GET DOWN!
Shade's hand shot forward, grabbed me by the shoulder, and pulled me to the ground with a force one would not have expected given his stature. We landed in the dust behind a massive steel pillar. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped animal trying to escape.
Above us? The sound of death. A metallic whirring, deep and vibrating, that made the air in the warehouse tremble. Combat drones.
I pressed myself into the shadows. I knew that sound. Everyone in the slums knew it. It was the soundtrack of our nightmares. When the Kryntor patrols were too lazy to wade through the dirt themselves, they sent these things. Flying eyes made of black steel. Equipped with sensors that can smell your heartbeat from a hundred meters away and with weapons that turn you into red mist before you can even blink.
"Don't breathe," Shade hissed. His voice was barely more than a breath of air.
Three red laser beams cut through the dusty air of the hall. They danced across the floor, over the walls, and over the crates behind which we crouched. Whir-click. Whir-click. The sound of the servo motors was disgustingly precise.
I closed my eyes. In the darkness behind my lids, I saw Aria. I remembered the last time we had hidden like this. In a dumpster, while the boots of the guards marched past us. She had held my hand so tightly that it hurt. "You must be still, Kyro. Invisible."
Now she was gone. And I was here, with a bunch of... what exactly? Rebels? Madmen? Shade did not move. He was one with the shadow of the pillar. His golden eyes glowed dimly, fixing on the drones circling above us like vultures.
"The Blood Chain is getting nervous," he murmured, so quietly that only I could hear him. "Their rule over the slums has been crumbling since people with resonance abilities started appearing. And those up there... they are looking for something. Or someone."
I thought of the bluish glow in my skin earlier. Of the heat in my veins. "Like Aria," I whispered, without meaning to. "She knew about the resonance before she left."
Echo, who was crouching a few meters away behind a console, darted a brief glance at me. Her silver eyes narrowed.
"You knew someone with resonance abilities?"
I nodded silently. "My sister... but..." I broke off. Speaking about Aria felt like tearing open a wound that had only just scabbed over. A dull rumble made the walls vibrate. The drones turned away. The red light disappeared.
"That was close," one of the Wolves said, exhaling audibly. "Too close. They are scanning patterns they used to ignore."
Shade stood up. He brushed the dust off his coat as if nothing had happened.
"We are safe here. The anomaly shields us. But you must understand why they are so aggressive."
He went to a console and typed something in. A static noise filled the air.
"We intercepted this an hour ago. An encrypted transmission from the laboratories of House Vayne."
The Voice from the Static
He played the audio file. There was no image. Only sound. A woman's voice. Cold. Analytical. Without a spark of humanity. It sounded like ice scratching on steel.
"...Intensify subject search. The resonance signatures in Sector 7 are rising. We cannot afford another loss..."
A short crackle. Then the voice again.
"Find the carriers. Regardless of their condition. Extraction is the priority."
Then only static.
"Who is that?" I asked. The voice sent a shiver down my spine that I couldn't explain.
Shade shook his head, his face a mask of disgust.
"We don't know exactly. A high ranking scientist. But do you hear how she talks? 'Subject'. 'Extraction'. To them, we are not humans. We are raw materials."
He looked at me intently.
"They are looking for people like us, Kyro. People like you. That is the reason why I took you off the street. If they find you before we do... you'll end up in a tank."
A stinging pain shot through my head. For a fraction of a second, I saw an image before my inner eye. Blurred. Glass. Liquid. And eyes staring at me. I staggered.
"Are you okay?" Echo asked sharply.
I blinked the pain away. "Yes... just... the stress."
Echo studied me. She knew I was lying. But she let it slide.
"Welcome to reality, Kyro. If you want to survive, you have to learn to fight. And fast."
The Four Pillars of the Wolves
She led me out of the dark room back into the huge halls of the base. It was like a walk through another world. Hummed sounds were everywhere. Holograms flickered on the walls, showing tactical maps, blueprints of weapons, and enemy movements. It was an oasis of knowledge in the middle of hell.
Echo walked ahead, her footsteps echoing on the metal floor.
"We are divided into divisions. Specialized units. A pack only functions if everyone knows their role."
We stopped in front of a large area that looked like a battlefield. Men and women in heavy gear were beating on training robots. The ground shook. A man shouted orders. He was huge, a mountain of muscle.
"The Second Division," Echo explained. "Led by Commander Avaris. They are our shield. The Turtle. Tactical specialists and melee fighters who put their lives on the line when things get dangerous."
We moved on. The next area was... different. Thick fog wafted across the floor. Shadows darted back and forth so fast the eye could hardly follow. It was quiet. Eerily quiet.
"The Third Division. Selene's realm."
Echo pointed to a figure that seemed to glide through a wall.
"Resonance control. Manipulation. Espionage. They are the Foxes. They strike before the enemy even knows they are there."
Then we came to an area that looked like a workshop from the future mixed with a junkyard. Sparks flew. It smelled of burnt metal and oil. People were tinkering with weapons that looked like they could tear a tank to pieces.
"The Fourth Division," Echo said. Her tone changed slightly. "Engineering. Logistics. Led by Rioji."
She hesitated briefly.
"But Rioji... he also collects those who don't fit in anywhere else. The outsiders. The wild ones. They are the mechanics, yes. But they are also... unpredictable."
I looked at the people there. Dirty faces. Manic grins. One of them laughed out loud as a small generator exploded in his hands. They reminded me of the slums. I liked them.
"And now... the First Division," Echo said, stopping in front of a massive gate.
She opened it. A wave of energy hit me. The room behind it was pure. Sterile. High tech. This was where the elite trained.
The Trial of Light
I stepped inside and immediately felt the air crackle. It was power. Pure, unfiltered power.
Suddenly movement. A shadow? No, a flash of light. A man with short blond hair rushed toward me. He was fast. Too fast. No warning. BAM.
His fist hit me on the arm. It felt as if an iron pipe had struck me. I stumbled back, reflexively throwing my arms up. My arm burned like fire. The guy grinned. He looked like one of those perfect soldiers from the posters. Arrogant. Self-assured.
"That was just a test," Echo said calmly, as if she were commenting on the weather. "Solis is not as friendly as I am."
I rubbed my arm. Anger pulsed in my temple. "What the hell was that for?" I growled.
"He is testing what you are made of," Echo replied. "Solis doesn't like street kids. He considers them a waste of time."
Solis loosened his shoulders. His grin was pure arrogance. He scrutinized my ragged clothes, the dirt on my face.
"Another one? Seriously, Echo? We are not an orphanage. The little guy will collapse if I just cough on him."
I felt my blood run hot. This snob. He thought he was something better just because he sat up here in the dry, while we were dying down in the dirt. I clenched my fists.
"Just shut your mouth," I said and spat on the floor. "And come here."
Above, on a gallery behind darkened glass, stood Shade. He observed everything. He saw the glow around my body, flickering like a broken neon tube, uncontrolled and wild. "Let's see," he murmured to himself. "Show me the wrath of the slums."
Down in the ring, Solis knew no mercy.
"Big talk for someone who looks like trash."
He lunged at me again. This time he was even faster. His movements were precise, deadly. I dodged. Ducked. Tried to hit him. But it was useless. He was always one step ahead. Every one of his strikes was shrouded in an invisible light that burned when it hit me.
"You fight like a thug," Solis mocked. He danced around me like a shadow made of light. "Raw power. No brain. You are embarrassing."
ZACK. A hit to the ribs. I gasped. ZACK. A kick against the knee. I went down.
Echo watched silently. She did not intervene. She wanted to see if I would get up.
I scrambled to my feet. The taste of blood was in my mouth. I felt the energy inside me. It was there. A raging storm. But I didn't know how to open the valve. I had always only fought for survival. Instinctively. Wildly. But against someone like Solis, I was just an amateur.
"Stay down," he laughed. "You're wasting my time."
He pulled back for a final blow. I was backed into the corner. Panic crawled up my throat. I was in the alley again. Helpless again. "No," I thought. "Not again."
And then... a whisper in my head. "You must be strong, Kyro." Aria's voice. But she was dead. Or gone. And this guy here wanted to humiliate me.
I was alone. And in that loneliness, I found something other than fear. I found hate. I found pure, unfiltered rage at this unjust world, at Solis, at Shade, at everything.
"FUCK YOU!"
It happened without my doing. Something inside me broke. Or exploded. A current of energy tore itself free. Not controlled. Not elegant. Brutal.
A shockwave of white light shot out of my body. It hit Solis mid motion. The arrogant bastard was knocked off his feet as if he had been hit by a train. He flew across the room and slammed against the wall.
Silence. Then Echo gasped.
"That was resonance..." she whispered. Her eyes widened. Now she saw it. "It was raw... but it was massive."
I stood there, breathing heavily. My head throbbed. But I wasn't finished yet. I saw Solis, who was struggling to get up. His grin was gone. And all I saw was an enemy. One of them.
I suddenly felt stronger. Faster. My movements were fluid, driven by a cold power. I charged forward. My fist glowed. A strike that made thunder rumble. I didn't want to defeat him. I wanted to crush him.
"STOP, KYRO!" Echo screamed.
I didn't hear her. The bloodlust had me. I pulled back for the strike. This blow would kill him. At the last moment, Echo was there. She moved faster than light itself. She threw her hands up. A radiant shield manifested between me and Solis.
BOOM.
My fist hit the shield. Energy rippled through the room, knocking over crates and shattering glass. Echo stumbled back. Even she had trouble absorbing the force.
The light went out. My strength left me suddenly, as if someone had pulled the plug. The world spun. Blackness reached for me. I fell.
The last thing I heard was Echo's concerned voice.
"Solis, damn it! Help me! We have to get him to the treatment room!"
The Price of Power
Cold. The beeping of machines. The smell of disinfectant. I opened my eyes. I was lying on a metallic bed, with cables and sensors all over my body. My head felt as if someone had rampaged inside it with a hammer.
The room was dark, lit only by blinking lights on the walls. Echo stood next to me. Her gaze was serious, but no longer distant. There was respect in her eyes.
"It's good that you're awake again," she said softly. "That earlier... that was extraordinary."
I tried to sit up, but my body wouldn't obey. "I don't understand," I croaked. "How can I control that?"
She sighed.
"It seems you do it intuitively, Kyro. It is a power that sleeps within you. But you must wake it. And learn to master it before it burns you."
I looked at the monitors. Data streams. Curves.
"What is this?" I asked. "What did you do to me?"
"We stabilized you," she said, pointing to the cables. "Resonance can be dangerous. For others. And for yourself."
I thought of Solis. Of the fight. "Solis..." I whispered.
Echo nodded solemnly.
"He underestimated you. And you almost ripped his head off. He is impressed, even if he would never admit it."
I clenched my hand into a fist. The cables tugged at my skin.
"Show me how to control it," I demanded. "I want to train. Teach me how to fight."
Echo studied me for a long time. Then she shook her head.
"I can't, Kyro."
Disappointment hit me like a blow. "Why? Because I'm a street kid?"
"No," she said calmly. "Because I don't have time. I am already training someone. A student who needs my full attention."
She didn't mention a name. But from the way she said it, I knew that this student was important. Perhaps the most important thing she had.
"Besides..." she stepped closer. "The two of us don't match. My style is discipline. Control. You?"
She tapped me on the chest, exactly where my heart was racing.
"You are chaos. You are rage. You need someone who speaks that language."
She smiled thinly.
"I will speak with Rioji."
Rioji. The commander of the Fourth Division. The ones who looked like madmen.
"He doesn't accept everyone. He is proud. An asshole, to be honest. And he has no right hand because he trusts no one."
She looked at me warningly.
"But you are similar. Both broken. Both angry. If anyone can teach you how to use this fire inside you without burning up, it's him."
"I will convince him," I said firmly.
The next day, the door opened. Shade entered. His long coat billowed around his legs.
"Echo told me what happened," he said without preamble. "You made an impression."
He threw clothes at me. A black training uniform.
"Rioji will meet you tonight. In the lower levels of the base. Prepare yourself."
He remained standing in the doorway.
"He is one of the best, Kyro. But he won't handle you with kid gloves. He will try to break you."
I put on the uniform. It fit perfectly. I nodded. Fear mixed with hope in my gut. I had to convince Rioji. I had to prove that I was not a worthless street kid.
Because out there, a world was waiting that was burning. And I had a promise to keep.