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SHATTERED REALITY

"SO BEAUTIFUL!" Yelled Gustavo, as his manic laughter and applause, filled the air. Reacting quickly, I lunged towards Nicholas and caught him just as he collapsed to his knees, trying to shield him from the hail of gunshots raining down on us. We scrambled off the stage and huddled behind the ice shield that Nicholas had created earlier.

As we stumbled towards safety, the people trapped in the frozen ground struggled to break free, their flesh tearing off in the process. It was a gruesome sight, but I couldn't look away from Nicholas, who was gasping for air. The bullet had gone straight through his chest and blood was pouring out. Time was running out. Once we reached the ice shield, I carefully placed Nicholas on my lap and tried to assess his injuries.

"Don't go, Nicholas, we're in the finale!" Gustavo taunted. "I thought about taking your powers for myself, but this is so much more fun. A classic tragedy where the hero is killed by his lover!"

I frantically searched for anything to stop the bleeding, but I was so terrified that my hands shook uncontrollably, even the pain in my right hand was numb due to the fear and panic that consumed me. How had I ended up here? Instead of cozy nights watching movies with my sister, I was now in a living nightmare.

Suddenly, I noticed Nicholas trying to speak. His voice was barely audible, but I strained to hear what he was saying. "...got to..." Nicholas struggled to speak, but I couldn't understand what he was trying to say.

"Don't speak, Nicholas. I'll think of something. Just hang on a little longer, okay?" I begged, looking around at the dancers who were now swaying towards us, their movements becoming more erratic and frenzied.

Then Nicholas grabbed my hand with desperate strength and pressed something cold and hard into my palm. It was a small piece of ice, but its sharpness was noticeable, and I didn't understand its purpose. "You...got to... kill me..." he murmured, his voice growing weaker.

I stared at Nicholas, a mixture of fear and disbelief on my face. "What are you asking me to do?" I whispered, barely able to get the words out. "I can't do that! I couldn't barely point a gun at Gustavo!"

Nicholas coughed up more blood, his eyes wild with desperation. "You... have... to, there's... no time... to explain," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Take my power!" I could see the effort it took for him to speak.

I felt a wave of nausea wash over me. This couldn't be happening. Just a few days ago, I was a regular guy, playing video games and hanging out with my sister and Ryan. Now I was being asked to make a life-or-death decision.

Nicholas' eyes bore into mine, as he coughed up more blood and I could see the desperation in his gaze. "You have... to," he said. "I... failed. This... is your time... be someone. If you want to stay a nobody... then use it... on yourself."

His words struck a chord deep within me. I had always felt like a nobody, someone who didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. But if I could do this, if I could save everyone, maybe I could finally be someone.

I opened my eyes and looked at Nicholas, my resolve hardening. Nicholas nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. "Make it your own," he whispered.

I didn't want to do it but I forced myself to push through that barrier, to ignore everything I believed. I felt all of my feelings scorching through my body, my head screaming at me as I drove the sharp ice through Nicholas' flesh and into his heart. The sound of his agonizing screams echoed in my ears. His last glimmer of life was left with a small smile.

Regret and despair overwhelmed me as I looked at Nicholas' lifeless body. What have I done? Why did he have to die? Did this make me stronger? I couldn't comprehend how ending the life of someone I cared for could have possibly done that! Tears streamed down my face as I looked at the horde of mindless dancers that now look like zombies, with their flesh torn apart and the black goo coming out of their mouths and eyes, as they struggled to reach me. I am trapped, helpless, and doomed to die.

But then, a sudden surge of courage and calmness flooded my body, dispelling my fear and doubts. A tingling sensation washed over me, erasing the pain in my hand and clearing my mind. I felt a powerful electric charge coursing through my veins, invigorating me and restoring my strength.

My emotions swirled within me, yet I felt them all in perfect balance. Tears still flowed down my cheeks, but they were no longer tears of sadness. Instead, I felt a sense of acceptance, of gratitude even, for Nicholas' sacrifice. I felt strong and invincible as if I could take on the world and emerge victorious.

With a steady hand, I unleashed a blizzard from my palms, enveloping the entire room in a white haze. The dancers froze in place, their grotesque limbs and torn flesh encased in ice. The shield of ice behind me shattered under the force of the blizzard. I turned around and saw Gustavo, cowering behind Alba, who was pointing a gun at me.

"IMPOSSIBLE!" Gustavo's eyes widened as he stared at me in disbelief. "I WAS SURE YOU DIDN'T HAVE ANY ABILITY! HOW COULD YOU HAVE ABSORBED HIS CELLS?!" he yelled, disbelieving.

Alba fired her gun, but the bullets froze in mid-air before they could hit me. With a flick of my wrist, a blast of icy wind enveloped Alba, freezing her in place. Gustavo stumbled backward, fear on his face.

"So many emotions lately, when you were so serious before," I said as I marched towards him.

"Stop! You don't have to do this!" Gustavo pleaded, trying to back away. "Leave and I'll forget this ever happened."

Calmly striding towards him, "It seemed you had a flaw in your plan, you overlooked me." I said as I stepped onto the stage.

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Gustavo tried to make a run for it, but the door was already sealed shut by the thick layer of ice coating its surface. "You were never part of this anyway! Why would you care?!" he yelled out.

What he said should've infuriated me, but my body didn't show any sign of aggression. I could still calmly decide what would be better to do next. The question remained: should I spare him or exact revenge? The group deserves to know the truth, but at the same time, he deserves to pay for what he has done. I stood there, weighing my options.

"WELL?!" Gustavo yelled. "I'm not going to wait for you to decide to kill me or not!" He lunged forward with a fist, but the air quickly froze him in place, his eyes widening in surprise. I looked at him with the same coldness he had shown towards Nicholas on stage, and then I saw Gustavo's real terror.

"The best thing to do is to wait for Ivory to get here so that you can face your punishment. I'll tell everyone what you did and what you planned to do." I said firmly.

But as I spoke, doubt began to cloud my mind. My strength was diminishing, and I felt my emotions overwhelming me. This euphoria I was feeling was beginning to fade. I needed it back, but how? Killing Nicholas, who had his ice power, had given me that rush. Does that mean, that if I kill Gustavo, I would regain that feeling?

I turned my eyes to Gustavo, a thirst for power in my gaze. He noticed the change in my expression, and he knew my decision had changed. He spat out a black goo, which landed on my face and began to crawl into my nose and mouth. I tried to freeze it, but my ice was much weaker than before. Panic set in, and I took a step back. I tried to lower my body temperature below zero degrees, but the power I had before was almost gone.

The frozen front door suddenly swung open with a loud bang, releasing a burst of pink light that illuminated the room. A woman stepped through the doors, her long brown hair cascading down her back, and bangs that framed her petite face. She had a stern and focused look, as she looked around the room. Her gaze landed on me, and I felt a chill run down my spine.

The ice that had restrained Gustavo must have weakened because he managed to break free and ran towards the woman, crying out, "Kyriah! Thank God you're here! This maniac killed Nicholas and now he's trying to kill me!"

I shouted back, "He's lying!" But as the headache intensified, I realized that the parasite was taking control of me, clouding my judgment and making me lose my grasp on reality. In a moment of desperation, I conjured an ice knife and charged toward Gustavo, intent on killing him before the parasite consumed me entirely.

But then, a distant voice called out to me, "Stop! You're letting the loss of power consume you! You have to be strong and resist the urge to kill him!"

I stopped to consider my motivations for wanting to kill Gustavo. Was it for revenge or just to feel powerful again? But as I thought about it, I realized that having that power was the key to helping the island. Killing Gustavo would be doing everyone a favor.

"I have to do it. It's what Nicholas wanted me to do." I said, turning to stab Gustavo. He put both his hands up to defend himself, but suddenly a blow from behind pushed me toward the frozen wall. All the power I had felt inside was instantly gone, and with it, the headache disappeared.

"Yes!" Gustavo shouted. "Now everything will be mine!" To my horror, the corpses in the middle of the church began to stir and rise, their eyes black and unseeing. The ice that had bound them had melted away completely.

Kyriah, standing amidst the confusion, spoke with quiet resolve. "I see what happened here. It was you, Gustavo, wasn't it? You're the one controlling the people here with your powers."

My body ached terribly, but my mind was much clearer now. The girl who stood before me was Kyriah, Ivory's childhood friend, who had helped start the cause for the island. Despite the gruesome scene before us, she showed no fear.

Gustavo's maniacal laughter echoed through the room. "I thought for a second there, that Ellion had stopped me, but you, Kyriah, you saved me. Thank you. I'll give you the chance to join me freely. With no one to stop me, soon, I will control everyone, and the island will finally prosper under my rule."

As much as I wanted to stop him, I couldn't move. Whatever power Kyriah possessed, it had completely erased Nicholas' power from me. I could no longer feel it inside me.

Kyriah's body began to emit the same vibrant pink light that had appeared earlier. The energy coalesced around her, while the zombified dancers lunged at her. She dodged their attacks with ease, striking back without hesitation. Her energy expanded like a flash through the old center, a wave that passed through everything and threw me to the ground and Gustavo to the wall.

As I lay there, I anxiously waited for the next wave to hit me, but nothing came. Looking up, I saw that the ice in the church had vanished, as if it had been erased completely.

Gustavo was rising to his feet, a look of terror on his face. He stared at his hands and screamed, "WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!" He started shaking his hands as if expecting something to come out, but nothing did. "MY PARASITES! WHERE ARE THEY?!"

"You've always been a spoiled brat, Gustavo. Always thinking you're better than everyone else, but in reality, you know you have nothing to offer. You contributed nothing to the group, and you knew that. You were just a jealous little child, pathetic really." Kyriah said, her voice cold and firm. "I erased every bit of power that was used here. The ice and the parasite are both gone now, erased from your body too. You are powerless again." Kyriah spoke with an air of calm authority as she walked confidently around the chaos that surrounded her.

"No!" Gustavo yelled. He grabbed the gun that was on the floor, next to Alba's lifeless body. Despite Gustavo's threat with the gun, she paid him no mind. Kyriah stepped up onto the stage and knelt over her body, closing Alba's wide-open eyes.

Kyriah stared at Gustavo with an unwavering gaze. "You have nothing left, Gustavo. No power, no control. Shooting me won't change that." she said calmly. Gustavo's face twisted in a mixture of anger and fear as he held the gun tightly.

"You don't understand," he spat out. "I can't go back to being powerless. I won't!"

Kyriah took a step closer, her eyes never leaving Gustavo's. "You're weak. You have always been weak. Alba died for nothing because of your selfishness. You know who you really want to shoot at." Though her hand was clenched into a fist, trembling with suppressed anger, she made no move to defend herself.

Gustavo's hand continued to tremble, but he didn't lower the gun. "I have nothing left to lose," he said through gritted teeth. "I'll take all of you with me before I go!" Gustavo lunged towards Kyriah with the gun. Kyriah moved quickly, sidestepping him and using her momentum to spin him around. With a swift kick to the back of his knees, Gustavo stumbled and fell to the ground.

Kyriah stood over him, her face calm but her eyes blazing with anger. With a few well-placed kicks to the head, she knocked Gustavo unconscious.

My vision started to blur and my head spun as I lay on the ground, struggling to breathe. The sounds started to muffled. Then, a hand gently touched my shoulder. Kyriah's face was etched with concern. "It's over," she said softly. "Ivory will be here soon and we'll take care of it. Just try to relax and rest."

I tried to respond, to tell her that I was sorry for failing, that I wished I could have done more to help. But my voice caught in my throat and all I could manage was a weak, garbled sound.

As I lay there, on the brink of consciousness, I started to wonder, how did I get here? The events that led to this moment, were it all random sequences of events, or just a cruel plan of fate? Or possibly a calculated plan from someone? I suppose I'll never know. But for a moment, I felt like I mattered. Maybe, that was the purpose of my life. If this is the end of my life's journey, if this is truly the end, then I am ready to accept my fate.

END OF: CATALYST REVOLT ACT