CHAPTER 13, AWAKENING BEYOND CONTROL
The silence after his collapse didn't feel normal.
It felt… wrong.
Jay's body lay motionless on the cold floor, his chest rising faintly, as if even breathing had become a burden. The violent pressure that had filled the room just moments ago had completely vanished, leaving behind a strange emptiness—like a storm that had disappeared too quickly.
But the air still carried something.
A residue.
Something no one could explain.
The two men exchanged uneasy glances. Sweat ran down their temples, their earlier confidence now completely shattered.
"That… wasn't normal," one of them said, his voice slightly trembling.
"No," the other replied quietly, still staring at Jay. "That wasn't just power… that felt like something else entirely."
Mr. Arvind remained silent.
His eyes were fixed on Jay, but unlike the others, he wasn't shaken.
He was thinking.
Calculating.
Observing.
After a few seconds, he slowly crouched beside Jay and placed two fingers near his neck, checking his pulse.
"It's stable," he said calmly.
The two men let out a breath they didn't realize they were holding.
"But…" Arvind continued, his tone lowering slightly, "…his condition is not."
He stood up again, his gaze sharp.
"What we just witnessed wasn't an awakening."
A pause.
"It was a crack."
The men frowned.
"A crack?" one of them asked.
Arvind nodded slightly.
"The seal inside him… is weakening."
Both of them stiffened.
"That's impossible," the other man said quickly. "Seals like that don't just break on their own."
Arvind's expression darkened.
"…Exactly."
Silence fell again.
Because if it wasn't breaking on its own—
Then something else was causing it.
—
Deep inside Jay's mind—
Darkness.
Endless.
Silent.
But no longer empty.
Jay stood there again, but this time… something was different.
His breathing was slower.
His expression calmer.
Not because he understood anything—
But because he was exhausted.
Mentally.
Emotionally.
Completely drained.
"…What… was that…?" he whispered.
No answer came.
For a moment, it felt like everything had gone quiet again.
Like before.
Like the first time he had entered this place.
But then—
A faint ripple spread through the darkness.
And the shadow appeared.
Standing at a distance.
Watching him.
Jay's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…You again."
This time, his voice didn't carry fear.
It carried frustration.
Anger.
Confusion.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
The shadow didn't move.
Didn't react.
But its presence alone made the darkness feel heavier.
"You already know," it said.
Jay clenched his fists.
"No. I don't."
The shadow tilted its head slightly.
"Then why do you feel it?"
That question—
It hit him harder than anything else.
Jay froze.
Because deep down…
He did feel something.
Something familiar.
Something that didn't feel new.
It felt… old.
Like it had always been there.
Hidden.
Sleeping.
Waiting.
"…That's not enough," Jay said, his voice tightening. "Feeling something doesn't mean I understand it."
The shadow began to walk toward him.
Slow.
Measured.
Each step echoing unnaturally in the void.
"Understanding is not given," it said. "It is remembered."
Jay's eyes widened slightly.
"…Remembered?"
The shadow stopped just a few steps away from him.
"Yes."
A pause.
"You are not gaining power."
Another pause.
"You are regaining it."
Those words sent a chill down his spine.
Jay shook his head.
"No… that's not possible."
But even as he said it—
The images from before flashed in his mind again.
Fire.
Destruction.
That version of himself.
Cold.
Unstoppable.
His breathing became uneven again.
"…If that's true…" he whispered, "…then what was I before?"
For the first time—
The shadow didn't answer immediately.
The silence stretched.
Heavy.
Then—
"Something that should not have existed."
Jay's heart skipped a beat.
"…What does that mean?"
The shadow raised its hand slightly.
And the darkness around them began to shift again.
But this time—
It wasn't chaotic.
It was controlled.
Like something was being revealed deliberately.
"You seek answers," the shadow said.
"Then watch."
—
A scene formed around them.
Clearer than before.
More stable.
Jay found himself standing in what looked like a ruined city.
Buildings destroyed.
The ground cracked.
The sky… dark red.
Not natural.
Not normal.
And in the distance—
Something moved.
Jay's eyes locked onto it.
"…No…"
It was him.
Or at least—
It looked like him.
Standing in the middle of destruction.
Completely still.
His eyes glowing.
But unlike Jay—
That version of him showed no confusion.
No hesitation.
No emotion.
Just silence.
Powerful.
Terrifying.
"…That's me…?" Jay asked, his voice barely audible.
The shadow stood beside him now.
"Yes."
Jay swallowed hard.
"…What is he doing?"
The shadow didn't answer.
Instead—
The scene moved forward.
Like time itself had been pushed.
And suddenly—
That version of Jay lifted his hand.
Casually.
Effortlessly.
And everything in front of him—
Collapsed.
Not exploded.
Not shattered violently.
Just—
Erased.
Like it had never existed.
Jay's eyes widened in horror.
"What… is that…?"
"Power," the shadow replied.
"No," Jay shook his head, stepping back. "That's not power… that's—"
He couldn't finish the sentence.
Because he didn't have the right word for it.
Destruction wasn't enough to describe it.
It was something beyond that.
Something absolute.
Jay's voice trembled.
"…Why would I have something like that?"
The shadow turned its gaze toward him.
"Because you were created to."
That answer made everything worse.
Jay's mind raced.
"Created…? By who?!"
But the moment he asked—
The scene shattered.
The city vanished.
The darkness returned.
And the shadow stepped back again.
"You are not ready for that answer."
Jay's frustration exploded.
"Stop saying that!" he shouted.
"Every time I ask something, you avoid it!"
His voice echoed endlessly.
"I deserve to know!"
The darkness trembled slightly.
For the first time—
The shadow's presence felt… unstable.
Not weak.
But reacting.
"You will know," it said slowly.
"But not yet."
Jay's fists shook.
"…Then when?"
A pause.
A long one.
Then—
"When you stop fearing what you are."
Silence.
Jay stood there, breathing heavily.
His mind filled with questions.
Doubt.
Fear.
And something else—
Curiosity.
Dangerous curiosity.
Because no matter how much he denied it—
A part of him wanted to know the truth.
Even if it was terrifying.
—
Back in the real world—
Jay's fingers twitched.
Very slightly.
So small that it almost went unnoticed.
But Mr. Arvind saw it.
His eyes narrowed.
"…He's coming back."
The two men immediately tensed.
"What do we do?" one of them asked.
Arvind didn't look away from Jay.
"…Nothing."
A pause.
"We wait."
Jay's breathing became slightly stronger.
His body shifted faintly.
And then—
His eyes slowly began to open.
Not fully.
Just enough—
For a faint red glow to appear again.
And this time—
It didn't disappear.
Not immediately.
Mr. Arvind's expression turned serious.
Because now he knew—
This wasn't just the beginning.
This was progression.
And if things continued like this—
The next time Jay lost control…
He might not come back the same. 🔥👁️