C2: The First Taste of Power

Chapter 2: The First Taste of Power

The room was dead silent after the entity's departure, save for the occasional flicker of the candle flames. The energy in the air had shifted, leaving behind a mix of excitement and fear. Dave, Aaron, and Jake stood there, still processing what had just happened.

Dave was the first to break the silence, his fingers twitching as he looked down at his hands. "We… we really did it," he muttered, his voice shaky but filled with awe. He clenched his fists, feeling the new energy coursing through him. His mind was already racing with possibilities.

Aaron grinned and clapped him on the back. "Told you it'd work, man! You pulled it off!" He flexed his fingers, feeling power waiting to be unleashed. The idea of evolving into animals, or even monsters, sent a thrill through him.

Jake stayed quiet, his expression unreadable. He could feel a change in his body—the strength, the speed, the heightened senses. But he didn't know what it really meant yet. A part of him felt uneasy about it all, unsure of what he'd gotten himself into.

"So, what now?" Jake finally asked, his voice low. "We have these powers… but what do we do with them?"

Aaron's grin widened. "What do we do with them? Dude, we just got superpowers! We test them, see what we can do."

Dave, still slightly dazed, nodded. His mind flashed back to his favorite games, where hacks let him dominate any match. "Yeah… let's figure out how this works. Test the limits."

Without another word, Aaron stepped forward, already eager to test his abilities. He concentrated on changing his hand into something simple—a panther's paw. His skin tingled, and for a moment, nothing happened. Then, slowly, his hand began to shift. His fingers elongated, skin darkening and hardening, claws sprouting.

"Holy shit!" Jake exclaimed, his eyes wide.

Aaron flexed his new claws, feeling the power coursing through him. The instincts of a predator surged in him, his senses heightened. "This is insane! I can actually feel it."

Dave watched in stunned silence. He clenched his fists, focusing on activating his own "hacks." But without a gun, he couldn't test skills like aimbot or bullet tracking. He sighed. "I need a gun to really try my powers. But… I think I can test the unlimited health."

He hesitated. The idea of injuring himself to test it terrified him. "I don't know if I can just… hit myself. What if it doesn't work?"

Aaron raised an eyebrow, smirking. "There's only one way to find out." Without warning, Aaron quickly scratched Dave's arm with his claws.

Dave yelped. "Hey, what the—!" A small gash appeared, blood trickling. His heart raced, but just as quickly, the cut healed, the skin closing up without a scar.

Dave stared at his arm in disbelief. "Holy crap… it worked."

Aaron laughed. "See? We're unstoppable!"

Jake stood off to the side, still watching. He hadn't tested his powers yet. Aaron and Dave turned to him, eager to see what he could do.

"Alright, Jake," Aaron said, still grinning. "Your turn. Let's see what you've got."

Jake hesitated. He didn't know exactly what his powers were, but he focused, trying to feel any change. He clenched his fists and, without realizing it, his body moved faster than he thought possible—his movements becoming a blur. He punched the air, feeling an immense strength behind it.

"I think I've got super speed… and strength," Jake said quietly, still unsure. He felt the rush of power but didn't know what else he was capable of.

Aaron frowned, curious. "Super speed and strength? That's awesome, but didn't the entity say something about more than just that?"

Jake shrugged. "I don't know… this is all I've got so far."

Dave tilted his head. "Maybe it's something you'll discover later. Like, it might not be as obvious as the rest of ours."

"Yeah, maybe…" Jake muttered, still uneasy. He couldn't help but feel there was something more dangerous lurking within him, something he hadn't unlocked yet.

Before they could continue, the basement door creaked open. Aaron froze, his transformed hand still outstretched, claws gleaming in the dim light. His heart skipped a beat as his brother, Matt, poked his head in.

Matt's eyes went wide. "Uh… Aaron? What the hell is going on here?"

Aaron quickly retracted his claws, but it was too late. Matt had already seen too much. "Nothing! It's… it's nothing," Aaron stammered, his heart racing.

Matt's eyes narrowed, looking at the strange symbols and the faintly glowing circle on the floor. "I'm telling Mom!"

He turned to run, but Aaron lunged forward. "Wait, Matt, don't!"

Dave and Jake exchanged worried glances. "We need to clean this up. Fast!" Dave hissed, already trying to erase the markings.

Jake joined him, knocking over candles, kicking away the remnants of the ritual circle. Aaron was still trying to calm his brother down, but Matt was panicking, squirming out of Aaron's grip and making a run for the stairs.

Aaron spun around to help with the cleanup. "Come on, hurry up! If Mom sees this, we're dead!"

They worked frantically, clearing the evidence of the ritual, blowing out candles, erasing the circle. They had no time. As soon as they finished, Aaron rushed after his brother, trying to stop him before things got worse.