Jace woke up, his body feeling strangely energized.
Yes, he had been asleep, but considering how active things got with Eva last night, he expected to wake up sore or at least a little worn out. Instead, he felt clear-headed and light, like he had skipped the crash entirely.
He stretched once, then glanced over at his phone resting on the nightstand.
His eyes widened.
"Shit."
He had overslept.
Jace jumped out of bed in a rush, pulling on his clothes as fast as he could. Shirt, pants, shoes, anything within reach.
He didn't say goodbye as rushed out the door and disappeared down the stairs, already cursing himself for slipping up.
As Jace stepped outside, he was still tugging his shirt over his head.
He glanced down at his hand and noticed the familiar silver ring on his finger. He had worn it since childhood.
At one point, he used to hang it around his neck, but it kept slipping off or getting lost. Wearing it on his hand was safer, he never took it off anymore.
He made his way to the back of the car and struggled with the bike rack, cursing under his breath as he fumbled with the straps. After a few seconds of frustration, he finally got it loose.
He hopped on and started pedaling down the road.
Then came a voice behind him.
"HEY! THAT'S NOT YOUR BIKE, YOU THIEF!"
Jace didn't slow down. He didn't even look back. It was his bike, and he wasn't about to explain himself to some random stranger yelling on the street.
He rode hard.
An entire hour passed before he finally arrived at the factory. Sweat clung to his skin, his shirt sticking to his back as he slowed to a stop.
The moment he stepped through the gate, he could feel the stares. A few workers glanced his way, some curious, others judging. He kept his head down and walked straight to the office to clock in.
He was exactly an hour late.
Jace didn't need anyone to tell him, this was going to cost him. A heavy pay cut, maybe worse.
As he signed in, he exhaled sharply, the weight of it settling in.
He regretted getting lost in the allure of Eva now. She had been beautiful, sure, but women were a distraction.
'Look at me now,' he thought. 'Screwed over by a smile.'
.
.
.
The factory floor was loud and busy, steel clanging, machines humming, voices yelling over the noise.
Jace was assigned to help near the loading bay, working with steel containers that weighed more than some small cars.
He moved slowly, still recovering from his rushed morning and trying not to draw more attention.
The supervisor had already made it clear, "One more screw-up and you're out."
As he adjusted a hook on one of the lifting cranes, something caught his eye.
A large container, stacked higher than it should've been, shifted. The chain holding it up hadn't been properly secured. Jace saw it wobble, and then start to fall.
Directly beneath it stood one of the older workers, wiping sweat off his forehead, completely unaware.
Jace's heart jumped.
He wasn't close enough to grab him. Not even close.
He stepped forward on instinct, panic rising in his chest.
"No!" he shouted, throwing his hand out toward the man, not to reach him, just to warn him.
But then… something happened.
As Jace stretched out his hand and yelled, the old man turned, looking at him, not up.
He didn't see the danger.
Jace's heart raced. In that instant, he felt it, something pulse through him.
A powerful surge, like a wave of pressure exploding from his chest and rushing down his arm.
His fingers burned, the sensation sharp and hot, like energy was being pulled straight out of him.
Then it happened.
The massive container that had been falling toward the worker suddenly jerked mid-air, flung sideways like it had been struck by an invisible force.
It crashed down a few meters away, slamming into a stack of scrap metal with a deafening bang.
The old man flinched and turned toward the sound, confused. He glanced back at Jace, then at the crumpled wreckage.
He had no idea what had just happened.
From his perspective, Jace had probably seen the danger and shouted just in time. A lucky warning. Nothing more.
Only Jace knew what really happened, what he had done.
The crash echoed through the factory, cutting through the noise. Workers stopped what they were doing. A few started jogging over. Someone shouted for a supervisor.
Jace stood frozen, still staring at his outstretched hand, his breathing unsteady.
The ring on his finger glowed faintly.
Then came a voice, clear, mechanical, and echoing directly in his head.
> [Relic awakening: 50%… 80%… 88%… 99%… 99.99%… 100%]
[New ability gained.]
[Hello, █████. This is an AI developed to guide you. Welcome, last son of █████.]
Jace's eyes widened. The voice was loud, like it was speaking through his bones, vibrating behind his eyes. He couldn't move. He couldn't even think.
What the hell is going on?
Am I hearing things? Am I losing it?
Before he could process it, a hand clapped down on his shoulder.
"Hey," a voice said behind him. "You see what happened here?"
Jace flinched hard and turned. It was one of the other workers, just a guy from the welding crew. Nothing out of place, no hint that he had heard anything strange.
Jace swallowed hard, trying to steady his breathing.
"No, I—uh—I just saw it fall. I yelled, that's it," he muttered, forcing himself to stay calm.
The man nodded and looked over at the crushed scrap pile. "Lucky no one was under it."
Jace nodded slowly, but his thoughts were spinning. His ears were still ringing with the voice, that voice. But no one else seemed to notice a thing.
Soon enough, Jace spotted the man who had actually been under the falling container.
He stood a few meters away now, staring at the wreckage with a puzzled look on his face.
Last Jace checked, the container had been directly above him. The guy hadn't even looked up, he'd only turned when Jace shouted.
Now, the container was lying off to the side, smashed against a pile of scrap.
The older man tilted his head, clearly trying to make sense of it.
From where he was standing, it didn't add up. There was no logical reason the container should've landed there.
But he didn't say anything. He just scratched his head and walked away slowly, still confused.
Jace stood in place, silent, the voice from earlier echoing in the back of his mind like a glitch he couldn't shake.