Fractured Truths

The Red Vultures' main headquarters was a sprawling underground facility hidden beneath the bustling streets of Ironhold. In total there were three strongholds that the Red Vulture's currently owned. Each one under the authority of Halda's right hand men, however, Halda herself doesn't primarily reside in not one of them. Her whereabouts being a mystery most of the time.This labyrinthine complex featured dozens of rooms, each serving a purpose—armories filled with gleaming weapons, makeshift labs for experimentation, and training halls echoing with the sounds of sparring gang members. Flickering neon lights lined the narrow corridors, casting an eerie glow that made the air feel heavy with tension.

In one of the smaller briefing rooms, Elian, Lena, and Vin sat around a scuffed metal table. The room's walls were adorned with graffiti tags from previous occupants, and a single light bulb swayed gently overhead, illuminating the cluttered space. The air smelled faintly of oil and burnt circuits, remnants of the facility's less glamorous work.

Elian rested in a rickety armchair, his hand grazing the bloodstained bandage on his shoulder. The dull ache reminded him of their recent battle, but his mind was preoccupied with the device Vin was working on. Lena leaned against the wall, arms crossed, her eyes sharp as she observed both boys.

"Any progress?" she asked, breaking the silence. Her voice carried an edge of impatience.

"Working on it," Vin muttered, his fingers darting across a keyboard connected to the glowing device on the table. The young hacker's face was illuminated by the screen, his expression intense. "This encryption is no joke. Whoever set this up wanted it to stay locked."

"Can you crack it?" Elian asked, his voice calm but probing.

Vin looked up, flashing a confident grin. "Do you even need to ask?"

Lena smirked, but her gaze flickered to Elian. His calm demeanor seemed like a mask—one that didn't fully conceal his tension.

As Vin resumed his work, Elian inhaled deeply, readying himself. He turned to Vin. "Before we go any further, there's something you need to know."

Vin's hands paused over the keyboard. "What's up?"

"I'm not... the original owner of this body," Elian confessed, his tone steady but low.

Vin blinked, his expression blank. "Run that by me again?"

Elian hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "I wasn't born here. I don't belong to this world. Months ago, I woke up in this body with no memory of who I was before. Just fragments—flashes of another life. I don't know how I got here."

Vin leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. "You're telling me you're from some other... place? Another planet..another world?"

"Yes," Elian admitted.

Vin studied him for a moment, his sharp eyes searching for any hint of deception. Then, to Elian's surprise, the young man shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"

"Wait, you believe him?" Lena interjected, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course I do," Vin said with a smirk. "He summons thorny vines out of thin air. If that's possible, then why not this? Besides, this city's full of weird stuff—Elian being from another world barely makes the top ten."

Elian released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Thanks, Vin."

"Don't thank me yet," Vin replied. "I'm still deciding if that makes you cool or terrifying."

Lena rolled her eyes. "Just keep working on the encryption."

"Gladly," Vin said, refocusing on the task.

Minutes passed in tense silence, punctuated only by the rhythmic clicking of Vin's keyboard. Then, with a triumphant beep, the device unlocked. The screen filled with rows of text and fragmented images.

"It's a database," Vin announced, scrolling through the files.

"A database of what?" Lena asked, leaning over his shoulder.

"Criminals. Organizations. Operations, even we're on here!" Vin said, his tone growing serious. "Looks like a map of Ironhold's criminal underbelly."

"Anything felonious on the monarchy?" Elian asked, leaning forward.

Vin shook his head. "Not directly. But wait... there's another folder here. Labeled 'Anomalies.'"

He clicked it, and the screen shifted to reveal a list of names and cryptic descriptions. Vin's eyes narrowed as he read aloud. "Unidentified individuals. Abilities beyond known possible parameters. Supernatural entities, unknown technology, dangerous mutations. Potential threats to the monarchy."

The air in the room grew heavy. Lena stiffened, her fingers curling into fists. Vin glanced at Elian. "Sound familiar?"

Elian's stomach churned. "They might know about me."

"Maybe," Vin said, his tone cautious. "Only a part of the list is here. But you wouldn't be the only one on there. Or... you can't be. Most of these names are marked as 'terminated.'"

A chill ran through the room. Lena's eyes flickered with anger, and Vin's usual nonchalant expression was replaced by a grim resolve.

"This isn't just a database," Vin said, his voice low. "It's a hit list."

Elian's mind raced, his thoughts a chaotic whirl. "We need to figure out who's behind this."

"And how much they know about us, we should definitely immediately bring this to Halda," Lena added.

Vin nodded. "We've got work to do. A lot of it.

Later that night, the trio retreated to one of the quieter rooms in the headquarters—a small lounge with mismatched furniture and a faintly flickering light. Lena sat cross-legged on the floor, polishing her knives and daggers with meticulous care. Vin reclined on an old sofa, tinkering with a small gadget. Elian leaned against a wall, his bandaged shoulder aching.

As the minutes passed, a flicker of a memory stirred within Elian's mind. He saw himself in a different world, his hands cradling a damaged flower.

He was kneeling in a forest, his hands hovering over the delicate flower with a torn petal. He didn't know how it had happened, but his chest ached with guilt. As he focused, words came unbidden to his mind, a soft incantation that felt both foreign and familiar. The flower glowed faintly, and its petal mended before his eyes.

. He remembered the warmth that flowed through him as he whispered an incantation. His voice echoed in his mind:

"Viridis vitae, repara quod fractum est."

The memory jolted him back to the present. Without thinking, he placed a hand over his shoulder. The words spilled from his lips, soft and almost instinctive:

"Viridis vitae, repara quod fractum est."

A faint, golden-tinted green glow emanated from his palm, spreading warmth through his body. The ache in his shoulder vanished as the deep gash knitted itself together. His skin was left smooth, unmarred, and radiating faint energy.

Vin dropped his gadget in shock. "What the hell was that?"

Lena scrambled to her feet, her expression a mix of awe and disbelief. "You just... healed yourself - and that light!"

"I know," Elian responded. He wasn't surprised nor sure of what had just taken place.

Elian flexed his arm, stunned by his own ability. "I remembered something. From before. I think I've always been able to do this."

Vin stared at him, his usual composure shattered. "Is that... magic? That's not just simple vines and thorns. You can heal? What else can you do?"

"I don't know," Elian admitted. "The memories come back in pieces. But it's like... the words, the power—they're part of me. Like they're written into my existence."

Lena crossed her arms, her skepticism tempered by wonder. "Whatever you are, Elian, you're not just an 'anomaly.' You're definitely something this city has never seen before."

The weight of her words settled over them, and for the first time, Elian felt a glimpse of clarity in his fractured identity. Whatever the truth, his powers were more than a mystery—they were a key to his purpose.