Detriment

-Back on the Scorched Isle-

--Zeal's Perspective--

"Thanks for staying the night, Zeal. It's always nice to have you over, no matter how insufferable you may be eighty percent of the time." Xian said to me with a smile.

"The deal goes both ways. I have to go back to my family, but are you sure Orion can actually do this?" I asked Xian.

"It's less of Orion and more of his soldiers. We'll have to have faith for now." I said, walking back to the transporter.

"There's one last thing… Zeal. I wanted to thank you properly for helping us unlock strands, so how about we get a drink down on Earth?" Elo asked.

"I suppose we could abandon our duties and celebrate. It'll be a new age for the White Stones like us, this definitely calls for it." I told them all. Everybody followed me into the transporter and before we knew it, we were down on Earth. Ruby awaited me at the portal, and I waved to her.

"We're going to get drinks, Ruby. You can come if you'd like but take it easy today as well." I told her. Ruby took the opportunity to head back to her house.

"Get me some drinks for my friends," I told the bartender. I purposefully constructed this transporter close to a bar, considering talking with Xian causes me to end up here sometimes.

"Get me one of the big boy drinks Ms. Bar Tender lady!" Xian sat at the counter with the rest of us and smiled.

"Get him a milk or something that'll help his teenage bones grow," I spoke over his original request. His look of disappointment was barely enough to make me smile.

"Whatever you old fart, you just don't want to take me in a drinking contest because you know you'd lose." I paid no attention to his empty threats.

"Come on Zeal, let him have at least one. He awakened strands too." Elo told me. I gave into Elo's pressure and let him have half of a glass, but it was enough to please his tiny brain.

Everybody in the bar was happy, we were smiling over drinking and talking about the future. "I wish I could see Ellie again; we can go back to the Isle after the White Stone there is killed, right?" Demos asked. I nodded.

"Yeah, that should be fine. I'd like to keep Orion on his zoo of an Isle alone for as long as possible, so we won't directly ask him, we'll just go." I told him.

"How are the kids, Zeal?" Xian asked me.

"Oh, don't tell me you're drunk already Xian," I yelled at the kid.

Elo and Demos both chuckled but Xian didn't find it as funny.

"Seriously. Those kids are young, and a father like you probably isn't the best, especially for raising second-generation White Stone children. They have a lot of responsibility, and I think you're the type of man to take it too easy with them." Xian told me. I was amazed he knew the responsibility that followed in raising children like them, but it was all for nothing.

"You have nothing to worry about. I'm making sure I spend extra time with their leadership skills and how they act with others. It's harder for them since they aren't born with natural leadership skills like we were, but it's still possible." I said, taking another swig.

"I hope one day I can find a girl as hot as your wife. Ask her if she's bored of you yet." And there was Xian's childish attitude again.

"If she got bored of me, she'd kill herself with you, just putting it as gently as possible," I told him. More laughs came from Elo and Demos.

It's nice to get together like this, I wonder why we don't do this more often." Xian said again. Everybody looked to Xian.

"I get the feeling I'm being targeted here." I finally laughed after trying to keep a straight face. As much as I like picking on Xian, he had the most potential when it came to all the White Stones. He was the third one to catch onto using the strands and can use them to transfer kinetic energy he experiences. That ability alone was jaw-dropping, and I had high hopes for him.

…

…

…

-Back on the Isle-

--Sky's Perspective--

I gripped Ellie's hand on my neck, having no plan whatsoever. "What the- that stone is so bright!" I stunned her and everybody else based on their hands deflecting the bright beams from their eyes. I heard a grunt over in Carl's direction and decided it was time.

I used all of the strength in my body to pick Ellie up and squeeze her wrist, hearing a snap inside of her arm. She yelped as I slammed her to the ground.

I could see Raven running over to Dani and before I could catch them, he ran up to the highest point of the inside of our base. I came at him with the intent to kill, but this would mean… this would mean the end.

As if everybody else around me wasn't focused, I had detrimental tunnel vision focused on Raven as he dragged Dani up that tiny hill. To my knowledge, Carl started the pushback on Raven's soldiers with that one kill. Ullr was back in the fight, Red was fighting, and everybody who could was back in it. But Raven, he ran.

"You get any closer and I'll kill her! I don't know what you plan to do, White Stones can't kill!" The intent to kill worsened and the left side of my head began to ache –

[System Alert! Corruption at 92%]

I charged in closer, but the stone began to spark purple, this means I would be sent flying back… I still had to try!