, still having reached no success in the search and only getting into more trouble that would cause more ruckuses, ruckuses they couldn’t keep affording stepping into. Her arms stay by her side as she walks with an upright, professional posture, trying to present herself the most approachable, although she understood well that despite her efforts she would appease no one.

They were technically people she did not know on streets she had never walked, and yet this was all too familiar, the attitudes of the general public, the states of their home, the gradual decline that they were all collapsing into together. It was all too familiar, and yet in this situation it was her to be the alien, her to be the outsider others feared and hid from, and ultimately her that was the subject of the fear rather than one of its victims.

To only now realize just how alike they truly were brought a deeper frown, as she had neglected the entire state of the world she was in from the hyperfocus on her friend, not realizing that the whole world was suffering.

Compounding near death after near death leaves Kokei in a constant state of panic, the cave not particularly cold yet her body shivering, her head swiveling constantly at all of the eyes on her, the eyes of potentially another individual armed and keen to strike.

Her pink irises shimmer under the white fluorescence of the cave city, her hair being tossed back and forth whenever her head turns, the most unkempt of the three albeit logically so given it being the longest too. Her lips are parted slightly, letting her inhale and exhale rapidly, keeping her volume low but secretly hyperventilating everywhere she goes.

Every corner they had turned led to danger, danger she couldn’t find the right actions to take against, and every time she ended up having to cower behind the others. It felt like every store had an owner just primed to shoot at them, and every ally had another tussle between Exhumans whose abilities were amplified dangerously so.

Each and every second spent in this cave was a terrifying adventure, one she was failing to navigate properly, for the best she could do was tail the others as they walked into another gunfight. All she could do was just watch and hope one of them had a solution to save them, to depend on their support without being of much service herself.

Ekitai just maintains his forward, calm gaze with glistening yellow eyes and a flat mouth, his hands in his pockets, oddly at ease despite all the trouble they’ve gone through. He follows alongside Dana and Kokei, waiting for the next building to inspect to be decided, prepared to defend himself and the group although preferring that such dangerous altercations don’t become the norm of this specific section of the expedition.

His hands in his pockets, not too far from his weapon, he shows ease in his posture leaning back, laid back even with all the glares casted down on him.

He doesn’t need to glance to the side to know he’s accompanied by both Dana and Kokei further down, for he shows the most confidence in the three, just following along in Dana’s path of turbulence.

Functioning as the walls of the streets they walk down are the dirt buildings, stacked to create multiple stories although each story having irregular dimensions that cause them to appear disorderly. Many of them have open doorways that locals walk in and out of, with each building being unique in shape, yet all of them uniform in texture.

Above them all, along the roof of the cave are the rows of stalactite teeth, sharp and massive, their pointy tips aiming straight down on the people below including them. Amongst the teeth are cavities that breach through the roof, although tiny compared to the huge spikes hanging down.

Behind the three are the other locals, on one side of the road walking past the group towards where they had come from, and on the other side walking along the group’s path from behind, maintaining a careful distance from the erratic aliens, their heads low to avoid unwanted eye contact some of whom have their heads covered in hoods, with one of them whose head is up wearing a bandana.

Down the street walk Kokei, Dana, and Ekitai abreast, the shortest on one side and the tallest on the other with the center being in between. Their gazes, while some of them shifting more sporadically than others, generally tend to remain forward, searching for the next stop. While Dana shows unease about the lack of shown success and Kokei is still very much anxious around all those who may wish to oppose her, they are still relatively calm given their circumstances, and at the very least seem oddly more tranquil than earlier. The two are not as serene as Ekitai perse, but Kokei manages to keep herself quiet and her head swerves are noticeably less continuous, and Dana’s breathing has come down with steady analysis of her environment, fully taking in the scenery rather than being tunnel visioned, being able to fully interpret the space around her in its full content despite the sensation it resonates.

The three continue their quiet stroll in a majorly quiet street with little chatter around them other than the murmurs of judgment, although for the most part they are not too fixated on every individual sound made. They just keep in their direction with focus now ahead, easy to do until the abrupt sound of three gunshots right behind them accompanied by bright orange flashes, which freezes all three of them in a sudden lock of horror that shatters their serenity. Their eyes concurrently widen with similar dreadful faces, for they were not even inside another building to trigger conflict and yet strife rises again.

Screams and cries erupt in the street as the locals begin to panic and run in different directions, specifically away from the general area that the three were in.

Initially the three remain in place, standing still, as their first response to such a scare was nothing at all. First to break out of the lock is Kokei, who then instinctively bends their knee, primed to dash for escape from the invisible threat.

Right as she’s about to kick off, a familiar oppositional male voice right behind them orders: “WILL GUN YOU NOW IF YOU TAKE ONE STEP!”

Instantly Kokei leans straight upright in breakage from her running stance, goosebumps washing over her body in a wave of trepidation, realizing it was too late as they had already been locked in and any movement now could be their last.

Again the voice commands even more aggressively: “TURN AROUND NOW! SLOWLY! DO IT!!”

Without much safer alternatives, Ekitai releases an exhausted sigh, Dana tsks softly, and Kokei gulps with a quiet whimper. They then all together slowly spin in place, moving their bodies around to face the direction of the voice as instructed.

Upon making the full turn, all three of them find that several feet in front of them, standing in the center of the substantially cleared streets of the once busy marketplace is the adult man in the heavy azure leather bomber jacket with golden yellow highlights, the collar fluffed with fur surrounding a dark metal collar device rung around his neck, the outward facing shell dotted with green lights. The man glares at them through sharp eyes beneath a black rag covering the top of his head like a bandana, and clutched in both of his hands tightly is a familiar heavy pistol.

Struck by the sudden revelation with shock jolting their faces, the three stare in silence. Ekitai’s gleaming yellow eyes hold wide, Dana’s mouth is parted slightly, and Kokei jitters frantically as she’s bordering a panic attack from the sight of a ghost they just barely locked away.

In the vacated street they stand, the locals already out of sight from every angle, the warning shots successfully isolating the three in a pit they could not run out of so easily. All around them, doorways to buildings are suddenly blocked by barriers of red energy, all being activated so quickly that all the activation sounds formulate a collage that extends for several seconds. All of the buildings nearby become bordered up in an instant, truly locking the three out, left on their own as the final activations are audible in the distance.

They all stare down the barrel of the pistol held shakily by the clearly agitated man they knew very well to be that of the old thieves gang’s captain, a dangerous man who nearly claimed all of their lives single handedly.

After all that had transpired since they set foot on this Earth, this was the last encounter they needed, especially when they were one man down.

Shakily shifting aim between each of the three every few seconds with abrupt jitters, the old captain breathes heavily and rapidly, clearly fatigued rightfully so, yet fueled nevertheless by pure will to keep moving.

The only one to stand on his side of the street, the captain then shouts urgently: “Wha-wha-the other man! Where he is? Know there one other. Old man. With the leather jacket. Your leader or something. Make him show himself!!”

Standing as still as can be, terrified that any accidental move can lead to another violent gunfight this time with a man who has already demonstrated combative skill mixed with a clear sense of gravity, Dana does not move any part of her body but her mouth which she uses to very gently and delicately explain, “He’s not with us right now. We don’t know where he is. If we did, he’d be right here with us. Mavrik, was it?”

Despite the soothing voice used, the old captain locks his aim straight at Dana and aggressively bellows, “DUN SAY MY NAME! YOU ALL…YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME! MY POWERS! MY TEAM!! SLAUGHTERED THEM ALL! LEFT ME TO…TO WAKE UP TO THEIR BODIES! YOU SAVAGES!!!”

Both Kokei and Ekitai are taken aback by the odd pointing of guilt to what seems to be a trivial truth, causing Kokei to panic even more under the assumption of insanity, figuring now that there was no path of reasoning that could bring them salvation.

Differently Dana understands, who very cautiously brings her hands forward to make a calming gesture, trying her best to gently explain, “I know this won’t make sense to you, but we did not do anything to your team. Listen, you had an extreme episode, Mavrik, you lost control of yourself and your abilities, leading to their casualties. You were not in contr-,”

“NO! SHUT THE HELL UP!” suddenly interrupts the old captain, nearly causing Dana to jump as he shifts his aim to her head between her eyes, taking a step forward to close the gap for an easy shot.

His teeth grit as he breathes intensely and repetitively, his muscles tense on his bony face, his eyes blazing with rage at the impossible revelation.

“DID NOTHING! LOST NO CONTROL! THINK YOU CAN PUT THIS ON ME?? SOME TWISTED DEVILS YOU ARE! REALLY GONNA PUT THIS ON ME!! SICK BASTARDS! SHOULD GUN YOU ALL DOWN RIGHT NOW! SERVES YOUR FRIEND RIGHT WHEREVER HE IS!”

No matter how hard Dana tried to be soft, every word only further aggravated him, although she had assumed the reveal would not be taken so lightly at first given the sheer magnitude of its implications.

Without any other option however between speaking or surrendering to execution, an ultimatum she had just learned to try backing out of but at this very moment had no such option, Dana pursues again to delicately articulate with words soft spoken lullingly, “Mavrik, the serum in the injector around your neck, it’s a very dangerous formula. Most Exhuman enhancement serums require some variation of a mental stabilizer to balance the increase of unlocked power in the mind, especially serums meant to be taken continuously. Those serums you’ve been using utilize a faulty solution that inadvertently deludes your perception, meaning you’re losing control even more. It was a miracle you even managed to take in so many consecutive injections while remaining conscious the whole time, for many the threshold sits around three but you went well beyond that. But everyone has a limit, Mavrik, and you pushed yours. I know very well how amazing, almost magical these enhancements seem on the surface, trust me, I know very well how much they’re demanded, Exhuman abilities exceeds possibility and the only limit is our mind so being able to bypass that limit too is an extraordinary concept. But it isn’t that simple, and unfortunately I’m only able to explain this to you now. I am not putting this on you, but you did overdose, and you had an episode where you lost control. So please…Mavrik…put down the gun. We do not want to hurt you, we only came for you to retrieve our pod back, and our intentions went no further than to tranquilize you just enough so you could all awaken naturally again. We’re…just looking for our friend…we don’t want to get in anyone’s way.”

At first, there is no response from the old captain, instead he just stands still, breathing heavily with his teeth now slightly parted, as though he is steadily calming down.

He does not sweat particularly, however his eyes remain wide and his irises shriveled, receiving the thorough elucidation, interpreting the gentle reveal a second time.

His breathing slows and quiets as his irises shake and shiver, struggling to make sense of this nightmare he awoke into.

Remaining still, Dana very slowly turns her head to one side to glance at Ekitai, who also stands still, exchanging an uncertain glance, avoiding any abrasive actions at gunpoint, as their best weapon right now was Dana’s speech.

She then turns her head the other way towards Kokei, the two exchanging terrified glances, for Kokei was already very much in despair at their situation, unable to take any actions but stand still and hope for the best, a singular choice which she visibly feels uncomfortable with.

“Bari…,” softly murmurs the old captain, pulling Dana’s, Kokei’s, and Ekitai’s attention back to him.

Across the three roamers who stand in a line, exposed outside with no cover to take refuge in, no tools but their own wits to prevent escalation, the old captain keeps his head and arms low, the gun now facing the ground which he stares straight at, reflecting to himself: “Haige…,”

Staring towards the ground in a state of miserable solitude, the old captain frowns as he sorts through his memories with glittering eyes, reminiscing in a whisper: “Lai…,”

All the sudden, a spark transforms the captain’s solemn face into one of furious blaze, and he lifts his head up as well as the firearm of his comrade back at the group, his body again jittering just as prior, jumping aim between the three of them sporadically to which they nearly leap in place from a shiver to such frantic movements.

Roaringly the old captain rebukes, “NO! WOULD NEVER HURT NONE OF THEM!! YOU LYING! TRYING TO GET INSIDE MY HEAD! WOULD NEVER HURT THEM! COULD NEVER HURT THEM! THEY MEAN EVERYTHING! WOULD DIE FOR THEM!! NO WAY COULD HURT THEM! YOU LYING! WAS HANDLING THE KICKS JUST FINE! NO DELUSIONS FOR ME! BEEN FIGHTING MY WHOLE LIFE! ALWAYS CONTROLLING MYSELF! GOT THIS COLLAR FROM MY OLD BOSS! KNEW I COULD HANDLE IT! ALL THESE LIES!! YOU THE DELUSIONS!! YOU KILLED MY FAMILY!!! IF NOT GONNA TAKE THEM TO THE SKY I GONNA TAKE YOU TO THE GROUND!!!!”

At that moment, the old captain locks his aim and his finger slips around the pistol’s handle, the pointer finger resting on the trigger, about to fire a shot despite all the deescalation attempted.

In an instant all three on the line recognize the danger, determining that they could no longer settle for a peaceful extinguishment. Instinctively Ekitai reaches his hand into the interior pocket of his overcoat as Dana begins to lift her right arm while the forearm morphs into the shape of the golden conal cannon with grates covering the shell.

The very next instant Ekitai extracts his handgun from his overcoat and drags it to aim at the old captain as simultaneously bright golden lights emit through the grates of Dana’s cannon, priming to fire as the old captain’s pistol swiveled.

The precise following moment has Ekitai and Dana both aiming directly at the old captain, Ekitai’s finger around the trigger and about to press, the lights seeping through the golden grates signifying Dana’s preparations to fire. In that exact same moment too, Kokei’s shimmering pink eyes widen in shock to a sudden revelation, shock that takes her very eyes as her pupils flash white and emit arcs across her iris as simultaneously vastly larger pink arcs spark off of her body omnidirectionally as she stood still.

Upon the following instant, the firing is meant to incur, yet right as the old captain intensely grits his teeth to fire, a surge of pink arcs of electricity pass straight around him before arcing and coiling around his body, immediately suspending his movements just before he could pull the trigger, allowing no movement but facial for him to groan.

The pink arcs maintain their hold on his body, sparking and sizzling around him as he fails to take the shot, his arm extended out in form but without the execution.

Originally relieved at the clutching assist that’d buy them an easy shot, Dana and Ekitai both try to fire on the frozen target.

Yet there are no subsequent booms of firing, and all the sudden, both of their hardened, intense expressions quickly fall to stumped bewilderment; upon trying again a few more times whilst mentally locked into the battle, they begin to acknowledge the true scene around them.

That is when both of their faces fall into aghast shock to find that around both of them also coils pink electrical arcs, thereby suspending their movements too despite the one to restrain them being on their side.

Similarly they can only move their heads and faces but not the rest of their bodies, prohibiting them from striking, but allowing Ekitai to call out firstly in advice, “Hey Kokei, you went a bit overboard! We can’t move either!” as Dana struggles in an attempt to move but with no success.

They face forwards to find that Kokei was not only next to them but instead now in front, standing between them and the old captain, her eyes glowing as pink arcs constantly emerge out of her body to sustain the holds she has on all three of her targets, two of them being her allies. Her gaze remains ahead at the old captain, although no longer does she have the same frightened despair, but rather a soft, sentimental frown on an otherwise relaxed face.

Gently Kokei briefly reveals, “I know,” to which both Dana and Ekitai show even further perplexion to what seems to be an act of betrayal yet with no reason which completely stupefies the both of them.

The two continue to struggle without results, Ekitai groaning as Dana exclaims, “Kokei, what are you doi-,” before she allows herself to gaze fully ahead, to which she immediately silences herself, her eyes widened in even greater shock.

Followingly Ekitai struggles and glances at Dana before becoming more puzzled, choosing to follow Dana’s infatuated gaze only for him to also freeze and silence with astoundment, his jaw dropping as does Dana’s from the sheer disturbance before her.

For in front of the two gunners, and in front of Kokei, stands upright the old captain with the pistol held out in front, although aimed not at either of the three, but instead the exact opposite direction.

Suspended in place, the old captain stands in front of the two who were just about to shoot at him, although his own gun which he had first aimed at them both was now turned around with the barrel aiming point blank at his forehead, his finger still around the trigger in an attempt to press it down.

For it was not two guns pointed at him, but three, one including his own.

Unable to move her body yet fully expressive of her blow, Dana only manages to muster a devastated “What….” as Ekitai is unable to find a response to begin with, just stuck in thought and interpretation.

Frozen in the frame that was meant to be his last, the old captain grits his teeth and growls, clearly trying to break free of the hold, yet with all the arcs surrounding him he’s not able to move a single muscle.

He mutters restlessly to himself, “Come on! Move! What is this?? Just needed to…just had to…so close…come on…why…?!”

He then stares straight at Kokei with flares before demanding in a shout, “Why you stop me?!?!”

At the center of the pink storm, arcs constantly surging out of her body and back around, able to suspend all three of the executioners so effortlessly it doesn’t require the lift of a finger or a drop of sweat, Kokei just frowns facing the old captain.

Pink arcs soar to and from her, in and out of her, as in a gentle tone she reflects, “You loved them…you cared about them…like they were your family. They looked up to you…they depended on you…they wanted to follow you. I remember that feeling…where all that matters is their safety…all that matters is their happiness…you’ll dedicate your whole life to just that one objective.”

Silently Dana and Ekitai watch in astonishment, their bodies still confined by the sizzling pink arcs crawling around them. They’re only able to stand and listen to Kokei continue, “And at first it’s not so hard, you’re all just having fun adventuring and exploring together…but the world gets bigger and the dangers get stronger…and you have to start pushing harder to keep protecting them…and eventually you find yourself hitting your natural limit but that limit isn’t enough so you have to find ways to surpass it, and that’s when you start making sacrifices….”

Trying as hard as he can, the old captain thrusts with all his might, visibly straining himself with the tensing of his face; yet only his face goes through motion as the rest of his body remains fully motionless, the pink surrounding arcs perfectly tethering him in place.

He fights and fights before his face suddenly loosens and his aggressively hopeless expression falls to a curious sentimentality upon ultimately focusing on Kokei’s words: “I remember even they were trying to warn you…but we never really listen to them…because over time in our quest to get stronger to protect them we start to diverge from the very people we aimed to save. And maybe deep down we start to realize it too, but by that point it’s too late, and all we can do is continue marching forwards with the hope that it all turns out the right way.”

More sparks bolt out of the shoulders of Kokei, her head facing straight at the old captain, her eyes remaining flared with flashing pupils, her frown even more apparent in her reflection as behind her immobility stands her two allies, one of which being a recent friend she had made and already hurt, and another friend she’s had for eternities who’d follow her but by now had surpassed her by miles.

Facing forward, she contemplates with a dulcet speech, “But the end of that march never ends up the way we want it…and by the time we’re forced to recognize what we had just done…they’re already gone and there’s no going back. It just takes one wrong step, and everything we had done is overwritten and deleted, and we’re left alone when all we wanted to do was save them. And I know when that revelation hits us, it feels like this has to be our end too, like there’s nowhere else to go, like we’ve failed and we’re done.”

Kokei gently closes her eyes shut, and she releases a deep misty breath which flickers like lightning before dispersing, her long strands of hair draped over her shoulders that sprout new bolts every few moments.

Just then she opens her eyes back, and while her tone remains majorly the same, there’s a newfound glint in her slightly sharpened eyes, and when she again speaks her words are projected with greater strength, those words being: “But we can’t give up then, like you can’t give up now. We have to keep moving, even if we have nothing left, even if we have nothing to strive towards, we have to try to find our place, we have to try to find meaning again. Because whether or not they recognized how much we had fallen before their passing, what would they think of us if they just saw us give up on our own?”

On one side of the street is Ekitai beside Dana, and on the other side is the old captain, all of them ensnared by the pink lightning, all of them facing in between where the source of said lightning stands Kokei, who faces the old captain and asserts, “Maybe it’s our punishment, maybe it’s our torture, but we have to keep going, we have to try, at the very least try to make something of our shell. Because ending it now won’t save them, no matter how much you can wish it would, it’s too late, we’re stuck in the present.”

In a solemn, pensive frown, the old captain watches the speaker push: “We will never know if they’re judging us or cheering us, but we just have to carry their spirits regardless, and we have to do our best to make something of it. The best we can do is recognize our failure and try our best to become better, because maybe one day we’ll get another chance to make things right, even if it’s not with them. It really sucks…I know it does…it’s a really shitty position…but it’s the only option we have without further disgracing them.”

From Kokei’s upright body, pink arcs emerge and crawl down the street before circling the halted body of the old captain, both of them staring at each other, the old captain listening to Kokei deliver, “So when I let go of you…can you promise you’ll stand on your own?”

For an extended moment, the old captain’s expression remains pensive and meditative, frowning with his gaze locked on her, darker spots below his dreary eyes, the eyes of a man who had nothing left and wanted nothing more.

Yet before him is the woman whose expression shows persistent compassion and anticipation, frowning too but with an optimistic flare in her bright eyes, dreary too from the long hike but still trying to push forwards.

The two gaze at one another in silence, but ultimately in that silence the old captain nods his head with an “Mm,” not making much of a verbal confirmation or any very explicit, but one that’s adequate.

Upon the reaction, the woman’s frown slightly lifts albeit not exactly to a smile, although her pupils blacken, and her body suddenly stops secreting energy. With no more consistent output, the remaining arcs fizzle out naturally, and seconds after the old captain suddenly stumbles on his feet, able to move yet again.

Both Dana and Ekitai also stumble as the final few arcs disperse, both of their expressions jumping to shock from the compulsive deactivation, although after a few staggers they manage to stand upright.

However, Dana and Ekitai both maintain their aim on the old captain, for even still they’re not truly certain of his passivity, holding aim at him while Kokei stands in the center still, watching him as his hand remains around the pistol.

For a few seconds the old captain maintains his self imposed aim, contemplating deeply with a frown, his eyes lingering on the barrel of the pistol that could have been used to strike him had his comrade not been held back by a trust that did not reciprocate.

Slowly, his eyes linger up from the barrel, and onto the three in front of him.

Through the old captain’s vision he observes Kokei standing before Dana and Ekitai, all of them staring at him, the latter two still holding aim with uncertainty, but all of them just waiting in anticipation to his next decision.

For a moment in the old captain’s mind, the three took different shape, Kokei as the jesty petite electrifier with long white hair dressed in the red varsity-style jacket, Ekitai as the aspiring lean gunslinger in the dark gray paramilitary suit sporting the gus hat, and Dana as the tender mature cyborg attired in the dark sleeveless hoodie.

That image only flashes for about a second however before reverting to the reality of the three who had just prior sought to defeat him in combat to reclaim the vehicle he had stolen, yet in this very moment they show him mercy.

Gradually the old captain’s pupils contract as gentle breaths emit from his opening mouth, standing alone on the other side of the street, with no one by his side, the pistol’s aim still trained on his head. His gaze lingers specifically on Dana, his eyes glimmering under the fluorescence of the city in reevaluation.

Abruptly his teeth grit as with his free hand he clings onto the back of the metal collar around his throat –over the transparent casing that reveals the teal substance carried in the device– and tugs hard with an aggressive groan.

Ultimately the central front of the collar snaps open and he jerks the collar off of his neck, raising and extending his arm away in a motion as though ripping out his own spine, and after all this time that was truly what it had become.

Holding the collar in the air, the old captain then suddenly slams the metal device straight into the rocky floor of the cave, causing it to clang upon impact before he then spins the pistol around and lowers his aim down to the collar, and immediately upon locking sight he ultimately pulls the trigger; using the weapon of his dear friend who passed trying to reach through to him, he fires an orange bolt straight into the shackle, causing it to spark and for all of the green dot lights to flicker and deactivate completely.

He vents heavily, intensely breathing after completing such a bold action that rebelled against the core he’s built for years, the grasp on the gun tight and completely unwavering as despite the bold move it was one done with complete confidence in choice.

He then lowers his arm to his side before concealing the pistol in his bomber’s pocket and bringing his hand back out to his side in an exhibition of passivity.

Both Dana and Ekitai recognize the withdrawal with astonished faces, and slowly but surely they both follow suit, lowering their arms. Ekitai steadily stuffs his own handgun in his overcoat’s inner pockets as Dana’s cannon transforms back into her hand before the golden diamond design reverts to the natural texturing of her skin.

They move their arms to their side too in truce, and standing in front of them Kokei breathes a relieved sigh after the daring act, but one that resulted well.

From behind Dana and Ekitai leisurely pace, no longer armed, walking up the street to Kokei’s side, the three once again standing beside one another facing the old captain, who stands before the destroyed shackle.

As they do, Mavrik glances down at his old shackle before noting quietly, “For the longest time thought these powers were a gift. Thought could do anything with it. Never realized how cursed it was twisting me. Well…guess dun got them anyways. Weird without them. Feel lot lighter actually. Strange.”

Almost having forgotten the absence of the former Exhuman’s abilities, Dana releases a gentle sigh now standing in the center between Ekitai and Kokei again, and she admits wholeheartedly, “Yeah, our friend was the one to do that, Anti-Exmatter. I was surprised too to be honest, he didn’t really seem intent on neutralizing you in the first place, but…I don’t think it was done to hurt you. I don’t know…I’d ask him if I knew where he was.”

Ekitai glances over to Dana before remarking, “Who knows what he’s ever thinking, honestly.”

However on the other side Kokei shakes her head and mentions, “Yeah…and still no luck finding him…maybe if we waited he would’ve just come back…I don’t know.”

Mavrik shrugs his shoulders with a sigh before mentioning offhand, “Dun know him. But seemed he really cares about you guys. Felt bad honestly stealing from him. Should apologize about that…. Just…just really wanted to get them out of here…. Had to resort to gray methods to get by over the years. Would kill for them….”

Acknowledging the intentions, Dana lets out a disappointed sigh, and she lowers her head before softly mentioning with a frown, “Ironically…maybe if you had just asked…we could’ve just taken you all ourselves. We could’ve probably taken you to one of the more peaceful Earths…I don’t know how much it means to you but I’ve found that there are people out there willing to help pull you from pits, not everyone wants to hold you down.”

Suddenly an idea strikes her head, and she raises said head up to meet Mavrik’s gaze with a soft smile and flare in her green shimmering eyes.

“Hey, to be honest right now I’m not exactly sure where the pod is, but maybe once we find it and him, we can take you with us and drop you somewhere! There is a middle seat if Kokei doesn’t mind, and I think he’ll be fine with it!” proposes Dana with a glimmer of hope, finding what feels to be a victorious solution that may bring peace to the man.

To that magnanimous proposition, Mavrik oddly just frowns and lowers his head with a soft sigh, not seeming very enticed with the prospect of freedom.

“Thanks for the offer. Really. Thanks. But…never really cared about leaving myself. Only tried so hard for their sake. Haige always had plans for our adventures in the other worlds. Know they wanted to get out of here for a better life too. Sounds nice I guess. But only really interested to get them free. Without them got no reason to go. Besides…always preferred staying home even if it gonna kill me. Hope you understand.”

Thunderstruck by the completely contradictory revelation, Dana, Ekitai, and Kokei all stagger with shock covering their faces. After all of that suffering, after all of the hardships in battle, to offer the reward and have it denied felt impossible, for never had they thought this whole quest was done with wholly selflessness.

First to break out of the trance is Ekitai, who relieves a stunned chuckle, scratching the back of his bald head and remarking, “Huh…well…not gonna lie, that might be the one thing to actually surprise me. Yeesh….”

Second to express is Kokei, who sighs in acceptance, brushing strands of her hair behind her back and broaching earnestly, “Well…it really is no big deal to us…there’s enough room in there…and we’d be more than happy to drive you out. But…if it’s really what you want…I won’t push.”

However, while Dana’s expression does change, rather than reconnecting to the conversation instead she delves into a deeper contemplation, her eyes sharpening in concentration, her gaze lingering low and her forehead wrinkling slightly. A breeze strikes her amber bangs head on, brushing them to the side to expose her meditative face for a moment.

The breeze passes and her bangs rest the same with Kokei’s lifted hairs, and Dana remains entranced as Mavrik’s voice assures, “Thanks but I good. Huh…damn…coulda just done that from the start huh…now feel real dumb. Sorry. Just never seen outsiders ever willing to help people like us. Always just get raiders looking to steal what little we have left. Just assumed you all the same. Not wanting to risk it on a blind hope.”

“Hey, I know it’s hard but…don’t dwell on it too much. I understand, there could’ve always been things we might’ve been able to do too but…it’s already happened and there’s no going back,” calms Kokei’s voice as Dana gradually tunes out the conversation, her world darkening to concentrate more deeply.

“If only someone had maybe listened to me when I kept saying, you know, that naturally we wouldn’t be looked at so happily? Just saying,” mutters Ekitai’s voice with a grunt, although his words become echoey, fading from Dana’s isolative mental walls.

“Oh come on Ekitai, now’s not the time!” contends Kokei’s hazy voice, her words hardly comprehensible from Dana’s custom tuning, as all Dana can do is linger on those words said by the leader just moments ago, words that had struck a certain cord with her, yet one she couldn’t quite figure the conscious interpretation of. She just stares and ponders deeply, rethinking over and over again, trying to discern just what it was that pulled her a step back.

“I KNOW WHERE MEDITAT IS- OH SHI-,” precipitously blurts Dana before instantly covering her mouth with her hands upon the immediate realization of the identity she had just exposed mindlessly, the world again clear to her, specifically two completely appalled allies who just stare at her with aghast expressions.

Gradually but rapidly, Mavrik’s jaw drops and his eyes widen in complete utter shock, his irises shriveling as the world he knew collapses below him.

“Wait…. That man…. In the leather jacket and whatnot…. He…. He him?” he slowly realizes with cautious speech, trying to interpret the details whilst reacting to it.

All three of the allies watch in consternation as Mavrik suddenly collapses to his knees, staring at the ground hollowly, Kokei trying to reach her hand out to him before then recoiling it back to her side with a frown.

Gazing at the rocky floor, Mavrik just quietly murmurs to himself: “Huh…. Never…never knew he looked like that. Never thought would ever even meet him. Not even sure if he was real to begin with. Huh…that was him all along…huh. Really…really tried to steal from him…huh…. Was never gonna win that fight…was I?”

An exhale emits from Ekitai before he shakes his head and gently reveals, “No, you probably wouldn’t. Capability contrast.”

“You could probably have phrased that better,” reprimands Kokei to Ekitai, who shrugs it off coldly as Mavrik remains motionlessly staring at the ground.

“Oh well, there’s always a bigger fish, that’s just how it is in the ocean,” rebrands Ekitai, although Kokei doesn’t seem much more impressed given her glare she shoots him before she then focuses over to Dana and inquires curiously, “Wait really?? Where?? Hopefully it’s somewhere we can walk to…unless he happened to tell you where he hid the pod.”

Instead, Dana shakes her head, her bangs waving from side to side before she explains, “We don’t need to walk, and if I’m right, the pod is nowhere near here either. Dammit, I really was hoping I was wrong…it didn’t make any sense at first but…I can see it now.”

She then suddenly grabs the wrists of both Kokei and Ekitai, and she exclaims fervently, “Come on, we need to go!” However, her blazing excitement then tapers down after the realization of her surroundings, and she moves her gaze over to the man kneeling on the ground, frowning with shimmering eyes before asking, “Uhm…Mavrik. Are you sure you don’t want to come with us? Really, you can. Will you at least be okay?”

On his knees in front of the broken collar, Mavrik slowly raises his head up to where Dana stands, and he lets out a heavy sigh to pass off the haunting comprehension of just how lopsided the mission was against him.

Pushing aside the excruciating irony that he realizes will likely linger with him for some time now, Mavrik nods his head and assures, “Best I stay here. Thanks again. Got no reason to worry. Gonna be fine.”

He then glances to the pocket of his bomber jacket that he puts his hand in, and he partially pulls the pistol out of the pocket, exposing the handle of it to the three.

“Not entirely alone anyways,” he remarks before passing off a soft smile, although one more as reassurance than genuine acquisition of happiness.

Understanding the poor state the lonesome leader would be left in, but also recognizing his decision and reasoning, Dana lets out a gentle sigh before nodding her head respectfully, still holding onto her two friends.

She parts sincerely, “Good luck, Mavrik,” and with that, her gaze sharpens into a determined glare, and she tightens her grip on the two.

From her back suddenly emerges a flurry of golden tentacles which sprout out before then immediately circling around her as well as Ekitai and Kokei, many of them creating multiple layers that form a golden cylinder of coils that gradually encases them, to which both Ekitai and Kokei show mixtures of shock and bewilderment to the unexpected action while Dana’s expression remains steadfast.

In only a few seconds the three are fully isolated inside the golden container, and in front of Mavrik who watches on his knees, from within the golden container releases a blindingly bright blue flash of light that consumes the whole block in not even a second, causing Mavrik to wince to the side.

Moments later the light gradually dissipates from the scene, providing Mavrik the ability to observe the environment once more, and with this ability he faces forward to find that nowhere were the golden rings that were just present nor the people he had just spoken to, for they had vanished without a trace.

Entranced such that he remains in place, Mavrik just stares forth at where the cylinder had been, still on his knees inside the deserted street, in complete astonishment, as all around him the red doors start to deactivate, and locals in rags and gray skin peek their heads out in curiosity.

Gradually locals begin to step outside with the understanding of the scene’s closure, the streets beginning to fill once again as all alone Mavrik kneels in the middle of the street, next to the dysfunctional shackle.

More and more the streets return to their busy self, individuals in rags making their way to different shops as owners glance around to confirm their safety, although at the intersection that Mavrik rests at the locals walk around him, not saying a word or showing reaction to him as he just kneels there speechlessly.

Soon the streets once cleared become just as busy as all the others in the urban city central sector of the cave. The white fluorescence continues to emanate from the city amongst all of the buildings, from all of the jagged and unevenly shaped buildings placed haphazardly, although all of them uniform in their dirt surfaces.

The same material composes the warehouses and residential neighborhoods, such as all of the long houses stacked on one another all as one cell of a much larger grid that sits at the rim of the cave, one of those houses hardly distinguishable from above still having the hole left beside the door, never patched.

That one house however is only one building out of innumerable in the relatively small city yet the impressively large cave colony, an entire subset of the world’s civilization managing to live and get by around the cave’s rocky dome walls.

An entire society functioning the best they can given their conditions, all below the huge stalactites that hang from the ceiling like bats, their spears facing down on the people who trust them to hang in place, for just a single drop could deal a great blow to their home.

A city living in fear, a world dug up in its own hole, such a small piece of a whole underground world, and yet one so lively on its own, at least in its own right.

They strive to keep moving despite all that has happened to them and continue to hurt them. Through the invasions that keep them on their toes, they try their best to stand up for themselves, even when on their last legs.

All they can do is try to keep moving through it all, to keep moving even if there is little visible sign of a better tomorrow.

For that is all they can do besides simply giving up.

And that is the best option they have.