Power

Audra

The days blurred together in an endless cycle of attempts to awaken this so-called power. I had lost track of time—weeks, maybe months—every day a mirror of the last. Wake up. Eat. Lab. Repeat. They fed me twice a day with three snacks—these strange, flavorless protein bars that left my mouth dry. Worse, they always made me drowsy, as if sleep was forced upon me. Now that I thought about it, maybe that was the point. This morning felt no different. Like every other, I was given a cup of coffee and took my usual place on the balcony. The warmth of the cup did little to thaw the numbness spreading through me. I should have been furious that my life had been stolen, that I was trapped here like some experiment. But I wasn't. I didn't care at all. In fact, I felt... content. Acheron sat beside me, his presence now as routine as the bitter taste of the coffee on my tongue. "You know," he mused, barely glancing up from his phone, "if you're this obedient after awakening, I may not even have to kill you. As long as you do everything I say." A chill ran down my spine. Kill? The thought barely had time to settle before it was gone, slipping away like water through my fingers. Instead, I nodded absently. He hummed in satisfaction. "Such a good girl you've been." He stood, stretching. "Finish your coffee. Sylvin will come get you soon." And with that, he walked away. I stared into the cup, the dark liquid swirling. I had hated coffee once, but now I drank it without a second thought. Just another thing I'd adapted to. Just another piece of me eroding away. Right on cue, Sylvin poked his head through the balcony door. "Audra, you ready?" I nodded and followed him down to the lab. Once inside, I settled into the chair as Dr. Luna fastened the familiar restraints around my wrists. "Alright, dear," she said, her voice sickeningly sweet. "Today, we're trying something different. It might be a little... uncomfortable." I swallowed hard and nodded. She held up a large needle. "This is a numbing agent to help with the pain, okay?" Before I could brace myself, she drove the needle deep between my collarbones, piercing into my chest cavity. I writhed, gasping as liquid fire spread through my veins. The pain was unbearable, but after a few agonizing seconds, it dulled into a distant ache. Sylvin squeezed my hand reassuringly. "Good," Luna murmured, testing my skin with the edge of a blade. "Feel that?" I shook my head. "Perfect." She set the blade down and reached for a mask, pressing it over my face. "Just breathe, dear. This will help you relax." I obeyed, inhaling the strange gas until my body slacked against the chair. My mind drifted in a daze, floating somewhere between reality and nothingness.

Then, I felt it—the cold steel of a scalpel slicing down my chest. My breath hitched, but there was no pain. Just pressure. "Do you want to see?" I shook my head frantically. Luna ignored me, holding up a mirror. I stared in horror. My chest was open—but there was no blood, and no organs. Just a pulsing, glowing blue orb nestled where my heart should have been. "Fascinating, isn't it?" Luna mused. "This is your magic. Your elemental core. It will burn brighter as it awakens, growing stronger the more you nurture it." She reached for another syringe. "Now, this next part won't be numbed, so it might sting a little." Sylvin shifted and brought his grip on my shoulders. "Alright. Three… two… one—" The needle plunged into the orb. Agony exploded through me. My screams were muffled by the mask, my body jerking violently against the restraints. It felt as though my very soul was being torn apart. My vision blurred, darkening at the edges. "All done!" Luna chirped, completely unfazed. The pain was still there, raw and all-consuming. My chest ached, but something else burned beneath it—something deeper, something foreign. It felt as though a constant pressure was filling my body. "Shouldn't you have put her to sleep for that?" Sylvin muttered. Luna scoffed. "She's fine. Besides, it worked. Acheron will be pleased, and that's all that matters." She stitched me up, and they exchanged a few more words Sylvin carried me back to my room. He placed me gently on the bed, careful to avoid touching my wound. I drifted in and out of conciseness, until I let myself succumb to sleep. "You should eat." I heard Sylvin say, his voice snapping me out of my slumber. My eyes flickered open an I watched him set one of those awful bars on the nightstand. "I'm not hungry." I say my voice horse from sleep. "Just try." He said staring at me, a hint of pity in his voice. I nodded weakly, waiting for him to leave before throwing the bar across the room. It landed behind the curtain with a soft thud. I lifted my shirt and pressed a hand to my chest, wincing at the sting. My skin was raw, burning. I stumbled from the bed, and staggered to the bathroom, gripping the sink to stabilize myself as my tired eyes met my reflection. I pulled at the hem of my shirt, lifting high enough to see the damage. A long, angry cut ran from my collarbone down to the underside of my breasts. The black stitches barely holding my skin together. My whole body felt like it was about to combust. Heat pulsed beneath my skin, coiling in my core, pressing against my ribs like it was trying to escape. An itchy burn spread throughout my body. I dug my nails into my arms, clawing at the unbearable sensation. I needed something to sooth this unbearable pain. Water, I thought, stumbling to the tub, I turned on the faucet, climbing in fully clothed. The cool water licked against my skin, easing the fire inside me. Then—pressure. A violent surge. The bathroom erupted. Powerful streams of water shot from my body, crashing against the window. Glass shattered, raining down in jagged shards. I gasped, climbing out of the tub having been hit by the glass. Blood ran down my face and body dripping onto the floor. My vision already starting to distort I called out to Sylvin, my voice week as I try to exit the bathroom, my feet slipped on the wet floor, and I reached for the towel rack—only for it to rip from the wall. I tumbled backward, right through the floor to ceiling broken window.

Four stories.

I screamed as I fell.