"What else? Take her to an orphanage. What else could we possibly do?" Isabella sighed, massaging her temples with weary fingers. The fatigue clung to her voice, heavy and unshakable.
"If I may ask… why don't you just enhance your physique? You look exhausted. If it was enhanced, I doubt you'd feel this drained, Isabella." Andrew asked carefully, his eyes narrowing as he studied her face.
"I could, but I can't at this moment. And please, don't ask me to elaborate on that." Isabella's tone was calm but tinged with a faint warning, her voice thinner than usual. "Talen has already been sleeping for an hour and a half. We'll start the plan at four. Wouldn't you like to have a quick nap until then?"
"Trust me, that's a terrible idea." Andrew gave a short chuckle, though his own body sagged with fatigue. "I'll only feel worse if I do."
The silence between them stretched for a moment before Andrew finally broke it. "But… are you sure this plan is going to work?"
"Most likely. It's the only feasible plan we have." Isabella exhaled through her nose, steadying her tone. "Our chances of success have risen greatly with Talen's presence–specifically, his Nullification, is the natural weakness of us, Chosens." She didn't sound as though she was convincing herself; she genuinely believed in the cleverness of the plan.
*****
Time: 4:05
"Fuck! I'm even more tired now. My eyes feel like they're on fire." Talen dragged his feet as though every step pulled him deeper into the ground.
"It was your choice. I did tell you it was a terrible idea." Andrew's voice carried a trace of amusement. Though he was clearly tired as well, he still carried himself with more composure. Mira clung to his side, her small hand tucked into his. She walked without protest, yet her presence radiated a quiet need for comfort.
"Why not a little boost? Although your Nullification will wear it down eventually, it's still something." Isabella suggested, her tone cool, almost matter-of-fact.
"Of course!" Talen latched onto the idea instantly.
The sensation washed over them all at once. It was like waking from the most perfect sleep one could ever have–ten hours of undisturbed rest on a bed that seemed carved from heaven itself. Energy surged into their bodies like fire through their veins, intoxicating, addictive. The ache in their muscles vanished, the weight on their eyes evaporated, and fatigue itself was obliterated.
"Fuck yeah!" Talen bounced on his feet, springing into a quick series of jumps. "Why didn't you use this before?"
"Alright, Talen, open the Rifts. You know where, right?" Isabella ignored his question without hesitation.
Talen squinted, as though trying to read her, but gave up just as quickly. "One to 'Level 15, Edsel Street,' another to 'Level 27, Maenlin Street,' and the last to 'Level 54, Southern Fahrn Street,' right?"
"Yes." Isabella nodded as she reached up and slipped off the robe she had worn throughout their stay in Fragr–Andrew still had his own draped around him. Beneath it, she revealed her actual attire.
It was simple, almost underwhelming: a plain black tank top paired with black field trousers. Nothing elegant, nothing flamboyant… except that it was on Isabella, which made even simplicity appear deliberate, even striking.
Andrew's eyes nearly lingered. But before they could, he felt a tug–Talen catching his gaze.
"Be a gentleman." Talen winked, turning away himself. Andrew copied his action.
Andrew's face burned with embarrassment. The fact that the thought even crossed his mind unsettled him. When had they become so… careless?
"What are both of you doing?" Isabella's sharp tone cut through his thoughts. "Talen, set up the Rifts. Andrew, take the child with you to Level 15. Specifically, Baron Grespillan's gallery. From there, you know to lay low until we come for you."
Both Andrew and Talen turned instinctively, expecting to be met with a sight that might fluster them further. But what they saw instead pulled a thin veil of disappointment across their faces.
Isabella now wore a grey windbreaker over her tank top, zipping it high enough to leave no skin visible. She'd even slipped on gloves, erasing the casual allure from moments ago.
"Where the hell did she get the windbreaker? I want one too," Talen muttered under his breath as he activated his ability. The air around them twisted nauseatingly, space itself bending in on invisible seams.
"Alright, it's set." Talen exhaled as the distortion steadied. "Andrew, just walk forward with your little one. You'll arrive exactly at Level 15, Edsel Street, a short distance from the gallery."
"Alright. See you both soon." Andrew gave a short nod, taking Mira's hand tighter. He stepped forward into the warped space, and in the next moment, the twisting air swallowed them both. The world around him vanished as he and Mira disappeared into the Rift.
Talen froze, his hands suspended mid-air, eyes widening with dawning horror. A single word slipped from his lips, raw and helpless.
"Fuck!"
Isabella's head snapped toward him, her expression tightening. "What's with the cursing?"
"That was… a failed Rift." His voice trembled despite his effort to stay calm. "I don't even know where they'll end up. Hell, they could be anywhere in this world."
His throat clenched as Isabella's gaze drilled into him. For the briefest second, he actually thought he might cry.
"Fuck! Fuck!" Isabella's voice thundered, wrath boiling out of her like a storm breaking free of its cage. "Can you find them? It was your Rift after all!"
"I told you… I don't know where they ended up." Talen's words rushed out as he shrank back. "Failed Rifts aren't under my control. That's why they're called 'failed' in the first place." His breath grew shallow. A cold realization crawled down his spine: his borrowed vitality was fading. Isabella was deliberately stripping away her Enhancement, forcing fatigue back into his body like a cruel weight.
For a moment, his instincts screamed at him to ignite his Nullification. But the thought alone made his stomach twist. No–she would make him regret that instantly.
"Fuck you, Talen!" Isabella's fury lashed out again before she caught herself, clawing for control. "Shit… I have to calm down. Calm yourself, Isabella. Control yourself." Her chest rose and fell as she forced herself into a steady rhythm, practicing the same measured breathing she often relied on.
When she finally spoke again, her voice carried steel under restraint. "Leave the matter of Alex Warren until after we've found Andrew."
Talen dared to interject, his tone careful, rational. "But… where do we even begin searching? They could be anywhere in the world right now. Wouldn't it be more logical to finish the issue here first, then go after them? Andrew can handle himself for a while. Faulty Chosen or not, he's still a Chosen."
"You don't understand, Talen." Isabella's tone dropped, heavy with something darker than anger. She stepped closer, her height and presence bearing down on him. "I'm not worried about Andrew's safety. I'm not afraid he won't survive. You don't understand in the slightest, so let me make you understand."
Talen instinctively stepped back, but it was like being hunted by a predator that didn't need to move fast to catch him.
"Andrew is mad." Isabella's words fell like stone. "Mad beyond what you'd expect. His madness isn't the kind you're thinking of. It's worse. It's the kind you struggle to even describe."
"But… he doesn't seem mad at all." Talen's voice cracked as he tried to reason, desperate for a foothold.
"That's because I was restraining it!" Isabella's voice surged, venom lacing her words. "Why do you think I wanted him at Level 15? Because it would keep him within my range. That's the only reason you've seen a semblance of normalcy in him. Andrew is mad, Talen. What you see is just my effort holding that madness in place."
The truth slammed into Talen like a hammer, knocking the air from his lungs. His lips parted as realization crept in. "That's why you reacted like that when I used my Nullification on you… back then?"
Her glare sharpened into something deadly. "Now you understand. You nearly unraveled everything, Talen. You still don't comprehend what Andrew is. If you'd seen the carnage at Grede, you'd have the faintest glimpse of the madness I'm speaking of."
She seized him by the collar with frightening speed, jerking him close until his nose nearly brushed hers. His body went rigid as her eyes locked onto his, cold and merciless.
Terror, pure and unnatural terror, flooded through him. It wasn't fear in the ordinary sense; it was deeper, primal, as if some part of him knew instinctively that using his abilities now would be suicide.
"So we find Andrew first." Her voice was calm now, too calm, which made it worse. "And you'd better pray we find him before my ability fades from him. Do I make myself clear, Talen?"
Her grip loosened suddenly, and he collapsed backward onto the floor with a dull thud. The look on his face left no doubt… he had seen death, and it had worn Isabella's face.
"Yes." His reply was flat, stripped of defiance, nothing but fear behind it.