{Chapter: 176 - I'm not a god}
Claire watched the flames crackle and dance from the wreckage, her pulse quickening at the sight. A part of her wanted to look away—to run—but another part, the part that refused to deny what she was, forced her to stay and watch.
She remembered Aiden had an ability too. Fire. He wasn't afraid of it… so he wouldn't panic. Right?
She turned to him. "Be careful," she said, her voice soft, still colored with the lingering fear she always felt when fire was involved. A car crash. Burning wreckage. Flames dancing wildly… it hit too close to home. Too many memories of pain, of healing skin, of waking up whole when she shouldn't have.
Aiden bowed his head slightly in acknowledgment. He didn't say much—he rarely did when he was focused—but he met her eyes with a calm that was almost unnatural. Then, raising his left hand toward the blaze, he made a subtle, almost casual motion.
Claire watched curiously, unsure what he was doing. Then her eyes widened in disbelief.
"What…?"
The fire responded.
At first, it was subtle—barely perceptible. A soft ripple across the edges of the flames. But then, as if called by some unseen force, the fire began to twist and lean toward a central point. Slowly. Deliberately.
Claire instinctively grabbed his hand. "You're doing this?" she whispered, eyes sparkling with shock.
Aiden didn't answer. He kept his eyes on the blaze, hand raised and fingers twitching slightly, guiding the inferno like an orchestra conductor.
The raging flames, which moments ago had seemed wild and chaotic, began to move together in elegant synchronization. First from the burning cabs. Then from the toppled oil tanker. Then from the surrounding trees and roadside. All of it—gathering, coiling, as if the fire itself had become aware of its master.
Gasps broke out among the firefighters.
"What the hell?!"
"The flames are moving!"
"I-Is that a tornado?!"
"Jesus Christ... It's a miracle!"
People were shouting, praying, recording on their phones, stumbling back from the sidewalk with mouths open and hands trembling. One woman cried out that it was the Second Coming. Another fell to her knees.
Even the firefighters, rugged and experienced, froze where they stood. The heat hadn't lessened, but the flames had begun rising, spiraling into the air in a swirling tower of living fire.
Then—just as suddenly as it had started—it was gone.
The flames collapsed inward and vanished with a low, almost musical whoosh.
Smoke lingered, but the fire itself had disappeared into thin air.
For a long, stunned moment, no one said a word.
Then someone began clapping. Others followed.
"God bless!"
"What did we just see?"
"That…!"
As the growing crowd erupted into cheers and disbelief, Claire tugged at Aiden's hand, pulling him away from the scene. Her heart was racing. "You heard that, right?" she said breathlessly as they turned the corner. "They think you're divine."
"I'm not God," Aiden said with a crooked smile.
Then, in his mind, he added, At least not yet.
Just then, the familiar tone of the system chimed in his ears:
[Claire Bennett – Friendship +10%]
Aiden didn't flinch this time. He just filed the information away silently. Sixty percent. That was progress.
Claire, meanwhile, seemed lighter. For once, she wasn't burdened by her fear or guilt. Her steps were quicker, her voice more relaxed.
The town came into view, a sleepy little place nestled between old buildings and a modern strip mall. Claire led him through the outskirts, pointing out the diner, the local theater, a gas station.
When they arrived at the motel, she looked up at him with concern. "So… are we checking in together?"
Aiden shook his head and smiled. "No, you're going in the back."
Claire blinked. "Wait, what? Why?"
He smirked, lowering his voice. "You're kind of a local celebrity, remember? You disappeared after a huge public incident. Do you really want someone recognizing you and calling your dad or the police?"
Claire winced. He was right.
"Go around the back," Aiden said. "I'll check in under my name. Once I'm in the room, I'll open the window, and you can climb in. Easy."
Claire grinned and rolled her eyes. "You really think this through, huh?"
"Always," he said with a wink.
> [Claire Bennett – Friendship +5%]
Aiden raised an eyebrow at the new notification. That was… quick.
He watched Claire skip toward the alley beside the building. Her blonde ponytail bounced slightly, and for a moment, she looked like any normal teenage girl—not a girl who could survive falling off a tower or walking through fire.
"Teenage hormones," Aiden muttered under his breath as he walked into the motel.
Still, sixty-five percent. Claire was well on her way to being his first Fighting Field companion.
And more importantly, she trusted him.
Too easily, maybe.
But Aiden wasn't complaining when it's beautiful girl.
---
The hotel was modest, a weathered three-story building that had probably seen better decades. Peeling paint curled slightly around the window frames, but it was clean and well-maintained inside. Aiden made his way up to the third floor, his footsteps quiet against the old carpet that smelled faintly of detergent and time.
He scanned the hallway—empty—then unlocked Room 308 with a practiced flick of the keycard.
The room was small, but serviceable. A queen-sized bed, a wooden desk with a single chair, a small TV bolted to the wall, and a coffee maker sitting in the corner. Beige walls, tan curtains, and a ceiling fan humming quietly overhead gave it a strangely warm, if slightly bland, atmosphere.
Aiden moved to the window, drew aside the curtain, and pushed it open. The cool afternoon breeze rushed in, rustling the corner of the bedsheet. Below, Claire stood near the rear alley, pacing back and forth and glancing upward like a girl caught between curiosity and anxiety.
There was no fire escape, no drainage pipe, no nearby tree branches to climb. Nothing but smooth wall.
Claire craned her neck, squinting. "Uhh… Aiden? Any ideas?"
Instead of answering, Aiden simply leapt out the window.
Claire gasped as he landed softly beside her, barely a thud on the cracked pavement.
"H-How did you—?"
Before she could finish, he stepped forward, placed his hands gently around her waist, and crouched slightly.
"Aiden—wait, I—"
She didn't get to object. In the next instant, he jumped again—this time with her in his arms.
Claire squealed, clinging to him instinctively as the wind rushed past them. Her heart thudded in her chest. Before she could even take a full breath, they were back in the room, Aiden landing lightly on the carpeted floor as though gravity had been an afterthought.
He set her down slowly, carefully.
Claire stared at him wide-eyed. "That was insane…"
"I prefer 'efficient,'" Aiden replied with a smirk.
Claire's gaze drifted around the room—this plain little place suddenly feeling like the inside of a stranger's world. It was her first time in a hotel room like this. Her first time staying alone… with a guy.
And not just any guy.
Aiden was older, composed, almost infuriatingly calm under pressure. Tall, with sharp features and shoulders that seemed sculpted for heroics. He wasn't a boy fumbling through life—he was a man who moved through it with quiet certainty.
She looked down at herself—the iconic yellow cheerleading uniform hugged her developing curves perfectly, the crimson trim accentuating her figure with every breath. The pleated skirt fluttered around her thighs, swaying with the faintest movement. Her toned legs stretched down into scuffed white sneakers, a contrast to the bright, youthful charm of the outfit. Despite the confident look the uniform gave her, a faint tremble still lingered in her arms, betraying the storm she carried beneath her poised exterior.
She felt small. Inexperienced. And nervous.
The silence between them stretched, tension hanging like a string pulled taut.
Then Aiden spoke.
"Do you want to keep going?"
His voice was low, steady. Not pressuring—just asking.
Claire hesitated… then nodded.
"I—I do," she said, voice barely above a whisper. "I mean, I want to go back to normal. Or at least… whatever normal means now. Sometimes I look at my family and wonder what they see when they look at me. Like… are they just pretending I'm not a freak?"
Aiden studied her, then shook his head. "They don't think that. And even if they did… they're wrong."
Claire blinked. "How can you be so sure?"
"Because you're not a monster," he said, guiding her to sit down on the edge of the bed. "You're just a girl trying to survive something that no one's supposed to understand."
Claire's lip trembled slightly. That—those words—they hit something inside her that she didn't expect. For a moment, she wanted to cry. But she swallowed it down and nodded.
"You don't have to be nervous," Aiden said softly. "Just relax."
His hand gently rested on her shoulder. She flinched slightly—not in fear, but in surprise. The touch was warm, grounding. As they set down on the bed.
Then he began.
Aiden's ability stirred beneath the surface, like a beast shifting awake in his chest. The moment his energy met hers, a ripple passed through Claire's body. Her healing power recoiled instinctively, as if realizing it was being drawn toward something unnatural.
[Quest Assigned!]
[Side Quest: Devour Claire's Ability!]
Aiden's eyes flickered with satisfaction. A side quest. Unexpected, but useful.
He focused. Inside, it felt like two storms colliding. Claire's regenerative energy was stubborn, refusing to yield, spiraling in on itself to resist his pull.
His brow furrowed. Sweat began to bead at his temple.
Claire felt it too. A strange pressure against her bones—like something being pried away from the inside.
Her shoulders tensed.
"What's… what's happening?" she asked, voice shaking.
"Just a little longer," Aiden muttered, his grip tightening slightly.
Claire gritted her teeth, her fingers curling into the blanket beneath her. She didn't want to scream. She didn't want to seem weak. But it hurt. A raw, searing tug deep within her nerves—like something essential was unraveling. As she felt great pain from his tight grip.
She bit her lower lip, face pale. "It hurts… it really hurts…"
"Don't move," Aiden hissed. "Almost done."
Claire's body arched slightly as the pull intensified. Her heart raced, and a terrifying thought crept into her mind—What if this doesn't work? What if he takes everything?
Then—suddenly—Aiden gasped.
"Haha—!"
With a jolt, he pulled back, his hand lifting from her shoulder as a final surge of energy snapped free. It came with something else. Something alive. Pulsing.
Her power.
He could feel it now… flickering in his veins like living embers.
[Side Quest Complete!]
He exhaled deeply, his entire body relaxing from the tension.
And then—
Bang!
The door burst open with a violent slam.
A middle-aged man in a suit, face flushed with anger and confusion, stormed into the room… and froze.
His eyes landed on Claire, her face flushed and her shoulders trembling slightly. On Aiden, his hand still hovering near her.
The man's jaw clenched.
He growled. "Step away from the girl. Now."
Claire's eyes widened in horror. "Dad?!"