HIATUS

Lucas and Conner exited the warehouse and stared at the three people who arrived unannounced.

"Hello Li, Jiaying, and Gordon, I hope you were doing well in the last year", Lucas said with a nonchalant tone and expression.

"I'm fine but I have been extremely tired in the last year trying to find you guys", Gordon said.

"We didn't want to be found, Gordon. You know this more than anyone", said Conner with a pissed-off expression.

"We are taking you back in Afterlife," Li said, saying it as if it was an order.

"Why? We don't want to return to Afterlife. I like this place. I rather not condemn myself in a life of isolation for the rest of my life living in a stupid mountain", Lucas said.

"Look if the humans ever found out about what we are then it could lead to our people being hunted down. I personally know what it feels like to be hunted. I was nearly experimented on during the war, I was extremely lucky that I was able to escape. What you're doing, using your powers to make drugs will eventually lead to the authorities finding out about what we could do," Jiaying said with concern in her voice.

"Times were hard. We needed the money, besides once we have enough then will leave and go somewhere else. Problem solved, simple as that", Lucas said with a smug expression.

"I need you to reconsider going back to Afterlife. Please, we worry about you two. I only want what's best for our people", Jiaying said with an expression like that of a mother worrying for her problematic children.

"WORRY!! You worry about us?!" Conner said with anger in his voice.

"Of course Conner I---", before Jiaying could finish what she intended to say, Conner cut her off.

"Like the same way you worried about Kora!"

"Like the same way you let her suffer!"

"Like the same way you allowed her to be lock up!"

"Like the same way you made her feel alone!"

"Is that how you show care, Jiaying. Don't you dare tell me that you worry about us", Conner said with so much anger that his face had started having the shade of red.

"And you Li, why would I return in Afterlife? I personally heard you say that you wanted to end her life. Too bad for you, Kora killed herself on the same day", Conner said with a mix of anger and pain in his voice.

"I want what is best for Afterlife, Kora was extremely volatile. Her inability to control her gift made her very dangerous to the people around her. I locked her up to keep our people safe, but even with that she was still able to hurt the people around her", Li said with a calm expression.

The topic about her dead daughter clearly hurt Jiaying, especially about her being accused of the death of her child. It pained her greatly.

"What happened to Kora was extremely saddening. I considered her as an elder sister,… but the past can't be changed now, we need to move on and—", Gordon said but he was cut off when he saw that Conner pulled a gun from the back of his pants and pointed it at them.

"Shut up Gordon," Conner said.

Both Li and Jiaying were shocked about this. They never thought that Conner would pull out a gun on them.

"Move on….Move on…Your stupid plan to lock her up, to make her feel alone, cause the death of the…..of the woman I love!!!", Conner said with pain and anger in his face.

"I didn't know that you and Kora were----" Jiaying said but was interrupted.

"I couldn't tell her... I have been only just her friend until the day she took her life. I promise myself that when we finally underwent terrigenesis that I will tell her that I had feelings for her. But then she was in pain, I…..I could not tell her…..that I loved her.....", Conner said now with tears falling down his face.

"Is that it, love? You regretted not being able to say that you love her. Is that the reason why you left Afterlife", Li said.

"No, we left Afterlife because we were done. We were done believing your lies. Your lies the only in Afterlife we are safe. Spoiler alert, it's not. My brother and I have been living outside of Afterlife for a year now and we seem to be doing fine", Lucas said stating the obvious.

"Fine? you are making drugs", Gordon replied.

"Enough, clearly we cannot resolve this issue with discussion, We will take you in Afterlife by force. Gordon take them to Afterlife", Li said.

"NO! I don't want to return there. I don't ever want to be in a place that took the love of my life away from me", Conner said as he alternately points the gun between Gordon and Li. Still with tears falling down his eyes.

"I especially want my freedom, so no is my answer as well", Lucas said as he extends his hand allowing for a long bone to come out of his hand through his skin. The bone had a similarity to that of a sword. It was approximately 4 feet long.

"Please we don't want to fight you. You all need to cal----", Jiaying said.

"Enough Jiaying! These two people in front of us will not listen. I will force them to return in Afterlife myself", Li said while conjuring knives in his hand.

"You point that gun at me, but you don't have the balls to shot me, Conner. The same way you didn't have the balls to tell Kora that you loved her. You are a coward, and a coward like you will sooner or later tell people about our existence. An existence that has been kept hidden for centuries. I will not allow that existence to be made known," Li said as he threw one of his conjured knife aiming at Conner's hand so that he will let go of the gun.

"Clang"

"What?!" Li said with shock in his voice.

"Hey I'm still here", Lucas said. Before the conjured knife even got near Conner, Lucas fired a bone shard from his other hand to intercept Li's knife.

"Coward?…. maybe I am what you say I am….I don't know…but I do know is that I hate you the most Li. You were the one who locked her up, you use your authority as an elder of Afterlife to isolate her. For that I will make you pay", Conner said to Li. Gone was the crying Conner, what replaced him was a man out for revenge.

"BANG"

Jiaying covered her mouth while Gordon took a step back in disbelief.

Lucas's eyes were wide open due to shock.

But the most shock of all, is Li. Li stared at the barrel of the now smoking gun and slowly looks at his stomach. A hole could be seen with blood pouring out of it. He looks back at Conner, wanting to say something to him but Conner did not allow him.

"BANG"

"BANG"

Two more shots were fired, this time Li could no longer stand up. He fell down in his back and clearly near death. Conner walks to him and just looks at the now dying man in the eyes.

"Ev…every..thing…I ….do….is….fo…for…..o….ou..our….k…kind…." Li said before the life in his eyes was gone.