(The white light eventually dissipates, and the dust settles on the camp, now more damaged and ruined than before as a result of the previous barrages of blasts. The residents emerge from their hiding and look around in silent dread, with Shay accompanying Mr and Mrs Carter.)

  Mr. Carter: (panting) What was that just now?

  Mrs. Carter: (horrified) That attack… is Ethan okay?! Could he be — ?!

  Shay: (grimly) The wee one’s tougher than that.

  (The cold winds return with full force and violently brush past them, and Shay glances around at the unspoken fear in everyone’s eyes: parents holding their horrified children tightly, other grown adults standing still in shock, and a thickening sense of dread amid the silence. As the dust settles, Shay sees Ethan standing firmly on the ground, a powerful ice barrier over his head, one that shielded him from the incoming barrage of blasts. Flare, Focus, Boltix, Jackpot, and Jax re-emerge as well and confront the unscathed Ice Surge Beacon, whose emotionless expression remains unchanged.)

  Jax: (gritting his teeth) What was that all about? Those soldiers… why did they pull off this move?

  Focus: (looking around) Hollow… and the soldiers. Where are they?!

  (The others are alerted by this and look around in surprise trying to find Hollow and his small battalion of masked shadow soldiers, but they’re nowhere to be seen. Meanwhile, Hollow and the shadow soldiers are stationed outside the ruined camp, and the former links up with Infinity back at the tower.)

  Hollow: (via communicator, firmly) Master, the area’s clear. We expect a portal now.

  Infinity: (via communicator) I see.

  (The purple infinity sign on his mask glows with energy, and he charges up his palm with shadowy energy. Back at the outskirts of the camp, one of the masked shadow soldiers suddenly gets energized by Infinity’s shadow energy, and it opens up a black portal with its palm. The masked shadow soldiers promptly enter this portal, but before Hollow does, he turns back to the ruined camp, feeling the cold, violent wind aggressively brushing past him.)

  Hollow: We’ll meet again, Ice Surge, and now that you’ve seen the truth with your own eyes, I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of person you become.

  (With that, Hollow steps into the black portal, leaving the Surge users to handle the Ice Surge Beacon all by themselves. Back at the destroyed camp, Flare and the other Surge users are left to confront Ethan through gritted teeth, who silently glares at them with his unwavering scowl. It’s then that Jackpot notices the frost marks on both Flare and Focus, much to his surprise.)

  Jackpot: (concerned, turning to Flare and Focus) Hey, what’s with those marks?

  Boltix: I’ve been meaning to ask the same thing.

  Flare: (shrugging grimly) Nothing I can’t handle.

  Focus: There’s no time to worry about us… (turning to Ethan) not when he’s still around.

  Boltix: (grimacing) So what now?

  Jackpot: We’re supposed to be receiving backup as soon as possible. Guess we just gotta hold out until then.

  Jax: (gritting his teeth) But what chance do we have against this guy anyway?

  Flare: No chance, probably.

  Focus: There’s a lot we have to figure out. One at a time, I guess.

  (The five Surge users take their fighting stances up against the Ice Surge Beacon: Flare envelops herself in a fiery aura and charges up her palms with flames; Focus charges up his navy blue energy with a firm expression; Boltix amplifies his electric yellow and blue aura, activating his Kinetic Surge; Jackpot tightly grips his dual guns and prepares his rocket-powered roller skates, while his Creation pot starts glowing, now ready for use; and Jax adapts a more muscular form for battle. Ethan clenches his fists and amplifies his icy aura further, glaring at them with an expressionless look on his face. With that, Flare and the others lunge at the Ice Surge Beacon together.)

  (Flare jumps at Ethan and launches a burst of flames at him, but he easefully blocks it with his icy palm, then he slides back to avoid Jax’s punch. He then jumps at Jax and kicks him in the chin, sending him skidding back, and as Jackpot circles around him and fires several plasma blasts at him, they get blocked by his rapidly forming ice slabs. Ethan jumps at Jackpot and lands a kick at his chest, launching him through the air, then he launches an ice energy beam right at Boltix to slow down his rapid advance, kicking him in the face and sending him sliding afterwards. Focus lunges at him while dodging his ice projectiles through gritted teeth.)

  Focus: (thinking to himself, gritting his teeth) I’ve always known that he’s a Surge Beacon ever since we first met, but I never expected that he’d turn out to be this much powerful. How could that be?

  (Focus jumps sideways to avoid a punch from Ethan, then his subsequent roundhouse kick gets blocked, though it does knock Ethan back a bit. He responds with a rapid ice blast, but Focus slides out of the way. As he continues the battle, he remembers his discussion with Ethan’s adopted parents the day before that.)

  Ethan’s Father (flashback): (frowning) I understand what you’re implying and… please don’t bring up this topic. I was there when he first awakened his powers, and… I don’t want him to lose control ever again.

  Ethan’s Mother (flashback): Regardless of his powers, he’s just a kid… and we’re trying our best to ease the burden on his shoulders. He’s a really kind person, always out there trying to help whenever he can, even when he doesn’t have to, and I don’t want him to push himself too hard. I… hope you understand.

  (As Focus reminisces about these words, his lips curl into a grim frown. Flare jumps at Ethan once again then uses the flames underneath her legs to propel herself away from his blow. She continuously does so, waiting for a window of attack, and as he starts forming a cluster of ice crystals to launch at her, she launches a rapid barrage of fire lances to cancel them out. This gives Focus an opportunity to attack, but as he lunges at Ethan, he feels a sharp pain in his chest, the frost mark on his face widening even further.)

  Focus: (gritting his teeth) Not now!

  (This intense pain causes Focus to stumble and allows Ethan to land an ice crystal at his gut, launching him through the air. Flare attempts to propel herself out of Ethan’s range, but she too experiences that sharp pain in her chest, causing her to stumble as well. This allows the Ice Surge Beacon to land another powerful ice blast right where her heart is, sending her crashing into a pile of rubble. Shay and the other residents see Flare struggling from a distance, and the former notices the widening frost mark on her face in horror.)

  Shay: (muttering in horror) Flare…

  (Flare emerges from the rubble and starts panting in exhaustion, her breath coming foggy and cold. She notices several small and gradually widening frost marks on her bare shoulders, and she starts shivering uncontrollably from the cold. Ethan slowly approaches her while witnessing her slow freezing with a detached expression.)

  Flare: (her lips shivering) This… is getting even worse. I can’t… keep going like this.

  (Flare slowly gets up on her feet, her stance imbalanced and frail, and she amplifies her fiery aura to fight back against the frosty effect. It doesn’t work as well as it’s supposed to, and the effect is only slightly slowed down, to which Flare grits her teeth. Suddenly, before Ethan lunges at Flare, a blast hits the ground, forcing him to a stop. It’s none other than Gauntlet, who’s finally managed to arrive and fire that blast using one of his gauntlets.)

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Gauntlet: There’s the Ice Beacon.

  (Ethan fires a cluster of ice crystals at Gauntlet, but he blasts off with his air shoes and avoids the blows. Upon gaining distance from the Ice Surge Beacon, Gauntlet swings his pair of whip katars at him, but Ethan easily blocks them with a pair of small ice crystals. That’s when Flare lands a fiery punch at Ethan’s face from his right side, sending him sliding. Before he fully steadies himself, Boltix rapidly lunges at him from behind, his approach too quick for Ethan to block, and he receives a kick at his back, sending him flying.)

  Boltix: (cockily grinning) Gotcha!

  (Boltix moves in for another blow while Ethan remains in the air, but he forms an ice platform using the tiny, scattered ice shards in the air. He sets foot on the platform and jumps off of it, acrobatically avoiding Boltix’s next blow. He fires an ice energy beam from above, and Boltix cancels it out with an electric fist. Upon setting foot on the ground, Jackpot circles around Ethan while firing several plasma blasts at him, only for him to easily cancel them out with his mere aura.)

  Jackpot: (gritting his teeth) Not nearly enough.

  (Jackpot launches a cluster of grenades out of his creation pot, and Ethan blows them all up with ease. Jackpot then lunges at the Ice Surge Beacon while pulling a stun baton out of his pot, but the latter unleashes an energy shockwave that knocks him back. Before Ethan lands his punch, Focus and Jax lunge at him from his right side and land their combined punch, sending him sliding. Ethan launches a barrage of crystals at the two, which Jax shatters using his muscular form. However, as Focus lunges at the Ice Surge Beacon, he gets taken by surprise when the scattered ice fragments reform and strike him all at once, amplifying the already increasing frost effect.)

  Jax: Focus!

  (Ethan then lands a kick right at Focus’s chest, specifically where his heart is, and launches him through the air. Jax catches him, and then the other Surge users show up along with Gauntlet to confront Ethan. It’s then that Gauntlet gets to witness the increasingly deteriorating cryogenic effect placed on both Flare and Focus and the toll it’s taking on them. Several frost marks are developing on Flare’s shoulders, while the mark on Focus’s frost mark widens even more, though the effect is eventually slightly inhibited by the activation of his Superhuman Surge all over his body.)

  Gauntlet: (blankly) Okay, I feel like I’m missing some context here.

  Focus: (noticing Flare’s deteriorating state, grimacing) Your state… it isn’t looking good.

  Flare: (muttering while shivering) You’re better off taking care of yourself first.

  Focus: (gritting his teeth, weakly) It’s only gonna get even worse for the two of us as long as Ethan’s still awake in this state. We’re low on time.

  (The group rally together and come face to face against the Ice Surge Beacon, with Flare and Focus barely standing given their condition, while Ethan simply waits, glaring at them with the emotionless look on his pupil-less eyes. Gauntlet begins the attack first, launching a barrage of blasts with his gauntlets that Ethan easily cancels out, but he quickly responds by swinging his whip katars at the Ice Surge Beacon. He forms two ice staffs and blocks the whip katars, then he slides out of the way of Jax’s punch.)

  Gauntlet: (thinking to himself) I never tried activating Surge Erasure on a Surge Beacon before. I wasn’t informed whether it’s possible either. However… if it does work, then this entire mess will be sorted. (charging up his gauntlets) Worth a shot. (to Jax and Jackpot) Hey, you two!

  Jax: What is it?

  Gauntlet: (firmly) Listen to me carefully.

  (Meanwhile, Boltix dashes at Ethan with full force, and the Ice Surge Beacon slides out of the way while firing a barrage of ice crystals at him. He dashes through them and sidesteps past several ice slabs forming in front of him, but he gets disoriented by a violent burst of cold winds, slowing him down, and that allows Ethan to land a kick at his face and launch him through the air. Focus moves in on him for a blow, but Ethan swiftly slides out of the way.)

  Focus: (internally, grimacing) My movement is getting slower and more stiff. In this state, I can’t keep up with him anymore.

  (Flare shows up as well and jumps at Ethan while launching a barrage of fire lances, which he cancels out using the cold winds. Focus attempts to make use of the distraction and land a blow at the Ice Surge Beacon, but he’s barely fazed by the punch given the former’s weakened state. During her descent, Flare attempts a roundhouse kick at his face, but Ethan blocks it with the back of his hand and then punches her in the gut, and he follows that up by grabbing Focus’s fist and punching him in the gut as well. Afterwards, Ethan looks up and sees Jackpot right above him.)

  Jackpot: Eat this!

  (Jackpot flips upside down, and the Creation pot attached to his back fires a massive energy beam right at Ethan, who raises his energized palm at it and blocks it, thus leaving himself open for Jax to approach. He enlarges the muscles in his arms as much as he possibly can and firmly grabs Ethan’s arms, holding him still. Ethan attempts to resist and break free from Jax’s grasp, even launching several ice shards at him, but he doesn’t bulge.)

  Jax: (urgently) Now!

  (Right at this moment, Gauntlet glides laterally using his air shoes until he stands right in front of Ethan, and then he fires one of his gauntlets at him. Jax quickly lets go of Ethan’s shoulders, and the gauntlet grabs him by the neck then gets energized, activating Surge Erasure. The residents watch the Ice Surge Beacon’s struggle from afar in silent shock, especially Shay and Ethan’s parents, while Flare and Focus get to see the process unfold right before their eyes as well.)

  Flare: (surprised) Is that — ?

  Focus: Surge Erasure. But… will it work?

  (The Ice Surge Beacon grits his teeth and struggles to stand firmly with the gauntlet grabbing him by the neck, and his icy aura starts to diminish, while the gauntlet starts glowing with icy blue energy; it just looks for a moment that Surge Erasure is working, much to the surprise of the others, especially Gauntlet. However, that triumph is short-lived, and a frost mark appears on the gauntlet.)

  Gauntlet: (shocked) Huh?!

  (In an instant, the gauntlet is fully submerged in ice, and then it shatters, leaving Gauntlet’s lips parted in shock and subtle horror. Ethan’s icy aura returns with full force, and his emotionless expression returns, glaring right at Gauntlet.)

  Gauntlet: (muttering) It… didn’t work.

  (Almost immediately, Gauntlet receives a powerful punch in his gut, knocking him into a pile of rubble. Before Jackpot can react, he receives a kick to his chest, launching him through the air as well. Boltix rapidly dashes at the Ice Surge Beacon, but Ethan lunges at him with equally rapid speed and headbutts him, knocking him back, and then he roundhouses his face, knocking him into the ground. He then turns to Jax, who immediately lunges at him, but suddenly, his muscles get pierced by countless, tiny, yet powerful ice shards, causing him to yell in pain and further straining his muscular form, which starts emitting steam.)

  Jax: (through gritted teeth) It’s already giving out!

  (He then receives another powerful blow from Ethan, sending him flying. Flare and Focus too lunge at him from both sides in a desperate attempt to keep on fighting, but then Flare’s condition deteriorates even further, causing her to stumble as the frost mark on her face widens even further until everything but her eyes is submerged by this mark.)

  Focus: Flare!

  (Ethan kicks Focus in the chin and then launches a powerful ice blast at his chest, knocking him to a pile of rubble. His hands start shaking and developing frost marks of their own, though his condition is nowhere near as severe as Flare’s, whom Ethan grabs the the throat and slams into the ground. Flare glances at Ethan’s pupil-less eyes and detached demeanor from up close in horror. Ethan then launches a powerful ice pillar from his palm, burying her deep underground from the sheer force of the pillar, much to not only the horror of Focus and the others, but to Shay’s horror as well.)

  Shay: (horrified) Flare!

  (Shay and the Carters are left to watch in terror alongside the other residents, the cold winds intensifying even further. Focus desperately attempts to reach the Ice Surge Beacon, but the sharp pain in his chest causes him to fall on his knees and helplessly watch; the others are too exhausted to help as well. Meanwhile, Flare’s freezing condition deteriorates even further given her lack of movement underground, her limbs fully submerged in frost and her eyes starting to be frozen as well. Her narrow pupils shake violently in horror, but she has no energy to even open her mouth. Her aggressive shivering soon stops, and her eyelids slowly close in surrender. However, her eyelids quickly jolt upwards once again.)

  (Suddenly, she pierces through the ice pillar and back into the surface, getting propelled to the air, much to everyone else’s shock. Her lips are parted in stillness, and her freezing condition is still present, but the frost marks all over her body are suddenly overshadowed and then burned away by an intense crimson red fiery aura, with her pupils and hair turning into this darker shade of red as well, all happening midair. Focus looks up at Flare’s current state, his lips parted in shock, as if immediately recognizing this state.)

  Focus: (shocked, weakly muttering) It’s… that again.

  (Boltix, Jackpot, and Jax all look up as well, as if they all recognized that same form, their memories taking them back to that same incident back at the tavern; this, however, is still a new sight to Gauntlet, as well as Shay and the residents from a distance, who stand still and watch with a feeling of unease. Meanwhile, Flare’s transformation is complete, and her still, parted lips curl into a wicked, crooked grin as she tilts her head to the Ice Surge Beacon midair, who remains detached despite all that. Flare has done it in the nick of time and at the brink of death! Her pupils, hair, and intense fiery aura turn crimson red! Red Flare has awoken once again!)

  Red Flare: (wickedly grinning, her voice getting raspier as she turns to Ethan) YOLO!