Riven jumped up, looking around in confusion.
He was in a white room-sterile, quiet, almost too calm. Then it hit him. He remembered everything: the attack, the chaos, the pain-and the strange prompt that had flashed before his eyes right before he blacked out.
[Welcome, user, to the Forced Evolution System.]
"What was that? What did it even mean?" he muttered. "Do all Force-Evolved people get that kind of message? No way. The internet would ve said something-or Jordan would ve told me when he awakened..."
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed from outside the room. Riven turned toward the door, and his eyes widened. Two people walked in: a man with bright yellow hair and piercing blue eyes-taller than the doorframe itself-and a red-haired woman with the same blue eyes. Both wore black uniforms trimmed in gold.
"The Ascension..." Riven whispered.
The Ascension was an elite organization tasked with subduing rogue Evolvers- those who used their powers for crime or awoke while already incarcerated. Many officers joined the Ascension after awakening, lured by higher pay and better benefits.
'What the heck are the Ascension doing here?' Riven thought. 'Actually-screw that. Where's Jordan?!'
"What happened to my brother?!" he shouted.
The red-haired girl shrugged. "Chill. Your brother's fine. He's asleep on the other side-check for yourself."
Riven rushed to the curtain beside his bed and flung it open. Jordan lay peacefully, breathing slow and steady. Riven pulled the curtain closed again, relieved.
"My name's Mack Grey," the man said. "And this is my pupil, Nico Grey. As you've figured out, we're from the Ascension. After you passed out, we got a call from someone who witnessed the whole thing. We showed up, beat the guys, and brought you here."
"Short and to the point. I like that," Riven said.
"Thanks for saving us, but why are you here?" Wren crossed his arms. "Well, kid, given what you went through, there's a real chance you've Force-Evolved. Do you... feel different?"
Riven closed his eyes.
In the darkness, he saw a grey flame flicker to life. Then another prompt appeared:
[Welcome, user, to the Forced Evolution System.]
His eyes opened with a bright, hopeful gleam-but when he looked at Mack and Nico, their expressions told him all he needed to know.
They hadn't seen the message.
'So... they can't see it, Riven realized. 'That means I can't just talk about it yet. I need to figure it out first!
"You don't have one, do you?" Nico said flatly, her expression soured. "Tch. I got my hopes up. What'd I even expect from a pi-"
"Nico," Mack interrupted firmly.
Mack gave Riven a sympathetic nod. "I'm sorry you haven't awakened. It might still happen later. Rest up. I hope you and your twin recover quickly."
As they left, Nico glanced back, her red hair catching the light. 'Twins, huh...?' she thought to herself.
Moments later, the curtain drew open again-this time by Jordan, who stared at Riven with a mix of disappointment and curiosity.
"Dude... after all that? Some people evolve from getting mugged. You got attacked by a full-on Evolver and still didn't awaken?"
Riven smiled slyly. "I did. I'll explain later."