The main plaza on Serpens City has turned into a pandemonium. Its citizens were running aimlessly in order to flee from there, fearful of the confront that was about to be. In one side, the enraged city captain Lodi Stump and his men, on the other the recently released rebels, the dark hair boy Jax and the golden mane Leo. Previously, before anyone of the Nation could do something, Leo cross the gallows and cut down all the hang ropes with an ice dagger, freeing the rebels. Before they could fall on the ground, Jax made small field forces to catch them up. Lima was in separate gallows, so Leo ran to catch her on his arms.

-I don’t care how, I don’t care who… just bring me their heads! ALL OF THEM!

«Ice Burst: Chill Touch»

Leo with a small touch on the floor freeze the near area. The Nation men who ran to them were more cautious approaching the zone.

-Leo, why did-

-Lima, we talk later, right now we must get out of here.

-Well, you can start by putting me down.

-Oh sorry, sorry.

Lima and Leo look to each other embarrassed, just as a spear gets thrown between them. They come round with the situation they were in and prepared once again to fight. Leo looks around and fights hand to hand against two guards, protecting a handcuffed Lima. While Leo takes down one of them, four spears are thrown at once aiming at him. Lima panics as she sees that the spears are coming from Leo’s blind spot and can’t do anything to protect him.

-LEO!

«Dusk Force: Pressure Field»

A second prior to the spears reach Leo’s back, they hit and crash against an invisible wall. 20 meters from them, an exhausted Jax was panting and surrounded by the other rebels.

-Instead of getting on with that fight, can’t you get the keys to free her to help you out? Damn, and here I thought the older brother takes care of the younger one.

Leo knocks out the remaining guard he was fighting for, before taking two daggers from his right leg and throwing in Jax direction immediately. On Jax back, two Nation men are surprisingly pierced by the daggers. Leo smiles back to his little brother.

-You were saying. Hihihi

-You two seem so carefree, do you even realize where we are now? We appreciated you are trying to save us, but do you have a plan?

-Yes, we did have a plan.

-What is it?

-So first we infiltrated the city and then when the moment was right, we saved your necks, cutting off the ropes.

-Yeah and now?

-Now we bust our way out.

-That’s your plan? Really?

-Yes, I don’t see the problem of it.

-Oh, you don’t huh?

Behind them, one of the officials sent by the Nation central appears. It is Philip Peck, who in a blink of an eye, punches Leo across 1 kilometer, destroying several buildings on the way.

-LEO!

-Oh, are you worried with that guy? I can send you to him right now.

«Fiber Boost: Focus Punch»

«Dusk Force: Sluggish Push»

Peck accumulated essentia on his right fist, augmenting it just like he did before to Leo. Jax used his essential ability to slightly deviate Peck’s attack, making him punch and obliterate the gallows pillar behind Jax. The sweat across his face was not only for the fear of all that power, but also from the spamming use of essentia on his state.

-Oh, you also have some peculiar sort of essentia ability I see. Well like our former commander would say, it’s not really your ability that counts, is how you use it and perfect it. And it seems that you take a nasty tool each time you use it. Now, how are you going to fight me?

*****

Leo crashed hard on a habitation building. He was clearly hurt, full of bruises and his clothes torn apart, he was completely surprised with Peck’s assault. Looking at him were multiple scared faces, wishing that Leo just disappears from there. The citizens whisper among them about how to expel him from there. Leo stands up with some difficulty but understands that he’s not wanted there.

-Sorry guys, seems like I come to the wrong place. I will try to be more careful next time.

-Why did you do that? Why couldn’t you just let it go? If you let them be executed, we would not be in danger right now.

Leo was going away but halted as he heard that. Instead, he turns around and confronts the crowd, who take a step back afraid.

-Let it go? Turn my back to them as you did when they were only trying to help you? You really believe that is the right thing to do? Just let them do as they please? What if next time is any of you, or worst, one of your children?

The town folks went silent, as they continued to hear the harsh but truthful words of him.

-Have you ever thought of that? And you didn’t even think of helping them, not for your own wellbeing, but for theirs? They dedicated the last years to fight off the Nation, and for what I know and heard, their number one priority was your lives. And you are like this when they need you the most. I would be ashamed of myself and would never forgive myself for the rest of my life.

-But what can we do? We don’t have essentia powers like you!

-That’s your excuse? You don’t have an essentia ability?! You don’t deserve what they’ve done for you. You only need heart and resolve to do something about it. But you prefer to stand there and watch the ones who protected you die. If you had at least a little back spine you would fight for what is right, not let it go.

Leo concentrates his essentia to his feet and leaves.

*****

Not far away of the gallows, the citizen group that turned in Lima was watching the battle. They felt relieved when Leo saved her at the last moment, however the Nation numbers are many times the opposition numbers. They seemed resigned that that was the fate of those who go against Nation.

-We knew that if this were to happen, this was the outcome. That’s why we decided to follow along with Nation orders and protect ourselves. That was the best option for us.

-Yes, you are right sir.

-But why does my chest hurts?

-Your chest hurts because you know you were wrong!

Behind them, Jay’s group and Kai appeared. They looked beat up and exhausted, but even like that they were there.

-You guys sold us out!

-We needed it to survive.

-You needed it to survive?! How did it go then, trusting them? I’ll tell you how it did go. You got nothing and sellout Lima!

-H-h-how do you know that?

-That’s right we know about it! All for nothing! That’s why you feel conflicted. You know you were wrong to do that!

-But now is too late…

-It’s never too late to do the right thing! Like you said before, you just have to choose the best option for you. Do you want to continue to just watch as they perish, or will you do something to help the ones that were always on your side?

*****

The little demon appears once again, pausing the moment of Jay’s speech with the TV remote.

-Damn, kids these days have such a smooth speech. Look at the old man face. He clearly got schooled by that boy. So much more life experience and he’s like: “oh shit, I just got served”. Damn right! That was what these scaredy-cats needed to fucking wake up! This will be a turning point to the battle, to the city, to the fates of the world…

*****