I kept falling.
Everywhere was dim, dirty, and exactly how you would expect a smoking hole to look.
Soon after my feet touched the bottom, I almost tripped. It took me some time to gather my senses.
As expected, everywhere was dark. The base appeared vast, prompting me to consider starting to explore, but then someone touched me on the shoulder.
Whipping around, I pointed my pistols in the direction, yet I saw nobody.
Suddenly, a wavy sphere appeared and then I saw Fiora. "My ability is invisibility," she said with a laugh.
Curious, she asked, "What's yours?" With a puzzled expression, I said, "Vortex."
"Wow, so how does it actually work?" she asked. I didn't know how to answer, so I replied, "I don't know how it works or operates." "You're hopeless," she retorted.
We began to walk around, searching for our potential enemy. I realized that I never actually used my ability and didn't know how it worked or when to use it in battle.
However, we continued our search to no avail. The lack of progress was starting to become frustrating. In a moment of frustration, I shot a bullet upwards, which resulted in a loud bang.
To my surprise, it triggered a reaction. Someone dropped down—his red hair was like that of fire, blending shades of red and orange in the darkness.
His pale yellow skin contrasted against his fiery hair, and his youthful face bore a resemblance to my own.
Just as he landed, someone else jumped from the same hole. His pitch-black hair was the only distinguishable feature; the rest of his body was engulfed in dark smoke.
Recognizing the smoke from before we entered, I deduced that he was the one who produced the hole. The red-haired boy must have been responsible for burning the criminal.
Approaching the red-haired boy, a cloud of smoke burst forth from the black-haired boy's direction, obscuring my vision.
Uncertain of what to do, I instinctively held my left hand out while covering my nose and mouth with my right hand.
Miraculously, a spark ignited and a burst of light engulfed the area, dissipating the smoke. The black-haired boy looked at me in shock before Fiora incapacitated him.
After a while, the two boys regained consciousness. The black-haired boy attempted to stand, only to realize that he was securely bound with ropes.
Regrettably, we hadn't realized that we tied the red-haired boy with the same type of rope. The scent of fire permeated the air.
I rushed to incapacitate him, but instead, he unleashed a massive fireball at me. Evading the attack, I sprinted towards him, noticing that the floor beneath me grew unbearably hot.
A pillar of fire emerged from the floor, threatening to consume me. Yet, I felt the familiar tingling sensation in my hands.
With my palms outstretched, a spark followed, and all the fire was absorbed into my hands.
Turning my palms towards the red-haired boy, I released the fire back at him. A fiery explosion ensued, but he appeared unharmed.
Noticing he ceased his attacks, I refrained as well. With the surroundings now illuminated by fire, I saw he was slightly younger than me.
"Why did you stop attacking?" I inquired. He met my gaze and responded, "If you were a criminal, you wouldn't possess an ability. Only those who are like us have abilities."
I gestured for Fiora to release the black-haired boy. The two of them approached one another, introducing themselves in succession. "My name is Mercius," declared the red-haired boy, "My name is Criano," the black-haired boy followed. "We're brothers."
Looking at both of them, I said, "My name is Jason." Fiora stepped forward and introduced herself, "My name is Fiora."
"Now that we know each other a bit better, why don't we protect each other until the night is over?" I suggested.
We all agreed. "First, let's get out of this hole," proposed Mercius. He gazed upwards, lowering his hands in preparation, while Criano knelt, his hands pressed against the floor.
Black smoke enveloped our legs, forming a circle where we stood.
"Explode!" Mercius commanded, and with a powerful boom, we were propelled upwards.
Finally emerging from the hole, we scanned the surroundings. It seemed that no one was nearby.
"Is everyone okay?" I asked, turning to Fiora. She appeared unscathed. Both Criano and Mercius nodded. Exhausted, I settled down. "Fiora, do you sense anyone nearby?"
Becoming invisible, Fiora said she'd check. Turning to Mercius, I said, "I'm going to take a nap. If anything happens, just wake me up."
Gently closing my eyes, I drifted into sleep...