Chaos
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA… HA!"
Marco keeps laughing, and the screen quickly shifts to another scene.
Alone in the lab, Marco eagerly awaits the professor's arrival. He switches on the machine, watching with satisfaction as it functions perfectly. The metallic gears echo in the icy atmosphere, creating a cacophony that plunges him into despair.
Approaching the machine, Marco places his hand on the metal, feeling the initial coldness transform into a slight warmth. The machine becomes an extension of his thoughts and abilities.
The professor enters with a bodyguard, and Marco's face lights up with a smile upon seeing them. The professor, noticing this expression, becomes more confident. They approach, and Marco begins to briefly explain parts of the machine's operation.
"If you want to create an explosion capable of blow up a city, there's no need to detonate the crystal," Marco says, surprising the professor. Marco starts writing something, and the machine begins to heat up, reaching temperatures that cause Marco's skin to burn.
Terrified, the professor points a gun at him. "TURN IT OFF!" he shouts.
Despite the pain, Marco smiles. "This machine can generate a magnetic field so powerful that could devastate an entire city with minimal effort." Marco shuts down the machine, and the professor starts gasping in pain. "But the key is, it can't function as a projectile; it must be installed."
'He has to believe it, after all, it's not impossible,' Marco thinks to himself.
The bodyguard approaches the professor, who grabs his shoulder.
But suddenly, someone appears.
"Stop!" John appears, pointing his gun behind the bodyguard. Maria and the others join, aiming with determination.
Marco grins, pulling a rope and tape from a drawer. "Well, I suppose you'll be stuck here for a while."
However, at that moment, Marco hears words he never thought he'd hear.
"We must kill them now," one of Marco's friends approaches, but Marco stops him with an intense look.
The seriousness in Marco's eyes reveals his determination. Marco's fearless confrontation with evil, without distinction between good and bad, shows that his greatest weakness is also his greatest virtue.
'Is Marco weak?' The question hangs in the air, and a resolute answer manifests in his actions.
"We won't do it," Marco commands decisively, looking at everyone sternly. Marco uses his hands to cut off the circulation of both the professor and the guard's veins. Both collapse to the ground, completely unconscious.
'I can't bring myself to kill anyone.'
"We must let him live, only then will we gain time," Marco holds his companion's gaze firmly, making him step back. "I revealed to him what the machine can do. If we eliminate him, the government will seek to annihilate us all. If we leave, we'll have a chance."
'Lies.'
'Lies that benefit no one.'
Fear reflects in the faces of the others, but he maintains his smile, trying to calm the tense moment. Observing them all, he realizes his efforts are in vain.
"Get ready, I'm going to dismantle the machine," Marco begins to work, removing the protections and noticing that the metal is still hot.
Marco's hands begin to tremble, and his gaze wanders searching for something to hold onto.
"If I add water to it, it will explode, and the clamps won't work."
"We don't have time, we must hurry," John looks outside, and through the radio comes a message about suspicious activity on the base's perimeters.
The message arrives promptly, and they are sent to protect a section of the base.
"Now comes the hardest part."
Marco retrieves an old-fashioned phone, nothing like the one he usually uses.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Maria puts her hand on Marco's shoulder, and just with that, Marco's determination grows.
My hands tremble with force, but I must endure.
"It might be the bad guy, but still, he's our only hope," Marco starts dialing on the phone, and after a few seconds, a deep, adult voice answers on the other end.
"Where?" he asks, getting straight to the point.
Marco examines the map, pointing to the place they've been assigned to protect.
Looking at the map, I can grasp the enormity it represents; it's larger than our base, it would take a big chunk of Irlam just to build it.
"Fort D8, up north," Marco hangs up, and everyone waits for a brief explanation from him, their looks of fear and desperation the only thing reflected in Marco's eyes.
All the responsibility; the lives of those Marco cares about rest on his shoulders. Yet, his own existence crumbles.
Everyone looks at him, waiting for an explanation. Marco tightens his lips, unsure whether to say those words or not. He closes his eyes tightly, and when he opens them, he tells them decisively:
"In the operation to recover the mine from the drug traffickers, I saved the boss's brother. The mission was to eliminate them, yet I let him go."
So far, Marco hasn't taken anyone's life; in fact, he gave an out to the enemy, letting him escape.
"Saving someone evil is, in itself, an evil act," Echidna disapproves of the action. "Leaving alive those who will cause more harm is still an evil act."
I can understand Echidna's words, but I can also understand Marco.
"I..."
People are surprised by Marco's words, but they choose silence.
"It's our only way out, to leave the country..." Marco opens a cabinet, revealing several large rifles. "We'll fake our deaths; that way, they'll think we perished in the attempt to escape."
Maria dives into the computers, typing things that I really don't understand.
"I erased all the research from our database; everything is on this memory," Maria tosses the memory to Marco. "The access to backups is only with me, so it should be impossible for them to have a copy."
Marco looks at them all, with a fear so overwhelming that I feel like I'm about to faint. In that laboratory, where happiness was once inhaled, now there is nothing left but bitter feelings.
Betrayal, hatred, sadness.
The regret.
"I'll save you all, I promise," Marco declares. "After this, each of you will go for your families, and then we'll escape the country."
Marco's smile silences everyone. Despite being the youngest, they all seem to put their faith in his words. They trust what he says.
They take the rifles and get ready, but Marco activates one last mode on the machine.
'Leaving a grenade would be too suspicious; it's best to make it unusable without them knowing.'
Marco looks at the thin, hot metal and, with all his strength, tears it apart with his hand. The metal breaks, and the machine ejects the two crystals towards the ceiling, where they embed themselves.
"Wish I had created a self-destruct mechanism," Marco mutters as he climbs a ladder to retrieve the crystals. He puts them in a bag and quickly descends.
An electric feeling seems to make him look at his hands. The burns seem to be second-degree, but Marco doesn't feel the pain.
The stress he feels, the adrenaline rushing through his body must be making him numb.
My fists tense, while my eyes remain fixed, alert. Marco disassembles a bullet, delicately spreading its explosive contents on his hand.
"Hurry up, Marco!" they shout from outside. In his haste, he sparks a lighter, all while the outside commotion hides his actions.
Marco's hands briefly catch fire, and he falls to the ground, victim to the pain.
"AGH!" he cries out but quickly grits his teeth. He keeps staring at his charred hands but decides not to scream.
'I must not show weakness.'
His palms, now resting on the icy floor, don't reveal the presence of the blood that was once flowing.
'Hold on, Marco Luz.'
Turning his head, he observes the professor with white cloth gloves. This simple gesture resonates with unbreakable symbolism. Marco looks at the machine one last time, his heart reflecting a determination that eludes me.
The same determination I lack.
In this cold room, my role reduces to being a powerless spectator. Marco and the other head towards their destination, aware that time is slipping away, as the fire lamicta is already underway.
'If we don't make it in time, we'll die.'
They board a vehicle, a machine that will transport them without the need for a dragon. Speed envelops them as they reach the designated place, only to discover that no soldiers await them.
"General! Beta Squad has reached the assigned area, over!" John reports over the radio, receiving the general's approval.
Marco loads a backpack, placing in it the hope and danger encapsulated in the crystals. Though I can't feel it, I imagine the immense pain Marco endures in his hands.
"Get ready!" Marco announces with a warm smile. "Let's go!"
Marco surveys the surroundings, a towering concrete wall. He walks on the grass and places the backpack at the base of the wall.
With the fire lamicta in hand, he tries to activate it, but discovers nothing happens.
'I must use my skin.'
In a decisive moment, Marco uses his teeth to remove the gloves. He closes his eyes and grabs the crystals with his burned hands.
'It HURTS!' He screams internally, squeezing the crystal harder. He focuses, and it quickly starts emitting light. Marco looks at it, unaware he just used mana for it.
Normally people are born with the ability to use lamicta, but for someone without a door, it shouldn't be possible. Night has already fallen, and the crystal emits a dim light, a beacon of hope amidst the darkness.
"How can Marco use mana?" I ask, my curiosity catching Echidna's attention, who smiles and gives me an intrigued look.
"Marco's soul is special," Echidna affirms with a smile, looking at the screen pleased. "I'd love to study it."
I remember clearly when Marco couldn't use magic until he was taught. So, what's happening now?
"Special?" I inquire, but quickly hear Marco's groan in my heart.
Marco's expression contorts in pain, and the fire lamicta quickly responds, heating up instantly.
John places the rifles nearby, trying to simulate they were always there.
The crystal starts glowing brightly. They hop into the car and speed away. John turns the wheel and...
BOOM!
An explosion rocks the place. Through the fire cloud, Marco watches as the wall falls apart into pieces. The shockwave even shakes the car, sending fear rippling through everyone.
"John!" Marco shouts, jolting him into action. John accelerates, and they quickly take in the devastation.
The enormous wall has been completely destroyed, leaving a gigantic hole big enough to fit a car over five times.
'If they used this as a weapon, if they improved it, the world as we know it would be destroyed.' Marco looks determined, squeezing his hands tightly. 'I won't let that happen, never!'
They drive onto a dirt road, in that lush jungle, they can only drive the car for a few meters before having to walk.
Marco's hands tremble, his body seems to rebel against the idea of causing such destruction.
"We're going!" Marco calls, using the phone.
"That was a big sign!" the person on the other end of the call exclaims. Marco looks back, seeing the smoke lingering in the air. Everyone shows signs of fear, but the determination in Marco seems to have peaked.
"Give me your phones!" Marco orders firmly, making everyone obey instantly.
Marco pulls out a grenade, placing all the devices in a bag. Apparently, there are ways to track them with just those devices. I don't know everything about them, but in the memories, I saw the phone working several times.
The night wraps around their fears, and Marco becomes a determined dragon, facing the darkness with the weight of a decision that will weigh on him forever.
Echidna, witnessing the unfolding tragedy, can't help but admire the amazing technology displayed before her.
The burst of the bag, the echo of sacrifice, and the silence that follows say it all. Fear reflects in everyone's eyes, except Marco's.
His determination is palpable, as if he had already embraced his destiny with resignation.
The car is forced to stop, the jungle stands like an impenetrable maze of trees. Amidst the foliage, salvation presents itself in the form of a boat, but the path to it is a desperate race.
"I don't know how long it will take them to find us, but we must hurry," Marco's words resonate, holding his weapon firmly as he descends from the vehicle. The race begins, a joint effort toward freedom.
Marco's gaze confronts the horizon with a mixture of determination and anguish. 'I must save them, for that, I must stay strong.' In the midst of uncertainty, the inevitable question arises within me: 'Would I have made better decisions?'
The answer gets lost in the passing minutes, in the frantic beating of hearts striving to escape. The sound of footsteps, helicopters approaching, and the damp aroma of the jungle intertwine into a chaotic symphony.
Every backward glance from Marco is a reminder of the looming threat.
Maria smiles at him, a gesture of encouragement amidst adversity. Marco reassures with words that he's okay, but his body betrays the truth. A deep pain, a silent torture accompanies every stride.
An hour of racing, the night gives way to dawn. Fatigue takes hold of several, even Marco, whose panting reveals the accumulated tension. The terrain becomes swampy, indicating that the goal is near.
In the distance, a boat emerges as the longed-for refuge. Marco glimpses hope amidst the chaos, and, for a moment, anguish gives way to the possibility of salvation.
The sun peeks over the horizon, painting the sky with warm hues that contrast with the urgency in the air.
Marco dials the number with trembling hands, uncertainty looming over them like a dark cloak. The figure answering the call, dressed differently, indicates that something different is about to happen.
Armed men, tense faces, and rifles that rise and fall in an uncertain choreography. The leader, in his distinctive dark suit, gives the order to board. They seem like soldiers but dressed in darker colors.
The doubt in Marco's gaze is palpable.
'I hope this isn't a bad decision,' he thinks as his companions reflect the anxiety of the situation on their faces.
They board the boat with nothing else to do, the wind lashes fiercely and the water splashes their faces, but the sensation of escape mixes with the weight of bewilderment. In a small village, another armed group welcomes them.
Then, the screen darkens.
Marco has decided, good or bad, whatever it may be...
He doesn't deserve it.
The screen begins to illuminate. In one way or another, I don't want to keep watching.
Inside a humble mud house, the contrast between the misery of the surroundings and the figure of the well-dressed man is evident. Cigarette smoke mixes with the scent of rum, creating an unpleasant atmosphere.
'God, it smells awful,' Marco thinks, looking at the man in front of him.
The direct conversation, without formalities, reveals the harshness of the circumstances.
"So, are you willing to do it?" the man's voice resonates, as Marco, surrounded by armed men, faces the leader of the evil drug trafficking group.
"Yes, I am," Marco's response is firm, his fearless gaze radiating determination.
'I guess it's the only option,' he murmurs to himself as he plunges into an agreement that could seal his fate.
The smile of the drug lord is drawn, and so, amidst hopelessness, a pact is sealed that binds them in a world where decisions weigh more than morality.
Disappointment hangs in the air, like a dark veil covering their hearts.
'To think that Marco would choose to use evil to overshadow evil.' The Marco I know isn't like that, he wouldn't act if it weren't for obligation.
Memories of the screams of the demihumans surface in my mind, making me hold my head to silence them. 'I killed them in cold blood. I didn't give them a chance, just killed them to save the lives of people on my side.'
In that relentless world, strength is not measured by the ability to wield swords or create magic, but by cunning and intelligence. A place where the vulnerability of life itself forces extreme decisions.
In this context, people like me, useless against intellectual threats, are displaced, relegated to the shadow of survival. I know that if I were in their world, I would be useless, without a doubt.
The order has been given: each member of the group will set out in search of their loved ones. Marco, brought to meet the others, observes how everyone has donned different clothes, preparing for the mission that awaits them.
However, the shadow of the question persists, materialized in John's words.
"What did you have to pay to do this?" John, brave, asks the question weighing on everyone's hearts.
Marco's expression remains neutral, anticipating what John was about to say. A sigh precedes his smile, receiving the garments as a symbol of change.
"The favor I did seemed to please him. Besides, I shared information about protecting the crystal mine so they can take it."
Helping the villain to ensure one's own survival, a dilemma that questions moral integrity. Marco's conscience had not weighed the consequences, and the weight of truth hits like a punch.
In a secluded corner, Marco, with a curtain as the only witness, faces his wounds. Blood seeps through the gloves as he reflects on a troubling thought.
"If I had died, would anything have changed?"
Fury grows, a burning flame inside Marco. The reality of his choices manifests, and the possibility of an alternative fate fades.
"Maria..."
He calls Maria, a silent plea for help, and she, with her gaze to the sky, tries to hold back her breath in the whirlwind of emotions unleashed.
"What happened to you!?" Maria observes Marco's hands, scabs with some swelling, but he just returns a smile.
"Help me get dressed." Marco points to the clothes, and Maria, looking at the ceiling, tries to hold back her breath.
In an embrace, Maria seeks to console him, but this time Marco remains steadfast.
"Sorry..." Marco stands firm as Maria takes something out of a backpack on the floor.
Carefully, she begins to treat the wounds on Marco's hands. Broken scabs, inflammation; she cleans, but Marco shows no signs of pain. He presses on, trying to appear strong.
"The favor I did seemed to please him. Besides, I shared information about protecting the crystal mine so they can take it."
'It's the least I deserve.'
Maria bandages his hands and puts on new gloves.
"I was going to give them to you anyway, they look cute on you," Maria smiles, causing Marco's lips to begin trembling.
In his mind, the sole goal is to get out of this situation.
"Let's go, it's time to act," Marco changes and notices his group is already fully prepared.
After a while, they are taken to another place. Several cars, looking normal but somewhat neglected, are arranged, each one destined for the families of the group members.
Some bigger, some smaller; all tailored for each type of family.
"Get ready to leave, we don't have time."
Once in motion, Marco hides inside the car, between the seats adapted for this purpose. Passing all security checks, the vehicle arrives at his home.
A house similar to those in Irlam, but with the whitest white he had ever seen and the most beautiful, blue-tinted glasses that make me envious. Upon arrival, Marco gets out. Two men follow him, all dressed casually.
"I have to keep looking." I clench my hands, holding my breath rapidly.
"Hurry up, before they arrive," one of the drug traffickers says, looking around nervously.
Marco nods and knocks on the door, encountering his mother upon opening. She opens her eyes forcefully and rushes to hug him. Marco reciprocates the hug and enters, observing his home with a smile.
His house is beautiful, a sight he truly enjoys. The decoration, the furniture, everything exudes warmth, only then do I understand why he wants to move to Irlam. His father rushes down to hug him too.
Marco makes them both sit, smiling as the concern in his parents' eyes seems to penetrate the mask he wears.
'I can't fool them, so there's nothing to be done.' Marco utters the words in his mind with a weight that seems to sink his own shoulders.
The truth, raw and merciless, hangs over him and his loved ones.
"The government wants to kill us, so now we have to flee," Marco addresses his parents, and his eyes meet the astonished gaze of those who gave him life. "I'm sorry, I know I messed up, but I'll explain everything on the way."
Marco's parents exchange a meaningful look, a silent communication trying to find answers amid the confusion. But before they can articulate a word, a resounding "Bang!" pierces the air.
Chaos erupts outside, and the figure of a man bursts into the room with terror etched on his face.
"They're here!" the man shouts, firing desperately through the door. The symphony of gunfire intensifies, but Marco refuses to yield to fear.
In an instinctive act, he takes his parents' hands and drags them to the back of the house, away from the hail of bullets that begin to pierce the windows.
He quickly observes how they are coming in through the walls of the courtyard.
The screams of terror and the roar of destruction intertwine in an apocalyptic symphony. Marco, with the certainty that his family shares his steadfastness, ascends the stairs as his parents try to follow his lead, controlling the fear that threatens to overwhelm them.
A shot tears through the air, and the sharp pain in Marco's ear is the cruel soundtrack that initiates the tragedy. Marco stumbles, falling onto his own feet. His parents instinctively crouch down as unknown men surround them.
One positions himself under the stairs, other stares him down.
With his gun in hand, Marco turns to face the nightmare unfolding behind him. Two figures dressed in blue, reminiscent of the Irlam military, hold his parents hostage.
"¡Agarralo!" one of them exclaims in an unknown language, a strange code that resonates like a sentence of condemnation.
Marco's eyes widen, his blood pulsating to the frantic rhythm of terror.
"So, they were already watching us," his mind whispers, the resigned acceptance of an inescapable truth. He raises his hands in surrender, the symbol of a lost battle against a relentless enemy.
"Surrender, and they all live!" the man declares, forcing Marco's parents to kneel, while the cold muzzles of the pistols are aimed at them.
"Don't kill them, just don't kill them," Marco looks outside, where the drug traffickers continue to confront the soldiers, desperately trying to break through.
Marco understands that there was never a real chance, that they all probably face the same inevitable fate. The difference lies in that they can now be eliminated without reservation.
'I have to find an opportunity.'
"Marco Luz has been captured!" the man announces over the radio. "Go for the rest."
'For not killing the professor.'
'No, this was planned beforehand.'
Marco's fists tense as he watches his parents' anguished gaze.
"Yes, I'll surrender," Marco stands up and descends a step.
A soldier approaches him, pointing his rifle. At the moment he's about to touch him, Marco reacts, using the height to deflect the weapon.
A shot rings out, and the bullet pierces Marco's shoulder. With his free hand, he draws his pistol and subdues the soldier.
"It doesn't matter anymore."
I try to hold back my tears because now I understand, Marco isn't seeking survival. It's simply a pretext to find death, to die without revealing that it was intentional.
"What the hell are you doing?!" the soldiers aim at Marco, and his father takes advantage of the distraction to strike one.
"No!" Marco shouts, but his father receives a brutal blow to the face with the rifle butt, falling to the ground immediately.
Marco tries to move, but the man points the gun at his mother. Marco locks eyes with him, and she responds with a smile. His mother, hands concealed within her dress, smiles serenely.
"Take the man away!" one of the men orders, and they carry the father away through the back.
The bullets continue their relentless symphony, screams and gunfire intertwining, but Marco seems oblivious to it all.
His attention is fixed on his mother's eyes, but they don't reflect concern. Instead, a deep and terrifying resignation hides in her gaze.
Almost as if time dilates, Marco stares solely at his mother, ignoring the surrounding chaos. His mother smiles, a smile that evokes memories in my mind.
'Mother fortune...'
"Son, I'm sorry. I've been a bad mother. I've hidden things from you, but I'm sure you'll discover them later," her gaze seems resigned, preparing for the inevitable, his mother, knowing what she must do, shouts directly to the person she loves most, "Whoever you become and wherever you are, I send you all my love."
BOOM!
An explosion reverberates in Marco's ears. A deafening ringing persists as Marco's world crumbles. The man in front of him falls onto his body, shielding him from the blast's force.
With all his might, Marco tries to push the body away, watching as the man lies lifeless.
"Well, looks like you're managing it just fine," Echidna starts to laugh, while I keep staring at the screen.
"No..."
Though dust clouds Marco's vision, our hands move frantically, desperately trying to clear the obstruction. Gunshots continue to ring out, screams growing louder.
Several men enter through the hole in the wall.
"Marco Luz!" one of the men exclaims, and Marco can only watch in horror as the dust dissipates.
Soldiers from the courtyard open fire, but a larger vehicle crash through the house, reaching the staircase. Several men descend, some firing, others advancing towards Marco.
Marco doesn't utter a word, remaining blank, as if his mind has shut off.
The men surround him and take him, while I only experience the void that seems to engulf me. A tearing oppression, Marco's desperation resonates in the depths of his being.
Marco looks at his hands.
'I send you all my love...'
Recalling his mother's words and the pain on his father's face, Marco is driven along the road, where several identical cars unfold along the way.
The cold grip of the pistol in his hand reminds him of his bitter reality.
'If I die... this end.'
I collapse to the ground, desperately trying to keep watching.
"Don't do it..." I look at the screen, as if this isn't the second time I've seen this. "Please, Marco, don't do it. Don't take your own life." All his feelings swirl in my mind, everything Marco Luz feels hits me like explosions burning every part of my soul.
The emptiness, the pain. My gaze fixates on the screen, wide open. Tears flow down it. All I can do is watch, I'm nothing more than a spectator in Marco's hellish life.
Marco raises the pistol and places it against his temple.
"I'll be free."
Bang!
Then, everything plunges into...
Darkness...