“So the portal will be operational soon. Now we have to figure out how to connect it to the Overworld.” Vezaias said. Ephraim sat at the computer terminal working on the operation program, so he could learn how to use this complicated device.

  “The hard drive is running correctly. Theoretically if we could activate the portal now, we could end up anywhere. We need a way to aim this thing.” Ephraim said as he clicked away on the computer.

  “So how do we do that?” Remington asked.

  “Obviously you will have to use your telescope, Remington.” Lux said mildly as he leaned back in his seat.

  “But I cannot just guess where to aim it either.” Remington said seriously.

  “Oh for fuck sake Remington how did you find any other specific places before?” Lux said seriously.

  “Well I had help. Someone who had a memory of something to aim at.” Remington said in contemplation.

  “So all you need is someone with a memory of what to aim for. Don’t we know anyone who can do that Remington?” Lux led him on.

  “Uh! Solaris! I just need Solaris to help!” Remington said eagerly.

  “Congratulations you figured it out.” Lux said flatly. Vezaias looked very amused. Ephraim snickered to himself.

  “What? I like playing connect the dots with Remington.” Lux said then he cracked a grin.

  “I'm not that slow am I?” Remington groaned.

  “You definitely aren't the slickest soap in the refrigerator Remington.” Lux said seriously. Everyone laughed at his silly comparison.

  “Well you two didn't figure it out either!” Remington highlighted.

  “I was just about to suggest it.” Vezaias mused with a laugh.

  “Yeah sure you were.” Remington said with sarcasm. Just then a portal opened and Ava walked in looking very sad and lifeless. He didn't do very much but stood staring at the ground.

  “Ava? What's up?” Vezaias asked mildly. Ava brushed tears from his eyes before speaking.

  “I…..I feel sad.” Ava said painfully.

  “Pfff, sure you do.” Lux scoffed at him. Ava wilted at his disbelief.

  “I know. Why would you believe me? Now I'm just ‘the boy that cried wolf' right?” Ava pouted as more tears poured out.

  “Ava we know you can cry on cue.” Remington said seriously.

  “Hmm, so it would be difficult to know when I'm actually crying.” Ava said in irritation.

  “Ava, why are you sad?” Vezaias interjected between the disbelief.

  “Uh, well….. because……Louie rejected me.” Ava said softly. Everyone looked a bit bewildered except for Vezaias who only looked serious. “Have you ever felt like this?” Ava asked meekly, beginning to fidget with his hands.

  “Sure.” Lux said seriously.

  “More than once.” Remington said.

  “Of course.” Ephraim added.

  “I have too.” Vezaias offered.

  “And what did you do about it?” Ava asked.

  “I couldn't do anything about it. You cannot force someone to accept you.” Vezaias said. Everyone agreed.

  “It hurts so much.” Ava said, sinking to the ground to cry. Remington was the first one to get up and go to him and put his arms around him. Ephraim was next to approach, followed by Lux. Vezaias waited a moment for the group to console him until he was calm.

  “Well that's it then. I'll just kill the flower headed bastard and then he cannot hurt you anymore.” Vezaias got up to leave. Ava jolted and jumped to his feet.

  “No Vee! Don't kill him! He said he will see me again! He just will not trust me or be with me, but I have to show him that I can change!” Ava nearly tackled Vezaias.

  “Ava he is a waste of space. There's no reason for me to keep him alive if he has rejected you.”

  “I can change! I want to change! I want to be better for Louie! Maybe if I show him that I'm trying he will accept me!” Ava insisted urgently.

  “Fine he can live.” Vezaias scoffed. “But I won't be the one taking care of him. He is your responsibility. If this doesn't work out I'll make a meal out of him without asking any fucking questions.” Vezaias pressed.

  “Deal! I will take care of him!” Ava said insistently.

  “Okay, so are you feeling better?” Vezaias said in concern now. Ava paused to consider how he felt again.

  “I still feel sad.” He said meekly. Vezaias took a deep breath and pulled Ava into a hug.

  “It sucks being rejected, Ava, but it's going to be alright.” Vezaias said softly. Ava was frozen now. Normal non sexual affection was strange. It actually put him on edge in the past. This time he felt something that he had never felt before that didn't come from a place of selfishness. He felt comforted.

  “What should I do now?” Ava asked meekly.

  “Ugh, I don't give a fuck, but if he hurts you more I will kill him. You tell him I said that. Just go take the day off.” Vezaias said letting go of Ava and turning to sit down and lean back in a chair. He looked very irritated now.

  “Ava, you just need to try and understand and be sensitive to what he is feeling. Put yourself in his position. If you felt the same way, what would you need to help you feel better?” Remington said.

  “And if you cannot figure it out yourself, you can always ask him.” Ephraim suggested.

  “I find that true or false questions work very well for me.” Lux added.

  “I will try.” Ava said meekly. He then turned to leave through a portal. He landed outside of the bedroom that Lucius was locked inside then he slipped into the room making sure to lock the door behind him. Lucius looked like he was asleep so Ava carefully came over to look more closely at him. Ava wondered how he was feeling. He thought about what the others said 'put yourself in his position'. How would he feel if he was chained to a bed? Then he remembered when he was detoxing and having to be strapped down. It was terrible. He cringed as he suddenly could relate to Lucius's situation. What would make it better? All Ava had wanted was to be released from that horrible situation. He couldn't do that unless Vezaias said that it was okay. He looked more closely at Lucius; he was just as handsome as ever, with his strongly defined jawline, his short wispy lavender hair, his long fluttery eyelashes, and his muscular body. He traced his eyes down the length of his body then back up over his chest and to his face when he realized that Lucius was awake and staring back at him with his beautiful lilac eyes. His heart raced over this but he remained quiet and waited for Lucius to speak first.

  “How are you so convincing? You really had me fooled. Just like Ax had fooled me.” Lucius said solemnly.

  “A lot of practice I suppose.” Ava said meekly.

  “Have you always been like this? Was there ever a time that you were not?” Lucius asked. It was only out of innocent curiosity.

  “I learned rather quickly after my mama took me away, that my emotions didn't matter. If I cried, if I was hurt, if I was playful, if I was lonely, if I was in danger…..” He paused looking blank. “……so what was the point of feeling anything?” Ava said with a sigh.

  “She hurt you.” Lucius said in confirmation.

  “She did the best she could.” Ava said with a shrug.

  “Somehow I feel as if you use that excuse for her often. She did the best for herself perhaps, but all she did was hurt you, Ava.” Lucius insisted.

  “Whatever.” Ava didn't seem to truly acknowledge this. “My mama loved me.”

  “The same way that you love people? By putting on a convincing show?” Lucius was frustrated. “Because it sounds like she put on a fake act when actually she didn't give a shit about you. Then what happened? She just left you?” Lucius pressed in irritation. Ava was quiet. “You want to believe she loved you and that she never meant to hurt you or abandon you because you think that without those beliefs that maybe you were just a worthless helpless child, that she tossed into the garbage because you didn't fucking matter.” Lucius said seriously. Ava began to tremble. “So now you can't feel anything and you run around trying to find self worth wherever you can, in as many people as possible because apparently quantity is better than fucking quality, and you can't commit to anyone at all because you're afraid they will just ditch you the moment they realize that you are worthless. Since you cannot deal with any of these feelings, you've spent every possible moment you could trying to smother it with whatever drug or alcohol you could get your hands on.” Lucius was aggressively dissecting him. Ava's face twisted in pain and he crumbled to the floor and cried. Lucius was quiet and watched him sob on the ground. The ground around Ava began to vibrate harshly.

  “She just left me Louie. She told me she was going to hide because she thought the police would come, then she was gone. I was alone. Nobody at that house even knew who I was or where I came from. I didn't know how to tell them to help me. Nobody gave me food. Nobody kept me clean, I was so scared. Everytime the door would open I would hope it was her coming back to get me! She never came back Louie! She told me she left and walked all the way to another town and slept in a cardboard box for a few weeks. She said she didn't want to bring me because she had no place to live again. So I just stayed in that drug house for days all alone with a bunch of strangers that were always coming and going. When the police showed up I was afraid they'd take me to jail and I'd never see my mama again. What if they took me away then she showed up to get me? So I ran and hid and fought and struggled but I couldn't stop them from taking me. They took me to a foster house, until the next morning when they could take me to my father's house. I didn't want them to touch me! All the police men were scary! I went to live with my father and he was scary! I kept hoping she would come back and get me, but it took her 13 years to come and find me. Then she told me all she wanted was money, and if I helped her steal Vee's money she would take me with her again!” Ava sobbed. “She really didn't care about me at all. Vee was right!” Ava cried harder. “I really am worthless!” the ground quaked violently for a moment.

  “No you're not Ava.” Lucius said seriously. Ava looked up quickly, still pouring with tears. “You are not worthless at all. Your mother was worthless. You should have been taken care of, and loved. Like I just told you, she hurt you Ava. That was her fault and you never deserved any of that.” Lucius said solemnly. Ava continued to cry on the floor for a while. The ground began to calm.

  “I would like to hug you. I'm sorry that I cannot.” Lucius said solemnly. Ava looked up at him. He felt like he never needed the hug that was offered more than he did right now. He got up quickly and left to find Vezaias. He was with his team still working on the portal. Ava quickly made his demand.

  “Let me release Louie!” Ava said firmly and with determination. Vezaias paused in his work and everyone was now focusing on Ava.

  “Absolutely not.” Vezaias said, matching his firm tone.

  “Please Vee! He said that he wants to hug me!” Ava insisted.

  “You want to risk our lives over a fucking hug Ava? Tell me that you're joking?!” Vezaias snapped. Ava gave Vezaias a pleading look.

  “If you need a hug Ava, I will hug you.” Remington interrupted the tense moment.

  “No! It's not the same! I need Louie to hug me!” Ava demanded. “Please Vee, he doesn't want to be strapped to the bed anymore!” Ava begged.

  Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

  “I don't give a FUCK!” Vezaias snapped angrily. “I find it hard to believe that you do either! All you're doing is being selfish! Putting us at risk, just to get what you want!” Ava cringed. He had never realized that he was this selfish, especially as often as everyone was highlighting to him now. He wilted and gushed with tears then left back to the room where Lucius was. He stood defeated. Lucius was quiet and waited for him to speak.

  “Not only am I worthless, but I am starting to realize that I'm a terrible person. I'm selfish, hurtful, and greedy. I've never really understood what this meant until now. I didn't realize that what I was doing actually mattered.” Ava pouted.

  “Of course it matters. If you are selfish and choose to hurt people then you cause damage.” Lucius said seriously.

  “How do I fix it?” Ava asked.

  “Ava, that will only help so much. Take a piece of paper. Crumble it. The paper will never be the same again. You could try to fix it. Flatten it back out, smooth it as much as possible. The paper will look better, but the creases you caused when you crumbled the paper will never go completely away.” Lucius explained mildly.

  “I am sorry for hurting people, for being selfish, for everything, but I don't understand.” Ava said feeling guilty.

  “Ava, drive some nails into some wood. Maybe you can pull them out to fix it, but the holes will always be there. Say your sorry to those holes, see if that fills them in as if by magic.” Lucius sighed. Ava was irritated now.

  “So I cannot fix it. Then what the fuck is the point of trying!” Ava snapped.

  “Apologizing doesn't mean shit unless you change your behavior so you do not continue to cause damage Ava! Stop crumbling the paper! Stop driving the nails! Learn from your fucking mistakes!” Lucius snapped. Ava retracted and was quiet.

  “I'm going to try Louie.” Ava said finally with a deep sigh then he turned to leave.

  There was still much to accomplish with the portal. Zexich was currently installing the crystal and then he would need to test its stability, so Vezaias took the time to inquire about setting up a training class. Sigil was docile and calm as Vezaias approached.

  “Has Zex spoken with you about training my team?” Vezaias asked.

  “He has.” Sigil said mildly. “I have considered it. I feel as if I am obligated to fulfill this expectation, or you will force my cooperation either that or you will take me as a meal.” Sigil said flatly.

  “As delicious as that sounds it would be very counter productive. That would upset my scientist and screw up his focus that I need to complete this portal. I need my team trained. I will not force you to do it. So tell me what it is that will make you more cooperative so that I do not have to resort to violence.” Vezaias said looking interested. Sigil seemed to be deliberating on what to say.

  “I would need at least partial use of my talent. When training your team if things get out of control it may be necessary. Only for emergencies of course and not to cause you or your team any harm. Next I demand one more member of my family to return.” Sigil said seriously.

  “And who might you choose?” Vezaias asked with intrigue.

  “Maxwell.”

  “Absolutely not.” Vezaias shot him down quickly. “He is far too dangerous.” Vezaias added.

  “Skyler.”

  “Ugh, not gonna happen. Nor will you get Rocks back. They are far too threatening. “If you absolutely want someone to return, the only one I can agree too is Demetri. I am not nearly as threatened by him.”

  “Fine.” Sigil sighed.

  “Training begins tomorrow. Be ready.” Vezaias said seriously. “I will give Zex the okay to proceed with the recreation.

  The rest of the day was uneventful. The group ate a meal then retired to the bedroom early to get plenty of rest so they could all be ready to start training tomorrow. They woke bright and early then did their usual morning routine. Once they were all done then after gym time and breakfast they met in the training room for their first session as a group. The first thing Sigil did was instruct Remington and Vezaias on how to mock battle each other for practice while he took Lux and Ephraim to the armory to choose a weapon. Lux immediately combed the aisle for a gun which he already had a fascination with firearms. Of course these projectiles were not the same as the guns he used in his own experience. He stopped to consider the choices as Ephraim waited beside him.

  “Ephraim, did you say something just now?” Lux asked mildly.

  “Uh, no…why did you hear something?” Ephraim asked patiently.

  “I'm gonna go with maybe?” Lux turned to follow the sound until he came upon a dual set of automatic hand guns. He looked at them with interest.

  “Yeah? Sounds tempting.” Lux said looking fancifully at the guns. “Are you alive?” Lux asked as if to the guns on the wall. Ephraim looked bewildered. “Who are you then?” He asked, looking more interested. “Manic and Panic? Sounds like something I could get used to.” He plucked the guns off the wall and looked them over. They were metallic and one was red with silver details the other silver with red details. He held them both lovingly then took aim to get a feel for the weight of the guns in his hands.

  “I am satisfied. Your turn Ephraim.” Lux said looking amused then he followed Ephraim further into the armory to pick his own weapon. He wasn't exactly keen on weaponry, and he wasn't sure at all what he should pick.

  “Um, Lux?” Ephraim meeped. “What sort of weapon should I pick?” He felt a bit ignorant when it came to this sort of thing.

  “It's your weapon, why are you asking me?” Lux said seriously.

  “Well I don't know anything about weapons. I've never used a weapon before in my life.” Ephraim said bashfully.

  “Pick one that you think would utilize the skills you already have.” Lux said mildly.

  “I really don't know what kind of skills I have.” Ephraim said now feeling completely embarrassed by his lack of knowledge.

  “You are a ghost. That means you will be naturally good at stealth.” Lux informed him. Now Ephraim felt stupid for not figuring that out on his own.

  “Uh, right, what weapon would be good for….” Ephraim stopped as he found something interesting. It was a long crystal clear cord that was looped around like a lasso, on one end a solid heavy ball the size of a baseball the other end a clear half moon blade attached to a handle. Ephraim marveled at it for a moment then took it down from the wall.

  “I like this one.” Ephraim said meekly.

  “A Kusarigama? What are you going to do, play jump rope?” Lux looked amused.

  “Possibly.” Ephraim said with a loving smile. They returned to the front where Sigil was waiting for them. He started with Ephraim’s weapon.

  “The Pearlescent Death. This is a close to mid range weapon.” Sigil informed him. Ephraim was intrigued as Sigil digitally attached the weapon to him.

  “Taser pistols. A close to long range pair of weapons.” Sigil began to digitally attach them.

  “I've checked them out, they do not have a traditional magazine like pistols normally have.” Lux said seriously.

  “These pistols do not fire bullets. They fire electrical bursts. There is a setting for how powerful the bursts can be. Once the magazine is dead it will need to be charged.” Sigil explained as he removed the magazine that was more like a battery. Lux was very interested in this and began to examine the magazine very thoroughly. Soon they were finished and headed back to the training room where Remington and Vezaias were in a heated sparring session. This mock battle was evenly matched so far as they had elected not to use any of their talents, Vezaias did seem to have the upper hand as he had two very lightweight machetes while Remington crystal blade was a heavier two handed weapon. Vezaias twisted and twirled and avoided every swing that Remington threw at him, each of them with plenty of stamina to fuel their attacks. Ephraim watched in amazement as they battled ferociously. Remington was putting nearly all of his weight and strength into his swings now as he desperately wanted to overpower Vezaias. Vezaias only continued to defend and let Remington clash his crystal blade into his machetes. A few of the attacks were now knocking him off balance and he only narrowly regained his stance in time to block the next attack. This only made Remington try harder, and put all his force into the next few attacks.

  “Ah! Remington is winning!” Ephraim said looking excited. Not that it mattered to him who won, but watching the fight was very thrilling.

  “Nah. Vezaias will win.” Lux said as he watched the battle.

  “Huh? But Rem is overpowering him!” Ephraim said in confusion.

  “Remington is fighting with all of his strength. He is putting everything he has into this battle. Vezaias is being conservative and only putting forth the bare minimum in order to block, dodge, and evade. He is strategically letting Remington tire himself out.” Ephraim noticed now that Remington was panting heavily and pouring with sweat. Vezaias looked only mildly winded as he dodged yet another swing of the crystal blade making Remington stumble a bit. Vezaias took this opportunity to counter and with one quick jerk he reached around Remington from behind and rested one of his machetes against Remington's throat. He wiped his blade outward as if he was mock slicing through Remington's neck just before kicking him to the ground. Remington landed sliding to a stop on the ground.

  “Common Rem, you fight like a fucking rhinoceros.” Vezaias chuckled. Remington only groaned and flipped over slowly looking exhausted. He propped himself up with his arms.

  “Ugh, I was doing my best.” Remington panted. Sigil let them both observe while he worked on weapon summoning now with Lux and Ephraim.

  “We will start with weapon summoning. Your weapons will come to you when you call for them, and if you drop them they will automatically vanish. For example, Lux, if you would let go of one or both of your pistols, it will vanish, please give this a try.” Sigil explained. Lux looked uneasy not wanting to drop his guns. This was something you should never do with a firearm because it could cause the weapon to fire accidentally. He held out his guns and dropped them. They only fell a few centimeters before they vanished. Lux looked surprised.

  “Now you try Ephraim.” Sigil said. Ephraim held out his Pearlescent Death then let go. It immediately vanished.

  “Very good, however summoning it back may be more difficult.” Sigil said. “Remington and Vezaias both have learned how to do it, perhaps a demonstration?” Sigil said, glancing at the two more senior students. They both summoned their weapons easily just by falling into a readied attack stance. Lux and Ephraim both looked amazed. Remington and Vezaias both desummoned their weapons.

  “The traditional way I would teach how to do this is not appropriate this time around so I have prepared another exercise for both of you to accomplish this. Lux you will go first.” Everyone waited near Sigil who configured a training session for Lux, who took his place out into the open training area.

  “The session will start soon, please try summoning back your weapons by thinking of holding them and shooting with them.” Sigil said. Lux did as he was told and tried to aim as if he was still holding his pistols but neither would return to him.

  “Common, Manic, Panic…..return already!” He was growing frustrated as he continued to try and summon them but they would not appear. Sigil activated the training session now and suddenly Lux was surrounded by a forest. He looked around wildly in awe for a moment before he tried to summon his guns again when suddenly he heard a deep and loud rumbling roar from behind him. He turned quickly seeing a large menacing grizzly bear ready to swipe at him. He ducked under the swing of the first swipe just in time but falling backwards he aimed and opened fire as the pistols appeared in his grip. The bursts of electrical bullets flew out jolting and frying the bear and it vanished in a puff of smoke. Lux lay on his back panting and soaking in panic still. The training session quickly faded away. Lux got to his feet looking at the pair of guns in his hand with relief and satisfaction. Ephraim and Remington were quick to come and hug him in celebration.

  “You did it!” Ephraim exclaimed.

  “Great job Lux!” Remington cheered him as he hugged him next.

  “Heh, piece of cake.” Lux laughed a bit nervously before they headed back over to the terminal where Sigil and Vezaias waited.

  “Good job Lux.” Vezaias looked amused as he returned. Lux looked a bit satisfied but bashful to the praise from Vezaias.

  “As you may have guessed, your weapons are reflexive. Once you have summoned them successfully a few times it will get easier to summon them without reflex. Ephraim it is your turn. Please take your place.” Sigil said seriously. Ephraim looked nervous and turned to walk out into the open area to prepare for his test.

  “Good luck Eph!” He heard Remington shout to him as he walked away. He wondered if it would be similar, some sort of surprise animal that might jump out and attack him. He began to try to summon his weapon. The blade in his right hand, the ball in his left. What if he couldn't do it? It was an uncomfortably long moment of unsuccessfully trying to figure out how to summon his weapon before suddenly the floor gave out on him, crumbling like loose gravel around him. He felt gravity take over and he dropped as if off a steep cliff. On reflex he tried to grab for something solid as a scream of panic escaped his lips. He swung his hand then with a jerk he stopped falling and only hung in place, dangling hundreds of feet above the canyon below him. He looked down seeing the crater below then back up to what had saved him, which was his blade that had appeared and stuck solidly into the cliff's edge. He struggled and pulled himself up and scrambled away from the edge of the cliff. Once he had safely made it back up and onto his feet with his weapon in hand, the cliff disappeared. Lux was then suddenly hugging him.

  “You did it too, Ephraim!” He picked Ephraim up, hugging him with a twirl.

  “Whoa Lux put me down!” Ephraim shrieked.

  “Oh! Sorry! Probably wanna keep your feet on the ground now huh?” Lux laughed. Ephraim panted in relief. Remington was next to hug him in congratulations, but without lifting him so enthusiastically. They all headed back to the terminal where Vezaias gave him a satisfied look. Ephraim blushed with a hint of pride then waited for the next set of instructions.

  “Very good Ephraim. Now we will work on summoning it without a life threatening event.” Sigil said. Lux looked relieved when the new task ended up being a timed obstacle course then they had to summon their weapons to destroy several human targets. Remington, Vezaias, and Lux had absolutely no moral issue with this, Ephraim however was very apprehensive and elected to let everyone else go first.

  Vezaias went first. The obstacle course was a breeze and he easily traversed the course which was a lot of climbing and jumping then crawling under and over then onto things as fast as possible to get the best time. This unlocks the next area where he would have several human enemies with guns shooting at him. As soon as the gunfire began he chucked both of his machetes at two different targets and ran through while summoning them back after they'd hit their gunmen, then chucked them again at two different targets one after another until he had killed each target and unlocked the next area which would only be a long sprint to the finish line.

  Lux started the obstacle course next, while at a moderate pace. He climbed and jumped and crawled through the obstacles with ease gaining confidence and picking up his pace and gaining momentum. In the next section of the course where he had to summon his weapon and kill several human enemies. He ducked behind a hide to cover himself as the enemies fired their weapons at him. He tried summoning his guns but the first few attempts didn't work as the timer ticked away. He was frustrated but began to imagine how he had at one point planned on a mass shooting. He would have ended up in a situation just like this. What a terrible idea it was at the time. Using this turmoil he popped out from his hiding place aiming his hands as if his guns were already there. He had to shoot before the next round of gunfire or the shots would definitely kill him. He pulled the trigger that was suddenly in his grasp firing several shots and his targets dropped to the ground one after another. He bolted for the next area and sprinted the distance to the finish.

  Remington was very determined to finish the course with a fast time. He set his pace at a grueling level and managed to finish the obstacle course ahead of the pack. Once in the next section of the challenge he bypassed using his crystal blade which would have taken longer. Instead he used his telekinesis to smash each target before heading through to the last section of the challenge. He slowed time now to boost his speed to lessen his finishing time.

  When Ephraim started the obstacle course he was much more cautious. He took his time and completed the obstacle course moderately slow and proceeded to the next section. In the next area he summoned his pearlescent death and swung his blade to slice through his targets which was horrible for him to kill these hypothetical humans. He knew that killing humans was now required of him to learn to do without hesitation. It was terrible none the less. He ran to the finish in tears.

  Once finished they gathered at the terminal to see their results. Remington finished with the fastest time followed by Vezaias, then very closely by Lux, and lastly Ephraim.