Crystal sat on the plush, carpeted floor of the dimly lit room, her back against the towering bookcase filled with records of a world long lost.
Nestled on either side of her, her twins - Baron and Jade - watched the intense scenes of war and heroism unfolding before them, their innocent faces aglow in the screen's soft light.
"Mommy… mommy… Is Daddy a superhero like him?"
Baron asked, the awe in his voice palpable as he pointed towards the formidable figure on the screen.
She brushed a strand of hair away from his face, her fingertips lingering on his soft cheek.
Crystal swallowed hard.
"Maybe, my love," she replied in a tender voice, her heart aching with love and an indescribable sadness.
"Nooo, that black man is a bad guy! Daddy is a good guy!"
Jade piped up, the certainty in her high-pitched voice both endearing and painful. Crystal offered her a tender smile, gently stroking her rosy cheek.
Her heart ached at the innocence of their perceptions, the simplicity of their world.
Their little ethereal armors had dissipated, the vibrant glow fading away. Although the ethereal armors seemed as natural as their own skin, conjuring them came at a cost.
An intense gaze suddenly jolted her.
Her eyes locked onto Ruby's, who sat nearby on the edge of an armchair, a cup of tea cradled in her hands. Ruby's keen eyes, filled with concern, studied Crystal.
There was a scrutinizing look in Ruby's eyes, one that Crystal had seen many times before.
Ever since Crystal had returned with the twins, Ruby had noticed a subtle shift in her younger sister's aura.
A strain had crept into Crystal's posture, and her normally sparkling eyes now swam with a tumultuous mix of emotions Ruby struggled to understand.
Ruby's gaze was unwavering as she observed Crystal's every move, her own thoughts swirling with concern.
She had witnessed the moment Crystal had laid eyes on the man on the screen...
Her posture seemed to fluctuate between tension and a deep longing.
Confusion, longing, helplessness, and doubt danced across her features, revealing the complex web of emotions that entangled her heart.
Ruby set her tea aside and leaned closer, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Crystal," she began softly, "is everything okay?"
The question lingered heavily in the air, a silent echo bouncing off the walls.
Crystal's gaze shifted from the screen to Ruby.
Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she struggled to form a response.
In that moment, the weight of the past and the uncertainty of the future merged.
Crystal was left caught between the echoes of her familial connection with Brandon and the reality of their fractured fates.
Ruby cut through the silence, her eyes darting toward the guards by the door.
"Kids, can you play in the next room for a bit? Aunt Ruby needs to talk to mommy about some grown-up stuff."
After the kids left the room, Ruby wasted no time and quickly positioned herself in front of Crystal, pointing an accusatory finger at her nose.
"Spill!" she demanded, her voice filled with urgency.
Crystal averted her gaze, avoiding Ruby's piercing eyes, and replied in a feigned innocence,
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Ruby wasn't buying it.
She raised an eyebrow, her patience wearing thin.
"Drop the act, Crystal," she retorted firmly. "Is he the mysterious man?"
Crystal's eyes darted nervously around the room as she bit her lip and muttered,
"Of course not…"
Ruby's fingers tightened around her cup, her emotions wrestling between concern and burning curiosity.
With a deep breath, she looked intently at her sister,
"Omg… It is him, isn't it?!"
Panicking, Crystal lunged forward, pressing a hand firmly over Ruby's mouth.
Her eyes, wide with a mix of urgency and fear, locked onto her sister's.
"SHHH!! Keep your voice down, Ruby,"
She hissed urgently, her grip tightening on Ruby's mouth.
Ruby's muffled protests filled the air, her eyes wide with astonishment and curiosity. She tried to form words through Crystal's hand, her expressions a jumble of confusion and curiosity.
"Uhmmm… Ermmm… Hmmmm…"
She managed to mumble, her eyes fixed on Crystal's intense gaze.
Crystal's glare intensified as she leaned in closer, whispering fiercely,
"Promise me you'll keep your voice down!"
Crystal slowly released her hold on Ruby's mouth, keeping a watchful eye on her sister's every move, ensuring her promise was kept.
Ruby took a deep breath, composing herself for a moment before bursting out again, unable to contain her curiosity any longer.
"YOU! How did you...! When?!"
She started, her voice escalating before Crystal's hand swiftly covered her mouth once more.
Crystal's eyes bore into Ruby's, a mix of warning and desperation evident in her gaze.
Ruby, realizing the seriousness of the situation, finally acquiesced, she raised her hands in surrender.
Slowly removing her hand, Crystal put her finger over her mouth.
Ruby nodded then whispered,
"Tell me! How did you two meet? Where? Weren't you on a mission overseas?"
Crystal's eyes filled with a mixture of reluctance and vulnerability as she turned to face Ruby, realizing that her sister wouldn't let the matter rest until she had the truth.
"I never said…"
Crystal began, her voice trailing off.
Ruby scoffed, a knowing smile playing on her lips.
"You can lie to anyone, Crystal, but I'm your sister,"
She said with a hint of amusement.
"Ever since you were a kid, you'd bite your lip before you told a lie."
A wave of reluctance washed over Crystal.
She let out a sigh, realizing that there was no escape from this confrontation.
Closing her eyes, Crystal drew a deep, steadying breath, bracing herself against the memories that threatened to break her resolve.
As she let her breath out, memories surged forth — of that fateful night bathed in fire and shadow, of the vital intel they were meant to retrieve, and of the comrade she'd promised to bring back alive.
She found herself in the center of a war-ravaged landscape, the screams of the dying intertwined with the staccato of gunfire.
As the dark silhouettes advanced, one of her fallen comrades gasped,
"It's a trap... we're doomed."
Crystal, the squadron leader of an elite special operations team, engaged in a fierce battle against a well-armed mercenary group.
RATATATATATA~
Bullets tore through the air, and one by one, Crystal's teammates fell.
Taking cover behind a crumbling wall, Crystal felt the vibrations of machine gun rounds biting into the concrete, threatening to breach her fragile shield.
An urgent cry from her commanding officer resonated in her comms,
"Retreat! Retreat! We have been compromised! It's an ambush!" the voice boomed.
With a scowl, Crystal poked her weapon around the edge of her cover, returning fire at the shadowy figures.
"I CAN FUCKING SEE THAT!"
She spat back, the adrenaline spiking her heart rate.
Suddenly, a grenade skittered ominously towards her…
With reflexes honed by years of training, she propelled herself away from her cover, the lethal payload detonating a heartbeat later.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The force of the explosion reverberated through the battlefield, the shockwave shaking her to her very core.
A symphony of agony flared across her body, her vision blurring as she fought against the encroaching darkness.
In her disoriented state, she caught a glimpse of a squad of gunners dressed in all black, their faces obscured by devil masks, rushing in to repel the enemy.
As her consciousness teetered on the edge, a man knelt beside her, his mask removed.
Through the murky haze of her fading sight, she caught a glimpse of his face - strikingly handsome with penetrating black eyes and hair as dark as midnight.