Light and Dark

---Flashback---

"Not feeling your best, are you?" Deleo's voice resonated within his mind, calm yet tinged with a subtle warning.

Val let out a quiet breath, grateful that the others couldn't sense the turmoil gripping him. "Deleo, something's been bothering me since the Serpentine Syndicate. This pain—it's been lingering. Is this just the seal, or... something more?"

Deleo's voice was steady as ever, yet Val sensed an underlying gravity. "You've unlocked a power that has its own reach, Val. It calls you to notice malice, even when it's beyond sight."

Val's gaze hardened, focusing on an unseen point ahead. "So this isn't just a lingering pain?"

"No," Deleo confirmed, his tone grave. "It's your senses adapting. What you feel now may only be the beginning—a signal that something dark stirs beyond Clareo's borders."

Val straightened, feeling a chill sink through him. The quiet before the storm, indeed. "So, you're saying we might not be done yet."

Deleo's voice softened, almost with an edge of sympathy. "Consider this your new reality. Power like this does not allow rest when malice stirs. But do not let it consume you. Trust in your instincts, in your team."

---Flashback End---

After the mission debrief concluded, Val found himself distracted, the echoes of Deleo's words replaying in his mind. A subtle throbbing in his left eye had intensified, no longer something he could easily ignore.

Opening a secure mind link, he contacted Dr. Lewis. Mission's complete, but I need access to the island lab. I want to check on Ember and Exeo.

Dr. Lewis responded almost immediately, his tone understanding. You have clearance to the medical lab on the training island. The facility will be restricted to you alone.

As the transport flew over the ocean, Val watched the waters below, the rhythmic waves bringing back memories of days spent training with his brothers on the remote island. The haunting sound of waves crashing against rocks welcomed him as he arrived, a solemn echo in the otherwise empty place.

Inside the medical facility, Val walked down a corridor he had once avoided—a hallway steeped in silence and the duty of preservation.

His footsteps echoed against the sterile floor until he reached the central lab. A subtle hiss sounded as the door opened, revealing two large cylindrical tubes filled with a clear, viscous liquid. Suspended within were the still forms of Ember and Exeo.

He stood before the cylindrical tubes, his heart heavy as he looked upon their faces, illuminated by a pale, clinical light that gave them an ethereal glow. Memories of their training, shared laughs, and intense battles surged to the surface, each a reminder of the strength they once shared.

Val clenched his fists, feeling the pulse in his left eye intensify as he gazed at his brothers' still forms. He could almost sense their souls, flickering faintly, somewhere nearby—close, yet so far from reach.

"Deleo," he murmured, his voice thick with strain. "This pain... it's more than just my senses adjusting, isn't it?" He paused, feeling a chill run through him. "Is it because of Hades' Wrath and Black Lotus? Are they the ones stirring this malice I keep feeling?"

Deleo's voice echoed within him, grave and measured. "Yes, you are sensing what lies beyond the visible world. The third seal has amplified your connection to the darkness around you. Their plans are stirring, and now you can sense the essence of it."

A bitter realization took hold of Val. The ominous feeling wasn't a fleeting side effect—it was a tether, linking him to the malice yet to come.

"So I'm stuck feeling them before they even arrive," Val muttered, his tone edged with frustration. "It's like I'm being haunted by a threat that hasn't even shown its face."

"Power has a cost, Val. The more you unlock, the more attuned you become," Deleo replied, his voice calm, as if explaining an ancient, immutable truth. "It is a responsibility, and now, part of your very existence."

Val took a deep breath, letting Deleo's words settle over him. His gaze shifted back to his brothers, and an unspoken question rose within him, heavy and uncertain. "If they gave me their Purple Fire, does that mean they won't have it when they return?"

Deleo's voice softened, carrying an enigmatic weight that made Val pause. "Mana flows through your bloodline like an unbroken river, Val. What they have given you is not taken from them; it is a shared gift, tied to the essence of who you are. Mana binds, adapts, and remembers."

Val narrowed his eyes, trying to decipher Deleo's words. "So... they won't be without it?"

Deleo's response came slowly, as if choosing each word with care. "They will be as they are destined to be, Val. The Purple Fire exists within each of you differently. What you hold is not a subtraction from them but a convergence—a manifestation of your bond."

"So it doesn't mean I've taken something away from them," Val murmured, almost to himself. "The fire exists between us—connected. Shared, not stolen."

"They will remain whole in their own way," Deleo replied, his tone soothing. "Mana has a memory. It knows its roots, and it recognizes its kin."

Val took in the response, finding solace in the ambiguous answer. It wasn't a direct confirmation, but it gave him something to hold onto—a hope that his brothers would return as they were.

A flicker of relief mixed with resolve crossed his face. He looked at Ember and Exeo, feeling the thrum of his connection to them, still vibrant and alive, even through the pain.

The pulse in his left eye grew once more, a lingering ache that seemed to sharpen his senses. With a hint of worry, he asked Deleo, "This pain… it's not going to subside, is it? It's like a warning. Or maybe... a reminder."

Deleo's response was somber, layered with an ancient wisdom. "It may serve as both. A sign of what lies ahead and a reminder of your duty. As long as darkness stirs, this sensation will remain. But remember, it does not need to rule you. Embrace it, but do not let it dominate."

Val nodded slowly, the weight of Deleo's words settling on him. "So I'll be feeling their malice, even from a distance. It's like I'm connected to them without them even knowing it."

"Indeed," Deleo replied. "The malice is a harbinger, a shadow that your power has bound you to sense. But while it can drain you, it can also prepare you. Use it, Val. It will reveal more than you realize."

Val absorbed this, a quiet determination replacing the unease he'd felt. He would face the darkness, and he would ensure his brothers' eventual return.

A silent promise filled the room as he turned to leave, carrying the knowledge and the weight of his connection—a bond of fire and resolve.