20. Others Like Me

*Rebel POV*

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I laughed, standing in the face of danger. They were fools if they thought they could scare me with their shiny little toys.

“Stop where you are! Reveal your identity!” they demanded.

If they could not recognize the enemy at first glance, they were a waste of every penny being spent on them.

They should have shot me before asking questions. That's how it works.

Maybe they had a chance against me, though it's not going to make any difference.

It was too late by the time they put their weapons to use; there was no way their bullets could touch a single hair on my head.

I'm invincible.

The shield I created using my powers couldn't be penetrated by metal or any other substances.

The shock on their faces was worth watching when the bullets bounced back and hit them.

We could have had more fun, but too bad I didn't have time to waste on pawns when I was aiming for the king's neck.

All the commotion alerted the crew in the cabin, and they were smart enough to escape rather than stick to a fight they would undoubtedly lose.

But I wouldn't let that happen.

There was no way they could escape death tonight. They shouldn't have touched my family if they loved their lives that much.

With one swift motion of my hand, I sent away all the hurdles blocking my path and cleared my way to the boat. The roaring sound of the engine vibrated through the stream.

I ran towards the boat, but it was faster, of course.

The mocking smile on Roman’s face pulled one from me, causing his to waver.

He thought he had managed to get out of my clutches. So naive of him to have such a fantasy.

The color drained from his face the very next second. One look at the water, and a fat wave crashed into the boat, pushing it all the way to where it was before.

The confusion and fear were evident on my enemies' faces.

Of course, they didn't know I was not human. Evan never let this out. He knew what would happen if this ever came out. He wanted me to stay out of trouble.

That doesn't mean I hadn't used my power in the past. I did, but the people who knew about it are no longer alive to spread the tale.

Like a scared rat, Roman tried to find another hole to hide in.

Only, there's no place safe on this planet where I couldn't reach him.

He ran out of the cabin and looked around in panic. Wanting to put great distance between us, he jumped off the boat and ran toward the tunnels.

I laughed at the attempt. How naive… One snap of my fingers was all it took to stop him where he was.

A wall of stone emerged from the ground out of the blue and trapped him.

He barely managed not to hit his head too hard on it.

I smiled when I saw the look on his face. He fell to his knees and started screaming—sobbing like a madman.

That's what he got for messing with someone of higher authority than him.

“How-ww how are you-u doing t-this? What are you-u?” The fear in his eyes soothed the ache I had been feeling for the last 24 hours, although it wasn't enough. I wanted more. I wanted more.

Like a predator, I took slow steps toward him, enjoying the view of seeing him on his knees, trembling like a leaf on a stormy night.

I squatted down in front of him. A chilling smile appeared on my face, and my cold gaze penetrated his teary gaze.

He thought he would continue living in peace after coming after my family. He thought just because someone was backing him, he could stand against me, stab me where it hurt the most.

“Let-t me go. Ple-sse. I will leave New York. I promise,” he begged some more, tears dripping from his eyes.

I silently observed the expression on his face, and I didn't despise it. On the contrary, I enjoyed every one of them. It boosted me in a way most sane-ly people would call me crazy and evil.

But I didn't care about others' opinions. I never did unless they were on my list of top five favorite people. And there were only two names on the list right now. There used to be three, but Evan was gone now and couldn't comment on my actions from where he is.

And the person sobbing in front of me was not even on the list; I'm sure about that.

“You should have learned from your brother's mistake. He, too, went after my family; look where he is now.” My voice was calm and composed.

Roman flinched at my words as if I had slapped him.

At the mention of his brother, pain flickered in his eyes before anger took over. It was quick for me to almost miss the look of vengeance flash through his eyes right before he pulled out a knife from his pocket and swung it at me.

I stepped back, fast, but not fast enough; the steel cut a deep gash through my stomach, though he missed the heart.

“How dare you talk about my brother! You killed him, you monster!! Nothing was left of his body when I got him back. That day I made a promise to myself that I would give you all the pain and suffering you have given me ten folds. Do you want to know what I plan to do to your little brother next? Oh, you would love that. I promise.” Madness reflected in his eyes matched the ugly smile that appeared on his lips. He came at me with the knife a second time.

And here I was thinking of going easy on him.

“I waited for you to find me so I could slit the throat of that little fuck right in front of your very eyes. I swear, I wanted to give you a front-row seat to watch how slowly the light vanished from his eyes and how long it took for all the blood to spill out of his body. I coul-”

I saw red.

In the blur of the moment, despite defending against the blow, I stepped forward, closing the distance so my hands could grab his head.

Steel punctured my skin time and time again, but I didn't bother counting. I couldn't feel the pain.

An intense wave jolted through my body from my toes to my palms where I was making contact with him. It was an amazing sensation. I closed my eyes, letting it flow freely, consuming me. There was no blocking it. The energy was fueled by the emotions and thirst for destruction I carry within me.

Screams of horror filled my ears and the smell of burning flesh tickled my nostrils.

I didn't open my eyes, nor did I lose my grip until I felt all the screams and movements shut down completely.

All that was left was a pile of charcoal and what remained of bones right in front of me.

But of course, I wasn't done yet. This energy flowing inside me would not die this easily, and there was someone else on the list to face my wrath tonight.

I looked around to find the other person who was behind all this. I still had no idea who he was or what his feud with me was, but he could be dangerous. I had a gut feeling.

How conveniently he used Roman as a distraction to make his escape was evident enough.

Yet he didn't make it that far. I spotted him running towards the mouth of the cave by the stream. The two bodyguards I had seen earlier in the cabin were protecting him.

They were far, but still in range for my fire to burn them to a crisp.

The blood gushing out of my stomach dampened my t-shirt, making it look like a crime scene. With the amount of blood I had lost and the energy I used up so far, this was my last shot, so I was going to make it count.

I went wild with the fire, not stopping until I used almost all the energy I had left. If I was going down after this, the least I could do was make sure my enemies went down with me.

I managed to stay on my feet. I didn't want to miss seeing my enemies get what they deserved for messing with me.

However, to my surprise, things didn't work as they should have. For a second, I couldn't wrap my head around the possible reasons the fire didn't touch any of them.

I had never seen someone walk out unharmed from my attack. So far, no one has survived.

There was no explanation for it unless one.

And as soon as this thought popped into my head, they confirmed it.

One of them stopped running and looked at the water, his eyes glowing with the energy I was too familiar with.

The next second, he flooded the cave with water. I had guessed it, but that didn't mean I could do anything to defend myself against an attack of this level.

‘So there are others like me, after all.’ That was the final thought in my head when a huge wave of water swept me off my feet and threw me under.