Chapter 19: Pressure and Secrets

Sheriff Stilinski was out of sorts, his mind running in circles. His life was already stressful enough with his own kid, Stiles, always poking around sensitive documents like he was born to cause trouble. But now Eli— was making explosives?

Stilinski had almost brushed it off, thinking it was just the parents making excuses, trying to deflect blame. After all, Neil had a history. Everyone knew about Neil's achievements. The man had made waves with his work in solar panels, raising efficiency by 5%, above the standard 26.7%. It was big science stuff—game-changing even. Stilinski had half-expected Neil to be working on something secret, maybe even dangerous.

But then, they'd found the gun at the crime scene, and Stiles had told him about Eli's unusual brilliance. It was all too real now. What kid could make a bomb like that? The sheriff shook his head as he left the hospital, ordering two officers to watch Eli and Neil closely. One of them, Deputy Ishida, was tasked with keeping an eye on them. Not only that, but the remains of the attacker scattered all over the area. The sheriff shuddered at the thought of it. He needed to tread carefully with doctors—they were always a little off.

Neil was furious.

He had thought it was all over—that his past was behind him. His research was supposed to be just 5% more efficiency for solar panels. But no—it wasn't just that. His discovery had increased efficiency by 15%. To most people, that might not seem like a big deal. But to those who truly understood the implications in the world of energy, solar panels with 15% more efficiency? That would mean the end of fossil fuels, nuclear plants—maybe not immediately, but eventually. Neil had stopped working on the project to protect his family, but it seemed they still wanted him. They came for his family.

And now, if they thought they could bully him into submission, they were in for a rude awakening.

In the hospital room, Eli sat quietly, the sterile scent of disinfectant filling his nose. His mother had hugged him when she first came in, holding him tight. But now, she sat across from him, guilt heavy in her posture.

"Mom?" Eli started, but before he could ask her what was on his mind, she interrupted him.

"If you ever have to choose between saving me and saving yourself," she said quietly, "save yourself. I've lived a full life, Eli."

The weight of her words hit him like a punch to the chest. Eli was silent. There was no way he would agree to that, but he could see how much his mother needed to say it. He'd have to disobey her if it ever came to that.

"And no more explosives," she added firmly, her eyes locking with his.

"But Mom—" Eli started to protest.

"No," she said, her voice firmer, but still gentle. He could see the worry in her eyes, even though she was trying to protect him. He nodded reluctantly, agreeing silently.

The poison... it had been an accident.

Eli had learned a while back that if he left some of his mixtures out in the open, the limbo-like state of the essence would speed up, allowing the item to complete its upgrade faster. He'd tied them to the top of a tree near his house, hoping the natural environment would help. But when he was making one of his red poisons, lightning had struck the tree.

The essence was supercharged, the stats of the concoction filled to the brim, and he'd easily been able to upgrade it again. It was like trying to pour more water into an already full bucket—overflowing with energy. He had mixed some of it with his other poisons, using them to make smaller explosives. Those were the ones his parents had seen him experimenting with.

But now, they were all gone, likely destroyed in the explosion. The frustration bubbled up inside him. How long had it taken to perfect those?

Neil walked into the hospital room a few moments later, his face tight with exhaustion. "Will Eli be able to leave soon?" he asked, his voice flat.

Lorraine shot him a strange look. "What's up with you?" she asked, suspicion edging her tone.

"No, he can't leave yet," she added before Neil could reply. He sat down with a heavy sigh.

"Sorry, I'm just tired," he said quietly, his eyes downcast.

Lorraine raised an eyebrow. "Did you do something stupid?"

Neil remained silent. They exchanged a look—a wordless conversation only they could understand, their dynamic strange yet intimate, like they could read each other's minds but chose not to speak unless absolutely necessary.

A few moments later, a doctor walked in, carrying a clipboard. "Miss Lorraine, did you check Eli's stitches?"

Eli blinked. The stitches. He had completely forgotten about the piece of wood lodged in his back during the explosion. He reached behind him, feeling for the wound, but his fingers grazed over numb skin. There was no feeling in the area despite him pressing against it.

"That's strange," he muttered, grabbing a mirror to look at his back. Using his Pure Eyes, Eli observed the flow of energy within him. Normally, energy flowed smoothly through his body, but now, he noticed strange blue lines avoiding the stitched area.

Curious, he reached out and pinched one of the energy lines. Instantly, the energy diverted away from his hand, yet he could still feel the pressure of the skin he had pinched. What was going on?

The doctor noticed what he was doing and chuckled. "Ah yes, I gave you a very strong painkiller. Most of the shrapnel didn't penetrate too deep—just enough to scrape over your skin, taking off a small layer. But that's where most of the nerves are. The painkiller is keeping you from going into shock."

Eli nodded, relieved. He had thought he was developing a new power, but this was just the medication working its magic.

Across town, in a dimly lit office, a man sat behind a desk, his fingers steepled. The phone beside him buzzed, and he answered it, leaning back in his chair. "Sir, the guy you were interested in called. He's willing to sell the information you want—but he wants you to get him and his family out of the country."

The man laughed. A cold, harsh sound. "Does he think the government is full of fools? Maybe I could have moved him before, but now that they're aware of his potential, do you think they'll let him leave so easily?"

He paused, his voice dropping into a conspiratorial whisper. "Try to steal the patent from him before cutting contact. What kind of idiot believes a child made that bomb? Even if the kid did, are you powerful enough to keep himself?"

He smirked, hanging up the phone, already plotting his next move.