Chapter 27 “The Weight of Fear”

["Born From Nothingness just crossed 15,000 views, on 19th July 2025.Not gonna lie—I'm still figuring this whole thing out. But I'm glad you're here for the journey.Let's see how far this story can go."]

Angelo returned to the sterile white room. The coldness of the walls matched the emptiness inside him. His eyes were still wet, though the tears had stopped falling. Each step he took felt heavier than the last. He sat slowly on the edge of the bed, gripping the mattress tightly as if it could anchor him to something real.

Why?

Why were they so afraid of me?

He stared at his hands—bigger, stronger than they used to be, the veins more visible, his muscles denser, his fingers longer. His body had changed again. But was it just his body… or had something deeper shifted?

A soldier stood nearby, avoiding his gaze.

Angelo finally broke the silence. "What did I do… that made everyone look at me like I'm a monster?"

The soldier flinched, his hands tightening on the file he held. His voice trembled. "Y-You don't remember… anything?"

Angelo shook his head, brow furrowed.

The soldier hesitated, then let out a slow breath. "Three days ago… we were monitoring the creatures. They were unusually restless. Then all at once, they bolted—hundreds of them—rushing in the same direction. We didn't know why, so we followed."

He rubbed his arms, remembering the chill. "The deeper we went, the worse it got. It didn't feel like the temperature dropped… but something else. Our systems started glitching—screens flickering, controls failing. And then… we felt it. This overwhelming, suffocating presence. It wrapped around us like chains of ice. Breathing became harder, like something massive was watching us, pressing down on us from every direction. It wasn't just fear—it was wrong. Like the world itself was holding its breath."

"We made an emergency landing. When our systems recovered, we moved forward—slow, cautious. After five minutes, we saw it."

His voice dropped to a whisper.

"Everything was gone. Entire neighborhoods reduced to rubble. Craters where homes used to be. Streets cracked open like dry skin. Trees were snapped in half or hurled like javelins into walls. Cars were scorched and twisted, some melted into the asphalt. There were fires—dozens of them—still smoldering. The air reeked of smoke, blood, and something unnatural. Something that didn't belong in this world."

Angelo said nothing, his face pale.

"And the bodies…" the soldier went on, barely above a whisper. "Not just people. Creatures. Hundreds of them. Some were sprawled across streets and rooftops. Others were tangled in barbed wire or draped over fences. There were no wounds. No blood. Just lifeless, hollow bodies. Like something had drained the soul from them. Their eyes were open—wide, glassy. Some were mid-snarl, others mid-scream. But they were all still. Frozen in their final moments."

He swallowed hard. "And in the center of that nightmare… was a single house. Everything else had been annihilated—but this place stood almost untouched. The roof was gone, but the walls were intact. Like something had shielded it. Two people stood outside waving us down. We couldn't believe it. How could they have survived all that?"

Angelo listened intently, his heart sinking with every word.

"We landed and rushed to rescue any survivors. We found people buried in the rubble, crying, barely alive. We brought them all back to base. You… your family… everyone."

The soldier paused, wiping sweat from his brow. "I need some water."

Angelo looked around. An empty bottle sat on the nearby tray. He reached toward it, focused. A soft hum filled the air, and the bottle began to fill—slowly, steadily—as clean, clear water rose to the brim. The soldier stared, wide-eyed.

"You… filled it?" he asked, breathless.

Angelo handed it to him. "It's real. Drink."

The soldier took a cautious sip. His eyes widened. "It's cold."

"Now finish the story," Angelo said quietly.

The soldier set the bottle down. "We treated everyone's injuries. Your mother, Sophia—everyone. You… you were different. No wounds, no trauma. But the doctors wanted to be safe, so they tried to insert an IV."

He hesitated. "The needle bent. Then snapped. We tried hardened steel. Same thing. You were… impenetrable."

"The head doctor ordered isolation. Your mother resisted. She screamed. Fought. We had to restrain her. The others tried to stop us too. We detained all of them. For safety."

Angelo clenched his jaw. "Did you hurt them?"

"No, sir. We didn't lay a finger on them. We only questioned them. I swear."

Angelo gave a slow nod. "Go on."

"The higher-ups got involved. When they learned what you were, they demanded answers. We tried more tests, more scans. Nothing worked. But the mark on your back… it was glowing."

"Then it happened. Your heart rate crashed. Panic swept through the med team. The marks pulsed—faster, brighter—and then…"

He hesitated.

"A shockwave tore through the room. Everyone near you—thrown like rag dolls. Machines smashed. Windows shattered. Power flickered. We hit the ground hard. Some of us didn't get up."

Angelo's breath caught.

"That presence returned. Crushing. Suffocating. You rose—different. Taller. Changed. You looked at us with… something cold. Your eyes weren't yours."

"We aimed our weapons. Someone tried to reason. You responded… calm. Said you wouldn't hurt us. But the major panicked. He gave the order. We opened fire."

Angelo closed his eyes.

"You didn't move. Not a scratch. Bullets fell at your feet. Then… frost. One step, and ice spread from beneath you. It raced across the floor, encasing us from the neck down. Locked in place. Helpless."

The soldier rubbed his arms, still shaking. "Reinforcements arrived. They saw what you'd done. The major told them to stand down. You demanded your family be brought in."

He swallowed. "They came. And they saw it all. The ice. The fear. The power."

He met Angelo's eyes, softly. "That's why they're afraid."

Angelo didn't speak. He didn't move. He just sat there, absorbing the weight of the truth.

They hadn't just seen his strength—they'd seen a force of nature. Something unknowable. Unstoppable. Terrifying.

His breath grew shallow. He leaned forward, burying his face in his hands.

A suffocating silence filled the room.

A single tear hit the floor.

"I never wanted this…" he whispered.

And then—a faint crack echoed inside him. Not loud. Just a whisper. But it was there. A fracture had formed in the mark on his back. Very small. Almost invisible.

But it pulsed.

And the light inside it was… not white.

Not red.

But something else entirely.