(Amid the continuing onslaught of the masked shadow soldiers and the swift destruction of the camp, the residents in hiding — as well as Mr. and Mrs. Carter, Ethan’s adopted parents — get to see Ethan receiving a powerful blast from close range right at his chest, launching him into another pile of rubble. His parents and all the other residents are left to watch in horror as Ethan lays on his back — beaten, bruised, and unable to carry on.)

  Ethan: (thinking to himself, solemnly) I’m not one of them. I never was. I never will be. They don’t… want me. No one does. And it’s because… it’s my power. (whimpering quietly) Is my power… really a curse?

  (Hollow slowly approaches the defeated Ethan with his electric neon red aura, clenching his fists as the neon red sign on his mask glows with energy and widens slightly. He stands right in front of Ethan, his imposing figure towering over the latter, and then he grabs him by the back of the neck and lifts him up, looking at him dead in the eyes. He instantly recognizes the dejected look on his eyes; he has neither the will nor the strength to keep fighting anymore.)

  Hollow: I recognize that look. You’ve already given up.

  Ethan: (his head bowed, weakly) No… I can’t… I shouldn’t — .

  Hollow: You’ve lost purpose. You’ve lost what you thought drives you. But the way I see it… no one can live without purpose. Those without purpose… cannot carry on with their lives. So let me offer you a new conviction once again. Join my master. Become part of something greater. Something special.

  Ethan: (groaning weakly) I…

  Hollow: You’ve seen it yourself. You don’t belong with any of the inept, unaware masses. They don’t want you. They fear you. They fear what they don’t understand. But you… me… my master… all of us Surge users… we can kickstart the revolution with our own hands. Stop fighting for a cause that no longer matters… Ice Surge.

  (Ethan weakly glances up at Hollow, his eyelids barely open and his lips parted. He remains silent, as if the words are starting to get into his head. This silence hangs for longer than it should, with all the residents in hiding with bated breath, but then Mr. Carter rushes to Hollow in desperation, though his wife tried to hold his hand and stop him, her lips parted in terror.)

  Mr. Carter: (yelling in desperation) Leave him alone!

  (Hollow knocks him back with an energy shockwave then lets go of Ethan’s neck, throwing him into the ground. Ethan then gets to watch in horror as Hollow lands a punch at his adopted father’s chest without a second thought, knocking him into a pile of rubble.)

  Ethan: (horrified) Dad!

  (Ethan attempts to lift himself back up and run at Hollow, but he falls back into the ground, unable to carry on. He desperately crawls and attempts to reach Hollow, tearfully watching as he slowly walks towards his father, energizing his fists. Mrs. Carter rushes to stand in Hollow’s way, but he simply swats her away, knocking her to the ground.)

  Ethan: Mom!

  Hollow: (turning to her, disdainfully) Stay down. You’ll get your turn.

  (He then turns back to Mr. Carter, who’s quietly groaning from that punch, clutching his chest in pain with his eyelids barely open. Ethan lifts himself back up and runs at Hollow through gritted teeth with unequal steps, but the latter quickly turns to him and lands a blast at his chest, knocking him back into the rubble. He attempts to crawl once again, but the rubble falls on his back, immobilizing him.)

  Ethan: No!

  (Ethan desperately attempts to get out of the rubble, but he’s unable to move, and he’s too tired to use his Ice Surge as well, forced to watch as Hollow continues to walk towards his father. Upon reaching Mr. Carter, he charges up his palms and aims a blast at him, much to horror of not only Mrs. Carter and the hiding residents, but to Ethan’s horror as well. He tearfully clenches his fists as he reminisces about his act of kindness towards him seven years ago, the only act of genuine compassion that he knows, and then something takes over him.)

  Ethan: I won’t… (yelling in rage) LET YOU HURT HIM!!!

  (The ferocity behind that scream grabs Hollow’s attention, who ceases his attack on Mr Carter and slowly turns to Ethan instead, who blasts the rubble that’s been holding him down away with his Ice Surge. His icy hue develops into an intense aura, and his blue eyes start glowing with energy as he clenches his fists through gritted teeth. The residents in hiding watch in horror as Ethan continues his feral transformation, growling in rage, and even the masked shadow soldiers put their attack to a halt and watch. Hollow continues watching, the neon red sign on his mask widening in interest.)

  Hollow: (thinking to himself, intrigued) The Ice Surge is finally doing it. My master was right. All it took was a push. (enveloping himself in his electric neon red aura) But he isn’t there yet. Still some more.

  (The winds intensify, getting colder as well, and even Hollow is disoriented by the cold wind brushing ferociously past him, but Ethan remains unmoved in his powered-up form, glaring at him with piercing, feral eyes. He immediately and swiftly lunges at Hollow, who braces himself for the attack and blocks the punch, though he gets hurled clear off his feet.)

  Hollow: (internally) The punch had actual force behind it. He’s truly breaking past his regular limits, but that’s not what he can truly be capable of.

  (He regains his balance midair and blocks Ethan’s next blow with an energy blast, only to be struck with a cluster of ice blasts immediately afterwards, knocking him off balance, and then Ethan roundhouses him in the face, sending him plummeting to the ground. As Ethan lands on the ground, several masked shadow soldiers converge on him, but before they get to open fire, they get pierced with Ethan’s ice crystals, causing them to dissipate for a while, and then he sets his eyes on Hollow once more, lunging at him rapidly while gliding using his icy feet. Meanwhile, Mrs Carter rushes for her husband’s aid and helps him up, and the two get to watch Ethan’s powerful form in action with petrified expressions.)

  Mrs. Carter: (frightened) What happened to him?!

  Mr. Carter: (his pupils narrowing in terror, weakly) Could it be… the full extent of his power?

  (The couple turn their backs on the cold wind, trying to avoid it, while the other residents continue to watch the fight between Hollow and the powered-up Ethan in silent terror, slowly coming out of their hiding now that the masked shadow soldiers have stopped their onslaught, watching the battle as well. Meanwhile, Ethan launches a massive ice pillar at Hollow, who’s taken aback by the swiftness of the pillar and is struck by it. He destroys the pillar, however, only for Ethan to lunge at him again, and Hollow blocks the blow, kicking him in the gut and sending him skidding back. Ethan regains his footing and instantly dashes at Hollow once again, who glides back to gain distance while blocking his ice crystals.)

  Hollow: (internally) A little push. That’s all he needs now.

  (Hollow reaches for his pocket and grasps the green crystal in his possession, the Catalyst. After energizing it with his palm, as Ethan jumps at him for a blow, Hollow extends the energized Catalyst towards him, holding him still with it. He gets overwhelmed by the Catalyst’s sheer energy, yelling in pain and struggling to break free from its grasp, and Hollow powers up his aura further and tightens his grip on the Catalyst.)

  Hollow: (powerfully) There it is, Ice Surge! It’s time! The spark has formed! All it takes… is for this spark to develop into flames… and come out!

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  (The residents, as well as Ethan’s parents, watch with frightened eyes as Ethan gets immobilized by the Catalyst’s overwhelming energy and hear his yells of pain. This especially impacts Ethan’s mind, and he goes through all of his memories in a rapid, random fashion as his consciousness slips away; he’s still got his eyes open, but his vision is blurry, as if his mind is taking him elsewhere. His vision is eventually fully distorted, and then he slowly wakes up, finding himself lying on the thick snow amid a violent snowstorm.)

  Ethan: (groaning, muttering) What? Where am I? (looking around) This… doesn’t look like our camp.

  (As he looks around, he sees himself in an open, snowy area, with absolutely no camp or bare trees in sight whatsoever. He glances at his palm for a while and senses the snow, testing out his senses, and then he gets back up on his feet, slowly walking while continuously looking around, his lips parted in surprise. Adding to his surprise, he isn’t bothered by the snowstorm at all; the wind doesn’t even disorient him in the slightest. But what shocks him the most is what he notices upon taking a closer look at his surroundings.)

  Ethan: (muttering) That place… this storm… have I… yes, I have. This… was seven years ago.

  (Ethan suddenly remembers what happened back then: his desperate struggle to survive, the slow and painful process of freezing to death, and the awakening of his Ice Surge back when he was only six. He brushes those memories and focuses on the path ahead, but his pupils narrow in horror upon witnessing this next sight. He sees all of the residents, even his parents and Shay, unconsciously and unresponsively frozen in place right in front of his eyes.)

  Ethan: (muttering) No. No no no no no no no…

  (Ethan panickedly runs towards the residents, cupping a young boy’s face and looking at his unresponsive, blank eyes. Seeing no response, he continues looking around at all the frozen residents then heads for his parents, tearfully embracing their frozen bodies and attempting to activate his Ice Surge, possibly to undo this, but it doesn’t work that way.)

  Ethan: (tearfully yelling, embracing his frozen parents and using his Ice Surge on them, to no avail) No no no no no! Come on! Come on!

  (Suddenly, he hears the sound of breaking ice, and he turns around, seeing one of the resident’s frozen bodies getting broken into ice fragments then dissipating, to his shock. He looks around and sees all the other frozen bodies around him undergoing that same process, until he turns to his parents, seeing their frozen bodies cracking and then breaking into fragments, then the fragments dissipate as well, leaving him horrified. It’s then that he sees Hollow right ahead of him in the distance, slowly approaching him, and Ethan slowly steps back in horror.)

  Hollow: This is what you truly fear. You fear your own power. You fear its consequences. The nature of Surges is a curse, but why must we abide by that fate for all our lives? Move on, feeling ashamed of what sets us apart and holding it back for someone else’s sake?

  (As Ethan continues stepping back in fear, he collides into something, and as he turns back, he sees another copy of Hollow standing right in front of him. He quickly steps back once again, and as he stands in this open area amidst the violent snowstorm, he sees Hollow slowly circling around him, and with every step, another copy forms, circling around him. Countless copies of Hollow form, and they all circle around him, leaving him with no way out.)

  Hollow: The responsibility falls upon you now, Ice Surge. You know what will happen to those people the moment you fall.

  Hollow Copy 1A: So what shall it be? Will you go all out to protect those you care about, or will you hold back to protect them?

  Hollow Copy 1B: There is no escaping those two extremes, so why insist on losing? Why cling to your fear of your own power?

  Hollow Copy 1C: You fight for no one but yourself. That’s how it is. So fight to win… whatever it takes.

  (The countless Hollow copies all extend their energized palms at Ethan and telekinetically lift him up, overwhelming him with their energy. Ethan grunts in pain and struggles to break free, his aura unwillingly intensifying. Outside his subconscious state, he’s still yelling in pain, and inside his mind, he’s also experiencing that same pain; both his mind and his body are in turmoil.)

  Hollow and His Copies: (in unison, their voices echoing) Release it, boy. Become a true Surge Beacon.

  (With all of that pressure mounting on him, Ethan finally snaps. His pupils disappear, getting fully concealed by the intense, icy glow of his eyes, and he breaks free from the Catalyst’s energy and its powerful grasp on him, landing on the ground on his knees with a powerful thud. His aura then intensifies even further, and he releases a feral scream as he continues amplifying his Ice Surge. Ethan’s parents and the residents can only watch Ethan’s uncontrollable transformation, much to their horror.)

  Man 1A: (terrified, looking at Ethan from a distance) What’s he doing?!

  Mr. Carter: (muttering in horror) He’s… going even further.

  (The wind grows even more violent, even developing tiny shards of ice all around. Outside the camp, amidst the continuously intensifying atmosphere, Shay slowly wakes up as a result of all the intense winds, the intensity enough to snap him back into consciousness.)

  Shay: (groaning weakly) Wha’s happenin’?

  (Shay slowly gets back up on his feet and looks around at his open, snowy surroundings. He then uses his arm to cover his face and shield himself from the intense winds, but upon doing that, he notices several tiny ice shards striking against his elbow, to his surprise. Upon turning to the camp and glancing at it from a distance, he sees all the destruction that has occurred, adding to his shock.)

  Shay: (his lips parted in shock) Begorrah. (grimacing) Somethin’s off. Proper off.

  (He attempts to run off to the destroyed camp and check what’s going on, but he stops and clutches his chest in pain, still affected by Hollow’s previous punch. After some thought, his pupils narrow in a horrific realization, coming to notice what’s really going on.)

  Shay: (muttering in shock) Ethan.

  (Despite the pain, Shay hurriedly heads for the camp, knowing full well what could be happening at the moment. Meanwhile, Ethan eventually stops yelling, and he slowly stands upright, glaring at Hollow with his pupil-less eyes. Hollow himself steps back a little, the neon red symbol on his mask glowing with energy.)

  Hollow: (intrigued) There it is.

  (Hollow charges up his electric neon red aura and takes a fighting stance against Ethan, who has finally assumed his full power, becoming the Ice Surge Beacon. The residents are mere bystanders, silently watching the battle as it’s set to commence, and even the masked shadow soldiers shift their full attention to this confrontation. Suddenly, Hollow is taken by surprise when a cluster of ice crystals form out of nowhere around him and strike him, disorienting him.)

  Hollow: (internally, shocked) What?

  (In a split second, he notices the tiny, barely visible ice shards carried by the wind rapidly joining together to form another cluster of ice crystals, possibly the same means by which the previous attack struck him, and he unleashes an energy shockwave to destroy the ice crystals. However, Ethan lunges at him immediately afterwards, landing a powerful punch at his gut and launching him through the air. Several more ice crystals form in the air and are launched at him, but he propels himself upwards to avoid them, only for Ethan to reappear above him. In that fleeting moment, he recognizes the look on his face as one not of anger or determination, but one of emptiness, a thorough lack of emotion in his pupil-less eyes and unchanging frown.)

  Hollow: (internally) This kid… he’s become something else… entirely!

  (With the scattered ice shards around him, Ethan quickly forges a hammer of ice, and he strikes Hollow with it, who gets sent plummeting to the ground despite blocking the blow. Ethan gives Hollow no chance to properly place his foot on the ground and moves in for another blow, but Hollow sidesteps past him then fires a barrage of blasts from behind, only for Ethan to block them by forming several ice blocks.)

  Hollow: (thinking to himself) Those tiny ice shards boost his range of attack by a massive margin. He can form an attack from anywhere at any time. He’s no pushover, that’s for sure. With the surrounding environment serving his purposes, he’s surely up there with the Fire Surge Beacon.

  (Ethan then turns to Hollow and lunges at him while forming a cluster of ice crystals, which Hollow cancels out with an energy shockwave, and then he blocks Ethan’s punch, kicking him in the gut afterwards and sending him sliding on the ground. The residents continue watching this dynamic battle with petrified expressions, and they’re soon forced to shield themselves from the scattering ice shards and the violent, cold winds. Despite hiding behind all the rubble, they still can’t look away from this intense fight, with Mr and Mrs Carter being particularly horrified.)

  Mr. Carter: (horrified) I never knew Ethan was capable of that. This isn’t like the first time his powers awakened. This… is much worse.

  Mrs. Carter: (muttering) This… isn’t fair. (placing a hand on her mouth, tearfully) He’s just a kid. Why does he have to go through all of this?

  (Meanwhile, as Ethan and Hollow continue lunging at each other repeatedly, blocking each other’s blows, they regain their footing and stand opposite to one another. The two of them charge up their auras and take their fighting stances.)

  Hollow: (exclaiming) That’s right, Ice Surge! Give it your all without a care in the world! Show me what you can do!

  (Ethan remains expressionless, barely responding, and he gets ready for the battle to re-commence. The winds intensify even more, and the residents and Ethan’s parents, as well as the masked shadow soldiers themselves, watch with bated breath as the two powerhouses stand against one another. Ethan has finally been pushed over the edge, and he’s far from friendly.)