***
### **AFTERSHOCK ACADEMY**
**Chapter 2 – "Echoes Beneath Our Feet"**
***
#### **Scene 1: A New Normal**
The sun rose over **Astilia**, casting golden light over rooftops like a painter dabbing hope into the sky. But hope was still new. It had been two months since the **Linzite Shockwave**, and the world was... different.
People called it a *miracle*. Others called it *the curse*. But for Luke, Boy, Wah, and Giant—this new world was just weird.
Luke stood shirtless in his room, staring into the mirror. Steam from his morning shower curled around him like a fog of destiny. His eyes shimmered faintly—a side effect of his awakened powers. His hands clenched unconsciously. He *felt* it. Something deep inside him constantly shifting, evolving... growing stronger.
Downstairs, Boy was demolishing cereal like he hadn't eaten in days. "Yo! Wah and Giant coming or nah?"
"Outside already," Luke replied. "Giant texted. Said Wah's testing his 'magneto swag' again."
***
#### **Scene 2: The Big Reveal**
The four met at their usual spot—an old half-pipe in the corner of the neighborhood park.
Giant pulled out a tablet and tapped a map he'd built. "So... I've been scanning anomalies in the area since the shockwave. There's a location under the town—like, *under* us. Layers deep. Ruins."
Wah's eyes sparked. "You tryna say there's a dungeon under Astilia?"
"Exactly that."
Boy grinned. "Bet."
Luke, calm but always calculated, looked over the map. "Let's check it out. If we're gonna be different now… we need a place to understand what we've become."
***
#### **Scene 3: Echo Ruins**
Night fell by the time they found it—a hidden stairwell beneath a collapsed train station on the outskirts.
The air was cold, stale with ancient energy. The walls pulsed with dormant Linzite crystals, glowing faint blue. Murals carved in stone told forgotten tales of warriors channeling energy through weapons.
"This place..." Luke whispered. "It's alive."
They explored for hours, each room revealing tech and trials—platforms that reacted to emotions, weapons that rejected weak hands, illusions testing courage.
In the deepest chamber, a wall opened after reacting to Luke's touch. Inside was a throne made of silver-black stone. When he sat down, a wave of energy pulsed through the room.
"This is it," Boy said in awe. "Our base."
They dubbed it: **Echo Ruins**. From then on, it became their secret sanctuary—a place to train, to dream, to build.
***
#### **Scene 4: Threads in the Shadows**
Meanwhile, far across the ocean in **LuksVania**, a shadowy boardroom hummed with whispers. Screens lit the faces of masked individuals. One man stood at the head, hidden in silhouette. His voice was like cracked glass wrapped in silk.
"Begin Phase One."
Files were slid across the table. Among them: Photos of Luke, Wah, Boy, and Giant.
"These children... they are not just *survivors* of the Linzite event. They are *anomalies.* Untapped potential."
A woman in a black trench coat whispered, "Shall I send the first agents?"
"Not yet," the man said. "Let the fire build under the surface. Let them grow comfortable. Then… we infiltrate."
No names were spoken. But behind the wall, a logo pulsed faintly—an **N**, carved in obsidian and outlined in glowing violet.
***
#### **Scene 5: Signs**
Back in Astilia, weeks passed. The four boys trained daily at Echo Ruins. Luke's reflexes sharpened. Wah learned to float metal disks. Boy learned how to channel gusts to glide. Giant unlocked a strange sense—able to "read" emotional wavelengths.
But odd things started happening at school.
A new student enrolled—quiet, sharp-eyed, and always watching. One teacher retired suddenly, replaced by a strange substitute who never blinked. Tech at the academy began malfunctioning around certain people. And Luke... Luke began feeling eyes on him, even when he was alone.
***
#### **Chapter End Scene: The Whisper**
Late one night, Luke returned to Echo Ruins alone.
As he walked through the training hall, a faint voice echoed across the stone.
"Power... potential... predator."
Luke spun around, hand on his blade. Nothing there. Only silence and a chill.
On the throne, a new carving had appeared on the backrest—an **N**, scratched crudely.
He stared at it for a moment.
His aura flared unconsciously, pulsing like a heartbeat.
"…Game on," he whispered.
**\[TO BE CONTINUED…]**