A young boy struggles to stay above a rapidly moving river. He kicks with all his might, but the water pressure pushes him under. He swallows an immense amount of water. His heart begins to race.

“ZEKE, HELP ME!”

He desperately screams as the water drags him under to the endless bottom.

“MAX!”

Zeke yells as his body jolts up. Pant! Pant! His breathing increases as he looks around to see his room, not the river. Zeke feels the covers and blankets on his bed to ensure he’s not dreaming. He looks down at his hand and takes a deep breath. He gets dressed and leaves the room feeling guilty but ready to continue the search for his younger brother.

Zeke walks downstairs, avoiding eye contact with the other association members. While walking, he eavesdrops on the new mission for ranks 3-5 star members. The leader of the Lost Haven association, Owen Williams, is a 6'5, muscular, light/medium skin colored man with ocean blue eyes and short dark brown hair. He breaks down the objective with the others.

“We’ll enter here and-” Owen pauses and sees Zeke walking by. “Look who finally decided to join the mission briefing,” he says, walking confidently towards Zeke. “Why don’t you take a seat and catch up?” he smiles. Zeke attempts to avoid eye contact.

“No thanks. I have better things to do than ‘playing hero,’” he responds coldly and walks away. Owen quickly grabs his arm. He squeezes Zeke’s arm and drops his smile.

“This isn’t playing hero, kid. There are lives at stake here. It’s our job to protect those who can’t protect themselves,” Owen tries to pull Zeke to the briefing. Zeke then grabs Owen’s hand and grips it tightly.

“What do they have to do with me!” Zeke pushes Owen back. Owen isn’t fazed and lets out a little chuckle.

“If you decide to join, maybe you’ll find some information about the Forbidden Forest?” he says, knowing Zeke will take an interest. Zeke turns his head, and in a blink of an eye, he sits at the round table full of the 3-5 star members. Owen walks back to the front of the round table, satisfied.

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“Now that everyone is here, let’s go over the plan one more time,” Owen points to the board with a map of a Daunt base. “Team A, you’re in charge of getting all the Daunt’s attention. Use anything necessary. Team B, while Team A is taking all the attention, you’ll be in charge of locating the prisoners and bringing them back safely. Safely means alive. Not just the bodies but their souls too. Any questions?” he says, looking at the group. One member stands up, clearly upset.

“I got one!” a woman with long pink hair points at Zeke. “Why is he here?” she continues, “He doesn’t care about anyone or anything, only himself!”

Zeke pays no attention to her. His mind is focused on the mission and specifically the Forbidden Forest.

If their security is here, there might be files about the Raca Forest, but Owen didn’t mention anything about it. Hmph.

Owen looks disappointed at Zeke, but he is not surprised. He’s known Zeke since he was a baby, so this reaction is normal for him.

“Are there any questions relating to the mission itself? No? Alright then, let’s head out!” Owen says with encouragement. The woman with long pink hair leaves aggravated. The other members glare at Zeke and head out, whispering amongst one another.

“I heard he killed his brother.”

“Me too! I heard that he drowned him to get the forbidden heka. He’s so scary and self-centered.”

Zeke pretends not to hear what they say, but their words dig at him like a sharp blade.

Outside the Lost Haven building is a mission prep area. The 3-5 star members begin to load up in their vehicles. Zeke appears and walks toward Owen, upset.

“Hey! Owen!” He yells angrily. “You said you had information about the Raca Forest! If there's nothing there, I’m not going anywhere.” He crosses his arms, standing firm.

“It’s not important to the mission itself, kid,” Owen quietly continues, “but this Daunt association specifically experimented with some herbs in the Forbidden Forest. Thought you would like to look into it.” He smirks once again, leading Zeke on. Zeke takes an interest in his words. “Oh, but us ‘heroes’ can do that for you, I guess,” he says mockingly, walking to Team B’s vehicle. He opens the driver's door to see Zeke already in the passenger seat. “How the hell did you-” Owen is shocked and laughs. “Alright. Let's go, Team B!” Everyone cheers and is pumped for the mission to begin.