Chapter 103

In a dimly lit alley in New York City, Mulberry Streets, a young man named Malik Carter ducked behind a dumpster, his heart racing. At twenty-seven, Malik was no stranger to danger, having grown up in one of the city's roughest neighborhoods. He had aspirations beyond his circumstances-a dream of becoming an architect and reshaping his community through innovative housing projects. After years of working odd jobs and saving every penny, he finally secured a scholarship to a local design school.

But tonight, everything felt as if it was crumbling around him. Malik had been meeting with a local contractor to discuss a potential job, but he had unwittingly stumbled into the middle of a gang deal gone wrong. He had overheard whispers of betrayal and threats, and before he knew it, bullets were flying.

"Get down!" one of the men shouted, and Malik could feel the heat of the gunfire as it shattered the silence of the night. He pressed himself against the cold, hard metal of the dumpster, praying he wouldn't be found. Panic surged through him, battling against the desire to escape.

"I can't die like this," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the chaos. "Not now, not when I'm so close to my dreams."

Just as he contemplated his next move, a bullet ricocheted off the dumpster, sending shards of metal flying. The sound was deafening, and fear gripped him as he realized how close he was to death. In that moment of sheer terror, something deep within him stirred-a latent power he had never known existed.

Malik's eyes darted around the alley, instinctively landing on a nearby iron fence. In an instant, he felt an inexplicable connection to it, like he can feel the metal in a mysterious ways beyond his knowledge. With a fierce concentration that seemed to defy logic, he stretched out his hand, and to his shock, the metal began to bend and twist in response to his will.

"What the-?" He gasped as the fence tore itself from the ground, metal bending to his commands like clay. The gang members, startled by the sudden movement, turned their attention toward him.

"What the hell is he doing?!" one of them shouted, fear replacing the bravado in his voice, already shifting to escape.

As bullets continued to whiz past him, Malik thrust his hand forward, and the fence shot out, striking one of the attackers and sending him sprawling. He felt a rush of adrenaline, a powerful surge that propelled him forward.

Malik's instincts took over as he stood up, feeling the air and his skin thrum with energy. With a flick of his wrist, he lifted scraps of metal from the ground-broken pipes, shards of metal from nearby garbage cans- and formed a protective barrier around himself. The projectiles from the gang's weapons clattered harmlessly against it.

"What the hell is happening?" he breathed, wide-eyed, but he didn't have time to process it. With renewed determination, he maneuvered the metal around him like a shield and sprinted down the alley, dodging gunfire as he went. The world blurred around him; fear and exhilaration fused into a single thought-survival.

Just as he reached the mouth of the alley, he spotted a group of brave bystanders who had gathered around the far end to witness the chaos. Their expressions ranged from shock to disbelief as they watched him deflect bullets with an array of swirling metal.

With a final push of energy, Malik propelled himself forward, the makeshift shield crashing into one of the gang members and sending him tumbling. In that split second, Malik darted past them, adrenaline coursing through his veins.

He glanced back, seeing the astonished faces of those who had witnessed his escape, even the fighting gangs has long since stopped and dispersed leaving some injured and dead behind. Some onlookers had taken out their phones, recording the impossible scene.

"Did you see that?" one woman exclaimed, eyes wide. "He was like... like a superhero!"

Malik didn't stop to hear their comments. He bolted down the street, heart pounding, the sounds of chaos fading behind him. The weight of his newfound ability crashed over him like a tidal wave, overwhelming yet exhilarating.

As he turned a corner and skidded to a halt, he leaned against a wall, gasping for breath. The reality of what had just happened sank in. He wasn't just a survivor, he was something more.

"I have to figure this out," he muttered to himself, feeling a mix of fear and excitement. He had escaped, but the world had shifted around him. With a burgeoning power to control metal, Malik realized he had a choice to make: would he continue on the path to his dreams, or would he embrace this new life as something entirely different?