Leo stood there, staring at Felix. His hands trembled. His clothes were soaked in sweat, and his ears rang with a deafening whine.
He had to decide. Run away, or save the world.
No. No, I can't. How can I save the world if I can't even save myself.
But… Didn't his grandfather want this? It was his whole life, what would he think if he saw Leo back away at the most critical moment? What about his parents? Yuki and Alex? Betty and Liam? What if something happens to them? Alphabet would get to him. And if they couldn't, they'd target his family and friends. Their lives were in his hands now. The weight of them pressed against his chest like a boulder, crushing the air from his lungs.
"I— I—" Words couldn't form. His lips shook, his teeth gritted.
What should I do?! Mom! Dad! Please!
No one could hear his silent pleas. He was alone, and he had to decide.
"I'll do it!" The words tore out of him in a scream. Not because he gathered the courage, but he was afraid that if took his time saying it, his teeth would fall off from the weight of the words.
"Great!" Felix exclaimed. "Wait here. I'll be right back."
He turned and disappeared in a dark room. Leo fell to his knees, palms pressed against the cold floor, sweat dripping from his face. He made a decision; a decision that could dictate the fate of this world.
Felix came back, this time holding a black case. He set it on the table, opening it slowly. Leo stood up as grey smoke poured from the case, and when it cleared, it revealed something impossible.
"This." Felix stepped back, hands falling away from the case. "This is the materialization of your grandfather's brilliance."
The Bracelet. In its glorious form. The hologram hadn't done it justice. It felt real. It felt alive. It felt there, like something inevitable. Sleek metallic form, green and purple light spreading through it like veins, pulsing like a heartbeat.
This is real. This is happening…
"It will bind with you," Felix said, grounding Leo back to reality. "But there will be pain."
"Pain—?"
Before Leo could complete his sentence, the Bracelet launched itself and clamped onto Leo's wrist. Leo stumbled backward, clawing at the Bracelet, trying desperately to pry it off, his heart pounding faster and faster. The Bracelet was digging into his skin.
He could feel it. He could feel his skin being torn off. His muscles burning and his bones breaking. The Bracelet moved like something alive; writhing, digging, thinking.
"Don't fight. Just be patient." Those words weren't as helpful as Felix thought. Leo was in pain, and Felix knew it, but he didn't do anything about it.
Leo's eyes turned red. The lab shook from his constant screaming. His veins pulsed with faint light.
Please! Stop it! PLEASE!!!
The Bracelet finally disappeared beneath Leo's skin. The pain subsided into a dull ache. Leo gasped for air, but his lungs were tired from all the screaming. Leo stared at his wrist; there was almost nothing, just a faint silvery line that ran around his wrist. No scars. No wounds. Nothing.
"Thank you." Felix approached slowly. "I know this wasn't easy."
"I—" The words died in his throat. His breath came in ragged gasps. Leo examined his wrist. It didn't feel like something foreign was there. It was warm. Comforting, somehow. As if...
As if someone was with him.
I'm not alone.
The thought came unbidden. Strange. But... true?
"Listen carefully, Leo." Felix put his hand on Leo's shoulder. "Do NOT try to use it yet. You need training. If you do, you might risk destroying something, or you could die."
"DIE?!"
"Yes. The Bracelet is no joke. Come back here tomorrow. Same time. Same place."
"Why? Can't this wait?"
"We need to begin training. No wasting time. Don't you want to protect your family?" Felix said with almost a caring tone, but something slips between his words.
Leo's head spun. "How do I… How do I explain this to my family? My—"
"You don't," Felix interrupted. "No one should know. You're just risking their lives by doing so."
"But—"
"Time's ticking. It's late. Go home."
Before Leo could respond, he was outside the lab. As he climbed the stairs, he looked at his wrist, at the silvery mark.
What have I done?
What have I done?
What have I done?
Outside, the sky was black.
How long was I down there?
He checked his phone. Fifty-plus missed calls from Mom and Yuki.
Texts from his mom: "Where are you?"
"Why aren't you answering?"
"Pick up your phone NOW or you are in big trouble!"
He ran. Through empty streets. Past the old playground where he used to play with Betty and Liam. Through his neighborhood. His lungs burned. His heart hammered. Yet each time he passed by something familiar, his arm felt warm, and his heart too. By the time he reached his house, Yuki was sitting on the front porch, arms crossed, brows furrowed. The moment she saw him, she exploded.
"Leo! Where WERE you?! We have been looking for you since forever! Do you have ANY idea how worried we were?!"
"I- uh…" Leo approached slowly.
His mother rushed outside. When she saw him, tears welled up in her eyes while she approached him with open arms. Leo thought she was about to hug—
SLAP!!
…
Stinging pain spread across Leo's cheek. His hand flew to his face, hovering over the burning skin.
She… she hit me…
"WHERE WERE YOU?!" His mother's voice cracked, raw and desperate. Her hair was a mess. Mascara streaked down her cheeks. "I have been calling you for hours now! Why weren't you answering?!"
"I— I am…"
"I lost you once! And I won't lose you again! To your room, now!"
"Mom… I…"
"I said, NOW!"
He had no choice.
He walked past her, past Yuki, who wouldn't meet his eyes, into the house, up the stairs, into his room. He sank onto his bed and broke. Sobs tore through him. His whole body trembled. He'd never seen his mother like that. So terrified. So broken.
Eventually, exhausted from crying, from thinking, from everything, he fell into fitful sleep.
Downstairs, the rest of the family sat around the dining table in tense silence.
"Honey, don't stress yourself…" The father reached for her hand, but she pulled away.
"Yeah, Mom. He just woke up, be easy on him—" Yuki backed her father, but Alex interrupted her, "No. He deserved that. He doesn't belong here anyway."
"All of you, shut up!" The mother shouted. "No dinner for tonight. Everyone to their rooms, now!"
"But, honey—"
"You too!"
…
Leo started to go to the school basement each day after school. He had to learn how to use the Bracelet if he wanted to keep seeing his family and friends.
"I don't think I'd be able to come," Leo said on his first day. "My parents are terrified. After last night..." He touched his cheek unconsciously. "I can't stay out late again."
"Ah, I see." Felix walked to one of the consoles and typed something. A high-pitched ringing spread across the lab, then silence. "There." Felix turned back to Leo, satisfied. "Problem solved."
"What did you do?"
"I just created a time-warping bubble around the lab. Every hour here is ten minutes outside," Felix explained calmly, as if it didn't sound like something out of a sci-fi movie.
"Time-warping what?! In the school basement?!"
"No time for questions." Felix was already moving toward the training area. "We start now."
And so, Leo's training began. Days blurred together. Each session left him drained. He tried to hide it, tried to act normal at school, but exhaustion has a way of showing. And his friends noticed.
Betty, as curious and caring as ever, noticed his changing behavior first. He began avoiding them at lunch, leaving as soon as the bell rang. Wouldn't even meet her eyes. And he grew distant with each passing day. She always tried to talk things out of him, but he brushed her off each time…
Liam, on the other hand, noticed too, but he kept his distance. He knew something was happening to him, and it hurt watching him go through it, but he also knew that he had to stay out of his way…
At least, he did. Until that day.
It happened on a Wednesday. Leo disappeared during last period. Just... gone. Betty and Liam exchanged a look, and without a word, they followed. They caught up to him near the stairway.
"Leo, stop! Just stop," Betty shouted, then pinned him to the wall. "Tell me what's happening to you."
"I… I have to go—"
"No!" She pressed her other hand on the wall, blocking his way. "We're NOT doing this anymore."
"It's… It's something private… I should—"
"You should what?!"
"I can't talk about it."
"Why not?" Liam said from behind. Leo stared at the floor. He couldn't look at them, couldn't bear to see the hurt in Betty's eyes…
I want to tell you. I want to tell you everything. But I can't. I really can't.
"I'm sorry, Beatrice…" He gently pushed her arm aside. "I have to go…"
She stood frozen, arm still raised where he'd pushed it away.
Beatrice…
"Liam…"
"Yeah?"
"He called me… Beatrice… right?"
"Uh… I guess?"
"Why?"
Why? The question echoed through her head for the rest of the day. Through her last class. Through the walk to her locker. Through the entire walk home. Leo never called her by her real name. He always called her Betty. Simple. Short. Cute. It marked how close they were, so why now?
Liam walked beside her, talking about something — basketball practice, maybe? — but Betty barely heard him.
Why did he call me by my real name?
Does he hate me?
I thought we had a connection…
Did I do something?
What should I do?
"He'll tell us when he's ready." Liam said, breaking through her spiral. Betty wanted to believe that. She really did. But something told her Leo wasn't going to tell them anything. She couldn't let go like Liam. She cared about Leo. She—
It's not just worry…
The thought stopped her in her tracks.
I care about Leo in ways I don't care about Liam…
In ways I've never cared about anyone…
Her chest tightened.
No. He's just my friend… That's all. Isn't it?
But if that was true, why did it hurt so much when he pushed her away? Why did "Beatrice" feel like a door slamming shut?
On the other side, the Bracelet pulsed once, then twice. An aching feeling rushed through Leo's arm, as if it was punishing him for hurting someone… then warmth…