Chapter 21

It was dozens of Naxons that surrounded the barrier when Luca, Aiko, and Lefn awoke. Panic started taking hold of the group.

"This is it," Leon muttered. "We're going to die."

Mei's voice shook as she said, "We can't get out of this situation."

While everyone, except Luca, was in frantic discussion about their impending doom, Luca would not budge an inch. Leon, with a streak of desperation and anger, clutched Luca's shirt. "This is your fault! You dragged us into this mess. We're going to die because of you!"

Luca, unfazed, calmly said, "Let me go."

Leon tightened his grip on him. "I said, let go!

Luca's face hardened. "Let go of me." He laid his hand on Leon's hand. "Calm down. There's less than a zero chance they can break inside."

"How do you know?" Leon exclaimed.

"I just know," replied Luca confidently.

Luca stood up, getting ready to release the barrier and told them to cover they're eyes and heads. Leon's fear heightened. "No, we're going to die!" He covered his head and eyes as the others followed suit.

As the barrier was released, Luca held both hands out, grinning. He used his telekinesis, stopping the Naxons in mid-air and crushed with ease. He then told his group, "Okay, you can uncover now."

The rooftop was littered with the bodies of hundreds of Naxons. Leon's eyes had widened in disbelief as he fell to his knees. "Wh. who are you? Are you even human?"

Luca raised a peeved face and said, "I'm a human. I just worked very hard, that's all."

Leon asked, still flabbergasted, "If you don't mind my asking, how much of your Symbiote can you use?"

"Forty percent," Luca replied.

Leon's jaw was dangling. "F-forty percent?!

"That's right," Luca confirmed.

Leon looked at Lefn, puzzled. "What about you?"

Lefn, unperturbed, said, "I can use up to forty percent as well."

Leon was skeptical; he saw no powerful aura coming from her. Luca offered, "I'll cover you with my barriers so you can get home safely. No Naxon will be able to touch you, but stronger ones might break through. One thing I need from you, Leon."

Leon kneeled. "Anything, Master."

"Do not call me Master," Luca said, "instead, scream for your lungs. "

Confused but obedient, Leon screamed for his lungs. Using that sound Luca had created four different barriers around Leon and his group.

Leon and his company didn't say no, thanking them for that, said their goodbyes. When leaving Leon turned towards Mei and exclaimed, "That kid, man. he was so strong. Too bad I didn't get to see his power in work."

Mei said, "He didn't want us to see. He is concealing his powers."

Luca then leaned over towards Lefn and Aiko, asking, "Why did you let us protect our eyes and heads?"

Luca replied, "I didn't want your heads and eyes to be bloody from the Naxons."

Aiko looked at him curiously and said, "Why aren't you bloody?"

"Try to punch me," Luca said.

Aiko threw a light punch that hit something invisible. Lefn then realized, "You're covered with your weird barrier."

"Exactly," Luca said. "Okay, enough talk. Let's get going."

Leon and his group had come from the east, but were unsure where they fought. Luca decided, "Let's go east, just in case."

"Alight, let's go," Lefn and Aiko said.

Luca picked them up quickly and jumped down, slightly cracking the ground. Lefn said, "Gonna have to get used to that."

Aiko giggled. "Right?"

Luca let out an awkward laugh. "Sorry."

They had walked for some three hours. Luca said, "There's nothing in this city."

Aiko remembered, "It was like this before, but when we slept they appeared."

Luca reflected a moment. "I know, I'm trying to think."

Lefn cut in, "Naxons are intelligent. They can feel power. If they know they will lose, they won't fight. Any time I went on a mission with a person who could use 30% of their power, any Naxon we met would run from us."

Luca asked, "But isn't that because you're so strong?"

"Yes, yes, of course. But I was with someone strong too," Lefn explained.

"So, when they sense me and Lefn, they run or hide," Luca concluded.

Luca said, "We need to surpass our power to at least 10%."

Lefn, irritated but maintaining appearances, said, "Okay."

Luca stood still and informed Psyros that he was suppressing his power to 10%. Psyros said, "Okay, boy."

He attempted to rein in the power, and the ground beneath him cracked; purple energy pulsed from his body. Lefn and Aiko stood in silent amazement as Luca fought against losing control.

Psyros said, "Try putting your power into that sword of yours."

Luca nodded and drew out his sword. Psyros explained, "Remember how you took power before; now imagine you're putting it back.

Luca's focus dropped into his powers, becoming one with the sword. The sword hit the ground with a colossal crack-an earthquake that destroyed the buildings around them.

Lefn said, "You can't lift it anymore because you're weaker than before. Let me adjust the weight."

So Lefn changed the weight of the sword to one ton. Luca lifted it as though it were light as air. "Alright, now let's go."

As they walked east, they first left the town and then climbed over a mountain. From the top, they oversaw and saw the dark continent: a destruction-filled, dark land.

Luca said, "So this is the Dark Continent."

Lefn gasped, "No way, the Dark Continent? We should head back now."

Luca was resolute. "No."

Lefn, alarmed, said, "I'm not joking, Luca, this is suicide.

The Dark Continent is said to be the deadliest place it's a place were naxons live and thrive. Eighty percent of Earth is Dark Continent."

Aiko added, "He knows about the Dark Continent. It's where the Naxons first appeared. It's said to be the most dangerous place."

Lefn said, "Then it's good he knows because it's suicidal to go in there."

Luca forced, "I don't care. I'll go into the dark continent, so I can kill all the naxons, every last one of them."

Lefn, his face white as a ghost, urged, "At least get your power back. Going in there with 10% is crazy. Even 40% might not be enough."

"I'll make it enough," Luca said, drawing out his sword and reclaiming his powers. With a surge in his powers, the weather changed dramatically.

Lefn said, "I'm not going. I can't. I don't want to die."

Luca said, "It is all right. You may leave. Aiko, you too. It's my fight. I am not letting anyone die."

First, he used his telekinesis to pull up a tree from the ground and slammed it onto the ground, creating a sound vibration. He then created barriers around Lefn and Aiko using this sound.

"The further it goes, the weaker the barrier becomes," Luca told them. "Escape the city quickly and move into the village. Let them know I am going into the Dark Continent and that I will return."

Lefn and Aiko had been scared, but they seemed to understand as they left.

"Since when can Luca do telekinesis?". Aiko asked.

Lefn with confused face said." I didn't notice that he could do that, so that's it, he has been hiding his powers, he stronger then we thought.

Luca resolute jumped high up in the air, looking down at the Dark Continent below. The land was bathed in lava and darkness as the power coming off of it was even shaking him.