"You're weak," an older boy said, brushing a hand through his black hair. "If you can't be strong, then..."
Graham looked up weakly, his body bruised and battered. He winced as a red beam sword was pressed against his forehead, icily cutting into his skin.
The grey-haired boy, only six years old, fell backwards onto his back, scrambling away from the teen.
"Don't let others know that you're weak."
The cold blue eyes cut into Graham's soul. He felt as if the look cut sharper than the sword of furious mana had. In fact, in his mind, he was already bisected.
He sniffled, tears of fear welling up in his eyes, but the older boy simply stared at him blankly.
Just then, the dark-haired boy turned towards the doors to the training room, and seconds later, researchers in black lab coats came rushing in.
"What do you think you're doing?!" A blond man—his hair greying with age—yelled, enraged. "Who authorised this exchange, Stephan?!"
The teen—Stephan—didn't acknowledge the adults; instead, he looked back at Graham.
"If you don't follow my advice," he said, his voice as soulless as his face and eyes. "You will certainly die."
He turned and walked away.
"Hey Stephan!"
The researchers ran after him, begging for his attention as if he were the one in charge and not them.
Graham stayed in place. Shaking to his bones, he attempted to convince his nerves that the threat had passed. That he was okay, and he would be going home soon. He looked at the hard, reflective material that lined the walls of the space, unsure if someone was on the other side today or not.
He wanted to hide his embarrassment, his shame. His jaw clenched, frustrated at himself for feeling fear at looking into his own eyes because they reminded him of the monster he had just faced.
Graham slammed his fist into the ground, and at the same time, a light tremor rocked through the facility.
He paused in shock.
'Was that... me?' his young mind tried to process.
Then he heard a commotion outside. Running out to where the noise was the loudest, he laid eyes on the sight that would define the rest of his life from that moment onward.
The ashen-haired child's heart fell, his eyes drifting to what the others were staring at.
A blue-black-haired boy soared high above, glancing down from the heights just below the high ceilings, his left hand outstretched. Below him was a miniature crater, and before Graham could process anything else—
Boom
"Is it just me, or has the lightning started getting closer?" Hugo called out, rain battering his face despite the green raincoat that covered his frame.
Graham snapped out of his trance, his expression sour.
"What?" Hugo asked, confused.
The other didn't respond, just storming off to the bow rail and taking point of the ship. He glanced at Selene, who stood at the wheel, forcing a neutral expression onto his face.
"Is Cisco still out of it?"
Selene smiled. "What do you think?"
Graham didn't appreciate Selene's attitude, but he pushed his grievances aside, choosing to focus on the issue at hand. He needed her help after all. Despite how much he hated to acknowledge it.
"Why don't you use your mana art?" he asked blankly, seemingly drawing amusement from Selene.
She was going to voice her thoughts before a huge wave shook the boat, sparing Graham from a comment he was certain would have set him off. He released his hold on the railing, steadying himself and walking toward the pinkette.
"You're smart," he said. "You should know this isn't the time for butting heads."
"And you should have known better than to get rid of the only person who understood the dangers of this voyage before we arrived at our destination..."
She paused, her face revealing her inner thoughts for the first time in a while.
"And yet what happened happened."
Graham gave up reasoning with her at that point. It was a mixture of accepting he would be getting nowhere and not wanting to admit that he needed Reoloy.
Laurencia came wobbling up from the lower deck, her expression marred with exhaustion. She had clearly known better days, and at this point, she wasn't sure if she felt sorry for the boy who dragged her into all of this for the way he had died, or if she wanted to have a shaman curse him eternally in the afterlife.
"I boarded up the holes," she said tiredly. "It won't hold for long in these kinds of conditions."
She sighed, falling to the floor without an attempt at resistance when the ship rocked once again.
"No matter how you slice it... We're not making it out of this one."
Graham stared over the right railing, his mind reeling.
"You're weak."
He scowled. He hated that it was at this time that his thoughts decided to play tricks on him. The days leading up to now had been hard, but he had kept himself cool and collected like he always did. There was always a way through, he believed that.
"Do you?" Stephan's voice muttered in his left ear. "Hiding your feelings doesn't make you strong. It just masks your weakness."
It shifted to his right.
"How did you misunderstand my lesson that day this much?"
"You can't become strong," the voice continued. "Your approach to life since then proves that. If it were him, he would have understood it immediately."
Reoloy's face flashed into Graham's mind.
'Shut up,' he thought quietly. Even in his mind and to an apparition of all things, he struggled to talk back. 'He's not better than me.'
"Correct. He's not," the voice replied. "You categorically cannot be compared to him."
"You escaped Cube as an add-on," it continued. "An afterthought. And your reasons for it were as pathetic as you are."
"Hey... Graham," Hugo asked, moving to shake his shoulder. "You okay?"
"What was it again? To prove me wrong?"
'Shut up...'
"And the second thing," the voice said mockingly. "You spent years crying and soiling yourself, afraid of dying... all the while putting up a tough front in front of everyone."
Graham's hands clenched into fists as he visibly shook from rage, white mana flaring up around him.
"Shut up!" he yelled, manifesting his light sword from his left elbow and drawing it with his right hand. He wildly swung it around, stunning everyone as Hugo jumped back to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.
"Shut up!"
"Shut up!"
"Shut up!"
He flailed, wildly unleashing flying sword attacks that cleaved into the ship.
"Hey!" Selene yelled. "Are you stupid?! Stop that!"
Panic settled into everyone as it looked like they would be sunk by one of their own.
Selene scowled, grudgingly readying herself to activate her powers, but was intercepted by Cisco. His eyes still looked like they had lost their light, but he stepped forward with a light frown.
Selene could have sworn that he looked... disappointed, almost.
He calmly walked up to Graham. Ignoring Hugo as he walked past him, and remaining disassociated even as flying white arcs of light came scarily close to hitting him.
When he finally stood in front of the boy, Cisco raised a hand high up behind himself and violently swung it onto his face.
Everyone froze in shock at the action, but Cisco continued. Slapping him three more times and then performing a grabbing motion above Graham's head. Out of thin air, a faint blue mist manifested in his hand.
"You mean to tell me," he started slowly, looking at Graham's shocked face, "you couldn't tell you were being assaulted mentally?"
The crew stared in confusion and lingering stupor.
"I'm impressed one of you realised what was happening."
They all stiffened as they all felt and heard the words flowing into their heads. Fear and vigilance dominated as they searched for an enemy they couldn't see. Even Selene, as calm as she appeared, swivelled before she could stop herself.
"I went for the most mentally weak one, too," the inhuman voice said. "What a shame."
Multiple times, they tried to speak, but an overwhelming mana pressed down on them. It took everything they had not to crumple onto their knees. Cisco, who was sensitive to such sensations, especially took it the hardest.
"It seemed that you were associated with the boy, so I decided to give you a chance, however..."
Everyone broke into cold sweat, some even fighting back tears, as the greatest murderous intent any of them had ever felt flooded their systems.
"It's not just the grey brat," it continued. "He's the worst by far, but you all reek of unease and cowardice."
The sky lit up with hundreds of electric flashes.
"None of you deserve to step onto the sacred land."