This was the end.

Destan's life was over. Everything he cherished, all he'd ever worked for, it was all gone. First his sister, then his mum and dad, and now his home; the tribe had taken everything from him. Even Keara, the only friend he'd ever had, was lost to him.

Here he was, wandering through the forest, his numb legs taking him on an unknown path. Destan stared down at the ground, watching the twigs and leaves flash by as his feet pushed him onwards. He had no idea where he was going. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore. With no tribe, Destan would die out here.

He couldn't stay in the forest. This was tribe territory; he wasn't allowed to be here anymore. But the only other place he knew, was Grimsby. The Inops would tear him to pieces if they found him there.

But where else was there to go? Destan panicked even at the mere thought at having to go beyond the forest. As far as he was aware, there was nothing there. Sure, he'd heard the rumours and tales about there being more tribes out there, but he had no idea whether they were anything more than myths. For tribers, life outside the forest didn't exist.

His hands trembled deep inside his pockets, as the forest floor flashed by in front of his eyes. Though he knew he'd have to find somewhere to go very soon, his mind refused to cooperate. Life outside the forest wasn't a thing. How could he consider finding someplace else, when he couldn't even wrap his head around the idea of there being someplace else?

Destan blinked when the sun poured into his eyes. His feet had taken him to the spot he always went to when he felt bad: the edge of the forest where he used to meet Julia. His shoulders slumped as he stared out over the stream. The empty bench on the other side seemed to mock him.

What am I doing here? Destan turned on his heel, only to realise he couldn't go back into the forest. He'd been kicked out. He wasn't allowed in there anymore.

Fighting the upcoming tears, he sank to his knees. There was nothing left for him anywhere. Nobody wanted him. Not the tribe, not his grandad, not Julia... Everyone had abandoned him.

Nobody wants me.

Loneliness, anger and frustration all bubbled up together into a dangerous mix, until his atraments burned with excess energy.

Nobody cares about me.

Destan let go of all his cropped-up grief, allowing it to burst out of his body. Energy shot out of the marks on his arms and soared all around him, levitating anything and everything: branches, rocks, stray cans and plastic bags, even the water from the stream. It all floating up into the sky, trembling in the air from the sheer power they were subjected to.

My own family abandoned me!

Surrounded by objects floating in the air, Destan's rage churned inside him until he could hold it in no longer. He screamed at the top of his lungs, howling at the sun like a wolf would to the moon. He screamed and shouted until his voice went hoarse and all the energy had left his body.

My life is over...

Destan leaned his shoulder against the nearest tree and buried his face in his hands, as branches, rocks and water from the stream rained down around him.

***

He sat there for hours, his back against a tree and his head in his arms, as if things would go back to normal if he just waited. The only time he lifted his head up was when a few loud bangs, like explosions, echoed through the forest behind him. It didn't last very long.

The sun hung low in the sky when movement in the corner of his eye made him look up.

Julia! His heart skipped a beat.

On the other side of the half-empty stream, Julia snuck between the run-down houses to her old spot. Once she got near, she stopped and glanced around. Slowly, she edged forward, her shoulders pulled up high and her eyes wide, scanning her surroundings non-stop.

Pushing back as far amongst the shadows as he could, Destan stared at his sister. What was she doing here? After last time, when she fled from him, he figured she'd never want to see him again. Why did she come back?

With a frown on his face, Destan watched her creep ever closer until she reached the bench. There, she pulled a small piece of yellow paper out of her coat pocket and placed it under a rock, before turning on her heel and sprinting off. Within seconds, she'd disappeared between the houses and Destan was alone once more.

His mind raced as his gaze fixed on the rock. It was the same one she'd left the drawing under, so long ago, back when Destan had been just an outcast. Back when life was simple. The drawing that showed Julia and Destan, in the only way she knew how to draw them together; with the flowers hovering over her head.

And now, she'd left something else under the rock. Was this meant for him as well? Why would she bring him something if she was obviously terrified of him?

Maybe she'd just left him a note to tell him to leave her alone. That would make sense, Destan thought. After all, that was what everyone was telling him today.

Keeping his eyes on the rock, he made a decision. If that was a note telling him to leave her alone, he would give up. He would leave the forest and walk in a random direction until he came across a decent place to stay. If Julia told him to go, he'd go.

With that thought, he pushed himself up and marched over to the edge of the stream. There, he reached out and levitated the rock into the air, using his other arm to pull the little yellow piece of paper out from under it. Dropping the connection with the rock, he let the post-it note fly over until it landed in his hand.

For a few moments, Destan just stared at it. His stomach churned. With every second that passed, he became more and more sure about what this was. It was folded inwards, so that he could see the letters through the paper, but couldn't read the words. He wasn't sure if he could bear the truth. Maybe he should just throw it away and leave without reading it. Perhaps he'd rather never find out what she had to tell him.

Without making a conscious decision, Destan found himself slowly unfolding the note. Just as he closed his eyes to avoid reading, he caught the word "fight". His mind immediately jumped to conclusions. Fight? Did she have another fight with Nero? Was this about his fight with Nero? Surely this didn't have to do with her wanting him to leave her alone, though...

His curiosity piqued, Destan opened his eyes and glanced down, reading the three neat little sentences.

People in Community Hall want to fight you

Can you stop it?

Please don't hurt them

Destan had to read the note three times for it to sink in. People want to fight you. Were the Inops coming after him? Had Nero gotten them to hunt him down? But why? Nero was the only one with a personal grudge against him; the rest of Grimsby didn't even know him.

Unless... Unless she didn't mean they were coming after Destan, but after the tribe as a group. The war that was escalating every day... Would they come into the forest to try and finish it?

Can you stop it?

Was Julia expecting him to put an end to this war? He crumpled the paper, pulling his other hand through his hair. How on earth was he meant to stop a war? He was alone, neither the tribe nor the Inops would listen to him. He didn't even know what they were planning!

With a frustrated groan, Destan threw the crumpled piece of paper on the ground. How could she expect him to stop a war? A bloody war, on his own! If she'd asked anything else, anything at all, he would've done it without hesitation. But stopping a war? He didn't even know where to start. She hadn't even told him what they were planning. All she'd said was...

Wait...

It was as if a lightbulb had suddenly switched on inside his head. He crouched down to pick the note back up and smoothed it.

People in Community Hall

Destan had seen Grimsby's Community Hall before. In one of Aruna's simulations; she'd tasked the team to get resources from that place once.

Was that where they were discussing this? Perhaps he could find out what their plan was. It would be dangerous, sneaking into town at this time, but it wasn't as if he had anything to lose. At least this gave him a purpose.

With one more glance back at the forest that used to be his home, Destan pulled his hood over his head and pushed his hands deep inside his pockets. He made his way to the bridge, crossed the stream and snuck between the houses on the edge into Grimsby.

Staying close to buildings, diving behind dumpsters and into alleyways whenever he spotted someone, he made his way through the town. The journey reminded him of when Aruna had asked him to take the little black box from the police station, during her very first training. Back then it had all been a mere simulation, but now, this Grimsby, this situation was real. If he screwed up now, there wouldn't be anyone pulling him out of a simulation. There wouldn't be any backup.

He didn't need it. He could do this. Aruna's training had prepared him for this.

As he got closer to the Community Hall, the streets became busier. People walked in and out of the building; the ones going in often with large bags around their shoulders. The people, mostly men, talked amongst each other, tense and excited looks on their faces.

Destan had to dive behind a car when a man and a woman came around the corner, arguing fiercely. The man, like so many others, carried a black bag, while the woman wore a worried expression.

"I don't like this!" said the woman. "It's not just about you putting yourself in danger, I mean you could die out there, for God's sake! But you're also going against the Mayor. It's not right, Peter!"

"The Mayor is the one who doesn't know what's right," snarled the man, pushing his glasses further up his nose. "These monsters have been living right beside us for God knows how long! I'm happy that boy got us all together for this. After all they've done to us over the past weeks, it's about time."

"We bought that for our protection!"

"Yes, and that's exactly what we'll use it for."

"Peter...!"

As the pair got closer to the community building, Destan missed the rest of the conversation. But he'd heard enough to know that Julia had been right. These people wanted to fight the tribe. Interestingly, the Mayor had apparently pleaded against it, just like Remus.

Not that it mattered much; war was war, whether the two leaders wanted it or not. They didn't do enough about it, so Destan had to do it himself.

Destan slipped into the shadows of houses and fences. Getting close to the hall, watching these people go in and out, did nothing to answer his questions. He still had no idea what they were planning. He had to get closer.

His heart stopped and he froze next to a tall hedge, when a familiar voice rang across the street. His blood turned to ice in his veins. It can't be...

"See you tomorrow, Mr Cox! And don't worry, we will get your son back."

Destan peered through a gap between two beams of a wooden fence. A large, muscled man with a moustache stuck his hand up to the younger boy in greeting as he left the Community Hall.

Nero, a wide smile on his face, turned around and re-entered the hall. How was he back in Grimsby? How had he gotten out of the clutches of the tribe? A surge of anger rushed through Destan, flaring up his atraments like turning off the safety lock of a gun.

Stop, Destan told himself. Stay in control. He balled his hands into fists as if to keep the energy inside.

Those explosions he'd heard... Now that he thought about it, they might've been gun-shots. Had the Inops gone on a rescue mission and freed him? We will get your son back. Perhaps the tribe had taken another boy prisoner, when Nero escaped.

As Nero went back inside the building, Destan could see past him through the doors. The inside bustled with activity. There were more people involved in this than Destan had anticipated.

As soon as the door shut again, Destan came out of his hiding place, sprinting around the building in search of a useful window. Most windows either had the curtains drawn or had a view on an empty room, containing only some chairs and tables. He'd nearly made a full circle around it, when he finally found one with a view.

And it wasn't a good one.

What Destan saw through the window was so terrifying it made him immediately turn around and flee back into the forest, heart pounding.

Nero and his supporters had been collecting weapons. A whole room full of guns that could undoubtedly kill all tribers, no matter how hard they fought back. Magic or not, they weren't invincible. And this... This would destroy them.