A few minutes passed, and Val's vision slowly returned, followed by his other senses. He could feel someone touching him.
It wasn't a hand.
It was soft, leathery skin.
The person holding him wore gloves, similar to those Ember wore—but there was no sign of Ember around. Shadows flickered in his blurry vision as he squinted, trying to make out his surroundings. Val could sense the slight sting of cold air on his skin, which smelled of dust and damp earth. His breath, now silent, slipped out slowly as he attempted to stay unnoticed, his heart thudding against his ribs.
Then, a muffled voice broke the silence. "Where is it?" It sounded like Ember's voice.
Just as Val processed this, the faint glint of metal caught his eye—a blade gliding toward him. Before he could react, it struck his neck with a piercing pain that radiated outwards, splitting his breath. A gust of wind slammed into him with sudden force, turning his world upside down as he was flung across what felt like jagged stone. He crashed against a boulder, the impact rattling through his spine, and as he teetered on its edge, darkness claimed his vision once more.
When Val regained consciousness, he found himself lying on cold, hard ground. The air felt stale, the walls around him lined with faintly glowing markings.
Standing in front of him was Ember, his familiar figure tinged with an eerie hue in the dim light. In his hand was a large scimitar, glinting ominously, while a small bell dangled from his waist, catching flickers of light with every small movement. His eyes held a bloodied look—intense and foreign.
Valens' head swam with confusion as he fought to ground himself in the moment. 'Why is my brother here? Where even is this place?' Val asked himself, glancing around. This didn't look like any part of their usual terrain.
Slowly, Val pieced together his thoughts. 'A cave, maybe? Or a tunnel?'
After a moment of hesitation, he spoke up. "What are you doing here, brother? Were you trying to hold off Ramon's team?"
Ember tilted his head, a flicker of puzzlement crossing his face. "What are you talking about, Val?"
Val studied Ember, noting his confused expression, trying to gauge if it was genuine. A chill ran down his spine as he realized his brother's reaction didn't align with what he'd expected.
The strange setting, Ember's unfamiliar demeanor, and Val's own hazy memory coalesced in his mind.
Then, it struck him like a flash of lightning.
'This must be a test—part of breaking a seal,' he remembered. The shadow had warned him that removing certain seals might trigger trials. He clenched his fists, feeling the coarse dirt against his palms. 'There's no other way but forward.'
Determined, he pushed himself up, only to find the figure of "Ember" had vanished, dissolving into the thick shadows around him. The cave grew silent, amplifying his breaths.
"Ember!" Val called out, his voice echoing off the walls.
No response.
He walked further into the dim tunnel, calling for his brother again and again until he finally heard a reply, faint and distant.
"I'm right here," the familiar voice of Ember answered. From the shadows, "Ember" emerged, holding something small and wrapped in cloth. It was a purple stone, glowing faintly in his hand.
As he approached, a sharp, searing pain erupted in Val's left eye, blinding him momentarily. His scream tore through the silence.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"
'What… what are you?' he thought, his mind reeling in shock.
Without a word, Ember placed the glowing stone on a nearby rock. The eerie violet glow danced across his features, casting strange shadows that accentuated his expression.
Val recognized the object—it was the same stone he had glimpsed on Ramon earlier. But as his mind grasped this, the figure of "Ember" morphed, twisting and expanding into a huge, ape-like beast. Its fur was blacker than night, and it bore sharp, gnarled teeth and one large, ominous eye in the center of its face. It let out a deafening roar, the force of it reverberating through the cave walls. Val fell backward, fear freezing him as the monstrous creature loomed over him, and darkness crept over his vision again.
Elsewhere, Exeo watched as Val, lying on the ground, appeared to go through some invisible torment. The earth shuddered under them, with dust billowing from every crack in the stone, as if the entire ground were coming apart. Exeo scanned the area in a frenzy, searching for Val.
"Valens! Valens!" Exeo shouted, panic rising in his voice.
He ran toward Val's figure and stopped dead when he saw Val's body lying unnaturally still, his face twisted in silent agony.
At the same moment, Val struggled against the creature in his consciousness. With a shake of his head, Exeo opened a private Mind Link with Ember, his thoughts racing.
After a few agonizing minutes, Ember responded, Just stay with him, brother. If Ramon wakes up, make sure to hide Val somewhere safe.
Exeo nodded and returned his attention to Val, who lay pale and sweating, his face contorted as though he were grappling with some unseen force.
While keeping an eye on Val, Exeo bound Ramon securely with a metal rope. When Ramon regained consciousness, he jerked in shock, his expression twisting in horror as Exeo tightened the binds around him.
"What are you doing?!" Ramon demanded, his voice wavering with fury and fear.
"Relax. We're not going to kill you," Exeo replied coolly as he pulled out his phone. After a moment, he spoke into it, "Yes. It's confirmed, sir. Klivro's Blue Army is involved."
"I see. Bring them all back to HQ," General Luis responded.
Exeo glanced down at Val's prone form, concern flashing across his face. "Ember and the others will be the first to head back, sir. Val… Val's situation is complicated right now."
There was a silence on the other end, then General Luis sighed. "Understood. I'll send Dr. Lewis to your location. He's capable in combat; you don't have to worry."
As soon as the call ended, orders were dispatched to withdraw.
Ember and the others managed to push Ramon's team into retreat, securing Ramon with special cuffs designed to disable abilities.
The team returned to HQ, where Ember led the captured opponents into a dim basement room, gesturing for them to sit. General Luis entered, engaging Ember in a low discussion on interrogation methods.
Back at Exeo's location, Val's struggle grew more intense. Blood was seeping from Val's eyes, nose, and mouth in slow rivulets. The sight left Ramon horrified, his face pale as he shuddered, mumbling to himself, 'They're savages… not even their own are spared.'
Exeo watched Ramon's reaction, guessing at the man's horrified thoughts but choosing not to explain.
A sudden tremor, like an earthquake, shook the ground violently, cracking the earth beneath them. Exeo looked down at Val's bleeding form, his mind racing for answers.
Just then, Dr. Lewis's voice came through their Mind Link channel. What the hell is going on down there, Exeo?! Why is Val like that?
I'll fill you in later. Right now, the ground's unstable, Exeo replied tersely.
No kidding. I'm up here watching trees sway and the ground split!
The tremors ceased as abruptly as they began, leaving Ramon huddled and whispering, "I don't want to die," over and over. Exeo sighed, signaling for Dr. Lewis to come down. Dr. Lewis descended from a helicopter, carrying a large medical kit.
Clad in his standard black suit and dark glasses, he approached Val, giving Exeo a questioning look.
After a quick assessment, Dr. Lewis turned to Exeo. "We need to bring him back to the ruins. Only there can he work with that stone again, safely."
Exeo nodded thoughtfully, glancing at Val's closed fist where the stone still lay clutched. They set Val on a silk-like stretcher, preparing to transport him.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
At HQ's basement, Ramon stirred awake, his eyes darting as he realized he was alone, separate from his teammates. Ember leaned against the door, arms crossed, watching him intently. As Ramon's gaze landed on him, Ember approached and sat across from him, mask concealing all but his sharp, unforgiving eyes.
"You mentioned orders from your superiors," Ember began. "I want their names. Who sent you?"
Ramon glared at Ember, his lips curling in defiance. "You already heard me. What more do you need?"
Ember tilted his head, studying Ramon's expression with an icy stare. The air between them thickened as Ember leaned in. "Black Lotus," he said, barely above a whisper.
Ramon's face drained of color, his eyes widening as he recognized the name. Ember caught the smallest flicker of recognition, filing it away. He continued, "You're hiding something."
Ramon tried to keep his composure, but Ember's gaze bore into him.
Finally, Ember sighed, leaning back. "We're done here, for now."
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
At the medical bay in HQ, Dr. Lewis was monitoring Val's vital signs while Exeo watched through the glass.
Val lay unconscious on the bed, with wires and sensors connected to various parts of his body.
Dr. Lewis checked the readings again and murmured, "Good, good, everything seems to be functioning normally, nothing to worry about," before stepping into the observation room with Exeo.
"How long until he wakes up?" Exeo asked.
Instead of answering, Dr. Lewis countered, "Has this happened before?"
Exeo started to answer, but the door opened, and Ember entered. "Yes, it did—back at the ruins. He was out for a full day before he came around," Ember said, walking up to the glass window.
"We were hoping to avoid a repeat incident if we could," Dr. Lewis replied, a hint of worry creasing his forehead.
Ember leaned against the wall, his gaze steady but serious. "That might be impossible."
Dr. Lewis sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, sensing yet another challenge ahead.
"If that's the case, tell him not to engage until he's back in the ruins if this happens again. And keep those stones close." Dr. Lewis gestured toward Val, his left hand tightly clenched around an object even in his sleep.
Ember raised an eyebrow and glanced at Exeo, silently questioning how Dr. Lewis knew about the stones.
"I asked Exeo. And besides, the stone's right there," Dr. Lewis pointed toward Val's left hand, balled into a tight fist. Ember and Exeo followed his gaze, observing the hand as if it could shed light on the strange effect.
"What do you think?" Dr. Lewis asked.
Ember's lips curved slightly. "I think he'll wake up very soon." He took a step forward and touched the glass with his right hand. A sudden cold shock shot through him, wiping the smile from his face.
He pulled his hand back, staring at it in disbelief.
Dr. Lewis noted Ember's reaction. "What is it?"
Ember showed them his palm, where a Purple Fire flickered uncontrollably.
Dr. Lewis shook his head. "Must be the stone. I didn't think it could affect your powers like this."
Ember studied the flames, murmuring, "No, I don't think it's the stone. It's Val."
"You mean to say…" Dr. Lewis's words faded as he looked at Val, still unconscious.
Ember's voice was calm but firm. "I'm sure of it."
The door burst open, and a group of soldiers rushed in, rifles raised. A bald sergeant with a mustache stepped forward, looking irritated.
"What's the commotion here?" he demanded.
"Sir, the prisoner…" One soldier stammered, explaining that Ramon had escaped. Exeo and Ember exchanged a glance.
Exeo nodded, and Ember responded coolly, "Leave him be. Didn't expect he'd try something that reckless."
"But sir, he's escaped!" The soldier's face twisted with confusion.
"He'll regret it. Let him think he's free for a moment," Ember said, smirking. "But make sure he never sees daylight again once he's caught."
The soldiers saluted and followed Ember out of the room.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
In the General's office, Ember knocked twice and entered, finding General Luis reading over some files.
"Ramon attempted an escape, but it's under control," Ember reported calmly. "Val is still unconscious."
General Luis nodded, motioning for Ember to take a seat. "Then we move forward. I'll assign the others some missions in the meantime," he said, handing Ember a set of folders. "Here are your options. Pick whichever you want."
Ember scanned the files. "Who are these people?" he asked.
"They're cartel leaders with a bounty. There's a hitlist circulating," General Luis explained with a tired sigh.
Ember raised an eyebrow, his tone dry. "Didn't expect them to be such high-priority targets."
The General shrugged. "Priorities change."
With a nod, Ember left the office, already forming a plan in his mind.