Chapter Forty-Six - Ethan Hernandez
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Ethan Hernandez
THE COLD WIND ripped through the open belfry. In his dissociated state, Ethan meandered to the top of the bell tower, the steps of the spiral iron stair case creaking beneath him. The night air was sharp and biting, with the promise of more heavy snow.
Ethan’s thoughts raced, a chaotic cacophony of voices roaring louder and louder the storm raging above. The wind whipped through the open belfry, biting and cold but it did nothing to dull the fire burning inside him.
The anguish threatened to eat him alive.
Bellamy’s words rang in his ears, sharp and unyielding, “ Many attuned end their life because of the overwhelming nature of their power.”
Was this the answer? The end of it all? The pain, the endless barrage of voices, images, and dreams, the isolation that clung to him — if he jumped, would it all stop?
He stepped closer to the ledge, his breath visible in the freezing air. The stones beneath his feet were slick with frost, treacherous. He looked out over the campus, now blanketed in a heavy silence, save for the howling wind. The faint glow of streetlights barely illuminated the snow-covered paths below.
As his hands reached for the cold stone of the ledge something strange happened. The voices that had been screaming relentlessly for weeks now suddenly softened, receding to faint whispers. The chaos ebbed, leaving behind a moment of fragile clarity.
For the first time in a week, his mind felt…still.
But with the silence came the sharp ache of guilt. Jason. Tonight, he’d hurt him — the one person who had always been there for him, who stood by his side even with the world threatening to gobble him up. Ethan was so close to spiraling into chaos. He’d seen the fear, the hurt in Jason’s eyes tonight — the fear of him.
Ethan’s hands clenched, trembling as he stared out at the campus below. These powers — this curse— what good are they if they only bring pain? He could feel the weight of Jason’s love, steady and unwavering, even now. But was it worth it? Was it worth hurting the man who had shown him what it could be to love and be loved?
The wind howled around him, tugging at his jacket as if urging him forward.
Would Jason be better off without him?
The thought brought a slice of pain to his chest, leaving him gasping for breath. He could sense death lingering nearby, waiting patiently, watching. Its presence both terrifying, but somehow comforting. It whispered a promise of release, of peace, of an end to the torment that consumed him.
Ethan flirted with it, letting the idea wrap around him like a cloak.
One step, and it could all be over. One step and the pain will end. No more voices. No more visions. No more hurting Jason.
His heart ached, all of this threatened to crush him. He closed his eyes, tilting his face to the sky— feeling the snowflakes melt against his skin.
And yet, in the quiet, a voice — his own— whispered from somewhere deep within: Is this what you want? Really?
Ethan hesitated, his toe now perched on the very edge of the belfry. The storm raged on, the bell above him swaying in the wind, it’s heavy toll echoing faintly.
He felt a familiar presence. Ethan turned his heart thudding, expecting to see Jason.
A figure stepped into the glow of the tower, sending chills down Ethan’s back.
“I thought I’d find you here,” Bellamy said, his hand hidden surreptitiously in his pocket. For a moment, the frost in the air seemed to shift to an unnatural warmth. Then a sizzle of golden energy crackled between Ethan and Bellamy, illuminating Bellamy’s deranged face.
"What do you want with me? Leave me alone! I can't bring your daughter back," Ethan said. "I can't give you this curse."
A smirk appeared on Bellamy’s face, he looked mildly surprised at Ethan reading his thoughts.
"You think it's just you I want? No, you're just the key," Bellamy said.
Ethan looked at him puzzled, “What are you talking about?”
A faint smirk tugged at the corner of Bellamy's mouth. He looked amused—and maybe a little impressed. "Oh, you've caught on faster than I thought. Reading thoughts already—well done, Ethan. But you misunderstand me." He gestured to the shadowed edge of the platform, and Ethan's heart clenched as he saw Jason slumped against the stone wall, unconscious and helpless.
"You're just the key to him."
A maniacal glee spread over Bellamy’s face, “You’re the key to him,” he said, pointing at Jason."You're valuable to me, but him. He's something really special. "
"Jason?" Ethan's voice cracked as he took a step forward, his body instinctively moving to protect. "What have you done to him? Let him go!"
Bellamy took a deliberate step closer cutting Ethan off, his voice low and coaxing. "Jason... your 'gifted' protector. Ever wonder why you can’t hear his thoughts? Why, in his arms, he is silent inside? He's something rare—a natural concealer, a shield. With him nearby, even the most sensitive attuned could live in peace, away from the chaos."
Ethan's eyes widened, horrified. He could feel the truth of Bellamy's words sinking in, each one a blow to his stomach.
Bellamy's gaze was intense, his voice dropping to a soft, almost reverent tone. "With Jason at your side, you two would be unstoppable. Concealed from anyone who sought to do you harm. But without him, you’re attunements will tear you apart. You'll live half a life. Or... perhaps, you'll give in to the inevitable and jump."
A jagged flash of gold lightning split the sky, the thunder following close behind as Bellamy circled him, as he pulled the revolver from his pocket.
Ethan felt himself growing weaker, but he forced himself to stand tall. "You're sick.”
“Ethan you’re simply valuable to me and no one else. Sure, there have been attempts to harness the power, but the government has long since abandoned that. Your kind is too fragile to withstand even the minor of experimentation. It is true the power is great but it doesn’t last long. Your type is much like a fireworks display – brilliant but over quickly. Now Jason…in the right hands would be worth a fortune. Imagine what the power to conceal an entire army or an armada of ships could do. He could disguise weapons of mass destruction in your neighbor's backyard and you’d never know. They’re said concealers are a ‘once in a generation’ gift.” Bellamy said, rounding on Ethan.
“I knew of only one other – a young Japanese girl. She went mad though, just like the rest of you, but her madness came because no one noticed, she struggled to be seen by those who were supposed to love her. The curse of concealment I suppose. Now, you are going to come with me and he’s going to go to the highest bidder.” Bellamy said stepping forward and raising the firearm.
Bellamy raised his hand, and suddenly Ethan's head seared with pain, his powers yanked to the surface. Golden lightening crackled, and large, thick strands of gold iridescent energy popped and sizzled.
The bell overhead swung with a heavy, ominous toll. Ethan doubled over, gasping as the voices and visions struck him with full force, louder, and more chaotic than ever before.
"Embrace it, Ethan!" Bellamy shouted over the din. "Use your pain; let it fuel your power. You're capable of so much more than you know... if you'd only let go. The more powerful you become the easier it is to harness your power for my needs! You can have everything, Ethan. Power, freedom — everything you’ve ever wanted. Just let go. Let it all go!”
Behind Bellamy, Jason began to stir, groaning and slowly regaining consciousness. His eyes met Ethan's, full of concern and fierce determination.
"Ethan, don't listen to him!" Jason's voice was hoarse but steady. "You don't have to be alone. I'm here."
Bellamy scoffed, glancing between them. "Isn't that sweet?" He turned back to Ethan, his eyes glinting with malice. "But he's holding you back, chaining you down. Without him, you could become something unstoppable, even time itself would be in your hands. Let me help you, and together we'll be invincible."
The bell tolled louder, the storm intensifying around them. Ethan's powers flared, his fear and fury building like a fire inside him. The bell tower quaked with each tremor, dust falling from the rafters as the loose stones rattle. With a final, desperate look at Jason, Ethan knew what he had to do.
He faced Bellamy, his voice shaking but resolute. "No. I'm not your puppet. I'm not a tool. And I'm not giving in."
The air crackled with electricity as Ethan summoned his power, his body trembling from the sheer force. His breath hitched, the sharp intake of air drowned out by the rising howl of wind. Golden iridescent light erupted from his eyes, it cast a long flickering shadow across the stone wall of the bell tower.
He felt the ground beneath him fall away, his feet lifting effortlessly, as gravity no longer had hold of him. Slowly, he rose, the golden light pouring from him in waves.
Lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the spire in stark flashes of white and gold. Thunder followed in deafening bursts, echoing through the campus below. The bell above swayed wildly, clanging in protest against the tremors that rippled through the tower.
The air grew heavy, vibrating with an unnatural, ancient energy. Ethan hovered now, several feet off the ledge, his arm outstretched as commanding the storm. The light around him intensified, forming a shimmering aura that pulsed with every beat.
Bellamy stood frozen, his eyes wide, reflecting the light emanating before him. His grip tightened on the revolver in his hand, but his body refused to move. The gun felt silly, like a toy paling in comparison to the power he witnessed. This was beyond his comprehension — something both dazzling and terrifying.
The wind screamed through the open belfry, swirling around Ethan. Loose stones and debris lifted from the floor, caught in the unseen vortex of power emanating from him.
“Ethan!” Jason’s voice broke through the chaos, hoarse and desperate. He stood at the far side of the tower, his face pale as he shielded his eyes from the blinding light, “Ethan stop. You don’t have to do this!”
Ethan tilted his head downward, his eyes glowing locking onto Jason. The light flickered for a moment, the human part of him breaking through the storm of power.
“It’s too late, his power is reaching its apex!” Bellamy shouted, pointing the gun towards Ethan. “Stop or you will kill us all!”
Ethan simply surveyed him. Bellamy pointed the gun and squeezed the trigger, his own heart beating. With a wave of his hand, Ethan sent out a shockwave that blasted Bellamy back, toppling to the floor, the gun skittered away.
Bellamy's fury flared, and he launched himself towards Jason. “Fine, if you won’t control yourself then I will.”
He tumbled towards Jason, hands around his neck. Energy crackled around them and the air sizzled.
“No!” Ethan shouted, levitating back towards the ledge. He opened his palm towards Bellamy and closed his fingers as an unseen force pulled Bellamy away from Jason and towards Ethan who was now hovering off the ledge. “You have tortured us, subjected us to your maniacal experiments all so you can see your daughter again. Not anymore.”
The foundation of the bell tower groaned under the strain, cracks forming in the stone as the tower quaked. Dust and debris rained down from below, the entire structure trembling, ready to collapse at any moment.
Bellamy struggled against a force pulling him towards Ethan, towards the ledge. As Ethan drugged him towards the ledge he spotted the gun grabbing it as he slid by, he pointed it towards Ethan whose eyes continued to glow a brilliant gold.
Gold flashes of lighting sizzled and emanated from around him Bellamy squeezed the trigger – once, twice, three times. The bullets stopped in midair Ethan surveyed them with curiosity. Bellamy was in awe at this brilliant display of force. How had he stopped the bullets? This was far more power than simple precognition or a psychic gift.
Ethan was something much more than that.
In one last, defiant surge of energy, Bellamy turned towards Jason and squeezed the trigger. The bullet zipped from the barrel of the gun towards Jason who was mesmerized by the display of Ethan’s power.
“No!” Ethan bellowed, his voice carrying. With a sharp motion of his hand, a force erupted from within, invisible but devastating. The wave surged outward pulling Bellamy from the ledge like a marionette yanked by a string. Bellamy’s eyes widened in terror, his fingers clawing at the empty air as he was wrenched from the belfry.
“Ethan!” he screamed, his voice rising above the storm, but the force was unyielding, carrying him backward like a ragdoll.
The world seemed to slow as he tumbled through the open air. He caught flashes of the towers carving — the weathered stone lions perched on the corner, their stoic faces watching. The wind tore through him, freezing, relentless. His scream turned guttural, raw, a sound of pure fear. Then, the ground rushed up to meet him. With a sickening thud, his body collided with the courtyard below. The impact reverberated through campus, cutting through the storm with a finality.
Jason rushed to the ledge grabbing for Ethan, Slowly Ethan fell from his levitation to the floor of the belfry as Jason grabbed him embracing him tightly. The foundation of the bell tower settled.
“I’m sorry,” Ethan cried.
Jason held him tightly, “No. I’m sorry.”