n

n

n

nBefore making his way to Nathan’s room, Mako engaged in some small talk with Lorelei. After their initial revelation about her connection to Commander Sable, the atmosphere between them was a bit awkward, and Mako didn’t want to make their first interaction a weird memory to remember.

n“So, you’re the granddaughter of Commander Sable. Has he spoken about me?” Mako asked with a chuckle, still somewhat taken aback by the unexpected connection.

nLorelei nodded, her vibrant red hair catching the light as she did so. “Yep, that’s me. Grandpa likes to brag about his students, you know. It’s good to finally meet one of them.”

nMako grinned, feeling a bit more at ease. “Well, I hope he’s only had good things to say about us.”

nLorelei laughed, the sound was melodic and warm. “Oh, definitely. He’s proud of your progress. But he’s also worried about you all. The special class is no joke.”

nMako’s grin faded slightly as he recalled the challenges they had faced. “Yeah, we’ve learned that the hard way.”

nThe two of them continued to chat, discussing the island clinic, their experiences, and even some casual topics like hobbies and interests.

nMako got to know that Lorelei was also part of the special class and was working as a nurse for the military to gain some experience in the medical field before military school started. She stated that she didn’t really have a knack for fighting and wanted to pursue medicine instead, but her grandpa wanted her to at least complete the military training so she could defend herself in the future.

nMako shared some of his recent achievements with her as well but didn’t get into much detail as he didn’t want to reveal his connections to anyone he didn’t know.

nMako found himself surprisingly comfortable around Lorelei, her easygoing demeanor making it easy to forget the weight of his responsibilities for a moment.

n“So, what are our abilities, Lorelei?” Mako inquired in order to extend their talk even though he had already Analyzed her abilities.

nLorelei’s eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. “My main ability is called Solar Influence. My grandpa gifted this ability book to me on my 17th birthday which he brought from a different planet. Apparently it is quite a rare ability. That’s where the red hair comes from, you know? It’s like having a little bit of the sun’s warmth at my fingertips.”

nMako was quite surprised to learn this as he had never heard of an ability genetically change a person’s appearance but in this day and age so much is possible that this is not out of the realm of possibility. Mako took a mental note about this as he was intrigued and wanted to learn more about it.

n“What about you? What are your main abilities?” Lorelei asked curiously.

nMako chuckled. “Your ability sounds much cooler and amazing than mine. I have the basic Fire and Lightning as my main abilities and I am currently trying to gain decent mastery over the Earth ability.”

nLorelei nodded in approval. “Wow! Grandpa never let me learn more than two abilities. He told me that I should continue to master and improve them instead of spreading out on multiple abilities.”

nTheir conversation flowed naturally, and Mako found himself genuinely enjoying Lorelei’s company. It was a nice respite from the intensity of their training and battles.

nAs they eventually wrapped up their chat, Mako thanked Lorelei for her assistance and guidance, both with finding Nathan’s room and for the conversation. He left the lobby feeling a bit lighter, carrying the warmth of their interaction with him as he faced the tense confrontation with Nathan.

n***************

nMako took a deep breath and mustered up the courage to approach Nathan’s room. The air felt tense, and the memories of their recent battle weighed heavily on his mind.

nAs he entered the room, he found Nathan lying in bed, with a couple of bandages and medical equipment around him. The soft glow of the room’s lighting gave it a serene atmosphere, contrasting with the tension that hung in the air.

nNathan’s eyes flickered open as Mako entered. He looked both surprised and wary at Mako’s presence. Mako offered a small smile, though he couldn’t deny his own nervousness.

n“Hey, Nathan,” Mako began cautiously, “mind if I… have a moment?”

nNathan’s gaze remained fixed on Mako, his expression unreadable. “What do you want?! You here to finish the job?” he replied, his voice laced with skepticism.

nMako took a step back and raised his hands in the air, his eyes focused on Nathan as he showed genuine concern and empathy, “Please I just came to talk to you, I don’t have any ill intentions towards you. I know things didn’t get off on the right foot between us, and I wanted to clear the air.”

nNathan’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn’t interrupt. Mako continued, “I get it. We had that intense battle, and you have reasons to be wary of me. But I came here because I want to tell you the truth. I acknowledge what you said about me that I was indeed hiding something, but I want you to understand why.”

nNathan’s expression shifted to one of cautious interest. “Speak,” he prompted, still not fully convinced.

nMako hesitated for a moment, collecting his thoughts. “The truth is, I don’t exactly know what this is but a friend of mine told me that it is called a quirk… well, I’m not sure… anyways, as you have seen last night, it is something that I can’t control very well. Look… It’s complicated, and I’ve been trying to figure it out. Sometimes, I become… disconnected from reality as the energy tries to take over. I didn’t want anyone to know because I didn’t want to be seen as weak or unstable.”

nNathan’s skepticism seemed to deepen. “So, what? You’re saying you’re not responsible for your actions when you became… became that thing?”

nMako nodded, his gaze sincere. “Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m saying. I don’t want to be a liability to the team, and I’ve been working on getting better control. But it’s a work in progress.”

n“So you can randomly just erupt with red energy and become a senseless fighting monster?” Nathan asked, still not satisfied with Mako’s answer.

n“Well… not exactly. You see this only happens when I am in an intense fight. The energy within me becomes excited and wants to come out, and I try my best to keep it in, but as you saw last night, when I am losing a battle, it becomes harder for me to stop it and when it finally releases, it is determined to eliminate all threats before I can regain control.” Mako lied while keeping the most genuine and concerned expression possible.

nNathan studied Mako’s face for a moment before finally letting out a sigh. “Look, Mako, if that’s really true… Why keep it a secret? Why not just come clean and ask for ?”

nMako looked down, a mix of guilt and frustration on his face. “I was embarrassed, I guess. And I didn’t want anyone to treat me differently. You don’t know the life I have lived and where I have come from so I have my reasons for keeping my secrets, the same way you have been hiding yours from us.” Mako said as he turned the tables on Nathan.

nNathan’s gaze softened as Mako said that, and he sighed again. “You’ve got a point, I suppose.” He glanced away, his expression conflicted. “I’ve been through a lot myself, and I can’t start trusting people again. I can’t let anyone get close to me again.”

nMako approached Nathan with a legitimate expression while nodding in understanding. “Listen, Nathan, I don’t know what has happened that you are so against friends, but you were still able to form some kind of truce with Bill and I want to do the same. I don’t want to pry into your life or learn your secrets, but I believe we can still become teammates.”

n“I need to be able to rely on you as a member of our team when the goings get tough. Look, I know it won’t be easy to rebuild trust, but I want to try. Please, we are not the same people that you have had bad experiences with, just give us a chance.” Mako added.

nNahan looked conflicted and confused as he pondered over Mako’s statements. There was definitely logic in his words and his enhanced perception wasn’t able to pick any kind of trickery or ill intentions in his words and gestures.

n“I only made that deal with Bill because I was sure I was going to win, but that bastard turned out to be quite resilient. I was forced to form that truce with him and operate as a team but that truce is over. Nothing is forcing me to accept your offer or listen to anything you say.” Nathan replied in a cold tone.

nHowever, Mako didn’t react in the way Nathan thought he would.

nAfter hearing Nathan’s response, Mako turned around and started walking toward the door. As he approached the door and grabbed the knob, he replied in the same cold tone,” That’s the thing, Nathan. I didn’t come here to force you to make peace with me and my friends. I came here to invite you to our team. I can’t force you to do anything, but this works both ways.”

n“You have no right to snoop around what I do or how I fight. If you are so adamant about keeping your secrets and working according to your beliefs then don’t try to pry open other people’s secrets. If you can’t handle being around us then ask Commander Sable to remove you from our team.” Mako added as he twisted the knob to open the door, ready to leave the room. 𝐞𝗼𝘃𝐞𝐥．𝗰𝐨𝗺

nHowever, before he could take a step out of Nathan’s room, his voice resounded from behind,” Wait!”

nMako turned back around to see Nathan’s lips twitch into a half-smile. “I guess you do make a good point, stay.”

nAs the tension between them eased slightly, Mako couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief. Maybe their journey to understanding each other had begun, even if it was just a small step.

n