Nina isn't flat!

Troy's mind drifted in darkness, a familiar sensation of pain wrapping around his legs like a cruel embrace. The burning, the aching—it was all too real. His half-conscious mind whispered a bitter thought.

"Damn it… not again… still the same…"

His body twitched. His senses slowly returned. The hard, cold ground beneath him felt—different?

His eyes snapped open.

His vision was blurry, but something was off. Something impossible.

He wasn't lying on his bed. He wasn't stuck in that cursed wheelchair.

He was standing.

For the first time in six years.

A rush of adrenaline shot through his body, overriding every logical thought. But before his mind could fully comprehend the absurdity of the situation, his knees buckled.

CRASH!

He slammed onto the hard concrete floor, the impact sending sharp jolts of pain up his spine.

But Troy didn't care.

Not even a little.

A hysterical chuckle escaped his lips.

He could feel his legs.

Feel.

The once lifeless, unresponsive limbs that had been nothing more than dead weight for six whole years now pulsed with sensation.

He clenched his fists, his breathing ragged. His heart pounded in his chest, echoing the disbelief in his mind.

"Am I dreaming…? Did Nina actually inject me with some next-level drugs? Or did she straight-up murder me, and this is heaven?"

A twisted grin formed on his face.

He was standing.

Even if it was for just a moment—even if his body wasn't ready yet—he was standing.

He tried again.

His arms shook as he pushed himself up, his fingers digging into the concrete for support. He positioned his feet, his body trembling as he attempted to rise.

But his legs refused to cooperate.

He collapsed again, this time managing to land on his hands and knees.

Troy let out an exaggerated groan.

"Oh great, now I'm a damn baby learning how to walk again. Somebody get me a stroller and a sippy cup."

His breath was uneven, but a fire burned in his eyes.

This was real.

His body could move again.

And if he could move—then that meant…

He clenched his jaw.

A slow, creeping grin stretched across his face.Troy's body groaned in protest as the world spun back into focus. A sharp pain raked through his legs, but this time it wasn't the usual numb ache he had grown so accustomed to. No, this was different.

His legs—his legs—had feel.

For the first time in six years, he could feel them.

His fingers twitched as they brushed over the hard, unforgiving concrete beneath him. His heart hammered in his chest as his mind struggled to comprehend the impossible.

But then, the fatigue hit.

Fatigue?

Troy gritted his teeth, blinking back the sudden rush of emotions. The pain, which had once been a curse, was gone. Replaced by something… better? A kind of fatigue he hadn't known existed. It was a burning exhaustion, a deep, aching feeling that meant his body was working. It was alive.

And for a moment, he couldn't help himself.

Tears stung his eyes, falling freely down his cheeks.

What the hell did you inject me with, Nina?

The thought echoed through his mind like a broken record.

Troy blinked, pushing back the confusion. He reached out with trembling hands, feeling for his crutches. He could barely focus as his body still felt out of place, like a thousand parts were at war within him.

But then, just as he neared the crutches, something… impossible happened.

The crutches, those sturdy lifelines, were suddenly slammed back.

A surge of energy, unexplainable, uninvited, pushed them away. A force—stronger than anything he had ever felt—pushed them back as if they were toys.

Troy's breath caught in his throat. He froze. He could almost feel it… something else.

Not his legs. Not his arms. Hell, not even his… well, you know.

This wasn't his body, but it was his body.

It was like an alien limb had extended from his core, an invisible force wrapping around him, becoming a part of him. A feeling he couldn't explain, like a second nature, but not quite.

He tried to understand it, to grasp it, but as his mind struggled to wrap around this new sensation—his body gave out.

The sudden exertion, the strange power he had just experienced, was too much. His legs buckled beneath him, and Troy collapsed once more.

This time, however, he wasn't in the hazy fog of sleep. He was fully awake.

He lay there, panting, on the cold concrete, blinking up at the ceiling. His heart raced in his chest, his muscles aching in a new way he couldn't name.

And still, he couldn't explain what had happened.

"Nina, you've got a lot of explaining to do…"

Troy lay sprawled on the cold floor like a dead man, his chest rising and falling heavily as exhaustion took its toll. His limbs felt like lead, his mind still spinning from what had just happened.

And then—

The door swung open.

A sharp gasp filled the air as a young nurse stumbled upon the sight before her.

"T-Troy?!" she shrieked, her voice filled with panic.

A slow, tired mumble came from the floor.

"It's alright, Nurse Lily… I'm not dead yet," Troy groaned, unable to move even a single inch. His body felt like it had been through a full-body workout for the first time in years.

Nurse Lily let out a deep sigh of relief, clutching her chest as if she had just been hit with a heart attack.

"Damn it, Troy! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" she huffed before quickly kneeling beside him, grabbing his arm to help him up.

With some effort—and a bit of grumbling from Troy—she finally got him into his wheelchair.

Troy slumped into the seat, still feeling the phantom ache in his legs, the lingering sensation of whatever the hell had just happened. But he didn't have time to dwell on that.

"Did Nina leave?" he asked, glancing at the young nurse, whose brown hair was neatly tied up in a small bun.

Lily hesitated. A troubled look crossed her face as she bit her lip.

"That's actually why I came here, Troy…" she said, shifting uncomfortably. "Nina apparently left last night without informing anyone. The head nurse was worried about how you'd take the news, so she sent me to tell you before it was too late."

Troy stared at her for a moment.

Then, he chuckled.

"It's already too late, little Lily," he said, flashing her a lazy grin. "She's already gone."

Lily's frown deepened, but before she could say anything, Troy gave her a playful nudge with his elbow.

"Now, be a good girl and help this old disabled child, will you, Little Lily? I wanna sit on the bed."

Lily rolled her eyes but smiled despite herself.

"God, you're so dramatic."

"Can you blame me? I just woke up from what felt like a rebirth and then got drop-kicked by reality."

With a chuckle, she helped him onto the bed.

As Troy settled in, he exhaled slowly, staring at the ceiling.After finishing the routine checkup, Nurse Lily finally left the room, leaving Troy alone with his thoughts.

He had played his part well—pretending that nothing had changed, that he was still the same as yesterday. But deep down, he knew that everything had changed.

He waited for an hour, letting the time pass as he processed his new reality.

Then, finally, unable to hold back his excitement any longer—

He tried to stand up.

…Nothing.

His legs, though alive with sensation, refused to respond. No matter how much he willed them to move, they just wouldn't listen.

Troy let out a frustrated sigh, leaning back against the bed.

Damn it.

Even though he could feel his legs again, even though the numbness had vanished—he still wasn't able to stand. It was disappointing, but not crushing. Because now, he had something he didn't have before.

Hope.

His fingers curled into fists.

"I've got time… I can make this work," he whispered to himself, determination gleaming in his eyes.

But if he couldn't use his legs yet…

Maybe he could use something else.

A grin spread across his face as he whispered, "And now… for my newfound superpowers."

Excitement buzzed in his chest as he straightened up, his eyes glancing around the room.

"Alright, how does this work? Up, up, and away, invisible power!"

…Nothing.

"Okay, uh… By the power of Grayskull?"

…Still nothing.

He frowned, rubbing his chin.

He could feel it—this invisible force surrounding him, belonging to him. But how did he access it?

Taking a deep breath, he decided to calm himself down.

He had always felt like he was floating ever since the accident.

Floating through life. Floating through everything.

But now, for the first time in years—he felt solid.

Like there was something inside of him that had finally taken form.

And that form allowed him to control the invisible force.

Focusing on that sensation, he reached out his hand.

His target? A glass of water sitting on the bedside table.

He concentrated.

He felt the invisible force connect with the glass—

And then—

CRASH!

The glass shattered against the wall, shards scattering across the floor.

Troy blinked.

Then, a massive grin spread across his face.

"Holy sh—" he started, but cut himself off, laughing instead.

He had done it.

Even though he had been trying to pull the glass towards him, he had pushed it away instead. But that didn't matter—

He had moved it.

The realization sent a thrill down his spine.

"If I was a normal kid," he muttered, still grinning, "I'd be jumping around right now."

His thoughts raced.

Did Nina know about this?

Was this supposed to happen?

Was this what she meant by 'hope'?

And most importantly—

Would he be able to meet Nina again?

His smile faltered slightly as that last thought lingered.

But then, with a deep breath, he pushed it aside.

First things first.

He had a superpower to master.Troy barely had time to celebrate his newfound power before exhaustion slammed into him like a truck. His body, weak from months of being bedridden, couldn't handle the strain.

His excitement faded as his vision blurred, his thoughts scattering.

Then—

Darkness. Againnnnn....

—

Hours later, when Troy finally opened his eyes, the room was dimly lit.

When Troy finally woke up, the room was dimly lit by the moon outside his window. The sky was dark, and the world was eerily quiet. With a sigh, he realized just how hungry he was. He reached for his wheelchair, ready to drag himself into it—when the door creaked open.

His heart jumped, but then a smile crept onto his face.

"Is it Nina again? Coming to check on me?" he thought, warmth spreading through his chest.

The door opened wider, and Troy whispered drowsily, "I love you."

"Huh?" a confused voice answered.

Troy blinked. That wasn't Nina.

The person standing there was clad in a black stealth outfit, a mask covering most of their face, a cap pulled low. The voice was definitely female.

"What?" the masked intruder asked again, clearly caught off guard.

Troy stared at her for a moment, then tilted his head. "Wait a second… you're not Nina-sempai. Nina's not that flat."

The masked girl flinched.

"Excuse me?!"

"Wait, hold on. Coming into a guy's room in the middle of the night, dressed like that? You pervert!" Troy said, a nervous grin forming. His mouth always ran when he was panicking. And who wouldn't, when a masked stranger broke into their room at night?

The girl twitched, clearly overwhelmed. "Flat? Pervert? What—"

Before she could finish, Troy quickly grabbed a ceramic plate from his bedside table, holding it like a shuriken. "You better not move, flat-assailant! I am a yellow belt in shuriken-jutsu!"

In reality, Troy couldn't even throw a ball five meters.

The girl stared. Then, with an effortless flick of her fingers, the plate was yanked out of his hand by an invisible force and floated midair.

Troy froze.

She had the same ability as him. But stronger. Way stronger.

"You better not try to run," she warned, the floating plate now aimed at him like a weapon.

Troy scoffed, arms spread dramatically. "Run? Really? Read the room, girly. I'm in a wheelchair. Are you trying to depress me?"

The girl blinked, her eyes darting around the room until she finally spotted the wheelchair. She hesitated.

"Ah. Shit. I—uh, I didn't mean it like that. I meant—just don't scream, okay?" she said, struggling to regain control of the conversation.

She took a deep breath, eyes narrowing. "You're close to Nina Hoshima, right? Troy Tillsman. What did she tell you? Did she say anything about the experiments?"

The floating plate in her grasp pulsed slightly, radiating that strange invisible energy. Troy felt it again—the same force within himself, except hers was leagues above his.

"Don't plate me," he said, raising his hands in surrender. "And Nina? You know her? What is she to you? Why do you want her?"

The masked girl clenched her jaw. "I'm the one asking the questions here, Tillmans. Answer me. What did Nina tell you?"

"Please, call me Troy. And I know for a fact that she never told me 'I love you.'"

"Enough! Just answer me!"

Troy sighed, deciding it was best not to piss her off further. "Nothing. Nina told me nothing."

The girl muttered something under her breath, frustration evident. "The Seer clearly marked this place and room as the site where the prototype serum was used... Wait."

She stepped forward suddenly, her presence more imposing.

Her gaze locked onto Troy, studying him intently. "It's you, isn't it? I knew you felt off. You can feel the Force, can't you?"

Troy swallowed. "Uhhh… define 'feel'?"

She exhaled sharply. "No offense, but can you even control it?"

Troy bristled. "Hey, I'm still learning! I am but a humble superpower beginner."

The girl smirked slightly. "So it is you."

Then, without warning, she flung the plate straight at him.

Troy's instincts screamed.

The projectile wasn't aimed at him, but something inside him reacted—his body moved before his mind caught up. Instinctively, he crossed his arms in front of him.

A sharp crack rang out.

The bed beneath him shattered, the frame splitting in two as invisible energy surged forward, deflecting the plate. The impact sent shockwaves through the air, making the room tremble.

Troy?

Troy was out cold.

Moving a cup had already drained him before. But moving a whole bed? Yeah, he was done.

The masked girl stood frozen, staring at the broken bed frame and the unconscious boy.

"What the hell…? Didn't the Seer say the serum was used yesterday? He snapped the bed in half?"

The plate she had thrown was never meant to hurt him—just to trigger his powers. But this… this was beyond expectations.

A crackle of static interrupted her thoughts.

A male voice came through her earpiece. "Celia, we've rounded up most of the serums. What's your status?"

The girl—Celia—let out a long sigh, removing her mask.

She glanced at Troy's unconscious form, then at the wreckage of the bed.

"The situation… is under control?."