A few moments passed after Quinn realized that the boy he had thought was dead was actually alive. He was now using his healing ability, carefully tending to the wounds Ray had received.
The field was quiet. There was no sign of any remaining Death Bats. It seemed the third one had fled, frightened by the fire.
"After patching you up, we have to leave," Quinn said.
"We don't know whether that Death Bat might come back with others, so we need to move."
He finished healing and stepped back.
"I've done what I can. You'll be fine for now, but I need to conserve my MC in case something else shows up. Hope you understand."
"Hm… yeah," Ray replied.
"Thank you for coming," he said after a pause.
"I really thought I was going to die here."
His voice wavered, tears streaking down his face.
After calming himself, Ray looked up again.
"But… I have to ask. I thought your ability was earth-type. How are you using healing now? And I saw you use several other abilities too. How is that possible?"
Quinn didn't answer immediately.
"It's complicated," he finally said.
"That's all I can say for now. Once you're ready, we'll move and regroup with the others."
Quinn raised his hand and recorded a voice message.
"Guys, I managed to save Ray. Let's hurry and meet up at the Dome."
Messages flooded in almost instantly.
"Quinn, what happened? You already saved him?" Voron replied, shocked. "That was fast, I was just about to head to you."
"Anyway, I've met Erin and Amy," another message followed.
"Sarah and Michael are with me too. We're about 100 to 200 meters from the Dome—the area seems clear. We'll wait near the Dome's main entrance. Once you arrive, you do your thing, Quinn."
"Reach safely."
Quinn stood up and extended his forearm toward Ray.
"Alright. Let's go."
Ray hesitated for a second—then grabbed it.
-----
Thirty minutes had passed before Quinn and Ray finally reached the Dome and reunited with the others.
The moment they appeared, Vorden ran forward and pulled Quinn into a tight hug.
"I'm glad you made it."
The others avoided Ray's gaze. A heavy shame hung in the air. After all, they had voted not to go after him—and had called Quinn mad for even trying.
No one spoke.
Then Sarah broke the silence.
"Hey, Ray… we're sorry. We didn't even try to help you."
She hesitated. "But we had our reasons. Most of us were injured, barely managing to survive—and on top of that, we don't have our abilities anymore. We wouldn't have stood a chance."
"I know," Ray replied calmly.
"Quinn filled me in on everything."
He looked around at all of them.
"And honestly, if I were in your place, I might've done the same thing. So don't beat yourselves up. I'm talking to all of you—it's okay. But we're in this mess together now, so we should help each other and survive together."
The tension eased slightly.
Then Michael spoke up.
"So Ray… your clothes are covered in blood, but you look perfectly fine. How's that possible?"
"Oh, Quinn healed me," Ray said. "I didn't even know he could do that. Guess he's full of surprises."
"What?"
"Wait—wasn't your ability earth-type?" someone blurted out.
"Then what actually happened out there? How did Quinn save you?"
Ray's eyes widened as he spoke.
"You should have seen it. Quinn killed two of those Deadly Bats by himself. It was incredible."
The bats themselves were big creatures capable of flight and each one stood 3 to 4 m long. They would definitely creep anyone out.
A stunned silence followed.
"But… weren't you a Level 2 ability user?" Michael asked slowly.
Everyone's gaze snapped to Quinn's wristwatch.
The display read: 8.
Gasps rippled through the group.
"Were you hiding your ability all this time?"
"How is that even possible?"
Quinn stiffened. He didn't like where this was going. If they dug deeper—if they learned about how he gained these abilities— arguments, frustration, and blame would surface. Worse, none of them fully understood what had happened back in the room with truedreama consequence of Fex trying to erase their memories.
Then—
A sharp squeaking echoed around them.
Everyone turned.
The sound of Rataclaws.
Panic spread instantly. The warmth of human bodies—and the smell of blood-soaked clothes—had drawn them in. Multiple shapes began rushing toward the group.
"Maybe we talk after getting somewhere safe," Quinn said quickly. "I'll explain everything then. I promise."
He stepped forward and placed his hand on the Dome's steel door.
Inspect.
Erin tightened her grip on her metal rod.
"There are so many of them. What do we do? And how are you even going to open this, Quinn?"
"We should break in—now, we don't have the time to do hit and trial on the door code."
Quinn didn't look back and spoke, "Please relax and let me do my thing."
"I hope this works. Don't let me down, System", Quinn muttered.
[Access-code machine detected.]
[Linked to dual steel doors.]
[Combination: 33346253778]
"Shit…"
"Quinn, hurry!" Vorden shouted, rushing to the front to form a defensive line.
Hands shaking, Quinn entered the code.
A red light flashed.
ACCESS DENIED
"I knew it!" Michael snapped. "This was never going to—"
"Just give me a minute, would you!" Quinn shouted back.