The worm lunged forward, it let out an ear-piercing screech as it advanced.
Omari met it head-on.
His fist slammed into its body—
Stopping it mid-charge and sending it crashing through two trees.
It quickly recovered and lunged again, its maw open and ready.
Omari raised his arm, palm open.
"Let's try something new."
The letter E manifested on his palm.
Then—
E-RADICATE
A barrage of glowing letters shot forward.
They didn't strike the worm's body.
They passed straight through it.
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
Then its body convulsed.
The vibrations tore through it from the inside out.
Organs ruptured. Vessels burst.
The worm let out a distorted screech as it collapsed, writhing in agony.
Pink blood foamed from its mouth.
Omari stepped forward, looming over its head.
His expression went cold.
"Die, you little shit."
He lifted his leg—
And brought it down on the worm's head.
Stomp.
Stomp.
Stomp.
He stopped.
He looked down at his leather boots.
Pink blood and bits of flesh clung to them—some of it splattered across his brown pants.
He clicked his tongue, rubbing at the stains before spitting at the carcass.
"Ruining my peasant drip too… yeah, you had to go."
He glanced over himself.
Bruises covered his body.
His shirt hung slightly torn.
"Luckily my bruises should be healed by tonight, and Savien can fix my clothes."
He turned toward camp, still filled with rage.
He grabbed whatever herbs he could salvage from the basket and stuffed them in his pockets.
He walked back to camp in a low grumble.
His mind was elsewhere.
And because of that—
He forgot about one thing.
The eyes.
—
Back at the cave, Savien had already finished constructing the grill near the entrance.
He stood in front of the cave wall.
Numbers and symbols covered its surface.
He wrote as he muttered under his breath, working through the equation.
"If I increase the frequency, the output should scale proportionally… no, that's too inefficient."
He crossed it out.
Pacing back and forth, he continued refining the idea, thoughts moving faster than his steps.
"Stabilize the wavelength instead… extract as much power as possible without excess loss."
He wrote again, the equation already taking up half the wall.
"But how would I utilize the other wavelengths?"
He paused—then shook his head.
"Focus on what you can do right now."
He continued his quiet mumbling, completely absorbed in his work.
He didn't notice Omari enter camp.
Omari raised a hand.
"Yo, unc."
No response.
Omari shook his head and sat down.
"He's tweaking out again."
Then—
Savien snapped toward Omari.
His expression was that of a madman.
"What do you know about wavelengths?"
Omari blinked, caught off guard. Then, he thought for a moment.
"Uhhh… the speed of light constant?"
Savien's eyes widened slightly.
"So you do know your stuff, good."
Omari immediately raised his hand.
"No, no. I don't know that much—"
"Electromagnetic radiation is made from photons, which are massless."
Omari rolled his eyes, already accepting his fate.
"Here we go."
Savien continued.
"These photons behave as both waves and particles—what we call wave-particle duality. They propagate as oscillating electric and magnetic fields."
Omari just looked at him.
"You're stating basic physics, unc."
Savien ignored him.
"Let's dissect 'electromagnetic' for now. If photons require both electric and magnetic fields to function…"
He paused, a grin slowly forming.
"... then, in theory, I should be able to control both."
Omari raised a brow.
"… Should?"
Savien turned back to the wall.
"It's only a theory."
He picked up the chalk.
"For now."
Omari chuckled to himself and leaned forward, grabbing a stick.
"Bro's actually using the stuff he learned in school…"
He swung it around playfully.
"… could never be me though. Real Gs don't go to school to learn."
He slowly turned to Savien, who was still working.
"Actually… you remind me of Neil deGrasse Tyson. You're Black, you both have a love for science—even if you major in different parts of it."
Savien paused.
"… Thanks?"
He went back to solving.
Omari placed a finger on his chin.
"How many black scientists did you know?"
Savien turned to Omari.
Omari frowned.
"Just answer."
Savien thought for a second before answering.
"Well, I lived in South Africa. So… quite a lot."
Omari rolled his eyes and dragged a hand down his face.
"Oh my lord… so instead of doing dumb stuff, they were actually getting educated and building stable lives? Disgusting."
He gagged dramatically and tossed the stick aside.
"Man, your world has it backwards."
Savien just rolled his eyes and kept writing.
—
Damian and Jackson walked through the forest. They were just a few meters away from camp, both boys had a few fish in their baskets.
Damian lifted his basket up slightly and stared at it. "Why couldn't we have hunted for some boar or elk?"
Jackson didn't slow down, his eyes still locked on the direction of camp. "Fish are easier to get. And I was in the mood for them." He turned back and faced Damian. "We can go hunt for something else if you want?"
Damian shook his head. "I'm fine with fish."
Jackson continued walking, a hand placed on his chin. "Savien definitely won't care about what we bring back, and Omari loves food, so he won't mind the fish."
The afternoon sun was warm on their backs as they moved through the forest. Green leaves covered everything you could see.
Jackson's expression softened a bit as he walked. He looked around, noticing the birds that flew overhead. He looked over his shoulder and stared at Damian, trying to pick the right words.
"So… how was life as an assassin?" he finally said.
Damian's expression remained neutral. "It wasn't fun, if that's what you're thinking."
Jackson chuckled softly. "Why would I think that?"
"Omari asked me the same question once," Damian said. "He thought being an assassin was some kind of cool profession."
Jackson snorted. "Sounds like him."
Damian sighed softly. Remembering his past made him uncomfortable.
All the pain.
All the evil he did.
All the people who were affected by actions he had no control over.
No—he had a choice.
He had the option to refuse.
But that meant dying much sooner.
He looked down as he spoke. "I was forced into it. From the moment I was born."
Jackson slowed.
"… This all happened while you were a kid?"
"Before I could even walk."
Jackson's expression softened slightly. "Oh… I'm sorry."
Damian raised an eyebrow. "Why are you apologizing?"
Jackson stared at him with a saddened look. "I just… feel bad for you."
Damian stared into the forest, his voice flat and emotionless as he spoke. "It wasn't your fault."
A pause.
"Thanks."
Jackson blinked. "For what?"
"For feeling something for me."
Jackson gave a small smile. "No problem. If I ever meet the people that hurt you, I'll take revenge just for you."
Damian stared at him. A faint smirk formed.
"Thanks."
They continued walking in comfortable silence.
But Damian's attention shifted.
His eyes scanned the forest slowly.
Searching.
His smirk fizzled away.
'Huh… it's pretty close to camp.'
He stared up at the canopy; rays of sunlight blinded him.
'Why is it so close… ? And where is it?'
He scanned the area closely, failing to find anything.
"Savien, we're back," Jackson said.
They arrived at camp, a fire already lit under the grill.
Damian's attention switched over to Savien, who was scribbling across the cave wall.
Off to the side, Omari was preparing the spices. He was covered in small bruises, and his shirt was torn slightly.
Damian glanced back at the forest.
His eyes moved from shadow to shadow.
'Where is it? I can't find it.'
He knew something was there.
He just didn't know where.
'… This is going to be a problem.'