GLASS || The Catalysts Series, #1

XXIX || Rupture

Death does not arrive.

Instead, Lena is cruelly slapped in the face by a stunningly powerful force, enough to send her flying backwards.

But when she looks up as she stumbles, there is only the Supernova, and the glass shards surrounding it. She stares at it intently, thinking it is its fault, wishing the glass shards can for once do something for her.

That's when a voice, as if rising from the bottom of the ocean, pops up. It feels as if Lena barely emerged from the bottom of the ocean as her senses return to her.

"Lena!"

Lena feels rock solid, as hard as the ground and the side she hit her head on. Wearily, she tries to stand up. The cool metal of the train kisses her, the darkness not helping her vision. What has happened?

"Lena!"

She can hear a voice calling to her, so she stumbles forward. What exactly happened? She is forced back by a brute force, hitting somewhere hard, and then nothing.

Then she sees the light ahead. Her eyes adjust. She spots Neesha on the other end, just barely. Her eyebrows are creased together in worry, her eyes darting around in confusion.

"Neesha!" Lena calls back. "I'm fine!"

"Thank heavens, Lena!" Neesha visibly relaxes. "Caelus! Roen, can you help me here?"

"What were you thinking?!" Caelus' voice takes over, a little on edge from his usual impassiveness.

Lena finds him struggling to get back up the roof, one elbow over the top and supporting his body that's half suspended. He seems to make no effort to move to safety from the very dangerous position he is in — not that he seems troubled about it. On the other hand, Neesha and Roen are near the edge, trying to figure out if Caelus should just drop down onto their broken end or climb up. He completely ignores them.

At first she believes he seems out of energy to climb over to safety. But the way he is glaring daggers at her, perhaps he isn't at all out of juice.

"Are you an idiot, running into the explosion like that?" Caelus comments.

She blinks repeatedly at him, uncertain. Then a surge of anger rises. "An idiot? You're the idiot hanging like that. You should take a look at yourself."

"I will get the person who nearly blasted me off the roof." He heaves himself up with Roen and Neesha worrying below. He pays them no attention; instead, he adverts his gaze to the direction of opposite of the demon — and speaking of which, the demon is directly behind him, looming. It extends its arm again, getting close to Caelus...

"Caelus!" Roen warns.

As soon as Caelus has balanced himself on top of the roof of the train, he waves one arm in the direction of the demon, sending a — dangerously — powerful gust of wind and knocking it back several blocks of building. It crashes into the nearest building, and the flying cars in range go into a frenzy trying to avoid the demon.

"Oops," Caelus says softly. He turns back to Lena. "As I was saying — you're a complete idiot for running into an explosion knowing full well you will not survive."

"Well, I'm here now, am I not?!" Lena retorts, crossing her arms. "What matters is the outcome, which is that I'm alive! I survived."

"And hence you think it appropriate to go running into disasters. Why not you jump off the train now, then, if you are so fearless?"

"Don't change the subject!" Lena says hastily, stuttering slightly.

Heights are different, an entirely new concept. Simply thinking about the position they are in — suspended so high above ground — makes her legs tremble. He's talking about... explosions? She wrecks her brain, but realises she is completely clueless on this argument. She's having yet another fight with Caelus. What is he saying?