It was Sunday, quiet for once. The usual hum of New Albion was distant today, muffled by the walls of Alaric's small apartment. Sunlight slanted through dusty blinds, cutting across the living room floor in long golden stripes. He lounged on the couch, hoodie sleeves covering the faint golden veins that pulsed beneath his skin—a subtle reminder of the chaos hidden inside him. On the tablet before him, a web series played muted, images flickering across the screen as if the world outside had no importance.
From the kitchen, the faint sizzle of onions greeted him. His mother hummed under her breath, the aroma of cooking filling the air. For a moment, it felt normal. Safe.
Then her phone rang, breaking the calm.
"Alaric… I have to go," she said, glancing at the screen. "Hospital emergency. They need me now. I won't be long, but… you'll manage, right?"
Alaric frowned, hesitation curling in his chest. "Mom… wait, can't you—"
"No, I have to go. Don't burn the house down while I'm gone," she said, giving him a quick peck on the forehead before leaving, the door clicking behind her.
Alone, Alaric exhaled. Today was quiet—but quiet didn't mean safe. Nine days had passed since the Aurion explosion, and every heartbeat still reminded him that something was different. Something alive, thrumming under his skin.
He picked up his phone and called the one person he trusted completely: Evan.
"Hey… are you busy?" Alaric asked when the call connected.
"Not really… why?" Evan's voice carried the faint edge of curiosity and worry. "You sound… tense."
Alaric shifted on the couch. "Because I need to tell you something. Something serious."
"Okay… shoot."
"Come at my Apartment I'll Tell Everything Here "
" Okay is your Mom at home?"
"No, She's in hospital That's why I asked you to come home"
"Alright "
Alaric was Waiting For Evans when Only Door bell rang , Alaric Rushed towards door
It was Evans
Evans sat on the Sofa and Asked
" So tell me now "
Alaric's voice dropped lower, cautious. "Nine, ten days ago… I was part of an experiment. Aurion Industries—some top-secret lab. I was Subject 017. They had this chamber, liquid, energy… it was supposed to enhance humans. It went… wrong. The lab exploded."
"Wait. Hold on. You survived a lab explosion?" Evan's voice shot up, incredulous. "Like… completely? How?"
"I don't know," Alaric admitted, running a hand through his still-slightly-singed hair. "I woke up… somewhere strange. Alone. Burnt, exhausted. I don't even remember everything. But something… changed. Something's inside me."
"What do you mean 'inside you'?" Evan pressed.
Alaric flexed his fingers. Tiny golden arcs of electricity flickered between them, humming faintly in the air. "This," he said, voice barely above a whisper. "I can feel it… energy. It's like my blood… but alive. Golden. Glowing. Sometimes, it reacts without me thinking. And it's… strong."
There was silence on the other end for a long moment. Then Evan's voice came, careful and measured. "Okay. Let's think logically. Bioelectric energy. You're saying your body is generating and conducting electricity. That's… theoretically possible, given the experiment. But uncontrolled… you could seriously hurt yourself—or someone else. Sparks, voltage, resistance, ohms… we need to quantify everything."
Alaric nodded. "That's why I called you. I can't… I need guidance. Physics, chemistry… I can't just… guess."
"Right," Evan said. "We need to approach this like an experiment. Small, controlled. Micro-arcs first. Nothing dangerous. Document everything. Pulse rate, output, conductivity. One variable at a time. Otherwise… you risk losing control."
Alaric flexed his fingers again. The arcs flickered faintly. "I think I can start. I just… I don't want this to hurt anyone. But I also… I need to see what I can do."
"Good," Evan said. "Step one: control. Focus. Measure. Observe. Step two: increment. Small outputs, then more, slowly. And step three… well, we'll cross that bridge when we get there."
Alaric exhaled, a mixture of relief and anticipation washing over him. "Okay. I'll start now. Actually… no. Evan, you should come over. I need someone here. To guide me. Measure, control… make sure I don't burn the place down."
Evan hesitated for a second, then chuckled nervously. "Alright… I'll bring my stuff. Be there in twenty minutes. Don't touch anything else until I get there!"
"Good," Alaric replied. "Seriously… don't underestimate how bad this could get."
---
The sun was beginning to dip when a knock echoed through the apartment. Evan stood in the doorway, backpack slung over one shoulder, a stack of notebooks and a few portable meters clutched in his arms.
"You ready for this madness?" Evan asked, stepping inside.
Alaric tried a smile. "Ready as I'll ever be."
Evan set down his bag and unpacked a multimeter, a small electromagnetic field detector, and a handheld camera. "First things first," he said, scanning the faint glow running along Alaric's arms, "we get a baseline. Heart rate, pulse, voltage output. Let's see what's actually happening."
Alaric stretched his fingers toward the air, golden arcs snapping faintly between them. "Okay… so it reacts when I focus. But uncontrolled—" He tried to pull his hand back, and a small arc jumped toward the floor, sizzling the tile.
"Uncontrolled is what we feared," Evan said calmly, jotting notes. "Keep calm. Breathe. Visualize the energy flowing, not jumping."
Alaric inhaled, focusing on the hum within his chest. The golden threads pulsed, syncing with his heartbeat. Small arcs danced lightly around his fingers, contained.
"Better," Evan said. "Now, let's try a small discharge. Touch a metal object."
Alaric hesitated, but he extended a hand toward a lamp stand. Sparks leapt—tiny, harmless—but enough to make the lamp vibrate. "Okay… that worked."
"Exactly. See? Micro-control. You can do this," Evan encouraged. "We increase incrementally. One step at a time. And if anything goes wrong, I can shut it down."
Alaric exhaled slowly. "This… this feels alive. Like it has a mind of its own."
"Of course it does," Evan said, adjusting the detector. "Electricity doesn't follow orders. You have to negotiate with it, not force it."
---
Hours passed. Each attempt honed his control. Sparks snapped and fizzled harmlessly. His fingers tingled, his hair bristled, and the faint glow under his skin pulsed brighter with each successful iteration.
Then, without warning, a low hum shifted in pitch. The electricity beneath his skin surged violently, jumping across his body in golden arcs, spreading faster than he could contain. His arms shook.
"Whoa… no, no, no," he gasped. Sparks flew uncontrollably, sizzling a corner of the rug. He staggered backward, heart racing.
"Focus, control," he whispered, closing his eyes. The golden energy flared like lightning in a storm.
The hum grew louder, almost sentient, echoing in his ears. He tried to steady it—but the power had a mind of its own.
"Evan… I—" he started, voice trembling. But the call had already disconnected.
The city stretched before him in the balcony window, unaware, indifferent. Rain began to fall softly, each drop sizzling faintly against his skin.
Alaric's golden veins pulsed brighter, humming in rhythm with his heartbeat, as if something inside him had just awakened fully.
He realized then, with a mixture of awe and fear, that this was only the beginning.