Protecting My Son

When Kire fell unconscious, he lightly fell onto Umbra's shoulder. It seemed her anger surpassed her compassion because she promptly threw him onto the ground violently and watched his body bounce.

"I have no time for baggage," She said, watching Ra run over to his father.

"HEY! What are you doing?! Why won't you let us leave?! You do realize you're in the wrong right now, right?! It makes no sense you would trap us here when the outside is so much safer. I was your city planner, your disaster relief, and you disregarded my entire career just on a whim?" Ra asked Umbra and Ruby.

I stood silent, watching Kire's body. As I watched his unconscious body lightly twitch, I was swiftly reminded of my past.

I never liked to look at people who were knocked out, they always reminded me of the ones I killed and stashed away in Orion's Lair. I have no idea why I was able to go so long without thinking about Orion, but all of a sudden, he popped up in my head.

I felt something climb up my throat and push against it, wanting to crawl out and escape.

"A whim has kept me alive on several occasions. Your inability to listen is not a whim at that point, it is annoying, and it will be solved," Umbra said. She thoroughly adjusted the glove on her sleeve while looking down at Kire, and Ra threw a punch at her face.

Umbra caught it, twisting his hand, and pushing him down while he groaned out in pain.

"I have no problem turning you into a paste as well. Back off little boy," Umbra said.

Back when Dani and Umbra fought, the two were clashing and I noticed Umbra's eyes lighting up in the same orange color as before, it was like her eyes were responding to feelings of anger, the same way Dani got stronger and stronger the more angry she got.

"Don't... touch... Ra..." Kire muttered from the ground.

Umbra looked nervous and she kicked off of him and got her ready to flick toward him, but by the time she moved, Kire shot a beam of light at her finger, and Ra put Umbra in a lock that prevented her from moving forward.

Kire shot a beam into her chest, but when he did that, it impaled Ra as well.

Umbra, not knowing what was going on, signaled me forward, which I agreed to, and ran at Kire with my dagger and needle primed.

He shot a beam at my foot, and when I lifted my leg up, he shot a quick slice in my calf. It didn't stop me from running, but it slowed me down, and in turn, left me open for a strike.

With Kire's fist cocked back, he was ready to punch me. I saw his face churn with anger, but in the moment of panic I experienced, I also noticed something weird.

His eyes... they weren't zapping me right now.

The laser wasn't coming for me at all, in fact, it wasn't even primed. I know he can only shoot when his eyes turn red, but nothing was happening, and he resorted to punching.

Could he be hitting his limit? No, he was just fine a second ago, he hit Umbra and his son easily, he had enough to go through two people with the same power, but can't even prime it? Is there something I'm missing?

His ability is still unknown when it comes to the limits, so maybe something prompted this limit... maybe... maybe I did?

How could I have forced him to his limit if I don't know it? I don't even know what I'm supposed to do...

With his fist cocked back, Ruby jumped in and deflected it with her shield, colliding the center of her shield with the center of his elbow, and then smacking his throat with the edge of the shield.

She grabbed me, turned around, and ran back, but on our way back, Kire launched another bout of lasers at us. Ruby was able to block them, but I was left even more confused.

Not me... huh? But you just hurt me... you don't want to kill me?

"Put me down..." I muttered. Ruby set me down and I instantly ran back toward Kire.

His eyes turned off when I was too close to just simply injure, and he quickly summoned a red saber that I was able to hold back with both of my daggers and quickly nodded.

I pushed against it, kicking at his knees, and swiping up with the dagger. He winced in pain, holding his saber, and then sticking his elbow in my stomach.

I took the opportunity to put my needle into his knee, kick it down so a tendon ripped, and then slam my heel into his chin. I dislocated it, wrapped my leg around his head, and pushed him into the ground.

Kire picked me up, and jumped up, flipping backward, and slamming my entire body on the ground.

I lost the air in my lungs and slowly rolled over, trying to take a productive, deep breath.

Umbra, on the other hand, cracked the ground with her foot and punched a hole through Kire's stomach. The shockwave bothered my head as I was left to revisit memories with Orion yet again.

Is something he's doing causing this?

I pushed my weakened body off of the ground, and all I could do was think of Orion. It was plaguing every entrance of my mind. I started to think of the glass I had to pick up with my teeth, I started to think of the people I killed when I had to slaughter Tavian's family when I killed Domin. Everything piled up, and I lost all feeling in my arms.

I hadn't accepted everything, and simply just dodged responsibility... but it looked like fighting Kire would prevent me from growing past what has limited me.

I was useless.