Chapter: 5

The next morning, Ben woke up groggy, his body heavy with exhaustion. The room was dimly lit, the soft glow of a medical monitor casting shadows on the walls. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, his mind still foggy from restless sleep.

Melissa was asleep in a chair beside him, her arms crossed, head tilted to the side. He almost smiled almost. But the moment his eyes adjusted, he noticed something strange.

His hands were glowing faintly.

Panic surged through him, but before he could react, the glow flickered and faded. His breathing quickened. What the hell was that? His Quirk had never done that before.

He turned to the monitor beside him. The fluctuating energy pattern was still there, shifting unpredictably. If anything, it seemed to be growing more unstable.

Dr. Shield walked in, rubbing his temples as if he hadn't slept either. The moment he saw Ben, his expression darkened.

"You're awake," he said, grabbing his tablet. "And it looks like your readings are still unstable."

Ben took a deep breath. "Something weird just happened. My hands… they started glowing."

Dr. Shield's eyes narrowed. "That confirms it. Your Quirk isn't just unstable it's evolving."

Ben's heart pounded. "Evolving?"

Melissa stirred, blinking awake at the sound of their voices. "What's going on?"

Dr. Shield glanced between them. "Ben's Quirk is changing at a rapid pace. That might explain his memory loss and exhaustion. But I need to run another test to be sure."

Ben swallowed hard. Whatever was happening to him, it wasn't normal. And if his abilities were evolving, then he was running out of time to figure out why.

Because if he didn't… he might not be able to control it.

Dr. Shield moved quickly, tapping on his tablet to initiate another scan. The machine beside Ben whirred to life, projecting a 3D image of his internal energy flow. The pulsing light within his body was erratic, shifting between bright bursts and dim flickers.

"This is beyond normal Quirk fluctuations," Dr. Shield murmured. "It's as if your body is struggling to redefine the parameters of your ability."

Ben frowned. "Meaning what?"

Dr. Shield hesitated, then looked at him seriously. "Meaning… your Quirk isn't just evolving. It's rewriting itself."

Ben's blood ran cold. "Rewriting?"

Melissa sat up straighter. "Is that even possible?"

Dr. Shield sighed. "It's rare, but not unheard of. There have been cases where Quirks change dramatically under extreme stress or external influences. But in Ben's case, there's no clear trigger." He turned back to the scan. "It's as if something inside you is… adapting."

Ben gritted his teeth. His abilities already felt foreign, but now he was learning they might not even be the same ones he started with? That meant he couldn't trust his own powers—or worse, he might lose control over them.

Melissa touched his arm gently. "We'll figure this out. You're not alone in this."

Ben wanted to believe that. But deep down, he knew that whatever was happening wasn't just about him.

And he had a feeling that soon, the entire island was going to find out.