THE PATH OF NO RETURN

OLAMILEKAN

I followed Frederick, my wrists still bound by the dampening cuffs as we walked through the apparently endless halls of the NSDA underground complex. The fluorescent lights above whirred softly, casting elongated shadows across the metallic floors. Every step echoed within the almost empty corridors, the only other noises the soft murmurs of passing staff and the intermittent mechanical thrum of surveillance drones passing by.

A few minutes later, we reached a door. It opened by itself, and before us was a sterile white room. There was a solitary table with two chairs in the center of the room. The walls were held up by gleaming, set crystals—definitely meant to absorb magical energy. A security camera glowed in the corner, silently recording everything. The air itself pressed against me, like some invisible presence pushing me backward, keeping me from reaching for whatever it was that was beneath my skin and hidden.

Frederick came in first, gesturing for me to follow.

"Sit," he told me, his voice firm but contained.

I hesitated for a moment before complying, sitting down across from him. He put his hands flat on the table, looking at me with those piercing blue eyes that seemed to penetrate right through me.

"You have questions. Ask them."

I didn't even have to think. "My father. Where is he? How is he?"

Frederick relaxed a little, letting out a soft sigh. "He's alive. Unconscious, but stable."

That wasn't enough for me. "I want proof. I want to see him."

"That isn't possible right now."

I clenched my fists. "Then how am I going to believe you? How do I know you're not just keeping him somewhere like a lab animal?"

His expression didn't change. "Because your compliance ensures his well-being. The sooner you understand that, the better."

I scowled, my chest tightening with anger. "You mean as long as I am obedient, you'll provide for him?"

"Your father is being treated by the best physicians we have available. Regardless of whether you are compliant or not, he will be treated without abuse." He paused, then went on, "But if you really wish to do the best for him, you would do well to listen."

I hated the tone he employed—so calculated, so cold. But I couldn't help but believe him. For now.

Satisfied that I won't argue further, Frederick got up and walked towards the door. Before he could leave, he stepped forward to the guard waiting outside and inclined his head once. "Remove his cuffs."

The moment the door shut behind him, another officer came in. He was tall, clad in a black tactical jumpsuit, his face impassive. He moved behind me and, quietly, removed the dampening cuffs from my wrists. A flood of power ran through me instantly. The repression was gone. My senses were keen, my heart beat faster, and for the first time since they held me captive, I was truly awake.

Then the crystals within the walls began to fade and went out. The room was no longer holding back my abilities.

The officer stepped back. "Demonstrate."

I hesitated. I didn't wish to use my abilities—not after what had been done to my father. Not after what I'd seen myself do.

A low, crackling hum came from the ceiling, and Frederick's voice boomed over the intercom. "Olamilekan, if you want your father to keep receiving proper care, you will obey. Show me what you can do."

I gritted my teeth. The son of a bitch understood exactly how to get to me.

Taking a deep breath, I stood up and held my palms out in front of me. Nothing initially. Then a golden glow came out from the tips of my fingers. The air buzzed. The room trembled.

The light intensified, pounding like a second heartbeat. Runes appeared on every side of me, old and unreadable, suspended in the air like divine script. The moment they appeared, a wave of power surged through me, wild and savage.

Then the entire underground complex shook.

Alarms blared as the tremors intensified, radiating through the complex. Objects rattled, screens flashed, and the walls groaned in protest.

"Control it!" someone shouted over the speakers, but I hardly heard them.

My breath came in jagged gasps. The runes burned hotter, blistering my skin as if they branded me with their strength. I fought to keep it contained, shoving the light back, suppressing the turmoil within me. Slowly, the trembling stopped. The alarms quieted. The energy drained into my body, leaving the room eerily silent.

A few seconds later, Frederick's voice returned again, as calm as ever. "That will do."

The door groaned open, and the officer motioned me inside. My legs were trembling, my head spinning with the raw power I had just unleashed. But I forced myself into motion.

---

A couple of hours passed before Joshua and I were medically examined and finally allowed to speak to our mother. We were escorted to a safe communication room where a holo-screen flickered to life, displaying her weary but relieved face.

"Ola, Joshua! Are you both alright?" she asked, scanning us anxiously.

"We're okay, Mom," Joshua answered first. "How's Dad?"

She hesitated before answering, "He's still unconscious, but he's stable. They're doing the best they can with him."

I inhaled a bit easier.

"When are you boys coming home?" she asked eagerly.

Joshua and I exchanged a look. "We. don't know yet," I confessed. "They're training us. They said we have to learn how to control our magic."

She pursed her lips, clearly not happy at the thought, but she did not object. "Just be careful, the two of you. And get back to me as soon as possible."

"We will, Mom. We promise."

The screen went dark and silent.

---

Two days later, Joshua and I were in the back of an armored black van, heading to the NSDA's best training facility. The highway lay before us, going on forever and nowhere.

We rode in silence for a while. Joshua then smiled. "So, ready to become a super soldier?"

I let out my breath. "Not really."

"Well, either way, we're in this now. Might as well just see where it takes us."

I gazed out the window, observing as the facility approached in the distance.

Wherever this road went, I sensed that there was no going back.