005 THE META AMPLIFIER
Damen couldn't afford to care.
The Meta training class was exactly what he needed — and there was nowhere else he could get it. He followed Mikey into the school's Meta Training Center.
The place resembled an auditorium: rows of tiered seats circling a stage cluttered with strange machines. Instead of desks, each seat was just a wide cushion where students were expected to sit and meditate.
It was Damen's first time here.
"Hey, look who decided to crawl in … trash-boy Damen," Onda Gronne shouted from across the room. One of Thames's loyal thugs.
"Yeah," another sneered. "What a waste of the school's precious resource. He's gonna bomb his finals anyway. Life is so unfair."
"Ignore them," Mikey muttered, tugging Damen toward a cushion.
Damen sat cross-legged, pulling out his phone immediately.
"What are you doing?" Mikey frowned. "Class is about to start."
"Just telling the mines I'm not working today," Damen lied.
In truth, his fingers were already sliding across the DemCoin app.
He locked onto Onda Gronne. The Acquire button lit up, hovering above the usual Mine. Damen didn't hesitate. He pressed Acquire, then tapped Strength.
"Arghhh!" Onda shrieked, clutching his head before collapsing.
The room erupted into chaos and panic.
"What the hell? Why'd Onda faint just like Thames?" someone whispered. "Are we cursed?"
Paramedics rushed in and carried Onda away.
"It's strange, huh?" Mikey whispered to Damen. "Your enemies keep dropping one by one."
Damen's heart jumped. "It's got nothing to do with me."
"Of course not," Mikey snorted. "You think you're some kind of voodoo witch? Please. You couldn't curse those bastards if you tried."
"Yeah… right," Damen mumbled, forcing a laugh.
The stage lights dimmed. Mr. Fischer stepped forward, his voice echoing. "Apologies for the delay. Some of our students seem to have fallen ill unexpectedly today. We'll begin."
The machines on stage hummed. Though invisible, the air shimmered with a strange pressure, like heat without heat. Every student felt it … a tide of unseen energy rolling over their skin.
"For those using the Meta Amplifier for the first time," Fischer explained, "what you feel now are Meta particles. They are the foundation of what makes us… more than human. This equipment produces them in abundance. Your task is to draw them in."
"How do we absorb them?" Damen asked suddenly. Heads turned his way. Damen usually never spoke up in class.
Even Fischer blinked in surprise. Then he answered, "There is no fixed method. Each student adapts differently. If your body resonates with the particles, you will grow. If not… then this training is not for you."
The hall quieted as the students sank into meditation. Even Fischer folded himself cross-legged at center stage bathing in the meta particles.
Damen glanced at his phone. Quietly, he whispered, "Sorry, Mr. Fischer. I'm farming you again." He tapped Begin Mining. This was the second time he farmed Mr. Fischer today.
The DemCoin counter spiked instantly, digits racing up faster than he'd ever seen.
"Woah…woah."
Damen's eyes widened. "So… the rate of mining skyrockets under Meta amplification."
The Meta Center's training dragged on until evening. By the end, the students were drained, shuffling out with heavy steps and blank faces.
"How are you going to explain this to your uncle?" Mikey asked as they left the building. "You skipped work today."
Damen didn't hesitate. "I've got that figured out," he said, tapping his phone like it held the answer.
Mikey frowned. "Need a lift home? It's pretty late."
Damen shook his head. "No. I've got somewhere to be first."
"Seriously? At this hour?" Mikey sighed, but he didn't press. He waved and headed for the school gates, where a car was already waiting.
Damen turned the other way. He had no ride, just a long walk through dark streets… with one secret stop before home.
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Damen weighed his options carefully.
Ralph was always violent, and when drunk, which was nearly every night, he was worse. If Damen went home tonight, he knew what waited for him.
The stolen strength from Thames and Onda was still settling in his body. It came in waves, slow and uneven, not the instant transformation he had hoped for.
He was stronger, yes … but not nearly strong enough to take Ralph head-on.
And middle school finals were coming. If Ralph broke him now, he'd lose everything. His scores, his chance, maybe even his future.
"I have to stop him somehow," Damen thought.
He turned down a side street and found himself in a narrow alley, loud with laughter and the clatter of glasses. At its end sat a dimly lit pub … Ralph's nightly haunt.
Damen squared his shoulders and walked forward, only to be blocked by two broad-shouldered bouncers.
"Hey, kid. You're not old enough," one growled.
Caught off guard, Damen forced a quick lie. "I'm not here to drink. I'm looking for my uncle, Ralph Dark. He's a regular. It's urgent …. family business. Erm… his grandmother is pregnant."
Damen was still not used to lying.
The bouncers exchanged a curious glance. "Grandmother!!!"
After a tense pause, one jerked his head laughing. "Ralph eh… Fine. Be quick. We don't need cops sniffing around with an underage inside…. Grandmother or not."
"Thanks. I'll be gone in a jiffy," Damen said, forcing calm.
He slipped inside.
The air was thick with smoke and sweat, the bar packed with miners from the nearby Aur pits — hulking men with dirt still caked in their fingernails. Damen kept his head low, weaving through the crowd.
Then a heavy hand clamped down on his shoulder.
"Damen Dark," a voice slurred behind him. "What the hell are you doing here? And why weren't you at the mine today?"
Damen froze. His blood ran cold.
There was only one man in the world who would demand that answer …. the one he had come here to confront.
Ralph.
Damnit. Damen's throat tightened as he slowly turned. I came here to find him, but he found me first.
The stink of alcohol hit him before the words did. Damen's hand twitched toward his phone, but he knew: one swing from Ralph and he'd be on the floor before the app could even load.
Is this really my luck? he thought bitterly. Dead before I even get a chance to fight back.
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