Awakened

The pulse of energy inside Aero didn't fade. It burned, searing his veins like liquid fire. He staggered against the rusted metal wall, his breath ragged. The whisper in his mind echoed again.

[Ability Awakening: Apex Override.]

He clenched his fists. This had to be a mistake. He had lived his entire life as a Stratum 6 dreg—the powerless, the forgotten. Resonance Abilities didn't just appear out of nowhere, especially not in someone like him.

But the sensation coursing through his body said otherwise.

The abandoned factory flickered with dim light as the energy within him twisted the air itself. A subtle ripple passed over the surroundings, warping the very space around him. The scrap metal piled in the corner shifted, as if reacting to his presence. He felt... aware. His senses expanded, every detail in the room sharpening into painful clarity.

His heartbeat pounded in his ears. The sensation was overwhelming.

"What... what the hell is this?" Aero whispered.

Then, the door to the factory burst open.

Kai Ren stood at the entrance, his eyes scanning the room. His Phantom Stride ability allowed him to move without making a sound, but Aero had felt him coming.

"Aero, what the hell happened?" Kai demanded, stepping forward.

Aero looked up, his breathing still uneven. "I—I don't know. Something... changed."

Kai's eyes narrowed. He noticed the faint distortions in the air, the subtle crackling of energy around Aero. His expression darkened. "That's not normal."

Aero exhaled sharply. "No kidding."

Kai took another step forward, his stance cautious. "Try to control it. Whatever's happening, suppress it before someone else notices."

Aero focused, but the power inside him refused to be caged. The moment he tried to push it down, it surged back up, lashing out. A shockwave of invisible force erupted from his body, sending scrap metal flying across the room.

Kai barely dodged in time. "Damn it, Aero!"

Aero collapsed to one knee, his head pounding. The force dissipated, leaving only a faint hum in the air. He gritted his teeth. "I—I didn't mean to."

Kai didn't respond immediately. His expression had changed—not just wary, but calculating.

"This... this isn't normal Resonance," Kai muttered. "Abilities don't just awaken this violently. And the way the air around you distorts..." He met Aero's gaze. "What exactly did you hear?"

Aero hesitated. The words still echoed in his mind.

[Apex Override.]

He swallowed hard. "Something called it 'Apex Override.'"

Kai froze.

For the first time since Aero had met him, Kai looked genuinely shocked. "Say that again."

Aero frowned. "Apex Override. That's what it said."

Kai stared at him, then exhaled sharply. "Aero... that's not just any ability."

Aero's pulse quickened. "You know what it is?"

Kai hesitated. "Not exactly. But I've heard rumors. There's a theory—something only whispered about in the underground—about a power that doesn't just manipulate the world but rewrites it."

Aero's breath hitched. "Rewrites?"

Kai nodded. "Every Resonance Ability has a defined limit, a set rule it follows. Pyrokinesis manipulates fire. Telekinesis controls objects. Phantom Stride lets me move undetected." He met Aero's gaze. "But Apex Override? If the rumors are true... it doesn't follow rules. It breaks them."

Aero felt a chill run down his spine. That couldn't be right. Powers had boundaries, laws that governed them. If what Kai said was true, then... what did that make him?

A monster?

Before Aero could respond, a deafening boom shook the factory. The entire building trembled, dust and debris falling from the ceiling.

Kai's head snapped toward the door. "Shit."

Aero barely had time to react before the walls exploded inward.

A squad of enforcers stormed in, clad in black armor, their visors glowing red. They weren't just standard patrol units. These were Stratum 4 Hunters, elite soldiers deployed to track and neutralize high-priority threats.

And they were here for him.

Aero's blood ran cold. "How—?"

Kai cursed under his breath. "That surge of power—someone must have detected it."

One of the enforcers raised a hand. "Target confirmed. Aero Vance. You are hereby ordered to surrender under Article 17 of the Apex Strata Code."

Aero's body tensed. Surrender? To the system that had condemned him to die in the slums?

Not a chance.

Kai moved first. He flickered out of sight, his Phantom Stride activating. A second later, he reappeared behind one of the enforcers, striking with a precise kick to the neck. The soldier crumpled, but the others reacted instantly, their weapons locking onto Kai's position.

Aero had no time to think. His instincts screamed at him to move.

One of the enforcers raised his rifle. The muzzle flared.

Aero threw his hand up. He had no weapon, no ability he knew how to use—but in that moment, his Resonance acted on its own.

The air twisted.

The bullet stopped mid-flight.

Time seemed to shatter. Aero could see the round hovering inches from his forehead, its momentum completely nullified. Then, as if the world had rewritten itself, the bullet spun in place and reversed, shooting back toward the enforcer who fired it.

The soldier barely had time to scream before the bullet tore into his shoulder, sending him to the ground.

Aero's vision blurred. What did I just do?

The remaining enforcers hesitated for only a second before adapting. Two rushed Kai while another lunged at Aero with a shock baton.

Aero dodged on instinct. The moment the baton passed, he felt it—an echo of its energy. His mind latched onto it, and before he even understood what he was doing, he reached out.

A crackling hum filled the air as Aero's fingertips pulsed with stolen power. The baton's energy was now in his hands.

He didn't have time to think about it. He lashed out, striking the enforcer with his own redirected energy. A jolt of electricity surged through the soldier, sending him convulsing to the ground.

Kai dispatched the last two enforcers in a blur of motion. He turned to Aero, breathing heavily. "We need to go. Now."

Aero didn't argue. He knew what was coming.

More enforcers. More hunters. Maybe even a Stratum 3 Champion if the Apex Council deemed him a real threat.

They bolted out of the factory into the darkened slums. Sirens blared in the distance. The city of Stratum Prime had just noticed him.

And it wouldn't stop until he was either captured...

Or dead.