Gerard ducked to the side as Mikey swung at him again. "Little brother, you know violence isn't the answer."

Mikey kicked out, sweeping Gerard's legs and sending him to the ground. Gerard landed hard, sending the papers that were on the ground scattering. He rolled out of the way before Mikey could bring his fist down where he had been knocked down.

"What, are you going to use your magic on me again to convince me?" Mikey glared towards Gerard as the red head hopped into a crouch.

"You know-" Gerard leaned back on his arms as Mikey swiped again, "-you weren't leaving otherwise!"

Mikey cried out with frustration as he pulled back and straightened himself. "How was that your decision?" He yelled as Gerard rose to his feet.

"I had to keep you safe!" Gerard yelled back, "Do you think I wanted to go with the Force? Do you think I wanted to leave you?"

Mikey rushed forward, managing to land his fist against Gerard's arm hard enough to knock him to the side. "Do you think I wanted to leave you?" He yelled as Gerard steadied himself. "Did you really think I knew what to do? Because I didn't. When your magic wore off, I panicked." Tears began to build in his eyes as his fists dropped at his sides. "My brother was gone. Just like mom. Just like dad. Just like everyone. And I couldn't save you."

Gerard held his hands up, hoping Mikey wasn't going to try to rush forward and hit him again. "I thought I was doing what was best for everyone." He took half a step forward. "We had injuries. They were closing in. It was a lot easier to have them focus on just me than to try hiding an entire group. There wasn't time for discussion."

The tears begin to race down Mikey's cheeks as he looked at his brother. "Maybe a little more warning would have been nice." He sniffled as Gerard took another half step towards him. "Something more than me waking up from this pink haze to find out you're gone. Something more than hoping the Seer was right that you most likely would come back, but not knowing with true certainty."

"Michael, I'm sorry." Gerard dropped his hands to his side, "I was in charge and I didn't know what to do. I just needed you safe."

Mikey dropped his head. The tears dripped to the ground, seeping down into the dirt. "I can't lose you like I lost everyone else." He wiped the wetness from his eyes before looking back up. "I'm not ready to step up to that timeline."

Gerard blinked away his own tears. "You still did such a good job without me." He took a deep breath before bringing a smile to his lips. "I think you're more ready than you think."

A laugh escaped Mikey, "You're impossible." He swiped at the tears still falling from his right eye.

Gerard began taking full steps over to his brother. Once close enough, he put a hand on Mikey's shoulder and squeezed it. "I'm also home."

Mikey nodded. "You are. I'm so relieved you are, Gerard, but I'm still so angry you sacrificed yourself in the first place."

"Yea, I was warned a bit about that." He patted Mikey's shoulder before dropping his hand. He sighed, "I have a lot to fill you in on too, little brother. A lot happened on my way back to you."

Mikey nodded. "Right. On our end too. Mostly the basics and movement plans. Ryan's recovery seems to be going smoothly as well." He lowered himself to the floor, crossing his legs as he sat.

Gerard mimicked his brother's movement. He nervously tapped his knees, thinking of how he should begin the conversation. "I may have made things a bit more complicated." He admitted, choosing to look at the ground instead of his brother. "I didn't exactly return by myself."

"Brendon mentioned there was someone with you." Mikey nodded, "How does that complicate things?"

Gerard pushed a hand through his hair with a long exhale. There was so much to explain. "Well... There's a lot to this person I brought with me. A lot that I'm going to need you to hear me out on before making a full judgement." He finally looked up at his brother, who was looking at him with slightly narrowed eyes.

"What did you do?" Mikey questioned.

Gerard rubbed the back of his neck with the hand he had just pushed through his hair. "What didn't I do may have been the better question..."

—-
Frank

Frank brought his own hand up to his chest when Tyler pulled his away. There was a slight tingling sensation where Tyler's hand had been, along with the lingering pain he had felt before opening his eyes. He was back in the moment. Both Tyler and Ryan were looking at him with wide eyes, but he was no longer in his own head.

"Do you have magic?" Tyler asked. Sweat still ran down his face, seeming to take some of his color with it.

Frank hesitated. With how complicated his story was going to be to explain, should he confess? By the look on Tyler's face, however, it seemed that he already at least knew the true answer to what he asked... So Frank nodded.

"Oh my..." Tyler blinked at him.

"How much?" Ryan asked, though his question was so low it was almost as if he didn't want to be heard.

Frank shrugged. "I don't know? It's... it's a bit new."

Tyler tilted his head. "That... didn't feel new. There's not a lot of new when it comes to magic."

Frank clutched some of the leaves that made up his shirt under his hand. "No... just new to me." He replied, slowly. Was that even a thing for the people on the planet? Was he just blowing more of his cover by admitting that? What cover did he even have to begin with?

"It felt like a lot." Tyler shook his head, taking his gaze away from Frank. "But I've also been a bit drained since Gerard's been absent..."

"I'm sorry." Frank wanted to shrink into himself. His thoughts were rushing as he tried to think of how he could fully explain himself.

"It's not like that was your fault." Tyler sighed, "It's just been stressful and a bit scary."

"I can understand that." Frank looked down. With how his life had shifted since leaving the base, those words felt like good descriptors.

"Maybe we should give you a minute, Tyler." Ryan put a hand on his arm, looking at him with worry. "I'm actually awake enough to move around. I could take Frank to the river to maybe help him calm down too." He turned to Frank, "There's a nice cluster of river berries I can show you as well."

Tyler shook his head. "No, I'm fine."

"Are you?" Ryan took his free hand to pull some of the clover stalks over to Tyler, twisting them so that their leaves faced Tyler. The leaves seemed to stretch towards Tyler, waving as they reached out. "Your own method of healing thinks you need it."

"I'm just a bit exhausted." Tyler argued, though he didn't seem like he wanted to continue the conversation. He pouted as he took the stems from Ryan's hand. "Move silently and be safe. The scouts haven't called any danger, but the dark keeps secrets."

Ryan scooted out of the clover patch with a smile. "Yes, sir. I'll keep an eye on him." He turned back to Frank while also reaching back for something in the clovers, "I will need a bit of help up, but walking should be okay." He brought a vest of red roses out of the clovers and slipped it over his arms.

Frank nodded. He was just thankful he didn't have to speak on his history. It wasn't a complete avoidance, but it was a welcomed delay. He rose to his feet and held out both hands to help Ryan to his feet. The curly haired boy winced as he rose, but quickly put on a smile once he was upright.

Tyler rested at the edge of Ryan's clover patch. His brow was furrowed as he looked up at them. Sweat still trailed down his face as the clovers seemed to pull towards him. "Be careful."

"Yes, sir." Both Frank and Ryan responded.

For Frank, the natural response made him want to flinch. He hadn't used the formal response since leaving the base. He tried to keep his mind away from those thoughts as Ryan began to slowly make his way to the shelter's entrance. He kept by Ryan's side, ready to help him when needed.

They made it out of the shelter, back into the darkness of the night. Both boys stumbled as they stepped down into the clovers that surrounded them. Frank reached out to steady Ryan, who was wincing again. There was a muttered thanks before Ryan pointed in the direction of the river, illuminated by the drifting spots of light. Frank continued to help Ryan across the clovers until they reached the edge of the field. Frank stepped up first before turning back to help Ryan.

Before moving forward, Ryan turned back to the clovers and outstretched his hand. A moment of silence passed before one of the light spots made its way towards Ryan, settling on his hand. "Hello, little light." Ryan whispered, "Be our guide?"

The light stayed in his hand as Ryan turned and began to move forward again. Frank followed, keeping his eyes on the light in Ryan's hand. "How did you do that?"

Ryan shrugged. "You just have to ask nicely." He replied, "At least that's what we have to do without magic."

"Isn't it important with magic too?" Frank asked.

Another shrug from Ryan. "I suppose so, but there's also better persuasion on the side of that magic connection. With or without asking."

Their conversation faded as the sound of running water began to fill the air. A few more feet revealed two thin waterways that ran side by side. Ryan lowered his hand, but the light remained hovered in front of him as he crouched down near the water. Frank followed his motion, looking out towards the water. Both streams seemed split for as far as he could make out in the dim light. There was a gap of a few feet between them, but he couldn't tell if their depth varied between the two. At the water's edge near their feet, small bundles of faded blue leaves rested on the shore and dipped into the stream.

"These carry the river berries." Ryan shared as he brushed some of the leaves aside to look towards their stems. "They're a clearish light blue, like a bubble in the water."

"What do they taste like?" Frank asked as he shifted the leaves on his own bundle of leaves. He didn't see anything like what Ryan described. In the moving water of the river, a set of colorful fish darted back and forth.

"Movement." Ryan dunked his fingers into the river, waving them against the current. "Life. A kind of airiness that you feel in your gut that almost makes you feel lighter." He shut his eyes, continuing to move his fingers in the water.

Frank lowered himself further to the ground. He reached towards the water, sending the fish darting completely away. He tapped a finger against its surface at first, shivering at the temperature of the water. Despite that, he lowered his fingers and let them sink into the cold stream. His fingers grazed the sandy river bottom once he had submerged his entire hand. He released a sigh, letting the flow of his water push his hand back as far as it would go.

It was nice. The sounds of the water lapping against the shore and their skin. The gentle flow of the stream. The coolness against his skin. It was nothing like the showers at the force base that would blast you with a hard pressure that felt like it wanted to rip your skin off.

"I found some!"

Frank blinked as Ryan sat up. He held something in his hand that Frank couldn't see from his position. He pushed himself up as Ryan popped something into his mouth.

"It's not a lot." Ryan's tone was apologetic as he held his hand out to Frank. What looked like a clear bead rested in his hand. "We have been out harvesting recently, so these are a bit picked over."

"Thank you." Frank took the berry from Ryan's hand. He rolled it in his fingers before bringing it to his lips. Much like Ryan described, the feeling of what the river provided was filled his senses. He gasped, almost dropping the berry from his mouth.

"Are you from the deserts?" Ryan asked, pulling his legs into a cross crossed position. "You act like you've never tried some of these before."

Frank swallowed the berry, glad the question had come before he could choke on it. Panic was rising within him. "I'm not from around forests." He replied, quietly.

"I used to live on the coasts." Ryan looked down and smiled, "I miss it. Inland berries are nice, but they never taste like home."

"What was it like?" Frank was glad to have the spotlight shifted away from him, but he was also curious. He had never known of coasts on the planet. Coasts meant oceans. Oceans meant possibly more land masses, based on reports from other planets within the Force's database. How could he have really believed this planet to only be desert?

"Beautiful." Ryan shut his eyes. "The scents of salt and breeze. The openness. The shades of blue the planet reserves just for those special lagoons full of so much life and magic." The smile that had been on his face while describing it all began to fade. "The last time I saw it, the waters were darkening and the life was growing scarce."

"I'm so sorry..." Frank grabbed hold of his wrist, twisting his hand around it to have something physical to focus on. How far on this planet did the Force stretch? He didn't think there was another base, but he had never read any reports of a coast or ocean. More and more of his past just continued to be fabrication.

"At least when Brendon and I ran, we found this group." He brought his smile back to his face, though it didn't seem as sincere as before.

They sat in silence for awhile after that. Frank kept twisting his wrist while Ryan seemed lost in thought. The river stream trickled on beside them, keeping the air around them somewhat active and alive. Frank let his gaze move towards the water. The fish were back and wiggling where they had been before Frank first dipped his fingers in the water. They didn't seem to notice Frank's gaze as they opened and closed their tiny mouths. He lowered himself to the ground, resting against the planet's surface to better gaze into the stream.

The fish continued their still swimming with silent mouth popping for a few minutes longer before they darted away again. Frank's brow furrowed as he leaned closer to the water. There was something being pushed by the water. It was small, but noticeable due to its white color against the light brown sand. Frank squinted at it. It seemed so... familiar?

"Ryan?" Frank began to reach out to the object in the water, but stopped himself. "What is that?" As he asked, he noticed another small white object floating downstream.

"What the..." Ryan trailed off, leaning forward over the water. As he did, one of the objects stopped it's movement. As they both peered down at it, the object shot out of the water. Ryan fell back, clutching his shoulder and crying out in pain.

Frank pushed himself up, crying out for Ryan. He was quickly hovering over Ryan, who was still clutching his shoulder. Ryan's face was scrunched in pain as white cracks began to spread under his hand.

Frank's breath caught as he locked onto the cracks. "No..." He pulled back, eyes growing wide. "No, no..."

Ryan gasped as the cracks spread up his neck. They stretched across his face, breaking apart into different branches that connected into his eyes. They shot open, revealing two orbs consumed by white. A grin hooked Ryan's mouth, though it twitched from its up curled hook to a lower dip. A laugh escaped during its movement as Ryan turned to Frank's direction.

"Oh, so it works." He leaned towards Frank, despite Frank pushing himself back along the ground. "Hello, Frank. I found you."

Frank's hand slipped on the edge of the riverbank, sending him splashing backwards into the water. He gasped as he landed in the shallow body of water. He scrambled back again, coming to rest on the small patch of land between the two streams. His body was shaking as he felt fear spread throughout his form. It bubbled and burst, sending his breaths to panicked gasps.

Back on the main shore, Ryan was grabbing the sides of his head, screaming.

The white cracks seemed to glow in the low light. Ryan's eyes were tightly closed as the cracks spread over more of his skin. "You. Can't. HIDE!" He lurched forward, fist hitting the dirt as his eyes reopened, still consumed by white.

Frank held out his hand, unable to keep it fully still. "Ryan, come back." His voice cracked as something inside of him moved up to his arm. Something that could move past the fear that filled him.

A sob escaped Ryan in response. The cracks were still spreading as he looked up at Frank. "I'm taking you back." He choked on the words as he kept his gaze on Frank.

Frank shook his head. He bit the inside of his lip as it quivered. He could still feel something moving along his outstretched arm. Something kept his arms up as a soft hum echoed in his head. Unlike the whispers that had filled his head earlier, there was a comfort to the hum that encouraged him to let the unknown sensation continue through his arm to his open hand.

"No." His voice was a whisper with another voice behind it. His brow furrowed. He didn't recognize himself.

Ryan glared as tears rolled down his cheeks as the cracks continued to spread over him. "Are you talking back?"

The sensation was in Frank's hand, spread through his fingers. "I'm taking him back." Frank's voice was layered again as he closed his hand into a fist.

Ryan cried out as the orb was ripped from his shoulder. He collapsed to the ground as the orb shot towards Frank. Frank's hand snapped open to catch it before closing on it again. He twisted his wrist and opened his fingers to look at the object. It was a white ball with a clear coating encasing it. It the white appeared to be some kind of metal with small breaks that lead to slivers of darkness. There was a strange feeling where he held it, as if  it was somehow... alive... Despite feeling so cold. As he brought it closer to his face, white cracks began to spread out where it sat against his skin.

"No!" He flung it down to the ground beside him in a panic. He shook his hand in the air, trying to get rid of the cracks. "Not again, not again!"

The calming hum was drowned out by his panic. It was just like when he was a kid. It was back on his skin and it would only spread like it always did. "Stop, stop, stop!"

The sensation in his hand pulled back into his chest. It rested there, as if trying to calm him, but Frank couldn't get past the memories that replayed with the cracks against his own skin. Always cracks. Always pain. Then nothing.

"Fr-Frank?" Ryan's voice was weak wherever it came from. Frank couldn't be sure.

Frank brought his hands close to his chest as dark wisps began to rise from his arms. Always cracks. Always pain. Then nothing. Always cracks. Always pain. Then nothing. He shut his eyes as the words and flashes of memories kept looping. It was just like before. It was always like this.

Except... the pain wasn't coming.

He reopened his eyes, still breathing heavily. Slowly, he pulled his hand away from his chest and looked down at his palm. Though there was still a lighter spot against his skin where the orb had been, the cracks were gone. It was just his skin. His head shot to the ground beside him where he had thrown the device.

The orb was sinking into the ground. It was already beginning to be obscured by the soft dirt of the water's shore. The dark veins had a red glow to them now, as if it was activating something.

Frank glanced between the orb and the wisps coming off his his arm. Magic or not, everyone here asked and they could connect in some way. Ryan had brought the light bug. He had seen Gerard do incredible things. Could he do it too?

"Stop it." He whisper, focusing on the wisps that rose from his skin, "Please."

Nothing happened for a moment. The device continued to burrow and the wisps continued to rise from his skin. Frank asked again, tone even lower as his chest began to tighten. What if he wasn't worthy of the planet's help, or even the help of the magic that resided within him? After living his whole life within the Force...

The wisps suddenly began to shift, interrupting his thoughts. They adjusted themselves into a downward motion, beginning to stretch towards the device that was burrowing in the ground. It continued until it reached the device and began to wrap around it.

A horrible mechanical noice cut through the air, bringing Frank to cover his ears due to its increasingly shrill pitch. Another force within him felt like it wrapped around his ears as well, further dampening the noise. It lasted for what felt like hours before it was abruptly silenced. The air was filled with nothing but the sounds of the twin waterways. Frank lowered his hands, looking down towards the device. The wisps were vanishing, revealing broken pieces of what was once the orb from the river.

A sigh of relief escaped him. The fear that had filled him was fading and the other sensation was following suit. "Thank you..."

"Frank?"

Frank looked back across the small waterway. Ryan was lying on the ground, lifting his head weakly to look over at Frank. The cracks were still covering his skin, but they were slowly retreating. He looked exhausted as his body shook.

Frank scrambled to his feet and hurried over to the other shore despite his own shaking. He crouched beside Ryan, though he hesitated to reach out to him because of the cracks. "Are you okay?"

Ryan blinked slowly, as if trying to process Frank's question. After a moment, he managed to speak. "Someone... someone's looking for you."

Frank felt his chest tighten as the cracks continued to retreat from Ryan's face. It's not like he didn't know. It's not like he hadn't seen the smoke that followed his and Gerard's path here. Now, it wasn't just himself and Gerard in danger. Now, he was putting Gerard's group in danger as well. Everyone was in danger because of him.