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Chapter: Whispers in the Dark
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Nightfall at Awaken Academy
The stars shimmered above Awaken Academy, but inside its towering walls, Eli couldn't sleep. His room was modest—just a bed, desk, and window—but the silence was deafening. He kept hearing that name echo in his head:
"Eli Calamaki…"
He sat up, gripping his bedsheet. Why would that strange man be after me?
Suddenly, there was a soft knock on his door. He opened it and found Rebecca.
"You okay?" she asked, stepping in. "You look like you haven't blinked in hours."
"I'm just thinking," Eli replied. "I… I heard someone is looking for me."
Rebecca furrowed her brow. "You mean the white-suited man Ignite fought?"
Eli nodded. "Why me? I'm not strong. Not special."
Rebecca shook her head. "You don't see it yet, do you? You're growing faster than anyone I've met. You don't fake that kind of progress."
Eli looked at her, surprised. No one had ever said that to him before.
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Elsewhere: The Secret Threat Meeting
In a dark, secretive lair beneath the city, the man in the white suit—code-named Vile—stood before a circular table surrounded by shadowed figures.
"They've passed the first test," Vile said coldly. "Especially him… Eli."
"Are you sure he's the one?" another figure asked.
"I can feel it. There's something sealed inside him. Something… ancient. A power even he hasn't tapped into."
A female voice added, "Should we extract him?"
"No," Vile said. "Not yet. Let him grow. Let him believe. Then we'll rip it from him."
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Back at the Academy: Training Begins
The following morning, the academy's bell echoed across the grounds. Students gathered at the training field, where Hero Starlight and several instructors stood, waiting.
"You passed the tests," Starlight said, voice commanding. "But now the real training begins. Survival was just the entry fee."
They were split into units. Eli, Rebecca, and three others formed Unit 9. One of their teammates, a cocky boy named Jace, scoffed when Eli was assigned as the group's strategic lead.
"This guy? Strategic lead? He couldn't even dodge a fireball yesterday."
"I chose him," their instructor said. "Because Eli thinks."
Their mission: navigate through a fog-covered combat zone filled with robotic Threats, locate a lost data core, and extract it without being "killed."
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Unit 9's Training Mission
They moved through the fog, tension thick. Robots emerged—some with blazing claws, others cloaked and silent. Eli gave quick instructions:
"Rebecca, protect the rear. Jace, go high and spot. Me and Nyra, we're the core team."
As robots attacked, Eli used a new skill—Psy Echo—sending a pulse to confuse enemy sensors. Jace watched in awe as Eli's tactics worked.
But then a larger, hidden robot burst from underground, knocking Eli back. His head spun. Pain shot through his spine.
"ELI!" Rebecca shouted, raising her hands.
She used her dual power—telekinesis to throw debris at the robot, and healing light to stabilize Eli from afar.
"I'm okay," Eli grunted, staggering to his feet. "Don't stop!"
They finally reached the core, but a timer had been activated: if they didn't extract it in two minutes, the system would "kill" them all.
Eli focused. He pressed his hand to the core and whispered: I trust my mind.
His pulse synchronized with the data. He unlocked it—and deactivated the bomb with five seconds left.
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Back in the Observation Room
The instructors watching the footage clapped slowly.
"Eli… he's changing," Starlight said. "There's something deeper in him."
Nice entered the room. "Keep him close. If Vile wants him… we'll need to protect him from himself too."
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Later That Night
Eli sat at the edge of the rooftop, looking over the academy grounds. Rebecca sat beside him.
"You did good today," she said.
"I almost died."
"But you didn't," she replied. "You saved us."
"I'm scared," he admitted. "Of what's coming. Of who I might be."
Rebecca reached out and held his hand.
"Then let's face it together."
Suddenly, thunder rumbled in the sky—and deep in the forests outside the academy, Threats began to gather, guided by a dark power unseen.
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To be continued...