Morning light bled through the classroom windows, splashing long stripes across Kayden's desk. Students shuffled around, laughing about nothing, whispering about everything. Life had returned to "normal" — at least that's what the government had told everyone to believe.
But nothing felt normal to Kayden.
Not the way the air hummed in his ears.
Not the way his heartbeat timed itself with the faint pulses in his hand.
Not the way some students glanced at him like he was hiding a storm in his pocket.
His sigil — hidden under his glove — felt like a quiet flame.
He clenched his fingers. Stay calm. Stay normal.
The teacher entered, greeted the class, and started a lesson about physics, but Kayden barely heard a word. Every few minutes his senses sharpened without warning: distant footsteps sounded too clear, the flicker of the fluorescent light seemed too slow, his classmates' whispers echoed like they were speaking beside his ear.
Something inside him was changing again.
Something he didn't ask for.
A pencil rolled off a desk two rows away, barely tapping the floor — yet the sound hit him like a tap on his skull. Kayden winced.
Get a grip.
Eren nudged him from behind. "Bro, you good? You're twitching like you drank five energy drinks."
Kayden forced a smile. "Didn't sleep much."
Liora, sitting beside Eren, tilted her head, studying him carefully — too carefully. Kayden looked away. He didn't want questions today.
Not when the world was already whispering behind his back.
---
By lunchtime, the rumors had evolved. Students huddled around their phones, replaying blurry footage of the masked figure who fought the mutated Ragna. They exaggerated the details like the masked boy lifted cars, split the ground, or punched lightning.
Kayden sat with Eren and Liora under a tree outside the school. Eren leaned forward, wide-eyed.
"Kayden, bro — did you SEE the masked guy? People are saying he saved the city. Like, actually saved it."
Kayden swallowed. "Yeah… I saw the video."
He paused, lowering his voice. "Who do you think he is?"
"A vigilante, duh," Eren said. "Maybe some secret government weapon or something."
Liora didn't laugh. She kept staring at Kayden as if his face carried answers he wasn't saying.
She murmured, "Still… the height, the build… and the way he moved…"
Her eyes narrowed. "Kayden, you sure you don't know anything about him?"
Kayden kept his voice steady. "If I knew a guy like that, trust me, I'd brag."
Eren nodded, satisfied.
Liora didn't buy it. He could see it in her face.
Nearby students whispered behind half-covered mouths:
"Isn't that the guy who punched Ragna? He can't be the masked one… right?"
"Nah, no way. The masked guy fought like a monster."
"But the height… kinda similar…"
Kayden felt sweat prick his neck.
He stood up suddenly. "I need air."
Eren blinked. "We're already outside."
Kayden didn't respond — he just walked away.
Even in the open air, it felt like the world was closing around him.
---
Across town, in a sealed underground facility built in layers of steel and humming machinery, the Architect reviewed the destroyed drone's last transmission for the hundredth time.
He played the footage frame by frame.
There — just before the feed went white — a pulse, a distortion, like a ripple in reality.
Not from Kayden.
Behind Kayden.
The Architect leaned forward, elbows on the desk, eyes narrowing.
"Analysis," he ordered.
The AI responded in monotone: "Unknown energy source. Not classified. Not traceable. Probability of external interference: 96%."
Not traceable.
That was the part that irritated him more than anything.
He replayed Kayden's glowing sigil. Then he replayed the distortion behind him.
Two separate signatures.
One visible.
One hidden.
"Something is protecting him…" the Architect whispered to himself.
He leaned back in his chair, hands steepled, suppressing the urge to act immediately. Charging recklessly now would ruin everything.
He exhaled slowly.
"No… first we study. We watch. We wait. That unseen force is the key. Find it, and Kayden becomes predictable."
He pressed a command, opening a new file:
"PROJECT: SHADOW SOURCE — Priority Level: Absolute."
The Architect began constructing new surveillance networks, redirecting drones, deploying sensors designed to catch even the faintest anomalies. He wouldn't lose sight of Kayden again.
And the next time he encountered the hidden entity…
He would be ready.
---
Far beneath the main facility, the Vex Crew's transformation chamber roared with energy.
Ragna stood at the center of it, mechanical conduits plugged into his arms and spine. Power surged through him, threading metallic lines across his skin like glowing veins.
He no longer resembled the street thug he once was.
His stare burned with a cold, heavy fury.
His voice was deeper, metallic.
His strength — now amplified — shook the floor when he moved.
Around him, the other Vex members also underwent their changes. Some clenched their fists as new strength filled them. Others screamed as the energy overwhelmed their bodies. One collapsed to his knees, trembling uncontrollably. A metallic exoskeletal brace formed on another's arms.
Jex, standing at the Architect's side, felt his own enhancements pulsing inside him. He was second strongest now — and he knew it.
Ragna's eyes swept over the group.
"Those who ran…" he growled. "They're dead the next time I see them."
He cracked his neck, energy sparking around him. "Vex Crew isn't a joke. They abandoned us. I'll make them regret breathing."
Several members nodded in fear and excitement.
Jex remained silent.
Inside, he wondered if he had made the right decision.
He wanted power… but this? This felt like walking into a storm blindfolded.
Still, he didn't dare oppose Ragna — not now.
"Get ready," Ragna said. "We move soon."
---
Sunset painted the sky gold as Kayden walked home. Every step felt heavier than the last. The shadow voice from the alley yesterday still tangled in his mind.
You are not alone, Kayden.
We are watching.
He didn't know what it meant, or who "we" referred to, or why the voice felt like it came from inside and outside him at the same time.
As he approached his house, he forced all those thoughts away.
The door opened before he touched it.
His adopted mother rushed forward. "Kayden! You're home. Come, eat. You must be tired."
His father sat at the dining table, hands clasped, trying to pretend he wasn't anxious.
Kayden sat down, trying to act normal. They served him his favorite food, smiling too quickly, talking too softly. He knew they were nervous. He could practically feel their worry vibrating in the room.
They waited for him to finish eating.
Then his mother took a breath.
"Kayden… we need to talk."
His father nodded. "Yes. About… something important. About when we—"
When we what?
Kayden's heart thudded.
They were finally going to tell him.
They stood together in front of him, but before a single word could escape their lips—
KNOCK.
KNOCK.
KNOCK.
A heavy, deliberate knocking shook the door.
Kayden froze.
His mother whispered, "Who… could that be?"
His father stepped forward slowly. "Stay behind me."
He reached for the door handle—
But before he could touch it, the lock clicked on its own.
The door eased open with a slow groan.
Cold air rushed into the house.
A silhouette stood in the doorway — tall, broad-shouldered, face hidden by darkness.
Kayden's parents backed away, fear bright in their eyes.
The figure spoke, voice deep and official:
"We've found the suspect."
Kayden's pulse exploded in his ears.
His glove tightened around his glowing sigil.
His parents trembled behind him.
And the doorway seemed to stretch into something darker than night.