Overwhelming Power

Chapter 13A Couple of Years Ago

Lucien stood awkwardly in front of five recruits dressed in sleek black combat suits, their strained grins betraying their nervousness.

"Guess you've got a team assigned to you too," Isaac said from behind him, barely holding back laughter. Giovanni and Eunice flanked him, their expressions a mix of amusement and curiosity.

"Just look at him—so cute," Giovanni teased, smirking.

"They're assigning recruits to help with the current war," Eunice explained, her tone serious. "We've lost too many soldiers in the last confrontation with the Vostara and Aurora Kyoto forces."

"But... they're just kids," Lucien protested, his brow furrowing.

Isaac clapped a heavy hand on Lucien's shoulder, grinning. "And how old were you when you first stepped onto the battlefield? I still remember it like it was yesterday. The oversized gear you had to carry—man, you looked ridiculous."

Lucien chuckled despite himself.

"Yes, sir! We worked hard so we could be assigned to your team!" the only girl among the recruits piped up. Her voice was bright, almost defiant, as if daring him to dismiss her.

"See?" Eunice said with a smile. "They're ready for anything. They believe in you. They know you won't let anything happen to them."

Lucien sighed, dropping to one knee to meet them at eye level. He placed a hand on the girl's coarse, short-cropped dark hair.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Helen, sir," she answered, her beaming face lighting up even more.

"Why do you choose to fight?" Lucien's voice softened as he asked the question.

"Isn't that a bit much to ask a twelve-year-old?" Giovanni muttered, crossing his arms.

Helen didn't hesitate. "I want to create a world where kids like us can do what kids are supposed to do—run, play, laugh. But instead, we're forced to fight. I'm ready to die for that world."

A fleeting grin crossed Lucien's face.

"I'm glad you all did your best to get here," he said after a pause, his voice steady but kind. "And I understand you're willing to lay down your lives for the colony. But leave all that to me. I'll protect you, so you can live to see that world you envision."

"I never thought Lucien had a soft side to him," Giovanni whispered to Eunice, smirking.

"I heard that," Lucien said without turning, his voice carrying a hint of amusement.

Eunice smiled faintly. "Flawed people are good," she said, almost to herself. "They absorb emotions—feelings of others—as if trying to fill the empty spaces inside them."

Smoke clouded the air, the acrid smell of burning metal mixing with the stench of human ashes. Gunshots rang out in deafening succession, leaving no room for silence. From the shadowy depths of the forest, two silhouettes burst into the open, running for their lives."Damn it!" Lucien cursed, his breaths ragged. "Those bastards and their stupid intel-gathering..."Helen was ahead of him, her voice trembling but determined. "Let's get out of here first before we start blaming people!" The moonlight betrayed her as she broke from the treeline, illuminating her face. Fear distorted her features, no longer hidden in the dark.Lucien lunged forward, grabbing her hand just in time to pull her down into a narrow hole concealed by the underbrush. Both hit the ground hard, but the momentary cover was enough to give them a chance to catch their breath."Are you okay?" he asked, his voice urgent but gentle."Yeah," Helen said quickly, her voice cracking."Don't lie to me."Her facade crumbled. Tears welled up in her eyes, and her words came out in broken sobs. "Everyone's dead... my family... everyone's gone. I promised them I'd protect them. I convinced them to join the army—for my own selfish reasons—and now... now I... I ran away when they needed me most!"Lucien didn't speak at first. He placed a firm hand over her mouth, silencing her sobs, while holding a finger to his lips. His eyes scanned their surroundings, sharp and watchful. When it felt safe, he dropped his hand, but instead of speaking, he pulled her into a tight embrace."Everything's going to be fine," he murmured.Helen shook her head violently, her tears soaking his jacket. "How can I live with this guilt?""You can," Lucien said, his voice steady but laced with urgency. "You said you wanted to create a world where kids can just be kids, right? Don't give up on that dream. You can make it real. You have what it takes to write your own path—don't let your mistakes weigh you down. They wouldn't want that for you. Why? Because they were your family, and family always wants what's best for you."Helen sniffled, wiping her face with her sleeve. "Let's go home," she whispered, her voice fragile but resolute.Lucien nodded but didn't relax. His head snapped up as movement caught his eye. Seven figures emerged from the treeline, their weapons gleaming faintly in the dim moonlight. They moved in an arc, slowly closing in on their position."I'll distract them," Lucien said, gripping Helen's shoulder. "You make for the shore. I'll meet up with you there.""No!" she protested, clutching at his arm. "We're going together. You can't possibly take them all on alone!"Lucien hesitated for a moment before speaking. "The mutation of the VOR virus triggers when someone goes through extreme stress. If there's ever a right moment to awaken my powers, it's now. And if it works... that'll guarantee your safety. You'll get home."Helen stared at him, her face pale. "You better make it back," she whispered fiercely.Lucien smirked faintly, his resolve hardening. "I promise."Both of them crawled out of the hole slowly, careful not to make a sound. Their eyes scanned the area, searching for any sign of movement."Now," Lucien whispered.Helen bolted, her footsteps light but deliberate. One of the soldiers turned toward her, his attention snapping to the sound. Lucien took his chance, sprinting toward another soldier. Gunfire erupted around him, the deafening cracks slicing through the night. A bullet grazed his arm, the sharp sting barely registering in his mind.He closed the distance, grabbing the rifle from the soldier and wrenching it from his grip in a desperate struggle. With a sharp swing, he drove the butt of the gun into the soldier's head, knocking him out cold. Before the others could react, Lucien turned the rifle on two more soldiers, taking them down with quick, precise shots.The return fire was immediate. Bullets peppered the tree Lucien ducked behind, the bark splintering with every impact. He rolled to the side, returning fire and hitting two more soldiers with controlled bursts. He took aim at another, but the gun clicked—empty."Damn it," he muttered under his breath.A sudden shot pierced his thigh. The searing pain dropped him to one knee, his vision swimming. The last soldier closed in, weapon raised, but Lucien lunged, grabbing the gun barrel. The two wrestled, the weapon discharging wildly as sparks erupted from nearby trees.With a desperate burst of strength, Lucien drove his knee into the soldier's chest, forcing him to release his grip on the gun. In one fluid motion, Lucien aimed and pulled the trigger. The last bullet found its mark in the soldier's head.Panting, Lucien staggered to his feet, his leg trembling under his weight. "That leaves only one," he muttered to himself.Then he heard it.Helen's scream tore through the forest, piercing and raw. A chill ran down Lucien's spine, and before he could think, his body moved on instinct, carrying him toward the sound.At the edge of a cliff, he saw her. A soldier stood behind her, one arm gripping her tightly, the other holding a gun pressed to her head."Don't move!" the soldier barked."Helen!" Lucien shouted, his voice shaking."If you take another step, I'll kill her. Drop the gun!" the man demanded.Lucien hesitated, his mind racing. His grip on the rifle tightened, his knuckles turning white. "Helen, it's going to be okay," he said, his voice as steady as he could manage."Yes," she said softly, her voice almost a whisper. "It is."Lucien froze. Something in her tone struck him like a blade."Helen…"She didn't look at him. Tears streaked her face as she spoke, her voice cracking. "I thought about what you said, Lucien. About creating a world where kids can just be kids. I wanted that world so badly. But I can't create it. I don't want to live in it alone.""Helen, no... don't do anything stupid," Lucien pleaded, panic rising in his chest.She began to sob, her body trembling under the weight of her fear. "I don't want to die, Lucien," she choked out."You won't! I promise you, you won't!"Then he saw it.The moonlight glinted off the exposed pin of a grenade clutched tightly in her hand."When did she…" Lucien's voice faltered as realization hit him like a sledgehammer.Helen's tearful eyes finally met his, and for a fleeting moment, time seemed to stop. "Thank you, Lucien," she whispered."No!" he shouted, his legs moving before his mind could stop him.The explosion ripped through the night.Lucien was thrown backward, his body slamming into the ground as shards of shrapnel tore into his arm, chest, and leg. The shockwave left his ears ringing, the world around him spinning in a haze of smoke and chaos.He lay there, dazed and broken, his body refusing to move. Slowly, the ringing faded, replaced by the heavy silence of the forest.Lucien's eyes stared blankly at the ground. His face was stiff, unmoving, as if frozen in time. But then the weight of it all came crashing down on him.Tears welled up, spilling silently down his face. One drop after another. The reality clawed at him, sharper than any shrapnel embedded in his flesh.He didn't move. He couldn't.All he could do was sit there, his body trembling as the tears kept falling.

A Couple of Days Later...

Lucien stood before the council, their piercing gazes cutting into him like daggers. He kept his eyes downcast, staring at the cold floor beneath him. His face was pale, hollow. Dark circles hung heavily under his bloodshot eyes, and his shoulders sagged under the weight of something far heavier than exhaustion.

"Lucien Voss," one of the council members began, their voice sharp and detached. "Congratulations on the awakening of your mutation. You are the first among the new generation of soldiers to achieve this remarkable feat. Truly, an extraordinary—"

"What's the point?" Lucien interrupted, his voice barely above a whisper.

The room fell silent.

"What's the point of having this power," he continued, his voice trembling, "if… if I couldn't save her?"

The council exchanged glances, their faces unreadable. Finally, one of them leaned forward, his tone clinical and unsympathetic. "You still mourn the death of your team. But consider this: without her sacrifice, you wouldn't have awakened your mutation."

Lucien's head snapped up, his eyes blazing with anger and grief. "That's how you see it? Like it's some kind of trade? She died, and I gained power?" His voice cracked. "I hate it. I hate this power. I hate all of it!"

One of the council members shrugged, their indifference cutting deeper than words. "Then why don't you do something about it?"

Lucien froze, his breath catching in his throat.

"The reason Sierra Nova still stands strong, despite our recent setbacks," the council member continued, "is power. Overwhelming power. If you want to change this world, you need that same power—enough to bend it to your will, whether people accept it or not."

The words struck him like a hammer, reverberating through his mind. In that moment, something inside him snapped into place. Clarity.

If he was going to protect the people he cared about—if he was going to make a world where no one else had to die—he needed power. Not just strength, but overwhelming power. The kind of power no one could question. The kind that could rewrite the rules.

Present Day...

Lucien's eyes fluttered open. He lay still for a moment, feeling the dried streaks of tears etched into his face. Slowly, he sat up, his breathing steadying as his surroundings came into focus.

The familiar patterns of his home's walls greeted him, their distinct designs grounding him in the present. He exhaled softly, a deep, heavy breath that carried the weight of his memories.

On the sofa beside him, Helen lay fast asleep, her small frame curled up in peaceful oblivion.

"This dream again," he muttered to himself, running a hand through his hair.

His gaze lingered on her for a moment. A faint, almost imperceptible smile tugged at his lips as he flexed his hand, feeling the faint ache in his muscles.

"Guess that combination of techniques really takes a toll on my body," he murmured.

Dragging himself to his feet, he moved to a nearby cabinet. From inside, he retrieved a blanket and draped it gently over Helen's sleeping form.

"I'll protect you this time," he said softly, placing a hand on her head.

For a moment, he stood there, watching her sleep. Then he turned and made his way toward the balcony.

The cold night air brushed against his face as he stepped outside, the world quiet and still. He leaned against the railing, letting the breeze cool his skin.

Movement below caught his eye. His sharp gaze found a figure standing in the shadows, looking up at him.

"What do you want?" Lucien called out, his voice steady but wary.

"We need to talk," Isaac replied from below, his tone grave.