DESPAIR
Ben was slouched on the couch in the living room, staring blankly at the muted TV. The once-familiar hum of the house now felt suffocating in its stillness. His body was present, but his mind was elsewhere, caught in an endless loop of grief. The weight of Grandpa Max's death bore down on him, as if it had drained the very air from the room, leaving everything in a thick, oppressive silence. Ben had saved the world more times than he could count, fought deadly and dangerous enemies, and dealt with forces beyond imagination, but none of it prepared him for this—losing Max. The emptiness gnawed at him, an inescapable void that no alien form or Omnitrix transformation could fix.
Upstairs, Gwen sat cross-legged in her dimly lit room, the glow of candles flickering weakly around her. A circle of ancient spell books lay scattered on the floor, their pages open to sections filled with cryptic symbols and forgotten incantations. She tried to meditate, her breathing shallow, fingers twitching as they hovered over an open tome. But peace was elusive. Her thoughts spiralled, circling back to the same dark place they had been trapped in since Max's death. Each day brought her closer to the edge, closer to the magic she had sworn she would never touch—the ancient, forbidden spells that whispered promises of power in her ear. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to silence the call. But the temptation to use that power, to find some way to undo the loss, was growing stronger.
In the garage, Kevin knelt by his car, tightening a bolt. Normally, the rhythmic clinking of metal and the scent of motor oil would soothe him, but not today. The loss of Max had left a hole in him, one he couldn't fix with tools and elbow grease. He threw the wrench aside and wiped his hands on his jeans, pausing for a moment to listen. The silence between him, Ben, and Gwen had grown heavy, thickening with each passing day. They hadn't really spoken since Max's death, each retreating into their own isolation, as if grieving alone was easier than sharing the pain.
Outside, four black SUVs rolled up quietly into the street in front of the house. The trio was too distracted, lost in their own thoughts, to notice. Two dozen men, dressed head-to-toe in black tactical gear, moved with precision as they surrounded the residence. Leading them was a tall, athletic figure, his posture stiff and authoritative. He wore a black military-grade bulletproof vest over a deep purple jumpsuit, his face hardened and focused.
"This is Six," the man whispered into his comm, his voice barely above a breath. "We've surrounded the target. Closing in."
He signalled to his men with a quick hand motion, and one of them pulled a small metal canister from his belt, rolling it toward the front door. Inside, Ben still hadn't registered the danger until the sound of metal hitting the floor reached his ears. He blinked, confused, just as the canister came to a stop near the foot of the couch.
Before he could react, the canister hissed, releasing thick clouds of smoke that quickly engulfed the room. Ben jumped up, coughing and waving his arms in a futile attempt to clear the air. His heart raced as visibility dropped to nothing, the sudden sense of danger finally cutting through his numbness.
Gwen snapped out of her meditation, her senses alerting her to something wrong. The thick smoke was already creeping under her door, curling into the room in tendrils. Her mind, once lost in the pages of ancient spells, immediately shifted to survival. She stood quickly, scanning the scattered spellbooks around her, fingers twitching as she considered which incantation might be most useful. She had trained for situations like this — though not with magic — but this was different. She hadn't expected danger to come so soon after Max's death. And she certainly hadn't expected it to come to their home.
Kevin, in the garage, had heard the clank of the canister, though it was faint over the noise of his tools. His hands paused, tightening around a wrench as he stood up straight. He could hear the faint rustle of movement outside now, and the instinct honed from years of fighting kicked in. He tossed the wrench aside and moved toward the door, his expression hardening. "Ben, Gwen?" he called out, but no response came.
Suddenly, the windows shattered, and the sound of heavy boots stomping across the front lawn filled the air. The tactical squad was in. The once peaceful, though tense, silence of the house was now filled with chaos. Figures moved swiftly through the smoke-filled rooms, laser sights cutting through the haze. Six, their leader, strode through the door behind his men, confident and calm, his eyes scanning for the Omnitrix. His mission was clear: retrieve Ben Tennyson, or eliminate him.
Ben staggered back, coughing hard as the smoke burned his lungs. His hand instinctively went to the Omnitrix, but through the fog of his mind and the literal smoke, he fumbled. He hadn't been ready for this, not so soon after Max's death. He hadn't expected to be attacked in his own home. "Gwen! Kevin!" he shouted, his voice muffled by the smoke.
The house was a storm of chaos, smoke filling the air and magic tearing through the walls, but amidst the frenzy, Six moved with calm, calculated precision. This wasn't just a mission; this was an execution. His movements were military-grade — fast, efficient, and without wasted effort. Every step, every strike, had a purpose.
As Kevin, now covered in steel from absorbing his car, burst into the room. Kevin glanced at Six, then charged at him. Six barely blinked. With a swift motion, he signalled to one of his men, who fired a pellet gun with pinpoint accuracy. The small, seemingly harmless projectile hit Kevin square in the chest. For a second, Kevin smirked, thinking it was a pathetic attempt to stop him. But the pellet exploded on contact, sending a surge of electricity through his metal-clad body. Kevin's face twisted in shock and pain as the electric current coursed through him, rendering him immobile. His muscles seized up, and with a heavy thud, he toppled to the ground, unconscious.
"Kevin!" Ben yelled, instinctively reaching for the Omnitrix. But Six was faster. With the same cool efficiency, he shot another pellet directly at Ben. The pellet exploded midair, releasing a fast-hardening sticky foam that engulfed Ben entirely, pinning him against the wall. Ben struggled, gritting his teeth as he tried to free himself, but the more he struggled, the more the foam tightened its grip.
"Damn it!" Ben growled, his body writhed desperately, wriggling out of the foam, but it was no use. He was stuck.
Six didn't even stop to gloat. He turned his attention to Gwen, the one wildcard he knew he had to neutralise quickly. Her hands were glowing again, magic swirling around her fingers as she prepared another spell. This time, though, Six was ready. As Gwen launched a bolt of violet energy toward him, Six deftly twisted his body to the side, narrowly avoiding the blast. With another swift motion, he pulled out a small metal disc from his belt and tossed it in Gwen's direction.
Gwen didn't know what to expect, but as the disc landed near her feet, it emitted a high-pitched sound, disrupting the magical energy around her. Her concentration wavered, the glow around her hands flickering before vanishing entirely. She stumbled back, her eyes widening in shock. Whatever the device was, it had nullified her magic. The spell she had been conjuring crumbled, leaving her vulnerable.
"Wha—? How...?" she stammered, trying to summon her power again, but it was like trying to grasp at air. Her magic was completely suppressed.
Six didn't waste the opportunity. He moved in quickly, grabbing Gwen by the wrist and twisting her arm behind her back in one fluid motion. She gasped in pain, her body buckling under the pressure as he pressed her to the ground.
"Magic may be unpredictable," Six muttered as he tightened his grip, "but even that has weaknesses."
He pulled out another small device from his belt, a metal cuff designed specifically for enhanced individuals. With a quick snap, he clamped it around Gwen's wrist. Instantly, the cuff hummed with energy, further nullifying her ability to cast any spells. Gwen winced, feeling the strange, numbing sensation spreading up her arm, as if her connection to magic was being severed completely.
Ben struggled against the foam, his heart racing as he watched Six neutralise Gwen. "Get away from her!" he shouted, but his voice was muffled by the foam clogging his mouth and restricting his movements. He thrashed wildly, but no amount of strength could break free.
Six glanced at him with cold, unflinching eyes. "You're out of your league, Tennyson."
Gwen, now subdued and powerless, looked up at Six with a mix of fury and helplessness. Her body trembled, not just from the physical pain but from the fear — fear of being unable to protect herself, to fight back, to stop this mercenary who seemed to know their every weakness.
Kevin remained out cold on the floor. Ben, stuck to the wall, could do nothing but watch as Six dismantled them one by one. The Tennysons had fought various criminals, deadly machinations, and powerful magic users — but this man, this mercenary with nothing but his training and a few advanced gadgets, was taking them down with terrifying ease.
The situation was dire, and for the first time since Max's death, the reality of just how unprepared they were sank in. This wasn't some supervillain they could punch their way through. This was something far more calculated, more dangerous. It's as if this person, just a regular human, had perfected every countermeasure against the trio. He wasn't an enhanced. He wasn't a magic user. He wasn't a machine. He's just a disciplined soldier who had practised and trained everything to subdue them. The perfect predator.
Of course he was. He was a former CIA SOG operative turned mercenary. The Templars had hired him as the result of the failure of the CSG Protocol and unit V-1L6-AX going rogue. Six had studied the trio and prepared for this assault for weeks, finding and exposing each of their weaknesses and using them to his advantage.
Six straightened, his job nearly done. With Gwen immobilised and Kevin out cold, only Ben remained a threat.
Six took one last glance at the incapacitated Gwen and Kevin, then turned his attention fully to Ben. His mission was clear — retrieve the boy with the Omnitrix. The others were just distractions, necessary obstacles, but now that they were neutralised, Ben was the prize.
He strode over to where Ben was pinned against the wall by the foam, his steps silent and deliberate. The foam had hardened further, rendering Ben's struggles completely useless. Ben's breathing was heavy, eyes wide as he watched Six approach. He knew he had to act fast — if he didn't, he'd be taken just like his enemies always wanted.
"I'm not going anywhere with you," Ben spat, his voice muffled slightly by the foam. His hand twitched under the sticky mass, trying one last time to reach the Omnitrix, but Six noticed the movement immediately.
Without hesitation, Six shot another pellet directly at Ben's exposed shoulder. The small dart embedded itself into his skin, and a sharp, stinging sensation spread through Ben's body. He cried out, feeling the numbing agent quickly take effect, his muscles slackening, his vision blurring.
"You don't get a choice," Six replied coldly, his voice low and calm, as if he were simply stating a fact.
Ben's body grew heavier by the second, the foam binding him acting more like a trap as his strength faded. His vision swam, and the familiar green glow of the Omnitrix flickered, teasingly out of reach. He could feel his mind slipping into darkness from the effects of the tranquiliser, but he fought it, even as his body refused to cooperate. Finally, his body gave in and Ben fainted.
As Six approached the unconscious Ben, his focus entirely on securing the Omnitrix, something shifted in the atmosphere. The air grew colder, thicker, as if it was being sucked into a dark void. Gwen, still on the ground from the tranquilliser, stirred.
Her eyes, usually calm in meditation, snapped open, reflecting the despair and anger that had been simmering within her since Grandpa Max's death. She saw Kevin and Ben, both helpless, unconscious and vulnerable, and something inside her snapped. This wasn't the time for the usual spells, for the safe magic she had once relied on. The stakes were too high, and a more dangerous power beckoned her.
She closed her eyes, trembling as she whispered the incantation she had only just begun to study. It was dark magic — the kind of forbidden spells she had promised herself she would never use. But desperation overruled caution, and her voice grew louder, the ancient words spilling from her lips, summoning power from a place deep within the arcane.
Suddenly, the room shifted. Upstairs, the candles around Gwen's room, once dim, flickered to life in a violent blaze. Shadows stretched unnaturally across the walls, coiling like serpents. Her body levitated off the floor, surrounded by an eerie, swirling energy. The spellbooks in her room fluttered open and their pages whipped through the air, as if some unseen force was feeding off her intent.
Six paused, sensing the shift. He spun around, his sharp instincts picking up on the sudden surge of power. His men, all military-trained, looked around in confusion, their hands tightening on their weapons. Then they saw Gwen — or what Gwen had become.
Her eyes glowed a deep violet, radiating an unnatural power. Her body was wreathed in tendrils of shadow, as if the very darkness of the room had come alive and was now under her command. The ground beneath her cracked, fissures spidering outwards, the force of her magic warping reality itself.
"Fall back," Six barked, though there was a slight tremor in his voice. He was a professional, used to precision and control, but this was something he had never encountered. Dark magic was beyond his experience, unpredictable and terrifying. His men hesitated, unsure whether to fire or flee, but their indecision was cut short.
With a wave of her hand, Gwen unleashed a blast of dark energy that slammed into the approaching men, sending them hurtling backward like rag dolls. Their tactical gear did nothing to protect them from the raw, unearthly power she now wielded. Smoke grenades and precision tactics were meaningless in the face of this kind of force.
Six staggered but held his ground. He reached for a stun grenade, hoping to break her concentration, but as soon as he pulled the pin, the grenade floated out of his hand, suspended in the air by Gwen's magic. She didn't even need to look at it — with a flick of her wrist, the grenade shot back toward Six and detonated in midair, disorienting him and his team.
The blast was loud, but nothing compared to the roar of energy Gwen was now channelling. Her lips moved rapidly as she recited another spell, one far darker than anything she had dared to attempt before. The room itself seemed to darken further, the edges of reality warping, as if the very walls of the Tennyson residence were being twisted by the dark force she had summoned.
But as the power surged through her, Gwen's own body began to tremble. The dark magic was intoxicating, but it was also dangerous. She could feel it taking root inside her, wrapping itself around her soul, threatening to consume her completely. Her eyes widened in fear — not of Six, but of herself. She hadn't realised how overwhelming this force would be, how easy it was to lose control.
Gwen's heart pounded in her chest. She knew she had gone too far, but the power… it was so tempting. It whispered to her, promising safety, control — everything she had lost since Grandpa Max's death. Her hands shook, and she closed her eyes, trying to force the darkness back.
But the magic, now unleashed, wasn't so easily controlled.
Six, now staggering but still determined, saw his chance. He ignored his instincts to retreat and instead rushed forward, aiming to grab Ben while Gwen wrestled with the dark force she had summoned.
But before he could reach Ben, Gwen opened her eyes again. This time, they burned with an intensity even she hadn't expected. She threw her hand out instinctively, and a surge of dark energy shot from her palm, striking Six square in the chest. The blast knocked him to the ground, sending him skidding across the floor. He coughed, his chest searing in pain, his gear smouldering from the impact.
The room fell deathly silent. Six groaned, trying to push himself up, but he was too injured to move quickly. "Fall back," Six ordered his men again, pain palpable in his voice. His men, still disoriented, slowly rose to their feet. They hastily threw smoke bombs and vanished behind it. Six glanced at Gwen one last time, like a cornered cat, before vanishing himself behind the smoke.
But it didn't end there. Whatever gave Gwen this tremendous power demanded more. It was not satisfied. It was hungry. Gwen's eyes widened as the dark tendrils around her clawed its way to the unconscious Kevin and Ben, desperate to pull them into the darkness within.
"No!" Gwen shrieked in a desperate attempt, panicked. In a blink of an eye, the tendrils disappeared under her command. She was taken aback– surprised. She let out a sigh of relief realising that she was still in control. But a small part inside her pondered– what if one day, she isn't?
As the situation calmed down, Ben and Kevin slowly regained consciousness. People from neighbouring houses began to gather outside the Tennyson residence, curious as to what happened. Suddenly, an ominous mark burned itself onto Gwen's wrist. She winced in pain as her wrist sizzled, setting out smoke and a putrid smell. She raised her wrist and watched it closely.
"Ugh-" Kevin struggled. Gwen instinctively covered the burn mark. "What happened? Ben? Gwen?" He blinked.
Ben rubbed his head, still dizzy and disoriented from the tranquilliser. "Gwen?" He asked. "I thought they had us. Kevin was out and so were you– but how?"
Gwen, not wanting them to grow uneasy of what was churning underneath and inside her, chose to bury what happened. "I–" she paused. "I took care of them. I scared them off," she offered as she faked a smile.
That night, Gwen sat cross-legged in her bed, staring blankly at the wall. Her body was there, but her mind was miles away, wandering through the horrors of the day. She replayed it all in her head: the surge of forbidden magic, the way it slipped through her control, the chilling feeling of its sinister grip reaching out for Ben and Kevin, trying to claim them. It was a power she had sworn never to touch again, a force far more dangerous than she'd ever imagined.
The fluttering sound of pages startled her, pulling her back to the present. The spellbook laid open on her desk, its ancient pages flickering, as if the dark arts within it were whispering to her, calling her. Gwen's gaze fixed on it, and a creeping thought entered her mind. Maybe, just maybe, the secret to bringing Grandpa Max back was hidden in one of those pages, buried somewhere among the dark incantations and ancient secrets.
The temptation gnawed at her. What if she had missed something? What if there was a spell, a way to harness the power safely? Maybe if she could master it—truly master it—there would be no danger this time. No threat to Ben, to Kevin, or to anyone else.
But no. Gwen shook her head, trying to dispel the thought. She had seen firsthand what that magic could do. It wasn't just dangerous—it was malevolent, unpredictable, and too powerful for anyone to control. She'd barely been able to stop it before it consumed Ben and Kevin. If she delved any deeper, who knew what the cost would be?
Still, doubt lingered. Maybe her near-failure today had only been because she was inexperienced, untrained. Maybe, with time and study, she could wield that power with precision, with care.
Gwen's gaze fell to her wrist, the memory of the dark energy surging through her. Slowly, she turned her wrist around, revealing the ominous burnt mark etched into her skin. It looked like nothing she had ever seen before—dark, jagged, and pulsing faintly with an unsettling heat. She studied it closely, running her fingers gingerly along its uneven edges. The mark was a constant reminder of her brush with the forbidden magic, like it was branding her, marking her as its own.
She traced the burnt lines, feeling the twinge of something deeper than physical pain. It wasn't just on her skin—it felt like it had scorched into her soul. Was this mark a warning? Or was it a claim, something sinister embedding itself in her, waiting to awaken when she was at her weakest?
The pages of the spellbook fluttered again, as if beckoning her. Maybe the answer was there, hidden among the dark secrets of old magic. Maybe the mark meant something more—something she needed to understand before it was too late. She felt the pull stronger now, the conflict raging inside her. The temptation whispered that she could control it this time. If only she gave herself fully to its power, maybe she could find the answer, maybe she could undo the wrongs that had been done.
But what if she couldn't?
Her heart thudded in her chest as her eyes darted back to the book. The temptation was growing stronger with every passing second. And then, almost without thinking, she slowly rose from her bed, her bare feet making no sound as she crossed the room. Her hand hovered over the pages, trembling, her breath catching in her throat.
What if this was the only way to bring Grandpa Max back? What if the price of not acting was living with the guilt of his death forever?
The spellbook seemed to hum, a soft, sinister vibration running through it as if it knew her inner turmoil. Gwen clenched her fists, fighting the urge. But the darkness was so seductive, promising her what she wanted most—her family whole again.
Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months. Before Gwen realised it, four months had passed since Six's assault on the Tennyson residence. Four whole months of studies, research, and isolation. She had sealed herself away, cutting off from the world— even from Ben and Kevin. Not that they noticed. They were still mourning Grandpa Max, lost in their own grief, while Gwen was consumed by something far darker.
The deeper Gwen dived into the forbidden arts, the stronger she became. But so, too, did the power festering within her. It grew day by day, wrapping itself tighter around her soul like a parasite feeding on her ambition and desperation. She could feel its presence now, lurking beneath her skin, always just out of reach, yet always there. Whispering. Tempting. Controlling.
Her arms bore the proof of her descent. Cuts, old and new, crisscrossed her skin in intricate patterns, etched from countless rituals that demanded blood as sacrifice. Each spell, each incantation, each step forward required more from her—more blood, more pain. But she gave it willingly, numbing herself to the sting of the blade. A small price to pay, she told herself, to bring Grandpa Max back. A necessary sacrifice for the greater good.
Sitting in the dim light of her room, Gwen's eyes were hollow, the dark circles under them betraying sleepless nights spent poring over ancient texts and cursed tomes. The air around her was thick with the scent of candle wax and burnt herbs, the remnants of her latest ritual still hanging in the air like a spectre. Her once-vibrant aura now flickered with a dangerous, unnatural energy—an ever-growing manifestation of the dark forces she had allowed to take root inside her.
She stared at her hands, trembling from exhaustion and power, the cuts on her arms glistening with faint traces of dried blood. She could feel it now—how much closer she was. How much stronger her magic had become. How much the dark power within her had grown. The lines between her and it were blurring. The dark force no longer felt foreign but like a part of her, as though it had been inside her all along, waiting to be unleashed.
But every time she tapped into it, every time she used its power, she felt the cost.
The ominous mark on her wrist still burned, a constant reminder of the dark magic's claim over her. Its jagged edges had grown deeper, more vivid, pulsing with the same strange energy that now coursed through her veins. Each time she practised, the mark flared, searing her with its presence, binding her tighter to the dark force she sought to control.
Yet, she couldn't stop. She wouldn't stop.
Gwen knew she was on the cusp of something—something that could rewrite everything, that could bring Grandpa Max back. She just needed a little more time. A little more power. Just a little more. The sacrifices were worth it. They had to be.
But deep down, Gwen also knew that with each cut, each spell, each sacrifice, she was losing a part of herself. A part she wasn't sure she would ever get back.
The power was consuming her.
And she wasn't sure if she cared anymore.