Continuing chapter 6...

  The atmosphere was calm despite the heavy waves crashing against the docks. Eleorona yawned, stretching slightly after arriving with no delays.

  Eleorona: (Rubbing her eyes) “When does the ferry get here thought?”

  Lawrence: (Glancing his phone) “In about thirty minutes. We’ve got some time to kill.”

  The three found a warm bench near the boarding area and sat down, discussing casual topics to pass the time. Midway their conversation, Eleorona’s phone rang. It was Donovan’s name on the screen displaying, answering immediately.

  Eleorona: “Hey, how are you?”

  The silence followed by, waiting for a response. Donovan hesitated unsure of what to say, feeling relief yet a strange unexplainable unease going around in his mind. Instead of answering her question, he changed the subject.

  Donovan ??: “What’s the plan?”

  Eleorona leaned back, exhaling through her nose to began her explanation in detail.

  Eleorona: “In about thirty minutes the ferry will arrive, which will take us to Split on a journey of 8 to 9 hours. So we would be arriving at... 5 a.m. to 6 a.m.? Well, we'll wait for the next boat to take us to Vis Island."

  Eleorona is enthusiastic about just saying Vis Island, feeling happy to see the sky, expressing the appreciation she has for the place. She lingers in his thoughts for a few seconds and Donovan interrupts her. "Agh, what?!" Eleorona answers in a plaintive way, and sees how Lawrence and Aeris stare at her, moving their heads slightly to the side that her phone was pointing.

  Eleorona: "Oh yes excuse me. Well, when we get to Vis Island, we'll get another boat to take us to Svetac.”

  Donovan??: "Okay... And then?"

  Eleorona: "We'll get to the base, Lawrence will get information and that's it, we'll go!"

  Donovan??: "Leave? Is it that easy?”

  Eleorona: "Well, I know, we'll fight but that's not the most important thing."

  Donovan??: "If you say so... Then can I come?"

  The boy was excited to wait for a yes. Lawrence and Eleorona exhaled through their noses simultaneously. Knowing the weight of his words. Donovan had done more than enough, he needed to rest. Aeris, who had been listening, extended her hand toward Eleorona, wordlessly asking for her phone. Eleorona handed it over, curious about what she would say.

  Aeris: (Concerned & Firm tone) “You can help us if you stay resting, Please.”

  Donovan??: “I will.”

  Eleorona and Lawrence exchanged a glance before looking at Aeris, who had an unreadable expression. In a lighthearted moment, they both distanced themselves from her, chuckling together. They whispered and Aeris raised an eyebrow curious of what they were talking about

  Aeris: “What?”

  Eleorona: (Playfully expressing) “No, nothing. It’s just, you and Donovan re starting to trust each other more. Could be something else too.”

  Lawrence and Eleorona glanced at each other and laughed while Aeris slightly blushes but brushes it off.

  Aeris: “Shut up.”

  As a way to cut off the embarassment, Donovan did an effort to keep the conversation going.

  Donovan??: “So, how are you doing?”

  The silver-blue haired girl stutters trying to form a word and the others continued to chuckle loudly. Aeris keeps her cool because she could not talk to Donovan during all this time.

  Aeris: “I-I’m fine, just going to kiss Hjalmer’s ass! Haha…”

  She fakes her laugh to have a ‘happy mood’.

  Donovan??: “Aim for the nuts and you’ll gain some points.”

  Aeris laughs softly, taking his advice for the possible upcoming battle. But then, an enormous ship arrives, taunting a loud but deep honk indicating departure.

  Aeris: “Oh! We have to go now, take care Donovan.”

  Donovan??: “You too, Aeris.”

  She gave the phone to Eleorona, quickly getting her bag and entering to the ferry. Same goes for Lawrence and Eleorona, who entered there as soon as possible.

  Now seated inside the ferry, they settled in, letting the quiet hum of engine be the background noise. Aeris paused her phone’s videogame to look at the others

  Aeris: “We need to go over the plan again. How exactly are we getting into the base?”

  Lawrence cleared his throat to began his explanation.

  Lawrence: “Same format as the decoy base plan. We knock down guards, take their appearance, get into the operation room and extract crucial data and leave.”

  Eleorona: (Raising an eyebrow) “Are you sure? Same format, same outcome.”

  Lawrence: (Sigh) “Well, what else should we do? Come on, tell me.”

  The italian frowns at her, pressuring with words. She covers her blank answers with “uhhh” “ummm” unsure what to say.

  Eleorona: “Maybe defend you while you’re hacking…?”

  He stares at her emotionless, silent. Eventually agreeing after thinking about it twice. After a brief argument about possible events, Aeris interrupted them.

  Aeris: “Well, that’s it, let’s go to sleep.”

  Of course, the mission required stamina, and rest was essential. They went to sleep with no worries…

  Lawrence’s alarm rang, instantly waking up. He looked at his companions. Eleorona slept peacefully while Aeris moved slightly, appearing restless. Hjalmer still haunted her mind.

  He gently shook their shoulders, waking them both.

  Lawrence: “Good morning, we’ve arrived.”

  Eleorona: (Stretching lazily) “Ugh, I need five more hours”

  Lawrence in his mind: “Five more hours? 8 hours of sleep is enough.”

  On the other hand, Aeris muttered something similar, but they both got up, rubbing their eyes, yawning and shouldering their bags. They decided to grab breakfast at Nolan’s House, a new small restaurant near the port. While eating, the conversation took a serious turn. It was expected, after all, they’re on their way to a mafioso’s base.

  Lawrence: (Curiously asking) “What if Hjalmer is at the base?”

  Aeris: (Tightening her grip on her fork) “You got two options. Attack or die.”

  Eleorona: (Blinking) “Huh? What do you mean?”

  Aeris: (Exhaling) “You take your attention off him for a second, and you’re already in danger. No, you’re dead.”

  No eye contact, she just stared at her plate after expressing.

  Aeris: “Hjalmer was the one who taught me how to fight. My father only taught me self-defense. It helped me… throughout this years.”

  The conversation continued in depth before they finished eating and rested for a few minutes. At 6:08 a.m., the port began to fill with boats, ferries, cruise ships, yachts and tugboats. Some were newly updated, wile others looked worn from the 2020s. After reviewing their plan once more and creating alternative strategies, Eleorona went to purchase three tickets. Their next departure was at 7 a.m., with an estimated arrival at Vis Island at 8 a.m.

  Stepping off the high-speed catamaran, the trio took a deep breath. One final trip remained before reaching their last destination. They required a speedboat. Approaching a driver, they greeted him. A fit caucasian man wearing waterproof hat, a life jacket with short breathable pants.

  Speedboat driver, Clay: “Oh hello, my name is Clay, what’s your destiny?”

  Lawrence: “Can you take us to Svetac Island?

  Clay: (Furrowed his brows) “Me? Take you there? Not a chance.”

  The trio exchanged glances before Lawrence attempted to reason with him, explaining that they were on an urgent mission.

  Lawrence: “It’s hard to explain but… We’re on an urgent mission related to that person, I promise we are just going there, that’s all we need, you can forget about us after that.”

  Not convincing enough. Aeris took her turn.

  Aeris: “Looks like you know what’s up with that island, don’t you?”

  Clay: “No? I’ve heard rumours about the person, being some kind of psycho who wants the island all by himself. He says he doesn’t want any visitors.”

  Aeris: “That psycho is a mafioso. There’s a reason why he wants the island. He’s planning something destructive so please, take us there.”

  Clay looks at the girl, her serious blue eyes could tell her sincerity. She was not joking. The driver remained silent without changing his opinion, this only made Clay arrogant, bragging about his boat’s importance

  Then, Eleorona stepped in.

  Eleorona: (With a kind & sweet tone.) “We are boosters sent to deal with this mafia figure my comrade is talking about. So please, can you take us there, please?”

  This only made Clay arrogant, bragging about his boat’s importance. Eleorona smirked, getting close grabbing his sweater.

  Eleorona: (Whispering in a dangerous tone.) “Oh? Is that so? How about I humiliate you in front of everyone? Just you with your pants down begging for mercy while everyone records you and upload it on social media, what do you say?”

  Her golden eyes glowed, showing him her fingertips infused with crackling sparks. With the mention of ‘Boosters’ and the threat, he was now forced to obey them.

  Eleorona grinned joyfully thanking the driver. Lawrence and Aeris watched, stunned.

  Arriving at Svetac Island’s coast, Clay watched them step off.

  Clay: “You need a ride back?”

  Eleorona: (Nodding vertically.) “Stay in Brusnik Square. We’ll contact you later.”

  Clay & the Trio waved, parting their ways. The trio began exploring the island. After some time, they discovered the base. Hjalmer’s base is no simple hideout. It’s an enormous black fortress, painted in pitch black on the outsides, standing out as a mysterious and curious structure. A portion of the island was destroyed to carve out enough space for the extended facility, the depth extended further than its surface, allowing more exploration than just the simple operation control rooms. On the entrance they peek through a dry. Doing the same format, they knocked down guards when they turned on their back to check up some reports from a hitman. Lawrence activated his jégosgalia, disguising the three of them as guards. Since no one was on the hallways, they could freely shift between the rooms, searching for the technical room. The luck kicked in, one of the rooms was nearby the entrance. Lawrence glanced at a room different from the others; This one had holographic screens displaying.

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  Lawrence: “That might be the one we’re looking for!”

  Quickly moving there, they locked the door and Lawrence began his attempt. He used his usb to crack the password. Doing so, he searched in the file folders any kind of data related to Hjalmer’s plans & his connection with the mysterious being “The One”. Lawrence’s demeanor changed, investing all his focus on being efficient and quick to get out as soon as possible but…

  They skipped one step. A crucial step. Disable the cameras inside the room.

  The alarm blared. Reinforcements came crashing in.

  Aeris grits her teeth, calling out Lawrence’s name.

  Aeris: “Lawrence, Lawrence! Deactivate your jégosgalia. We have to fight!”

  Lawrence: “Only you two, I’ll keep searching for more files.”

  As Aeris and Eleorona fought, the Italian kept doing his assigned role. Minutes pass by, the girls panted lightly, a mess of knocked bodies on the room was done.

  Eleorona: “Lawrence, we have to dig deeper.”

  Lawrence: “Hold on…”

  97%… 98%… The USB scanned the files rapidly. 99%… 100%.

  Lawrence slowly took the USB off the USB port, putting it inside his pants’ to finally leave. However… Aeris suddenly froze. A familiar presence she felt, someone she knew since she worked for Hjalmer. She gasped, her eyes darted. She slowly walked to the destroyed door, shifting her head to her left peeking the presence. Lawrence and Eleorona did the same thing, they had to stay together no matter what…

  Aeris: (Mutter) “CX.”

  A sinister chuckle echoed in the hallway.

  CX: “Oh my, oh my. Look who’s here. Do you want breakfast? I made your favorite. In fact, I was waiting for my special person to arrive.”

  The caucasian man, wearing a purple overcoat glanced at two new faces. His happy expression vanished away, closing his fists tightly.

  CX: “I’ve heard that you betrayed Delta. Looks like…”

  As he pronounced every ounce of word, he slowly grabbed his guns. One, by one.

  CX: “Looks like the boss was right. You was going to betray us anytime.”

  The hitman reloaded his guns aggressively, ready to blow heads.

  Aeris: (Clenching her fists) “I’ll handle this.”

  Her bluish eyes glimmer heavily. Aeris’ flame was slowly taking it’s color, her resolve; Ready to be formed. CX grinned, interested. Eleorona activated her jégosgalia and moved deeper into the base with Lawrence shielding him just in case. While they ran, a white slash tore through her ice defense.

  A second opponent appeared.

  Nate, Top 6 strongest hitman.

  Eleorona stared effortlessly at him, exchanging a grin on their faces. ‘Fight’ their eyes said. Lawrence looked at her, nodding vertically. Lawrence ran deeper, reaching another operation control room where the rest of files are. Extracting files, everything was normal for him despite all those background noises were Aeris and Eleorona fighting those hitmen; Grunting, clashing, destroying.

  But then… He felt a chill. A shadow stood behind him.

  Yet, another obstacle, Vlad.

  Three fights. Three enemies.

  The battle for a new beginning had begun.

  Aeris moved swiftly, her boots skidding across the metal floor as she observes her opponent. CX stood in front of her, a relaxed stance yet calculated, his fingers twitched making contact with the gun’s trigger. She knew what that meant. His jégosgalia activated.

  CX: “Betraying Delta, for what? Some naive sense of justice? You were one of our best, Aeris.”

  Aeris: (Exhaling sharply) “I was never one of you. You just controlled me, forced me to do your dirty work for months. I’m taking back my life. My freedom.”

  CX: (Tilting his head & chuckling.) “Hah, your life? You mean the one I made you give up when I ordered you to erase those students? Or are you trying to erase your guilt now?”

  Those words carried weight which pressed on her. She didn’t respond. Instead, she lunged forward, performing an astonishing back kick toward CX’s head. He sidestepped smoothly, the kick’s impact created a blast of wind, slightly shaking the metal roof. But, she was already following up with a rear jab and a spinning elbow strike, forcing him on the defensive. Yet, CX dodged, moving fluidly. Suddenly he stopped, locking his eyes onto hers. A strange sensation crawled into her stomach. Aeris gritted her teeth, her muscles stiffened and her vision went slightly blur. Her own limbs resisted her commands. Recognizing that feeling. She had been under this control before. It was how she unwillingly obeyed his orders in the past. CX activated his mind-control, thinking Aeris would lose the fight quickly. But… She growled. With a vast surge of power, she channeled her jégosgalia into the metal floor beneath her, sending a shockwave that disrupted the magnetic field around her, eventually breaking his mind control. Her knees buckled, but she her will kept her strong, forcing to stand up.

  CX: (Clicking his tongue in frustration) “Tch. This is absurd. You could’ve done this before.

  Aeris wasted no time. Sliding her hands through her thigh pocket reaching her thin metal needles. The needles floated to her sides as she thrusted her hands forward, aiming for CX’s torso. He twisted away, but the needles redirected midair with a flick of her fingers, using magnetism to send them curving toward his back.

  A louud gunshot echoed through the never-ending hallway.

  Lawrence and Eleorona freezed for a moment, thinking Aeris got shoot. Despite thinking this, they continued on their current task.

  CX had drawn his pistol in an instant, firing the incoming needles, deflecing some, while others grazed his shoulder. Aeris dashed in, performing a hook to his jaw. The impact sent him stumbling, but it didn’t knocked him. He quickly recovered, aiming his gun to her head.

  CX: (Sneering, wiping blood from his lip.) “You really think you can win this fight, don’t you? Your jégosgalia is a piece of junk.”

  Aeris smirked, flicking her wrist making the gun tremble in his hand. Before he could react, the weapon flew from his grip, thanks to her magnetism.

  Aeris: “Of course I think that, punkass.”

  The gun landed in her palm, crushing it with a metallic crunch.

  Aeris: “Try fighting without your cheap guns.”

  CX’s expression darkened, that cocky smile faded. his jégosgalia quickly shifted. The ambient turned windy as he switched to his second mode, able to counter her abilities. CX’s second mode supressed Steelheart fury by interfering with bioelectricity.

  CX: “Show me what you’ve got. Without that jégosgalia of yours.”

  Aeris barely managed to block his first strike, his movements changed. Just like the difference between an amateur and a professional level; Sharper and unpredictable. CX uses her brief moment of vulnerability against her. Feeling the pain spread through her forearm as he struck, then another hit to her ribs. In exchange, she broke his momentum in a judo-like move. Outthinking him was her idea. If she couldn’t rely on Steelheart Fury, she’d use everything else she had. CX moved again, but this time, she feinted, letting him commit to his strike. As he swung, she sidestepped and countered with a spinning elbow to his sternum, a large bone found in the chest. CX gasped so Aeris took that timing for a sweeping leg kick, knocking him off balance. He hit the metal ground hard, coughing loudly. The hitman scowled, trying to push himself up, but Aeris raised her hand. The moment he had lost focus, his jégosgalia deactivated. Then, Aeris felt Steelheart Fury’s magnetism come back. A metallic platform, curved upwards floated, taking it’s time to mold into thick needles

  Aeris: “Surrender.”

  CX’s jaw tightened, knowing he lost this round.

  CX: (Low chuckle) “This won’t change anything. You’re still a traitor to Delta. Don’t think the boss will let you walk away like nothing happened.”

  Aeris: (Narrowed eyes) “Then he can come and try.”

  With one final glance, she turned away, leaving CX with the needles to stab his clothes. She had won. But deep down, she knew the real fight was still ahead.

  Blue crackling sparks reacted to the metal floor. Eleorona locked eyes with Nate, knowing he was trouble. The hitman carried himself with the ease of a predator that had never been outsmart as for now. Apart from the other hitmen, Nate was the only person who used dual katanas. These katanas, were not ordinary; Forged with an essential mineral, able to concentrate huge amounts of linked energy. Nate expressed a smug grin with a relaxed stance, yet coiled like a spring

  Nate: “You’re… Eleorona Ivanel? Donovan’s little sister?”

  Eleorona: “Correction. I’m her older sister.”

  Nate: (Playful tone) “Oh, I see. How old are you?”

  The hitman expressed a light chuckle, knowing he risked himself, but not caring at all about her response. She got a little annoyed, clenching her fist but forgetting that unnecessary comment.

  Nate: (As he traces his fingers on his blade.) “I was really hoping to fight him instead, but hey, I’ll take what I can get.”

  Eleorona: “Taking what you can get? How about I tell you that my little brother knocked down those 4 hitmen and left the strongest to retire.”

  Nate smirked, but soon realized what she meant, switching to an astonished expression.

  Eleorona: “That’s right, there’s a big chance you wouldn’t won.”

  Nate: “Winning… Meh, I don’t care. I just want some fun.”

  Eleorona: “And that’s what you’re getting.”

  Before he could blink, Eleorona thrusted herself forward, infusing her fist with a chop hand infused with Ice and lighting. Then throwing a rear elbow strike to his jaw, but Nate dodged by tiwsting his body at the last second as he brough one of his katanas upward in a counter-slice.

  CLANG!

  A solid clash. Eleorona reinforced her forearm with a layer of hardened ice, blocking the katana just in time. Counterattacking with a low sweeping kick, forcing Nate to leap back to avoid it. But she was faster. Eleorona twisted mid-air, performing a roundhouse kick infused with lighting, aiming straight to his ribs. Nate managed to cross his blades in front of him to absorb the impact, but the electricity surged through the metal, jolting his arms. He hissed shaking off the stinging pain.

  Nate: “Okay, okay. You hit hard.”

  He admitted, stretching his necks. Nate slowly inhale and exhaled ready to begin his offensive stance. Nate vanished and Eleorona’s instincts kicked in. She ducked as a katana sliced through the air where her head had been. Probably, Nate was faster than Eleorona, nevertheless, she couldn’t hold herself back. She spun on her heel, covering her fists with ice spikes, punching forward. Nate dodged, but just barely. One of the spikes grazed his shoulder, letting out a bleeding cut.

  Nate: (Grin) “Nice one! You actually got me!”

  But. Eleorona felt a sudden pressure against her ice, which began to crack.

  Eleorona: “What in the.”

  Nate lunged, cutting through her defenses and forcing her to retreat as he pressed forward. His jégosgalia was disrupting her elemental control, making her ice more brittle than usual.

  Eleorona: “Ugh, now what? Your jégosgalia can mess with a elemental infusion?”

  Nate: (Twilting his head) “Kinda.”

  Eleorona’s patience could easily be broken, just like throwing glass. She threw herself at him, unleashing a relentless barrage of elbows, knees and fists infused with bursts of lighting. Nate kept reaching Eleorona’s speed, but she was constant. And for every counter he tried, she adapted, pushing him further back. Comitting a feint, she threw a definitive spinning back-kick, launching a burst of Ice-infused lighting straight to his chest, sending him flying across the room. He hit the wall with a grunt, dropping to one knee.

  Eleorona: (Exhaled sharply & cracking her knuckles) “Hmph. Where’s that smile?”

  Nate: (Wiping blood from his mouth, chuckling) “Damn… You’re stronger than I expected. This just got fun.”

  His grip tightened on his katanas, standing up with them.

  Eleorona: “Hm, I’m taking a like to you.”

  Then, Lawrence, who kept running deeper in the hallway finally finding the operation room as indicated by a file he found. “Sala di Controllo-104.” he muttered in Italian, refreshing his memory. After a minute, he found the control room 104 which somehow did not have a door. Seeming strange but Lawrence couldn’t care less. His priority was to collect crucial information. He began injecting his program, bypassing passwords and admin access, being enough. Lawrence first checked cameras; seeing the knocked guards still unconscious, Aeris finished CX and Eleorona still fighting Nate.

  Lawrence in his mind: “Tch, What am I gonna do with this information later on? Sigh, I’ll talk about it later with the others.”

  The italian directly went to the files section, revising the data he is looking for. He skimmed through documents, opening & closing document one by one. While doing so, a chill pass through his entire body.

  Lawrence in his mind: “What’s this feeling? This feels a little bit odd.”

  Despite the sensation, Lawrence downloaded important files peacefully. That oddness came into reality as soon as he checked Control Room 104’s camera. A shadowy figure stood there, behind him. No, not just a shadowy figure, but a tall one. A mountain of muscle. He spoke in a neutral tone.

  Vlad: “My name is Vlad, nice to meet you.”

  That was all. No threats, no insults or cocky comments. Just that uncanny sentence before he launched forward, his fist swinging like a wrecking ball. Lawrence barely dodged. The air whistled past his face, as Vlad’s punch cracked the ground where Lawrence stood a second ago.

  Lawrence in his mind: “Shit, he’s fast for his size!”

  Lawrence countered, shifting into a stance he masked for a long time. The Wing Chun. Lawrence strikes at Vlad’s rib with rapid controlled blows. But…

  His fists barely made an impact. Vlad gave a gentle smile, hiding his raw and fearful strength. He grabbed Lawrence’s wrist mid-strike, dragging him forward and slamming a knee straight to his stomach.

  Lawrence choked on air, staggering back as the pain bloomed in his ribs. His vision blurred for a second.

  Vlad: (Tilting his head) “Weak.”

  Wiping blood from his lips, adrenaline kept him alive, alert.

  Lawrence: “I can’t owerpower him. But, maybe I can outthink him.”

  He activated his jégosgalia, shifting his appearance to match Vlad’s physique. Equalizing. His body bulked up, mirroring Vlad’s form.

  Lawrence in his mind: “Okay this body is… Not suitable for Wing Chun. I’ll try to experiment with this body while fighting this guy.”

  Vlad’s eye narrowed. Lawrence rushed this time, matching Vlad’s raw power with his own, clashing their blows with an earth-shaking force. The fight became a brutal exchange of punches, elbows and counterattacks. Neither gaining the upper hand. It looked like one was gaining advantage and the other was losing, but they still paired power.

  Then, something ocurred. Lawrence felt a disorder, his jégosgalia supressed. Making his transformation unstable. Vlad took his opportunity throwing a devastating uppercut, sending Lawrence flyingbackwards and crashing into the sides of the computer he was hacking. Lawrence coughed, his jégosgalia deactivates. His form shrank back to normal. Complaining about the body’s pain with grunts. He turned his head to his left, seeing how the files progressed. 48%… The bar felt more like a timer. An unpredictable timer.

  Vlad: “You copy. But you don’t keep your form.”

  Lawrence in his mind: “Somehow, his jégosgalia counteracts mine. It’s forcing my transformation to break apart. Well, it’s time to cope.”

  Lawrence: (Gritted teeth) “Fine. No copying then.”

  He pushed himself up slowly, brushing the dust off his shoulders & pants adopting is Wing Chun stance once more. If brute strength wouldn’t work, then precision would.

  Vlad charged.

  Lawrence moved soothly, flowing around Vlad’s attack, countering with rapid pinpoint strikes to joints and nerves. Overpowering Vlad is an absurd idea, breaking him down was his best option according to Lawrence’s style.

  Vlad swung again, but Lawrence dodged, delivering palm strikes to his throat. The hitman stumbled for the first time.

  Lawrence in his mind: “I was wrong about this martial art. It comes beneficial with the suitable opponent. For a normal person this would seem stupid. A Human’s strength can be considered in many ways but… Just like any other booster, the more we train, the more we evolve, not just in skill, but in understanding ourselves. Strength isn’t give. It’s revealed, one moment at a time. ”

  Vlad’s eyes gleamed, he felt amusement. Exhaling and rolling his shoulders, he picked more interest in the Italian. Lawrence quickly turned to his back, checking the percentage. 68%…

  He then locked eyes with Vlad, knowing the fight was far from over.

  Lawrence: “Hey Vlad, I guess you will have more fun.”

  Chapter 7 ends.