Morning came without power.
No glow.
No darkness.
No storm in the sky.
Just silence.
For the first time in years, the world felt… ordinary.
And neither of them knew what to do with that.
— Juvy —
The Resistance base was quieter than usual.
Not because people were calm.
Because they were careful.
Watching her.
Waiting.
Juvy stood in the training chamber.
Hands raised.
Breathing steady.
Trying again.
Nothing.
No light.
No spark.
No warmth in her palms.
Just empty air.
Her fingers slowly curled into fists.
"…Still nothing."
From the upper platform, Mara leaned against the rail.
"…You've been trying since dawn."
Juvy looked down.
"…I know."
Eli stepped beside Mara.
"…Maybe stop forcing it."
Juvy gave a dry smile.
"…That sounds familiar."
But even the joke didn't lighten the room.
Because everyone knew the truth.
The light was gone.
At least for now.
Mara's voice softened.
"…You're still here, Juvy."
A pause.
"…Power didn't make you who you are."
Juvy looked at her hands again.
"…Then why does it feel like I lost part of myself?"
Silence answered first.
Then Mara spoke.
"…Because maybe you did."
The honesty hit harder than comfort.
But Juvy nodded.
"…Then I'll find out what's left."
— Maxruell —
Far from the base.
Far from the city.
A ruined overpass overlooked the wasteland.
Wind moved through broken steel beams.
Maxruell sat on the edge.
One leg hanging over the side.
He stared at his hand.
Opened it.
Closed it.
Opened it again.
Nothing.
No shadow.
No pulse.
No response.
"…Heh."
A bitter laugh.
"…So this is what normal feels like."
His eyes narrowed.
"…I hate it."
He stood abruptly.
Kicked a piece of concrete off the ledge.
Watched it disappear below.
"…All that power…"
A pause.
"…Gone in one night."
Behind him, footsteps approached.
He turned sharply.
Instinct.
But it wasn't an enemy.
A young scavenger boy, maybe sixteen, carrying a torn satchel.
Dirty clothes.
Tired eyes.
"…You're Red King, aren't you?"
Maxruell froze.
Then scoffed.
"…Not anymore."
The boy hesitated.
"…People in the lower zone need help."
A pause.
"There are men taking supplies. Armed."
Maxruell stared at him.
"…And why are you telling me?"
The boy swallowed.
"…Because even without powers, you still look like someone people are afraid of."
Silence.
Then—
A faint smirk.
"…Fair point."
— The World Moves —
News screens flickered across the city.
Emergency broadcasts repeated.
GLOBAL ALERT: Residual distortions detected
Unknown fragment incidents reported in multiple regions
Mara watched the report from the base.
"…It's starting already.
Eli frowned.
"…You think it's connected?"
Mara nodded.
"…Fragments don't just appear."
A pause.
"…Something survived."
Night fell.
Juvy stood alone on the rooftop of the base.
Watching the city lights.
Far away—
A single distortion flickered in the skyline.
Tiny.
Almost invisible.
Then—
A voice.
Not heard.
Felt.
"…echo…"
Juvy's eyes widened.
"…What was that?"
The distortion vanished.
Somewhere else—
In the wasteland—
Maxruell stopped walking.
The shadows beneath streetlights moved.
Just slightly.
Not his.
Something else.
He looked into the darkness.
"…So we're not done."
The wind picked up.
The night grew colder.
And somewhere in the unseen corners of the world—
A fragment pulsed.
Awake.