“We are a sub-section of World Gear. I’m sure you’ve heard of our agency’s great accomplishments.” Dr. Verrat said, wearing a heavy-duty gas mask.

  “Never heard of you, now get lost. Before I make you.”

  My mother reached into her cloth and pulled out three small pouches and an assortment of pellets..

  “I met Dr. Verrat beforehand?” I asked, wide-eyed and astonished at this fresh scene in my memories.

  “It seems so.”

  “We at World Gear are here to save all of you from your predicament. I’m sure living here in the toxic wastelands of Laeva is taking a toll on your body. We’re here to liberate you all from these terrible living conditions and bring you to a place where you can breathe some fresh air.” Dr. Verrat said. Even with his gas mask on, I could tell he was smiling underneath.

  “With countless men and weapons? Very welcoming.” My mother said with a glare.

  “Well, countless corrupted animals roam in these parts. Is it not reasonable to come with protection?”

  “I suppose so. Yet your weapons are pointed toward us at the moment. Do you see us as corrupted animals?”

  “If you prove to be hostile, then my vision may go bad in my old age.”

  I looked at my younger self’s expression. He had a mixture of distrust and hope on his face. I know myself best. He wanted to leave the continent the first chance he got, but he knew these people weren’t trustworthy.

  My father lowered his ax and put his other hand out.

  “We have no quarrel with you. However, we wish to stay here. There are other residents of this place that are sure to take you up on your offer, but we are not one of them. Leave us in peace.”

  “I’m afraid that won’t be possible. You see, we are looking for certain individuals who could help with our research of the Rust and it’s mutative properties. Many of the people we’ve already acquired are young, but very weak. However, you two look to be in your mid-40s, and even have a son! That leads me to believe you may be the people we’re looking for.”

  My father looked toward Lazarus with a grimace.

  “Son….I’m afraid that we’ll soon have to put your training to the test.”

  Lazarus pulled out a knife and looked at all of his potential opponents.

  “Don’t worry father, I won’t slow you down.”

  “Edel, do you have the–?”

  “They’re already prepared, Aelius. I’m ready whenever you are.” My mother responded.

  “Very good. Prepare for battle!”

  Dr. Verrat raised his hand and smiled.

  “We don’t need them alive. Just make sure their organs aren’t too damaged.”

  The men all turned on their lasers and aimed.

  “Edel!”

  My mother spun and threw the pellets along with some black dust as they opened fire. The moment a bullet pierced through the black dust it ignited causing a chain explosion.

  From the explosion, small shards of the pellets sprang out and pierced the gear of at least half of the men.

  “Aaagh…..AAUGHHHH!”

  Their screams all rang out as the wounds that had been created from the shards had turned the affected areas a mixture of purple and red.

  “What are those?”

  “Deadly poison. My mother was a herbalist. However, there weren’t many remedies she could make in this environment, so most of her attempts to make a panacea ended up turning into types of poison. This one induces hallucinations and extraordinary pain.”

  “A useful skill to have.”

  “I never got the hang of it. I still only know the basics.” I said, staring intently at the carnage before me.

  “Aaaagh….the screams! Get out of my head!”

  “My daughter…..where have you gone, my daughter?!”

  The men were all screaming different things in their hallucinatory rage. From the smoke, Lazarus ran out and stabbed one of the hallucinating men in the head.

  “He’s just a kid!”

  “Grab him!”

  As Lazarus wreaked havoc with his small frame in the chaos, I turned my attention to my father.

  About 50 feet away, my father was having a similar experience, although the skill difference was apparent. While Lazarus had to use surprise tactics and misdirection to land fatal blows, my father was running through them with no difficulty at all. No tactic, just him and his ax, cleaving people left and right. He swung his giant ax as if it were nothing, with the ground cracking from the weight of his swings.

  Amidst the chaos they were both creating, my mother was stabbing their necks with needles. Whenever she did, they would quickly begin foaming at the mouth.

  “Stay still, woman!” One of them yelled

  A man charged at her in an attempt to grab her, but she twirled gracefully behind him and he suddenly fell unconscious.

  “.....Astounding.” I couldn’t help but say under my breath. “How are they both moving so quickly without a gift? They’re both moving faster than No.4.”

  “Hold on, how can I see this if these are my memories? We’re looking at this from above as if we’re watching a scene, but I would have no knowledge of things happening on the other side of the battlefield.”

  “It’s due to your gift. You never realized it, but the reason why your spatial awareness is so astounding is a passive effect of your gift. You were aware of each individual on the battlefield at that moment. Think of it as similar to a sonar.”

  “Lazarus sweetie, if you could shoot the bag I just threw up in the air, please!”

  Lazarus looked up and aimed a gun he stole at the bag and shot it with near-perfect accuracy. The bag burst apart, and dust fell around the battlefield.

  “Some type of poison? Fool! We’re all wearing masks!”

  “Lazarus, Aelius, get back!” My mother yelled as she jumped away from the battlefield.

  They both listened to her as they retreated back in the direction of the tents. However, on Lazarus’s way back, he wasn’t focused on his surroundings. He received a heavy blow to his left side from a soldier who hadn’t been disabled or disoriented.

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  “Gagh!”

  A blunt blow to the side from a man at least triple his weight was not something he could just shrug off. He tried to swing his knife as he staggered, but he no longer had the reach or energy to jump and hit vital points. The soldier disarmed Lazarus and pinned him to the ground.

  “Lazarus!”

  “You little brat….you killed over ten of us because of how small you were, but you can’t do shit now that you’re pinned, can you?”

  “Urgh!”

  Suddenly, a large axe whizzed through the air and dug itself into his captor’s head. With a thud, he fell to the side, and Lazarus freed himself from his body. He tried to remove the ax from his body, but couldn’t muster the strength to pull it.

  “Ignore the ax, Lazarus. Get over here before it happens! NOW!”

  Lazarus stumbled over as my mother grabbed him and carried him back over to the tent. The men did not give chase as most of them were attempting to tend to their crazed companions, and the others were wary of my mother, who had two more pouches in her hand.

  “What the hell are you doing?! Shoot them! They’re not close to you anymore!” Dr. Verrat yelled from a distance.

  However, when they raised their guns and aimed them, they noticed it. Their guns were melting. Not only that, but parts of their clothes, including their masks, were melting.

  “W-What is this?!”

  “My mother’s own original creation. Concentrated Rust combined with toxic chemicals created a highly potent acid in the form of dust. It was truly a fearsome weapon.” I mused silently.

  “Aaaaagh! It burns!”

  “N-No, my mask! I….can’t breathe!”

  “Mother…..it hurts.”

  Some of the dust seems to have landed on Lazarus’s forearm. It was corroding and marring the skin, but it wasn’t melting yet. My mother quickly reached into her cloth and rubbed a greenish-gray cream on his arm. As she placed him inside the tent before kissing him on the head.

  “Stay here and don’t come out until we say so, ok? You did great.”

  “Your pain tolerance is pretty high, though, right? Why do you look so beaten?”

  “The acid isn’t just for melting. It’s highly concentrated Rust remember? Just getting one piece of dust on you makes it seep into your body and start corroding it from the inside. I have resistance to it, but it only delays it. It made my entire body feel numb and weak. I also…did just get hit in the head.” I said, glancing at the wisp.

  “Was that cream the antidote?” The voice asked.

  “The only one,” I responded, my memories becoming clearer.

  My mother exited the tent to see a relaxed Dr. Verrat as he was saying something while pressing his ear. The men who were previously attacking us were a disorganized mess, and their numbers were reduced to less than 10. The remaining men were hesitant to engage because of the recent events, and seemed more fearful than willing.

  “Your little family has certainly made quick work of our forces. You two really are extraordinary…..or should I say you three?” Verrat said while glancing at the tent Lazarus was in.

  “Stay away from our son.”

  “No need to fret, I won’t kill him. Children have far more use than adults for the research I’m doing. Regardless, our time together has come to an end. The hero has arrived.”

  “Hero? You don’t mean….” My father grimaced, clenching his fists.

  My eyes widened, and I trembled with rage. I feel like form in this place was about to disperse due to the tempest of emotions inside me. Landing in front of my parents was a slightly younger Zagra.

  “You needed my assistance, Doctor?” He said, taking a few steps to steady himself.

  “I believe we have found the specimens we’ve been looking for. They are of sound body and mind, and have easily dispatched our trained men. What’s even better is they were well enough to have a child.”

  “Then you think…..?”

  “Yes, if I am able to analyze their bodies, I may be able to heavily dampen your daughter’s gift and create a corroding substance for the flowers blooming inside her.”

  “Say no more. Dead or alive?”

  “It doesn’t matter, whichever’s easier for you. If you choose to incinerate them, make sure to leave their bones intact; those are the main things I need. Oh, but leave the child in the tent alive. He could prove useful.”

  “Very well.”

  “Hello, Hero. I would say welcome back, but I can’t say your presence here is a good one!” My father said loudly.

  Zagra narrowed his eyes, and his face lit up in surprise. “Yes, yes, I remember you. You were there when I sealed that thing spewing this toxic air. I see it hasn’t gotten any better.” He said, looking around.

  “I warned you that an overabundance of energy colliding with it would be a temporary solution. It’s only going to get worse in the long run!” My father roared with rage.

  “I only needed a temporary solution so we could figure out a real solution!” He retorted.

  “Five years ago?! Tell me, how is that solution faring? Swimmingly, I’m assuming, or is that just what you told your people?”

  “I did what I could!” He screamed, flames bursting from his body. “I can only do so much!”

  “No, you did what you wanted to do. You lost your wife to its affliction, and you acted on emotion!”

  “Don’t speak of my wife, foreigner!”

  Flames burned brightly from Zagra’s very being as he held his hand out.

  “I trust you to be good enough parents to protect your child from this.” He said, glaring at my father.

  “Edel! Shield Lazarus! HURRY!”

  She ran back into the tent and hugged my younger self tightly.

  “…..Mother?” Lazarus whispered., his voice quivering.

  “I love you.” She responded, a bright smile on her face as she clenched him tight.

  I couldn’t stop myself from flying down as fast as I could. I reached out my hand to my mother, who was about to throw her life away for me.

  “No, don’t!” I screamed, trying desperately to change something that was impossible to alter.

  I watched in horror as a widespread heat blast passed through my father and incinerated the tents around my younger self. The only thing protecting my younger self from the intense heat was my mother, who, despite facing immense burns on her back, continued to hold onto my younger self.

  Tears were flowing down her face as she fell to the side, with my younger self looking forward in a daze. In front of her was my father, who was unrecognizable after the attack. Even though almost all remnants of skin had been erased, he remained frozen with his hands outstretched to the side. Even in death, stalwart in protecting his family.

  My younger self’s skin was charred on all sides, but because of my mother, he didn’t take any internal damage.

  “….What? I…..huh? Mother? What’s wrong? Get up. Mom?”

  My younger self kept shaking her, but there was no response. Tears began streaming from his eyes.

  “Father, something is wrong with Mother. Maybe you know? I know you told me not to cry, but I’m really worried! Father?”

  His eyes were completely blank. I could tell. Seeing that scene made everything that happened flow back into me. I remember everything. I had met Zagra before, that’s why he seemed so familiar to me.

  “I’m assuming you can handle the child, Dr. Verrat?”

  “You don’t even want to give your condolences to the son of the parents you just killed?”

  “Condolences? My words will not soothe that child’s heart.” He said, grimacing with slight guilt on his face.

  After saying that, fiery wings formed on his back, and he flew up in the sky, away from sight.

  “He….never even saw me,” I said under my breath. “He just killed my parents and left. We never even saw each other face-to-face, I wasn’t worth it. That’s why he acted like I was just another random subject.” I realized, falling to my knees.

  After he left, my younger self stumbled out of the tent. Purple energy radiated from his body as he stared blankly at Dr. Verrat.

  “…..kill you. I’ll kill you all.” He said in a quiet voice.

  At this point, he had come to accept the reality. He couldn’t think straight. Lazarus’s only goal was to erase the lives of anything standing in front of him. Based on my appearance, this must have been when I first awakened to my gift.

  “Aaaaagh……..AUUUUUUGH!”

  “A partial awakening? Go on then, boy! Show me your gift! It’s rare to see an awakening fueled by hatred!” Dr. Verrat screamed with excitement.

  He held both hands out, charging up energy in waves I could feel even from up above. Then suddenly, a black and red bolt struck my younger self. It came inexplicably, and the aura around me faded. His eyes rolled in the back of his head, and he fell to the ground unconscious.

  After that happened, the area around me changed to an endless sea with a setting sun in the background. I was standing on top of the water, staring at the black and red ball of wisp floating in front of me.

  “That’s when I entered your body. That was the start of it all.”

  Upon having my memories returned to me, all I could do was stare at it in complete silence. Then, after what felt like an eternity, I finally mustered the sense to speak.

  "Why?" I asked, straining my voice.

  “Why…..what?”

  “Why do you keep stopping me from activating my power? Why did you alter my memories? What….the hell even are you?! Where did you even come from?! The time for answers has come, and....” I started, making a finger gun to my head as purple energy crackled from my finger. "Unless you want whatever is left of us to be extinguished, you will tell me."