Mixed Signals

In the dimness of early morning, Ellie's face glowed in the light of the crackling fire as she slept peacefully. Al had fully recovered and felt well-rested. "I wonder what her dreams are?" Al thought, before getting up and picking up a stick to use as a makeshift torch.

He started strolling toward the beach. The island they had found themselves on was small and devoid of any animal life, the night quickly passed.

As the morning sun gently roused Ellie from her slumber, she realized that Al was missing, and the fire had died down. In the distance, she could hear the rhythmic sound of something being whacked. Curious, she got up and followed the noise.

There, she spotted Al, using his twisted knife to cut down a palm tree. Although he noticed her approaching, he asked, "Morning, how'd you sleep?" while continuing his task, but Ellie brushed off the question and inquired, "What are you planning?"

Al gathered what he had cut and replied, "Come and see." she followed him. They made their way to the beach, where a sizeable pile of palm roots and wood had been accumulated by him.

"I'm going to burn it. The smoke will be so massive that there's no way Cesar and the others won't see it. All I need now is more green raw material for even more smoke," Al explained.

Ellie was surprised he had already gathered so much material, she knew he had to have worked all night. She then said "That's a good idea. I'll help you but first I'd like for you to answer a question that's been on my mind for a while."

Ellie stopped her face expressionless, yet her eyes revealing an internal struggle, "Al, why do you cultivate if you believe your mom is dead—although she might not be—but even if she is, she will eventually die? So, what's your real reason?"

As they walked, the weight of Ellie's question hung in the air, stirring emotions they both had been grappling for some time now.

"Honestly, I've been asking myself the same question. For a while, I thought maybe wanted was power. I was partially right, but the truth is, I want freedom. Everything that has happened, everything I have said and done, has been a reaction to something happening to me. I've begun to feel a lot like the blade I hold—chained to something I can't comprehend." Al confessed, gazing at the ground with a hint of defeat before continuing to walk.

Ellie couldn't help but be reminded of her own mother. "Freedom, what does that even mean?" she thought, her mind filled with reflections as she hurried to catch up with Al. In the quiet intensity of the moment, both of them carried the weight of their pasts and desires for the future.

Back on the ship, Cesar and the rest found themselves in what appeared to be an interrogation room, surrounded by stern-looking men dressed in black and white suits.

The atmosphere was tense as the men questioned them about Cesar's weapon and their peculiar robes, mentioning that they claimed to be from the Institute for Practical Science, an organization they wanted no involvement with.

Clearly annoyed by the skepticism, Cesar retorted, "I could ask you the same stupid questions. Why do all of you wear suits, and what's with the weapons? I'm no fool; this is clearly a military ship."

The man leading the questioning furrowed his eyebrows, but his expression soon softened. "We wear these suits to symbolize our fellowship, cleanliness, and the light that will conquer the darkness. As for our so-called 'weapons,' they represent the all-powerful sword of our Lord, prepared for us long before the World was punished by His almighty grace."

Cesar regarded the man with an odd look, finding his response peculiar. Nevertheless, since the man had answered his question, Cesar felt obliged to provide some explanation as well. "The I.S.P hired us as a Phantom Seed, meaning we're cultivators who have yet to be recognized by the God Leaves. The robes we wear are..."

The man interrupted Cesar his anger erupted; his demeanor shifted drastically. He denounced the God Leaves and cultivators, accusing them of collaborating with evil spirits, whom he referred to as demons responsible for God's rebuke upon the world.

In a sudden fury, he ordered the guards to capture Cesar, Jin, and Agnethe under their Holy Law.

Six armed guards stormed into the room, wielding close-quarters combat shotguns. Cesar, Jin, and Agnethe cautiously raised their arms in surrender.

Ellie's mirror clone remained motionless. The guards roughly threw Cesar and the others to the ground, but when they attempted to grab Ellie's clone, an unseen force repelled them, sending one flying backward.

In an instant, Ellie's form transformed into a colossal floating mirror, her etheric shell an embodiment of her Reflective Will.

The men were stunned by this surreal sight, shouting for backup as they opened fire on the mirror. However, they underestimated the mirror's power. It effortlessly sent the bullets hurtling back at them, with devastating force, instantly killing the man who had been interrogating Cesar.

"Watch out! It's firing back!" one of the guards warned, and they all began firing relentlessly at the mirror. The room filled with gun smoke, creating a chaotic and tense atmosphere.

Jin cried out in pain, and the air was filled with bullet fragments as the intense exchange continued.

The scene was haunting as Ellie's mirror, floated reflecting a bloody scene. The room was now a grim scene, with lifeless bodies scattered across the floor. Despite the guards' heavy armor and tactical training, they had met their end at the hands of their own bullets.

Cesar managed to get back on his feet, followed by Agnethe and Jin, who was now limping, blood flowing from his left leg.

The smoke began to clear, revealing the aftermath of the intense confrontation—seven dead bodies, bullet-riddled and surrounded by pools of their own blood.

"We have to get the hell out of here. No one is going to believe we didn't kill them," Jin urgently suggested, realizing the gravity of their situation.

As they stepped out of the room, Ellie's mirror remained motionless. Agnethe went back and attempted to gently move the mirror, but her force was reflected back with nearly triple its intensity.

"Just leave it for now. I hear footsteps coming," Cesar warned in a loud whisper, and Agnethe quickly rejoined him.

The trio navigated through the ship's corridors, with Cesar supporting Jin as they hurriedly moved forward. Agnethe suddenly spoke with a skeptical voice. "We need to find whoever is in charge of this vessel and kidnap them," she said, stunning both Cesar and Jin.

"Are you out of your mind? How is escalating our situation going to solve anything?" Cesar almost shouted in disbelief.

Agnethe countered, "Think about it. He was going to imprison us anyway, and we still need to find Al and Ellie. There's nothing we can do behind iron bars won't help us now."

Jin, though injured, agreed with Agnethe's reasoning. "She's right, especially after they discover Ellie's mirror. There's no way we can lie our way out of this," he added, urging Cesar to consider their predicament.

Feeling compelled to take charge, Cesar made a decision. "In that case, let me handle this," he said, passing the limping Jin to Agnethe.

"Go to the ship's landing strip and wait for me there." he said with his majestic spear firmly in hand, Cesar ran past them, determined to confront whoever was in command of the vessel and find a way to rescue Al and Ellie.

Back in the small island Ellie's gaze remained fixed on Al as he stood before the colossal hill, he had constructed from palm trees and plants.

With a deliberate motion, he tossed the fire he held into the pile, and the flames greedily engulfed the material, generating intense heat that forced Al to retreat closer to Ellie. Together, they watched the massive fire, which produced billowing clouds of black smoke.

"If they don't see it, someone else might. I don't have my etheric shell with me, and all our inhalers were lost at sea, so neither of us can enter the mental domain anymore," Ellie softly voiced, her eyes still drawn to the roaring flames.

"Maybe that's for the best. After all, there are no permanent shortcuts. That was another reason for us to leave," Al responded, contemplating the implications of their current situation.

Running through a maze of corridors Cesar's movements were swift and calculated, evading the gunfire as the bullets whizzed by, narrowly missing their mark.

With a mighty swing of his spear, he unleashed a powerful gale of wind, which knocked back three armed guards and disarmed them without causing fatal harm.

As he confronted one of the guards, Cesar noticed that they were all dressed in identical black and white suits underneath the tactical armored they had put on. "These aren't trained soldiers underneath. They must be ordinary men," he deduced, his mind racing with possibilities.

Leaping towards one of the men, Cesar stomped his foot against the man's head, causing him to cry out in pain. Holding his spear close to the man's neck, Cesar adopted a cold and resolute tone. "Tell me where the captain of this ship is, or I'll slice your throat like a pig!"

Frightened and desperate, the man quickly revealed the captain's location, providing directions in a panicked rush. Cesar didn't waste any time and swiftly disappeared, leaving behind only a gust of wind in his wake.

Following the directions given, Cesar found himself in a narrow corridor with laser sights dotting the walls, accompanied by the sound of silenced gunfire and bullets flying past his head. He instinctively retreated, seeking cover behind the safety of a nearby wall.

" Damn I'm not bulletproof, and those lasers look dangerous. If only I could access the mental domain, my torrential wind spell would have dealt with them," Cesar lamented, pondering a way to overcome the perilous situation.

Suddenly, an idea struck him like a lightbulb illuminating his mind.

He began spinning his spear with both hand channeling all the Wind Will he could muster. The powerful wind continued to swirl and began to pull at the guards, growing stronger by the second.

They were trapped, feeling as though they might be lifted off the ground and hurled toward the deadly laser sights. One of the guards managed to grab hold of the door's handle, but the other had nothing to hold onto and was sent hurtling toward the lasers.

The moment he touched one, an explosion erupted, sending his body into pieces that were then flung around the corridor, triggering a chain reaction of explosions.

At the other end of the corridor, Cesar controlled the forceful wind with his spinning spear, directing it with incredible power. The air became thick with blood and bone fragments, prompting him to stop his control over the wind and sending it flying to the wall behind him.

Walking towards the end of the corridor, Cesar surveyed the aftermath of the carnage his wind had caused. "Well, he really did this to himself," he muttered to himself.

Upon approaching the man who had been clinging to the door handle, Cesar discovered that the lower half of his body had been torn apart by the exploding claymores.

Realizing that he was beyond help, Cesar forcefully removed the man's lifeless still hands from the handle and opened the door, only to be met with a hail of gunfire aimed directly at him.

Surprisingly, the man in front of him wore a completely white suit, in stark contrast to the other guards. He was visibly trembling as he nervously pointed the gun at Cesar.

Despite the imminent threat, Cesar remained undeterred, his focus unwavering. "Wow, you actually would have killed me had you not missed," he remarked, his voice amused.

The man in the wholly white suit trembled with fear as Cesar walked towards him, his glasses fogging up due to his erratic breathing.

He desperately attempted to reason with Cesar, citing that they had rescued him and his friends from the sea, and therefore, they should be shown some form of gratitude.

"Yeah, it should be that way, but I haven't actually killed anyone. And since I doubt, you can come to believe us, I have no option but to take you hostage unless you think you can actually land a shot here," Cesar calmly asserted, the tip of his spear to his own forehead.

The old man, his nerves shaken, gazed at the lifeless bodies of his fellow guardsmen, who were undoubtedly superior shooters compared to himself.

Slowly, he lowered his gun, realizing the futility of resisting Cesar's forceful control. Fearful of what awaited him if he attempted any resistance, he acquiesced to Cesar's demand, becoming a hostage under the young cultivator's watchful eyes.

Al and Ellie were seated, meditating near the crackling fire which had been producing massive smoke for hours. Ellie's eyes snapped open with urgency. "They're coming!" she exclaimed, causing Al to quickly rise and scan their surroundings.

However, he saw nothing unusual. It was a tranquil midday, and the sea remained calm.

Far on the horizon, a small ship started to materialize, gradually becoming visible to them. Al's heart quickened, a mix of hope and concern swirling within him.

He observed Ellie, who seemed to be focusing her consciousness, making a connection with her etheric shell. Her face displayed a mix of emotions as she shared her discovery with Al.

"I don't see Cesar or the rest of our Phantom Seed, only dead bodies," Ellie revealed, her words causing a momentary pause in the air.

The weight of her statement settled in, and Al's mind raced with questions. What had happened to their companions? Who actually was approaching them? Uncertainty clouded their situation, raising more questions than answers.

Back in the ship Ellie's mirror began warping before transforming into a copy of her and walked out of the bloody room.

Her clone followed a trail of blood before coming to the main control room to find Cesar in the captain's chair with Anethe and Jin manning a station. They had seen Ellies mirror transform into her clone and make its way to them.

"So, it is you and Al on that Island. I hope the two of you are fine. Well as you can see, we have commandeered this ship." Cesar said with a prideful smile.

Ellies mirror clone smiled awkwardly "Cesar you three didn't kill all those people I just walked past did you?"

Cesar looked at her in horror "Of course not! That was all you." Ellie looked at him with an annoyed expression "Well this won't end well." she replied.

Before the sun went down Al and Ellie had reunited with everyone climbing aboard. At sunset the five of them were in the captain's room.

"We should sink the ship right before making it to land and send the remaining crewmen you have locked up in this ship on a lifeboat as we run for it." Al said.

Jin suddenly interrupted them "Umm we have company." He said pointing at the radar in front of him which indicated a fleet of ships making their way toward them from the south.