Morning in Acre City was calm.
Too calm.
Soft sunlight rolled over the hills surrounding the town, warming the cobblestone streets and wooden rooftops that lined the peaceful valley. Vendors opened their stalls along the market square while the faint scent of roasted tea leaves drifted through the air.
The lanterns from the festival still hung above the streets.
Some had begun to fade.
Others swayed gently in the breeze.
Hailey walked through the market with Danny beside her, a small woven basket resting in her arm.
Danny still carried the dragon plush.
Even after the nightmare.
Even after the storm.
He held it tightly under one arm as he stared at the stalls around them.
"Can we get dumplings again?" Danny asked.
Hailey laughed.
"You had dumplings for breakfast."
"They were small dumplings."
"They were not small dumplings."
Danny frowned thoughtfully.
"Medium dumplings."
Hailey shook her head.
"Jay said we're buying vegetables."
Danny sighed dramatically.
"This is oppression."
Hailey smiled.
"You've been spending too much time around Eddy."
Danny perked up suddenly.
"Oh! Speaking of Eddy!"
Hailey looked down.
"What about him?"
Danny pointed across the market.
"He promised he'd teach me how to teleport."
Hailey stopped walking.
"...He promised what?"
Danny grinned.
"Just a little teleport."
Hailey pinched the bridge of her nose.
"I'm going to have a conversation with him later."
Across the city…
Luce and Eddy walked down Maple Street on their way back to the Sanctuary.
Eddy tossed a small candy wrapper into a nearby trash bin.
"School should be illegal," he said.
Luce glanced sideways at him.
"You say that every day."
"And every day I'm correct."
Luce smirked.
"You wrote that the sun exploding was the cause of a chemical reaction."
"It was a theoretical possibility."
Jay's voice echoed in Eddy's head.
"YOU CITED A COMIC BOOK!"
Eddy pointed defensively.
"Science fiction inspires innovation."
Luce shook his head.
"I can't believe you almost failed chemistry."
"Almost failed?"
Eddy placed a hand on his chest.
"I prefer the phrase 'narrowly survived.'"
They turned a corner toward the road leading to the Sanctuary.
And that was when Luce noticed something strange.
The street was empty.
Too empty.
No kids.
No shop owners.
No cyclists.
Just a quiet hum in the air.
Luce slowed his pace.
"...Eddy."
Eddy noticed it too.
"...Yeah."
Then—
A black van turned the corner ahead of them.
Another pulled in behind them.
Eddy blinked.
"Oh."
He scratched his head.
"...That's suspicious."
The doors of both vans slid open.
Armored soldiers stepped out.
Each one wearing sleek white tactical armor marked with a symbol.
A triangular crest.
The Council Security Division.
Eddy sighed.
"Ah."
He cracked his knuckles.
"So it's one of those days."
One soldier raised a rifle.
"TARGETS LOCATED."
Luce's eyes widened.
"Eddy—"
The soldier fired.
A small metal sphere hit the ground beside them.
THUMP.
Then—
PSHHHHHHHH.
A cloud of gas erupted around them.
Eddy coughed immediately.
"What the—"
His knees buckled.
Luce tried to move.
Tried to activate his technopathy.
But the gas burned in his lungs.
His vision blurred.
The last thing he saw—
Was soldiers rushing toward them.
Meanwhile…
Back at the market.
Danny stopped walking.
Hailey noticed immediately.
"What is it?"
Danny looked around nervously.
"I hear something."
Hailey frowned.
"What?"
Then—
She saw them.
Two black vans pulling into the street.
Soldiers pouring out.
Her instincts screamed.
"Danny."
She grabbed his hand instantly.
"Run."
They sprinted through the market stalls.
Vendors shouted in confusion as the soldiers pushed through the crowd.
"STOP THEM!"
Danny looked back.
"They're chasing us!"
Hailey turned sharply down an alley.
"We just need to get to the Sanctuary!"
Then—
POP.
A net fired through the air.
Hailey shoved Danny aside.
The net wrapped around her legs instead.
She crashed to the ground.
"HAILEY!"
Danny tried to pull her up.
But soldiers were already surrounding them.
One soldier raised a device.
A sharp electric pulse fired.
Danny collapsed instantly.
Hailey struggled violently.
"GET OFF HIM!"
A soldier pressed a stun baton against her shoulder.
Electricity surged through her body.
Her scream echoed down the alley.
Then—
Darkness.
Hours later…
Inside one of the black vans.
Four unconscious teenagers lay restrained in the back.
Luce.
Eddy.
Hailey.
Danny.
The dragon plush rested beside Danny.
One of its wings hung loosely.
A soldier glanced down at it.
"Kids."
Another soldier closed the van door.
"Orders are orders."
The convoy began moving.
Leaving Acre City behind.
Far away.
In the gleaming skyline of Joltic City.
A massive tower overlooked the entire metropolis.
Inside the top floor office, a man stood beside a glass wall.
He looked down at the glowing city lights below.
Perfect.
Orderly.
Controlled.
Behind him, a soldier entered the room.
"Sir."
The man didn't turn around.
"Report."
"The retrieval operation was successful."
A pause.
"All four targets have been secured."
The man smiled faintly.
"And the technopath?"
"Confirmed."
The man finally turned.
His expression calm.
Cold.
Precise.
The soldier hesitated before asking:
"What should we do with them?"
The man folded his hands behind his back.
"Bring them to the facility."
He walked slowly toward the window.
Below them, the entire city shimmered like a flawless machine.
"A new generation of metahumans…"
He looked down at the report tablet.
His eyes lingered on one name.
Luce.
"…how fascinating."
The soldier asked carefully:
"And the Sanctuary?"
The man smiled slightly.
"Leave them alone."
"For now."
The soldier nodded.
"Understood…"
He hesitated.
"...Mayor."
The man stepped fully into the light.
The Mayor of Joltic City.
The architect of the cleansing program.
The man responsible for the experiments.
Mayor Arcturus Vale.
His eyes glowed faintly with curiosity.
"Prepare the testing chamber."
He looked back toward the city.
"Let's see what these children are capable of."
The doors closed behind the soldier.
And deep beneath the shining streets of Joltic City—
Machines began to wake.
Joltic City — The Spire
Night in Joltic City was flawless.
From the outside, the city looked like the future humanity had always dreamed of. Towering glass structures rose into the clouds, illuminated by endless bands of white light. Silent transit rails slid between buildings like threads in a perfect machine.
No crime.
No chaos.
No disorder.
At least… that was the image.
High above the city, at the very top of the central spire, Mayor Arcturus Vale stood alone beside a massive window overlooking the skyline.
His hands rested calmly behind his back.
The convoy carrying the captured children had already crossed the city perimeter.
Soon they would arrive.
Behind him, a scientist nervously adjusted a tablet.
"Sir… the retrieval team confirmed all four targets."
Vale didn't turn.
"Excellent."
The scientist hesitated before continuing.
"The technopath… Luce. Our scans show his neural interface is far more advanced than expected."
Vale's eyes drifted to the reflection of the city lights on the glass.
"Yes."
A small smile formed.
"I noticed."
The scientist tapped the tablet again.
"And the others?"
Vale finally turned.
"The sonic emitter. The teleportation user. The density manipulator's associate."
He spoke about them the way a collector might speak about rare artifacts.
"Each of them represents a fragment."
The scientist frowned slightly.
"Fragment… of what?"
Vale walked slowly toward the center of the room.
His voice remained calm.
"Evolution."
He stopped beside a glass case in the middle of the chamber.
Inside it rested an old photograph.
A faded image taken years ago during the early days of the war.
It showed a man standing alone in the center of a destroyed battlefield.
Soldiers surrounded him.
But none dared approach.
Because the man in the photo had dozens of powers.
Lightning in one hand.
Fire in the other.
His body shimmering with abilities stolen from countless others.
The legend.
Replicate.
Vale stared at the image with quiet fascination.
"The world feared him," Vale said softly.
The scientist nodded.
"He was the most powerful metahuman in recorded history."
Vale's smile deepened slightly.
"Not the most powerful."
The scientist blinked.
"Sir?"
Vale tapped the glass lightly.
"No."
His eyes gleamed with something difficult to read.
"Merely the first."
The scientist shifted uncomfortably.
"Mayor… you've spent decades studying metahuman genetics. But even if we successfully extract these abilities—"
Vale finished the sentence for him.
"—the human body shouldn't be able to withstand them."
The scientist nodded slowly.
"Yes."
Vale turned back toward the window.
"Most humans would break."
Silence filled the room.
Then he spoke again.
"But humanity has always been remarkable."
His reflection stared back at him from the glass.
"Give us a challenge…"
"…and we refuse to accept limits."
The scientist glanced toward the photograph of Replicate.
"You really believe this can work?"
Vale's voice was steady.
"I don't believe."
He paused.
"I know."
Another scientist entered the room hurriedly.
"Sir. The children have arrived."
Vale nodded slowly.
"Good."
The scientist hesitated before asking:
"What stage of testing should we begin with?"
Vale walked toward the door.
But before leaving, he glanced once more at the photograph of Replicate.
The legend who once held every power.
Then he looked down at his own reflection in the glass.
Calm.
Confident.
Certain.
"There's a thin line between belief and obsession," Vale said quietly.
Neither scientist responded.
Because they weren't sure if he was joking.
Vale adjusted the cuff of his sleeve.
"And history," he continued calmly,
"is always written by the people who refuse to let go of their beliefs."
He stepped toward the door.
"And I…"
"…have never been very good at letting go."
The chamber doors slid open.
Far below the shining towers of Joltic City—
The testing facility lights flickered to life.
And four prisoners were being prepared for their first examination.
When Luce woke up, the first thing he noticed was the silence.
Not the peaceful kind.
The heavy kind.
The kind that pressed against your ears until even breathing felt too loud.
His eyes slowly opened.
Everything was gray.
The walls.
The ceiling.
The floor.
Even the light above him was a dull, sterile white that buzzed faintly as it flickered.
He sat up slowly.
His head throbbed.
Then he noticed the cuffs.
Cold metal clamped around both wrists, connected by a small device resting against the inside of his forearms. Thin blue lights pulsed softly along its surface.
Luce instinctively tried to reach out with his technopathy.
Nothing happened.
No signals.
No electricity.
No whispers of machines.
It was like the world had suddenly gone deaf.
Panic flickered in his chest.
He raised the cuffs closer to his face.
"What…"
The door slid open with a quiet mechanical hiss.
Two armored guards stepped inside.
"On your feet."
Luce didn't move.
"Where am I?"
The guards ignored the question.
One of them gestured toward the hallway.
"Move."
Luce slowly stood.
The cuffs felt heavier than they should have.
Not physically.
Something else.
Like his powers had been locked behind a wall inside his own body.
They pushed him forward.
The hallway outside looked exactly like the room.
Gray.
Endless gray.
Metal floors.
Metal walls.
Long white lights stretching overhead like an endless tunnel.
But there was one difference.
The sound.
Voices.
Whispers.
Dozens of them.
The guards marched him through a large security door.
And that was when Luce saw them.
Children.
Everywhere.
A massive chamber stretched out before him, divided into dozens of small cell sections by transparent energy barriers.
Inside each section sat groups of kids.
Some were younger than Danny.
Some were teenagers.
Some looked exhausted.
Others looked hollow.
Every single one of them wore the same cuffs.
And many of them had scars.
Burn marks.
Surgical marks.
Metal implants.
Bandages.
One girl sat quietly in the corner of her cell with burn scars covering one side of her face.
A boy nearby had one arm replaced by a mechanical prosthetic.
Another kid had glowing veins running across his skin like electricity trapped beneath glass.
None of them looked surprised to see Luce.
One of the guards shoved him forward.
"Section C."
The energy barrier flickered open.
Luce was pushed inside.
The barrier snapped shut behind him.
For a moment…
No one spoke.
Then a voice came from the far side of the cell.
"You're new."
Luce turned.
A boy around his age leaned against the wall.
His hair was shaved short.
Thin white scars crossed his neck and shoulders.
But his eyes were sharp.
Alert.
"What is this place?" Luce asked.
The boy laughed quietly.
Not happily.
"Welcome to the Cleansing Facility."
Luce felt his stomach twist.
"Cleansing?"
Another kid sitting on the floor spoke up.
"They test us."
Luce looked at him.
The boy had dark rings under his eyes.
"Test how?"
The first boy answered.
"Your powers."
Luce raised his cuffed wrists.
"So that's why these things—"
"Power dampeners," the boy interrupted.
"They shut your abilities down."
Luce frowned.
"How?"
The boy shrugged.
"Nobody really knows."
Another voice spoke from the back of the room.
"They disrupt the neurological signal between your brain and your power output."
Luce looked over.
A girl sat cross-legged near the wall.
Her skin shimmered faintly like glass.
"They basically turn you into a normal human."
Luce clenched his fists.
"Why?"
Silence spread across the cell.
Then the first boy answered.
"So they can study us."
Another kid muttered:
"Or break us."
Luce looked around the room again.
There were about fifteen kids in the cell.
Different ages.
Different abilities.
Different scars.
One of the younger boys stared at him nervously.
"You came from outside?"
Luce nodded slowly.
"Yeah."
The younger boy leaned forward.
"Did you see the sky?"
Luce blinked.
"What?"
"The sky."
The boy swallowed.
"I haven't seen it in two years."
Luce felt something heavy settle in his chest.
The first boy stood up.
"So."
He crossed his arms.
"What can you do?"
Luce hesitated.
"...Technopathy."
The reaction was immediate.
The girl with glass-like skin sat upright.
The younger kids whispered.
The scarred boy's eyes widened slightly.
"You control machines?"
Luce nodded.
"Sort of."
The boy stared at him for a moment.
Then he laughed again.
This time with genuine disbelief.
"Wow."
Luce frowned.
"What?"
The boy shook his head.
"You have no idea where you just ended up."
Luce felt a chill run through him.
"What do you mean?"
The boy gestured toward the ceiling.
"That man upstairs."
"Mayor Vale."
The room grew quiet.
"He's been trying to recreate the perfect metahuman for years."
Luce's stomach dropped.
"Perfect?"
The girl spoke again quietly.
"He thinks the future belongs to metas."
She looked down at her own cuffed wrists.
"So he's trying to become one."
Another kid whispered:
"Not just one."
"All of them."
The scarred boy looked back at Luce.
"And now you're here."
Luce swallowed.
"What about the others who came with me?"
The boy shrugged.
"They separate groups."
"Different test wings."
The words hit Luce like a punch.
Hailey.
Eddy.
Danny.
Somewhere in this place…
They were locked up too.
Across the facility…
Hailey sat in a nearly identical gray cell.
Across from her sat a small group of kids.
One of them stared at Danny.
"Is that a dragon?"
Danny nodded weakly.
The dragon plush rested in his lap.
Its wing still slightly torn.
The girl tilted her head.
"You shouldn't get attached to things here."
Danny hugged it tighter.
Hailey placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Why?"
The girl looked away.
"Because they always take things eventually."
Danny looked down at the plush.
His fingers gripped the torn wing.
And for the first time since arriving…
He realized something.
The nightmare hadn't been random.
It had been a warning.
And somewhere in this facility…
The man with the cassette player was waiting.