[Ezra's P.O.V]

The night had rolled in over Barra da Tijuca Beach, bringing with it a threat of a autumn storm. The air was still, heavy and thick clouds blotted out stars. The once blue sky transformed into a vast expanse of jet-black. The sea glistened, mirroring the dazzling assemblage of the pale white moon. Lasers of moonlight, as bright as diamond-flame, turned the sea a glow-like melted platinum. The waves were curved scales over the sea. The faint wind brushed against my face, allowing my scarf to fly along the air.

My boots stomped against the white, thin sand, leaving evident shoeprints behind my steps. My eyes scanned over the city of Rio, or what I could see from the beach. I could see the lights in the buildings flashing on and off through the windows, indicating that it's still not past their bedtime-which I could understand because it's barely even ten o' clock.

Although the night was still young and the city had actually held a large festival in the streets, which is the reason why many of the buildings were vacant, the beach was relatively quiet. Other than the waves crashing over the sea and the smooth, howling wind swirling across the air, I relished in the peace and quiet.

But I wasn't here to enjoy the silence. In fact, it's the total opposite. If I continue on with my actual objective, then it'll get a lot louder. So without wasting any time, I sprinted across the shore and headed towards the caves and boulders, just right across the wooden bridge. As I passed under the platform, my boots started to slow me down due to the soft grains of the sand.

I take a quick look around before launching my body forward into the air. My body soared across the air, fifteen feet above the ground before landing in front of my destination, causing a large wave of sand to erupt beneath my feet. My landing wasn't that good and it caused a sharp surge of pain to rush up my legs.

"Ow, goddamnit!" I cursed out loud, my knees buckling and hitting the soft sand beneath. My teeth gritted as I cradled my sore legs for a few minutes. "I should've broke my fall..."

I guess I still wasn't getting a hang out of my powers. But I can't blame anyone at all. No one has the right power to teach me because none of them have what I have. Sure, I can learn myself but it's quite hard when you have no clue of what you actually are. After a few seconds of rubbing my legs, I was able to stand up shakily and hold myself up without stumbling backwards.

That's when my gaze shift upwards and caught the sight of the rocky formation in front of me. This laid in the end of the beach and was about thirty feet tall. It stretched longer from the back, which the caved holes riddled across the formation tunneled along the entire mineral structure.

The Formiga Caves were always a mystery to the Brazilians, particularly the residents of Rio. It was considered to be a strange structure that mystically formed on the beach, around the 20s, albeit being a popular tourist attraction to foreigners. The caves led to tunnels that circled around the entire structure that will eventually lead back outside. But the most peculiar attribute of the caves was that the tunnels were the exact size for a human to walk normally across. People believed that the entire rock formation was man-made without actual proof. But today, I'm going to debunk that theory.

In preparation for my journey, I whip out my quarterstaff that was strapped onto my back and held it tightly in my hand. I twisted the pole, activating a spark underneath the bronze cover, which then caused the head of my staff to light up rather brightly, similar to a flashlight. Wrapping my scarf around my neck one more time, covering my mouth and slightly concealing my face, I made my way to one of the caves. Stepping on the smooth, basalt ground of the my chosen cave, I immediately felt the atmosphere change.

Gone was the cold, soothing air and was replaced by a stinging chill that will run down your spine like an icicle. It feels dark and desolate, as if nothing that lives has ever stepped foot in these caves even though I know full well that tons of people already had. Did they feel exactly what I feel? Or is that just because of my tingling Dragon senses. Ignoring my natural instincts trying to warn me, I continued my way towards the tunnels.

My instincts were always right about certain situations. But only times like these were my goal is to accept my instincts yet still continue this risky trip. I intentionally go against my instincts, because it would mean that my suspicions are right—just like the other day with Lyra. My instincts told me that she's an obvious stranger and unpredictable. I usually don't associate with strangers and leave them alone, even in Drakos. Unless my mother personally knows them or at least recognize them as a good person, I can see myself being friends or acquaintances to the least with that person.

But Lyra was different. I had no background knowledge about her, other than her being Mom's student and a new recruit in Drakos, indicating that she's more likely to be unexposed to stuff that agents do in a daily basis—meaning that my very existence is already a foreign and strange being, more than ever in the eyes of a civilian. But I went against my instincts, for the sole reason because she was unexpectedly unpredictable.

As it turns out, she was a better than any of my expectations. She paid for the food, respected my privacy, and took interest on the topics I shared. Despite being the older woman, she acted like a kid learning stuff from a veteran. But who could blame her? Drakos is definitely new territory for any recruit and it could take some time to get used to it. So searching for tips and advice is a smart move. I guess I was a bit right about giving her a chance.

Mia always said that I have a good sense of character. Maybe I try to deny it to humble myself but in reality, I slightly believe it. I can sense if a person has bad intentions or a bad character, just right after we met. I somehow already have this ability since I was a kid, even if it was weak and sometimes unresponsive. An example is Jack, which I already sensed to have a perverted mind and a god-complex. It's just the way he spoke with confidence and arrogance was what my instincts instantly caught on. The reason why I didn't stay away from him is because he's just a recruit and eventually, he'll change once he experiences real life.

But the most concrete example is Dad. As a child, my mental body is already considered to be similar to a teenager before I even was one. This is due to my high self-awareness and intelligence. So, my powers and mental capacity is growing at a fast rate. But at the same time, I was still a child and being one has its flaws. My senses are sensitive and reactive, but my underdeveloped mind is still not accepting it. My social skills were more than terrible. My only source of communication and social activities were from the guards that sometimes come down or up my floor where my room is. Drago is usually who I listen and talk to, but it's not exactly called socializing.

He spent most of the time controlling me and overusing my powers beyond my limits, to the point of exhaustion and collapse. But being the heartless tyrant that he is, he barely gave two fucks about my health and threw me to their infirmary, where they barely gave me enough rest and energy to continue Drago's bidding the next day. So, it's safe to say that Drago was the only real person in my life that time.

But I never considered him as my father. Never in a thousand years. I may have been a child, but my Dragon instincts were mature enough to tell me that a father won't act like this. My mind was mostly conflicted during my past life and it was emotionally, mentally, and socially painful. As far as I remember, I don't have a biological mother nor father. According to what Drago had told me before, I was simply a creation of his; made to his wishes and to do his bidding. From that moment on, I believed that he was the only person in my life, even if my instincts were telling me otherwise. So I was forced to convert my brain and heart to thinking that this is my purpose in life.

But then the fortress was attacked.

I didn't necessarily see anything, but the explosions rumbling outside the building was good enough for me. At first, I just wandered around my room but in reality, I was shook to my core. I could have the power of the universe in my hands but I was still a child. Children are very sensitive and frightened creatures. Even for a Dragon like me. So, when I started feeling the explosions in the actual building, I couldn't do anything but hide.

I heard the elevator doors propped open and out came a person clad in black armor from head to toe, nearly enclosing his entire body except for his eyes. As a child, I only saw him as a monster. I mean, who wouldn't? A random armored person just entered your room and collapsed on your floor. Won't you feel terrified?

I was, yet I was somewhat drawn to him. Be it because he was interesting and new or the fact that he came looking for me, because there is no other reason to return to this room when I had already felt the building in the brink of destruction. Before I knew it, the words already stumbled out my mouth.

'Who are you?'

I was surprised to hear a very soft and soothing voice that I could had only describe as kind. I originally thought it would sound menacing and gruff. He proved me wrong once again by removing his mask and exposing his identity when he saw me flinch in fear because when he tried to reach for me, it reminded me of the times where some of the guards had tried to... touch me. But this man was different. My instincts unconsciously judged him and for the first time, my mind, heart, and instincts were in the same side; he was a good man.

From that moment on, he continued to care for me in his own way and provide me with things that I couldn't even imagine as a socially and physically caged child. He changed my view drastically and gave me what I needed the most; family.

It was strange to have a family. It was even more strange to experience it. We weren't exactly your normal family. Even as a nine-year old, I could already sensed that we were different. Me, being a Dragon and possessing abnormal powers. Dad was a master assassin and a strong person in general. Mom was a fiery whirlwind of emotions that wields 13-pound axe like a toy. But in my eyes, it was enough and I couldn't be happier.

Until, of course, that day happened. The day Dad married Mom. The day I was finally free from evil's clutches. The day I lost Dad...

My thoughts were then abruptly cut off when I heard a rumble in the tunnel I was walking in. My eyes cautiously surveyed my limited area, spotting any unusual differences in my path. I swung my glowing quarterstaff around and illuminated the walls around me. I waited for a few more seconds until I decide to move on. Except, my Dragon instincts perked up. My head whipped to the right and I held out the light against the wall, where I saw the tiniest crack along the basalt.

Waving my staff around, I searched for more cracks like these around me—even trying to find some behind me and in front of me. However, I found none. This crack was not natural, and judging from how there were a small amount of crushed dust and debris below, it indicates that this was recent. I traced my finger across the lines of the crack. Dust settled on top of my skin, along with the tiniest wisp of air flowing in

Then without warning, I raised my quarterstaff and pulled it back until the end was touching against the other side of the wall. With the glowing head aimed at the crack, I let out a low cry and stabbed the wall with me staff. A pause came in, and then a crack appeared beside the original. Another one, and another one. Until the entire wall was covered in cracks, all interconnected like a messy spiderweb. More air seeped into the cracks, proving my suspicions.

I placed my quarterstaff beside me as I curled my hand up into fist. My forearm clenched tightly, my muscles hardening against my skin. I closed my eyes as I willed my energy to flow through my arm. My body felt lighter once my veins pumped the ionized gas through my arm and into my fist. Soon, purple plasma leaked out of the pores of my skin, circulating around my hand. Coats of plasma began wrapping itself around my curled fist. My heart beated excitedly as the plasma fully enveloped my fist with its gyrating gas, turning into a purple punching glove of energy.

All this happened in exactly a second. And once it reached its objective, I pulled my fist back and launched it at the cracked wall. As soon as the mere strand of plasma energy flicked the surface of the wall, it began to fall apart. After my fist fully connected, the basaltic wall around my hand disintegrated into dust while the rest of the wall crumbled like a demolished building. Clouds of dust erupted from the fallen rocks, closing off the hole on the wall for a temporary moment as light burst forth from the hole.

My suspicions were correct. There is something on the other side. Otherwise, the wall wouldn't have just crumbled. The only question is, what is on the other—

Dodge, bitch!

Following my instincts, I stepped to the side just in time before an undecipherable silhouette appeared through the smoke. Then milliseconds later, it rushed out of the smoke and slammed hard against the wall. It turns out that it was a body, an unconscious body for that matter. As the dust settled, the person's form became clearer. It was a woman; with long, flowing black hair and olive-tinted skin with a green undertone. Her eyes were heavily coated with mascara and eyeshadow, leaving them in a smoky kind of way.

Her attire was even more strange. To describe it my ow way, she looks exactly like what women would wear as armor in a video game. I want to say that she's clad in golden armor, except that she's not. Most of her body is exposed except for her breasts, which was only covered by a metal bra. Her shoulder pads and arm braces were made out of solid gold with rubies embedded across the runes engraved on it. Around her waist, is a war skirt—a simple white linen cloth that's held up by a golden-wrapped belt. Even her knee-high boots were made out of gold and rare metals.

If it weren't for the fact that it's the wrong era, I would've thought that she was an Egyptian goddess. Also, goddesses don't bleed as far as I know, and this one had multiple gunshot wounds across her body. But before I could take a closer look, a sound resonated from the hole, which diverted my attention back to it.

The sounds were muffled but loud. I could only describe them as punches and groans of pain. Which means that either there's someone inside beating whoever is in there, or that they're all beating the shit out of each other. But the latter is less likely because if they were beating each other up, they would notice a wall crumbling down, won't they? Although, the same goes to the former so I don't know what to expect.

But it looks like I don't have to wait because all of a sudden, the noises stopped. My senses perked up and discerned movement from the other side, followed by something crushing against the littered ground; footsteps.

My instincts told me to prepare for what's to come and grab onto my weapon, which I did. The head was extinguished but its deadliness still remained. I was ready for anything to come so I—

WHOOSH!

Before my eyes, something emerged from the hole. It was fast, faster than my eyes could see. All I saw was a gleam of a blade, and I involuntarily raised my staff to defend myself before a strong force connected to it, which would've been my face if it weren't for my fast reflexes. My vision was somehow slow today because I could only catch a glimpse of the attacker before he pulled back from me. My gaze wandered around for the attacker, only to find nothing.

But then, my instincts perked up again and I ducked. The blade swung just inches above. It was a curved sword with a flat edge; a khopesh, an Egyptian weapon. I twist my body around and performed a swift kick behind me, which fortunately hit him in the stomach.

His shoes slid across the ground as the force of my kick pushed him back to his knees. With now his form out in the open, I could see what he looks like, except that it wasn't a he, but a she.

Sunshine-blonde hair fell down her shoulders in a very messy way, resembling a lion's mane. Her face was concealed by a metal mask, but there two blacked-out sockets for the eyes. Her outfit is consisted of black padding and a leather suit, a normal attire for an assassin. But what really confirmed that she was a girl were those huge things attached to her chest. I mean, there's no way that's a guy right?

I twirled my quarterstaff across my hands, challenging her to fight me. The masked assassin grunted and rose to her full height, which would've been intimidating if it weren't for the fact that I was taller than her. However, the gleaming khopesh with splatters of blood across the blade in her hand was more than enough to show her that she's a professional.

With my weapon in hand, I was ready to fight her. No more surprises. This will be my vic—

"Ezra?"

Wait, huh?

The woman was now tilting her head to the side,facing me with what I could only imagine as confusion. Her face was covered but her body movements were enough to tell me that she was puzzled with the situation. With my name echoing across the tunnel, I too was baffled. Well, more like scared. How the hell could someone know me here in Brazil? Plus, I'm pretty sure I have my identity hidden. I mean... sure, I only had the lower half of my face covered. But if Dad could pull it off, I could too.

However, now that I thinking about it and I observe the woman's distinct features; she does look familiar. Her blonde hair is common, but the style was very unique. A short stature but has powerful physical strength. Huge...

"Aunt Cami?" I asked out of the top of my head for no absolute reason.

The woman suddenly reached for the mask on her face and pulled it out, revealing her familiar blue eyes and equally confused expression. Her jaw hung open, all the while staring at me with shock. I mirrored her expression with my own as I pointed my staff at her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I demanded, which I'm not in the position to ask but I might as well try.

"On a mission! Why are you here?!" She replied with equal force.

Knowing that I'm stuck in a corner, I decided to the right thing. "I'm on vacation!"

"Bullshit! You came here to investigate these tunnels as well, didn't you?"

"Like I said, vacation!"

"In the middle of the night? Without Astrid knowing? Without anyone knowing? In the Formiga Caves of Rio?!"

"Hey, Mia knows!" The words stumbled out my mouth before I could stop it. My hand flew to my mouth when realization dawned on me, but it was already too late.

A mix of confusion and anger rose to Aunt Cami's face, twisting into a menacing scowl. "The nurse knows but Astrid doesn't? Not even me?" She exclaimed, before throwing her arms out in the air in exasperation. "I fucking knew something wasn't right. Your recent and often visits in Drakos. Your constant questions about my missions. You said that you were hanging out with your friends. I was actually covering for something that I didn't know about?" She forcibly shoved her khopesh back to the strap on her waist and let out a irritated sigh. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you are? This isn't fun and games, Ezra. This is dangerous and you can't play vigilante every night!"

Her last words struck a nerve and I lost it.

"Fun and games?" I spat back, catching Aunt Cami by surprise. "I already knew that! I thought you knew that I'm smarter than that. Of course I didn't treat this as a game! I purposefully do this, knowing the risks!"

"Then why the hell do you do it?" She shot back. "You know the risks so there's the chance you might even die out here! Why are you risking your life over nothing?"

"Nothing?!" My voice went up a pitch at the audacity and absurdity Aunt Cami responded. I took a step forward and glared at the petite woman. "Don't judge what I'm doing without even knowing the reason."

She clicked her tongue and shook her head. "How could I not when you didn't even bother to tell me that your doing this?!"

I open my mouth to reply but the words got stuck in my throat, so I closed it and gritted my teeth instead. I averted my eyes from hers, pacing around the narrow tunnel. How could I tell her when I'm absolutely sure that she won't approve? Everyone just thinks that I'm a little kid without any responsibility. I've done this for the past few months and I haven't suffered any life-threatening situations at all! I'm not normal and I'm going to use that to my advantage. Why can't they just accept what I am?

Aunt Cami's gaze bore against the back of my head like a lazer. "After I'm done with this, I'm going to take you home to your mother." She suddenly said.

My eyes snapped wide open and I faced my aunt with an indecorous expression. "What?! No, that's the only person you cannot tell! Do you have any idea what she'll do to me if she finds out?" I screeched out at the thought of Mom finding out about my activities.

"The same thing I'll do to you if you were my daughter." Aunt Camilla remarked, regarding me with a scowl. "Now, wait outside while I finish up here." She practically ordered as she started walking towards my direction, passing me by to return to the hole.

I shook my head. "No, I'm coming with you!" I exclaimed, turning around to face her.

But I was greeted by a sharp metal edge of her khopesh gleaming right in front of my eyes. The hilt connected to Aunt Cami's hand, where she gave me a look that spoke a thousand words but only came down to one.

"No. You are going back out and wait for me. Or better yet, go back home. Because this is my mission and I..." Her voice suddenly trailed off and her forehead creased as her face furrowed into a frown. Her sea-blue eyes wandered to every direction, as if searching for Waldo.

Before I could ask her what's wrong, I felt the ground beneath me slightly rumble. I saw the rubble jumping up and down on the floor as my ears caught constant thumps booming in the distance. That prompted Aunt Cami to lower her khopesh and face the other direction. I saw her face contort into a glower as she wielded her weapon against nothing. But I knew better. Aunt Cami has the senses of a cat that matches my Dragon instincts.

After seeing her positioning into a fighting stance, I swung my quarterstaff and allowed the head to rest on my arm, with the other head extending into my right hand. I spread my legs apart and bent my left knee, lowering me into position.

"They're coming..." Aunt Cami muttered under her breath.

I was about to question her, until the answer came crashing down—literally. The walls in front of us crumbled down. Dust flew everywhere and rushed towards us like an attacking snake, enveloping us in a cloud of dirt and polluted air. Our guards immediately went up, covering our eyes to prevent the dust from entering. However, it must have been part of whoever brought the walls down. Because as soon as we lowered our guards, I heard a battle cry spoken in a foreign language before my instincts told me what to do.

As instructed, I pulled Aunt Cami down to the ground together with me, narrowly missing the golden spear whizzing past above our heads. With the dust still covering our vision, I relied on my instincts to protect Aunt Cami. Using her as support, I grabbed her shoulders to propel myself forward. I trusted myself to know what I'm doing. So, I swung aimlessly across the cloud, hoping to strike anyone.

Fortunately, I felt something hit my staff, only it wasn't what I expected. It turns out that it was the palm of someone's hand, where they proceeded to pull me towards them and knocking me away from my weapon. I slammed onto the ground hard as the dust finally settled, revealing the perpetrators of the attack.

My first impression on the guy was that he looked ancient as hell. He resembled the woman from earlier—olive-brown skin, heavy make-up, golden armor. Except that his armor was different. He had a circular piece of armor around his neck, protecting his shoulders and half of his chest. Just like the woman, he had a white linen war skirt except it was longer and covered most of his legs. A white cloth was wrapped around his head and its end hung out on the side of his face like ears. Just like the woman, there's no way his armor is protecting anything.

"'Ant tataeadaa ealaa mumtalakat Ⲟⲩⲁⲁⲃ fi 'ard Al'awsia' almuqdasati. Yjb 'an nadhi bi'arwahikum Ⲣⲏ ⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ Ⲣⲁ!" The man spoke in broken lines of Arabic. Some of the words were entirely different from what I know.

I was then raised back up to my feet by two other people like him. Locking their arms around mine and preventing me from moving them, they exposed my vulnerable side. The man in front of me threw my quarterstaff away and took one of the spears from another person. He then aimed it at my cheek, tracing the spearhead against my skin and drawing blood.

But before anything could happen, I saw the man's eyes widened abruptly. All of a sudden, a metal blade began protruding out of his chest as his blood spilled to the ground. His eyes rolled to the back of his head as his body fell limp. A woman saw the scene unfold and lunged towards them, only for Aunt Cami to turn the body around—the blade still stuck in the chest of the flaccid body—and then slammed her foot against the woman's face.

"Ezra!" She called out as she slid her other foot under my quarterstaff that was laying across the ground. "Catch!" Aunt Cami then proceeded to kick my staff towards my direction. With the two men holding me distracted, I was able to dig my foot against one of men's feet, which prompted him to let go. I used this opportunity to yank my arm away from the other man to catch my quarterstaff in mid-air.

Now armed, a smirk grew on my lips. "Dawri , 'ayuha aleahirat." I then swung my staff onto their faces, releasing a sickening crack from their mouths and dislocating their jaws in the process. Without missing a beat, I charged up the energy in my arm and blasted it at them. But not strong enough to kill them.

My gaze shifted to what's in front of me, where I see more Egyptian-like warriors rushing towards me, armed with ancient weapons. A blonde blur was what I barely saw as Aunt Cami immediately rushed into action to meet them. Wielding her khopesh like a professional, she countered and blocked every strike with her lightning fast reflexes, as well as handing out her fists onto them. But ji matter how skilled she is, the narrowness of the tunnel and the amount of enemies pouring in through the holes would soon overwhelm her.

After delivering a devastating slash at three of them, she turned her head towards me, her face splattered with blood and dirt along with her suit and khopesh. "Get out of here, Ezra! I can handle these bastards!"

"Ⲉⲓⲛⲉ euqubat 'asfal ⲩⲉⲇⲉ ⲛⲟⲩ alnufus!" The woman she's fighting cried out in anger.

If you think that I'll abandon my favorite aunt in the hands of some Egyptian-looking motherfuckers, then you're absolutely wrong. As she held back a couple of them, I lunged into action. Leaping over the petite form of Aunt Cami and whirling my staff around like a fan, I crashed onto the Egyptian warriors and knocked them to the ground. I glanced at Aunt Cami for a brief moment and caught the scowl on her face.

"I told you to leave!" She cried out, to which I responded with a roll of my eyes.

I raised my weapon up in the air and allowed the electric power in my body to run through my arms, surging bolts of lightning blue electricity in the head of my quarterstaff. In one swift move, I slammed my quarterstaff onto the ground and sent current after current of electricity towards the group of Egyptian warriors, shocking them until their skins turned black and their hair stood up in its end.

"I thought the word 'no', meant something to you!" I shot back as I kicked another in the gut.

Once again, Aunt Cami flew past me and swung her khopesh around like a whirlwind, cutting down everyone in her path and dropping them as if they were nothing. She lodged her blade against an Egyptian warrior's calf and yanked it away, causing him to flip backwards and fall to his back, leaving him bleeding to death.

"Just get the hell out of here!" She cried out, glaring at me with little intent. I could see the irritation in her face but to be honest, I'm kind of enjoying it. Aunt Cami rarely gets angry or frustrated unless it's a stupid game she's playing with Nuffink. And to see her take her anger out on the warriors is both pretty satisfying and horrible.

As an example, she is now doing some Taijutsu with her legs on a woman, bringing her down and then stabbing her in the thigh and arm to render her useless in battle. Normally, Aunt Cami would usually leave them off with a few bruises or broken bones. But nope, it's because of the dangerous situation I'm supposed to be in is driving her temper to lash out at the enemies. Good shit.

"Ezra! I can't hold them off forever. Get out of here before it's too late!"

I threw my quarterstaff at one of the Egyptian warriors' heads in response, knocking him out cold to the ground. I appeared by Aunt Cami's side faster than she could see as I blasted the Egyptian warriors off of her front with my plasma bullets.

"Sorry about this." I quickly apologized before grabbing onto her waist, causing her to protest.

"Hey, what the fuck—"

I kicked my staff back up to my hand, held it in the shaft as I applied my power into the bronze pole. Purple ionized gas and blue magnetic charge surged through my arm and snaked along the quarterstaff, lighting the head up once more with a mix of dodger blue and orchid purple. And in one swing, I brought it down against the basaltic floor and the entire earth trembled upon my strength. Bolts of electricity and tendrils of plasma erupted from my quarterstaff and chained across the entire tunnel. Cracks appeared across the floor and walls, the sound of the shattering basalt resonating across the damaged tunnel.

With my arm around Aunt Cami who was gaping at the scene, power flowed down to my legs as I took off. My feet left the ground and my body flew towards the other direction, dragging my quarterstaff by the end as the tunnel finally crumbled down behind us and followed us in a rapid tempo—booming and crashing as I tried my best to carry Aunt Cami, who was fully cursing everything by now, out of the tunnel.

She may be small but she actually weighs more than you would expect. Maybe it's because of her muscles or armor—

BOING!

My eye unknowingly twitched in irritation upon my forearm touching something soft and rather big. My mouth twisted into a sneer and I unconsciously released a groan.

Nah, it's because of those damn huge—

"Ezra, look out!"

I craned my neck to side, just to see the destruction rushing closer than I thought. Using my staff, I knock away an incoming shard of basalt homing towards us. But as more shards came bouncing along the walls, I knew I had to do something other than give them a home run. I clenched the muscles in my legs as tight as possible, storing my energy in them and filling it up to the brim. The fibers of my muscles began rippling against my skin and purple spots began glowing along my calf and thing.

"Hold on, Aunt Cami! I'm about to do something crazy!" I shouted along the wind.

"What nooooooowwwww?!"

Her voice trailed off as I released the energy stored in my legs and all of a sudden, a gust of force propelled me forward. Our hair were getting tangled with each other and our faces were rippling against the wind. I clenched my eyes close as I felt the exit nearing and then all at once, I felt the soothing, cool breeze of the ocean once more, followed by the soft, sandy beach against my skin when I popped out of the cave and landed thirteen feet away from the Formiga Caves.

A second passed as we laid on the ground, the destruction finally caught up and a billow of crushed rocks and dirt imploded from the cave, spewing out basaltic rubble and leftover golden shards of armor from the Egyptian warriors. Luckily, the entire rock structure didn't come down but the I'm sure the tunnels inside were no longer accessible. Our hair were a mess and our clothes were a bit dirt but otherwise, we were alright.

"Hey, can you let me go now? The beach seems softer than you." Came Aunt Cami's muffled voice. Her face buried in the sand but my arm was still wrapped around her waist. Gladly letting go, she rolled onto her back and took a deep breath to admire the stars dotting along the night sky.

"That was exhausting." I remarked, my arm resting over my eyes.

"Tell me about it. Viggo didn't tell me shit about anything in there."

"Why were you even there?" I decided to ask, to y'know... break the tension. Aunt Cami bore her solid blue eyes onto my skull with a dead stare.

"Like I said, it was a mission. Which I now can't explain whether I succeeded or not." She replied with a sigh. I met her stare with a questioning one, to which she decided to roll her eyes and explain, turning her head to face the sky. "Technically, I was supposed to investigate a strange occurrence in the caves but they don't didn't exactly tell me about Ancient Egypt lurking in there."

I frowned at that. How come I knew about something going down in the caves but Aunt Cami didn't? As far as I knew, we both got the same information from the 'Eye of Horus'. Unless there were some complications or something but I doubt it.

"Did you find anything?"

Aunt Cami shook her head. "Not that much. Just some old plans to liberate their religion or something." She replied. "They worship the old Egyptian gods and they intended to raise an army to conquer this city. They weren't that many but it was enough to cause chaos. Apparently, they waited down there for years. Supposedly waiting for a bell ringing from the gods to advance."

"That's... disturbing." I quipped awkwardly.

She then turned to me with a scowl. Almost immediately, I interpreted the look and I knew that I'm about to be in trouble. "By the way, our conversation in the tunnel still isn't over, you know."

A groan escaped my lips. "Ugh, damn it." I exclaimed as I sat up straight. I gave her a pleading look and the puppy-dog eyes, but I don't think my tangled hair fits the look. "Please don't tell Mom. She'll literally kill me then scold in Hel."

Aunt Cami hopped to her feet and positioned her hands onto her hips, sending me an arched eyebrow. "Alright then, give me one reason why." She challenged me. "I have no right to judge right now but there can't be any possible reason why you would become a vigilante or some sort."

Not even taking time to think of a reason, it instantly spilled out my mouth and for the first time, I was both satisfied and prideful with my rushed answer.

"Hayden Haddock." It was quick and simple, but judging from how Aunt Cami's scowl drained and a shocked look replaced it, she understood the weight of those two words.

A simple name could cause a sudden shift of emotions in a split second. Because this was no ordinary name. His other name is famous all around the world Drakos lived in. Other organizations and criminals likewise, respect and fear his name. But only a collect few knew his real one.

Aunt Cami pursed her lips regarded me with a solemn and reluctant look. The inner battle taking place in her head is raging on, evident in her eyes. "I understand you want to avenge him, Ezra. But..." A cloud of doubt and contemplation passed through her eyes as she chose her words carefully. "...don't you think that your Dad wouldn't like this?"

"I know that and that's why I'm doing it." I replied, feeling a steely determination fill me. "Dad is the reason why I'm doing this. He suffered the pain and agony for me and died because of it. Don't deny it, part of his death is my fault."

"Ezra, that's not..." Her voice was full of sympathy and pity, but that's not what I was looking for.

"Don't try to deny it. I've long figured out the objective of the mission. I was made bait to lure in Grimmel, which was suggested by Dad." The baffled look only confirmed my suspicions. "Except Dad didn't do it. He used himself to lure him in and protected me all the way. I don't put blame on him at all because from the very start, I wasn't even his in the first place. He had no reason to take care of me but he did. I was a nuisance and a problem but he gave up his life for me. He could've left and let the fire eat Grimmel and me up but no. He went to save me. He had no reason to. But I have. So even if you disagree, I'll take it. But please don't tell Mom." Even the mere steely gaze in Mom's eyes gives me the shivers. I don't think I could handle a disappointment from her. "She's too loyal to Dad and she will keep her promise to him till the day she dies. Please, Aunt Cami."

I practically begged, throwing away my pride just for this. And I'm willing to do it. I feel like this is my responsibility now and this is the debt I owe to Dad. Not even my pride is enough for that.

I watch as different emotions flickered across her face like a sped up movie. She bit her lip and he eyebrows furrowed in exasperation. "I know a couple of vigilantes who do what you do. Almost half of them were killed in action." She replied emotionlessly. "Revenge is destructive, viral, and will end up bite your ass back in the end. I don't condone it. Which is why I won't allow anyone do vigilantism for that reason."

Any hope of her approving and understanding my reason faded away almost instantly. I hate to admit that it felt disgustingly painful to hear her rejection. My head lowered solemnly and my hands curled up in the sand in disappointment.

"Avengement is another thing."

My head had never rose up this fast before but here I am, staring at Aunt Cami with wide disbelieving eyes and an open jaw. I saw a small smile lifting up on the side of her lips that she's obviously trying to hide but failing. In that moment, I leapt and tackled her to the ground, crushing her into a hug.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" I repeated endlessly against her shoulder, nearly tears of joy threatening to fall from my eyes. I couldn't even describe the amount of ecstasy and happiness swelling up my heart at the fact that Aunt Cami understood what I wanted or rather needed. I can't believe that acceptance could actually feel this good. But I guess having an ally other than Mia is a very exciting experience. And I'm glad it could be Aunt Cami...

"Alright, alright! But first, get me out of this shithole. My first visit in Brazil and I met Egyptians. The fuck is wrong with this world?

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Yo, I had to research about Coptic for an hour to finish the Guardian's lines. Implementing them in Arabic while purposefully making it look broken is hard. In the end, I had to translate words to Coptic and just merge it with the Arabic. Sorry if anyone finds this weird.

If anyone's thinking that Ezra's feelings towards her reasoning is kind of incomprehensible, it's because Ezra is driven by vengeance. She is both doing it for revenge and avengement. Also, Camilla agreeing isn't exactly agreeing to what she's doing. She simply decided to not tell Astrid.

If anyone else has other questions, feel free to ask.