Brothers (Pt 2)

YEAR: 2161

LOCATION: Unknown

"Healer's Wish"

Suddenly, a white glow covered Tenny. Tiny white balls of light danced around his body, like fireflies in the dark, as the light lifted him, allowing him to stand upright. The pain was vanishing, the wounds were closing... the weariness was fading away.

"What's happening? Am I...?" Tenny asked in utter confusion.

Michael just kept smiling. Before he knew it, he was standing straight, before Michael, and as suddenly as it came, the white glow vanished but the balls of light surrounded them both and danced around the area.

"Even if you died, I would still bring you back! I'm sorry I let you pass through all that. I have no excuse... Tenny, I'm truly sorry." Michael spoke, voice soft, lingering with regret.

Tenny, who was already good as new and still surprised at the miracle which had occurred smiled. "I trust you, and from now onward, I'm your comrade. I'll help in whatever way I can! After all, we're brothers!"

Tenny smiled, remembering their moments as kids, and even hours ago when Michael had hugged him. Their bond would never be broken. He stretched forth his fist toward Michael smiling. Michael, knowing what he meant, also reciprocated. He smiled to himself.

He had finally gotten his brother's trust!

"Too easy." Michael mused.

They fist-bumped saying in unison, "Brothers!"

The awkward moment lasted longer than expected, until Tenny broke the silence

"So what now? Since you've achieved your objective and I've awakened, are we going back to the surface?"

Michael smiled, and put his hands back down. He looked, facing the wall by his side "Not yet, there's still something left to do!"

His eyes glowed purple, and suddenly the ground started shaking again. The humming sound Tenny heard before returned, and so did the vibrations, though they were not as intense as before. The portal he had previously seen reappeared. The wormhole looked dormant, as it just generated a humming sound and glowed purple and black.

"What is this... I saw this right before I passed out..." Tenny asked as he was both curious and a bit afraid.

"Don't worry, that won't happen again. This is a Gate, it's a rift that connects two worlds. That Harbinger you just fought most likely came from within it. In essence, it's like a mini Rip." Michael smiled calmly explained.

"Does that mean it..." Tenny spoke hesitantly.

"Yes, it contains otherworldly energy. This gate is being restrained, however, and so the level of energy radiating is limited. If it had been a full gate, you would most likely have died instead of passing out." Michael answered.

Tenny was now visibly upset "Then why did you bring me down here if there was that possibility?"

Michael looked away from the glowing rift and looked to Tenny. "I already knew it was restrained. I don't take chances, and so I knew you would survive. Even if you did, I would revive you, so that is not a major issue. The major issues I have with this gate are way more unpredictable."

Tenny noticed Michael looked troubled. "What is the problem? "Tenny asked.

Michael looked stern now.

"There are 3 major issues in this situation. Gates are not supposed to be restrained like this unless an ability is used to seal them. It's like a hallway between two doors. If one door is locked, then only one door is left to pass through. This side of the door is closed, which is not natural. My second issue is the fact that this gate has been here for at least a decade, or more. This underground passage was made by humans and The Dump was kept there for a reason. This Gate is the source of the putrid smell covering Adele. You probably didn't notice because you've been occupied all this while, and you're used to it. This confirms two things. Someone knows about this gate, and its dangers, and they have gone a long way to hide it."

This was all news to Tenny. "Are gates that rare an occurrence? Don't mons... I mean Harbingers come from them? Why is this any different?" Tenny asked.

Michael was not surprised Tenny didn't know this

"Gates are very rare. I doubt up to 8 have been found since the Rip's appearance. It's true that all Harbingers come from Gates, but those gates appear and disappear at various intervals. Stable gates such as this are very rare. A gate vanishes immediately a Harbinger comes out... except in rare cases. A gate like this only means one thing. Behind this one, is a swarm of Harbingers... and as is the case of a Hive, there is sure to be a Queen, The Grandmaster!" Michael spoke seriously now.

"A Grandmaster is at least a Grade 7 Cultivator, and so this Gate must be very dangerous. If it is released, Lagos Island, no... this entire state is done for!"

Tenny had never seen Michael look so serious "What's the final issue?" Tenny managed to ask.

"The final problem... Is that this Gate is located directly below our house." Michael spoke, looking grim.

"What? What do you mean by that?" Tenny raised his voice, alarmed at this shocking information.

There was no way! Tenny had felt they were walking for hours in the underground passageway, and since they entered it within their street, the location of the Gate had to be way further than what Michael said.

"Gates cause distortion in space and a false perception of time. You must have felt like we were journeying for hours, right? But, it was only a few minutes at most!"

Tenny's eyes bulged in shock.

"It all adds up. Why we've been living here all this while when we could most definitely afford to move to a better place. Why mom works in the nearby Firm and has never left 100 meters from our house, no vacation, no holiday, no road trips..." Michael continued.

"What are you saying?" Tenny's eyes widened even more at the realization dawning on him.

"...And most importantly, why in the near future, when she is killed, this gate opens, causing unimaginable deaths and destruction... Now that I am here now, there's no room for doubt..." Michael spoke slowly, eyes piercing a dazed Tenny.

"Mom is an Ability User!"

TO BE CONTINUED...