Gabriel dishes the final blow with a punch, causing his opponent to fall back, finally unconscious.
"Piece of shit.." he mutters. "Next time you'll learn to keep your hands to yourself.."
He picks up the purse the man stole and hands it back to the lady next to him.292Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBoeOpiFaSB
"Keep a better grip on this thing, alright?" he says, wiping his nose and removing the blood.
The girl nods and takes the purse.292Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKWRtAe8Wyj
"Thanks so much!" she says and runs off.
Gabriel sighs. That was something he didn't want to do today.
As he kicks the guy to the side and walks down the street, he sees the lights of a police car from the corner of his eye.
He stops. "Shit.."
"Don't worry Gabe, lady told us everything. You're not in trouble...at least not this time.."
He turns around, noticing his friend, Officer Raymond standing at the car's door as he closes it.
"You scared the hell out of me..."
The officer takes a look at the now awake pickpocket.
"Was...that your doing too?"
"...Yeah. If killing someone wasn't illegal, I would've beat his ass to a bloody pulp."
The officer laughs.
"We'll handle him. Just head home or... wherever you're headed...you and your gang stay out of trouble."
"Yeah yeah..." Gabriel announced, turning the corner into the street.
Gabriel pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket, which had the address of the university where his sister was supposedly attending. He sits at the bus stop, where he waits for the next bus.
He slips through the gate and knocks on the door of his sister's dorm room. But instead of his sister, he only meets with her best friend Talia, who is looking at him in confusion.
"Gabe? What are you doing here?"
"I'm tired of waiting, so I came here to look for Catherine. Know where she is now or?"
Talia becomes tense. She knew this was the end of her little facade.
"...She isn't here. She was never here in the first place."
Gabriel's eyes widen as he gasps. "What do you mean she wasn't here in the first place? Where the hell did she go?"
"She told me not to tell you. That's all I can say."
Suddenly, his hands are gripped tight on her shirt as he stares at her furiously, his gaze fixed on hers.
"Gabriel, I-"
"I want to know where she is now. I don't give a shit what she said to you or whoever else she's been talking to. Tell me where she is."
"...Alright, I tried to warn you." she muttered. As Gabriel lets her go with a scowl on his face, she walks over to a drawer in the front of the room and opens it, revealing a golden watch inside.
"What the hell does that gotta do with Catherine?" he asked, angry, but confused.
"I'll show you." she said. "I'll show you where she is."
Suddenly, she does some sort of ritual on it, a blue light appears in front of her, and it enlarges until it becomes a large rift.
"...Come on." Talia says. "It doesn't hurt." she adds, before jumping in.
Then she jumps in herself.
Gabriel is dumbfounded. It wasn't the fact that magic exists, but the fact he knew his sister wouldn't do anything like this...
Nevertheless, he jumps in after her, and the memories and thoughts of the past and future whisper into his ear, before suddenly....he's somewhere different. In the middle of a village, in the middle of...nowhere. Clouds seem to surround his feet.
"Where the hell...are we?" he asked, looking around.
"We're in the Time Realm." she answered, grabbing his hand. "Follow me. I have people who know where she is."
Talia drags Gabriel into a large tower looming over the entire village, almost...looking over it.
"Are you absolutely friggin' sure Catherine's in there?" Gabriel asks, skeptical.
"It's where I saw her last..." she answered again. "If she isn't here...then Nate will know where she is."
"...You took me here?! To some magic princess shit castle?! To tell me that my sister could or couldn't be here?!"
"Gabriel, calm down. I'm sure she's around somewhere....I'm just not sure where..."
"You better make sure..." he said, walking into the tower.
When he walks in, Talia slowly creeping in behind him, he notices a small group of three. One girl, two boys. The girl was painting her nails and listening to some pop music, the one of the boys sitting there tapping his feet, and the last asleep on the couch with a mask over his face.
The girl of the three immediately gasps, runs up to Gabriel and stands right in front of him, jumping up and down excitedly.
"...The hell are you getting excited about? I just walked in.."
"A real life delinquent! I've waited years for this moment!" she stops jumping and waves her hand at him. "Hi! I'm May! I found this kooky lil' watch and ended up here!"
"...Alright..." he said, visibly confused. "Can you...stand back for a moment?"
May takes a few tiny steps back, still happily bouncing up and down, then runs behind him to see the crest of his gang, Onyx, on his back.
"Ooh!"
"Get the hell away from me!" Gabriel yells. "What's wrong with you?!"
He turns around to face her. "Listen here, you crazy-"
"Alright, alright. That's enough." another voice calls out behind her. "Ain't no need to get all violent wit' 'er."
Gabriel turns around with a slight scowl on his face.
One of the boys, dressed up in old western fashion, tipped his hat as he introduced himself.
"They call me Coyote..." he says. "Nice to meet ya..."
"...Gabriel." he answered.
Suddenly a loud cough erupted from the room, startling the three others.
The last boy wakes up, probably from the pain of the cough.
"Heya kiddo.." Coyote says. "Feeling any better?"
The boy nods weakly, snuggling under a shabby blanket.
"Sorry about that...got a bit of a cold, he said...been sleeping the entire time.."
"Right.." Gabriel says, sitting down. "So, what're you guys doing here?"
The three of them look at each other.
May starts first. "...Well, this guy came up to me after one of my performances and handed this watch to me...looked like he was wearing something all princey."
Coyote comes after. "A fellow thief gave me mine. I ain't ever see someone wearing his types of clothes before though..."
The sick one croaks out his anecdote last. "...Some...nice lady gave me mine..."
Gabriel...turns his head. "Whatever...I don't give a shit about your little origin stories.."
May slightly frowns. "What about you Gabe?"
Gabriel sneered the moment she called him 'Gabe'. He hated that nickname.
"...Talia brought me here...she said she would find my sister.."
"...Your...sister?"
"And then I learned that she's a lying-"
"That is...quite enough." An older voice called.
May's eyes light up. "That's the guy! The guy I got my watch from!" She jumps up and turns to the man, giving him a hug. The man is rightfully confused and startled by her actions, but chooses not to comment anyways.
"...Good evening...future Prodigies." he says. "My name is Nathaniel...I am the Timekeeper of this area."
Everyone greets him, and introduces themselves.
"Wait a damn minute..." Gabriel says abruptly. "What do you mean 'future Prodigies'? What the hell are you talking about?"
"I guess your sister did not explain to you..."
"Of course not...she didn't even come home for the last five years...that's why I'm here..." he answered. "And I'm not getting into the same shit she went into..."
"Unfortunately.." Nathaniel starts. "She has disappeared into the Phasing Dimension and hasn't returned. We cannot retrieve her from where we are..."
Gabriel's temper began to slip. An unmistakable scowl began to appear on his face, and his fists began to clench tightly.
"...Then what did Talia....bring me here for?! To TAUNT ME? TO PISS ME OFF?!"
Talia comes in to bring Nathaniel his tea, frowning slightly. "...I brought you here because...Catherine told me to bring you here.." she reveals. "She told me that after you had turned 18 to...bring you to the Time Realm so you could become a Prodigy. I...thought this would've been the perfect opportunity to see her again, so I agreed...because I knew you wanted answers..."
Gabriel's scowl turned to rage. "Let me get this straight...you've been talking to my sister...while she was missing?! And didn't think to tell me?! Or my family?!" He was close to beating her senseless, pulling up his sleeves as a sign of aggression. "I SHOULD KILL YOU RIGHT NOW!" He yelled, pushing everyone aside and getting ready to pounce.
Coyote steps between the two, putting his revolver against Gabriel's forehead. Gabriel stops in his tracks.
"Sit down," he demanded. "before you get hurt.."
Gabriel does as he says, and Coyote puts his gun back into his holster.
"Now that this 'incident' has been resolved, I think Nathaniel was speaking to us..."
Nathaniel nods as a silent thank you.
"I guess I should elucidate before more problems arise..." he says with a sigh. "A Prodigy is a person who protects the Time Realm using special abilities given to them by a clock necklace. Like this one..."
He reaches underneath his cravat and takes out a golden clock that was around his neck, it's rims gleaming brightly.
"Your main job is to remove the Timebreakers that may attack innocent bystanders. You must do so effectively and safely." he looks between the four of them. "Your clocks were provided by the Prodigies before you. My watch is now May's, Coyote has had his watch given to him by Arsenio, and Tristan's watch was Isabelle's..."
Gabriel's eyes widen slightly. "That means.."
"The one given to Catherine belongs to you, Gabriel. Cherish them, Prodigies, for you are powerless against the evils without them." he gives the golden watch to Gabriel. "I suggest putting them all on at once. Its activation can...vary from person to person..."
May cheers happily. "Alright everyone, on three! One, two, three!"
On the call of three, everyone slips it on, and a strong wave of power...seeped into their souls. But nothing changed. Gabriel still felt frustrated and confused, May was just as chirpy as ever, Coyote stood silent and stoic, and Tristan was still sniffling.
"Alright!" May says, immediately jumping onto Gabriel for a hug. "We should have a party!" she gasped after saying this. "A Prodigy party!" she squealed.
"Hey! May! Get the hell off of me!"
May stops hugging him, twiddling her fingers and looking at him apologetically.292Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGEKDvuXEaW
"Sorry, Gabe..."
"And stop calling me Gabe!" he adds angrily. He sits down on the ground, slumping against the wall.
"...Don't worry 'bout 'im, May. He's just...got a bad attitude right now..." Coyote says, tipping his hat and shaking his head.
"It's okay, Coyote! He's a delinquent, he's just protecting his soft side!" May says.
"Soft side?!" Gabriel says, immediately standing up. "I do NOT have a soft side!"
"It's okay, Gabe! You don't have to keep it from us, we're your friends!"
"You're crazy, is what you are!" Gabriel argues. "I don't know you! I don't wanna know you! We're not friends!"
May sadly smiles. "Awe, he just has to warm up to us."
Tristan peeks his head out of the blanket, still looking a little tired. "... I'm sorry for butting in Gabriel, but... I'm trying to get some...sleep.."
Gabriel stops yelling. He feels angered that Tristan basically tried to tell him to shut up, but he probably feels awful right now, so he complies with his request. "Tch... whatever..."
"So, what's next, Mr. British guy?" May asked, referring to Nathaniel.
"I am... not of English descent...I am French.." Nathaniel says with a sigh.
Coyote shakes his head. "This is gonna be one hell of a ride..."
Nathaniel stands in front of all of them, once again grabbing their attention.
"It is time to... place you with your mentors. The one who gave you your watch will be helping you...tap into your Gift." he explained once more. "Come along now..."
The four Prodigies follow Nathaniel, until two more people stood in front of them, the two snuggling in each other's arms.
"Arsenio, Isabelle... the romantic stuff can wait..."
The couple pulls apart reluctantly. "Right, right..." Arsenio said, waving his hand dismissively, walking up to Coyote.
"Yo, cowboy. It's been a while."
Coyote nods. They're suddenly talking like good friends.
Isabelle walks over to Tristan, trying to help him stand.
"You poor thing.. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine..." he replied, still coughing underneath his mask.. "It's just a-"
Before he could get the last word out, a puff of... yellow smoke began to form when he coughed, flowing out of the mask he was wearing and attaching itself to the others..
"Gah! What the...hell is this?!" Gabriel says, trying to wipe the cloud away from his clothes. "Is this..."
When they look back at Tristan with slight concern, mushrooms and other fungi began growing along his skin...
"... It's...just a cold.." Tristan repeated. "I promise..."
"Oh my.." Isabelle exclaims quietly. "It seems his Gift is already showing.."
Arsenio's hologram appears over his eye as he examines Tristan's situation extensively.
"Mushrooms usually mean spores, right?" He thinks aloud. "Just don't breathe 'em in and we'll be fine."
Coyote just tightens the bandana around his face. "Well said..."
As Tristan continued to cough, more spores appeared, and more mushrooms appeared all over his body.
"I will try to calm the situation.." Isabelle says, taking one of her threads and calmly...opens a window, allowing the spores to have a place to go.
Tristan's coughing fit suddenly subsided.
"Do you know what that stuff could've done to us if he didn't stop coughing?" Gabriel asked.
"We dunno...we should get that guy some cough drops though..." Arsenio laughed.
Isabelle lightly nudges him in the side. "Arsenio."
Arsenio immediately clears his throat and puts on a more serious face. "Right."
Tristan sniffles. "I'm sorry...didn't mean to cough like that..."
May carries him to a seat. "Maybe you should sit down for now. That's a really...dangerous cough you got there..."
Tristan only groans in tiredness in response. After he's settled, May gives him a gentle pat with her hand.
"Wait, May, don' touch 'im-" Coyote warns.
"Oh wait! Gross! Mushroom stuffs!" she says, wiping it off of her skin onto her clothes.
"Don't wipe it on your clothes either, dumbass.." Gabriel added. "Now you've got it.."
May starts to move a little. "But...what if-"
"Just... don't touch your face or nose..." Gabriel adds. "Whatever those spores do when they attach to somebody, it's probably not good..."
"So what am I supposed to do?" May asks.
"We'll have to figure it out..." Tristan says in between coughs. "I don't even know what they do..." he adds, poking on of the mushrooms on his shoulder.
"...Okay..." May says going to sit in a corner.
"As for the rest other half o' us.." Coyote added. "We should get these spores offa our clothes..."
Gabriel takes off his coat. "Yeah, good idea."
"Isabelle...why don't you get them some clothes, eh sweetheart?" Arsenio asks, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
Isabelle nods, and walks off happily.
May runs off after her. "Wait...miss! Where's the bathroom?!"
"Follow me.." Isabelle replies, continuing to walk.
It's quiet for a moment...until they hear a scream...
"...Girls..." Gabriel sighs. "Can you keep it down in there, May?"
"S-Someone! Help!"
"...I'll go see.." Coyote says, jumping up.
May immediately runs out, in tears.
"What the hell?!" Gabriel yelled upon seeing her new appearance.
She looked completely different. Her skin was a dark purple, her hair became a bright white and her eyes, which were colored with pink contacts, were now a bright yellow, with the whites of her eyes becoming a black. Horns adorned her head as she wept.
"I don't know what happened to me! I'm a monster!"
Arsenio came and put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey...you don't look...that bad..." he said.
...May cried even harder at his attempt at a compliment.
"Damn..." he muttered. "Have I lost my charm? I used to be such a smooth talker..."
Gabriel covered his ears. "Does she ever shut the hell up?"
Coyote stood next to May and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Listen li'l lady, I don't think ya look like a monster or anythin'. As a matter of fact, I think ya kinda look pretty...like a real pretty girl." he said smiling slightly.
She stopped crying instantly. She slowly lifted her tear stained face. "Really?"
He nodded.
"Thank you!" May exclaimed, hugging Coyote tightly.
"...You're welcome.." Coyote says awkwardly.
"Are you okay, May?" Tristan asked from behind, still coughing a bit as he stands up from his resting position.
"Oh no, Tristan!" she cried. "You shouldn't be standing, Tristan, you're still really sick!"
He shrugs. "I'll be alright...just..." he winced as a cough came from his throat. "It's nothing a nap can't fix..."
Gabriel looks up. "You're gonna...sleep it off? How the hell is that gonna work?"
Tristan sits on the floor, leaning against one of the walls. "For some reason...it just...works..." he trails off, feeling himself begin to slowly drift off to sleep. "...just a nap..." he murmured. His breathing was slow, steady...and soon enough, he was fast asleep.
"...Holy shit." Gabriel whispered in surprise. "He's...out cold....I wish I could sleep that quickly...and he's doing it so damn nonchalantly..."
"Let 'im rest for now. He's had it the worst outta all o' us.." Coyote suggested, draping the blanket over him.
"Yeah yeah...whatever..." Gabriel mutters. He turns to the others, still looking surprised about Tristan's sudden ability to fall asleep so fast.
***292Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡadmZWLD4ue
An hour or two passes. When someone comes in, the Prodigies perk up. It was Nathaniel, but before they could say anything, his voice was heard.
"I apologize for interrupting whatever you were discussing..." he said. The group turn their heads towards him.
"Whaddya want?" Gabriel asks, half asleep.
"A Timebreaker has appeared in the year 1847. Let us use that as a bit of...training."
Gabriel's expression changes from sleepy to angry in seconds. "Seriously? Right now?"
Nathaniel simply nods in agreement.
Isabelle sighs quietly. "I'm just not sure they're ready, Nathaniel...they've just arrived no longer than three hours ago..."
"This may be an important task." Nathaniel states. "Timebreakers get stronger and stronger with every battle they face, and if they do not channel their Gifts now...we will lose them to the clutches of this...creator."
Isabelle bites her lip. "I understand...but if they get in danger...then my weakened Gift will not be able to help...I will send Arsenio and possibly Catherine if we are able to find her..."
Nathaniel nods once again, leaving Isabelle to return inside to get Arsenio. A minute later, Arsenio is reluctantly walking out.
"Belle, you know how much I hate using Technomage..." he complained. "I'll just get people hurt.."
"Please...the time is pressing..." Isabelle insisted. "I am...worried for them, Arsenio. I'm afraid their Gifts aren't enough..."
"Alright..." he sighs. "If it'll ease your mind, then I'll do it..." he conceded.
"Thank you..." she says, smiling sweetly. "Now...I will contact Chrono and see if he can get Catherine."
After speaking with Chrono, he confirmed that the two of them would be there as soon as possible.
"Alright," Arsenio calls after creating a Time Warp. "Let's go.."
***
The year is 1847... the Prodigies appear from out of the Time Warp to somewhere in the Human Realm in 1800s style clothing. They look around and realise that they appear to be in a rather desolate area. Burning craters and debris were all over the place. Many buildings, trees, animals, cars, cars and more vehicles. It seemed to be deserted, but the Prodigies can hear some screams coming from inside the abandoned buildings.
Gabriel turns to run towards the noise. "I'll go check things out! Everyone else, stay here!"
The group follows Gabriel and sprinted through the wreckage of the building where the screams come from. The sounds seem to be getting louder, until finally, they reached the source.292Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo6X64wHk8K
There, inside one of the abandoned buildings...a strong presence formed...and the four of them immediately knew who it was. The Timebreaker Estella was about to take the lives of the innocent. And yet, they had no choice but to fight her, as they could never let anyone die by that woman's hands.
Gabriel puts his fists up as a sign of hand-to-hand combat. Estella, however, seems to recognize the sign and she smiles sinisterly. "You are very brave and courageous...but unfortunately for you..." she says. "...your bravery won't save you..."
Bright stars began to appear around her body, and she raised a hand. The stars fly towards him. Before he could make any type of move to stop them, he was hit by one of them.292Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmbDqTkLPfQ
And then, another...292Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7XEJoQOKCT
And another...292Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyvbsan5MrH
And another...
Gabriel coughs up blood as he collapses onto his knees, holding his chest. Estella walked forwards, her face twisted into a malicious grin, her hands glowing purple.292Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzdRv51OTkB
"Impressive...but still not enough..." she said as she threw her hands forward, more stars appear and fly towards him with incredible speed...until one finally connects. He falls to the floor, grunting in pain..
"You've just underestimated my power."
Just before another star strikes him, hints of his Gift started to show.
A small wall of flames protect him from the attack that could've killed him. Gabriel slowly stands up, and holds his hands in front of him.
"I hate pieces of shit like you...You try to kill the innocent, for what?! To satisfy your hunger for blood?!" Gabriel yells, a mixture of rage and pain in his voice.
"My motives are far more complex...and I don't care who I kill..."
Suddenly, the stars that were surrounding Gabriel ceased their attack. They immediately disappeared, and the flames around his body began to recede, revealing that he had been completely healed.
Gabriel was even more angry than before...the blaze in his eyes once again becoming more intense than ever.
"I'll fight. Til my last goddamn breath..."
She raises a large star above her head, ready to strike Gabriel when the sound of a gunshot rings.
Coyote had a smoking gun in his hand, however, the bullet only grazed her cheek. She hisses softly, but recovers quickly.292Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE3qNvKyhES
"Well done, Prodigy..." she sneers. "But it's not-"
... Somehow... someway.... bullet made a U-turn.
It turned directly towards her heart.292Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLtX5r3LV8A
Estella's hand stops its movement. Blood drips from her wound. She falls unconscious.
"...The hell was that?" Coyote asked , staring at her unconscious form.
"Your...Gift... probably...killed her..." Gabriel replied weakly.
"What ya did was pretty stupid..." Coyote told Gabriel. "You don't even have this... Gift thing...you should... stay away from fighting until it shows up.."
"Yeah...yeah..." Gabriel replied, laying down on the ground, tired and injured...he felt like he wouldn't be able to move any longer. "Just get Catherine or...whoever the hell's supposed to be here..."
Coyote turns back. "We'll figure somethin' out.." he promised.
Soon after, May, Tristan and Arsenio came with another man who was dressed similarly to Nathaniel. He has his hand out in front of Gabriel, attempting to help him up.
"I am Chrono, Father Time...you must be Catherine's brother, right?"
Gabriel looks at his hand suspiciously. "You...know where she is?"
"She's agreed to come with me for this. Please, follow me where it's more safe." Chrono replies calmly.
Without any other choice, Gabriel accepts Chronos' offer, and he limps along until he's with the others.
"What happened to you, dude?" Tristan asked, eyeing the dark bruise.292Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4piKQCERHu
"I'm fine." Gabriel grunts.
"Gabriel!" a voice calls out. Gabriel's eyes widen once he sees who it was.
"...Catherine?" Gabriel murmurs, almost in disbelief.
Catherine ran up to Gabriel, hugging him tightly. "Thank God you're okay!"
Gabriel finds himself in a confusing, angering conflict. Catherine. His sister who had been missing for five years without even a hint of a goodbye...and then suddenly found herself standing before him, hugging him tightly. It didn't make sense to him. Why did she suddenly reappear out of nowhere like that? Why couldn't she have come sooner before all of this happened? And what could she possibly have been doing these five years if she wasn't dead?!
"...Get the hell off of me, Catherine." Gabriel growls.
She freezes, and pulls away slowly. Her expression is filled with sorrow and remorse. "Gabriel..."
"Save it. I'm not gonna listen to your excuses." Gabriel cuts her off harshly.
"Gabe...just listen to me...I left for everyone else's sake...everyone's life was on the line...including yours. If I didn't stop them now, who knows when a Timebreaker could come to your 'present' and...kill you...and Mom and Dad...everyone.." Catherine tells him.
Gabriel stares at her with a puzzled look, trying to decipher what exactly she's trying to tell him.
"That's why I didn't tell you or anyone where I went...they wouldn't understand..."
Gabriel takes a breath. "Look, I'm glad you're here, alright? I really am...but I still haven't forgiven you for leaving. If you wanna fix everything, I suggest you start making it clear to me how you got me involved with this mess."
Gabriel replies. He can feel tears pricking his eyes. "Why the hell am I risking my life when the others were randomly chosen? Why did you choose me to deal with this Prodigy bullshit?!"
"...I..." Catherine stutters...
Gabriel seems to get louder with every sentence. "Did you want me to die?! Is this your way of apologizing to me?!"
"No..." she admits, looking up at him. "...I'm not asking you to forgive me. But you need to remember that it was all worth it. All of it...everything..."
Gabriel stares at her. His eyes were filled with a burning rage and determination. Fire burned within him, threatening to consume his entire being. Suddenly, he couldn't control his anger any longer, as all of his emotions came out as a fiery inferno, burning from every inch of his body. His Gift...it was acting on it's own accord now...he was too angry to notice.
He raised his fist in the air, prepared to punch Catherine. As he started punching the air violently, Catherine jumps backwards, barely avoiding him. Gabriel grabs her by the throat and starts choking her.
"You lied to me!" he shouted, his voice full of rage. "And you know how much I hate liars! How could you just...hide from me?! Were you scared? Embarrassed? What was it?!"
"...G-Gabe...I'm...s-sorry...please..."
"Shut up, Catherine! Just shut the hell-!"292Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI92Of3jAUU
"Gabriel! That's enough!" Isabelle cried.292Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVql2tKkHqN
Two ropes of thread wrap around his wrists, making him release Catherine. Gabriel glared at Catherine, before she disappears back into the Phasing Dimension once again...
"...I understand how betrayed you feel..." Isabelle continued. "But please understand that it was something uncontrollable for her..."
...His flames began to die down...he didn't realize what he had done until she was already gone.
"...Whatever...let's go..." Gabriel muttered, walking away.
The other Prodigies stared at each other, not sure what to do...then one completes does the time traveling ritual and enters back into the Time Realm.
***
Gabriel tries to process what Catherine said to him without throwing or punching anything. He's frustrated. He takes a few deep breaths...but it doesn't work. Finally, he decides that the only way to handle the situation is to take a walk and cool off.
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On his walk, he's focused on nothing...just clearing his head and cooling down. His fire is returning, as extreme heat burns around him, something instantly stops him from moving forward.
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"Gabe." Catherine called. He turned around to see Catherine standing there with a worry-filled face. She had been trying to call him for hours and was relieved to find him safe and sound. "What are you doing?"
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"I'm taking a walk to calm down. I don't want to think about our 'conversation' today." Gabriel muttered, not looking at his sister.292Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ69WKK6a5m
"...Let me explain...I promise I'll tell you everything. I won't keep anything from you, I promise." Catherine persuaded, looking into his eyes in desperation.292Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡatM0HomBgM
"Fine..." Gabriel sighed after a few moments of silence.
"...Let's talk about why I left when I did...and why I didn't return." Catherine begins, sitting down on the boulder beside her. She pats the space beside her, and Gabriel reluctantly sits down beside her.292Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyGUbDAXgJW
Catherine breathes deeply before starting. "I left because it was the only way to protect the people I love," she says. "When I saw a girl's family taken from her by a Timebreaker...I had to admit...I was scared...scared that one could come to you...and snatch you and Mom and Dad away before it was too late...and also the fact that those same creatures could potentially destroy the entire universe is...also something I couldn't let happen... So I had to take action. I had to find a way to save everyone, even if that meant I had to leave. I had to be brave enough to fight for the future of the universe, whatever the cost. Even if that meant leaving the Human Realm for good..."
Gabriel darts his eyes at her. "But why me? Why bring me here?"
"...To be honest...I just freaked out one day...you know how terrible I am at making decisions...especially when it comes to decisions revolving around other people. I just chose the first name I thought about. The first name I always thought about...which was you...I realize now that it was dumb to put my own little brother in danger when he...probably already had a lot on his plate at home..."
... Gabriel finally looked at her directly. Her eyes were filled with regret for what she had done to him... at that point, he couldn't be mad at her anymore.
"...I guess I shouldn't have overreacted like that, Catherine...I'm sorry..."
"I understand why you were so angry...you had a temper when you were younger..."
Gabriel laughed softly. "...Yeah...I loved to rant about some of the most unnecessary things... Remember when I used to get angry at the TV for not working when it was actually just unplugged, and got even more angry when I realized it? I almost destroyed that TV that day..."
Catherine laughed along with him. It looked like she enjoyed that memory fondly, especially since she had to explain to him that the TV was unplugged and plugged it back in for him so he could continue watching his favorite show.
The mellow silence suddenly became less tense, until Catherine spoke up again. "...How's Mom and Dad?"
"They're both good...but...you know how Mom is..." Gabriel says, looking a little sad..
"...Yeah..." she said solemnly. "Hopefully she's okay. And that she'll stay that way..."
"That's why I'm going back...she's probably worried...ever since I joined Onyx and all, she's been...a bit overprotective..."
"Onyx?"
Gabriel looks away. "It's my...gang. I joined a year ago...they're just a good group of outcasts...we just screw around..."
"They're...your friends?"
"Yeah. They've been that way since the start of my junior year...I don't think I need a better group of friends."
"...You should introduce me someday." Catherine said, nudging Gabriel.
"When you look like that? No way.." he chuckled.
"Alright alright...fair enough." she laughs back.
They begin looking at the sunset together, huddled under the tree.
It's bright...it's beautiful, the sky becoming shades of orange and pink.
Eventually, the two part ways. For the first time in five years, he got to have a conversation with his sister...a real...normal conversation. He had forgotten how much he enjoyed her company. He was sad to have to say "see ya" another time. But at the same time...he felt a connection.
He knew what he was risking his life for...for Catherine..292Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTNOX96mTxb
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To be continued Prodigy: Remnants of Forever: Chapter 2
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