Theo glanced at him, shocked.

Before he could react any further, Owen yanked his arm hard and pulled him off the street.

’’Get in here!’’ he hissed urgently.

Theo stumbled through the broken entrance of a small family restaurant, still confused by everything.

Just before the door slammed shut behind him, his gaze flicked back toward the bus stop one final time.

That’s when his expression paled.

Beneath the girls’ beautiful upper bodies, long silver-blue fish tails swayed slowly above the flooded street.

’Sirens?!’

The realization sent a chill down his spine.

BANG!

Owen quickly shoved a broken freezer in front of the only opening before grabbing Theo again.

"Come on," he whispered.

Theo followed him past broken tables, counters, and shattered plates, heading deeper into the restaurant.

Owen led him into a small storage room in the back.

The moment he opened the door and they stepped through, several terrified gazes locked onto him.

Theo froze for a moment too.

Owen’s parents sat against the wall alongside five other people.

Relieved expressions immediately appeared on their faces as they saw him.

’’Theo...’’ Owen’s mother, Laura, whispered shakily. ’’Thank god you’re alright.’’

Owen nodded, letting out a deep breath.

’’Thankfully, I got to him just in time,’’ he said, letting himself slide down against the wall.

Theo stood completely silent as he still tried to process everything.

Only now did he properly notice the state everyone was in.

Owen’s father had a deep cut running across his forehead, while another man was clutching a badly injured leg wrapped in towels.

The rest of the people were pale and trembling... yet seemed fine otherwise.

’’You should be glad,’’ Owen said, glancing up at Theo. ’’If you hadn’t used that lightning spell, I would’ve had no idea you were there.’’

Theo snapped out of his thoughts and nodded.

’’Thanks for saving me,’’ he said, letting out a quiet breath. ’’If you hadn’t pulled me away...’’

Owen raised his hand.

’’Save it,’’ he said. ’’I almost walked in there myself earlier.’’

That’s when he pulled a set of earbuds out of his ears.

’’If it hadn’t been these, I wouldn’t have been able to get you either.’’

Theo fell silent for a moment.

Sirens were more than a serious problem, even for him.

’I don’t know if I can get past them...’ he thought. ’I’m not exactly a good match against Psychic and Sound spells.’

He gritted his teeth, his parents’ faces flashing through his mind.

Just then, Owen’s voice rang out again.

’’Those damn bitches showed up before the explosions even started,’’ he cursed, shaking his head.

Theo turned toward him, raising an eyebrow.

Owen rubbed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.

’’I’m serious,’’ he said. ’’They were already on that fucking bus stop before anyone actually knew what was going on.’’

A young child amongst the civilians shivered slightly.

’’I thought they were just street performers...’’ she whispered, tears falling down her face.

For several seconds, the entire room fell silent.

Theo clenched his fists so tightly they began turning white.

’’But I still need to get to my parents,’’ he said, his voice firm.

The moment those words left his mouth, Owen’s expression became difficult.

And it wasn’t just him.

His parents’ expressions and those of the surrounding civilians also changed.

’’That’s impossible,’’ Owen muttered quietly.

Theo frowned immediately.

’’Why?’’

Owen rubbed his wet hair back tiredly.

’’We already searched for ways around them,’’ he said. ’’But everything is blocked.’’

The injured hunter nodded, his face having gone ghostly pale.

’’There’s... massive sinkholes on the backroads,’’ he said hesitantly. ’’All kinds of creatures keep crawling out of them nonstop.’’

Theo’s expression shifted slightly.

’’And the other side road?’’

Owen let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head.

’’Even worse,’’ he muttered. ’’Thousands of Skitter Shrimps have settled there.’’

Silence fell in the room once again.

Theo froze just thinking about it.

’Thousands?’ he thought, his scalp growing numb. ’There’s no way I can fight my way through that.’

His expression slowly turned grim.

’And those sinkholes don’t sound any better...’

That left him with just one option.

Theo gritted his teeth just thinking about it.

But as his mind raced, a simple solution popped into his mind.

"I’ll just have to get past the sirens then," he said, glancing up.

Several civilians immediately looked up in shock.

Owen stared at him like he’d gone insane.

"But how?!" he hissed. "Those things are C-ranks!"

Theo slowly glanced back at him.

"I’m a Silver Core now, and I’ve awakened the chaos element.’’

Owen’s mouth fell wide open from shock.

’’The fuck?!’’

The other civilians also whispered amongst themselves, a flicker of hope appearing in their eyes.

Owen snapped out of it right away, shaking his head immediately.

’’It’s still suicidal,’’ he snapped. ’’What, you’ve awakened that element for a day?’’

’’You probably can’t even use it properly yet!’’

Silence fell between them for a moment.

Then—

Theo slowly nodded.

’’I know.’’

That was the biggest problem.

He’d barely even used it, and his only experience came from Elise using it against him.

But even so...

’I still have to try,’ he thought.

Nobody spoke for a few more seconds.

Then Owen suddenly lowered his head slightly.

’’I see you’ve made your mind up,’’ he muttered quietly. ’’...I wish I could help you.’’

His gaze shifted to his own parents.

’’But I can’t leave here.’’

Theo followed his gaze and nodded again.

’’I know,’’ he said.

Suddenly, he reached into his pocket.

Owen glanced up, tilting his head slightly.

"That’s when Theo pulled out a thin, dark slate.

’’What is that—’’

Theo didn’t wait for him to finish.

He walked straight toward Owen’s mother, Laura, and handed it to her.

Laura accepted it hesitantly.

’’...What is this?’’

Theo took a few steps back, a soft smile appearing on his face for the first time since the entire ordeal had started.

’’Crack it.’’

The room immediately fell silent.

"...What?"

"Just trust me."

Laura hesitated briefly before slowly snapping the slate in half.

CRACK!

Instantly, a massive glowing circle spread beneath both her and Owen’s father.

Everyone’s eyes widened.

The next second—

FWOOSH!

Their bodies vanished completely.