9. Testing the Power

Chapter 9: Testing the Power

Ethan sat alone in the dark, his back pressed against the cold stone wall of an abandoned storeroom beneath the school. The air smelled of dust and mold, the faint scent of rusted metal lingering. The dim light from a broken bulb flickered above, casting eerie shadows around him.

His hands trembled as he stared down at them.

They didn't feel like his hands anymore.

Something had changed.

Something inside him had twisted, shifted, awakened.

He lifted his fingers, flexing them slowly. The sensation was different now—his skin was too smooth, his veins too still. His body felt alien. Stronger. Sharper.

It wasn't his body anymore.

The last time he had been here, he had been weak, barely able to stand. His ribs had ached, his breath had been ragged, and every movement had sent waves of agony through his body.

But now?

There was no pain.

He pushed himself up to his feet, hesitating as he tested his balance. His body responded perfectly—no sluggishness, no stiffness, just smooth, precise movement.

It was unnatural.

"You are stronger now."

The voice slithered through his mind, soft but insistent. The system.

Ethan swallowed. His throat felt dry.

He had to test it. He had to know what had happened to him.

His gaze fell on a rusted metal shelf in the corner, stacked with old books and broken furniture. It had to weigh at least a hundred kilos.

He stepped forward and gripped the edge of the metal.

Then, with barely any effort—

He lifted it.

The shelf rose smoothly, as if it weighed nothing at all.

Ethan's breath caught in his throat.

His arms should be burning. His muscles should be straining. But instead—

He felt nothing.

No effort. No weight.

Like lifting a feather.

He dropped it suddenly, the loud clang echoing through the empty room. His heart pounded in his chest.

Was this real?

Had he really become… this?

"You are powerful now."

The system's voice wrapped around him like a whisper in the dark.

"Do not fear it. Embrace it."

Ethan's fists clenched.

This power—it wasn't normal. It wasn't human.

A bitter laugh escaped his lips.

Of course it wasn't.

He had died.

And whatever had brought him back—whatever had made him this—it wasn't kindness.

It wasn't mercy.

It was something else.

Something dark.

His breathing slowed as the realization sank in.

He was no longer the frail boy who had been beaten and left to die.

No longer the boy who had been ignored, abandoned, forgotten.

He was something new.

Something different.

A soft hum vibrated through his skull, sending shivers down his spine. It wasn't painful—more like a presence wrapping around him. A hunger.

"Test it."

The system's voice was patient, tempting.

"See what else you can do."

Ethan exhaled, shaking his head.

He didn't trust it.

Didn't trust this thing inside him.

But he needed to know.

He had to know.

His gaze landed on an old, cracked mirror leaning against the wall.

He took a step closer.

Then another.

And in a single blink—

He was there.

His eyes widened.

He hadn't walked. He hadn't even thought about moving.

He had just—moved.

One second, he had been across the room.

The next, he was standing in front of the mirror.

His breath hitched.

Slowly, he lifted his hands and touched the glass.

His reflection stared back at him.

But it wasn't the same Ethan he remembered.

His face was too pale, his cheekbones sharper, his lips slightly parted as if he were in a trance. But the worst part—

His eyes.

They weren't brown anymore.

They were crimson.

A deep, hungry red.

He stumbled back, his heartbeat roaring in his ears.

"You are evolving."

The system's voice was almost… pleased.

"Your body is adjusting."

His breath came out shaky.

This wasn't normal.

This wasn't him.

His fingers dug into his scalp, panic rising in his throat.

Was he even still human?

Did it even matter?

A shuffling sound echoed from outside.

Ethan's head snapped up, his ears catching something—movement.

Someone was coming.

His senses sharpened in an instant.

Footsteps.

A heartbeat.

A scent—

Warm.

Alive.

Blood.

The hunger inside him roared.

His mouth went dry. His stomach twisted painfully, a deep ache spreading through his chest. His tongue darted out, running over his lips—

No.

His hands slammed against the wall.

His fingers curled, nails dragging against the stone.

He wouldn't do this.

He wouldn't be some monster.

"You need to feed."

The system's voice was calm, patient, as if this was the most natural thing in the world.

"The hunger will only grow stronger."

Ethan gritted his teeth.

He wouldn't lose himself to this.

He refused.

The footsteps outside grew fainter, disappearing down the hall.

The moment passed.

The hunger, though still there, quieted.

Ethan's body slumped against the wall, his forehead pressing against the cold stone.

He exhaled slowly.

His hands were still shaking.

His mind still spinning.

This power—it was incredible.

It was unstoppable.

But it came at a cost.

His humanity.

And if he wasn't careful…

He would lose it forever.