Multiple thoughts flashed through Aran and Elio's minds. A mix of fear and confusion started to circulate in their chests at the sight of the girl's father holding the man by his throat as their surroundings were destroyed.
The floors were full of perfectly square craters.
They didn't seem like they were caused by explosions or any of the sort. It was more like they were pushed into the earth by an incredible force as the ground below it collapsed.
Looking around, Aran observed that the unconscious men didn't seem to be injured by a punch or a kick, but it was as if they were pushed away and ended up colliding with the surrounding objects which are now broken.
Sweating from shock, Aran looked at the man's floating figure.
'Why is he here?! Did he do this?!'
He thought to himself before the girl's father suddenly disappeared from his sight and in the next instant, he was already in front of him, ready to attack.
"Aran!"
Elio yelled out before using his ability to push Aran out of the way.
If it weren't for the armadillo armor under his jacket, Aran would've surely been hurt badly from the sheer speed of Elio's push.
*WHOOSH*
A giant gust of wind blew as Aran tried to make sense of what was happening around him.
"Guh!"
"So there were more of you, huh?"
The girl's father said to Elio as he choked him.
Looking behind Elio, he saw the little boy inside the truck, shaking fearfully as he closed his eyes.
Seeing this, the father's eyes widened as he tightened his grip around Elio's neck.
"Not only have you bastards hurt my wife and taken my daughter away a second time, but you even go so low as to kidnap another child!"
"Ugh!"
"Elio!"
Aran called out to him with worry.
Picking up a nearby rock, Aran grabbed it with the ropes and threw it at the girl's father as hard as he could like a sling, but it was as if the force of the throw suddenly disappeared as the rock stopped in mid air and remained there.
"You people truly are horrible..."
The man said towards Aran.
Seeing that the man was distracted, Elio activated his ability and electrocuted the man's hand, making him yell and let go as the two of them fell down.
"Sorry for... This...!"
*BZZZZZT*
"ARGH!!!"
When they hit the ground, dust was kicked up as their bodies slightly bounced from the impact.
Aran sprinted towards Elio's side as he coughed, trying to breathe.
"Guh! Haah..."
"Hey, are you alright?!"
"Yeah, I'm fine..."
While their attention was somewhere else, they didn't notice that the girl's father had already recovered and was ready to attack again.
Without giving them any time to recover, the girl's father flew at them at a blinding speed.
Thinking quickly, Aran shielded Elio from the attack as he took off his goggles, mask and beanie to reveal his identity.
"Wait!!!"
Aran desperately yelled out as he tightly closed his eyes from fear.
*WHOOSH!!*
A big gust of wind blew Aran's hair back as the girl's father stopped his attack.
Opening his eyes slowly, Aran saw the face of the girl's father. The anger that was apparent on his face was gone as it slowly mellowed down into shock and confusion.
"...It's you..."
"Yeah... It's me..."
Aran said before his knees buckled before he fell down from relief. His heart was beating loudly and his entire body was shaking.
Seeing this, Elio patted Aran's back.
"Hey! Are you okay, man?!"
Elio asked him before the girl's father asked who he was.
"And you are...?"
Hearing this, Elio took off his disguise, making the man's eyes widen once more.
"H-hello... Nice to see you again...?"
Elio awkwardly greeted the girl's father while waving at him.
"Under these circumstances, no."
The girl's father said as he shook his head.
"What are you two doing here? Are you being targeted too?"
"Ah, yes! But before that, we need to calm that kid down first."
Aran said as he looked behind him.
Entering the truck, Aran saw that the little boy was undoubtedly terrified. Despite having no more space to crawl away to, the little boy kept pushing himself against the wall behind him as a desperate attempt to flee.
Aran approached him slowly and spoke in a gentle voice.
"Hey, it's okay..."
Hearing Aran's voice, the boy quickly started crying. His panic was so strong, he couldn't even understand what Aran was saying.
Not giving up, Aran quietly shushed the boy.
"It's okay, everything's going to be alright..."
"N-no! You're bad guys! Take me back to my mommy!!!"
"Yeah, we will... Promise!"
Aran said as he gently smiled.
"Copy what I do, okay? Take deep breaths... Breath in.... Breath out... Okay, now you try."
"W-what?"
"It's a magic spell that will help us get you home! Just take a big breath, and let it out."
"O-okay..."
Following Aran's example, the little boy slowly inhaled and exhaled, calming his nerves down enough to snap him out of his panicked state, making it easier to talk.
"I'm scared... I want to go home..."
"It's alright, everyone gets scared. What's your name, buddy?"
"Fionn..."
"Whoa, that's a cool name. I'm Aran by the way. Don't worry about a thing, we promise to get you home soon!"
"Thank you..."
"No biggie. Give me five if you wanna get home right now!"
Aran said as he held up his hand for a high five.
The boy was reluctant at first, but eventually came around and gave Aran a high five.
Although seemingly calm, Aran can still sense that the boy was scared.
That's to be expected. We can't expect him to feel better that quick...
Aran sighed to himself before getting called.
"Aran."
The girl's father called out to him. Hearing this, Aran nodded his head and stood up to get out of the truck.
"Just sit tight, okay? You'll be hugging your mommy soon enough!"
He said with a smile.
Exiting the truck, Aran spoke to the girl's father.
"So uh... First things first..."
Aran hesitated to speak before the girl's father asked him what was wrong.
"I don't think I got your name, sir... Hehe..."
Aran said as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
Nodding, the girl's father agreed.
"Ah yes, I forgot to introduce myself the last time we met... My name is Isaac Graveda."
"I see, nice to meet you Mr. Graveda!"
"Just Isaac is fine. I'm not one to mind."
"Alright, Isaac then. I'll get straight to the point. How did you end up here?"
Isaac stayed silent before finally speaking.
________________________________________
It was a peaceful day. Because of the incident from last week, Isaac and his wife made sure to have someone watch over their daughter and to personally drive them to and from school.
It seemed like everything was back to normal. Isaac expected to see his family greeting him home with happy faces and with open arms, even leaving work early to see them. But all that he saw was an empty home.
Confused, he went up the stairs to look for his family. Checking every room as to make sure he was actually alone.
After he checked every corner of his house, he confirmed it.
"That's strange... Did they run into trouble?"
Taking his phone out, he tried to see if his wife texted him, but he received no messages whatsoever.
Feeling a little curious about where they are, he tried to call her but no one picked up.
"Hm..."
Because of this, he started getting a little anxious before he decided to take the dog for a walk to clear his mind.
I'm sure they're fine... I guess I'm still shaken up by last week's incident.
He thought to himself before calling for his dog.
"Mochi, here girl!"
Hearing her owner's voice, Mochi happily went up to him with a wagging tail before Isaac put a harness around her.
Seeing that his dog was excited, Isaac immediately went out the door and walked outside. But not even ten steps later, he suddenly heard someone approaching him.
"Huh?"
Turning around, he saw his neighbor who was wearing a distressed expression.
"Isaac!"
"What's wrong, Mrs. Pronz?"
"I-it's Camelia!"
Hearing his wife's name be mentioned, Isaac's heart suddenly started feeling heavy.
"My wife? Did something happen to her? She should be getting home along with my daughter. We hired a nanny not too long ago, so they are likely riding in the same car..."
"Yes, they were driving home. But when they stopped at a red light, another car deliberately crashed into them!"
A chill ran down Isaac's spine when he heard that.
Anxiety started to creep in as he continued to asked questions in a slightly panicking state. Sensing her owner's uneasiness, Mochi whimpered.
"What?! Where are they right now?!"
"Camelia's in the hospital. She's in a coma, but thankfully she's in a stable condition... But the driver was dead from the moment of impact. It was horrible!"
Isaac's heart dropped after hearing the news... He feared to know what happened to his daughter.
Deep inside his soul, he did not want to know, but he needed to.
"What about Layla, my daughter?!"
He asked with fear in his voice.
With hesitation in her voice, Mrs. Pronz spoke.
"She was taken away by a group of men that were inside the car that hit the one they were riding... Isaac, I'm so sorry to tell you this news..."
"I see, thank you..."
Isaac bowed towards his neighbor before calmly walking back inside his home. Taking off Mochi's harness and walking inside the room where he and his wife sleep in.
He walked towards their closer and put on a fedora, a coat and some gloves.
With anger in his eyes, he opened the window of the room and flew away to look for clues. He had no time to waste...
Due to being a high ranking Distortion Diver, Isaac had connections. And so, he went to the Bureau of Security to gather clues.
It took him a long time to find the men that took his daughter. But after hours of searching, Isaac tracked down the branch of the organization where they belonged to.
But when he got there, she was already moved somewhere else.
Enraged, Isaac wiped them out. Using his powers over gravity to severely injure or incapacitate the members of the organization.
The same thing happened in the next few places Isaac when to.
Going to the next branch, destroying them and using whatever tactic there is to find clues, no matter how cruel he had to be.
And all of that eventually led to meeting Aran and Elio.
________________________________________
"No matter what, I just want a peaceful life with my family... If I do not destroy his organization, they'll keep coming back. I will kill their leader... Their actions are unforgivable..."
Aran and Elio were at a loss for words. For that to happen to a man's family is heartbreaking.
"Go back to your homes and take the little boy with you... I will handle the rest."
Flying towards the large man who was desperately trying to crawl away, Isaac made him float in the air along with pieces of metal rod.
"Tell me everything you know, or your skull will be pierced..."
Whimpering, the man begged Isaac not to go through with his threat.
"O-our boss is hiding in a base located in the middle of Lucida's desert area, the Lanza Piedra Valley! That's all I know, please, just spare me!"
"Is that all?"
Using his gravitational powers to shoot a metal rod at the man's face, Isaac quickly stopped its trajectory a few centimeters from his eye.
"Yes! It's all I know!!!"
The man said as he cried and started to wet his pants.
Not wasting another second, Isaac deactivated his powers on the man, making him fall down on the hard floor.
"Ugh!"
Isaac looked at him as if he was a pathetic piece of trash.
"I shall be going now. Goodbye."
He said to Aran and Elio before turning around and flying away.
"Huh?! Wait!!"
Aran called out to him.
As Isaac reached a higher altitude, he suddenly felt something grab on to his leg. Confused, he looked down and was surprised to see aran hanging on a rope that was wrapped around Isaac's leg.
"What in the world..."
"Waaaahhh!!!! Please get down! GET DOWN!!!"
Aran screamed with tears in his eyes.
________________________________________
After Aran and Isaac have landed back on the warehouse, Elio slowly walked towards Aran whos legs were shaking.
"Hey, you alright man?"
Elio worried asked Aran.
"I'm completely fine! I'm not scared of heights or anything..."
"Sure..."
Quickly interrupting, Isaac tries to fly away again.
"That was reckless, Aran. I have no time to waste here—"
"Let's team up!" Aran told him.
Isaac was a bit taken aback, but immediately refused with a stern voice.
"I cannot do that... It is too dangerous for you to follow. I'm begging you, please go home."
Isaac shaked his head in disagreement.
Not wanting to give up, Aran insisted.
"Nope! Can't do that!"
"Why is that so?"
Pointing his finger at Isaac, Aran spoke.
"Because we also want to take down the organization's head! We'll be in danger if we stay in the city without dealing with this first!"
Quickly turning around, Isaac spoke to Aran with a slightly irritated tone.
"I can handle this myself, boy..."
Quickly stepping infront of Aran, Elio begged Isaac to let them join him.
"Please, Mr. Isaac... My family's being targeted too. They're safe right now, and I know they can handle themselves. But I can't forgive these people who tried to hurt them.... I feel the same way as you!"
Isaac's heart shook for a moment. Looking Elio in the eyes, he tries to argue back.
"Even so, you are underestimating just how dangerous it is..."
"We aren't."
Aran said.
With fire in his eyes, Aran declared something that came from the depths of his heart.
"That's why I came prepared... And as long as I'm around, I'm not going to let anyone die. I can promise you that!"
"!!!"
Seeing the resolve in Aran's eyes, Isaac looked away, although very reluctantly.
"Fine... I will be going first."
He told them.
"If you still wish to go, you already heard the location. I will not stop you. But I'm still not happy with it..."
"Thank you..."
Aran said before looking towards Elio.
"Elio, can you carry the kid back to the city? I know it's a pretty tall order, but we can't just leave him here.."
"Yeah sure. I can do that. But you'd have to wait a while for me to get back."
"It's alright. I can wait."
"Thanks."
Aran went inside the truck to carry the kid towards Elio, who was crouching down to give him a piggy back ride.
Noticing that the kid was a bit afraid of Elio, Aran patted his back.
"Don't worry, Elio's the nicest guy I know! You'll be safe."
"...Okay..."
The boy nervously said before getting on top of Elio's back.
"Alright, hold tight!"
Elio told the boy before sprinting away like a flash of lightning as Isaac flew away towards the location that was mentioned.
The night wasn't over yet. All three of them were aware that a large battle will likely be faught when they go.
But... The three of them were still blind to the true danger that awaited them...