Black Equation - The Gifted Ones

Number Twenty-Four

Change had a price, and it was her who had to bear it all, silently, but happily, knowing that she sacrificed herself for the people she loved.

 

Number Twenty-Four

Cecilia held her sister’s hand, giving it a tight squeeze as they watched the madness that surrounded them. The two of them were safe, untouchable on top of the Command, the twins that held the strings of destiny. As she Saw the future, it was Ophelia who knew the past, and together, they were invincible.

Their faces, exquisite in every way, matured with wisdom and knowledge, were framed with soft brown hair braided on a single side – Ophelia on her left, Cecilia on her right.

“It's unfair,” Cecilia spoke as tears of blood streamed down her cheek, “I can no longer stay with them.”

If it was up to her, things would be different. But there was only so much she could hold in her hands. She was but a human being. No matter how amazing her Gift was, she had a limit, and now the ending was coming too fast. It was cruel. 

I’m sorry, Ophelia whispered. I left you all by yourself.

“I’ve changed the future too much. I can only afford to pay the price one last time… I guess I have to cherish whatever I have left.”

Even without looking, she knew that her older sister understood. Powerful Gifts especially require more than simple energy from their owners. Ophelia gradually lost her empathy the more she sees the past, and for her, sanity.

It was rare times like these when she was able to break free from the grips of her delusions, brief but necessary. In her world of distorted reality, escape was difficult. The past haunts her, all those branched paths of 'what ifs' and 'what should have beens'.

“I’m sure you regret not seeing your girl.”

Ophelia shook her head. It’s enough that I died loving her.

She knew that back then, her sister was on the brink of losing herself. Maybe dying that day was a choice she made not only to save her loved ones, but also herself.

“Are you sad that Krad became what you feared the most?”

I don’t know.

Cecilia chuckled without humor. “This is ridiculous, right? You’re dead, yet I’m talking to you again… but you left so suddenly and I’m lonely... You're selfish, leaving us to fend for ourselves without your guidance. Papa was as strict as ever, Kreuz became impossible, Abcidee had no mother figure and Gneiss grew up to become a headache. Are you watching us, Ophee? Are you watching us with Trisha and Angelo and Dylan? Is Brandon with you too?”

It seemed like eons ago, but in truth, it had only been two decades since Cecilia and her friends thought that they finally achieved their happily ever after. The Syndicate was the most feared underground network back then, and at its head was the Italian-Hongkong mafia family, Cie.

Under Cie’s regime, Rare Kinds were considered merchandise, tools, to be used, oddities that were collected and trained like pets. Back then, Rare Kinds were hunted and sold to the highest bidders.

Kreuz was an orphaned thug when Vladimir Creed and his eleven-year old daughters, Ophelia and Cecilia, found him in Spain. They were traveling Europe that time, and eventually, they found Meric Underwood, Trisha Gǔ and the rest of the pioneers of what the world soon recognized as the Devil’s Creed.

Together, they managed to create a new world for the Rare Kinds, and eventually, replaced the throne of Cie in the underground society. All was well, until Vladimir had a stroke.