He didn't speak. The light from the lanterns shone directly on him, a group of silhouettes approached to tie him up and despite everything, he was treated decently. He was immediately transferred to the new bunker. Walking through the halls, he saw familiar faces, among them Luna, who slightly averted her gaze when she saw him go by, as if she knew something, as if she felt guilty.
After being locked up under strict guard, Commander Kylen went inside to confer with Zev.
"I never imagined it would be you, so many things happened to me but how funny, right? I'm cool and they take advantage of me, if I were more like the reinforcements I would have everything under control and I would have already saved the world but that's not how things happen," he paused to lean back in his seat, "to be honest my plans are over, I don't know what to do with you, you have a lot to contribute, I can't let you die."
Zev resisted, he felt that Kylen could be a great support but he didn't want to open up, not until he cleared his head.
"Why don't you say anything?" He looked at him closely. "How powerful is the fire loop? It must have been difficult, Evander found Ocean burning in flames, she could even die…"
Zev's eyes widened in shock, he even glanced at Kylen, then back down at the ground. He left him alone, the days passed and the boy still didn't say a single word, maybe the trauma of being in the fire for so long had left him speechless or so they thought.
"I just can't believe I'm here," recognized the voice.
Behind the glass door was Evander staring at him, Zev examined him, he had burns that healed on his wrists and forearms, he wondered what had happened to him, if he had fought Ocean.
"It makes me want to kill him with my bare hands," he said again behind the door, "right now I could release my poison in that room and watch him die slowly, I could lock him in my loop because it's not fair that he comes to our dimension with an air of believing god and ruin Ocean's life when he doesn't even know her, I could torture him in a thousand ways," he hit the glass making Zev look at him and once he got his look he continued, "I could stick sharp objects in his eyes but I'd rather go make love to my girl."
He emphasized the last thing, making love to his girl, to Ocean, Evander knew Zev's weaknesses and what he said was a provocation, he wasn't going to waste time trying to make him talk but deep down he was sure that it would bother him and so on. Zev began to move from the chair where he was tied as the guards came to control him.
Evander leered at him, having achieved his goal, then made sure Zev was still looking at him and unbuttoned his pants as he walked away. The boy noticed in the distance a silhouette that seemed to be Ocean and saw how the boy approached her to corner her against the wall.
Zev tried to get out of the restraints without saying anything, only grunts came out of his mouth but the guards calmed him down, light and short tears flowed from his eyes, he imagined an erotic scene between Evander and Ocean, that caused him great pain, thinking about what another man would make her reach heaven, listening to how another man made her moan would be torture worse than the loop of fire.
Zev's thoughts were running back and forth in his head, he was undecided whether to speak when Ocean walked through the door or not, yet he wouldn't have the courage to look her in the face.
Being quieter and at night, Luna went in to talk to him.
"Sorry Zev, I took them to you, I wanted to get stronger so I practiced with my power, I knew I would be able to find the temperature of people who were even inside loops and when I found out you were outside it was easier to track you, you don't need to say nothing, I know you don't want to be here, nobody does, but there's nowhere to go out there, this is better than nothing, besides, without Milo there was no one here to tell everything that happened to me, especially the two times I saw to Ocean and Evander to do things…. You already know…"
Luna was blushing and she didn't think about it, she just said it, Zev frowned, it was noticeable that he was uncomfortable and upset by the comment, imagining those two making love was enough but confirming it was worse, he looked at the door for a while and then to Luna, they were fleeting glances that invited her to leave the room because he didn't want to see or hear her, she hadn't done him any harm but for some reason Zev didn't like her anymore.
"You know what?" She looked at him as she stood up, "fuck you Zev, you're a loser."
Zev had never seen Luna in that way, those words made him think a lot, people could change at any moment, the girl came to the door and before leaving she painted her middle finger, leaving him completely perplexed.
The days went by and he didn't say anything, he was surprised by the good treatment and good food he received but still without speaking, he thanked him with small bodily gestures.
"The resistance doesn't use violence, the reinforcements do, but we don't, not with ours," Kylen said, giving him a chocolate bar.
After much thought, Zev was willing to talk if Ocean visited him, however she never showed up, she never looked for him, she didn't even care that he escaped her loop, he wanted to see her, talk to her but again, it was as if he didn't exist, Ocean didn't owe Zev anything so there was no reason to get close which made him very sad.
He heard some applause accompanied by a light and barely audible chant, two men crossed the door causing Zev astonishment.
"Enough with your vow of silence, being a rebel is not for you. "
Zev wanted to talk but he wouldn't do it with one of them present, he bit his lip drawing a little blood.
"Milo, get behind me and praise me," he ordered, crossing his arms.
Zev saw how his brother obeyed without objecting or resisting, something was wrong, his behavior was strange.
"Milo!" Zev exclaimed in his thoughts.
"Milo won't talk to you, only I can make him go back to normal, now stop playing games," he put his hand to his chin to give another order, "Milo licks the floor I walk on."
"Stop!" He finally spoke when he saw how his brother was about to humiliate himself, "What did you do to my brother?"
"He is hypnotized by my voice," he made gestures with his fingers while a fine wave wrapped his hand, "I can manipulate the water, also people."
Ayden looked at Zev with disdain, out of all of them, he was the only one who managed to make him talk without using his hypnotic power on him.
"You hide something, the water doesn't lie, in it I can see your reflection, tell me everything and I will free your brother."
Zev listened very closely to the waves of the sea crashing against the rocks, without realizing from one second to the next he had confessed against his will an endless number of things, including his relationship with the Ocean of his dimension.