Location: Muchacho Van - Crestwood Streets / Unknown Alley
Time: Immediately After the Crucible Grounds
---
The van rumbled through the darkened streets of Crestwood, its engine a low, constant growl. The interior smelled of old leather, stale smoke, and something faintly metallic. Leo Jerkins sat in the back seat, his body pressed against the worn upholstery, his hands clasped tightly in his lap. His expression was one of quiet resignation—the look of a man who had long since accepted his place in the world.
Mateo sat across from him, his posture steady, his eyes fixed on Leo with an unreadable calm. He was a man of few words, but his presence was grounding—a quiet anchor in the chaos that had consumed the city.
"Orders are simple," Mateo said, his voice carrying a note of quiet authority. "You go back to being yourself. Pick up where the boss left off. No more pretending. No more mask."
Leo's lips curved into a self-deprecating smile. His voice carried a note of bitter amusement.
"Wow. I can go back to my not-so-all-roses life."
He paused, his internal voice carrying a note of quiet despair.
Isn't that Elijah guy just sending me to my grave? he thought. After all the enemies I made as myself—after all the noise and celebrity impact—wouldn't they immediately be suspicious to see me back to my old, useless strength?
He shook his head slowly.
Seems I'm done, then.
---
The van's door slid open.
Leo's body tensed. His eyes snapped toward the figure standing in the doorway—a man with a rough, doofy look, his expression casual, almost bored.
But something was wrong.
A sudden, involuntary reaction rippled through Leo's body. His chest tightened. His muscles spasmed. It was as if something inside him—something ancient and alien—had suddenly awakened, responding to the presence of the man before him. It squirmed and wiggled, like a parasite recognizing its host.
Leo froze.
The man smiled.
It was not a warm smile. It was the smile of a devil—a proclamation of authority, a silent assertion of dominance. The kind of smile that made Leo's blood run cold.
"Come on, pal," the man said, his voice carrying a note of casual command. "Follow me."
Leo's legs moved before his brain could catch up. He stepped out of the van, his body trembling with a mixture of fear and confusion.
---
The streets of Crestwood were alive with the chaos of the night. Neon signs flickered. Distant sirens wailed. People moved through the streets in steady streams, their faces illuminated by the glow of their phones.
But Leo saw none of it.
His eyes were fixed on the man walking beside him—the man he now knew was Elijah Marcus. His mind raced with a thousand thoughts, each one more terrifying than the last.
So now you want to have a word with me, he thought, his internal voice carrying a note of desperate humor. Probably wants to beat me up. Remind me he's in charge. Or maybe he wants to use whatever is inside of me—literally toy with me, torture me, in some demented fetish of his.
He glanced at Elijah—a quick, split-second look. Elijah noticed. He chuckled.
Leo's nerves tensed further.
Wait, he thought, his internal voice carrying a note of genuine fear. Don't tell me he's like those types with weird tastes. No, don't tell me he's going to—
They reached a quieter part of the city—an alley tucked between two abandoned buildings, its walls covered in faded graffiti, its ground slick with recent rain. The air was cool, carrying the scent of damp concrete and distant exhaust.
Elijah stopped. He turned to Leo, his expression unreadable.
Then he placed his hand on Leo's shoulder.
Leo flinched—a reflex, involuntary and sharp. He moved sideways, his body reacting before his mind could catch up.
Elijah's voice carried a note of quiet amusement. "Stop daydreaming, Leo. I'm not going to hurt you."
Leo's expression shifted to one of skeptical doubt. His voice was small, almost childish.
"You're... you're not?"
Elijah shook his head slowly.
---
The alley was quiet, save for the distant hum of the city. The light from a nearby streetlamp cast long shadows across the walls, illuminating Elijah's face in fragments.
He looked at Leo, his expression one of quiet certainty.
"Whatever you're viewing yourself as right now... isn't what you actually are."
Leo's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
Elijah's voice was calm, measured. "You and I aren't so different. If you put away the always-immersed thoughts of what you've been given in your mind."
Leo's expression shifted to one of confused disbelief. His voice carried a note of bitter self-deprecation.
"Don't try to pump me up with self-lies. That isn't true at all. How can I—the boring, crippled Leo—be something on the same league as the charming and strong Elijah?"
Elijah smiled. He shook his head slowly.
"Of course, you and I aren't the same in certain aspects. But the truth is... there's one thing we both have that makes us try to embrace our downsides and grow into better selves."
Leo's expression remained one of quiet despair. His voice was barely a whisper.
"And what would that be, sir?"
Elijah pointed at his heart. Then, he reached out, his fingers trailing around Leo's chest.
"This right here," he said, his voice carrying a note of quiet certainty. "Both of us have a dim spark within us—a spark waiting to be ignited into a burning flame that brings out the best of us."
His fingers paused, then withdrew.
"No need to outwardly seek validation from anyone who would probably just cheat you from realizing what better version of yourself you can bring out."
Leo's expression remained confused, but a flicker of something—curiosity, perhaps, or hope—crossed his features.
Elijah's voice carried a note of quiet reflection. "Whether you believe it or not... a couple of years ago, if not months ago, I was just like you. I thought what I was doing with my life and self was really what I thought was needed for me. I didn't seek anything else. What made me that way was my obligations—either to others or duties I gave and was given to me. They kind of held me within, made me a slave to them."
He paused, his gaze growing distant.
"Once I realized what it was—just an immersion of affirmations and nothing else—it made me all emotional. And at that state, I found something that would be more eye-opening. A guide to finding what really lies within."
Leo's voice was quiet. "And what was it... if I humbly ask?"
Elijah's lips curved into a small smile. "My will."
Leo's expression remained confused. "I... I still don't get it."
Elijah's voice carried a note of patient understanding. "Well, in a way I can put it for you, pal..."
He gestured around them—at the buildings, the sky, the city itself.
"This world we live in... the decisions and viewpoints we make of ourselves and the world around us are designed to induce us into acting according to the will which it laid upon us. And whether you realize it or not... it was intentional for one thing only."
Leo's voice was barely a whisper. "And what would that be?"
Elijah's voice was soft, almost gentle. "To bound that which is in each and every one of us."
His gaze shifted—looking at Leo not with his eyes, but with something deeper. Something that saw beyond the physical.
There, he thought. Just as I expected. A feeble absorption—a diluted spirit signature, heading toward his chip. Weak. Almost nonexistent. But there.
---
Elijah's hand shot out, pressing against Leo's head. His fingers spread wide, his palm flat against his skull.
Leo's body tensed. His eyes widened.
Elijah's voice was calm, almost soothing. "Let me enlighten you on something."
A ripple moved through the air—a subtle shift in the atmosphere, like the pressure before a storm. Elijah's eyes began to glow—a faint, iridescent light that seemed to shimmer with an otherworldly radiance.
Leo's eyes widened. He couldn't look away.
And then he saw it.
The world around him dissolved—the alley, the walls, the city—all of it fading into a haze of flickering light. He was no longer standing in the alley. He was somewhere else.
Somewhere inside himself.
A vast, cavernous space stretched before him—a world of writhing, pulsating energy. At the center of it all, a massive, grotesque form squirmed and heaved—a gluttonous, protoplasmic mass of desire and hunger. Its body pulsed with a sickly, vibrant light, its form shifting and contorting like a living nightmare.
It was Orrhion.
Leo's breath caught in his throat. His body trembled. His mind struggled to comprehend what he was seeing.
What... what is that?
The creature turned toward him. Its eyes—dozens of them—opened one by one, each one filled with a cold, predatory intelligence. It opened its mouth, revealing rows of jagged teeth.
And then it roared.
The sound was deafening—a primal, guttural shriek that seemed to shake the very foundations of Leo's being. He felt it in his bones, in his soul, in every fiber of his existence.
He screamed.
---
The projection faded. Leo stumbled backward, his body trembling, his face pale with terror. His breath came in short, ragged gasps. His eyes were wide, unfocused, staring at something that was no longer there.
Elijah watched him, his expression unreadable.
Leo's voice was barely a whisper. "What... what was that? What did I just see?"
Elijah's voice was calm, steady. "That, my friend, is what's been living inside you. What's been feeding on you. What's been keeping you weak."
Leo's legs gave out. He collapsed to the ground, his body trembling, his mind reeling.
What... what have I been carrying inside me?
Elijah knelt beside him, his voice carrying a note of quiet certainty.
"Now you understand. The spark within you... it's not just a metaphor. It's a choice. A choice to break free from what's been holding you back. A choice to become something more."
He placed a hand on Leo's shoulder.
"And I'm going to help you make that choice."
Leo looked up at him, his eyes filled with a mixture of fear, confusion, and something else—something that might have been hope.
"You... you can help me?"
Elijah's lips curved into a small smile. "I can. If you're willing to trust me."
Leo was silent for a long moment. Then, slowly, he nodded.
"Okay. I... I'll trust you."
Elijah's smile widened. "Good."
He stood, extending a hand to Leo.
"Now get up. We have work to do."
Leo took his hand, pulling himself to his feet. His body still trembled, his mind still reeled, but something had shifted. Something had changed.
The spark within him flickered.
And for the first time in a long time, it began to burn.