(POV: Orlando)
As I sit on the edge of the old warehouse rooftop, the wind brushes against my face. I watch the city lights flicker—like lies dressed as stars. From up here, the world looks peaceful. Quiet. Normal.
But I know better.
This silence is the same that smothered my family before the fires came—before the Pulse turned everything upside down and made people like me something to fear, something to hunt. They called it a miracle. A phenomenon. A new age. But for us, it was the beginning of the end.
I stare down at the streets, watching people move like nothing ever happened. Like the world didn't shatter. Like they didn't watch my kind burn—and turn their backs as the flames swallowed everything we had. These are the same people who cheered when the Ascension Control Bureau was formed. The same ones who pointed fingers, whispered lies, and moved on while we were hunted like animals.
I don't trust them. I don't forgive them.
I hate them.
It eats at me—watching them live the life I lost, walking around like they earned peace while my people were erased from memory. My father still believes they can change. He clings to hope, says truth will rise, that people will open their eyes.
He always tells me, "Time heals, son. Even the deepest scars."
But I don't believe that.
Time doesn't heal. It covers up. It lets the guilty sleep while the broken lie awake.
I grip the edge of the rooftop tighter. The wind carries the scent of smoke and rust from the lower districts. Somewhere out there, the ACB is on the move. Somewhere out there, another one of us will disappear tonight.
But not me. Not today.
Today is the day I change everything.
Today, I awaken my power.
"Orlando, it's time," my father's voice cuts through the haze of my thoughts. I rise from the edge, turning my back on the city's glow as I head into the warehouse.
"Perimeter secure?" he asks, pulling off his coat.
"Yeah. Like always," I reply.
"Then let's begin. If we miss this window, we wait another year. I need you focused."
I nod, taking my seat in the center of the camp. Today, I take the Ascension Trial—the one moment we're given to awaken what lies within.
"Are you ready?"
"I'm ready."
"You may begin."
With the barrier in place and the others watching, I feel the weight of expectation settle on me. My hands tremble slightly. My heart pounds against my ribs.
I push the nerves away, focus on my breathing. In. Out. In. Out—like the tide of the ocean.
Once I'm steady, I expand my awareness. I reach for the spiritual realm, for the thin veil that separates it from our world. I feel it almost instantly—a ripple, a soft pull at my core.
No wonder my father chose tonight. The rift is thin. Easier to reach.
I let it take me.
The transition is smooth at first, then suddenly rough—a jolt, like being yanked through space by an unseen hand. Then I fall, tumbling through the void until my vision clears.
When it does, I freeze.
The spiritual realm is beyond anything I imagined. A cosmic sea of stars stretches infinitely in all directions—glowing orbs of every color, suspended in a vast, endless dark.
"I made it… I finally made it," I whisper, breathless at the sight.
But I can't linger. Time is short.
Find the Pulse, I remind myself. Find the one that resonates with me.
I navigate the realm carefully. Time is strange here—hours pass in moments, or maybe moments stretch into hours. But then, I feel it. A rhythm. A call.
Echoes.
Coming from one direction.
Excitement floods me. I run. Sprint toward the resonance, forgetting everything but that growing, familiar pulse.
Then—mist.
Thick, disorienting. The stars vanish. The path disappears. I stop, heart pounding.
I'm lost.
In the spiritual realm.
---
(POV: Antonio)
Watching my son brace himself within the barrier stirs something in me—emotions I haven't allowed myself to feel in years. In hiding, I focused only on keeping him alive and preparing him for this moment. Sometimes I forget he's more than just a student.
He's my son.
But survival comes first.
Now that he's inside, I turn to the real threat. The Ascension Control Bureau. I sensed them earlier—scouts maybe—but now I feel more. An entire squad approaching.
I throw on my jacket, sling it over my shoulder, and pick up a crowbar.
The first ACB agent rushes in. I sidestep and swing. The crowbar arcs cleanly through his neck.
Dead.
They may not be the strongest I've faced, but even weak blades can cut deep if you're careless.
Another agent fires a bolt of electricity. I manifest my God Eye—instantly analyzing his weaknesses. A third dives at me from above, wings spread, spear in hand.
Normally, I'd unleash my full aura and be done with this.
But I can't risk exposing our location. Not while Orlando's inside the trial.
I dodge the spear, flipping backward, and activate Foresight Overdrive—a burst of power into both eyes. For ten seconds, time slows. Every movement the enemy makes becomes clear.
I lunge.
One—dead. Crowbar through the skull.
Two—decapitated.
Three—parried, then throat crushed with a backward jab.
Their bodies drop. The smell of ozone and blood fills the air.
I exhale slowly, eyes narrowing.
They're not sending scouts anymore.
They're hunting us.
And they won't stop until one of us is dead.