Chapter 18: Powerless

Alden hit the floor harder than he expected.

His body didn't react. His Overclock—gone. No backup, no last-minute burst of speed to break the fall. Just dead weight as his arms and legs crumpled under him.

His heart pounded in his ears. His vision blurred, struggling to adjust. His body felt wrong.

Not just pain. Not just exhaustion.

Something deeper.

Like he wasn't himself anymore.

He heard Iris gasp. "Alden—!"

Felix roared in frustration. "Okay, that's it. I don't care what kind of freaky mirror match this is, I'm gonna—"

A thunderous crack split the air.

Alden lifted his head just in time to see Felix charging Null, fists glowing with Titan's Might.

Null didn't even move.

Felix's punch swung at full force—

And hit nothing.

Null vanished.

A split second later, Felix's own attack slammed into the wall.

The entire chamber shook from the impact, sending a wave of dust and debris raining down. Felix barely had time to blink before Null reappeared behind him.

A precise, calculated strike landed between his shoulder blades.

Felix gasped, staggering. His muscles locked up.

Alden's stomach twisted.

No.

Not Felix.

Null tilted their head. "Unrefined strength. Predictable. You lack control."

Felix growled, forcing his body to move. "Yeah? Let's see if you like unrefined strength in your—"

Before he could finish, Null grabbed his wrist.

Felix's entire arm locked up. His Titan's Might flickered violently.

Null's fingers tightened. "You rely too much on augmentation."

Felix tried to pull back—

But his power was gone.

Alden's heart stopped.

Null had shut off Felix's Gift.

Felix's eyes widened in pure horror. His entire body buckled.

Alden had never seen Felix without his Titan's Might. Without his invulnerability, his raw overwhelming power.

And now he was just… human.

Null let go, and Felix collapsed to his knees.

"Impossible…" Felix muttered. His arms trembled, as if his own body was rejecting him. "What… the hell did you do to me?"

Null's expression remained blank. "Your Gifts are artificial constructs. A function of your biology, but not essential. They can be removed."

Alden's breath hitched.

Remove.

Not suppressed. Not blocked.

Removed.

Alden's fingers dug into the floor. His Overclock was still silent.

Null had done the same thing to him.

Iris teleported beside Felix, grabbing his arm. "Felix—hey, Felix!"

Felix's chest heaved. His entire body shook, muscles twitching as if his nervous system was trying to reset itself.

Iris spun toward Null, golden eyes burning.

"What the hell are you?!"

Null blinked slowly. "The inevitable."

Iris teleported—

And Null teleported with her.

Alden barely saw it happen.

One moment, Iris was warping behind Null.

The next—Null had followed her mid-jump.

Iris's teleportation flickered violently. Her entire body glitched, flickering in and out of phase.

She gasped, clutching her head.

Her shadows collapsed in on themselves, and she fell to the ground, choking on her own breath.

Alden's blood ran cold.

Null canceled her power mid-use.

Iris curled on the floor, her body trembling violently. Her teleportation had been cut off while active.

Alden recognized the look on her face.

She was stuck between places.

Null had interrupted her existence itself.

Iris choked out a pained breath. "I—I can't—"

Alden's vision blazed with fury.

Move. Get up. Do something.

But his body still wouldn't respond.

Null turned toward him.

Their face was still blank.

"You are the only one who remains."

Alden's muscles twitched, weak and useless. His Overclock fought against nothing, struggling in the void left behind.

They really took it from me.

Specter's voice echoed over the intercom, patient. "Now do you understand, Alden?"

Alden gritted his teeth. "What… the hell… do you want from me?"

Specter exhaled softly. "I want you to accept reality."

Alden's fingers dug into the ground.

Specter's voice didn't waver. "You are not unique. You are not invincible. Your Overclock was an experiment, and you were merely one of many attempts."

Null's gaze didn't shift.

Specter continued, voice almost soothing.

"But unlike the others… you can still be perfected."

Alden's pulse spiked.

His mind whirled, but his body still wouldn't listen.

Specter's voice dropped lower.

"This is your final lesson, Alden."

A new sound hissed through the air.

A containment field activated around him, glowing blue rings forming in a circular pattern across his body.

Alden's chest seized.

The air became heavier. His body froze completely.

Specter exhaled slowly.

"Your Overclock will be rebuilt. Properly. Without failure."

Alden's vision blurred.

The containment field tightened.

His last thought before the darkness closed in—

Was that he might not wake up as himself.

Cliffhanger: Alden is officially captured. Null has completely removed his Overclock. Specter prepares to rewrite his abilities.