{Chapter: 178 - The Hidden Space Between Us}
"Let's set aside the Knight's status update in the Fighting Arena for now," Aiden muttered to himself, leaning back into his chair as if weighing the gravity of a discovery he hadn't fully considered before. "It sounds like a glorified training ground for sparring and gaining combat experience anyway. That part's not too interesting."
He narrowed his eyes slightly, fingers tapping on the invisible interface hovering in the air before him.
"But this… increasing friendship… and the part about taking someone out of the world—now that's worth looking into."
[The higher the friendship level with a knight, the greater the chance of taking them across world barriers.]
The system's voice echoed in his ears again, neutral and emotionless—but the words struck Aiden like a bolt of lightning.
"Wait. System," he said slowly, "does being able to take someone out of this world mean… I can actually bring someone with me to the Marvel world?"
[Affirmative.]
Aiden's mouth dropped slightly. His heartbeat picked up as he sat up straight. "And… does the opposite apply? Can I bring people from the Marvel world to recorded planes too?"
[Yes. Cross-world transport is possible once a Knight's friendship threshold is met. They can assist with Quests or support in the host's absence.]
Aiden's eyes practically gleamed with excitement. "That's insane. That's amazing. It's like building my own multi-world team of allies and backup units…"
He stood up, pacing now.
"If I bring people from the recorded plane into Marvel, I get support and muscle no one's expecting. But if I send people from Marvel here… they can complete quests for me? That's cheating in style. I take back everything I said. This Fighting Field might just be the best system function yet!"
He gave a low chuckle, his mind now racing with potential combinations—Quake clearing minor quests, Mutants tackling boss fights, Claire as his undead tank…
But something bothered him. "Wait… then why haven't I seen any friendship notifications from my Marvel contacts? Not a single alert for Daisy, Clarice, and even… Natasha? What gives?"
[Friendship notifications are only available in recorded planes. The system level is currently too low to analyze friendship data in the Primary World.]
"…You're serious?"
There was no reply.
Aiden sighed deeply, dragging a hand through his hair. "So you're basically saying, 'Get to work, finish your missions, gather energy, and upgrade me already,' huh?"
The silence that followed was answer enough.
"…Fine. Let's take a look at the Fighting Field, then. Might as well see how it works in action."
[Fighting Field activated. Scene initialization in progress…]
Within seconds, the world blurred, colors streaking around him like a kaleidoscope unraveling. When the motion stopped, Aiden found himself standing on a circular platform illuminated by harsh white light. The rest of the arena was shrouded in pitch-black darkness, the kind that pressed on your senses, leaving only the battle stage exposed.
Aiden looked around.
"This… is it? A bit small, no?" he muttered, brow raised.
[The arena expands as more Knights participate. Current size reflects current participation.]
"Makes sense. Let's get started, then."
A holographic screen flickered to life above him, displaying a single glowing profile—Claire Bennet. Blonde. Determined eyes. A hint of vulnerability beneath a brave face.
"Just her? Not even Daisy made the cut?" Aiden frowned. "She has to be over 80% by now."
[The host may check the 'Recorded Plane Friends' list for available characters. Note: Primary World characters are unavailable for selection until system level increases.]
"Yeah, yeah, I get it…"
Still, Aiden's mood lifted. He tapped Claire's portrait, selecting her for the session. Light swirled ahead of him and began to solidify. Moments later, Claire Bennet appeared in the arena.
---
Claire blinked rapidly, disoriented and overwhelmed. One moment, she had been sitting in her father's SUV, her palm pressed against the cool window as the suburban scenery of Odessa, Texas blurred past. Her mind had been swirling—memories of everything that had happened lately, especially the strange connection she'd begun to feel with Aiden. And then… nothing. A blink. A shift. Suddenly, everything around her was gone.
Now, she stood on a bright, circular platform surrounded by shadows so deep they looked like walls. It felt like a void had swallowed her whole. The ground beneath her was smooth and unnaturally clean, and a soft, pulsing hum radiated from the glowing borders around the arena's edge. She instinctively spun around, her cheerleader reflexes kicking in, trying to find an exit—or an explanation.
Her heart thudded in her chest, panic rising. "Where—where am I?" she whispered, eyes wide.
And then she saw him.
"Aiden?" Her voice cracked with equal parts fear and relief. The trembling ceased the moment her eyes locked onto him. "What is this place? I was in my dad's car, and now… now I'm here? What's happening?"
Aiden stepped forward slowly, a soft, reassuring smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Yeah, I know this looks crazy. Welcome to the Fighting Field. It's a kind of… private space. Like a virtual simulation or training room, but way more advanced."
Claire let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "You have got to stop doing things like this without warning," she muttered, stepping toward him. Despite the sarcasm in her voice, her shoulders relaxed visibly now that she was near him.
As always, Aiden was calm, centered—real. Not like the others who tiptoed around her because they were scared of what she was, or worse, because they wanted to use her. With Aiden, there were no masks. Just a gentle presence that gave her something to hold on to in this chaos of secrets, powers, and lies.
"I freaked out for a second," Claire admitted, brushing a golden strand of hair behind her ear. "This place feels… off. I thought I was dreaming or something."
"You're not," Aiden replied with a chuckle. "But I get it. The Fighting Field can be a bit creepy at first."
Claire drew in closer. Her instinctive need for human contact—real, sincere contact—overpowered her teenage pride. She didn't even think about it as her arm lightly brushed his. It wasn't romantic, not overtly. But it was comfort. And it meant something.
Back in high school, she'd worn her cheerleader uniform like armor. Smiling for everyone. Laughing at lunch. Making jokes in class. But underneath, she had been coming apart—especially after the night she discovered she couldn't die. The pain of waking up cut open on a morgue table, realizing she was different, haunted her still. And worse? Nobody saw her anymore. Her friends drifted away. Her parents lied to protect her. Her father—Noah Bennet—always had that secretive glint in his eyes.
But Aiden? He saw her.
He didn't flinch. He didn't treat her like a glass doll or an experiment. He asked questions. He listened. And even though they just a few hours ago slowly, something had begun to grow in her heart—something she couldn't quite name.
Seeing Claire's reaction, Aiden shook his head subconsciously and asked the system. 'What is this? She… How does she look so real? Did you send the real Claire here instead of a copy?'
The system chimed in Aiden's head, catching his attention.
[When the friendship rate has reached 80% or more, their souls will temporarily bind to you. When you summon them into the Fighting Field, their consciousness arrives here, but time outside is frozen. You may erase their memory upon departure.]
Aiden raised an eyebrow, half-impressed. 'So it's really her, not a copy. Good to know.'
Relieved, he turned back to Claire, letting the seriousness in his eyes fade. "Don't worry, you're completely safe. This place is under my control."
Claire gave him a skeptical look. "Since when do you control weird space-time thing?"
He smiled faintly. "Since I started collecting abilities. Turns out I've got… a few."
"More like a lot," she muttered, stepping beside him. "So why bring me here? What do you need me for?"
That familiar deflective, sarcastic tone was Claire's default, but Aiden could tell it masked something else. Doubt. Insecurity. She'd been trying to figure out her place in the world ever since her powers kicked in—and now she was trying to figure out her place in his.
Aiden shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn't bring you here to fight. I just… wanted to see you. Make sure you were okay."
Claire froze. A deep pink crept up her cheeks, and she looked down at her shoes. "I'm fine," she mumbled. "I mean… mostly. There's a lot going on. My dad's being more overprotective than usual. School sucks. Friends are weird. And then there's you."
"Me?"
"You," she said, finally looking up. "You showing up and making me feel like… I'm not alone."
Aiden blinked, a little caught off-guard by her honesty. She wasn't usually this direct, but something about being in this space—this intimate, closed-off dimension—made her drop the mask.
"I mean," Claire went on quickly, nervous now, "you're like, the only one who doesn't freak out when I talk about my healing. Most people treat me like some kind of sideshow."
"I'd never think of you that way," Aiden said quietly.
Claire swallowed hard and gave him a small smile. "Thanks. I just… I guess I needed to hear that."
For a few long moments, the two stood there in silence, surrounded by light and shadow. Two people bound together not by powers, but by understanding.
"So," Claire said after a while, forcing herself to regain composure, "this Fighting Field… it's not dangerous, right? No monsters hiding in the dark or crazy AI trying to kill us?"
Aiden grinned. "Nope. Just training simulations. Sparring partners. Think of it like a gym… with cosmic rules."
Claire raised a brow. "You seriously brought me into your magic fight gym just to chat?"
"Basically." Aiden wasn't too sure; it was originally used for fighting, but obviously, it's impossible to fight Claire.
She laughed, the sound melodic and light. "That's actually kind of sweet. Weird. But sweet."
After thinking about it, he casually switched to another topic. "Are you still in pain?"
"What?" Claire exclaimed and subconsciously bowed her head and said "No no no…I-Im fine"
"Oh, that's a relief. I was really afraid of hurting you, and I hope you understand that I didn't mean to squeeze your shoulders so hard." Aiden explained, Claire squinted with her face red and too embarrassed thinking about it.
"Alright," he said, "I'll send you back. But before I do… I'm really glad you came."
Claire nodded, eyes lingering on him. "Me too."
A soft light surrounded her form, and her body began to fade.
[Do you wish to delete her memory?]
Aiden hesitated for half a second. "Yeah… erase it. Let her forget this place. For now."
A dim light blinked above Claire's head—evidence of the memory wipe in progress. Soon, she'd wake up in her dad's car, thinking it had all been a weird daydream.
Once she vanished, Aiden exhaled and turned away. The Fighting Field faded, and he returned to the real world.
"Send me out," he said.
[Fighting Field exited.]
As the hotel room rematerialized around him, Aiden's thoughts shifted. He couldn't afford to waste time now. His next destination was clear: New York—or maybe Japan, depending on where Hiro Nakamura's powers had awakened.
Still, he hesitated.
"Wait. Maybe I'm wrong. Hiro's ability probably triggered in New York around this time. But before heading there… there are others I can reach. Others whose powers I can use to complete the quest."
His mind flashed to the little girl he'd read about—Molly Walker.
Her gift wasn't about destruction or time travel. It was about location. She could find anyone, anywhere in the world with just their names. Essentially, Aiden functions as a humanoid GPS, prepared to utilize her abilities primarily to locate others.
With her ability, he wouldn't need to chase leads or rely on luck. He could pinpoint targets instantly. Heroes. Villains. Sylar.
"Hurry up," Aiden muttered under his breath as he left the hotel and stepped into the bustling street. "If I don't move fast, Sylar's going to get ahead of me."
One step at a time. First, find Molly. Then… take the power to change everything.