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Silva burst into the room, her heels echoing on the tiled floor as she sprinted toward the bed.
"Rai… Rai! Oh, my Rai!" she cried, wrapping her arms tightly around him. Her sobs filled the room as she pressed her face into his shoulder.
Raiden's throat tightened. His eyes burned as tears slipped free — not just from the pain in his body, but the pain in his heart. Silva had begged him countless times to quit the force. She'd warned him the job was too dangerous, too unpredictable… and he'd always brushed her off with excuses.
Now, seeing her trembling in his arms, he regretted every one of those decisions.
"Silva… I'm sorry," he whispered hoarsely. "I should've listened to you."
"Don't say that," she sobbed harder. "You're alive… that's all that matters."
A sudden voice interrupted the emotional moment.
"Alright, that's enough drama for now. We've got more serious matters to discuss."
Both turned sharply toward the sound.
A man in a white lab coat stood near the foot of the bed, holding a tablet and watching them with a calm, professional gaze. Neither Raiden nor Silva had noticed him before, which made his sudden presence all the more unsettling.
Silva quickly let go of Raiden and stepped back, cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
The doctor cleared his throat. "Now that everyone's calm, let's bring you up to speed. We also have a few questions — and I hope you'll cooperate."
Raiden nodded, still weak but attentive.
"Good. You've been unconscious for quite some time. You were the only survivor at the crash site. We've seen plenty of dangerous missions, but rarely something this… unprecedented." He paused, swiping through files on his tablet. "When backup arrived after receiving your distress call — and after satellite radar detected an unidentified object entering the atmosphere at incredible speed — they found only you, unconscious, at the center of a massive crater."
He glanced up, eyes narrowing slightly. "There were no traces of any foreign material, no sign of the object itself. Just… devastation."
Raiden frowned, his memory flashing back — the crimson flame, the burning pain, the thing that entered his chest. No… I can't tell them about that. Not until I know what it is.
"But that's impossible," he murmured.
"Unbelievable, yes," the doctor replied flatly. "Now, what can you tell us? Anything that might help the investigation?"
Raiden recounted the events as best he could — the chase, the explosion, the chaos — carefully omitting the moment the flaming light entered him.
The doctor listened silently, then nodded. "Alright. We'll leave it there for now. The military has sealed the area and begun analysis. For the record, your survival defies every medical expectation. By all rights, you shouldn't even be able to move."
Raiden clenched his fists beneath the blanket. Then why am I alive… and why do I feel this strange warmth inside me?
The doctor reached into his coat and handed Raiden an envelope and a small card. "The government has covered your medical expenses. This is from your department. And if you remember anything else, contact the lead investigator — his number's on that card. You'll be discharged soon."
With that, he exited the room, leaving silence behind.
Raiden hesitated, then tore open the envelope. A single sheet of paper slid out. His eyes scanned the words, and each line hit harder than the last.
> *"We acknowledge your years of service, though your current condition renders you unfit for active duty.
Medical reports confirm irreversible damage to your Mutant Cell Core (MCC), meaning you can no longer store mutant energy.
You are hereby relieved of duty, effective immediately.
A compensation of $1,000 has been issued to assist your recovery.
— Local Mutant Enforcement Division."*
Raiden's hands trembled. His throat tightened as the paper crumpled slightly between his fingers.
"I… I'm useless now," he whispered, voice cracking.
Silva moved to his side instantly, wrapping her arms around him again as tears welled in both their eyes.
"Don't say that," she whispered. "We'll figure it out. Together."
---
Two Weeks Later
The city was alive with motion — cars honking, vendors shouting, screens flashing with bright ads — yet Raiden moved through it like a ghost.
Dressed in a simple white shirt and dark jeans, he walked with a heavy heart, his gaze fixed on the concrete beneath his shoes.
Two weeks since the hospital… one week since I started looking for work, he thought bitterly. And nothing. Every place turns me down the moment they see "MCC destroyed" on my report.
He sighed, stopping at a crosswalk.
His $1,000 payout was almost gone. Silva's modest salary as a history teacher barely kept them afloat. She'd tried to convince him to rest longer, but Raiden couldn't stand doing nothing.
He clenched his fists. I can't just be a burden. I have to stand again… somehow.
Looking up, he found himself before a tall four-story building — Sky Enterprise. The sign glinted faintly in the sunlight.
"Alright," he muttered. "This is it. My last shot."
He took a deep breath and pushed the glass door open.
---
A few minutes later, Raiden sat across from the company manager, who was flipping through his file. The man's expression was neutral, but Raiden could feel the weight of judgment behind those eyes.
"So… your Mutant Cell Core is, essentially, dead," the manager said bluntly. "That means you can't channel or store mutant energy anymore. You're… practically a baseline human."
Raiden swallowed hard, forcing himself to nod. "Y-yes, sir. But I'm still capable. I can drive, I can work hard—"
The manager sighed, leaning back in his chair. "The only position we can offer, given your condition, is a delivery job. It's not much — just transporting packages around the city by bike."
Raiden's heart skipped. "I'll take it. Please — I'll do my best."
The man smiled faintly and stood, extending his hand. "You start tomorrow, then. Welcome aboard, Mr. Ignatius."
Raiden stood too quickly, nearly knocking his chair back, and grasped the manager's hand with both of his. "Thank you, sir. I won't let you down."
---
Later That Night
When Raiden got home, Silva nearly jumped for joy.
"You got the job?!"
Raiden grinned for the first time in weeks. "Yeah. It's not much, but it's something."
Silva hugged him tight, tears of relief glistening in her eyes. "That's amazing, Rai. I'm so proud of you."
That night, she cooked their favorite meal — nothing fancy, but filled with warmth. They laughed, ate, and for the first time since the accident, it felt like things might finally be okay.
Days passed. Raiden worked diligently, earning respect from his coworkers and even the manager. His natural focus, sharp instincts, and insane reaction time — the very traits that made him a great patrol driver — made him a top performer.
Every day, he pushed himself harder, determined to prove he still had worth.
But fate is never that kind.
Just as the sun began to shine aga
in in Raiden's life… the clouds gathered once more.
Something was coming — something that would change his life forever.
---