"Harrison!" Sam bawled as he fixed his gaze on the ball of fire that ascended behind the remnants of the former Time Square building. 

While stationed in the air, he didn't know what to do. His hopes of seeing his siblings were dashed away forcefully by an unprecedented event. It couldn't be, it was too soon for Harrison and Dan to depart from the physical realm and embark upon the spiritual one.

He shook his head in disbelief and descended to the ground. Meanwhile, Dianca cupped her mouth with her hand and watched in horror as this event unfolded. Her eyes were wide open and her throat throbbing in pain, "No," she whimpered silently to herself.

When Sam descended, she rushed to him. 

"What do we do?" She inquired with distraught.

Sam only swallowed a lump, failing to respond. "I don't know," he answered.

As the two wallowed in their despair, Gordon mounted a corpse on its chest as his blade was drenched with blood. He took a cloth from his pocket and wiped the last drops of blood dripping onto the ground.

As he looked around, countless corpses were lying around with large gaping wounds that released blood. He heard the two sob and he turned around to face them. As he marched to them, his demeanor was calm and hinted at a lack of perturbance.

"You need not worry," he began.

The two directed their gaze at him as he continued speaking. "Harrison and Dan are much stronger than you could imagine. They are Codexian and that means that they have a strong will to fight and live," he said as he raised his clenched fist above his head.

"I have faith in them and so should you. I don't how they will survive this, but I know that they will. They have lives that they need to live, dreams that they must fulfill, and hopes that they aspire to achieve. Until they've fulfilled their goals, then they've not completed their race. Their will to survive will burn profoundly in their hearts."

 He placed his hand on Diana's shoulder and assured her and Sam.

"You're right, " Sam responded

"Yeah, let's have faith in them," Diana responded.

"A touching sentiment, " A deep eerie voice said.

The three directed their gaze forward and as they did that, Seth landed on the ground before them with brutal force. His landing incited a crater.

He walked out of the crater and faced the three from afar, he continued speaking all the while, "... one that I would not expect from you, Gordon. A heartless beast and a traitor to our father."

As he spoke, he then directed his gaze to both Sam and Diana, "Yes, I also believe that they'll survive. After all, I didn't intend to kill them. I still need them, as well as you two. We are one big family after all. We may have stepped onto each other's toes but that doesn't mean that we can't start afresh."

Diana raised her voice at him, "Who said that we'll start afresh? Do you think that we will accept you as our family? Do you think that Harrison and Dan will accept you, especially when you left them on your ship to die!?"

"That I did, but I did it to fulfill my plan. I had to even the odds. Not that I lack faith in my strength, no no no. With them out of the way, I'll be able to defeat you swiftly. And once I've done so, I will kill Gordon. Then I will take all of you with me to our new home, without your permission of course," he said with glee.

"You're plan is to abduct us? you're one sick lunatic," Diana scoffed.

Diana then imbued her hands with a wine-purple aura. Sam also coated his hands with his powers while Gordon poised his blade at him.

"You're not taking us with you, and we will make sure of that because we have what you don't," Sam replied as he stepped forward.

Seth arched his right brow with intrigue, "And what would that be brother?"

"A team. Even if you outpower us individually, that all changes when the number game comes into full effect. We gonna take you down and as a team!"

"Come, show me what you got!" Seth dared him.

Sam and Diana flew to him while Gordon took a huge leap toward him. The two siblings stretched their unclenched hands toward their sadistic brother and launched a cock tail of powerful forces. On one side it was an ultraviolet ray while on the other it was a wine-purple aura. Moreover, Gordon swung his blade and launched a jade-green pigmented projectile slash. The three elements drew closer to Seth, and when they did, the latter summoned a wall made of crystal matter from the ground

The wall of crystals dwarfed Seth in size eventually and served as a barrier against their attacks When the formidable elements stuck the wall, they dissipated. But what came next was unheard of.

Once the three landed on the ground they gaped their mouths with awe, "What? Our attacks failed to graze his barrier. How did that even happen?" Sam replied as he pondered thoroughly about the cause of the unprecedented outcome. 

Although the three were gobsmacked, they were unaware of the wonders that they would soon experience. As they glanced at the wall of crystals, something extraordinary occurred. The wall then formed canons.

"What the?" Sam and Diana responded simultaneously while they beamed a baffled expression.

The canons then released a series of crystalline energy beams. They each dodged the beams once their eyes caught sight of them.

After missing their targets, the beams struck the area behind them a few meters apart. A massive explosion incited, stretching beyond 16 meters in height.

"That wall is made up of crystals, our attacks won't even leave a dent. Let's attack him from the side," Gordon stated as he looked at the entirety of the wall, probing for possible solutions.

"Got it!" The two siblings responded simultaneously. 

Diana and Sam took possession of flight and flew opposite to each other to catch their target with surprise from the side. Once they flew past the barrier from each side, they saw Seth and sandwiched him. Once again, they fired their attacks at him. The latter stretched his hand on both sides to their attacks. His hands morphed into a shield consisting of crystal matter. Their attacks dissipated once they came in contact with his shields. 

As swift as a cheetah, Seth transformed his shield into a pair of mini-machine guns and fired a range of quartz crystals from each side. The two flew away as a result, but before they could escape further, a few quartz crystals impaled them on the midsection. They crashed against the ground as a result and groaned in agony.

Seth then approached the two and spoke with them. While he was doing this, Gordon prowled from behind and concealed behind his barrier.

 "You must be wondering why your pitiful attacks failed to phase through my barrier wall. Well, allow me to indulge you. The minerals that I manipulate are Codexian by nature. Therefore any element from our ancestral home is more advanced than the ones from this planet. That includes the minerals from Codex. In hindsight, I implore you to expect my crystals to be sturdier than anything you could imagine."

Swiftly, Gordon swung his sword toward Seth from behind, initially repelling a projectile slash. The sharp air pressure wave moved rapidly in his direction cutting through tar like it were butter. Seth pivoted to face the projectile slash. He knew that he couldn't form his shield before the slash caught up to him. Therefore, he leaped to his right side and rolled on the ground as the slash moved past him, missing him by a millisecond.

Fortunately, he landed on his right knee due to his agility. He fired a burst of quartz crystals at Gordon with his mini-machine gun. The latter repeatedly swung his blade, driving the crystals away while also reinforcing a visual image of a wind turbine swiftly rotating around its rotor. However, as he did so, his blade crumbled slowly but steadily, unable to withstand the force of several bullet-like crystals. In due course, the upper edge of his blade fractured.

Seth smirked and bobbed his head slightly to his right side, "Let's see you do battle without your precious sword!"

As Gordon scurried away Seth fired a series of quartz crystals, the sharp dagged pieces delved deep into his left ribs. As he did that, he fell to the ground as well and mended his wounds. 

It was a spectacle truly, seeing the man who not only betrayed his father wreath in anguish. Though he was joyful of Gordon's outcome. Deep down in his crooked heart, he wanted more. His agony was too minor to satisfy his unyielding desire for vengeance.  Therefore, he directed his crystal gun at Gordon's legs and fired another set. The latter groaned in agony when his flesh met the sharp minerals. He then approached Gordon and stood by his side. He raised his foot, and as he did that, sharp crystal spikes grew from underneath. He plunged his spiked foot through Gordon's right arm. 

Gordon cried out agony like a cattle that was slaughtered amidst a traditional ceremony.  Seth lowered his posture and said, "I want you to know that the anguish that you feel pales in comparison to the one that my father felt when you stabbed him in the back. Now you die, you vermin!" He exclaimed as he raised his foot and directed to his countenance. 

As the latter was about to plunge his spiked foot through his skull,  Diana struck him with a purple projectile wave from behind. The projectile wave repelled him as he landed a further distance away. The latter leisurely crawled to his feet as his crystal machine guns reverted to his hands. He dusted himself and smiled.

"So Diana, you've learned to abandon your moral compass. You've begun to embrace the truth," he said smiling.

She shook her head with disagreement, "I'm nothing like you. Besides I can neutralize the extent of my decaying powers." 

"Tragically, sister, you will soon interpret life as I do. You need to be educated, and I would love to teach you about the twisted laws of this wretched reality." 

From their respective positions, the two locked eyes with one another. Diana's eyes turned a deep wine-purple shade. She scanned her surroundings and fixed her eyes on a few nearby objects. She extended her hands in their direction, enveloping those items with her energy and thus enabling them to soar upward. 

The earth underneath started to crumble, and she levitated too. When this sequence occurred, the objects traveled in her direction and floated over her when they got closer. Numerous items were flying around inside the aura bubble. They ranged from wrecked motor vehicles to a series of lamp posts, and mail posts.

"Let's see you worm your way out of this!" She exclaimed and directed her hand at him. In turn, the objects were launched at him.

His eyes shot bright red, and he discharged a powerful burst of heat rays. The scarlet beams scorched the falling objects to ashes. He grinned while she gaped her mouth in disbelief. He launched his heat vision at her, and she soared away, evading the attack. However, the latter wasn't done with the ordeal and he continued to shoot rays her way. 

Naturally, she skillfully sidestepped the blasts and circled him as the beams that passed by effortlessly tore through several structures. Despite the risks involved, she moved closer to him. The risks, however, outweighed the benefits. She closed the distance between them, clenching her fist for the attack. He shot directly at her again, and this time she flew under the blast and drew closer. Victory tasted sweeter than honey, and she could feel it dancing on her taste buds.

 Seth then used the bottom of his wrist to parry the gut-wrenching blow that she delivered. That blow unleashed a mighty concussive wave that almost repelled them apart. 

 "Victory was imminent, it nearly chugged you into its warm embrace. Yet you did not succeed, sister," he added with pride. 

She was horrified and couldn't believe that her last-digit move amounted to failure. He then shot her with his heat vision instantly, sending her hurtling toward a nearby structure. He turned around as he joyfully observed.

Seth then directed his attention to the helpless sap that remained defiant against him. As he turned around, he received a heinous punch to the jaw by Sam. To increase the intensity of that punch, he flew at high speed to gain the momentum that he needed. And with that, Seth was launched a further distance away after coming in contact with his punch. Eventually, he collided with a nearby building.

Sam stood on the ground and hissed from where he stood, "Nobody touches my sister!"

*****************

The scent of the insufferable smoke filled his airways, all the while dropping a metallic taste on his tongue. Dan opened his eyes and bore witness to the catastrophe that unfolded; the orange- terror eating through the debris of the Mothership and growing intensely. As the orange terror feasted, it acquired more tendrils while emitting smoke.

He scoured his surroundings from where he lay, as he tried to make visual sense of what was happening, he realized that he was surrounded by a large layer of peach and yellow crust. A few pipes bulged off the wall of rocks with water seeping out. Though he didn't know where he was, soon he noticed that he was in a pit-like structure caused by the ship's landing. In actuality, it was a crater.

He lay flat on the surface, his face facing the ground. He moved his hand and analyzed it. It had accumulated numerous burnt marks. A devastating sensation tormented him while he moved it effortlessly. With his right hand stretched to the ground ahead of him, he pulled himself forward. He clenched his teeth as the sensation worsened and spread throughout his body.

"Just hold on Harrison, I'm coming," he murmured under his breath.