"Look out," Hafen shouted from inside. He frantically searched for a solution. He pulled a lever and pushed the pedal.
The tank rapidly swerved away. It crashed through the hangar door with a loud crash. A shower of sparks and debris flew everywhere.
Hafen was thrown around inside and hit his head. His vision blurred, and his head pounded. He leaned against the controls for support. He held his head and winced in pain.
"That's right, Hafen. You deserve to die," a low voice whispered in his mind.
Hafen shook his head in denial and tried to ignore the voice.
All of a sudden, the gunner reemerged from above. "What did you do," he yelled with an obvious lisp.
Hafen's head spun as he looked at him. His stomach churned as he leaned over.
The gunner noticed Hafen's state and smirked. He raised his rifle and pulled the trigger.
Bang! Bang!
Hafen's eyes opened wide. His stomach hurt, and he gasped for air. He looked down and saw two bullet holes in his abdomen. Blood gushed out and stained his garments. He coughed and spat out more blood.
The gunner laughed and aimed at his head. "You're done, monster," he sneered.
Hafen gritted his teeth as blood seeped up his throat. In a sudden burst of adrenaline, he summoned the last of his strength. He grasped his elemental katana and threw it at the gunner.
It pierced through the gunner's neck and pinned him to the tank. Blood spurted out like a fountain.
The gunner choked and clutched his wound. His eyes rolled back in his head. With a final gasp, he became motionless.
Hafen panted as he crawled. His eyes became heavy. He rested on the driver's seat and played with the controls. His chest heaved heavily, and his head swayed. His eyes became glazed over. He lurched as a menacing growl escaped his mouth.
An evil laughter echoed in his mind, "My All-Knowing God, there it is. All shall fall to my hands." A voice he had heard before haunted him now. It was The Exalted One's voice.
The tank's cannon moved around and pointed at random objects. It was out of control. Then, it pointed at the crates, where soldiers took cover to reload their rifles and prepared to neutralize Matteo and Stark.
The driver, recovered, noticed and ran up to the tank. He looked up at the gunner, shocked to see his dead corpse, and screamed, "Don't! Stop the tank!"
Hafen's hand weakly hovered over the button that would fire the cannon. He knew that if he pressed it, he would kill people who were just doing their jobs. People who had families and dreams, but he also knew that if he didn't press it, his brothers would die. His vision blurred, and he coughed up more blood. He had to make a choice. To live or to let others live.
The Exalted One's voice grew louder and more sinister in his head, "You know what you have to do. Kill them all!"
Hafen gritted his teeth, and tears streamed down his face. He pressed the button.
The cannon fired with a deafening roar. It unleashed a shell that hit the crates and exploded into a huge fireball. The flames engulfed everything. The soldiers screamed in agony and perished.
The tank continued to shoot shells.
Crates and vehicles blew up one by one, and flames rose high into the sky.
Stark and Matteo stared at the tank's rampage, and their jaws dropped.
Matteo waved his hands and exclaimed, "Hafen! You don't know how to control that thing. Stop! Stop!" He ran after the tank.
Hafen pressed on the trigger of the cannon repeatedly. With a vacant stare, he whispered with a weak voice, "More destruction." He clutched his gut and immediately collapsed off the seat. He shut his eyes and slowly lost consciousness after losing a lot of blood.
The tank stopped moving, and the cannon lowered. The smoke from the explosions filled the air. The bodies of the soldiers were charred and unrecognizable. The vehicle bay was a scene of carnage.
At the same time, smoke and fire also rose from the perimeter of the military base.
Soldiers fired their guns and tanks at a horde of monsters that breached the walls.
The Exalted One moved with unnatural speed, and he sent a ball of dark energy at the soldiers.
A small army of monsters followed him. A giant snake entered the fray, moving in a terrifying, fluid motion. Its armored body seemed to reflect the firelight, and it crushed soldiers beneath it.
Stark and Matteo froze for a second as they tried to process what they were seeing. They eventually rushed to Hafen's tank and climbed up.
"Matteo, let's check inside," Stark suggested.
In the meantime, Hafen floated in a dreamscape. He felt nothing but coldness and emptiness. Was he dead?
An ethereal voice suddenly called out to him, "Hey! You... Can you hear me?"
Hafen opened his eyes and saw a shadowy, monstrous figure in front of him. "Who are you," he asked with a stammer.
"How rude. I asked you first. Speak your name," the voice replied with curiosity.
Hafen hesitated, unsure if he could trust the shadowy figure. "I'm Hafen," he answered.
"Hafen, huh? What an interesting name," the shadowy figure commented.
"Thanks. I guess. Where are we," Hafen questioned. He looked around but saw nothing but darkness.
"I'm not sure. A different dimension? A prison? A place between the worlds of the living and dead? A place where you and me can meet, I suppose," the shadowy figure concluded. It approached him with a friendly gesture, and a dim light showed its features. It transformed into a young boy, about Hafen's age. He had blue, scaled skin, sharp teeth, piercing eyes, and dark hair. His ears were very long and pointy. He wore a tattered garment, and his finned arms and legs were bare.
"Whoa," Hafen exclaimed. He blinked rapidly and stepped back. "You're a... What are you," he stammered.
The blue boy narrowed his eyes in concentration and raised a webbed hand. "I go by many names, but you can call me... I seemed to have forgotten my true name. Strange. Call me The Boundless One for now," he responded and rubbed his chin.
"That's what others call you? The Boundless One," Hafen inquired with a hint of suspicion.
"Well, the truth is... I like it, but it's a self-proclaimed name. It makes me sound powerful and mysterious, don't you think," The Boundless One admitted with a grin.
Hafen reluctantly nodded and furrowed his brows. "But, why? Why are we here? How did we get here," he sought to know.
The Boundless One shrugged. "Good question. When I woke up, I just sensed your presence in this space and called out to you. Maybe we have a connection or something. Maybe you're special or something," he suggested with a contemplative gaze.
Hafen looked down at his body and saw that it was transparent and glowing. A blood puddle gathered around him. "I'm dying, aren't I," he muttered.
The Boundless One nodded with a sympathetic look and affirmed, "It appears so. Look. You lost a lot of blood already. You might not make it for another minute."
Hafen felt a pang of sadness and regret. He thought about his brothers, his mission, and his promise to himself. He had failed. His life ended after committing a mass massacre. "I'm a monster. I deserve this," he lamented with a sigh. He avoided meeting The Boundless One's gaze.
"How pathetic," The Boundless One commented. He crossed his arms and shook his head. "Are you giving up just like that? Are you not even going to try to fight for your life?"
"What's the point? I killed people. I became a murderer. Just like The Exalted One," Hafen professed.
The Boundless One walked around him and inspected him. He leaned in and whispered, "I can imagine what he's like. More than you can. I knew a very bad man, too."
Hafen stared at him with surprise. "This very bad man... He did this to you? He trapped you in here," he assumed.
The Boundless One nodded but revealed no more of it. He yawned and divulged, "I've been asleep for a long time until today, and I prefer to not talk about him in my first conversation in ages. I'm here for you, I think." He gestured to Hafen's wounds. "You still have a chance to live, you know. You just have to believe in me. Or not, but I have an odd feeling that I would disappear, too."
"What do you mean by 'believe in you'," Hafen questioned with confusion.
The Boundless One sighed and curled his lips after. He explained, "It's complicated, but basically, I can heal you if you let me."
"That's not that complicated," Hafen retorted. He stared at his wounds and remembered the voice that had urged him to kill. He wondered if it was The Exalted One, The Boundless One, or something else. "Why should I trust you? You might be evil," he questioned.
The Boundless One shrugged again and rolled his eyes. He continued, "You don't really have a choice. If you die, you will never see your brothers again. You will never avenge your parents. You will never stop the zombies. So... Human... Uh... Hafen! Want to experience my magic trick?"
Hafen hesitated, but the thought of losing everything was unbearable. He clenched his fists and asked, "What do I need to do?"
The Boundless One grinned. "Just shake my hand, and I will do the rest," he attested.
Hafen extended his hand and braced himself.
The Boundless One squeezed his hand, and a surge of energy flowed through them.
Hafen felt a warm sensation spread and heal his wounds.
The Boundless One's eyes felt heavy, and he yawned. "I'm feeling sleepy again," he remarked.
Feeling the boy's power, Hafen gasped, and his eyes opened wide.
Just then, the dreamscape faded away.
Hafen opened his eyes in the real world. He was back in the tank. He groaned and sat up with heavy breathing. "I'm okay," he whispered. He pulled his sword from the gunner's corpse and climbed out of the hatch.
"Hafen! You're alive," Stark exclaimed with joy. He hugged him tightly.
Matteo's face lit up with relief. His gaze dropped to the bloodstained elemental katana, and his face darkened. "You killed those soldiers," he pointed out with a somber expression.
Hafen looked away as guilt and shame washed over him. He looked at the destruction he had caused and felt sick. "Sorry. I didn't have a choice," he apologized.
"Guys, look," Stark interjected, and he pointed to the gates leading to the outside world.
Hafen and Matteo followed his finger and gasped.
The military base was under siege. Monsters rampaged everywhere. A gigantic snake coiled around a watchtower and crushed it.
Soldiers desperately fought back.
Suddenly, a deep, menacing voice called out, "There you are, my boys."
Hafen, Matteo, and Stark turned to the source.
The Exalted One stood on a pile of rubble. He laughed and remarked, "As expected, you've grown stronger since I last saw you." He clapped his hands and praised, "You even managed to wound my dear Julia. Well done." His eyes shone with glee, and he spread his arms. "Welcome to the outside world! I've been waiting for you," he announced with a wide sneer.
"You," Stark seethed. His fists tightened with a rage.
Hafen glared and unsheathed his elemental katana. "It was you. You were the voice in my head," he accused and pointed at him.
The Exalted One chuckled. "Yes. I had to make sure you didn't die too soon. You have a role to play in my grand plan, and I need you free and alive. For now," he confirmed with a smirk.
The three brothers were about to rush him.
However, a loud rumble stopped them.
How will Hafen, Matteo, and Stark survive this upcoming encounter? Who is The Boundless One, and how much does he know? Why does The Exalted One want the boys free and alive? What are his motives with them?