Halfway down the block, it hit him—
That same weight in the air from last night. Heavy, pressing, the kind that slows your breathing without you realizing it.
A presence.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Watching.
Noah didn't turn his head. Instead, his gaze slid to the dark glass of a shop window.
The reflection was clear.
The hoodie girl.
Hands in her pockets, shoulders loose, head slightly tilted—like she was studying him. Too casual, too still.
Why is she following me again?
Before he could call her out, her phone buzzed. She checked the screen, lips twitching in the faintest smile. Then she stepped backward, vanishing into the swirling mist behind her.
That was when he heard it.
A low hum.
At first, it seemed like the dying whine of a streetlamp, but then the smell hit—sharp and metallic, the sting of ozone curling in his nose.
The mist at the far end of the block shimmered. Sparks—faint blue at first—snapped and crawled in the air like restless static.
Then a figure emerged.
Tall.
Still.
The same man from last night.
Their eyes locked.
A car passed between them, tires whispering over wet pavement.
When it cleared—
He was gone.
Noah's pulse spiked. Did I just imagine—
A sudden crack tore through the air. Behind him, a streetlamp burst, showering glass and sparks. The arcs danced on the wet asphalt like tiny blue snakes. Students nearby screamed, scattering in every direction—but as their voices echoed away, the street grew empty.
The girl was gone.
The crowd was gone.
Only Noah stood there, alone in the fog.
The smell of electricity thickened. Goosebumps surged along his skin, racing down his arms until his whole body shuddered.
From somewhere inside the mist, a voice slithered into his ear, as if carried on the static itself:
"…Phase two begins now."
A maniacal laugh ripped through the air, echoing far too loud for the empty street.
Noah spun—nothing but fog and shadow.
The streetlights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then the darkness slammed shut.
And Noah jerked awake, head snapping up from his desk, breath catching in his throat.
The classroom around him was bright and normal, students bent over notebooks, the faint scratching of pens filling the silence.
His heart was still hammering. His arms tingled. And faintly—impossibly—he swore he could still smell ozone.
Noah blinked the dream away. The hum in his head was fading, but his pulse still beat too fast.
The classroom was the same as always — dusty sunlight through half-shut blinds, the muffled scrape of pens, Mr. Keller's monotone voice.
And the students.
Yeah… about them.
Let me introduce you to a few people you should probably remember.
Kai Sato — front row, dead-center. Always looks like he's drawing something he's not supposed to be drawing, which he is. Doesn't talk much. His lines are too precise for doodles. You get the feeling he could draw a perfect map of the room without looking up once.
Mira Kwon — the chair-tilter. The lollipop is practically part of her face at this point. She checks her phone like she's waiting for a message that could end the world — or start it. No one's sure which.
Ezra Holt — the pen-tapper. Always three beats. Never more, never less. It's like he's playing along to a song only he can hear. I once saw him stop mid-tap and stare into space like he'd just hit the wrong note. Creeped me out for a week.
Selene Vale — she's the one by the window. Always tracing star patterns into the condensation, even when there isn't any. If you asked her what she was drawing, she'd tell you the exact time a certain star would be visible — even if it's not visible here.
Jonah Briggs — puzzle guy. Crosswords, sudoku, weird number grids no one's ever heard of. Sometimes he stares at you like you're just another problem he's trying to solve.
And then… there's her.
The hoodie girl.
Last desk in the corner. Hands in her pockets. Same calm posture from the station. She looks right at me — no, right at you — like she already knows how this is going to end.
The bell rings, and the spell breaks. Chairs scrape, bags zip, and the river of students starts flowing toward the door. I sling my bag over my shoulder and join the current.
But halfway down the hall, that same weight from the dream slides back into place. A pressure in the air, subtle but sharp, like the moment before lightning strikes.
I glance back. The hoodie girl is there, just far enough away to pretend it's coincidence. When I slow, she slows. When I speed up, she matches me.
The overhead lights flicker — quick, almost nothing. But it's enough to tighten my grip on my bag strap. The smell of ozone drifts in, faint but unmistakable.
I take one more step.
The crowd is gone.
No backpacks, no chatter, no footsteps — just me in an empty hallway.
Somewhere behind me, a pop cracks the air like a snapping power line. The lights die one by one, plunging the far end into black.
"…Phase two begins now."
The words are faint, soaked in static, but I know the voice. It's the one from the dream. And just like in the dream, a laugh follows — sharp, wrong, too close.
At the far end, mist bleeds into the hallway, blue sparks crawling along its surface. A figure steps out — the man from last night. His eyes lock on mine.
And I realize I'm not waking up this time.
"Hey, fighting won't do any good," I said, stepping between them. The static prickled up my arms, but I ignored it.
Neither moved. The only sound was the soft slap of rain on pavement.
My voice came out sharper than I expected. "Who are you two?"
Electric Guy's eyes narrowed. "You don't want the answer to that." The hum in the air deepened, rattling the lampposts.
Hoodie Girl didn't answer—just tilted her head, studying me like I was the strange one.
"Seriously," I said, holding my ground. "You show up, ruin my night, and you're about to start a street brawl? Who are you?"
Before either could answer, a blue-white spark leapt from Electric Guy's fingertips, searing the air. Hoodie Girl shifted, a ripple of heat bending the rain around her.
"Region… expand."
The air thickened, the street around us shivering like water under a stone. Light bent strangely, walls stretching, pavement curling. It wasn't just a trick of the rain—it was real: the world around us was being isolated from reality itself.
Electric Guy's fingers sparked; Hoodie Girl's presence distorted the air like heat. Rain slowed midair, suspended. Time and space itself felt… muted, as if this small block of the city had been cut off from everything else. Only beings strong enough to wield such power could do this. Only Awakened like them.
I realized then that "Region Expand" wasn't just a name—it was a weapon, a trap, and a prison rolled into one. And suddenly, I was inside it.
From the edge of the distorted street, a new presence flickered into view. A boy, headphones slung around his neck, fingers idly tapping on a VR controller, a lollipop dangling from his mouth. He moved like he didn't even notice the Region Expand swallowing the world around him, like he was walking through a normal afternoon.
His eyes scanned the scene lazily, but there was a sharp, calculating gleam behind them. Every movement was measured, effortless, like he knew exactly what was coming—and exactly what he could do about it.
"Seriously?" he muttered, sucking on the lollipop. "You guys call this a fight?"
The energy around him hummed faintly, a rhythm only detectable to someone who could sense Awakened power. Even Hoodie Girl and Electric Guy paused, their wariness flickering across their features. He wasn't just another player—he was a wildcard. The kind that could tilt the entire battle in an instant.
Hoodie Girl stepped forward, fists tightening slightly, eyes narrowing. "Why are you here?" she demanded, her voice cutting through the crackling air of the isolated zone.
The boy with the headphones just tilted his head, lollipop bobbing as he shrugged lazily. "Heard things were getting… boring," he said, voice smooth but laced with a teasing edge. "Figured I'd show up before someone ruins the fun."
Electric Guy's hands sparked faintly, the air around him buzzing with anticipation. Hoodie Girl shot him a warning glance, but she didn't break her gaze from the newcomer.
He smirked, as if he knew the effect he had. "Relax," he said. "I'm not here to fight… unless you make me."
Noah stepped forward, voice firm despite the charged air. "First of all, the three of you—introduce yourselves. Now."
Hoodie Girl crossed her arms, her gaze flicking to Electric Guy and then to the boy with the headphones. "I'm… just someone who cleans up messes," she said, voice clipped.
Electric Guy cracked a small smile, sparks dancing along his fingertips. "I guess you could call me… Electric," he said, a shrug that didn't hide the tension in his stance.
The boy with the headphones popped his lollipop, chewing lazily, eyes half-hidden behind his lenses. "Name's Kai," he said smoothly. "I prefer listening more than talking… but you can call me that."
Noah nodded once, sizing them up. "Good. Now we know who we're dealing with. Let's see if you're all talk—or more than that."
Kai tilted his head, chewing his lollipop slowly, eyes glinting behind his VR lenses. "Name's Kai," he said, voice casual but edged with something sharp.
Noah's eyes narrowed. "Kai. Got it."
Hoodie Girl muttered, "And I'm… just call me Raven."
Electric Guy sparked a small arc between his fingers and said, "I'm Volt."
Noah clenched his fists. "Alright… now we're all on the same page."
Kai smirked, twirling his lollipop. "Region Expand? That's… not something anyone can just do. It isolates an area from the real world itself. Time, space, reality—they bend inside it. Only higher-level Awakened can pull it off."
Raven's hoodie shifted as she stepped closer. "It's dangerous. Mess with it, and you could get trapped… or worse."
Volt's fingers sparked again. "It's not just power—it's control. And Kai here doesn't do small."
Noah's brow furrowed. "So… you're saying this entire zone could be cut off from reality?"
Kai shrugged lazily. "Exactly. And we're standing right in the middle of it."
The air inside the Region Expand felt thick, like every breath dragged against invisible weight. The mist swirled unnaturally, bending in ways it shouldn't, like gravity itself was second-guessing its job.
Kai twirled his lollipop stick, eyes flicking between Raven and Volt. "So… what's the play here? We all stand around glaring until someone gets bored, or do we skip to the part where Noah here figures out what he really is?"
Noah's jaw tightened. "What I really am?"
Raven's voice cut in, sharp. "He doesn't need to know yet."
Volt chuckled, sparks dancing between his fingers. "Too late for that. He's already in the water—time to see if he sinks or swims."
The static in the air climbed, hairs on Noah's arms lifting. His fists clenched at his sides. "Enough riddles. What's going on? What is this… 'Region Expand'? Why me?"
Kai sighed, rolling the lollipop between his teeth. "Straightforward type, huh? Fine. Region Expand is… let's call it a private stage. A place cut off from the real world, where the only rules are ours. No interruptions. No witnesses. Just us."
Noah's pulse spiked. A private stage. A cage.He glanced at the mist walls curling at the edge of the street. Beyond them, the city was gone—like it had never existed.
Volt stepped forward, the air around him alive with blue fire. "And why you? Because you're not normal. You survived me once, unawakened. That doesn't happen."
Raven's hood shadowed her face, but her tone stayed cold. "You're being reckless, Volt."
Volt smirked. "Maybe. But it's fun."
The sparks on his arms flared brighter, and the ground cracked under his boot as he shifted his weight forward.
Noah's breath caught. The pressure was suffocating, but his instincts screamed louder than his fear. He dropped into a low stance, ready.
Kai chuckled, voice light but edged. "Guess we're doing this the hard way."
And then, the world moved.
Volt's sparks lit the mist like a thundercloud waiting to break. The crackle raised goosebumps on Noah's arms, but he stayed low, bare fists clenched, knuckles white. No blade. No bat. No gun. Nothing.
Raven shifted slightly, hands deep in her pockets as always. No one paid it any mind, not even Noah — but her right hand curled around something cold, heavy, familiar. A steel curve pressed into her palm, its weight both reassuring and dangerous. A knuckle duster.
Her thumb traced the edge without thought. She didn't draw it, didn't flex it, didn't even let it glint. She just waited, her face unreadable under the shadow of her hood.
Kai noticed, of course. He noticed everything. His eyes flicked toward her pocket for the briefest second, then back to Volt. He didn't say a word. He never did until it mattered.
"Unarmed," Volt sneered, sparks leaping between his fingers. "And still standing. Either brave or stupid."
"Both," Noah shot back, tightening his stance. "Pick one."
Volt's grin widened. "Then let's test which breaks first."
He raised his hand, electricity screaming to life. The light washed over Raven's hood, throwing her shadow long across the ground. Her grip on the knuckle duster tightened — not yet. Not unless she had to.
Volt's sparks climbed higher, painting the mist-blue walls with violent light.
Noah shifted his stance, every muscle tight. He exhaled through his teeth. "It's not fair. He's juiced up, and I've got nothing." His eyes cut sideways, locking on Raven. "But you…"
She didn't move. Hands in her hoodie pocket, face shadowed.
"I know you've got it," Noah said, louder now. "The knuckle duster. Give it."
For a moment, silence. The only sound was Volt's electricity humming like a live wire in a storm.
Kai arched a brow, amused. "Bold call. She doesn't just hand things over, you know."
Raven's head tilted, her hood sliding just enough for the faintest curve of a smirk. She pulled her hand free, metal glinting under the flicker of Volt's sparks.
Cold steel. Solid weight.
Without a word, she tossed it underhand. The knuckle duster spun once in the air before Noah caught it. His fist closed around the grip, the weight settling like it belonged there.
Volt's grin faltered, just for a second.
"Better," Noah muttered.
The sparks flared.
And then Volt raised his hand
The knuckle duster felt heavy in Noah's grip, cold steel grounding him as Volt's sparks hissed hotter, brighter. The mist walls bent inward like the whole world was holding its breath.
Volt's grin sharpened. "Let's end the warm-up."
He stomped forward — and at that instant, the ceiling above them split with a sound like the sky tearing open.
CRACK!
A jagged spear of blue lightning tore down from nowhere, slamming into the tiles between them. The floor exploded in a shower of concrete shards and blinding light.
The shockwave punched the air from Noah's lungs, sending him staggering back, arm up against the glare.
Kai whistled low. "Hah. He called the sky down. Cute trick."
Volt stood at the edge of the smoking crater, sparks crawling over his shoulders like living things. His voice carried through the fading thunder. "See, unawakened? This is power. Real power. And you're nothing without it."
Noah's knuckles clenched tighter around the steel. The metal vibrated faintly, as if answering the charge in the air. His heart hammered so loud it drowned out the static.
He wasn't sure if it was fear or something else.
The knuckle duster settled into Noah's grip like it had been waiting for him. His stance shifted instantly — no hesitation, no awkward fumbling. His weight centered, shoulder angled, fist raised.
Volt caught it. The way Noah moved. The confidence. His grin twitched.
"You've trained," Volt said, almost surprised.
"Not trained," Noah shot back, voice flat. "Specialized."
Kai's lollipop stick dangled from his lips, eyebrows rising. "Mercenary boy, huh? Now it makes sense."
Noah didn't answer. He didn't need to. Years of drills, bruises, and scars had already shaped the way he gripped the steel. Every weapon had been an extension of his body once — knives, batons, pistols, rifles. A knuckle duster was no different.
Above them, the crack from the sky hadn't fully faded. Blue lightning still crawled across the mist ceiling like veins of fire, feeding Volt's glow. The ground hummed with his charge.
"Doesn't matter," Volt said, stepping into the smoke of the crater. "Whatever you were… it won't save you now."
Noah tightened his grip. "We'll see."
The steel sparked faintly as he lunged forward.
Noah exploded forward, knuckle duster flashing under the mist-blue light. His strikes weren't wild — they were surgical. First swing clipped Volt's jaw with a crunch, second slammed into his ribs before the sparks could flare. Each hit flowed into the next, no wasted motion.
Volt staggered, more from surprise than pain. "Heh… now it's a party."
The air screamed as he thrust his palm out. A wave of blue lightning tore through the hall. Noah ducked, rolled, came up close — too close for Volt to unleash a full blast without frying himself. He hammered the steel into Volt's shoulder, pivoted, and drove an elbow into his gut.
Volt laughed even as the breath hitched from his lungs. Sparks surged across his body, a shockwave blasting Noah backward. His boots scraped the tiles, the knuckle duster sparking against his skin, but he held his ground.
Kai clapped lazily from the sidelines, lollipop between his teeth. "Now this is entertainment."
The ceiling above split again, another jagged bolt crashing down, feeding into Volt's arms like a living storm. His eyes burned brighter, every inch of him humming with power.
Noah spun the knuckle duster once in his grip, settling back into stance. He cracked a grin despite the sweat dripping down his temple.
"Round two."
Volt grinned wider. "Try round infinity."
And they collided again, steel and lightning meeting in the heart of the storm.
The hall cracked under their collision. Noah drove forward, knuckle duster smashing into Volt's guard, sparks spitting on contact. Every strike was deliberate — temple, ribs, jaw, the places that end fights fast.
Volt absorbed the hits with a growl, his skin buzzing like live wires. Then his hand lashed out, a burst of current ripping through Noah's arm. Muscles seized, but Noah bit down hard, forcing himself through the pain. He pivoted, hooked Volt's wrist, and slammed his shoulder into the man's chest, driving him back into the lockers.
The impact blew the doors clean off their hinges, twisted metal screeching across the floor.
Volt's grin widened through the haze of sparks. "Good form. But predictable."
He raised both hands. Lightning poured down his arms, pooling between his palms before detonating outward in a concussive blast. The floor fractured, tiles flipping like playing cards.
Noah was already moving. He vaulted over the shockwave, rolled through the smoke, and came up low — swinging the knuckle duster in a brutal arc across Volt's knee. The crack echoed. Volt staggered, but only for a breath before energy snapped his body back upright.
"You hit like a soldier," Volt said, sparks swirling around his fists. "But you're still asleep."
"Then wake me up!" Noah roared, surging forward again.
Steel met lightning. Every strike left the air burning, each clash a strobe of blinding blue. Noah's fists blurred, chaining combos that would've dropped any normal fighter — but Volt wasn't normal. Every punch sparked, every kick was met with a jolt that rattled Noah's bones.
Kai leaned casually against the mist wall, watching with a foxlike grin. "Man, I could sell tickets to this."
Raven said nothing. Her hood shadowed her face, but her hand was still curled tight in her pocket — around another piece of steel no one had noticed yet. Her eyes flicked between the two, sharp and calculating.
Volt caught Noah's wrist mid-swing. Lightning exploded point-blank, blasting Noah off his feet. He slammed into the ground hard, skidding across fractured tile. Smoke curled from his jacket, skin buzzing with static.
But he didn't stay down.
He spat dust, dragged himself up, and lifted the knuckle duster again. His stance never broke. His glare never wavered.
Volt's grin faltered for the first time.
And the storm above them growled louder.
Volt stalked forward through the mist, every step dripping sparks. "You should be ash by now. Yet you're still standing."
Noah wiped blood from the corner of his lip, knuckle duster steady in his grip. "Get used to it."
He lunged again, body moving on instinct. A tight hook to the ribs, pivot, follow-up strike to the jaw. Volt reeled, laughter breaking through his teeth even as sparks cascaded around him.
Noah drove a final uppercut — steel colliding with Volt's chin. The blow cracked louder than it should have, a sound like stone breaking. For a heartbeat, blue sparks sprayed outward… and some of them weren't Volt's.
They came from Noah.
The air snapped around his fist, faint blue arcs crawling across the knuckle duster before sputtering out. His breath caught. His vision sharpened. For a second, the hum in his head roared like a chorus.
Volt froze, grin faltering. His eyes narrowed. "…Interesting."
Kai straightened off the wall, lollipop dangling forgotten. "Well, well. Looks like sleeper boy finally twitched."
Raven's smirk was barely visible under her hood. She'd seen it too.
Noah didn't understand. He didn't have time to. All he knew was that his next punch felt heavier, faster — and when it landed, the shockwave tore a fresh crack down the hall.
Volt staggered back, eyes burning with a mixture of fury and delight. "There it is. The spark."
Lightning coiled violently up his arms, the storm above screaming in answer. "Now I really want to break you."
Noah raised his fists again, sparks still faintly dancing on the steel. "Try it."
And then the storm fell.
The blue arcs crawling over Noah's fist sputtered, crackling like dying embers. His chest heaved, sweat stinging his eyes, the weight of the knuckle duster suddenly twice as heavy.
Volt steadied himself, sparks cascading over his body like a living cloak. His grin had returned, sharper now. "So it's true. The spark is in you."
Noah shook his head, panting. "I don't… I don't know what that was."
Raven's voice cut the air, calm and flat. "You're not supposed to. Not yet."
Noah turned to her, confused — but the distraction cost him.
Volt moved in a blur. His fist smashed into Noah's guard, electricity ripping through his muscles. Pain flared white-hot as Noah staggered backward, the brief glow in his knuckle duster dying out completely.
"Unawakened," Volt said, voice thick with contempt. "You tasted it… and lost it."
Noah gritted his teeth, planting his stance again despite the numbness crawling up his arms. "I don't need sparks to hit you."
Volt's laugh echoed in the storm as another bolt from above slammed into his body, feeding his aura brighter. The gap between them yawned wider, but the flicker of Noah's strike still lingered in everyone's mind.
Kai leaned forward, grin sly. "Oh yeah… he's gonna be fun when it sticks."
Noah didn't know what they meant. All he knew was that for one instant, the storm had answered him.
And that terrified him almost as much as it thrilled him.
Volt raised his hands, electricity shrieking down his arms. The storm above boiled, ready to crash.
Noah braced himself, knuckle duster trembling in his grip. His body screamed at him to drop, to run, but he forced his stance tighter. He wasn't going to bow. Not to Volt. Not to anyone.
"Don't flinch," Volt said, grin feral. "It'll be over faster that way."
The air split—
And then Kai moved.
It wasn't loud. It wasn't flashy. One second he was leaning against the mist wall, twirling his lollipop stick. The next, he was standing between them, his hand casually pressed to Volt's chest.
Volt froze. Sparks hissed, then guttered, like fire doused in water. His grin faltered.
"Kai—" Volt started.
"Enough," Kai said, voice calm, almost bored. "You've had your fun. Any more, and you'll burn the toy before it's ready."
The weight in the air shifted. The storm above them… stopped. Just like that.
Noah blinked, breath ragged, unable to process how the thunder had gone silent, how Volt's aura had been snuffed out with a single gesture.
Volt's jaw tightened, sparks crawling half-heartedly along his arm before fading. He stepped back, eyes narrowing. "…You're still too soft."
Kai smirked, pulling the lollipop from his mouth. "And you're still too loud."
The mist walls began to thin, the Region Expand unraveling. The street outside bled back into view, lights flickering to life as if nothing had happened.
Noah sagged against the nearest locker, sweat dripping, knuckle duster hanging loose in his grip. His pulse still hammered like a drum.
He looked at Kai — calm, smiling, unfazed. Strongest in the room, and he hadn't even broken a sweat.
Noah's stomach turned. Because if Volt was that strong… and Kai had just shut him down without effort…
Then what had Noah just been pulled into?
The storm froze mid-crash. Lightning arced, then shattered into harmless sparks, raining down and fading into the mist.
Kai's hand stayed pressed to Volt's chest, steady, casual, like he wasn't holding back a man who could level buildings.
"Fight's over," Kai said simply.
The mist walls rippled. Cracks spread through the Region Expand like shattered glass. The heavy air thinned, the warped ground stitching itself back together. In a blink, the cratered tiles, the scorched walls, the broken lockers — all of it dissolved.
Noah blinked against the sudden shift.
And then he was standing right back where he'd been before it started. The hallway. Whole. Quiet. Fluorescent lights buzzing above, papers pinned to bulletin boards. Like the fight had never happened.
Except his knuckles still ached. His ribs still screamed. The sweat on his skin was real.
Volt stepped back, sparks fading as the last of the mist peeled away. His grin had returned, sharp and knowing. "He's not ready. Yet."
He turned and walked off like nothing more than a man leaving class early.
Raven's hood dipped lower, hands deep in her pockets as she followed. At the edge of the hall, she glanced over her shoulder, eyes locking with Noah's. "Don't think you imagined it. You didn't."
And then she was gone too.
The only one left was Kai, lollipop stick dangling between his teeth. He shot Noah a lazy grin, as if they hadn't just collapsed a world inside a world. "See you around, mercenary boy."
Then he strolled off, hands in his pockets, humming a tune Noah didn't recognize.
The hallway buzzed faintly with fluorescent lights, ordinary as ever. Students' laughter echoed down the stairs. A door slammed somewhere.
Normal. Totally normal.
Except Noah's fists were still trembling. His heart was still racing. And the faint smell of ozone still clung to his jacket.
The Region Expand was gone. But it had happened.
And nothing about this place was normal anymore.
The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, too bright, too normal. The lockers were intact, the tiles unbroken. Like nothing had happened.
But his fists still shook. His ribs screamed with every breath. His skin stung with static. The weight of the knuckle duster dragged at his arm, heavier than steel had any right to be.
He tried to take a step. His knee buckled.
The hallway tilted sideways.
Noah reached for the wall, but his hand slid down cold metal. His vision narrowed, blue sparks still dancing at the edges like afterimages burned into his skull.
"What… the hell… was that…" he whispered.
Then the floor rushed up to meet him.
Darkness.
THE END OF CHAPTER TWO