Discordant Convictions

Maximus didn't hesitate to turn around and run. Coupled with his own not-so-attached emotions and the hammering of Seraphina's lessons to always heed to extreme warnings, he wasted no time in bolting away.

Seraphina was the same, it was Isabelle who hesitated, allowing an air blade to almost land on her, if it hadn't been for Adrian that is. They rolled away on the ground, and almost immediately, he caught Isabelle and ran.

In no time, with his formidable physique, he had caught up to Seraphina and Maximus who had begun running earlier. With a muffled voice, trying to suppress the pain on his chest, he informed,

"That air blade or whatever the fuck it was, it was too strong. And I am pretty damn sure it was simply a warning."

He had already begun gasping by the time he completed the sentence, the wound on his chest gravely affecting his bodily systems.

Maximus had a serious look on his face as he contemplated, 'That strike was too fast for even my ability senses to pick up. That's one grave shortcoming which I didn't notice earlier, gotta do something about it.'

He then said to others in a serious look, "Whoever attacked, they probably had information on us. At this point I can only think of the Gardeners. Are we no longer needed? Or not worth the trouble we cause?"

Adrian and Isabelle exchanged looks with Seraphina who gave a subtle nod. It was to ask if he already knew about it to which Seraphina affirmed.

Seraphina replied to Maximus, "I don't think so, it might more probably be because I underestimated the level of importance it had for the Gardeners. I didn't think they would employ such a strong supernatural being."

Isabelle, who was being carried on Adrian's back, got down when they neared their bicycles. Each of them, again, took different but close routes and escaped to a different safe house. Not willing to go back to the same place unless someone had tracked them.

Isabelle switched routes in the middle, clearly concerned over her boyfriend. Turns out she was right, his speed slowed down and eventually halted. When she caught up with him, she could hear loud sounds of gasping from him, who had one hand on his chest.

They left their bicycles leaning on a nearby building and entered an isolated alley.

The suit which had been ripped apart along with the dark red cut apart flesh on the inside looked as grotesque as it could be. Isabelle hurriedly took out her phone and sent an emergency signal to the two of them, along with her location and a short message about Adrian.

Minutes later, Maximus and Seraphina, having left their bicycles at the same place, entered the alley to see Adrian heavily gasping. Maximus and Seraphina both had a first aid box in their hand, apparently having thought the same.

Isabelle took it from their hands and began treating Adrian delicately. Within minutes he had stopped breathing heavily and was simply resting with his eyes closed.

Isabelle softly caressed his face and whispered, "How are you feeling now?"

He replied in a raspy voice, with uneven tones, as if it was a chore to even talk, "Better."

Everyone could hear the underlying tremor in his voice but chose to focus on the better. As if to mock his response, immediately after, a rush of blood erupted from his mouth, saturating his suit and attire in a deep crimson hue. He quickly tilted his head to the side, releasing yet another surge of blood.

Isabelle began panicking, her face already on the verge of tears as she spoke of her intentions to carry him to hospital. Ironically it was Adrian who spoke against it,

"Don't, I'll get better soon." He then leaned against the wall and tried regulating his breathing.

Unfortunately Isabelle didn't want to take it lying down. Putting down the first aid box, she got up and pushed Seraphina.

Everyone knew the latter could have dodged it but chose not to. Seraphina simply took a few steps back, mitigating the force to avoid falling down. Keeping mind not to attract attention, in a tense whisper that carried the weight of a shout, Isabelle hissed words through clenched teeth, each syllable dripping with suppressed intensity,

"Why the fuck did you not do your usual research before going in rashly? Why do you insist on cooperating with the Gardeners? What will we get out of it? Didn't you see what happened today? Everything could've been avoided if you had not been so greedy, some things are simply not meant to be and you should accept it!"

Her chest heaved up and down after the flare of words due to her intense burst of emotions. There were tears at the corner of Isabelle's eyes as she turned around to look at her boyfriend who had hugged her from behind, his arms around her waist. Once again, this time with a softer tone, she turned her head to face Seraphina and asked,

"Why can't we simply go around helping people with the power we have? You said we'll help people if we both agreed to join you, pooling together our power, but we've killed more people than we've helped. Don't you feel anything doing that? Huh?!"

Seraphina calmly stood by, watching Isabelle lash at her. She knew this day would come sooner or later. There was too much of a gap of values in this little team of theirs. It was bound to burst open eventually. Heaving a sigh, she simply said a few simple words, it was up to them if they wanted to understand.

"I am not omnipotent, I can't know everything. I took all the necessary steps to be cautious while approaching, but like your dear boyfriend himself said, the gap was simply too large. I doubt any amount of preparation would've helped.

"We are forerunners of this supernatural world, you know? According to what I found that is. Supernatural abilities like us began awakening in normal humans around a year ago, there would be tons of organizations out there who can't wait to capture and experiment on us. Gardeners on the other hand is a relatively mild organization.

"What's wrong with improving ourselves? Do you really think this is the end? There should be a higher realm which would help us in improving our abilities. The person we encountered might be one of them. Was I wrong in wanting to be safe? Not everyone grew up with a silver spoon.

"Lastly, do you really think killing bad people is not saving people in the end? The means are different but the result is more or less the same. Of course, you probably won't understand it either. Ask Adrian to put some sense into you cuz I am tired of babysitting a spoiled brat."

Saying so she simply walked away, soon vanishing from their sights. Maximus watched everything without a word, it wasn't the time to give his two cents here. It was an internal matter which had been bubbling up even before he joined, best if he stayed out of it. This was the first time he had seen Seraphina lose control of herself, albeit barely for a moment.

As a courtesy, Maximus asked the struggling couple who were walking the other way. "Do you need my help to carry you?"

Adrian was the one to respond, his unwavering posture now slightly stooped, a touch of weariness coloring his typically resolute voice,

"It's alright buddy. Thank you for asking"

"Okay."

Maximus wasn't that bothered by the polite refusal, he knew they wouldn't accept anyway. He wasn't as unbothered as it seemed, in this unfamiliar world he was thrust into without any preparation, they were the first friends he made. With a heavy sigh, he turned away, embarking on a lonely walk through the narrow alley. The silence of the night enveloping him.

Unbeknownst to him, a tiny portion of the imaginary film he felt between him and the world disappeared.