Chapter 22: Death Awaits

Deep underground, moments before the explosion.

A surge of electrical energy, akin to a dagger, surged through Runo's body with a formidable 274 milliamps. The imminent threat of death loomed with the next shock. Runo's senses were saturated with the bloody taste of his decaying cells. The vitality in his eyes waned, mirroring the diminishing ember of hope within him.

"Runo, this is your last chance. You know better than anyone you won't survive the next one." Acco Swilen warned.

Summoning the final reserves of strength, he defiantly raised his arm, gesturing a middle-finger tainted with his own blood.

"Fuck-off!" Runo whispered with a grin.

"What a shame. I thought we could finally reach a consensus," Acco muttered, casting a disappointed glance before turning to the electrical adjuster. With a cold resolve, he raised the milliamps to the indefinitely fatal threshold of 275 milliamps.

In hushed stillness, Runo observed Acco, silently bracing himself for the impending inevitability of his own demise. In the dimming twilight of his life, he reflected in the tapestry of moments woven across the canvas of his lifetime. Each thread a story - the laughter, the tears, the victories, and the defeats. His weathered hands traced the contours of an unfortunate existence, and in his fading will, he found solace.

Memories, like flickering candle flames, danced before his weary eyes. A lifetime of experiences, etched in the creases of his weathered face, told a tale of his resilience and love. The symphony of his life started playing its final notes as Acco cut his life short.

The final pain traversed through each edge of his body, until a vicious shockwave awoken him from the illusion of death. The reverberations of powerful explosions echoed from a distance, penetrating the walls without struggle.

Sections of the ceiling crumbled, succumbing to the pull of gravity, launching an ambush on Acco Swillen as debris rained down unpredictably. Acco was struck on the head by the force of the falling rock, an immediate wound inflicting itself as he staggered backward, succumbing to the impact.

An irresistible compulsion surged within Runo, compelling him to reach out and touch Acco, driven by the desperate desire to absorb his power and orchestrate a daring escape. Upon seizing Acco, Runo felt an immediate influx of the potent dark energy as their contact established a conduit, channeling the formidable aura from Acco to him. The dark energy catalysed a profound reaction within Runo's many internal scars, triggering a remarkable process of self-healing that swiftly restored him to the apex of his vitality.

Without hesitation, Runo harnessed Acco's bestowed 'gift' of teleportation, escaping the blood-stained walls that bore witness to his agonising struggles, leaving the echoes of his past behind in an instant.

Behind Valen Petrol Station, 21:00.

Arturo had just arrived, ready to meet with the envious pair at the scheduled time. Under the dim glow of the streetlights the two boys appeared.

"You really are that confident huh, coming alone!" Sneered one of the bullies, taking a menacing step forward, their expression dripping with scorn.

"I don't understand, what do you mean?" Runo asked oblivious to their intentions.

"STOP FEIGNING IGNORANCE!" The bullies shouted, annoyed by Arturo's reactions.

Without warning, their faces contorted with spite. Like a sudden tempest, the duo unleashed a relentless onslaught, driven by a toxic resentment. The night air echoed with the clash of conflicting emotions as Arturo, caught off guard, struggled to defend himself against the jealous duo's coordinated attack. Utilising their 'gift' of gravitational control, one of them invoked a powerful force, compelling Arturo to succumb to an overwhelming pressure that forced him to the ground, the weight becoming nearly unbearable.

In a malevolent display of supernatural prowess, the other conjured two pairs of brass knuckles seemingly out of thin air, arming themselves with ominous weapons, intent on inflicting even more damage upon Arturo. Blow after blow seemed to carry the weight of their exploding envy, turning the confrontation into a physical manifestation of the poisonous feelings that had consumed them.

The brutal onslaught continued, the sickening sound of Arturo's bones audibly shattering echoing through the air as the jealous duo without hesitation pummelled him, each strike leaving a haunting imprint on his body. In a sudden realisation of his dire predicament, Arturo summoned newfound strength, Arturo conjured a radiant light emanating from his hand, momentarily blinding the duo and providing a brief rest from the constant assault.

With unwavering focus, Arturo directed the radiant energy in his hand towards one of the bullies, transforming the blinding light into an intensified laser, a concentrated beam that cut through the darkness with precision and determination causing a huge crevice in a bully's arm almost deep enough to expose the bone.

Distracted by the momentary triumph of defeating one of them, Arturo was caught off guard by a sudden chilling pain in his back. The other bully, wielding a conjured knife, ruthlessly thrusted it into Arturo's liver. Overwhelmed by a surge of emotions, the bully continued his attack with erratic stabs. Blood spewed from Arturo's wounds, painting the ground beneath him in a dark red hue.