Threads of Fate Across Universes

Cleary you can tell I put a lot of thought into the titles

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Shane stared at the pile of walkers, shaking his head as he strapped his kukri to his side. "Man, I'm never gonna get used to the smell."

Elio stood, brushing off his hands with a faint smirk. "Seems like I was right—the Pantheons sent them to us. They recognize my clan's energy—the kind that comes with the telekinesis. They want to destroy it, of course, since they're sworn enemies of the Pantheons."

Shane raised an eyebrow, clearly trying to keep up. "Uh-huh. And that's why they sent…" He waved vaguely toward the decapitated walkers. "Those guys?"

"The walkers may be weak," Elio said, crossing his arms with a dramatic sigh, "but there are a lot of them. Three billion, give or take, all around the world. Annoying, isn't it?"

Shane whistled low. "Three billion? Yeah, that's gonna be a problem."

Elio's serious expression vanished as he suddenly threw his arms wide in an exaggerated motion. "Anyway, on a lighter note—my telekinesis upgraded to level two!" His voice practically sang with excitement. "And guess what? I got a little surprise. It sent along the Guidebook for Level One!"

Shane blinked. "Wait, there's a guidebook?"

"Oh, yes," Elio said with a wide grin, clearly pleased with himself. "So I can use it better and learn its source. Turns out, these abilities are innate—attached to our constitution. The soulmate bond commencing? That's what kickstarted it in our bodies. Normally, you'd have to go through a near-death experience to awaken them, but thanks to yours truly"—he patted himself on the chest with a flourish—"we just needed to be in a very deadly situation. Pretty genius, huh?"

Shane shook his head, chuckling. "Yes, love, you're amazing."

Elio beamed, his smile lighting up his face as he stepped closer and pulled Shane into his arms. Shane melted into the embrace without hesitation.

While holding him, Elio groaned dramatically. "Ugh, if it wasn't for that annoying Lori, we would've found out sooner."

Shane snorted. "No harm, no foul."

Elio leaned back slightly, looking Shane in the eye. "Still, I can't believe we're gonna have to see her again when Carl shows up with the rest of the group."

Shane rolled his eyes but said nothing, opting to let Elio vent instead.

A few minutes later, Carol and Sophia began to stir. The faint smell of breakfast wafted through the air as they started cooking a quick meal. Once the group had eaten, they began packing up their camp, carefully putting everything into their inventories.

Carol and Sophia stared, wide-eyed, as Elio and Shane casually made supplies disappear with the flick of a hand. Elio noticed their expressions and flashed them a wide grin. "Free, quick, and light storage. Don't you just love it?"

Carol looked like she wanted to say something but decided against it. Sophia just shrugged, seemingly more accepting of the bizarre things her companions could do.

Once their gear was stowed away, the group returned to the road. They followed it in silence for a few miles, the sun climbing higher in the sky. Eventually, something appeared on the horizon—a lone farm, nestled among sprawling fields of tall grass.

Elio squinted, his grip tightening on the axe at his side. "What do you think? Big enough?"

Shane shrugged, flashing him a playful grin. "Only one way to find out."

The road ahead stretched empty, an endless ribbon of cracked asphalt disappearing into the looming forest. Shadows clung to the trees, their twisted branches forming a skeletal canopy that filtered the faint, pale light of the overcast sky. The eerie silence pressed down on them like a weight, the absence of birdsong or even the buzz of insects gnawing at their nerves.

Carol gripped Sophia's hand so tightly her knuckles turned white, the faint tremor in her grip betraying the calm expression she tried to maintain. Her eyes flicked nervously from one tree to the next, scanning the underbrush as if expecting something—or someone—to emerge.

Elio walked a few paces ahead, his twin battle-axes hanging loosely at his sides. His steps were quiet, deliberate, his sharp, calculating gaze constantly sweeping their surroundings. Though his posture seemed relaxed, every fiber of his being was coiled, ready to strike at the first hint of danger.

Behind them, Shane brought up the rear, his kukri glinting faintly in his hand. His broad shoulders were taut with tension, his muscles ready to spring into action. His golden retriever energy was nowhere to be found—just a predator now, instinct humming in the back of his mind.

The group moved as one, their steps in sync, their breathing shallow. They all felt it—that faint, electric hum in the air that whispered of something wrong.

Sophia's small voice broke the silence. "Mom... why is it so quiet?"

Carol swallowed hard, her voice soft but steady. "It's just the woods, baby. Nothing to be scared of."

She didn't believe her own words.

Then—

"Drop your weapons."

The voice sliced through the silence like a knife, steady, calm, and utterly deadly.

Elio froze, his head snapping toward the source. A rustling sound came from the trees, and one by one, armed figures stepped out from the shadows, rifles glinting in their hands. There were over twenty of them—men and women clad in mismatched armor, their faces hard, their eyes cold.

The leader, a wiry man with a long scar running down his cheek, sauntered forward with an air of smug confidence. He smirked, the corner of his mouth twitching as if he found the whole situation amusing.

"We ain't looking for trouble," he drawled, his voice dripping with false charm. "Just your women."

Shane's body tensed like a coiled spring, and in an instant, he moved in front of Carol and Sophia, shielding them with his broad frame. His voice was low and dangerous, a growl beneath the words. "The hell you just say?"

The leader's smirk widened. "You heard me. Leave the weapons. The women come with us. You two?" He shrugged, as if the next words were a foregone conclusion. "You die."

The men around him shifted, their grips tightening on their rifles, their eyes gleaming with anticipation.

Elio's heart slowed, the world narrowing to a razor-sharp focus. His mind worked quickly, assessing the situation. They were too close—barely twenty feet away. Outnumbered. A gunfight would be suicide.

Behind him, Carol squeezed Sophia's hand tighter, her voice trembling as she whispered, "Close your eyes, baby."

Elio exhaled, his breath slow and controlled.

A loud crack split the stillness.

Everyone flinched, heads snapping upward as a thick branch from one of the towering trees came crashing down. It impaled one of the armed men with a sickening thud, driving him into the ground.

The leader barely had time to process what happened before Shane moved. One moment, he was standing still; the next, he was a blur of motion. His fist connected with the skull of a nearby man, the bone shattering with a sickening crunch before the others even had time to react.

Chaos erupted.

Gunfire exploded, deafening in the quiet forest.

Elio's battle-axe was already in his hand, mid-swing before the first shot was fired. He ducked low, rolled forward, and came up with a vicious strike, his blade cleaving through the neck of one man before it whipped back into his grip. Blood sprayed across the ground as his telekinesis flared, wrenching the axe free and hurling it into the chest of another enemy.

Shane was a whirlwind, his kukri forgotten as he relied on brute strength. He grabbed the barrel of a rifle aimed at him and bent it like it was made of tin. The man holding it froze, his eyes wide with terror, before Shane drove a fist into his face with bone-crunching force.

Another enemy lunged at Elio, but the axe spun through the air, guided by invisible hands, and buried itself in the attacker's skull. Elio flicked his wrist, and the weapon shot back into his grip, his movements fluid and precise.

The remaining survivors began to falter, their courage crumbling as they watched their comrades fall. One by one, they staggered back, then turned and ran, disappearing into the trees.

Silence fell once more, broken only by the ragged breathing of the group and the faint buzz of flies already gathering around the bodies.

Shane exhaled, his shoulders relaxing as he surveyed the carnage. "Damn."

Elio flicked his wrist, and his axe soared back into his palm. He glanced at Shane with a smirk. "I feel like Thor."

Shane snorted, shaking his head as he wiped the blood from his hands. "You're lucky I'm such a good sidekick."

Elio's grin widened, his eyes glinting with mischief. "Sidekick? You wish."

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Sorry I had more planned for this chapter but someone left a not so nice review and it crushed all motivation for the moment. I didn't know what to do so I deleted it.