“I can’t leave you both to fight alone.” replied Clement before slashing at one of the Shadows coming close to him.

Gumbie tapped Orion on his shoulders. Aadam was starting to pant hard. If they miss this opportunity to escape, their friends’ sacrifice would be for naught.

The escaping class turned to leave, putting their backs to their dear friends, possibly for the last time. They had one chance to help them reach the shelter and call for help from other Arch Warriors if there were others present.

Each step Orion took filled him with shame, guilt and sorrow. Eunice felt like crying out, but she could not make a sound, for that would alert the Shadows.

After they turned a corner, a predatory screech reached their ears, followed by a loud crash as the barrier maintained by their friends shattered.

They heard screams in the distance. Orion could hear Peach’s muffled weeping. Help would not arrive in time.

Orion bit his lips in agony and hurriedly check his Ether map. They were only 3 minutes away from the shelter.

Just as he set aside the map, heavy steps pounded towards them. They were once again being tracked.

“They are following our scent! My illusions won’t work this time!” Aadam said in a harsh whisper.

Without a proper decoy, Aadam’s illusions could fool humans but not a Shadow’s sharp sense of smell.

“Bernice! Use Wind!” hurried Orion.

“I can’t... We exhausted all our Ether earlier…” she replied.

Orion knew immediately they won’t make it without help from the twins’ wind at their backs. Their running speed was no match for the Shadows.

The beasts would catch up and this time, they had no tanks to protect them.

He made a choice in his heart. The choice his comrades had made before him.

“Go ahead. I’ll stay. You’ll make it to the shelter.” Orion said calmly.

His feet stopped abruptly after uttering the words. His sudden actions surprised the rest as they turned and stared at him with bewilderment.

“No! We’ll get out together!” insisted Peach, as she ran back to Orion.

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“Please! Don’t do this!” she said, eyes swollen with tears.

“I’ll protect you this time Peach. Now you must go. Thank you for being my friend.” he said.

“I’ll stay! I’m not leaving you behind!” insisted Peach.

“No! You must go! Else you’ll die for nothing. Gumbie, bring them and go now!”

Orion looked intently at Gumbie. He knew Gumbie’s desire to protect everyone would be an asset now. He could not let the class lose their hearts and their hope of getting to safety.

Gumbie lifted Peach and carried her over his shoulder.

“Thank you Orion…” Aadam said softly as he turned and ran. Eunice and Bernice looked at Orion helplessly before they turned to follow Aadam.

He looked at them sprint away, bringing him a sense of relief. All the cares of the world fell away, leaving only his final duty.

“Let me down, Gumbie!” struggled Peach.

Gumbie ignored Peach and continued running. He silently vowed to fulfil his promise to Orion and repay all the others who gave their lives for them.

Everything suddenly seemed quiet to Orion. There was no noise in the city. It was eerily silent. He slowed his breathing and sharpened his focus for this moment.

The thought of resigning to fate filled his mind and what followed was a sense of serenity spreading through his body.

He no longer needed to run. He had accepted reality. It was a strange sensation of peace he had never felt before.

He looked up towards the sky, knowing that his friends would make it to the shelter. He wished they would lead long, happy lives and remember him fondly. This way, his sacrifice would not be in vain.

It felt good that he could do something for the ones he loved. Fear of death no longer gripped him. A wave of gratitude filled him as memories of their adventures together surfaced in his mind.

He reminisced about how they would celebrate at the cafeteria after training. They would encourage each other to overcome their physical and mental limits.

They occasionally chatted late into the night, always listening to each other’s stories, sharing their vulnerabilities and fears.

“What should I do now? Maybe I can rest and just sit here after all that running. That would make an epic scene wouldn’t it?

The first man to face Shadows while sitting on his buttocks. And not one, but two at that.” Orion smiled at his own jest.

He looked around for a spot to sit. A few meters away from him was a wall. He inspected it briefly. It was a nice spot, free of debris and wide enough.

He leaned on the wall as he rested. His breath slowly returned as he stared into the distance.

Suddenly, a thought came to his mind. It was a picture of an electric socket. He turned his attention to the wall on his left. There was an electric socket there.

Orion remembered asking his professor a question during Ether manipulation class.

“Would supplementing an Ether Amp with external power sources such as electricity or fire increase the power of our Ether skill?” asked Orion.

“Many have tried, all of them failed. The human body cannot sustain both Ether and external power sources at the same time. Most died. And those who didn’t, were paralysed when the power overloaded their nervous system.” replied Professor Kelvin.

“Should I try the power source?” thought Orion. “No one has done this before and succeeded. But what do I have to lose?”

He placed his left hand on the electrical socket. His right hand raised to point in the direction of the Shadows.

As Ether filled his right hand, electrical arcs danced on his fingers as his Ether Amp began to glow.

He took a deep breath. His left hand pressed firmly onto the power outlet. He was nervous, but at the same time curious about his experiment on Ether fusion.

“I can do this!” Orion said to himself.

He began to channel Ether from his left hand into the electrical socket.