11.Into the Darkness

Zaki and Elias sat on a bench at school, talking.

Zaki asked in surprise:

"You're really fifteen?"

He laughed lightly.

"You look much younger."

Elias smiled sarcastically.

"You're the one who looks older than your age."

He shook his head as he looked at him.

"There's no way you're only fourteen."

They both laughed, then silence returned.

The smile disappeared from Elias's face.

"Zaki..."

The boy looked at him attentively.

Elias lowered his voice.

"Before I continue... don't show any sudden reaction."

Zaki frowned.

Elias continued:

"I'm... an Elemental User."

Zaki's expression suddenly changed.

He stood up quickly, but Elias stopped him.

"Calm down. I don't intend to hurt you."

Zaki slowly turned toward him, caution still visible on his face.

Elias said:

"I discovered what you are because I can see the flow of energy, and you possess an Element as well."

Silence.

Zaki lowered his head.

"...So you found out."

He sat down again hesitantly.

Elias said:

"Don't worry."

"I didn't come here to expose your secret."

"I came to warn you."

Zaki raised his head.

"Warn me?"

Elias nodded.

"There are people searching for Elemental Users."

"And whether you want to enter this world or not..."

"...this world may come to you."

Zaki looked uneasy.

"I... don't want to fight."

"And I don't want any trouble."

Elias answered calmly:

"I understand."

"And I won't force you to become a fighter."

Zaki breathed a sigh of relief, but Elias continued:

"However..."

"I can't ignore you."

"If you fall into their hands, you won't be the only one in danger."

"And you could put all of us at risk."

Zaki remained silent.

Then he said quietly:

"But I'm weak."

"I can't even fight properly."

Elias smiled.

"No one is born a fighter."

"I started from zero too."

Then he added:

"We can train you when you're ready."

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"But for now, I'm not asking you to fight."

Zaki looked at him in confusion.

"Then... what do you want from me?"

Elias answered:

"Something simple."

"Stay away from our enemies, don't act recklessly, and keep your secret."

"That's a great help to us."

Zaki thought for a few moments.

Then he slowly nodded.

"All right... I will."

Elias stood up.

"Good."

Then he looked at him and said:

"If you want to know the truth... or if you feel that danger is getting closer to you..."

"Meet me at sunset in front of the city exit."

Zaki stood up as well.

Although hesitation was still visible on his face, the worry in his eyes had eased slightly.

"All right... I'll be there."

Elias watched him walk away, then raised his eyes toward the sky.

"One... and many more to go."

---

Zaki was on his way home when he noticed a boy around his age approaching him.

The boy smiled.

"Who was that you were sitting with at school?"

Zaki answered:

"Just someone who saved me from some jerks today. We got to know each other afterward. His name is Elias, and he's a year older than us."

The boy nodded.

"I see... But be careful when meeting people. Don't forget what I told you."

Zaki gave a faint smile.

"Yeah, don't worry."

He hesitated for a moment before adding:

"Actually... there's something I want to tell you."

Before he could continue, a man's voice came from a parked car by the side of the road.

"Come on, Zeno! Your mother is waiting for us."

Zeno turned toward the car.

"Okay."

Then he looked back at Zaki.

"I'll see you later. Then you can tell me everything."

He waved at him before getting into the car and leaving.

---

Evening fell.

Wael stood before a pile of rocks, staring at it in silence.

The place was familiar...

This was where the cave had collapsed.

Where he had obtained the Lightning Element.

And where he had thought Amin had died.

Memories flooded through his mind, changing his expression as anger and sorrow intertwined.

Suddenly, he heard a voice behind him.

"What are you doing here?"

Wael turned around.

Amin was approaching with calm steps.

Wael said:

"I searched everywhere for you, but I couldn't find you."

Then he looked at the ruins.

"I thought that if I came here... I'd find you."

Amin stood beside him and stared at the remains of the cave for a long moment.

"Nothing has changed..."

He fell silent for a moment before speaking again.

"It's been a long time."

Wael answered:

"Yeah..."

Then he turned toward him.

"And you suddenly appeared as if nothing had happened."

Amin replied calmly:

"Because nothing happened."

Then he gave a faint smile.

"Here I am... alive and well."

In an instant, Wael grabbed him by his clothes and shoved him violently.

"You call this nothing?!"

Amin tried to push him away, but Wael struck him with a punch that sent him to the ground.

Wael shouted:

"I thought you were dead, you bastard!"

"I spent all this time thinking I'd lost you!"

"And now you just show up and say, 'Nothing happened'?!"

Amin slowly stood up and wiped the blood from his mouth.

Then he rushed toward Wael and punched him.

"And it's not my fault you're too sensitive to handle trauma."

They grabbed each other and began shoving one another with force.

Wael said:

"I didn't come here to fight you!"

"I wanted us to talk like friends..."

"But it seems you've thrown all of that behind you and now all you think about is power."

Amin looked at him coldly.

"And what do you know about me?"

He shoved Wael hard, knocking him to the ground.

"You think I was fine?"

He lowered his head.

"I thought I was dead too."

Silence.

Then he continued in a quieter voice:

"The cave collapsed on top of me."

"I couldn't move."

"I couldn't do anything."

"No one came to save me."

He looked at Wael.

"I know you thought it was over for me."

"And I know there was nothing you could do."

He shook his head.

"I don't blame you."

He clenched his fist tightly.

"I blame my own weakness."

"Even now... I don't know exactly what happened."

"But I gave up."

"And I wished I were stronger."

...

An image of a hazy red presence appeared in his memory.

Its features were unclear.

It was muttering words he couldn't understand.

And the moment it said:

"I wish I were stronger..."

A red aura ignited around him, pushing the rubble away.

But it disappeared moments later, and he collapsed unconscious.

...

The scene returned to the present.

Amin said:

"From that moment on... I felt that I had changed."

"I couldn't face anyone."

"So I isolated myself."

"I was searching for power... only to protect myself."

"And I wanted to test it."

Then he looked at Wael.

"That's why I appeared when your fight began."

Wael stood up from the ground.

"And would that have stopped you from coming back to us after everything was over?"

Amin sighed.

"I'm sorry, Wael."

"I'm not your enemy."

"But time changes people."

Wael studied him for a moment.

"You've gotten a little stronger..."

Then he said coldly:

"But I still see the same weak person."

"Pathetic."

He fell silent for a moment.

"At least... that's what I'm trying to convince myself of."

Then he continued:

"Being with you all will only make me weaker."

Wael interrupted him.

"I didn't come here to ask us to go back to the way we were."

"And I didn't come here to force you to be my friend."

He looked at him steadily.

"I came for another reason."

Amin asked:

"And what is that?"

Wael said:

"We want to stop Bahaa."

"And we want to rescue my mentor, Yassin."

"I'm not asking you to stay with us."

"Just... come whenever we need to discuss what we're going to do."

"And be ready if Bahaa appears or a fight begins."

Amin remained silent, then turned and began walking away.

"I'll think about it."

Wael wanted to follow him, but Amin stopped him without turning around.

"If Bahaa and his companions are capable of entertaining me..."

Wael smiled.

"Then you'll have plenty of fun."

Amin smiled without Wael seeing it and thought to himself:

"I'm sorry..."

"But I can't stay close to you."

The hazy red presence appeared again for a moment.

Amin grabbed his head in pain.

Then the pain suddenly disappeared.

He continued walking.

"But... my brother will help you."

Wael raised his head in surprise.

"Saif?"

Amin nodded.

"Yeah."

"I helped him obtain an Element, just as I helped you."

Then he said:

"He'll meet you at the middle school tomorrow."

After Amin left, the sun began to sink toward the horizon.

Elias stood at the city exit, occasionally looking down the road leading into the city.

"He's late..."

He said it quietly, then continued waiting.

---

Elsewhere...

Zaki was walking through a quiet alley with Zeno.

After their conversation at noon, Zaki had told him everything Elias had said to him. He hadn't hidden a single thing.

Silence fell between them for a few moments.

Suddenly...

Zaki felt two arms wrapping around him from behind.

He turned with difficulty.

"Zeno...?"

He said it in disbelief.

Zeno lowered his head, unable to look at him.

"I'm sorry, Zaki..."

His voice trembled.

"But he threatened me."

Zaki tried to break free, but Zeno's grip was firm.

At that exact moment, a purple portal opened behind them.

Zaki's eyes widened.

"No...!"

The portal began pulling them inside.

On the other side of the city...

Elias suddenly raised his head.

His breath caught for a moment.

"That energy..."

He didn't wait another second.

His aura erupted, and he shot toward its source like an arrow.

He reached the alley in an instant.

But...

The portal was already closing.

He saw nothing but Zaki's foot disappearing inside it.

As the portal closed completely, he caught sight of the flow of energy he had seen earlier inside Zaki's body.

His fist tightened.

"Damn it..."

---

In an unknown place...

Zaki crashed hard onto the ground.

He slowly raised his head and found himself inside a large room.

Bahaa was reclining on a bed at the far end of the room.

Mark stood near the window, while Raouf calmly sipped a cup of coffee.

Zeno pushed Zaki forward and spoke nervously.

"As you asked, Bahaa."

Then he quickly added:

"Please... don't hurt my family, like you promised."

Bahaa didn't answer.

As for Zaki, he immediately stood up, and a green aura ignited around him.

But before he could move...

Purple threads shot out from the floor and wrapped tightly around his body.

He tried to break free, but to no avail.

His eyes fell on a small flowerpot sitting on the table in front of Raouf.

The plant inside it ignited with green energy.

Its stem began growing rapidly before sharp branches shot toward Raouf.

They almost hit him...

But suddenly, they were cut apart.

Zaki quickly raised his head.

Someone he had never seen before was standing at the door.

Faint traces of wind faded between his fingers.

Zaki immediately understood that he was the one who had cut the plant.

Before he could process what was happening...

Mark appeared in front of him.

"Trying to look strong?"

He drove a powerful punch into Zaki's stomach.

Zaki choked and dropped to his knees before losing consciousness.

Zeno shouted:

"You bastard!"

He rushed toward Mark.

But before he could reach him...

He froze.

He looked down at his feet.

Ice was gradually covering them.

Raouf smiled as he placed his coffee cup on the table.

In the next moment, Mark appeared behind Zeno and knocked him to the ground with a single strike.

Before he could get back up...

Bahaa's purple threads wrapped around his body as well.

Bahaa slowly stood up.

A black aura began rising from his body until it filled the room.

He looked at the two restrained boys.

"You're weak."

Then he smiled.

"But I don't think either of you would mind getting a little stronger."

Darkness began flowing through the purple threads, seeping into Zaki and Zeno's bodies.

Their bodies trembled violently.

Their eyes gradually turned black.

---

Outside the building...

Nothing could be seen.

But...

Two screams tore through the silence of the setting sun.