Noticing abnormal signs from his eldest brother, Gempa knew that Halilintar had reached his limit.

He made sure that the barrier behind him was steady enough for the one it was protecting. Another explosion occurred right as the leader stepped out of his shield, the force of the blast making him skid and almost fall on his back. This was why he couldn't approach any of them earlier. Their opponent had done everything he could just to separate the brothers and make sure none could interfere with his fight with Halilintar. Their long-range fighter had already been knocked to the ground, and while Gempa could also use ranged attack, his golems especially, all of them had gotten brutally exploded by the cannon (and one more unfortunate thing: it was the reason they'd fallen into the underground bunker in the first place).

Gempa adjusted his footing and managed to dodge a cannonball that nearly removed his arm. It made contact with a metal wall which had already been heavily damaged, exploding and causing rubble to rain down on them. The intense pain caused his eyes to drift closed for a moment, only to snap open again as he pushed himself forward. No, he can't just stand here. His brother was in danger, he had to do something, he had to–

His eyes widened when he realized that awfully familiar objects were attached to the villain's body - something that could terrify all human beings.

"In 30 seconds, all the bombs on my body will wipe this place off the map."

They are all in danger.

He felt his heart quicken with fear and dread as he looked at his twin crouched on the ground in pain, making no attempt to move.

He had to get there, fast! So he ran as he called the eldest's name frantically, thoughts racing through his mind like a broken record, enacting the worst-case scenario. He didn't care if the person in front of his eyes was telling him to stay away. He felt helpless, but he couldn't help himself... he had to try to save him, no matter how hopeless it might be. He had to at least try! Protecting had always been his responsibility. His family and friends' safety was his priority.

What was the point in holding such power if you couldn't use it to protect your loved ones?

He focused on Halilintar, ruby eyes now filled with fear. The other's mouth seemed to move in slow motion, and Gempa stopped in his tracks, now at the best distance to make a shield for his brother; he wouldn't make it when–

"GEMPA, DON'T–"

The boy bent down to make another earth barrier - or, he tried to. A second thunderous sound came just as his fists made contact with the ground, and his siblings screamed his name from afar. Several fiery explosions burst out as the bomb ignited, sending shockwaves all across the area.

Fireballs and metal fragments shot through the air. Gempa didn't even have time to brace himself before the projectiles rained down around him. Incandescent flames suddenly erupted, scattering fragments and debris several yards away. And before Gempa could even notice that, a sharp metal fragment made contact with his golden eyes.

Then his surroundings turned pitch black.

—

.

.

.

How on Earth had Taufan managed to bear his injury for that long?

Solar had ripped a part of his outer vest and tied it around Taufan's neck. They had to shift him into a lying position, while the boy in white put his hand on the blood-drenched fabric - not so tight that he would suffocate his brother, but still applying pressure on the wound to slow the bleeding.

And he waited.

It wasn't like they had a choice in this situation other than waiting. Taufan's other wounds weren't as serious as this one, which was fortunate for them. Yet having first aid skills didn't mean they were doctors. Duri's herbs wouldn't work because they hadn't stitched the wound. The green boy had tried to lessen the severity of the cut, but such healing required quite a large amount of energy, and Duri couldn't supply that when he was also on the verge of passing out.

Solar couldn't risk using his power to cauterize the wound, because that would definitely result in a second- or third-degree burn extremely prone to serious infection, and such infections could kill his sibling. Medics and other assistance were on their way, but the youngest didn't know how long they could hold on like this. His brilliant mind seemed unable to function properly in such a panicked state, though he still tried his best to assess the situation.

With the profound loss of blood, some of Taufan's blood vessels had probably been cut; thankfully, however, the windpipe was not significantly damaged, and the main blood vessels, especially the carotid artery, were unharmed as well - else Taufan would have been dead the moment that blade slashed through his skin. Given the surge of endorphins and the expected response to trauma, he probably hadn't felt the pain at first. Cuts to the throat could cause disconnection of the airway, causing breathing difficulty, but Taufan obviously had ignored the warning from his watch and pushed himself too far. They had only realized it when their enemy was defeated.

"Come on, Fan. Just a bit more..."

Tears welled in emerald eyes. Faint green light emerged from their owner's hands. Duri clasped the second eldest's hands as tightly as he could while his own shook furiously, showing no sign of letting go anytime soon. They both felt like children again, worried, frightened, shaking, terrified. His twin was unable to move for a long time after Taufan collapsed. These next few minutes would either pass as a blip in the course of his life, or they would be the final trauma that broke him. Solar's heart ached at the sight. He swallowed hard, willing his eyes to remain dry and his mind focused on the person between them.

"Yes, Fan. Please, hold on for us just a bit more." Was that his own voice? It was cracking badly, but he couldn't care less. Who has time to care when they could physically feel their own sibling slowly dying in their arms?

Solar felt as though his lungs might burst. They weren't prepared to lose him.

"Sol." The other's voice seemed strangled as well, the pair of emerald eyes now focused on him instead, "You need to lighten your hold. You might suffocate him."

There was a lull in the conversation, every other noise seemingly fading into the background.

He didn't get it.

Why did Duri sound so calm?

"Ready? Count to ten, and breathe with me."

Duri sniffled quietly, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. He wiped his cheek every few seconds, hot tears continuously streamed down his twin's face, and he also struggled to balance his breathing. Then, he knew. Duri wasn't calm, not even a bit.

Realizing it was best to obey, Solar followed the other's instructions, taking a few calming breaths while counting to ten slowly in his mind. The youngest muttered an apology and tried to relax his shoulders, loosening the grip on Taufan's wound.

Right, he has to be strong. For his brothers. Gempa and Halilintar weren't here right now, so they had to look for each other.

"You are doing great."

Duri gave him a distorted smile, an attempt to reassure him. The same couldn't be said for Solar; though he tried to give Duri a reply, his thoughts were elsewhere. The image of Gempa and Halilintar ran through his mind. His eyebrows scrunched in concern. Ais was with them too.

Urg, God. Blaze had already broken into a run at breakneck speed to the scene of the explosion. The two were so preoccupied with Taufan's injury that they had no time to even check on him. He was certain that Blaze's leg had suffered from such a hit from their enemy, but even so, the fiery boy acted like it was nothing. Solar wasn't sure whether Blaze was trying to hide it or it was simply his inhuman endurance.

It couldn't be helped though, especially when his (dearest) twin was on the other side of the battlefield. If Blaze hadn't left soon, they would never know what was currently happening to their brothers. Grayish-silver eyes momentarily drifted to the direction the fourth brother had run in, hoping that the other three would be safe as well.

—

There was a bad feeling lurking inside Blaze's chest, urging him on. What? They couldn't expect him to sit around doing nothing!

For some reason, their communication lines had been cut off. Solar couldn't contact any of them, no one answering his calls. However, the biggest possibility was the place where the explosion occurred, which must have been a result of their battle. How are his other brothers? Are they alright? Were they the ones who triggered the explosion just now? Well, that role suits Blaze and Solar more than any of them!

Suddenly, in the distance, there was another booming sound like lightning striking. The noise soon started to get louder and louder until it was all that could be heard. The vibration knocked him off his feet, worsening the pain of the wound he had gotten from the four-armed villain. It was like fire burning his legs. Blaze winced. "That's not what matters now", he told himself. The teen absorbed the trauma, swallowing the pain, then kicked his way slowly back to the surface.

Dense smoke in the hallway blocked his vision and made him cough violently. Blaze prayed from the bottom of his heart that nothing awful had happened to his brother - he hoped that they were somewhere other than the area he was approaching. Still, he panicked and sped up, ignoring the pain in his calf.

Despite all of that effort, what welcomed him was atrocious.

The smell of burning nearly suffocated him. As he hurried towards the debris, he saw that the ceiling had collapsed, and all he could feel was panic. The silence was overwhelming. He could picture the fireball and metal fragments shooting through the air, repeating the scene he would have witnessed if he had been a minute earlier.

However, something was odd. He felt chilly here, despite the ungodly temperature of the explosion.

Unless-

Fiery eyes caught the sight of his icy-cold twin groaning in pain behind the earth wall - and that was supposed to be Gempa's, wasn't it? Ais's movements were so jerky, carrying none of his usual grace. On his arms were great purple welts that would only deepen over the coming weeks. Where were the other two? Why was Ais trying to move when he was injured that badly?!

The boy in red quickly steadied Ais's shoulders. His eyes tensed, worrying surfacing as he finally got a closer look at his twin. The cold had turned his cheeks a fierce brick-red, and frostbite showed on his skin like patches of white putty. Had he overused his power? Ais rarely did that!

"Ais, Ais! Hey, bud. It's me, Blaze! I'm here!" Blaze tried to soothe his twin. However, the boy in blue continued to struggle in his arms, "Oh my god stop moving! You're hurting yourself!"

Blaze had no choice but to force his sibling to look him in the eyes. "Hey, bud. Listen to me. Maybe I know the reason you freaked out like that. But I can't help you if you don't calm yourself down. You can do it, right? It's your speciality, after all." Blaze, too, thought he was also on the verge of panic. He observed the other slowly doing as he was told, albeit shakily. Good. At the very least, his twin was paying attention to him, "Can you tell me where Halilintar and Gempa are?"

If they weren't here, perhaps he could run over to wherever they were and assist them. Well, that was what he hoped.

Ais stared back at him, snowflakes falling from his eyes and down past his cheeks. Blaze looked into his twin's eyes. Then, he knew. The struggle was nothing but a shield for pain. All that could be seen under the rim of his cap was hurt, exhaustion, and fear.

The other's voice was hoarse, "-- In the..re!"

"What...?"

As fiery eyes followed their icy counterparts, something clicked in Blaze's mind. Something horrible, terrifying. Even when he had suspected it, it was still unbelievable to hear Ais confirm it himself. No more words were needed.

Footsteps approached him, accompanied by gasps and mutters. Blaze quickly grew annoyed at the newcomers.

"YOU GUYS ARE FREAKING LATE!" He yelled in frustration, arms still hugging Ais, making sure not to hurt his twin even more.

"Blaze, what ha–" That was Yaya's voice, he was sure of it.

"No time to explain! Take Ais to the infirmary, he needs help, I think his arm is broken!"

"You're hurt too!" Ying quickly reached them, her eyes filled with concern. Guilt struck him as he recalled that he had screamed in their faces a mere few seconds ago. But--

"That doesn't matter! Help me out so we can get all this debris off and save those two!"

He gently handed his sibling to the time manipulator, then immediately turned towards the wreckage, noticing Ying and Yaya exchange worried looks behind his back. He found that there was a large piece of metal at the very top that had stopped the explosion spreading further. Feeling uneasy after seeing the scene, he tried to move the metal. Footsteps echoed again, gradually fading away this time. So Ying had taken Ais away, and now he had to concentrate on finding Halilintar and Gempa.

As he dug into the debris, and sharp fragments scratched his arms, his mind was focused on one thing: his brothers' safety. He had no idea where they were in the midst of wreckage, but he knew he had to find them. He wouldn't believe in the worst-case scenario. Ais's gaze had told him all, but yet he still searched for a sign of the two leaders. Right, they had gone through worse before; those two would always survive no matter what!!

"Be careful, the flames from the explosion haven't completely died out."

"I control fire, Yaya. I'll just shift them if there's any danger."

Blaze soon became aware of the suspiciously slippery metal floor and unnaturally cool temperature here, even after the powerful blast. Not to mention, there were a lot of melting icicles, all surrounding the wrecked area.

"That was why..." Blaze trailed off, "Ais, you reckless jerk." He should have noticed that earlier.

The girl in the pink hijab had also assisted him by using her gravity powers, skillfully lifting each and every of the metal pieces and depositing them out of the way. She also didn't let Blaze interfere too much. "Please don't overwork yourself. Like Ying said, you are hurting too."

"Ais did his best back then. I'm not going anywhere until I see those two, or else his efforts will be in vain." He could sense the concerned glance from the gravity manipulator. "How were the others? Did you guys meet them halfway here?"

"Yes, we also brought them to the infirmary. Don't worry." Another metal piece was moved out of their way, "And next will be you three."

Blaze laughed nervously, as if that would help him kick out the uneasiness churning inside.

Every sound they made seemed disproportionately loud in the silence. Not long after, they came across a dino cap with an earth emblem and brilliant yellow detailing. Gempa's cap.

Fiery and honey brown eyes met each other. Both realizing that they were close to their goal, Blaze watched Yaya hastily move aside a final piece with a wave of her hand, revealing both brothers in red and yellow. They were beaten up, and Halilintar clutched a power sphera in his arms. Right... Blaze had almost forgotten the reason they had come here in the first place.

The earth user must have created a shield for both of them. The protection was incomplete, though whether it hadn't formed in time or the explosion had destroyed it was unclear. Thanks to him, they hadn't gotten crushed by tons of heavy metal, but still–

Blood was seeping through his fingers at an alarming rate as he clutched Halilintar's jacket, his knuckles turning white from holding on too tight. Blaze looked at his brother's face. The latter's eyes were clouded and unfocused, he looked dazed and confused, skin getting paler by the second, and oh dammit, where the hell are the paramedics?! What was taking them so long? They should have arrived by now, especially with all the chaos that was happening around them-

Meanwhile, Yaya checked Gempa's vitals. Still breathing, she sighed in relief. There was blood in the corner of his eyes, but before Yaya could deduce what was wrong with her friend, the medic team came rushing in, Ying and Fang using their powers to speed them.

"Quick! Get them to the infirmary! Other team, extinguish the fire, search the hideaway for clues, and figure out what happened to the culprits! Report back to me once you've returned to the spaceship!"

Despite all the ruckus, the fire user hugged his eldest brother firmly.

"Thank God", He muttered through tears.

Perhaps they wouldn't come back in one piece, but at the very least, they were alive. They had escaped from Death's grasp.

That was what mattered.

[To be continued...]

A/N: The second update! Too soon? That means I'm gonna delay the next ones for a while (hopefully not too long). Vacation awaits, I deeply apologize.