Disclaimer: This fanfic is created solely for entertainment purposes for readers to enjoy. No characters belonging to existing franchises are mine, except for my original creations.
Without further ado, enjoy.
---
One Hour Earlier - En Route to the Base
The air inside the sphere enveloping them felt heavy. It wasn't a lack of oxygen—Echoes' barrier allowed them to breathe perfectly—but something more intangible. As if the weight of everything that had happened had solidified in the very atmosphere.
Jhon watched Alanis in his arms. His cousin slept deeply, her little head resting against his chest, her tiny hands clutching his tattered shirt. Beside him was Sofia's mother—whose name he still didn't know—riding the lion with Sofia nestled against her. Behind them, Miriam rode the gorilla, her eyes fixed on him with a concern that burned in her gaze.
And the mutants. The lion with an electric mane. The armored crocodile. The massive gorilla.
So much power. So many tools. So many possibilities.
And yet, he felt completely alone.
His eyes looked forward but didn't really see anything. They were unfocused, lost somewhere between the present and memories he couldn't let go of. His face was a perfect mask—no expression, no emotion. Just emptiness. The complete absence of feeling was more terrifying than any visible anger.
Miriam watched him from her position. Every line of her body screamed worry. Her hands clenched and unclenched repeatedly, wanting to reach out, to touch him, to do something—anything—to pull him out of the dark place he was clearly falling into.
But she couldn't. She didn't know how. And that helplessness hurt her physically, as if someone were squeezing her heart with an iron fist.
'What can I do?' she wondered desperately, searching for a solution. 'How do I help him when I don't even know what he needs?'
And Jhon… Jhon was only asking himself the same question he'd asked every day since his parents died.
'What is… what is my damn purpose?'
The question echoed in his mind like a hollow bell.
'If, even with all this—with these powers, these abilities, everything I've gained—I can't protect the people I love, what's the point of my existence?'
He didn't know who to blame. He'd never been devoutly religious. Whatever faith he might have had died in that hospital where they identified his parents' bodies. Blame God? Who? Fate? Damn bad luck?
'Not even with all my powers. Not even with all my abilities. I don't know what my role in this world is.'
A tear slid down his cheek. Then another. Silent, hot.
He stopped them immediately with the palm of his hand, wiping them away before they could fall onto Alanis.
He looked down at the girl in his arms. The girl who had lost her parents. The girl who would have to live without them far longer than he had lived without his.
Her closed eyelids, so small. Her little upturned nose breathing softly. Her messy hair that faintly smelled of children's shampoo and fear.
Memories hit him without permission.
His dad walking him to his first day of school, his large hand enveloping Jhon's small one. "Don't be afraid, champ. I'll be here when you get out."
Asking him over and over during his teenage years, searching for answers: "Dad, what do you think is the reason I'm alive? What am I here for?"
And his father always answering the same: "To be happy, Jhon. And to make the people you love happy. You don't need any other reason than that."
But he couldn't make them happy. He couldn't.
Not even himself.
But none of that mattered now. He wasn't the one who mattered right now.
She was. Alanis was.
He had to do everything possible—the impossible—to ensure she could live the best life. Even in the absence of her parents. Especially in the absence of her parents.
'I'll be the father, the brother, the uncle, whatever she needs me to be,'Jhon vowed silently to himself.
But before that… before he could be anything for her… he had to do something else.
The tears disappeared completely from his eyes. They dried as if they'd never existed.
And in their place, only something cold remained.
Hatred. Accumulated rage distilling into something pure and concentrated.
'The Reborn.'
But first…
"Come," he whispered in a hoarse voice, looking at the cloud of insects accompanying them.
Thousands and thousands of them. Ants, beetles, dragonflies, wasps. All manipulated, all under his absolute control.
And they moved.
Like a hive receiving orders from its queen. Or in this case, its king.
---
The buzzing filled the surrounding air. A sound that grew and grew until it became an organic roar. The insects gathered, forming dark clouds that moved with singular purpose while remaining invisible.
Behind Jhon, Echoes ACT2 floated silently. The Stand had evolved beyond its original function. Now it served as a bridge—a living connection between Jhon's mind and the primitive minds of thousands of insects.
Biological manipulation allowed him to alter their rudimentary brains, but Echoes was what gave him true control. The Stand wrote commands directly into their nervous systems. Not words—insects didn't understand language. But pure impulses. Chemical and electrical orders their bodies couldn't resist.
How he connected with them all… he didn't really know if it had anything to do with the soul, a field he knew nothing about.
It was like having thousands of extensions of himself. He could feel what they felt—the vibration of the air under their wings, the heat of the sun on their exoskeletons, the primal urge to obey the command received.
"Search."
The coordinates were etched into their simple minds. They knew exactly where to go.
Jhon had destroyed his cellphone hours ago—crushed under his foot until it was electronic dust. They couldn't track him if he had nothing to track. But that meant he had no way to contact his grandparents.
Except through the insects.
"Find them and protect them from EVERYTHING."
The swarm dispersed, splitting into streams flowing in different directions.
---
Beside him, Miriam watched all this with an expression oscillating between fascination and horror.
But more than anything, she felt anger.
Not at Jhon. Never at Jhon.
At those who did this to him. Those who broke him again. Those who took away the light that used to shine in his eyes.
'If only I were stronger…*'Her fists clenched so tightly her nails dug into her palms. 'If my power weren't so limited…'
But she wasn't stronger. She couldn't do more.
And that truth ate at her from the inside.
---
"We're here."
Jhon's voice cut through the silence. It sounded tired. Not physically—his enhanced body barely registered fatigue—but emotionally. As if each word required effort he could barely muster.
Sofia's mother—holding her daughter against her chest—looked ahead with narrowed eyes.
She saw only open fields. Grass. A few scattered trees. Gentle hills under a sky beginning to darken.
"Um…" She bit her lip, her face flushing with embarrassment. "There's… nothing here."
Miriam tilted her head, confused. "Jhon, what are we supposed to see?"
For the first time in hours, something akin to genuine amusement touched Jhon's lips. A small—almost ghostly—smile curved his mouth.
He laughed. Barely audible, but it was laughter.
"You won't see anything here," he said, and there was a hint of mischief in his tone that Miriam hadn't heard since before all this. "Because it's below."
He lowered them from the animals with gentle telekinesis. The protective spheres dissolved like soap bubbles.
He walked to an area that looked completely ordinary—just dirt and grass—and pressed his hand against the ground.
Something clicked. A hidden mechanism activating.
The ground opened.
Not dramatically—not like in movies with steam explosions and lights. It simply slid to one side, revealing a metallic ramp descending at a gentle angle into the darkness.
Lights turned on automatically. White LEDs illuminated the path downward.
"Holy Mother…" Lucía whispered, her eyes wide.
The entrance was large enough. Easily five meters wide, four meters high. The mutated animals would fit without issue.
"Welcome," Jhon said with dry irony, spreading his arms, "to the base."
They began to descend. Their steps echoed against the metal. The air grew cooler as they went down—temperature controlled by automated systems.
The ramp led them to a main lobby. And that's where everyone stopped, trying to process what they saw.
It was like stepping into a military installation from a sci-fi movie. Polished metal walls. Lights embedded in the ceiling creating uniform illumination without harsh shadows. Holographic screens floating in the air displaying schematics of the complex.
A basic AI system—more functional than intelligent—activated upon detecting their presence.
"Welcome, user," a synthesized female voice filled the space. "Facility operational at one hundred percent. Generators running. Life support systems active. Security level: maximum."
Sofia woke fully at the sound. Her eyes widened like saucers.
"Where are we?" she asked in a high-pitched voice full of excitement.
She squirmed in her mother's arms until Lucía had to set her down. She immediately ran to one of the holographic screens, trying to touch it.
Jhon also observed everything with something akin to awe. He had seen the specifications when the letter appeared, but experiencing it physically was different.
'The Mother Base.'
He ran his fingers along the walls. High-quality metal, an alloy he didn't fully recognize but that Intuitive Aptitude automatically analyzed. 'Titanium-carbon composite. Resistant to near-massive explosives. Absorbs kinetic impact. Temperature regulated…'
At that moment, Alanis woke up.
The noise, the lights, the voices—everything pulled her from the deep sleep where she'd been hiding from the trauma.
She jerked in Jhon's arms, her little hands pushing against his chest. Panic in her movements.
"Where—? What—?" Her tiny voice came out frightened.
She didn't remember it was Jhon holding her. She only remembered her mother's last words: 'Hide, my love. Don't come out until I tell you.'
And the noises. The screams. The gunshots.
"Mommy! Mommy, where are you!" She started crying, trying to break free.
Jhon held her firmly but gently. "Alanis. Princess. It's me."
She lifted her little head, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her eyes—the same brown eyes as Uncle Jorge—gradually focused on him.
"Cousin Jhon?"
"Hey, princess," he said softly, his voice cracking slightly at the edges.
Alanis cried harder and hugged his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. Her sobs shook her entire little body.
Jhon just sighed. One hand stroked her back in slow circles. "I've got you. You're safe. I promise you're safe."
Miriam approached Jhon's shoulder and spoke to her gently. "Do you remember me, little one?"
Alanis slowly lifted her head, looking at her with swollen eyes.
"Cousin Jhon's girlfriend?"
Miriam blushed immediately. She made an exaggerated pout. "Is that all you remember me for? Don't you remember when we played together last year? When I taught you to make bracelets?"
Alanis shook her head, still clinging to Jhon.
"Well, that's okay," Miriam said in a softer tone. "We're going to play a lot now. Every day if you want. Would you like that?"
Alanis started to nod when something else caught her attention.
Her gaze fixed on the lion waiting behind them. Her eyes widened to take up half her face.
"KITTY!"
The scream echoed through the entire lobby.
She started squirming in Jhon's arms with renewed energy. "Cousin Jhon! There's a giant kitty! Look! It's orange!"
Her mind, in an attempt to forget the past trauma, focused on other things.
The lion—which easily weighed half a ton and could electrocute a man to death—shifted uncomfortably. It looked at Jhon with what could only be described as a plea in its animal eyes.
Jhon looked back at it.
For a moment, Jhon's expression was completely blank. Indifferent. A total lack of feeling. Dead eyes.
The lion visibly shuddered. It took half a step back.
Then the mask broke. Jhon blinked, forcing warmth back into his face when he looked at Alanis.
"Do you want to play with the kitty?" he asked, his voice gentle.
"CAN I??" Alanis practically shouted.
"Of course you can. You can even name it if you want."
Alanis squirmed so violently that Jhon had to set her down before she hurt herself. Her little feet hit the ground, and she ran—truly ran—toward the terrified lion.
"Kitty! Big kitty!"
The lion looked at Jhon one last time. 'Please?'
Jhon just nodded slightly. 'Deal with it.'
Sofia watched all this with growing excitement. She tugged at her mother's sleeve. "Mommy, can I play too? Please, please, please!"
Her mother looked at the lion—the massive predator that could kill them all effortlessly—with obvious worry etched in every line of her face.
"Jhon, I…" She bit her lip. "Is it safe?"
Jhon smiled at her. And it was a genuine smile—warm, reassuring, filled with that quiet confidence that made people want to believe him.
"If it were dangerous, I wouldn't have let my cousin get close," he said simply. "Let her. Nothing will happen to her. I promise."
She felt her face heat up. That smile… God, that smile should be illegal.
'Get a grip,' she scolded herself mentally. 'You're twenty-seven. He looks about twenty. And he clearly has a girlfriend.'
Miriam narrowed her eyes, watching the interaction with her arms crossed. But she said nothing. She was waiting for them to finish talking so she could speak with Jhon.
Jhon scratched the back of his neck, an unconscious gesture of discomfort. "I haven't had a chance to ask your name until now. Sorry. What's your name?"
Her eyes widened. Her hands waved in front of her. "No, no! You don't need to apologize. You've already done so much for us. More than…" She stopped abruptly, biting her tongue.
'More than Sofia's father.'
Jhon raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile curving his lips. "More than…?"
Miriam was definitely starting to regret letting this woman come with them.
She turned her head, embarrassed. Her cheeks burned. 'What's wrong with me? I'm acting like a teenager. I'm the oldest one here, for God's sake.'
But unable to find a satisfactory response, she looked up and said simply, "Lucía."
"What?"
"Lucía. That's my name."
Jhon smiled—a different smile now, something real for the first time. "Lucía, huh. Nice name."
"You think so?" Lucía made a face. "It's pretty generic."
"Sometimes it's not the name itself that makes it nice," Jhon said, and there was something almost philosophical in his tone. "But the person who carries it."
Lucía blushed even more. 'Is he flirting with me?'
'Is he one of those guys who'll stick it in any hole?'
But she quickly shook her head, dismissing those negative thoughts about her savior.
In an attempt to save face, she teased back with a playful smile, "You've teased me enough already. Remember, I'm almost eight years older than you. And you have a girlfriend."
Jhon slowly turned his neck—his vertebrae cracking—and met Miriam's gaze.
Who was looking at him with visible veins pulsing on her forehead.
"You're awfully flirty lately, Jhon," she said in a dangerously sweet voice.
Jhon smiled innocently and changed the subject immediately.
"Heh, *cough cough"," he coughed a bit as if choking.
Quickly changing the topic, he said, "Lucía, let me show you where your room is. You need to rest."
Lucía nodded, grateful for the subject change, not wanting her joke to cause problems.
Miriam sighed, her eyes softening a bit as she watched Jhon guide Lucía toward the side hallways. 'At least he seems a little better.'
She didn't know—couldn't know—that Jhon wasn't better at all. He was simply hiding all the rage he had built up. Burying it deep where no one could see it.
Until it was time to let it out.
---
Jhon consulted the holographic screens as they walked. The basic AI system responded to voice and gesture commands.
"Available rooms," he said.
A three-dimensional map appeared. Thirty-two individual rooms. Ten shared dormitories. All equipped with beds, private bathrooms, storage.
"Lucía, your room will be… this one." He pointed to one on the second level. "It's close to the dining area and has a view of the hydroponic garden."
"Hydroponic garden?" Lucía repeated incredulously, not knowing what that was.
"The facility is self-sustaining," Jhon explained as they walked. "It grows its own food. Purifies water. Generates electricity. We could live here for years without leaving if necessary."
They reached the room. The door slid open automatically upon detecting their proximity.
It was… surprisingly cozy. Not sterile as she expected. The bed was large, with clean sheets. There was a desk, a wardrobe, even some minimalist decorations.
"Rest," Jhon said softly, looking at her. "Sofia can stay with you or have her own room next door."
"Thank you," Lucía murmured, genuinely touched. "I don't know how…"
"You don't need to thank me." His smile faded slightly. "Just take care of Sofia. That's enough."
---
Miriam found him in the main lobby. The girls were playing with the lion—who had resignedly accepted its fate as a living toy.
The other animals had simply fallen asleep.
"Are you okay?" she asked softly.
Jhon looked at her and winked with a confident smile. "I'm fine, love."
But she knew that smile. It was the same one he used when he lied about his grades or pretended it didn't hurt to remember his parents.
Miriam sighed deeply and approached him, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his chest. "You know you can count on me, right? For whatever you need."
"I know," Jhon replied, returning the hug and gently touching her hair.
She hesitated. "I don't want to put more weight on you, but…" She bit her lip, truly torn, knowing it wasn't the right time, but her worry outweighed that logic. "I'm worried about my dad. If it's possible to bring him here… though I know he's not one for leaving the city. He prefers to command, but I can't stop thinking about him."
"Nothing you ask of me will ever be a burden," Jhon said firmly, placing his hands on her face, looking into her eyes, and kissing her forehead. "I'll see how he's doing."
Miriam looked into his eyes and felt herself falling for this man all over again.
After embracing for a minute, they slowly parted.
Miriam looked at him, tucking her hair behind her ear as she told him what she'd do. "I'm going to rest a bit. And maybe play with the girls," she said, wanting to spend more time with them, even though she looked tired.
Jhon winked and nodded slightly. Miriam smiled, turned, and headed toward the girls.
Jhon watched her walk away, that forced smile still on his face.
But as soon as she took three steps, the smile died completely.
His face turned serious.
"Echoes," he murmured. "Connect."
The Stand appeared behind him. Its hands—if they could be called that—touched Jhon's temples.
Biological manipulation flowed through their connection.
Jhon's brain was no longer a mere human brain. With the assimilation of Loki, Jason, and now Brandon, his brain was almost a computer. Perhaps not in terms of intelligence, as it was nowhere near the likes of Reed Richards or Tony Stark, but it was easily among the best in terms of capabilities.
His Frost Giant physiology, combined with Brandon's enhancements, had improved not just his physicality and strength but everything qualitatively. And he had Intuitive Aptitude. If he were to assimilate an intelligent character now, it wouldn't be surprising if he could build a Pacific Rim Jaeger in a few months.
'It'd be nice to get that in the next gacha,' Jhon thought, raising the flag for his luck to connect again, though he didn't believe it would.
Through Echoes, he connected with thousands of insect minds. Seeing what they saw. Feeling what they felt.
Then he saw the events that happened with his grandparents.
The anaconda. The fight. The aura his grandfather emitted, and his grandmother's masterful sandal throw (which sent a shiver down his cheek). Everything.
It all flowed to him in condensed seconds.
After having the insects kill the snake and create spheres to protect them from the speed with Echoes, he ordered them to bring his grandparents.
His body felt a surprising relief mixed with dark satisfaction.
Then he directed part of the swarm to another location. The police station where Miriam's father worked.
He sent simple orders while mentally sharing an image of him.
'Find him and protect him.'
Then he frowned, remembering his university friends. Especially Camilo—his overweight friend who was already going bald at twenty-two from the stress of engineering. Always joking that the calculations were stealing his hair.
'Are they okay? Did they survive?'
He sighed. 'I hope so. Those guys are nerds too; I bet they'll make it.'
His brain couldn't stay connected to thousands of tiny insect consciousnesses for long, even enhanced—it was still too much, especially with those sent to Miriam's father, exceeding his capacity. So sending them to his friends wasn't a viable option.
He couldn't be everywhere at once. Not yet.
Shaking his head to dismiss the momentary worry about them, he focused.
*'oncentrate on what you can do. On who you can protect now.'
---
He headed to the training room. The AI system had shown him its location—third level, east wing.
He took off his shirt as he walked, letting it fall to the floor without looking back.
His body had changed dramatically. His musculature was more defined than ever—each fiber optimized. His skin glistened faintly with sweat that evaporated quickly thanks to his enhanced body temperature.
The five percent of Brandon, plus the fifty percent of Loki, plus everything else, had transformed his body into a damn combat beast.
He entered the training room and activated the lights. The space was massive—easily the size of a small stadium. There were weight machines, combat areas, simulators.
He stood in front of a full-length mirror, observing himself. Seeing his body, which looked like it had stepped straight out of a comic book.
After a narcissistic moment, he fully activated Intuitive Aptitude.
His perception changed. He now saw the internal architecture of his body.
Muscle density was easily seven thousand times greater than the average human. Bone density was in the same range, about six thousand times greater. His cardiovascular system was simply monstrous, with a capacity he intuited was about seven thousand two hundred times greater.
What he observed in his body was something he hadn't considered until now—the amount of energy within it. Specifically, the energy from the pulse that caused everything.
Somehow, he felt he could manipulate that energy to slightly enhance his strength.
When the energy hit them, one of the first things he did was check if he had a new gift. Disappointed to find none, he didn't look further into his body. A mistake.
'So it's possible that every human or creature touched by the energy is no longer a normal human, beyond the obvious powers. Humans wouldn't be as fragile anymore,' Jhon concluded as he analyzed his changes.
He hadn't noticed before because it wasn't a quantitative difference, but that strength enhancement for someone else could mean going from lifting a maximum of 150 kilos in a bench press to 400 kilos. And for those who lifted more, it scaled proportionally.
'I'll have to study Miriam. If the energy helps enhance their gifts or acquired powers, then I can find a way to help my grandparents and those here.'
After noting that action for the near future, he continued examining himself. Though he didn't understand how the gacha's physiological changes worked, he felt he could summon his Frost Giant form at any moment.
'But…'
Unable to directly manipulate his body with biological manipulation, he hadn't realized he wasn't using his new strengths to their full potential.
He frowned.
All this strength, all this speed, all this endurance—and he lacked the refined technique to apply it efficiently.
It was like giving a race car to someone who only knew how to drive in first gear. Knowing how to address that lack of mastery after analyzing his body with Intuitive Aptitude, he set out to train.
With Intuitive Aptitude, he knew the best ways to train each muscle. Each fiber. The exact workouts Jason Todd had done over years, compressed into instant knowledge.
He had his strength, but he wanted to make that training his own.
Having advanced with Loki, he knew his magic could, to some extent, be tangible, creating almost "clones" rather than mere illusions.
So he did it.
Three illusory clones of Jhon materialized. They had temporary solidity. They could hit and be hit.
The clones adopted different combat stances. Karate. Muay Thai. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
And they began fighting each other while Jhon headed to another piece of equipment.
He approached what he identified as a reinforced load platform.
He circled it and observed.
He whistled at the specifications.
It was essentially an area with hydraulic weights that could simulate between 100 kilos and a thousand tons of force.
The main surface was a circular metallic platform with a rough, non-slip texture.
It could raise or lower two meters via hydraulic pistons to change the angle of thrust.
According to Jhon's reading, it had concentric force rings.
To be precise, twelve metallic rings surrounded the main disc.
Each was connected to colossal hydraulic cylinders that exerted upward or downward pressure with pinpoint precision.
These cylinders could generate forces equivalent to 10,000 tons combined.
"It's almost like it was made specifically for me," Jhon thought.
"I guess that's what the gacha meant by help. Too bad it didn't give me Franklin Richards as aid."
He said with a hint of sadness but continued reviewing the features.
It had a variable electromagnetic field. Beneath the plate was a reverse-flow magnetic core.
This created an invisible resistance—like multiplied gravity—that could increase the effective weight of any object or even the person themselves.
The field was adjustable in intensity and direction, allowing simulation of multidirectional pushes or pulls.
For testing, it had attachment points for chains, bars, or harnesses that the user could pull, push, or lift.
These were connected to sensors that measured applied force with microsecond precision.
"Let's give it a try," he said with an excited smile, feeling his muscles tense. He moved to position himself inside.
He positioned himself as if doing a bench press.
"Haaa," he inhaled and said, "Let it go."
The basic AI simply responded affirmatively: "Command received."
The machine began to operate, and Jhon received the first weight, but it was… nothing.
Feeling that 500 kilos was like a baby's weight, he increased it.
He started bench pressing with two tons.
His muscles were relaxed, feeling no strain.
The weight kept increasing—10, 15, 30 tons—but it wasn't much.
He pushed. One rep. Two. Three.
Then came 50 tons, but still nothing. At 100 tons, he made his first grimace but continued.
'Come on, come on,'he mentally urged himself, concentration etched on his face.
Then came 150 tons all at once.
"Urgh."
Sweat began to run down his torso. His arms trembled slightly but didn't fail.
With telekinesis, he lifted free weights lying nearby, about 50 kilos each. He lifted two, thus training his telekinesis capacity while pushing his body to the max.
A few meters away, his clones fought intensely. The sound of impacts—punches, kicks, blocks—filled the space.
And Jhon trained. Improving and adapting to his growing strength.
Waiting.
Waiting for his grandparents to arrive.
---
Central University of La Sabana - Main Campus - 5:47 PM
The university campus looked like a contained war zone. Broken windows in several buildings. Fallen trees. Burn marks on the pavement where someone had clearly lost control of fire-based powers.
But amidst all that chaos, there was a scene that seemed pulled from a surreal nightmare.
Camilo Patiño—twenty-two years old, one meter sixty-five tall, one hundred twenty kilos—sat atop a mutated pig the size of a small car. The animal was massive, with tusks protruding from its mouth like curved blades. But it was dead, and Camilo was roasting it.
Literally. Heat emanated from his hands, cooking the meat directly as he tore off pieces and stuffed them into his mouth.
"My God, Camilo," a tense female voice came, laced with poorly disguised disgust. "Can you stop eating that in the middle of campus? It's gross."
Valentina Ruiz—nineteen years old, short black hair, athletic build—looked at him with a mix of horror and resignation that only comes from months of dealing with someone completely impossible.
Five other young people were scattered around them. All showed signs of having been through intense situations in the past few hours. Torn clothes. Bloodstains—some theirs, some not. Expressions ranging from traumatized shock to forced determination.
"But I'm hungry," Camilo protested with his mouth full, grease dripping down his chin. "And we're waiting for the military. What do you want me to do? Starve?"
He chewed noisily—chomp chomp chomp—without the slightest trace of shame.
"Then swallow it fast!" Valentina practically growled. "You look like a damn cannibal sitting there."
Camilo shrank his entire body—shoulders rising, head lowering—like a turtle retreating into its shell. "Fine, fine," he muttered with obvious reluctance. "But it's not my fault my power makes me hungry all the time."
The others exchanged glances and mocking smiles.
"Hey, Valentina," one of them—Santiago, tall, thin, with a piercing in his eyebrow—said with a tone of fake innocence. "I still don't get how you ended up with Camilo. Seriously. Explain it like I'm five."
Valentina blushed immediately. "Shut up, Santiago, I like him!"
But Camilo—who had been chewing thoughtfully—swallowed his bite and lifted his head with completely unwarranted pride.
"It was my belly," he declared, patting his prominent stomach with both hands as if it were a trophy. "That's what won her over—this beauty right here. I gave it a pat, and she knew immediately I was the one."
Veins pulsed visibly on Valentina's red forehead.
"I told you not to tell anyone that, you idiot!"
Her fist shot forward, connecting with Camilo's stomach.
THWACK
But it didn't do what it normally would. Instead of sinking into soft flesh, the fist bounced slightly. Like hitting thick rubber.
And something else happened. A subtle energy—barely visible as heat waves—flowed from the point of impact to the rest of Camilo's body.
Camilo laughed—a deep laugh that shook his chest. "Love at first sight!" he announced to the others as if telling the most romantic story of the century. "Or rather, love at first meal. She was eating a triple sandwich in the cafeteria, and I—"
"AHHH, don't say it!" Valentina shouted, embarrassed by what he was about to reveal, covering her ears.
"Okay, okay," Camilo said, scratching his bald head.
Valentina saw he stopped spilling their relationship's deep secrets and lifted her head. She looked at the pig, and her mouth watered a little.
"If you don't finish that pig in the next thirty seconds," Valentina said with a slightly hungry voice, "I'm eating it."
"Love, you know I like to share, but—"
Valentina's hand began to grow. Her fingers expanded, her palm widened, until her hand was the size of a tennis racket.
She grabbed what was left of the pig—easily fifty kilos of meat—and shoved it whole into her mouth.
GULP
She swallowed it in one motion. Her throat expanded unnaturally to accommodate the mass, then returned to normal size as if nothing had happened.
Camilo looked at her with shining eyes full of adoration, no anger for having his food taken. "Isn't she beautiful?" he asked the others, his voice filled with genuine awe.
The others had beads of sweat running down their foreheads.
"Yeah," one murmured.
"Very beautiful," another added quickly.
"The most beautiful," Santiago confirmed, clearly wanting to avoid becoming the next snack.
---
THWOP-THWOP-THWOP-THWOP
The sound of rotors filled the air. Everyone looked up simultaneously.
Helicopters. Dozens of them. Military Black Hawks moving in precise formations over the campus. Some continued to other locations—likely other hotspots in the city. But several began descending toward the campus's open areas.
"They took their time," Camilo commented casually, as if talking about a late bus.
The others immediately drew closer, forming a tight group. Valentina stood next to Camilo, taking his hand.
The Black guy with glasses—David, twenty years old, an engineering student like Camilo—looked at the group with a worried expression.
"Do you think Jhon's okay?"
A heavy silence fell over them for a moment.
Camilo broke the silence. "Jhon's a nerd," he said with confidence that sounded more forced than he probably intended. "That guy knows every manga and anime out there. If anyone can figure out an apocalyptic fantasy situation, it's him."
He laughed—nervously but trying to be reassuring. "We just have to wait for him to contact us. His phone goes straight to voicemail, so he probably damaged it or ran out of battery."
"Or he's dead," someone muttered.
"He's not dead!" Valentina snapped. "Don't say that."
David adjusted his glasses, a nervous tic from high school. "It's just… with everything going on. The mutated animals. People losing control of their powers. If Jhon was in a bad place when it all started…"
"He was at his apartment when we talked last," Camilo interrupted. "That was… what? Ten hours ago? He said he was staying inside."
At that moment, something started happening to Camilo's body.
Steam began emanating from his skin. Not smoke—pure water vapor, like from a boiling pot. His entire body turned red, his skin temperature visibly rising.
And then he began to change.
His fat—all that soft mass that had defined him his whole life—began to retract. It didn't disappear but compressed, solidified, reorganized.
His arms swelled with real muscle. Shoulders broadened. Chest expanded. Legs defined with quadriceps and calves that looked carved from stone.
In thirty seconds, Camilo had gone from chubby to having the physique of a professional bodybuilder. Defined abs. Visible veins running down his arms. Muscle definition that would've taken years of gym work and steroids for any normal person.
And the first thing he did with his new form was hug Valentina.
"Love! See? It worked again!"
Valentina blushed but returned the hug. "Yeah, yeah. Very impressive."
David grimaced. "Man, that's not fair. Your power is literally 'become hot.'" He made air quotes. "I can barely make lights flicker."
Camilo laughed, releasing Valentina to flex his arms. "When Jhon sees this, he's gonna be super jealous. Did I tell you guys I look like Cbum now? You know, Chris Bumstead, Mr. Olympia—"
"Yeah, but bald," Santiago interrupted with a mischievous grin.
The others burst into laughter.
Camilo immediately brought both hands to his head—which shone under the sunset light, completely smooth and hairless.
"Hey! That's a low blow!" But he was laughing too. "Baldness adds character. It's distinguished."
"You're twenty-two," Valentina pointed out.
"Prematurely distinguished baldness," Camilo corrected without missing a beat.
---
The first helicopter touched down on the main soccer field. The blades kept spinning as the side door slid open.
Armed soldiers disembarked first—six in tactical formation, assault rifles ready but pointed at the ground. Their movements were precise, professional, clearly well-trained.
They established a perimeter in seconds.
Then another group descended.
These were dressed differently. Not standard uniforms but something more… specialized. Tactical suits with modifications. Armor plates in strategic places. Equipment that seemed designed to handle superhuman threats.
Sergeant Pallares—stone-faced—led the group. Corporal Restrepo walked beside him, still with birds perched on her shoulders.
The students immediately grew nervous. Just six hours ago, they were just that—students. Worried about exams and assignments and whether they'd have money to go out on the weekend.
Now they had powers. Abilities they barely understood. And armed military approaching them with unreadable expressions.
Camilo felt his muscular transformation begin to fade slightly. His power required constant calories to maintain the form. And he'd just burned a lot hugging Valentina.
'Not now, damn it', he thought desperately. 'Not in front of the military. I need to look intimidating.'
Valentina must have sensed his tension because she subtly moved closer, her shoulder touching his. Supporting him silently.
David adjusted his glasses again. Santiago crossed his arms, trying to look more confident than he clearly felt. The other two—María and Andrés—moved closer to the group.
Pallares stopped five meters away. His eyes scanned the group methodically, assessing them slowly.
Then he spoke. His voice came out deep, firm.
"Students of the Central University of La Sabana. I'm Sergeant Pallares, special response squad. We're here to assess the situation and provide assistance."
He paused, letting his words sink in.
"I understand several of you manifested abilities after the ether pulse. I need to know: Are there any injured requiring immediate medical attention?"
Camilo looked at the others. They all shook their heads subtly.
"We're fine," Camilo spoke for the group, surprised at how steady his voice sounded. "Some scratches, but nothing serious."
"Other students on campus?"
"Most evacuated hours ago," Santiago replied. "We stayed because… because we wanted to make sure everyone got out first."
It wasn't entirely true. They'd stayed because they were too scared to move, too confused by their new powers. But it sounded better that way.
Pallares nodded. "Hostile animals in the area?"
"Neutralized," Valentina said. She pointed to the massive dead pig—or what was left of it. "That was the biggest one. Camilo… took care of it."
Pallares's eyes settled on Camilo. Specifically on his transformed physique.
"Shapeshifting," the sergeant said. It wasn't a question.
"Something like that," Camilo confirmed. "I absorb kinetic energy—like impacts—and convert it into heat and muscle mass. Temporarily."
"Interesting." Pallares signaled to one of his soldiers, who pulled out a tablet and began taking notes.
Corporal Restrepo stepped forward, her birds chirping softly. "Were there any other mutated animals? Any that escaped?"
"There were some big dogs," María spoke for the first time, her voice soft. "But they headed south about an hour ago."
Restrepo frowned, checking something on her own device. "South… that would put them straight into a residential area." She murmured something into her radio.
Pallares continued. "We need to formally register your abilities. It's protocol. We'll also offer transport to safe zones."
Each began giving information about their abilities, whether they wanted to or not—it was their reality now.
After registering them, Pallares turned to the rest of his men. "Establish a full perimeter. I want teams of two checking every building. If you find more students, escort them to the rendezvous point."
He looked back at the group. "You can stay here or come with us to the main evacuation point. Your choice."
Camilo looked at his friends. He saw uncertainty on all their faces.
"We'll stay," he decided finally. "At least until tomorrow. Others might come back looking for shelter. And…" He swallowed. "And if a friend manages to contact us, this is where he'd know to look."
Pallares studied him for a long moment. Then nodded.
"Understood. We'll leave you supplies and a radio. If there's an emergency, call immediately."
As the military began to disperse, carrying out orders, Camilo felt his transformation finally give way completely. His muscles deflated gradually, the fat returning to its normal distribution.
In two minutes, he was back to his usual chubby self.
Valentina gave him a gentle nudge. "That was good, what you said. About staying."
"Yeah, well." Camilo scratched the back of his neck. "Someone's gotta be here when that idiot finally decides to show up. And he will show up. Jhon's too stubborn to die."
David pushed his glasses up, hiding that his eyes were a bit wet. "Yeah. Too stubborn."
The six of them stayed there as the helicopters continued landing, as the military secured the campus, as the sun began to set over a city they no longer recognized.
And somewhere in Bogotá, Jhon Ariza continued training in his underground bunker.
Completely unaware that his friends were waiting for him.
Waiting for him to be okay.
Waiting for him, somehow, amidst all this chaos, to find his way back to them.
---
Hello, this is your future favorite author speaking [Jhon].
Ahem, modesty aside.
This is Chapter 8. In the next chapter, we'll see the reunion with his grandparents and the improvements from his training, along with the reunion with his close friends.
A fight is coming soon between two powerhouses. Who do you think would win, Helena or Jhon (fully trained and capable of wielding his current strength to its fullest)?
We'll see in upcoming chapters. I'd love for you to leave comments and power stones, please.
Have a great rest of your day.