● Unknown
Exact Location: Unknown.
Leo Silas walked up to a camera he had set up at the end of the room. He curbed and calmly fixed it while mumbling to himself. He wore his usual white shirt and trousers, and his gray hair was neatly combed back.
After fixing the camera, he switched on a light that lit up the room, revealing three male humans that were tied in the middle of the room. They struggled to unhand themselves and muffled different words but it was all useless as the rope around their wrist was tightly bound.
Behind the said humans were five Grey Landers all wearing the same outfit the gray-haired man was but with a mask covering their face. They all stood straight, holding their hands in front of them and keeping a stern expression on.
Silas stood in front of the camera and cleared his throat. His expression was determined yet sombre. He begins to speak, his voice echoing through the room as he went on.
"Every decision I make, every decision I have made, from the moment I took to the street to speak against the world enders to this day that the Greyes granted me the courage to take actions against them, it is for a purpose greater than myself."
The gray-haired man walked up to a nearby desk and picked up a small gun. One of the captives screamed through the cloth covering his mouth and managed to cut the rope binding his legs as he struggled. He stood to run but the Grey Landers behind him tackled him back to the ground. Without hesitation, he pulled out a dagger from his back pocket and slit the man's throat, dropping him dead on the ground. The man slipped the dagger back into its scabbard and returned to his position.
Silas nonchalantly turned back to the camera and continued speaking. "This is not about personal gain or glory, but about standing up for what is right, even when it seems impossible--- so, as you watch this live feed, know that every step we take is fueled by a belief in a brighter future, no matter the cost."
He loaded the gun and strolled behind the captives. "This is not just a recording to provocate the Star Lord or anyone else out there, we the 'True Believers' are sending this video out as the first bullet shot in a new war we are waging… we will continue on this path until we annihilate every human out there, and any believer who takes against us shall be considered an enemy of the Greyes and will receive the same punishment."
Silas raised the gun and aimed it at one of the men's heads. "Esna elrytra victos."
BANG! BANG!
.
.
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● Satellite
Exact Location: The Jenkins's home.
Liam stood outside the house, his hand only a few inches from the doorbell. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for the conversation he knew he needed to have.
He summoned the courage he needed to press the bell before slipping his hand into his pocket and tapping his feet nervously on the ground. When Thalia opened the door, her eyes were tired and red-rimmed from tears.
Liam's heart sank at the sight of her pain, but there was a flicker of surprise and perhaps a hint of relief in the red-haired lady's gaze as she saw him standing there.
Thalia wore a white oversized T-shirt that covered the blue shorts she had on. Her hair was made in an updo style and she had large framed glasses over her eyes.
Without a word, she stepped aside, allowing him to enter her home, the silence between them heavy with unspoken emotions.
Liam cleared his throat, the words he had rehearsed a thousand times suddenly escaping him. He fumbled for the right way to start, his voice cracking before he finally managed to speak. "Thalia, I... I'm so sorry," he began, his eyes pleading for her understanding.
"I should have been here for you. I should have been by your side after... after everything that happened."
Thalia's expression softened, a mix of hurt and longing in her eyes as she listened to his words. She remained silent, allowing him to continue, her gaze never leaving his face.
The teal green-eyed man inhaled sharply before speaking again. "I feel so stupid," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "I can't believe I let my fears and insecurities get in the way of being there for you when you needed me the most. I was selfish, and I was wrong. I don't expect you to forgive me, but I needed to tell you how sorry I am."
Thalia's silence stretched between them, leaving the weight of unspoken words hanging in the air. Finally, she spoke, her voice soft but firm. "Liam, I... I appreciate your honesty," she said, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I won't pretend that your absence didn't hurt me, but I understand that we all have our struggles to bear. I wish you had been here, but I also know that sometimes we need to handle our problems… face our demons alone."
As they continued to talk, the tension in the room slowly disappeared, replaced by an air of mutual understanding and acceptance.
The teal green-eyed man removed his hand from his pocket to reveal the necklace he had taken from the Forbidden Zone. "I was going to give this to Cole for his birthday, but… I don't know."
Thalia furrowed. "Why?"
The teal green-eyed man raised his brows. "What do you mean?"
She let out a broken chuckle before collecting the necklace from him to closely inspect it. "Cole doesn't even use accessories and you planned on giving him a necklace? Really?"
Liam shrugged. "I've never really gifted anything to anyone, and everyone understood that and expected nothing from me, but I thought I should-- you know, surprise him with that after I picked it up from the Zone."
The red-haired lady smiled and looked at the necklace again. "Yeah, we really need to work on your gift selection."
"We do, don't we?" Liam smiled as he noticed the tears in Thalia's eyes had disappeared and she was now smiling.
The red-haired lady looked up to see Liam staring at her. "What?"
"Just thinking maybe you should have the necklace, I bet it'll look good on you."
"You think?" She probed.
"I know…" he replied. "Let me put it on for you."
The red-haired lady veered around, allowing Liam to wear the necklace on her neck. Once he was done, she turned back. "It's so light I barely even feel its weight on my body."
"And it looks perfect on you, Tails."
"Tails?" She scoffed. "You haven't called me that since our shopping spree at the mall." She smiled. "I know we promised to never talk about that night, but I never got to mention that I had a really good time."
They stared into each other's eyes for a while. A blaring silence filled the room as the two held onto each other's gaze.
"What's burning?" Liam said, breaking the moment.
Thalia's eyes widened and she let out a low scream. "No, no, no, no!" She muttered while running into the kitchen. "No! It's all burnt, this is your fault, Liam, I only wanted to have some chocolate and..." Her words trailed off.
She returned to the living room with a forced frown on her face. "It is completely ruined."
"On the bright side, you get to have my cooking."
She smiled widely. "Oh, finally another Grayson special, tonight is gonna be a blast."
The teal green-eyed man mirrored her expression and took off his jacket.
....