The night stretched on, the silence in the room thick enough to suffocate me. The only thing that filled the void was the soft hum of the fluorescent lights above—probably wondering whether they were worth it, staying on for another night.
Hell, I wasn't sure I was.
I rolled over on the bed, staring at the sterile ceiling. The thought of what was coming, what could be coming, was like a storm in the distance, something I could feel but couldn't quite see.
Ezekiel's offer hung in my mind, a heavy weight that I couldn't shake off. The escape. The plan. The one thing that might give me a shred of control over this damn place. I had been stuck here for so long, trapped in a cycle of my own mind, my own failures, and now… now I had a way out. Maybe.
But why? Why was Ezekiel helping me? I hadn't exactly been his best friend in these past few weeks we knew each other. Hell, I hadn't exactly been anyone's friend. But there he was, the guy who stopped the experiments made on my mind, really having genuine conversations with me and even helping me with "no hidden motive". No strings attached, huh? Yeah, I wasn't buying that.
But then again, what choice did I have? I sat up, rubbing my eyes. Maybe if I thought about it long enough, the answer would just pop into my head. Like a lightbulb turning on, all bright and clear. But all I got was a headache. My head had been like that lately, cluttered. Full of questions that didn't have answers.
And then there was Matthias. Ezekiels older brother.
The name kept bouncing around in my head like a basketball that wouldn't stop dribbling. Ezekiel had mentioned him a few times, a lot actually, like he was some kind of ghost that kept haunting him. Matthias, this supposed genius prodigy who had been framed by my father. Alaric.
Yeah. Alaric. My dad. The man who had left me to rot in here, the man who had ignored my existence for years. If there was anyone I hated, it was him. But that didn't mean I could just let it all go. I had to understand. Why did Ezekiel want revenge on him? And why was it so important to him?
if i thought about it, it made sense. Im disappointed in my brother. That he didnt fight for me to stay, like i would have for him. That he didnt see how much more loved he was by our parents. Im jealous of his ability, his defined control over his Element, while mine was uncontrollable.
But i regardless loved him. So if that happened to Ivan, i would have also tried to find a way to mentally break the man that drove him to suicide. And what better way was there to drive Alaric crazy by letting me escape his control? The disappointment of a Son that was uncontrollable. But was that really the whole reason why Ezekiel wanted to help me escape?
That was the thing about trust. You couldn't force it. But I found myself leaning toward the idea. I wanted to believe that Ezekiel wasn't just using me, that there was something real behind all the anger, all the betrayal. Maybe I could understand him a little better.
I reached for the glass of water on the nightstand, the same one I had been avoiding all day. My fingers brushed the rim, and it shuddered in response, like it knew.
As I lifted the glass, the door clicked open. And there he was. Ezekiel. Standing in the doorway like he owned the place. Honestly, at this point, I was starting to think he did.
"Can't sleep?" he asked, his voice casual, but there was something in it, something I couldn't place. Was it… concern?
"I've been thinking," I said, my voice rough. I took a sip of the water, trying to steady myself. "About what you said. About Matthias. You're not just doing this for… you know, the revenge. There's more to it, right?" He raised an eyebrow, stepping into the room with his usual fluid movement. "You've been thinking? That's dangerous."
"Yeah, I know. It's a terrible habit. But I can't help it." I set the glass down, suddenly feeling the weight of everything I hadn't said. "Why Matthias? Why does he matter so much to you? Arent you jealous of his geniusness? I don't even know why I'm asking—he's a genius, right? So why doesn't his name even sound familiar?"
Ezekiel's face shifted, and I saw something in his eyes—something deep, something I hadn't expected. He wasn't just some guy who hated my father. There was history there. Personal history.
"Matthias was my only Family," he said, his voice quieter now, almost like he was telling a secret. "And yeah, he was a genius. He could've changed everything. But he never got the chance."
I blinked. "Your only Family?"
"Yeah." His voice hardened, like the words were made of stone. "I never knew my parents. Michael was all i ever knew. He raised me. My brother was everything I could never be. He was a prodigy. The one who would've made a name for himself. But your father, Alaric, he couldn't stand it. So he did what he does best. He framed Matthias. Got him locked away. Destroyed his life."
I was silent, processing. So Matthias had been the victim of my father's jealousy. Of course he had. That sounded like Alaric, manipulative, controlling. But I hadn't expected Ezekiel to be so… open about it. He didn't seem like the type to spill his guts to anyone, let alone me.
"And then you…" I started, but he interrupted.
"I watched it all happen. I was too young to do anything about it, but I saw it. And I hated him for it. Hated Alaric for what he did to Matthias." He paused, his expression darkening.
"What's worse than betrayal from one of your closest friends? A friend you basically grew up with? The person who's supposed to support you. I saw Matthias spiral. Saw him lose everything because of Alaric."
I didn't know what to say. The anger was there, palpable. It was raw, like a wound that never healed. I could almost feel it, like it was my own.
"You're angry," I said quietly. "I get it."
"Good. You should," Ezekiel snapped.
"Because it's not just about Matthias. It's about you too. About what he's done to all of us. I'm not going to let him get away with it. So when you escape tomorrow, you better not let yourself get catched again. "
I looked at him, really looked at him. The anger in his eyes was real, but there was something else too. Pain. The kind of pain that didn't fade easily. I understood that kind of hurt. Hell, I lived it every day.
"I hate him too," I said softly. "Alaric. I mean. But," I hesitated, "but I also loved him. Even when he wasn't there for me, I still wanted him to be my father."
Ezekiel's eyes softened just a little, and for a second, I saw something I hadn't expected. Understanding. "It's not easy, is it?" he said, his voice quieter now.
"No." I shook my head, a bitter smile tugging at my lips. "It's not." "But you're still here," he said, eyes intense, almost like he was daring me to admit something. "You're still fighting. Still asking questions."
I didn't respond. Not right away.
Because what the hell was I supposed to say to that?
As if endurance were a choice rather than a demand. As if continuing forward were some kind of gold star-worthy achievement instead of the bare minimum required to not completely fall apart.
People throw words like strong at me like they mean something. Like I'm brave for being dragged through hell with my limbs still attached.
Strength implies agency, a willful defiance, a refusal to bow. But I'm not standing because I refuse to fall. I'm standing because the alternative is letting the wreckage devour me. That's not strength. That's survival by default.
A forced march. No exits. No reprieve.
Keep going or collapse. Those are the options. And honestly? That's not resilience. That's entrapment.
But sure. Let's pretend I'm "fighting." Let's pretend this isn't just inertia in a different costume.
"I'm still here," I finally said, "but I'm not sure I can trust everything anymore."
"You don't have to trust everything," Ezekiel replied. "But you can trust that I'm not lying to you. I want to see Alaric fall. And I want you out of here. But it's up to you if you take the offer."
I nodded slowly, my mind racing. Maybe there was more to Ezekiel than I thought. Maybe I didn't have to hate him after all.
I stood up, feeling the weight of my decision pressing on me. "Alright, then," I said, my voice steady despite everything inside me screaming. "Let's do it. Tomorrow night it is huh."
Ezekiel's eyes flickered with something unreadable. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Yeah. We'll get through this."
And for the first time, I felt like I might just be able to believe him.