Erik's eyes opened, revealing a white ceiling above him. This view, unfamiliar at first, soon made sense. He was at the hospital.
Beside his bed stood a man in military attire. Erik's vision blurred, preventing immediate recognition. However, after a moment, he understood who the man was.
"Uncle Benjamin..." Erik's voice, raspy and weak, rose. His eyes, clouded with confusion, tried to focus on the figure before him.
"Erik!"
Benjamin leaned forward. "How are you? How do you feel?"
"Not bad…" Erik said, his words slow. He tried to make a smile, though it faltered. "I have been better, though..."
Benjamin's expression softened. "You got me worried for a moment, boy..."
Benjamin then focused on Erik, his brow furrowed. "What the hell happened?"
As Erik recalled what had brought him here, the memory was clear: Conal, Orson, and Logan had attacked him. A brutal and unnecessary attack.
Their quick jump to violence shocked him, though he wasn't entirely surprised.
He cursed himself for thinking his actions in the cafeteria would be enough to make them back off.
Erik paused before answering Benjamin, who waited patiently as Erik gathered his thoughts.
Anger and confusion filled Erik's mind. Nothing made sense about his situation.
He wondered what he had done wrong. Had he committed some terrible crime in a past life?
The constant bullying made no sense, especially since his power was so weak compared to others.
Erik kept his feelings hidden, not sure if he could trust Benjamin anymore.
The search of his house while he was with Benjamin seemed too coincidental. Benjamin, showing up at the hospital right after the attack, also seemed suspicious. Was he hiding something all this time?
If true, it meant his only real friendship was fake.
Living in Frant and its capital, New Alexandria, felt like being trapped in a cage full of spikes.
Conal, Logan, and Orson were these spikes, and they were getting more aggressive as time went on.
He was tired of it all. Tired of living in a society where strength meant everything and kindness meant nothing. Tired of being pushed around.
He needed a change. He needed to do something drastic.
Even living in the jungle with the Thaids, simple creatures following their instincts, seemed better than staying here.
Yet, finding such a sanctuary was akin to locating a needle in a haystack. Every nation, every city, portrayed itself as a paradise, but certainty was elusive. The same horrors that plagued him in his life here could resurface elsewhere.
Another thought crystallized in his mind, gaining clarity and intensity. It started as a mere seed but soon grew into a towering tree, overshadowing all other considerations.
Kill Logan, Orson, and Conal; remove anyone who dared stand in his way.
If they were willing to go as far as sending him to the hospital and use their brain crystal powers, they would probably be willing to do worse.
Benjamin watched Erik's blank stare. Erik stared ahead, clearly troubled. Benjamin kept quiet to let him think.
Then he couldn't wait anymore.
"Tell me what happened, Erik."
Erik snapped out of his thoughts and gave Benjamin a quick, wary look.
"I was robbed..." His voice was flat, guarded.
"Do you know who they were?"
"No," Erik said. His eyes shifted away, avoiding direct contact, a clear sign of his intention to keep Benjamin at arm's length.
"I think they were just thugs or something like that..."
In his mind, Erik was resolute about keeping his plans for Conal, Logan, and Orson hidden, especially from someone he now viewed with suspicion.
Erik turned to face Benjamin. "What happened once I lost consciousness?"
"A passerby found you losing blood in the middle of the street and called an ambulance. You were rushed here in critical conditions, losing a lot of blood. You are lucky to be alive."
A surge of anger simmered within Erik once again. Conal, Logan, and Orson went too far.
"Look, I'm going to call the police. Whoever did this to you must pay..."
"Ok..." Erik's tone was noncommittal, his expression unreadable.
Erik briefly thought about giving the police the footage he took during the confrontation. However, that was just a fleeting thought. He thought of what they did and what he wanted to do and dismissed that idea.
While Benjamin called the police, Erik thought about why Logan, Conal, and Orson had attacked him.
They could have killed him but didn't. Maybe they were scared of getting caught, or maybe they weren't ready to go that far. But Erik knew better—they probably wanted to keep him alive just to torment him more, knowing he wouldn't tell anyone.
They were right. Erik wasn't going to say anything. Too many times before, teachers and other adults had ignored his problems.
He didn't trust the system anymore. It was broken.
The police came and asked their questions.
Erik told them what he told Benjamin—that some random criminals had attacked him, finding nothing worth stealing.
He knew lying wasn't right, but he felt it was his only option.
Erik watched as the police responded quickly to his uncle's call, knowing they wouldn't have cared if he had called himself. He saw how common muggings were in the city, many done by the Crystal Cross Gang, but the police barely tried to stop them.
Erik found it strange how little the police seemed to care, even though Becker was supposed to be fighting hard against the Crystal Cross Gang. It was clear to Erik that Becker had no real power over what was happening.
After the police left, Benjamin came back to check on Erik. Erik sat stiffly in his bed, uncomfortable with his uncle being there.
"What's wrong?" Benjamin asked. He didn't realize Erik now saw him as an enemy.
"Nothing."
"Do you mind if I call Mister Fox?"
"No problem."
Erik reached for his phone, tucked in his backpack beside the bed. He dialed Mister Fox and relayed the day's events with measured words.
He explained his absence from work, while Mister Fox expressed concern for him, an out-of-place sentiment Erik acknowledged but did not dwell on.
"When you were sleeping, I called a healer, Erik," Benjamin said.
"There was no reason, Uncle Ben. They are very expensive."
A healer was someone possessing a brain crystal power that allowed mana to heal injuries.
"I had to get you help, Erik. Your injuries are serious."
Erik knew because he was in a lot of pain. His responses, though, remained distant and careful, reflecting his growing distrust of Benjamin.
Brain crystal powers came into several categories. The most common were weapon-based powers—people who could create weapons or add elements to them, which still was a rare variant. Few were those who could control elements directly. It was a power more common in Thaids, especially the flying ones, and among the most powerful powers.
Healers fell somewhere in between. Using their brain crystal power, they channeled mana to fix injuries. While not as common as weapon users, there were more healers than elementalists.
The presence of similar powers across individuals did not equate to diminished strength. The effectiveness of these powers varied depending on the user's skill and application.
A different group could manipulate specific aspects of reality. This was the second most common type of brain crystal power. Erik and Floyd belonged to this category, though their abilities differed in strength.
These powers could be ridiculously weak, like Erik's one, or absurdly strong.
While Erik's power was weak, Floyd's energy negation made him potentially one of the strongest. He could stop a punch's force or even halt a heart. However, his power used a lot of mana, and he hadn't mastered it yet, so he had to use it carefully.
…
…
…
The healer showed up an hour later. He spent ten minutes treating Erik, closing up his wounds completely. Right away, Erik could tell the pain was gone—the healer clearly knew what he was doing.
"You're okay now," the healer said.
"Thank you, sir."
"Don't mention it." The healer then left the room.
"Erik," Uncle Benjamin said. "If you don't want to go back to school, just let me know. I'll talk to the teachers."
Erik shrugged. He didn't feel the need to avoid school, nor did he wish to owe Benjamin any favors, especially given his current suspicions. "There is no need to... Thanks, uncle."
"I'll drive you home," Benjamin said.
"Thanks."