OTHERS: Five elements

CHAPTER 1.8: NEW MISSION

The Other transformed the lower half of his body into mist and drifted toward us, clearly intent on launching an attack. I aimed my gun at him, fully prepared to fire. As he floated closer, hovering just above the ground, I swiftly drew my sword, hoping to injure him. Perceiving my intentions, he dissolved entirely into mist. Moments later, he reformed into his human shape, now standing behind me, roughly three meters away.

- "Who are you? Why have you come?" the Other asked.

- "We’ve come to stop you. Yesterday, you caused trouble. You killed an innocent person," I replied.

- "Innocent? How can you be sure he was innocent? Are there any truly innocent people left in this world?"

The weight of his words hit me. He was right. In today’s world, innocence is a rare commodity. Everyone has done something wrong at some point—whether it be lying, cheating, or gossiping. And let’s not even talk about more serious crimes like murder, rape, or theft. Is there truly an innocent person left in the world? Humanity should be ashamed of how far we’ve fallen. "Homo homini lupus est", or "Man to man is wolf". All we do is look for ways to exploit each other, only seeking our own gain. When will humanity change?

- "He wasn’t innocent," the Other continued. "That man and his friend were planning something terrible. If I hadn’t stopped them, it would have been too late. And no one would have helped me."

- "Why do you think that?" Daniel asked.

- "Because I’m an Other. You all see us as monsters, as if we’re different from you, but we’re not. I still have human emotions, I just have heightened senses and can control the elements. But I’m still human."

- "What exactly were those two planning to do that made you stop them?" I asked.

- "If you focused on the real problems in the world instead of us Others, you’d know what’s happening. They were going to kidnap my daughter and sell her. They’d been following us for some time. Once they realized she was my daughter—an Other’s daughter—they seized the opportunity. They knew no one would ask questions. I’m an Other, after all. No one takes us seriously. They would’ve just assumed I killed my own daughter."

Daniel and I were in disbelief. We looked at each other, unsure of what to do next. Could this really still be happening in the world? Child trafficking? Has humanity sunk this low? Ever since the Others appeared, we’ve been distracted from the real crises. I struggled to process what the Other had just revealed. And now, how should I respond? Should I follow my orders as a soldier, completing the mission and capturing the Other, or should I act as a human being, capable of compassion and understanding?

- "And now you scum have come to capture me too," the Other spat. "I suppose your mission is to kill me as well. But I won’t let that happen. I have a daughter to protect."

Once again, the Other transformed the lower half of his body into mist. But this time, instead of coming at me, he headed toward Daniel. I couldn’t let that happen. I lunged at him, swinging my sword, but he dissolved into mist just before I could strike. Seconds later, he reappeared in human form. At that moment, a noise echoed from the warehouse. Fear washed over the Other’s face as he assumed something had happened to his daughter. He rushed toward the warehouse, but I stopped him, and Daniel went to investigate the noise.

- "Where do you think you're going? You’re staying here with me. You’re not going anywhere," I said to the Other.

- "If anything happens to my daughter, I’ll skin you and your colleague alive and send your remains to August."

- "Go ahead and try!"

We resumed our fight. This time, he didn’t use his powers—he seemed too drained. Had he still been able to turn his legs into mist, he could have easily reached the warehouse, but he didn’t. His time with his powers was clearly limited. My strategy was clear: I needed to injure him before he could recover. He was skilled at dodging my strikes, and we soon found ourselves locked in hand-to-hand combat. Sensing he was at a disadvantage, he drew a knife from his waistband and lunged at me. I dodged, but just then, a strange light flashed over me. For a few seconds, I was blinded. When my vision cleared, he was standing before me, dressed in white, and said:

- "Hello, handsome!"

This is bad. Of all the things to happen, this is the last thing I needed.