Heroes of Veridia: Evelyn's Journey

Elena and Evelyn rode the gigantic wooden elephant, its massive legs plodding through the dense forest. Despite walking for minutes, the horizon remained distant, with the trees seemingly stretching forever. Evelyn, growing more skeptical, pointed ahead. "I don't think anyone can reach there," she said, indicating the forest's edge.

"It is possible," Elena replied, her voice steady.

Evelyn turned to her in confusion. "How are you even talking without my permission?"

Elena kept a straight face. "Why did you create me?"

Caught off guard, Evelyn hesitated before answering. "I was bored and wanted to try something new."

Elena's emerald eyes brightened, and her eyelids drew closer together. "Try using your gift."

"Why?" Evelyn asked with a smile. She attempted to summon her nature ability, but her smile quickly faded when nothing happened. "What's happening?" she asked, her voice now strained.

Standing up, Elena approached her and rolled up the sleeve of her tracksuit, revealing a mark on her shoulder. "This is the mark of your gift, 'Nature.' When you created the seed, which became..." she pointed to herself, "...me, your gift started drifting away from you."

Evelyn furrowed her brow. "What are you talking about?"

Elena crossed her arms. "Do you remember what Mr. Blackwood said to you after offering the serum?"

Evelyn nodded. "He told me I would acquire multiple gifts over time."

"Exactly," Elena confirmed with a nod. "You will be able to create more like me in the future." She placed her index finger on Evelyn's chest. "The core of what you ingested that day is still here."

Evelyn gave a reluctant smile. "Does that mean I won't be able to enhance myself with your abilities anymore?"

"I'll help with that," Elena replied, smiling softly. She flicked Evelyn's forehead playfully before returning to her seat. "From now on, I'll be protecting you. Think of me as your friend, not your servant."

"How does that even work?" Evelyn asked, baffled.

"I'll always be by your side," Elena responded. As soon as she spoke those words, she vanished into thin air.

Evelyn sighed, taking a deep breath. "And... she's gone."

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed through the trees, snapping Evelyn's attention toward the noise. A stranger emerged, ascending from the wooden elephant as if molded from the wood itself. "Flaunting your gift is a bad idea, don't you think?" he said with a smirk.

Evelyn's thoughts raced. He can manipulate his surroundings, she realized, glancing between the stranger and where Elena had crashed moments earlier. "Did you do that... um... manipulator?" she asked, unsure of his identity.

The stranger raised an eyebrow. "Manipulator? My name is Collins. And no," he gestured to the crash site. "That was my brother, Caleb."

As if on cue, explosions sounded from where Caleb had landed. Collins glanced back. "Looks like your friend has been dealt with."

Evelyn stood up, a confident smile on her face. "I'm not so sure of that," she said, moving a few steps away from Collins.

Suddenly, something slammed into the side of the wooden elephant. Collins, unfazed, glanced in the direction of the impact. "I trust him to handle things on his own," he said as he turned back to Evelyn, stepping closer. "Now, what should I do with you?"

Evelyn took a cautious step back. "I thought you only attacked the gifted."

"That's what we wanted people to believe," Collins said with a casual shrug. "We also tried to blame you after we attacked the pink girl. My mistake was not realizing there were two people in that room. At first, I only saw one." He sighed. "We came after you, not your friend. But if she interferes, we'll have to get rid of her."

Evelyn's smile returned as she pointed toward a figure moving among the trees. "You chose the wrong time to come after me. You see my friend there? Her power is nature, and we're surrounded by trees. Tell me, how fucked are you?"

Collins' face twitched with concern for a fleeting moment before he lunged at Evelyn. Before he could reach her, the elephant's trunk swung down with crushing force, smashing Collins into splinters. As the trunk lifted, only shards of broken wood remained.

"That wasn't his real body," Evelyn said, scanning the area. "He must be somewhere nearby." She looked down at the gigantic wooden elephant they were standing on. "How are we going to find him?"

Just then, a bubble-like structure emerged from the wood beneath Evelyn's feet. Intrigued, she reached out to touch it, but before her finger made contact, Elena's voice rang out from below. "Don't touch it!"

Evelyn froze, her finger just inches from the bubble. She watched as the bubble began to expand rapidly. The wood from the elephant formed a protective dome around her just as an explosion rocked the area, destroying the elephant's head. Despite the blast, the elephant's massive body continued moving. Though the dome crumbled after the explosion, Evelyn emerged unharmed, albeit out of breath.

"What just happened?" Evelyn gasped, looking around at the devastation. Part of the elephant was still burning from the explosion.

Elena climbed up from the forest floor, using vines to pull herself to safety. "Those weren't bubbles. They were bombs. They explode when they come into contact with anything solid."

"I didn't touch it," Evelyn said, confused.

Elena narrowed her eyes. "Then either they detonate when they sense someone nearby, or the user can see you."

Evelyn's gaze dropped to the surface of the elephant. "I think they're inside the elephant."

"Stay close," Elena instructed. She knelt and plunged her hands into the wood below them, her nature power surging through the elephant's body. Wooden spikes shot out from within, piercing the creature's insides. Screams of pain echoed from within the elephant, confirming Evelyn's suspicion.

Elena stood, a satisfied smile on her face as the chaos subsided, or so she thought.

Evelyn watched in confusion as the gigantic wooden elephant's body began to crumble, shards falling like rain around her. "What's happening?" she asked, her voice tinged with panic.

"I have no idea," Elena replied, her brow furrowed. Without hesitation, she scooped Evelyn up into her arms, leaping into the air. Using her nature powers, vines shot out from the ground, allowing her to swing gracefully to the forest floor. As soon as they landed, Elena set Evelyn down. "Stay here," she commanded before turning to head toward the falling shards of the giant elephant.

Evelyn felt a surge of concern and called out, "Be careful."

Elena stopped in her tracks, surprised. "What?" she asked, turning around with a confused smile.

"I said, be careful," Evelyn repeated, her voice soft but genuine.

Elena's confusion deepened, a look of disbelief crossing her face. "When did you start caring about others?" she teased, though there was a touch of admiration in her voice.

Evelyn tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

Elena opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted as the falling shards suddenly reassembled, forming a massive wooden version of Collins. The towering figure loomed over them, its footsteps causing tremors in the earth. Elena smiled at Evelyn. "I will be careful," she promised, then leaped into the air once more, heading straight for the giant Collins.

"Hey!" Elena shouted, gaining Collins' attention as he turned his wooden head to face her. "Why don't you fight someone your size?"

With a surge of power, vines erupted from the ground, coiling around Elena's body. More and more vines joined, intertwining until they formed a giant version of Elena herself. The earth trembled when her enormous form landed, matching Collins in size and strength. The two giants clashed, their every movement shaking the earth. Trees swayed and cracked under the force of their blows, and the forest floor quaked.

Evelyn, realizing she was in the midst of an epic battle, sprinted away from the scene. Her heart pounded as she ran, the sounds of the two giants fighting echoing behind her. After what felt like an eternity, she reached a safe distance, though she could still see Elena and Collins battling in the distance. Every impact caused the ground beneath her feet to tremble.

Suddenly, a voice cut through the air, causing Evelyn to stop in her tracks. "Feeling helpless?" Caleb's voice resonated from above. Evelyn looked up and saw him floating effortlessly on one of his bubbles. Several more bubbles floated around him, shimmering ominously.

"Isn't that supposed to explode?" Evelyn asked, eyeing the bubbles warily.

Caleb smirked, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "I'm the only one who can make it explode," he explained. As if to prove his point, he sent one of the bubbles flying toward him. It hit his hand and bounced away harmlessly. "It won't go off without my permission."

Evelyn's unease deepened. "Okay, but why are you doing this?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

Caleb's gaze shifted toward the battle between Collins and Elena. His expression darkened. "Since we won't be let out of here peacefully after what we did to Leah, I suppose I can tell you," he said, almost nonchalantly.

At the mention of Leah, Evelyn felt a wave of sadness wash over her. She remembered the girl's lifeless body in the dorm, the cold reality of her death still fresh in her mind.

"You and Vivian are our main targets," Caleb continued, his tone matter-of-fact.

Evelyn's brow furrowed. "Why involve Leah? And Emily?" she asked, her voice trembling with a mixture of anger and confusion.

Caleb shrugged as if the answer was obvious. "We saw what they'd been doing to you since we arrived at Phantom Edge. I did some research and found out that you've known Vanessa since high school. She's been harassing you about your giftless ness for years."

Evelyn clenched her fists. "So?"

"So, we killed her," Caleb said bluntly. "No, my brother smashed her head against the wall. At first, we wanted to make it look like you were behind the attack," he added, pointing at Evelyn. "But Leah hit her head too hard. We didn't know what to do next, so we chose another girl."

Evelyn's heart raced as she processed his words. "Why Emily?" she demanded.

"We were in a hurry," Caleb explained casually. "We had a deadline to meet. Collins wanted to pin Emily's death on you, hoping her friends would seek revenge during this event. But, as usual, Collins wasn't paying attention." Caleb's voice rose with irritation. "He failed to notice that there were two people in the room." He gestured toward Evelyn and then at the distant figure of Elena.

Evelyn felt a surge of fury. "You killed an innocent girl. If it weren't for Elena, you would've killed another innocent girl." Her voice shook as she shouted, "Why? Who sent you to kill me?"

Caleb's smirk returned. He floated closer to her, his eyes glinting with malice. "Who else would want you dead but your father's enemy—the 'King of the East,' who also happens to be my father?"

Evelyn's breath hitched as the weight of his words settled in. The King of the East, a powerful figure who ruled all of Eastern Verida, wanted her dead. "W-why?" she stammered, her voice barely a whisper.

Caleb chuckled darkly, circling her like a predator. "Well, if you and your sister are both dead," he said, making a cutting motion across his neck, "your dad would be too distracted to figure out who's behind it. While he's busy mourning, we swoop in and take over the serum he's producing." He grinned wickedly. "Too bad, huh? You're dying because of your father."

Before Evelyn could react, Caleb sent one of the bubbles speeding toward her. She backed away in fear, bracing herself for the explosion, but a sudden gust of wind sent the bubble flying in the opposite direction. Vivian landed beside her, her face set in a determined frown as Caleb stopped the bubble with his hand.

"Are you okay?" Vivian asked, her voice softer than usual.

Evelyn nodded, tears welling in her eyes. "I'm fine," she whispered, though the trembling in her voice betrayed her.

Vivian's frown deepened as she studied Evelyn. She had never seen her sister like this before—so vulnerable, so shaken. "What did he do to you?" she asked, her tone laced with concern.

Caleb interrupted, his voice smug. "I may or may not have told her that two girls were attacked today because of you two," he said, pointing at both Evelyn and Vivian.

Before Vivian could respond, Selene appeared beside them in a blur of speed, her movements inhumanly fast. Evelyn barely registered her presence before she spoke.

"Looks like the team is assembling," Caleb commented with a mocking smile.

Vivian glanced at Selene. "Take her to a safe place," she instructed.

Selene raised an eyebrow, her expression playful. "Seriously? Shouldn't you be the one taking her while I deal with the bubble boy?"

Vivian shot her a glare. "Just do it."

Selene held up her hands in mock surrender. "Okay, okay. But I'll be back." She turned to Caleb, her tone turning icy. "No one hurts my prey but me."

Vivian's eyes flashed with a warning. "If anything happens to her, you'll regret it."

"Relax," Selene replied casually as she scooped Evelyn up and took off in a blur of motion. Evelyn barely had time to register the speed at which they were moving, her vision blurring from the rapid sprint. Within moments, Selene stopped, setting Evelyn down in what appeared to be a safe area.

Evelyn stumbled slightly, dizzy from the ride. Selene leaned casually against a tree, watching her with mild amusement. "What's happening to me?" Evelyn asked, her voice shaky. "I've never felt like this before."

Selene approached her, her expression softening. "Hey, I know it's weird hearing this from me, but don't listen to what that douchebag says. Leah's death and the attack on Emily aren't your fault." She gently cupped Evelyn's face, forcing her to look into her eyes. "None of this is on you."

Evelyn's tears began to fall, and despite everything, she allowed herself to cry.