The helicopter's fall was like a nightmare. Darkness, screams, the final roar of the engines... But the crash never came. Suddenly, everything stopped. It was as if time had frozen. When Mert opened his eyes, he saw the helicopter suspended in mid-air. A strange purple light danced around them. Then the light faded, and the helicopter descended slowly to the ground.
"What happened?" Sofia asked, gasping for breath.
Mert shook his head. "I don't know. But someone saved us."
The helicopter door opened. Outside, two people were standing. One was a woman with long black hair, olive skin, and a warm smile. She wore a flower-patterned dress, and tiny green shoots danced around her. The other was a blonde, blue-eyed, muscular man. Small pieces of metal floated in the air around his hands.
"Welcome," the woman said with a Portuguese accent. "I'm Maria Santos. I speak with plants."
The man added with a German accent: "I'm Hans Weber. Magnetism. We brought your helicopter down."
Mert stepped forward to thank them. "Thank you so much. We were falling."
Hans smiled. "Kronos's doing. He stopped the engines. But we got here in time."
Sofia looked around. They were in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. "Where is this?"
Maria gestured toward the forest. "The Amazon. My home. I called you here. To protect you from Kronos."
Ahmed, Lin, and the others climbed out of the helicopter. They all looked at their new saviors with gratitude. Wang Fang asked fearfully: "Are we safe?"
Maria took her hand. "For now, yes. But Kronos will find you. He'll find all of us."
Hans wove a magnetic field around them. "There's a lot to talk about. But first, let's go to our camp."
Maria and Hans had set up a small campsite hidden deep in the forest among giant trees. The branches of the trees intertwined, forming a natural shelter. A large fire burned in the center, radiating warmth. Maria's plants formed a living wall around the camp.
Everyone gathered around the fire. Mert, Sofia, and the six Chinese Triggered met their new friends. Ahmed turned to Maria: "Were you triggered too?"
Maria nodded. "Yes. On the night of the anomaly. I was doing research in the Amazon. I started talking to plants. At first, I thought I was going crazy. But then, I realized they were trying to tell me something."
Hans added: "I was in my laboratory in Munich, running an experiment. Suddenly, I began to feel all magnetic fields. Metals obeyed me."
Sofia asked curiously: "How did you find each other?"
Maria looked at Hans and smiled. "Thanks to Sofia's message. She reached out to us, said she was building a network. I met Hans, and we realized we were stronger together."
Hans took Maria's hand. "From that moment on, we've been together."
The bond between them was clear for everyone to see. Maria's eyes sparkled when she looked at Hans, and Hans's hands trembled slightly as he stroked Maria's hair.
Mert smiled. "I see it's not just your powers that have united, but your hearts as well."
Maria lowered her head shyly. "Is it that obvious?"
Lin laughed. "Very."
Everyone burst into laughter. For the first time in a long while, they were laughing genuinely.
As the night deepened, their conversation grew more intimate. Maria spoke of the language of plants. "They tell us everything. What's happening in the forest, approaching dangers, even people's emotions..."
Hans talked about magnetic fields. "I can feel Earth's magnetic field. It's like the planet's heartbeat. And metals... They're like extensions of my limbs."
Zhang Wei spoke of his earth power. "The earth is alive too. It has a soul."
Li Mei said she could talk to plants. Maria's eyes lit up. "Really? Then we'll get along very well."
Chen Jie demonstrated his energy manipulation. Hans watched in admiration. "There's a fine line between magnetic fields and energy. Maybe we can do amazing things together."
Ahmed made a small sand sculpture. Maria placed a flower on it. "Sand and plant... Desert and forest... Opposites, but beautiful together."
Lin hummed a melody with her voice. The melody echoed through the forest, and birds joined in. Wang Fang seemed relaxed for the first time.
Mert and Sofia watched this scene, their hearts warming. Another new family was being born.
At midnight, everyone settled down to sleep. Maria and Hans offered to keep watch. They sat by the fire, huddled together.
"Are you afraid?" Maria asked.
Hans stroked her hair. "Never when I'm with you."
Maria leaned her head on his shoulder. "Me neither. But sometimes, I think about the future. Anton, Jin, Kronos... Will we be able to win?"
Hans thought for a moment. "I don't know. But if we fight together, at least we'll have tried."
Maria closed her eyes. "Together... What a beautiful word."
Hans leaned down and pressed his lips to Maria's forehead. Maria lifted her head and looked into his eyes. They were both thinking the same thing.
Their lips met.
The kiss was soft and hesitant at first. But then the passion inside them exploded. Plants grew around Maria, enveloping them. Hans's magnetic field lifted small metal pieces in the air, forming a cage around them.
"I love you," Hans whispered.
Maria replied with tear-filled eyes: "I love you too."
The dance of plants and magnetism continued through the night. The two lovers united in the heart of the forest, with the power of nature. The fire warmed them; the stars shone above them. At that moment, time stopped. There was only them.
When morning came, the sun rose over the forest. Maria and Hans were sleeping, wrapped in each other's arms. Maria woke first. She looked at Hans's face, stroked his hair. There was an indescribable peace within her.
Hans opened his eyes and smiled. "Good morning."
Maria kissed him. "Good morning, my love."
The camp slowly began to wake up. Mert was one of the first to rise. He revived the fire and made coffee. Sofia came to his side.
"Did you sleep well?" Mert asked.
Sofia nodded. "Yes. I slept peacefully for the first time. Thanks to Maria and Hans."
Mert looked at Maria and Hans. They both seemed happy. "They're good people."
Sofia narrowed her eyes. "Yes. But we need to be careful. Anton is everywhere."
Mert nodded. "I know. But for now, we need to rest."
After breakfast, Maria and Hans offered to explore the forest. "There might be other Triggered," Maria said. "The plants sense their presence."
Mert thought about it. "Possible. But we need to be careful."
They split into two groups. Mert, Sofia, Ahmed, Lin, and Zhang Wei went in one direction. Maria, Hans, Wang Fang, Chen Jie, and Li Mei went in the other.
As Maria's group advanced deeper into the forest, Maria suddenly stopped. "There's something," she said. "The plants are restless."
Hans sensed the magnetic field. "Yes. Something metallic is approaching."
Suddenly, a man emerged from the bushes. He wore military clothing and carried an advanced weapon. Behind him came dozens more soldiers.
"General Krasnov's men," Hans whispered.
The soldiers surrounded them. The commander stepped forward. "Surrender. We don't want to harm you."
Maria readied her plants. "We won't surrender."
The commander laughed. "Then we'll use force."
The battle began. Maria grew plants, entangling the soldiers. Hans used his magnetic field to pull their weapons away. Wang Fang threw stones with her telekinesis. Chen Jie stunned soldiers with energy blasts. Li Mei bound them with plants.
But there were too many soldiers. And they were very strong. For a moment, Maria lost her balance, and a soldier grabbed her. Hans screamed: "Maria!"
He ran, using his magnetic field to hurl the soldier away. But another soldier struck Hans from behind. Hans collapsed to the ground.
Maria screamed. Plants grew furiously, entangling, crushing, and destroying all the soldiers around. But Hans lay motionless.
Maria ran to his side. "Hans! Hans, please!"
Hans opened his eyes slightly. "Maria... I'm fine... Just a little dizzy."
Maria began to cry. "I was scared, so scared."
Hans raised his hand and stroked her cheek. "I'm sorry... I scared you."
Wang Fang came to them. "Can I heal him? I don't know, but I can try."
She placed her hands on Hans's wound and concentrated. For a moment, her hands glowed. Hans's wound began to heal slowly.
Wang Fang was astonished. "I... can heal."
Maria hugged her. "Thank you, thank you."
Hans stood up. "I'm fine. Really, I'm fine."
But just then, a sound came from deep within the forest. The sound of a helicopter. And then, an announcement:
"Attention, Triggered ones! General Krasnov speaking. Surrender, or we will burn the forest."
Maria looked around in horror. Soldiers were pouring gasoline all around the forest.
"No!" she shouted. "You can't burn the forest!"
But the soldiers didn't listen. They struck a match.
Flames began to rise.
Maria tried to extinguish the fire with her plants. But the flames were too large. Li Mei helped her. Hans tried to stop the soldiers with his magnetic field. But it was too late.
The forest was burning.
And Maria, watching her home be destroyed before her eyes, felt a new power within her. Anger, pain, helplessness... All combined, transforming into a massive energy.
"ENOUGH!"
Her scream shook the forest. Plants instantly grew giant-sized, extinguishing the flames, entangling the soldiers, burying them deep underground.
Everyone froze. Maria looked around. Her eyes blazed like fire. But then, her power waned, and she collapsed to the ground.
Hans ran and caught her. "Maria!"
Maria opened her eyes. "The forest... is it saved?"
Hans nodded, his eyes filled with tears. "Yes, it's saved. You saved it."
Maria smiled and fainted.
Hans lifted her into his arms. "We need to get back to camp. She needs to heal."
Wang Fang nodded. "I'll take care of her."
When they returned to camp, Mert and the others had already arrived. Seeing Maria's condition, they immediately rushed to help.
Wang Fang stayed by Maria's side for hours, using her healing power. Finally, Maria opened her eyes.
"Hans?" she asked.
Hans was right beside her. "I'm here, my love."
Maria smiled. "I love you."
Hans leaned down and kissed her. "I love you too. Forever."
Everyone was moved watching this moment. But Mert looked at the sky. In the distance, another helicopter had appeared. And from it, General Krasnov's voice was heard:
"You cannot escape! I will burn the entire world, and I will find you!"
The war was just beginning.
And Maria, in Hans's arms, closed her eyes. But within her was a new power, a new determination.
She would protect her love. And she would not let anyone tear them apart.