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Weaving Fractures

We had said our goodbyes to Gonzalo and his family midway down the dirt road. As they headed to their house, we made our way to Leo's home to break the bad news to Diego and his mother.

Fabian and Max were arguing different scenarios about how they could've saved everyone and stopped the USC if they could use their powers to their full potential.

"I could've easily jumped on them before they had time to react. I might've taken a bullet or two, but I know I could've won," Fabian said, his voice strained with frustration.

"Your way has too many risks. I would've done what Lucía did in Itayó—heat their guns so they'd drop them. Then they would've surrendered immediately," Max scoffed.

"But you can't!" I snapped at them. I had enough of hearing them talk about how differently things could've gone if they had done it their way. Not only did it go against the way I wanted to win this revolution, but their words made me feel like a weak leader.

Kyriah walked beside me, occasionally glancing in my direction, her eyes reflecting concern, but she stayed quiet. Fabian quickly recanted, "Hey, calm down. We know it's not your way. We're just saying—"

"I know what you're saying, but it's wrong. More than half of the island resents us already. The others might be with us, but who's to say they're not just afraid of us? Every time we use our powers, it shows them we're weak instead of strong," I replied, my frustration palpable. Fabian fell silent, his expression thoughtful.

"I don't agree," Max said definitively. "If they use force, we should react the same way."

I looked at Max with a serious expression, but he avoided my gaze. He knew he was taunting me, most likely seeing how far he could push before I stepped in to stop him. I hoped it would never come to that.

We reached Leo's house, and I took a deep breath, preparing the words in my head before entering. But Max cut me off, saying he had it handled, and walked inside without hesitation. We followed behind him.

As the door opened, Max had already approached Diego and Mayra, who were sitting on the torn-out sofa. "Mayra, Diego... There's something I need to tell you."

As Gonzalo did before, Mayra glanced around us. As soon as she realized Leo wasn't among us, her face broke down, turning red instantly. "Where is—?!" she tried to raise her voice, but it broke halfway through, and she started coughing violently. Diego tried to help her, but she pushed him away, continuing to cough.

"Mayra!" Max yelled, worry evident in his voice as he knelt in front of her. "Leo is fine. He's been taken by the USC officers, but I will get him back," he promised softly.

But the promise had the opposite effect. She became more upset, tears streaming down her face. "No, not my baby boy!" she wailed. "They'll torture him and never let him go!"

Max leaned closer, but Diego quickly lashed out. "I knew this was going to happen! You're nothing but trouble! Making false promises, and now Leo is gone! Get out!" He stood, pointing to the door.

Kyriah tried to say something, but Diego didn't let her speak. "LEAVE!" he shouted again.

"Max, let's go," I said softly, as we grabbed our bags and prepared to leave.

As Max stood and turned around, Mayra grabbed his arm. Her hand trembled as she held onto him with all her strength, which wasn't much in her fragile state. "Please... do whatever you need to do to bring him back," she pleaded, her eyes red and desperate. Max understood what she meant but didn't say anything back. He just nodded, turned, and walked out of the house with a determined expression.

The cool night was settling on Amaracuya as we followed Max to a small, unassuming hotel nestled on the outskirts of Isabella Town. This was the friend Leo had mentioned when we first arrived, and Max had been staying here these past few days to be closer to the locals and better able to help them.

The owner of the hotel was a bit overweight for his height, standing around 165 cm with a gray beard and hair. He greeted us enthusiastically, giving each of us a firm handshake. The building was a three-story old structure, its exterior showing layers of ancient tabby cement or coquina, and the top floor had badly constructed French balconies. "Max, friends," he said warmly. "It's a pleasure to finally meet the rest of you! I fully support what The Sunspears are doing over at Vanity. If you ever need a place to stay, I can offer you my rooms for free!" He smiled broadly and then, as if remembering something, added, "How many are you, eight, ten? I bet you don't mind sharing rooms!"

"Free?" I asked, a hint of suspicion in my voice.

"People knowing I support The Sunspears is all the business I need," he said with a sly grin.

Max nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Mr. Alvarez. We appreciate it, especially at the last minute."

"It's my pleasure to keep you guys safe." He ushered us inside, leading us through the lobby adorned with worn furniture and framed photos of the island in happier times. "I've prepared rooms for each of you," he explained, handing out keys. "106 to 109 are your rooms. I'll be just out front if you need anything," he said with a wide smile before returning to the front desk.

As we reached our rooms, I asked, "Should we meet back in a few minutes?"

"Hell no! I am going to take a long shower," said Fabian, quickly opening his room and closing it behind him. "Fuck! It's a twin bed!" we heard him curse from inside the room.

"Fabian is right. We need to rest; it's been a long day," Kyriah said softly. Max said nothing and just went into his room.

Kyriah and I were alone, and there were two rooms. We had been sharing a room these past nights, but now we had the option. I felt I should ask. "Do you want to go inside the room?" I asked nervously, avoiding direct eye contact.

She smiled and leaned in for a kiss, her soft, warm lips soothing me and making me forget everything for a moment. She then leaned back and said, "You need to rest and think. Me being there won't help that."

She was right. I needed to figure out what to do about Leo. I was afraid of what Max might be planning, or worse, that he had no plan and would just use his powers to forcefully get Leo out. What was I going to do then?

"Just like you are doing now," Kyriah said, giggling a bit. "You'll think of something; you always do. But just a quick piece of advice," she added, suddenly serious. "Overthinking doesn't always work. Sometimes the answer is as simple as the question." With that, she opened her room and entered it.

'Sometimes the answer is as simple as the question.' What could she mean by that? I wondered as I opened my room door and threw my bag on the ground, collapsing onto the twin bed. It hit like a brick as I landed. I turned and looked around the modest but clean room. A small window offered a view of the nearby coast, and I felt my muscles relax as I closed my eyes, trying to fall asleep.

I started to dwell on the events that had transpired since we arrived on the island, how we had failed Leo's family, and whether the team over in Vanity had any news of what had happened here. I doubted it—Ivory would've teleported here by now if she knew. But then again, she had insisted on not coming back to her childhood island. Ivory was always mysterious. Despite most of the group knowing her for years, she never shared much about her past. Not even Kyriah talked much about their time here.

I wondered if their parents had something to do with why they didn't want to talk about their past. Parents can mark you for life, either for good or bad. Strangely, mine never did, but mostly because I didn't think about them—not as much as Annabella did, at least. I wondered if she was alright now that our parents were dead. I had to get up from the bed to see where she was.

I put my feet on the rubble-strewn ground as I tried to open the door, but when I reached for the knob, the wooden door was already halfway open, hanging from one of its hinges. Right, the house had crumbled down. I thought as I navigated through the dark hallway, trying to reach Annabella's room, evading the big chunks of cement on the ground.

Annabella was sobbing loudly in her room. I rushed to her, and she lit up in surprise at the sight of me. She quickly smiled and opened her arms wide. "Mom! Dad! You're here!" she said through her tears.

Mom? Dad? "Annie, it's me, Ellion. Your big brother." She looked confused as I said this.

"Brother? I don't have a brother. You're Mom and Dad, and you're here to protect me!"

"What are you saying?" I asked softly, turning around to look at a mirror. Instead of my own reflection, I saw a man and a woman staring back at me with hateful eyes. I didn't recognize them, but somehow, I knew they were our parents. The images then screamed and lunged at me, coming through the mirror and knocking me down.

"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!" I screamed as I woke up in the dark hotel room.

I was a bit disoriented as I got up from the bed, trying to calm my racing senses. I rubbed my eyes, my head gradually clearing, and realized I had fallen asleep without noticing. My body must have been more exhausted than I thought.

Standing in the middle of the room, my eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness. I knew where the door was, so I went ahead and grabbed the knob to open it. Just then, I heard a crumbling sound under my feet. Crouching down, I picked up a piece of paper and stepped out the door. It had a drawing of a happy little girl and a note next to it: 'Following up on information. Will be back soon! XD' It was signed with a 'K.' indicating it was from Kyriah.

I glanced at the clock; it was nearly 3 a.m. I wondered if she had returned yet. I knocked softly on her door but got no answer. A feeling of dread washed over me, and I knocked a little louder but still got no response. I knocked on Fabian's door—no answer. Max's door—no answer.

My heart rate quickened as I hurried to the small lobby, only to find a sign on the front desk saying, 'Opens at 6 a.m.' Panic set in as I stepped outside into the silent night, which was quickly interrupted by the sound of boots on gravel. Turning the corner of the hotel, I saw dozens of USC agents patrolling the area. They hadn't done patrols in days, and now suddenly they were back? Something was off.

The absence of Fabian and Max, coupled with Kyriah's solitary mission, had me worried. I couldn't shake the thought that they had been caught by the USC. Hugging the wall, I made as little noise as possible until I reached a back alley. Suddenly, a hand landed on my shoulder, making me jump and conjure an ice blade in my hand.

"Whoa, Ellion! It's me!" Fabian's voice broke through my automatic reaction, stopping me inches from his face.

"Shit! Sorry." The blade quickly dissipated from my hand. "What the hell are you doing over here?"

Fabian signaled me to follow him. He led me through the alley and back to the old dirt roads between the trees, hiding behind one of them as he checked behind us. "Okay, looks like no one saw us," he said, easing up a little. "I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk by the coast. On my way back, I saw Diego with Max heading to their house, which seemed odd, so I followed them. I waited for a bit, but nothing happened. While walking back here, I saw USC cars and trucks rushing toward the house. I ran back to make sure you were okay. But on the way, I noticed they were everywhere. The whole town is almost surrounded by the USC. They're definitely looking for us. It's a good thing Mr. Alvarez let us stay here."

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So they are looking for us! They must have contacted Diego to separate us. But if they didn't check the hotel, it means that Mr. Alvarez didn't snitch on us. It's good to know there are still people we can rely on. But Max being surrounded by USC agents is not an ideal situation. Either they capture him, or worse, he burns all of them. "Let's move fast but quietly," I said with urgency. Fabian nodded, and we quickly picked up the pace towards the house.

The journey to the house was silent but tense, as we stuck to the shadows, navigating through the familiar dirt roads. As we neared the house, an uneasy feeling settled over me even before the danger came into view. We stayed a few meters behind, hidden among the trees. Crouched in the shadows, we surveyed the scene and saw USC vehicles parked, with silhouettes strategically placed among the trees like predatory animals lying in wait.

"The Sunspear is finishing speaking with the mom," a radio crackled, making me jump as we hadn't noticed how close some of the agents were. "Be vigilant and ready your weapons. He could come out any moment. Remember, this one controls fire. Neutralize him before he can conjure any of it. Use lethal force if you have to."

Anxiety consumed me at the thought of Max fighting the USC and how Diego and his mother might get caught in the crossfire. "I'm... not sure what to do," I confessed softly to Fabian, who glanced at me.

"I trust you, Ellion," Fabian said with respect and solidarity. "These times, there are no right decisions, only tough calls. Whatever you decide, I'm with you." His voice was genuine and meant as encouragement, but his words echoed in my head, amplifying the doubts I had been wrestling with.

My decisions, my calls—they hadn't always led to the best outcomes. The weight of leadership felt heavier than ever before. "Lately, it feels like every choice I've made here has just led us deeper into trouble."

Fabian placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Then let's tread deeper," he said with a smile.

The cool night air breezed through me as I tried to calm my thoughts. Stealth and avoidance weren't options, not with so many agents lurking around. "Sometimes the answer is as simple as the question," I whispered Kyriah's words as they echoed in my head. "We need to distract them from attacking inside the house. We have the advantage to sneak up on them from behind. Once we're revealed, it'll be a full-out battle, but we'll be able to draw them away from the house."

Fabian nodded. "Lead on, boss," he said, an eager smile forming on his lips.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped from the shadows, shooting quick bursts of ice from my hands toward a pair of unsuspecting agents. The impact sent them sprawling, their shouts of surprise piercing the night and drawing out their comrades from their positions.

The surprise on their faces gave us the edge we needed. Fabian moved swiftly, taking down two agents with precise strikes. The others scrambled, momentarily disoriented by the sudden attack. I kept shooting bursts of ice at them and then created an ice wall to cover our backs as bullets started to hit the ice.

As the skirmish intensified, the agents were drawn away from the house just as we had planned.

Just then, the door of the house burst open, and Max and Diego emerged. "What the hell is going on?!" Max asked.

Diego suddenly ran down the steps, hands raised. "Stop! You told me you were going to do this far away from here! My mother is still inside!" he yelled at the agents, his eyes a mix of fear and anger.

My suspicions have been confirmed, it was indeed Diego who told the USC agents where we were and tried to have Max separated from us to be captured. Max shifted his attention to Diego, his eyes filled with hurt and betrayal.

"Plans change, kid. Now get out of the way," one of the agents said as they pointed their rifles at them, fingers on the triggers. Just as they were about to fire, pillars of fire rose from the ground, spooking the agents back.

Fabian was fighting off the agents that were starting to swarm us. I ran to his side and asked, "Before, when you made that giant leap, do you think you can do it again but with me?"

He grinned at the question. "Of course! Don't underestimate my strength!" He grabbed me by my waist and pulled me close, his muscles feeling like solid rock. "I'm guessing to the front of the house?" he asked, and I nodded.

I created an ice fog and spread it all around us. Fabian took a few big steps forward, gaining momentum before leaping over the ice fog and the agents, the wind rushing past us at incredible speed. We landed with a thud, Fabian breaking the fall and the ground with his feet. He let me go, and I quickly turned around, using the ice fog to conjure an ice wall that stood 5 meters high and wide, covering the front of the house.

Fabian quickly grabbed Diego and pulled him back into the house, along with Max and me. As soon as we entered, Mayra was already out of bed and in the living room, her eyes wide and face completely terrified. She had no idea what was happening, only hearing the sounds of fighting, yelling, and gunshots. "What's happening?" she asked desperately, but we were all focused on making a counterplan as the agents were bound to be inside the house any minute.

I blocked the entrance with ice, and Mayra yelled out once again, "What's happening?! Why are you blocking my door?!" She started coughing violently, dropping to her knees.

Diego hesitated to help her, likely paralyzed by fear, but Max quickly got on his knees and helped her up. "Max," Mayra said softly, struggling for air, "tell me what's going on..."

"I'm sorry, Mayra. It seems I brought my problems to your house," Max replied, just as the boots of the agents started thudding against the worn floorboards outside. Without warning, they started shooting through the windows, sending shards of glass flying, pieces of the walls showered us as the cracks on them widened as bullets struck them.

We all ducked down as Mayra and Diego screamed in fear. I encased my right arm in ice and extended it to unleash a barrage of ice towards the window, knocking the agents back as others climbed in through it. Fabian, using his immense strength, sent agents flying with every powerful swing.

Fabian and I stood back to back, fighting off the onslaught, but the agents were relentless, their numbers seemingly endless. The cramped house was covered in shattered glass and splintered wood, the thuds of combat echoing through the space.

Suddenly, the sight of her home turning into a battlefield became too much for Mayra's already frail state. With a soft, pained gasp, she collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

Diego quickly ran towards her. "What did you do?!" he demanded of Max.

Max, angrily, pushed him back against the wall with brute force. "It's what you did!" he retorted, and Diego quickly recoiled in shame. Max's rage shifted to concern as he called out to us, "Cover me! I'm taking her to the hospital!" He gently scooped Mayra up in his arms.

Without hesitation, I created a protective barrier for Max as he made his way to the door. I unleashed a dense fog of ice, obscuring the agents' vision, while Fabian used his brute strength to clear a path outside.

The agents were disoriented by the sudden shift in tactics and hesitated for a moment, giving Max the precious time he needed to get through the door with Mayra in his arms. As the ice wall outside dissipated, Max quickly reached one of the USC trucks that had its engine running, gently laid her inside, jumped into the driver's seat, and sped off.

Fabian and I were holding back the remaining agents. I unleashed arcs of ice across the terrain, making them slip and fall, while Fabian delivered brutal strikes. There weren't many agents left, and as I took down one, I used a moment to catch my breath. Suddenly, I heard Fabian yelling, "Look out!" I quickly opened my eyes to see an agent a few feet away, getting up with his rifle ready. I was too late to react, but Fabian jumped in front of me, his enormous body covering me completely. Bullets hit his left arm as I quickly conjured a small ice wall to shield us.

"FUCK!" Fabian yelled as blood spurted from his arm.

"I'm sorry, Fabian! Are you okay?!" I asked him, worry evident in my voice. I looked at where the bullets had supposedly penetrated but saw that they had only broken through his skin, stopped by his thick, strong muscles. "I... didn't expect that," I said, relieved that none of the bullets had gone through him, though his muscles were visible beneath the blood, slightly damaged.

"I always wondered if I could stop bullets, but I never thought about the pain," he said, wincing as he covered his wounds with his right arm. He then swiftly kicked the ice wall, sending it flying into the agent who had shot at us.

As the last agent crumpled to the ground, we seized our chance. Breathing heavily, we dashed out of the house and got into another USC truck, following Max. Inside, Fabian found some bandages to wrap around his arm.

Arriving at the hospital, the entrance was unguarded, the gates ominously ajar. Max's truck was parked with its doors open and the engine still running, but there was no sign of Max or Mayra.

"Hopefully they made it inside without trouble," I said, trying not to overthink the lack of personnel or guards at the hospital.

Once inside, the hospital was eerily silent, but then we heard yelling from the floors above. We quickly ran up the stairs. Reaching the top, the yelling became clearer—commands from USC agents. We found a hall teeming with them, focused on a door at the far end.

Fabian and I edged closer when, without warning, a wave of heat washed over us, intense and suffocating. In a second, the hall turned into a tunnel of fire, the flames licking the ceiling and walls. The screams of the agents were drowned out by the roar of the flames. Then, as quickly as it erupted, the fire receded, sucked back into the room at the end of the hall.

The agents that had filled the hall were gone, reduced to mere ash. Their ashes coated the floor, the walls were blackened and scorched, and the air was thick with the smell of smoke and burnt material. From the falling ashes, a silhouette stood in the backdrop.

Fabian and I approached slowly, our steps hesitant. "Max..." I began, but words failed me. What could be said in the face of such raw, destructive power?

The intensity in Max's eyes was unnerving, a deep-seated fury that seemed to have consumed any remorse he might have felt. The inside of the room was completely unscathed, not a single burnt mark compared to the whole burned hallway. Dr. Ramirez was huddled in the corner, visibly shaking but unharmed. Mayra lay on the hospital bed, motionless. A heavy pit formed in my stomach as I realized she was no longer with us.

"They wouldn't treat her," Max's voice was steady, devoid of any grief. "She died in my arms. And when those agents came, I did what I had to do."

His words were delivered with a chilling calmness. The Max standing before me now had reverted to the person he was before, consumed by grief and rage. He turned his gaze toward where Mayra lay, his eyes cold and distant. "I'm going to get Leo back. I'll free him, no matter what it takes. I am not losing anyone else." He vowed as he exited the room and headed down the stairs.

Fabian and I exchanged worried looks but neither of us said anything. Max's mind was set, and without Annabella here, there was no way to convince him otherwise. Before we left, Dr. Ramirez grabbed ahold of my arm, trembling. "I-I tried! But without any medication, there wasn't anything I could do! It was far too late!" she said, her voice breaking as she fell to her knees, still trembling from the ordeal. Max must've terrified her.

As we stepped outside into the fresh night air, dozens of people were gathered outside the gates, drawn by the smell and the roar of the flames, looking curiously at the hospital trying to figure out what happened. Suddenly, from among them, Kyriah emerged, running toward us with urgency. "Guys! What the hell happened?!" she asked worriedly as she noticed Fabian's arm in bandages and Max's dead stare.

I hesitated for a second, not knowing where to start but deciding to get the worst news out of the way. "Mayra... is gone. We ran into some USC agents who were trying to capture us over at her house, and during the struggle, she collapsed. Max brought her down here, but it was too late..."

Kyriah was shocked and saddened by the news, her eyes wide with disbelief. "But, how? Why were you guys over there?"

I wanted to explain everything to Kyriah, but I was afraid of her reaction to Diego's betrayal. "It doesn't matter," I said softly.

"What matters is finding Leo," Max said flatly, his voice void of emotion.

Kyriah noticed my reluctance to elaborate and didn't push further. "I know where he is," she suddenly said, her voice cutting through the tension.

Max reacted quickly and stepped in front of Kyriah, his towering presence meant to intimidate. "Tell me where he is now," he demanded, his voice low and menacing.

Kyriah didn't flinch and frowned as she stared back into Max's cold, dead eyes. "Gonzalo's son, Pedro, told me he used to work at the north port of Amaracuya, in the USC base stationed there. He said when they extended it, they built a block full of jail cells, and that they also transported their prisoners from their pier there."

"That's where I'm going then," Max said, his voice resolute as he started walking toward one of the USC vehicles parked nearby.

I knew I couldn't stop him unless it was by force, and even then, I wasn't sure I was strong enough to hold him back. I couldn't let him go by himself either; he'd end up burning the entire base down while looking for Leo. "Wait, Max, I'll go with you," I quickly said. He stopped for a second, as if to say something, but then continued toward the truck. I nudged Fabian to get to the truck too, and he sighed but complied.

Turning to Kyriah, I said, "Can you please go and tell Diego that his mother died? He was there when it happened, but we left him back at the house. He must be going crazy wondering what happened."

"Of course," she replied softly, her eyes reflecting a mix of empathy and resolve. "But you have to keep an eye on Max. I can tell by your faces he used his powers on the agents?" My face admitted the words I didn't dare say. Kyriah didn't seem surprised. "Another thing, when I went to check the USC base up north, I saw one of the Cell Seekers there, Arianna, the one you encountered before."

"How did you know it was her?" I asked, my curiosity piqued despite the situation.

"Well, there was a woman in white among all the USC agents who looked like she was of higher rank than all of them, and she was barefoot, for some reason. Sounds familiar?" Kyriah replied.

Yeah, that was Arianna alright. Now things were more complicated. Arianna fought Davos alone and won. I didn't think we would be able to hold her off. I could see Kyriah thought so too as she looked at me with worried eyes. "We'll be okay. It should only be an infiltration mission, no need to fight." I tried to hide my nervousness through a forced smile, but Kyriah could see through it, no doubt. Max was getting impatient, so I waved her goodbye. She jumped to hug me tightly before I hurried off. Her eyes never left me until I was out of sight.