IDENTITY: NINETEEN

SKY POV

I couldn't believe this was happening. I thought the plan would go smoothly, but I was wrong. I thought I could outsmart him, but I didn't expect to be outsmarted by him. I'm holding Maica now, and she's struggling to go to her wounded mother. I may want to let her go, but I don't want to worsen the situation.

I looked at Alex, who was still bowing his head. He wasn't moving, and he wasn't listening to what Rick was saying. He just stood there like a statue. But I noticed tears on his cheeks and his clenched fists. But more importantly, I sensed the growing power within him.

I saw Alex's mouth moving as if he was whispering something. "Sky, go to Tita," Alex ordered me, still bowing his head. I hesitated because following his order might worsen the situation. "Don't worry. I got your back." It was the exact line I told him earlier. And it's enough for me to trust him. So, I let go of Maica. Maica took a few steps but stopped when Rick aimed the gun at her.

"I said don't mov—" A sound of a bone breaking echoed in the room. Rick dropped his gun as his hand twisted in pain. "You'll regre—" Rick was about to activate the bomb, but Alex beat him to it. Another sound of a broken bone intensified Rick's scream. The remote fell to the floor, and I quickly grabbed it using my telekinesis. I glanced at Alex, but he was still bowing his head.

"Sky!" Maica called me from where her mother was, and I immediately went to her. When I reached Tita, she was unconscious but still breathing. She needed immediate attention before her condition worsened. Without second thoughts, I lifted Tita to carry her out.

"What about Alex?" Maica asked anxiously. Despite my reluctance, we had to leave him behind. Tita was the topmost priority right now.

"We'll come back for him. Let's go." We quickly left with Trisha and left Alex. I trusted that he could get out of there alive. After all, he had the power.

We quickly reached the top and headed to the mayor's office. We immediately went outside, even though many eyes were watching. The employees of the Municipal Hall were surprised and full of wonder when they saw us carrying a bleeding and unconscious woman. But I didn't care. The important thing was to bring Tita to the hospital. We quickly searched for Lola Vemine's car when we reached the building's exit.

"There!" Trisha pointed to a familiar vehicle.

"Trisha, catch!" I threw the car keys to her. "You drive," I ordered her, which she promptly followed. I knew she must have wondered why I had entrusted her with driving, but we had no choice. We needed her help. We entered the car immediately, and Trisha started the engine.

"Put pressure on the wound, Maica," I ordered, and Maica placed her hands on her mother's wound. I instantly checked Tita's pulse and sighed in relief when I felt her heartbeat. "She's still breathing, but she lost too much blood. We need to hurry, Trisha."

"I'm trying!" Trisha honked the horn loudly at the people walking on the street, earning their anger. "Many are blocking our way!"

"They leave me no choice. I'll make a path." I extended my hand, using telekinesis to move the people aside forcibly. Trisha stepped on the gas, and the car continued moving. It didn't take long for us to get out, and we continued our journey.

After a few minutes, we reached the hospital. We rushed Tita to the emergency room and called for a doctor upon arrival. We breathed a sigh of relief when we saw that the hospital staff was attending to her.

"What's that sound?" Trisha asked with a furrowed brow.

"What sound?"

"It's like beeping."

I quickly grabbed the remote I took from Rick and was surprised to see a countdown timer: 9:42.

"How did that happen?" Maica asked in shock.

"If you think you can outsmart, you're wrong..." I repeated what Rick said. "Shit."

"What is it, Sky?" Maica asked.

"This kind of remote automatically activates when it gets far from the real owner."

"That means—"

"We need to warn those people!" I interrupted Maica.

"What about Mom?"

"I'll take care of Mom," Trisha volunteered, turning to us. Trisha gave us this determined look as if she were serious about what she said. "After all, she saved my life," she added. I looked at Maica, who was still staring at Trisha. Worry was evident on Maica's face. Maica was stuck between these two options. She could stay with me and remain—

"Don't let anything bad happen to her," Maica instructed Trisha, a command I never expected from her, making me admire her.

"I promised."

"Let's go, Maica," I invited, and we entered the car again and left. I immediately started the engine and drove the car as fast as possible. We couldn't waste time. In just 10 minutes, everyone in Plaza Central would die. I hope you know about this, Alex. We definitely need your help this time.

******

ALEX POV

Sky had just left with Maica, leaving me alone with the bastard Rick. Seeing him like this—with both arms fractured and unable to touch the floor—pleased me immensely. There's nothing more satisfying than punishing someone so devilish.

"You're going to pay for this, Alex. All of you!" he spat angrily, but I ignored him. I was enjoying it too much to care about what he was saying. I even relished in his moans of pain. "You're indeed crazy, Alex. Just like what you did to my son." His words caught me off guard.

A memory flashed in my head. It was the time my Alter showed me the truth ten years ago. "...that's why I have to do this," I recalled Alter's words. I slowly looked at Rick, and I could see the anger in his eyes.

"Now, I know how he died." Rick's eyes were turning red, seemingly on the verge of tears. "Because of his death, my wife killed herself." His wife? Why didn't I know about this? "All that was left with me is Trisha, who does nothing but bring me problems and headaches."

"So, this is what this is all about? Revenge?"

"When the organization tasked me to capture you, I finally had a reason to kill you."

"Why didn't you just kill me then, at the hospital?"

"I was confused that time. I saw my son in you, so I thought I should let you live." Rick's words slightly changed my perspective of him. I didn't expect to feel pity for this man.

But a memory surfaced in my mind. It was No. 16 and No. 17, lying lifeless after a bullet struck their heads, and it was this guy in front of me who caused it. Because of that, the pity I felt earlier was replaced by anger. "I pity you."

"Thanks, Alex, but no thanks."

"Seriously, I pity you. Losing two loved ones is just too much. But what you did to me was way more than that." I threw Rick toward his pathetic machine without hesitation. He groaned in pain and tried to stand. I faced him, using my ability to lift him, and pushed him against the cold metal of his machine. I grabbed a sheet of metal from the device and used it to immobilize both of Rick's arms and legs.

I walked towards him, looking into his eyes. Rick stared back at me with hatred and anger, fiery orbs of wrath.

"What I did is enough. We're even. You killed two of my family, so I did the same," the bastard explained.

"You're wrong. You forgot something. You kidnapped Maica, you almost killed Lola Vemine, and you were not satisfied. You even burned her only house. Now, you shot the only person who considered me her son even after so many lies I hid from her. Do you remember now?" I shouted in anger. Recalling everything made me cry. I felt the pain they felt again—the fear, the sadness, the sorrow, everything. "That should be enough reason to kill you." I held out my hand and pointed my palm at him, gathering energy. I heard Rick laugh when he realized my intention.

"Do you think killing me will make you a winner, Alex?" he mocked. Yes, a big, big yes! "I told you earlier that you were defeated from the start." What is he talking about? What else could go wrong? He probably wasn't referring to—

I paused my thoughts when the answer suddenly hit me. I remembered Sky grabbing the remote and the smirk on Rick's face when Sky took it. "The bomb," I mumbled, looking at the room's ceiling, imagining innocent lives getting bombed to death.

"That's right, Alex. The remote I have is not just an ordinary remote. It was programmed to activate whenever it goes far from me automatically," he explained, making me more infuriated. I could feel the psi ball forming in my hand, but it wasn't enough to destroy this device. I had to wait and endure this bastard. But the fact that there's a bomb about to explode made me even angrier.

"If you kill me, you only killed three, while I killed hundreds and thousands!" Rick shouted, followed by an evil laugh. I couldn't hold back anymore, so I released the psi ball I had just formed. Rick's laughter was cut in just a split second, and a hole was carved through his body. Drops of blood dripped out of it while he struggled to catch his breath.

Soon after, an explosion followed. Using a force field, I prevented debris and fire from hitting me. I just stared at him while the flames gradually consumed his body. Then I saw his last grin before fire totally devoured him, preventing me from seeing him again.

The sound of the explosion brought me back to the present, making me realize that there was still a bomb about to explode. I quickly ran towards the main entrance, but I remembered Rick's henchmen before I could leave the burning room. I looked at them and saw them all trembling and cowering in fear. Despite having a conscience and them wanting to kill me earlier, I released them using energy waves that destroyed the cell door.

"Get out of here!" I shouted, surprising and bewildering them. But I didn't have time to explain. I exited the room and swiftly made my way out. I slammed every closed door I passed with my telekinesis, and it was stronger due to my nervousness and panic. Some doors even flew open and broke.

I reached the very office of the Municipal Hall, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized I was on the surface and just a few meters away from Plaza Central. I wasted no seconds and quickly took the path out of the building.

Like before, I slammed every closed door with my telekinesis, startling the employees left behind. After a few minutes, I finally got out of the Municipal Hall and could see the lively and colorful Plaza Central. I became more determined to save the people and the festival. I ran as fast as possible, using my telekinesis to force people blocking my way to step aside. I reached the center, but I had no idea where to start. If only Sky were here.

"They're not funny. A bomb threat is not a good joke." I heard from a woman.

"Do they know they'll get arrested for what they're doing?" her friend replied. An idea popped up in my head. I approached them and was surprised by my sudden action.

"Sorry to bother you two, but do you know where these people spreading rumors of a bomb are?"

"You mean these crazies! There, at the monument," one of them pointed to the location of the monument.

"Thank you," I said. I quickly saw a monument just a few meters from where I stood. I ran towards it and was relieved to see two people actively clearing the area.

"They're here," I mumbled as I approached Sky and Maica.