Time: 6:02
The ride to Reton was filled with silence for most of it. No one wanted to say anything. They merely stayed quiet, each lost in their own thoughts or gazing out of the car window, admiring the stretches of nature that hadn't yet been scarred by the chaos unraveling across the world.
"How long did you say this state of nullification will last again, Mr. Talen?" Warwick, sitting at the back of the car, finally broke the silence. He looked toward Talen, who sat beside him staring out of the window. Whether Talen was lost in thought or simply admiring the passing scenery, Warwick couldn't tell.
"No need for formality, just Talen will suffice. And as for how long? I'm uncertain. This is the first time my ability has ever been enhanced to such an extent. I can't even guess what kind of changes occurred due to both you and Isabella's augmentation. My Nullification typically doesn't last this long," Talen explained again. His voice was barely louder than a whisper.
"Are you certain I'll get my abilities back?" Warwick's expression carried its usual kind air, but Talen had seen enough of him to know better than to be deceived by the facade.
"Most likely. The effect of my Nullification is dwindling. I'd say in about twenty hours." Talen replied offhandedly.
"Twenty hours is a lot of time, Talen. A lot can happen within twenty hours. Not only am I extremely vulnerable, but I have no clue where we're heading." Warwick finally let his doubt show.
He still wore that bright, carefree expression. To Talen, it was odd, someone being so relaxed while speaking of such vulnerability, but he chose not to voice his thoughts.
"We're headed for Reton," Isabella answered from the driver's seat. She had been the one to find this car, a vehicle that had miraculously survived the destruction that swept Fragr. Without question, she had taken the wheel, and the rest had silently agreed. Disoriented and exhausted, no one had protested her decision.
Perhaps sensing Warwick was ready to ask more, Isabella cut him off preemptively.
"So, Warwick, do tell us about yourself. We didn't exactly get the chance for a proper introduction." She kept her eyes fixed on the road as she spoke. Having just left the borders of Fragr, Isabella deliberately avoided the main road. Instead, she guided the car along a deserted path, a shortcut but also a safer route, away from the eyes of any military camps that might have been established near Fragr.
The initial incident of the thralls in Fragr had never been a secret, but the consequences were enough to keep the military wary. Even then, that didn't prevent them from building camps around its borders as they deliberate what was the next possible course of action.
"Go ahead. We do have plenty of time to spare." Isabella added, her tone calm, though her posture was taut with caution. She wanted to avoid anyone who might cross their path, especially while still so close to Fragr.
Warwick didn't speak immediately. He leaned back, folding his arms behind his head as if to make himself even more relaxed, his carefree posture at odds with the weight of Isabella's question.
"As you all already know, I'm Warwick. Do not ask for a last name. I don't have one. I got my two abilities the same way every other Chosen did, through that 'post.'" He let out a faint laugh, almost disbelieving. "You know, I still find this entire thing surreal. I think everyone feels the same way?"
"Yeah. Saw the post, left a comment and poof. The next morning, I was this. Can't still wrap my head around how any of it makes sense. I understand your feelings, Warwick," Talen admitted, easing into the conversation. Certain thoughts weighed on his mind, thoughts he wanted to avoid, but talking to the odd, laid-back Warwick was a brief escape.
"When I told my friends about suddenly becoming super overnight, no one believed me until I did a little demonstration. For a while, everything was alright. They were thrilled, like they were watching their favorite superhero come to life. We even ran our own little experiments to test my abilities."
A haze of melancholy fell over him. His voice softened, his expression lost its practiced kindness, and the calculating gleam in his eyes dulled. In its place lingered something raw; it was sadness, unhidden for once.
"As you know, my abilities are Adaptation and Enhancement. Back then, this seemed like the most obvious choice. With Adaptation, it was inevitable that I'd finally get everything else. It was an ability synonymous with the phrase 'jack of all trades.' Enhancement was purely… I can't find the right word." Warwick trailed off.
"Enhancement was purely for augmentation. Meant to take you beyond worldly limits since it was limitless. It was the ultimate hax because there wasn't any true limit to what you could do with it. Enhancement was practically the perfect utility ability," Isabella finished. She also used Enhancement, so she believed she had a fair grasp of why most people chose it.
"Indeed, you couldn't be more accurate. Enhancement for augmentation and Adaptation to best all. It was the most logical choice to make back then," Warwick continued.
"That little time we played around, that little 'while' when it seemed like life was finally beautiful, when there was something finally worth smiling for…" Warwick paused.
Talen wondered why Warwick had stopped talking. He was reaching the interesting part, so why the sudden silence? Then Talen saw why.
Tear tracks glistened on Warwick's face. Though his expression remained calm, his eyes told Talen everything he needed to know.
"It was beautiful, I tell you. For a few hours, everything was beautiful. I had never felt so happy in my life, nor had I ever seen people I called my brothers and sisters so happy. Even though I had become an anomaly, they didn't see me as a Chosen; they saw me as Warwick, their brother. For them, my powers weren't something to be feared. To them, my powers were finally a gracious chance for a great change. They saw it as a wonderful gift instead of an inhumane curse."
"I was meant to show them a better world than the one life had given us. Life had been cruel and unfair to us and I was to make it better and fair. I was to bring them a great change, to finally take them away from the worldly miseries." Warwick's voice broke as he struggled to continue. It was clear he was forcing himself.
Talen reached out and placed a hand on Warwick's shoulder without thinking. He didn't know what else to do.
"You don't need to continue, Warwick. This is enough," Talen offered.
"No! Since you want to know me, you should 'know' me." Warwick recovered his composure, his voice growing firm.
"And like every tale, the happiness didn't last long." Warwick gave a hollow chuckle before continuing. "All of them. Every single one of them were slaughtered, gruesomely. They did nothing. They were innocent. They didn't have to die. It wasn't necessary; it was a needless massacre. But they did. They died because they were my family."
Silence fell. The air thickened with melancholia and painful memory. No one wanted to speak. What words could comfort someone who had suffered that loss?
"I was meant to give them a better life, you know. And what did I do?" Warwick chuckled, then sank back into silence.
The atmosphere shifted; dusk crept in and deepened the gloom, amplifying the melancholy.
After a long pause, someone finally spoke, breaking the unbearable quiet.
"I'm sorry for your loss, Warwick. I know nothing I say can ease the pain, but I'll say it anyway. I'm sorry you had to lose those you cherish to the madness of Chosens, but—"
Warwick interrupted with a laugh, though a faint trace of anguish threaded through it. "Who said anything about Chosens? I never said it was Chosens who took the lives of my loved ones."
"Huh?" Talen and Isabella both uttered in shock. They had assumed Chosens were responsible. If not, then what did that imply?
"It was the people. The supposed 'normal' people. How ironic. They call us devil's spawns, but I've done nothing to warrant such madness. My existence scared them and they feared my brothers and sisters may very well be spawns of the devil… just like I am."
A heavier silence settled over the car. No one knew what to say. The subject was too heavy.
Sensing the mood, Warwick forced a hearty laugh. "Worry not. I didn't harm them. I'd be disgusted with myself if I actually did."
His tone shifted, growing darker. "No, I wouldn't actually be disgusted with myself. In fact, I would have slaughtered them even more gruesomely, but I couldn't. I had already promised them that I'd only ever use my powers for good, for nothing profane."
"I regret making that promise. I really do." You could hear the sigh in his voice as he turned away and stared out the window, lost in his own world.
No one said anything. What was there to say?
They were just orphans… Talen faintly heard Warwick muttering those words under his breath.