I looked to the window, I saw kids playing on the sand, some were swimming. I live near the sea, my parents own a resort. If only I could go out and play with them but the only thing is... I am allergic to dust like sand.
I really want to feel and touch the sand. It felt good touching it when I was young. I also want to make sandcastles, I want to form something with the sand. I want to call my friends and play with the sand.
If only, I am not allergic to sand, such a curse. If I had a superpower, it would be something like sand. I could use it to kill my bullies at school. When they found out I was allergic to dust, they started to use it against me.
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"Mateo! Behind you!" Yuri shouted at Mateo
Mateo went to his right, dodging the attack of the sand. I looked over the sand, hoping to find Elyzer. Where are you, at this rate, he is going to die. We are not going to leave someone behind.
Mateo is just standing on the right corner of the store, waiting for signals. Both of his arms and legs are blazing with green aura like a kindling fire. Blood flowing out of his eyes. He is just staring, poor guy.
"SCREEHEHEHE!"
The raptor is crying and running around. It doesn't look like he is going inside to help Elyzer, but I think he knows something. When we got to the hiding spot,, before Mateo came, he said he could communicate with his ability.
Maybe he is communicating with his raptor, the raptor is the only way we know he is alive. He should use his raptor to help us find him, but aren't sure what this sand can do.
There is someone controlling this sand, and the one controlling it is a man. Why would he want to kill us? And why would the others who destroyed this city cause destruction?
This ability we have, has been a year now. But in that 1 year, no one used it for destruction, only for fighting your bullies, enemy, or who sees who's stronger.
Something caught my eye, something in the air. Green particles, like Mateo's when he punches. But those green particles are not coming from Mateo. I followed where it is coming from, it is from Elyzer's raptor.
I followed where the green particles are going, it is going to the sand. The green particles went through the sand, going inside the spot. I looked at the raptor, the raptor is looking at me. He started shaking his head, like a pointing shake.
I looked at where it is pointing, he is pointing at the spot where the green particles go. I think the raptor knows, he is signaling me.
"Guys! I found Elyzer!" I shouted to the others
"Where?"
I pointed to the spot where the green particles are going.
"Nice one, but how do we make Mateo go there?"
He is right, the spot is far away from the spot. We started thinking, looking around in how we guide Mateo to Elyzer.
"Mateo, I have an idea, but I need you to help me with it"
"Y-yes, okay"
Yuri emerged out roots and veins out of his right arm.
"I am going to use my veins to travel to that shelf just near you, you are going to use that shelf to walk over towards Elyzer. But like what happened before, the sand caught my veins and turned it into dried veins. And the three of you, please guide Mateo for any incoming attacks most of his blind spots"
The veins and roots extended out of Yuri's arm. It extended and travelled towards the shelf on Mateo's right. We watched carefully around. The veins reached Mateo's distance. A tentacle sand shoots out from the sand.
"Mateo, just right in front of you, below!" Stephanie yelled
Mateo heard our signal and was alerted. I raised his right arm and swung it towards in front of him
*BAng*
It made a thunderous sound, a sound and loud like a gunshot. He hit Yuri's veins and roots. The veins and roots dropped to the sand in an instant. Yuri started recalling his veins and roots before it sinks in the quicksand.
"You hit my veins!"
"I am sorry okay, it is hard to be blind and I am not used to having strong ears, I just heard sand from below and I thought it is what you are mentioning"
"Okay, I will do it again"
Yuri again extended his veins and roots. It reached Mateo's position, the tentacle sand from the ground shot out again.
*Bang*
Mateo swung his arm, hitting Yuri's veins.
"What the hell men!"
"I just heard sand from that direction!"
Looks like Mateo is good with echolocation, but accidentally hit Yuri's veins and roots.
"Here I go again"
The roots and travelled again mid air, this time, Yuri is going to travel his ability behind Mateo. It passed through. A sand behind suddenly shot out a tentacle.
"There you are!
*Bang*
Mateo turned around and again punched Yuri's ability.
"This feeling, did I punch your veins and roots again?"
"Yes, and I understand it now. The controller of this sand to make sound leading to you punching my ability"
"That makes sense!"
It looked like Yuri had found out.
"I have an idea! Wrap around your veins and roots around me and continue to grow it to the shelf you guys are talking about"
"Oooohh, great idea!"
Yuri extended his ability again. Yuri's ability wrapped around the waist of Mateo. After the wrap, it continued extending on the other side, getting longer and longer.
The sand moved on the other side, Mateo was alerted.
*Bang*
"Shit! Sorry"
Mateo again hit Yuri's veins, Yuri pulled his ability, going up to Mateo, and started travelling again. They made Mateo's body as a checkpoint.
"Mateo, how about waiting for our signal"
The veins extended, a tentacle went up and grabbed Yuri's ability.
"There, near you, kick below do not punch downwards!"
Mateo understood, he moved forward to his right and just swung his charged leg. He hit the sand, the tentacle sand turned into half and dropped into the ground.
"There we go, nice one"
Yuri's ability finally reached the nearby shelf. He tried to make it fall but it was stuck in the sand.
"I can't move the shelf, it is stuck!"
"You've reached the shelf? You said it is stuck right, wrap your ability around the shelf, I have another plan"
Yuri started to wrap his ability around the shelf. The foods that have been stuck on the shelf fell down as the veins and roots extended and bump into them.
"I hear sand on my left, can you guys check it?"
"We can't see it, we are far away from the window, it's dangerous if the sand can reach us"
I ran up to the window
"Oliver! Get back!"
I went to the window and peek below. There is sand wrapped around the veins of Yuri. It is going to dry the veins again. I summoned my boxer robot behind me, I commanded it to punch the sand.
I went out of the way, my bot went to the window. It leaned and punched the sand, turning the sand into half.
"It's set free now"
"Woah, is that your power?"
"Yep, I can spawn a robot"
The robot has a beautiful design, white frost armor with red lines, it also has a face that can show react or emotions.
"I can turn it into an automatic or manual"
Oliver boxed the air like he was training, the robot followed and mimicked Oliver's move without any delay.
"That's cool"
"Watch out behind you!"
Oliver and his robot turned around, there was a tentacle sand with a sharp head lunging at him. His robot punched the sand, turning into grains, landing to the ground.
"Can it do something?" Stephanie asked
The robot suddenly took out a loud murmuring chainsaw out of its hand.
"My kind of robot can only do chainsaws. The others or my friends, one of them have robot with sword, one with axe, one lazer sword and lots of more like any weapons. We use our bots for fighting like shows which one is better WITHOUT, using our robot's weapons. Good thing we don't feel pain when our robot gets hit"
Yuri's veins finally wrapped around the cabinet. The veins and roots squeezed the cabinet tightly, it cracked and broke off.
The half top of the cabinet fell to the sand, it sanked fast, but stopped after touching the ground below.
"There Mateo, face half right and jump a bit. The half cabinet would be there!"
"Okay!"
Mateo followed Yuri's order, facing half right. He jumped, he landed on top of the half cabinet.
"Walk forward until you reach the end. Elyzer will be now below you"
Mateo walked, he put his feet forward first to detect what he was stepping on. The sand started coming outside, attacking. I used automatic mode, letting my robot do its own thing. Slicing the incoming sand tentacles.
The attacker might have got irritated on us.
"Wait, what the... Elyzer is moving!"
I looked, the aura particles that are going towards Elyzer, are moving. The attacker is moving Elyzer around the sand!
Wait, you're telling me Elyzer is no longer here?"
"Yes, the attacker is moving him to your left. He moved his body behind that stand shelf in front of you"
A sand hand lunges out behind Mateo, a hand, it is going to push him down to the sand! Mateo suddenly turned around and punched the hand, woah, Mateo had strong senses.
He faces back at the shelf near him and punches it, destroying it and turning it into half and the upper half fell and sunk to the sand. Canned foods also flew and sunk in the sand.
"Now where is he!?" Mateo asked
I ran towards the door and looked, Mateo stepped on top of the upper half shelf he just punched.
"On your left!"
He faced left, suddenly, the aura particles moved, moving below him. It suddenly moved, coming her the to the right, going back where Mateo just came from.
"He went back where you just came from! He is making you move in circles!"
"Damn!"
Mateo went back, the sand moved Elyzer back again. Mateo heard that, he went back again, Elyzer went back again. Whoever is this mature man, is making fun of Mateo.
I am not even sure if Elyzer is still alive. The man may be moving a dead body or still protecting it, the raptor is still alive, moving and energetic. It is still using lines of aura pointing us to where Elyzer's position is.
It would be good if my robot go in and help but of course what we fear is the quicksand. Mateo knelt down and put his hand on the shelf he was stepping on.
He is doing something, the shelf started glowing with green aura. He might be channeling his aura like what he did with the rubble he threw minutes ago. He only put aura on the sides, he did not include the surface.
He stood up
*Bang*
The shelf made a loud explosion sound, sands flew off, some went to my clothes and some to the walls. The cabinet got destroyed, the area is now clear, no sands after the explosion Mateo made. Mateo landed.
"Where is Elyzer!?"
"On your left! He went to your right!"
He took something from the floor, it is a piece of a shelf he destroyed. The piece started glowing, emitting aura.
Elyzer kept going back and forth. He can't go anywhere because the shelf on the floor Mateo broke, are blocking the way. Mateo threw the piece in the middle.
*Bang*
I took a peek on what he did, it made a small crater, oh I see what he is planning. It is to prevent Elyzer to go back and forth.
The attacker has no where else to move Elyzer without Elyzer getting seen. It is stuck on Mateo's left.
"Whoever you are, please, release Elyzer and we will go away. That's all we want and we will leave!" Mateo shouted
No one replied, suddenly, someone jumped from the sand. It was Elyzer, it seems like he was thrown to the air. Elyzer's eyes opened, full of shock, he is alive.
"That's Elyzer you just heard Mateo, catch him"
Mateo went forward, he put both of his arms forward.
"Huh!?"
Below me, something caught my eye. Something moving. I looked below me, something is moving, moving going towards Mateo. The sand looked like water, showing what was moving.
But what is this moving thing? Maybe it's just a thing? Mateo caught Elyzer.
"Gotcha!"
Something jumped out of the sand behind Mateo, no, it is someone. A humanoid figure, a sand with a humanoid figure. The sand started turning into color, it is clothes, top and legs.
It is a man, his right hand looked like a sharp weapons. He is going to kill Mateo!
"You are going to die now!"
He stabbed Mateo from behind, he dropped Elyzer. Elyzer turned into grains of sand when it landed on the sand on the floor. It was a fake!
Mateo started falling down, down to the sand. This is not good!
*BAng*
A familiar explosion sound. Mateo started going upwards again, he used his aura explosion to boost himself back up in the air!
He turned around, the sharp sand the man used to stab Mateo broke. Mateo grabbed the man with his left hand on the throat and slammed him to the ground.
"That hurts!"
Mateo finally caught the attacker! Mateo kept him pinned down by the neck. The man wiggled, trying to escape but somehow he couldn't, maybe it was Mateo's strength.
"Damn your strong" the man muttered
Mateo stared blindly at him, blood that was flowing out from his eyes dripping on the man's face. The man turned his right arm into a sharp sickle sand. He swung it to Mateo's shoulder.
It only only dug in a bit on Mateo's hard skin, blood flowing out. Mateo raised his charged right arm and did a heavy strike on the man's face.
"Ukeee!"
"Somehow I pity you even if you blinded me or damaged my body. I am asking you to clean or recall all of your sands around this grocery store"
"Okay okay!"
The sand started moving, moving towards the man. The man is seeping the sands. It is like a small whirlpool on a pond. The man is seeping every sand in the store. Until there are no more.
There are dead bodies scattered around the ground, no signs of life of them.
Elyzer was revealed on the floor behind Mateo. He is somehow still breathing and alive, all of the sand on his body went to the man. He raised his body up, scratching his head.
"That was an uncomfortable experience in my life"
"Ukekeke uke!"
The raptor screeched and went to Elyzer to check on him.
"There! I got all the sand all around the floor.
*Tick!*
What was that tick sound I just heard? It sounded like it came from both of Mateo's charged leg.
"Let's go outside. If do something, I am ready to punch you again"
"Okay"
The man stood up, he is a bit taller than Mateo. Mateo has his hand on the man's clothes from behind. He led him outside.
"So, why are you killing people?"
"Huh? Well, I don't know"
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"This doesn't make any sense at all, but I am letting you go. If you try to attack again, my fully charged legs are ready to kick you!"
"Okay okay, thank you"
Mateo let go of the man's shirt. The man started running on the street, running away from us.
"Why did you let him go?" Oliver asked
"What do you want me to do? Kill him? No, that's not the kind of human I am"
"Maybe take him back to the hideout"
"It's dangerous mostly he killed people. If the man has some mental problems, he might hurt the civilians"
"Makes sense"
Elyzer came out of the store
"How are you still alive?" Yuri asked
"Right, when I was sucked in the sand, I used my raptor to give me the oxygen. My raptor smells the air, then turns the air into tiny aura particles, then passes it to me. Such a cool thing about my power"
"Woah, if I am the one who got sucked in, I will be dead"
"Soooooo"
Stephanie looked inside the store. There are dead bodies scattered around, a dead man, a dead woman, a dead teen, a dead.... Kid.
"There is no way I am going to enter and loot this store"
"I can use my veins to pick the others but, I think we're full. We might have looted a lot of foods and water that might last for 3 days"
"Yep, let's go"
"Guys"
We looked behind, Mateo is moving his hand in the air.
"Can you guide me? Don't you dare lead me"
"What happened?" Elyzer asked
"Mateo went inside and try to save you, during the process, the attacker blinded him using his sands"
Elyzer went to him and hold him on his back, he will be the one to guide Mateo. We started walking back to the hideout, carrying our looted foods.
"Hey Mateo, I still have my phone which still has 89%, which song do you like to hear"
"Hmmm, I want to hear Tumitibok by Mora Del Mar"
"Good choice"
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"There, you are healed, can you see now?"
I opened my eyelids, I was met by the face of our healer, Diana. I looked at my hands, I can see now! I miss my vision! Tears started to flow out my eyes, tears of joy. I wiped my tears with my hands. I spread both of my arms.
"Can I..... Have a hug?" I asked
"Wha wai we no wai huh, uhh, a hug!? Go hug someone else if you want one!" Diana replied, her cheeks red
"But, you're the one who saved me, my vision"
"Okay okay!"
Diana spread her arms wide, Mateo went to her and hugged her. Mateo hugged Diana tightly.
"Thank you thank you!" Mateo whispered under his breath
Mateo just cried silently. Mateo just hugged me tightly, he is somehow not letting go. Is this really how he shows it? This is kinda awkward but somehow, I kinda enjoy this hug.
It felt warm, it felt calming, it felt good. Mmmm, maybe hugging him back tightly won't hurt, maybe it will feel.... More better.
I tightly hugged, this embrace, felt so good. I want to keep like this forever.
...
Huh? Why do I feel some kind of an eerie and scary aura behind me? I looked behind, it was Luna looking at us, she is emitting dark scary aura. They were the new people whom Rias and Tambol found while Mateo and the others scavenged food.
Why does she look so angry? Mateo stopped sniffing and crying, he had calmed down. Mateo loosened his tight and started to let go. Uuuhh uhhhhhh! Please I want more! I hugged him tightly.
"It will be awkward if we keep hugging longer"
"Uhhh, it just felt good. Just a bit"
"I forgot to announce to everyone for those who went out and scavenge food. We have found new people, their names are Daniel, Xavier, Hannah, Gabriel, and Luna"
.....
Luna? L-l-l-l-luna!!! I opened my eyes and looked around, I saw Luna, the real Luna I know, staring at us, angrily, emitting dark scary aura.
"I think this is okay!"
I released my hug and pushed Jane away.
"Can I..... Can we do it again?"
AAAAAAAHHHH!!! Don't say that in front of Luna! I just secretly gave her a yes sign. She smiled happily and went away.
"M-M-Mateo, can I have a hug too?"
I looked to my left, it was Luna. Well, uh, if that something to calm you down, then okay.