Ethan did not sleep that night.
He lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling fan as it rotated slowly, the faint hum cutting through the silence of his room. His palm rested on his chest, fingers curled slightly, as if he was afraid something might appear again if he opened his hand.
Every time he closed his eyes, the frozen street returned. Lily is standing mid-step. Birds hanging in the air.
The voice.
From now on, the real survival begins.
Ethan exhaled and turned onto his side.
"This isn't real," he muttered.
But his body didn't believe him.
Morning came too quickly.
The city outside his window looked normal. Traffic noise, distant sirens, people arguing somewhere down the street. Everything moved the way it always had.
Ethan sat up slowly. Nothing appeared on his palm.
He almost laughed.
"Guess I imagined it," he said quietly.
But the feeling didn't leave. He felt something was watching.
At breakfast, his aunt Mary barely looked up from her tablet.
"You're late for college today," she said.
"Yeah," Ethan replied.
She nodded absently. "Try not to get in trouble." She said.
He didn't answer.
Trouble had a habit of finding him anyway.
The walk to Northgate Superhuman College felt longer than usual. Students clustered in groups, talking loudly about yesterday's demon incident.
"I heard the west block almost collapsed."
"They say one of the A-Rank heroes got injured."
"Serves them right. Overconfidence gets you killed."
Ethan kept his head down.
As he passed the gates, someone shoved his shoulder.
"Watch it, G Rank."
Laughter followed.
He didn't turn around.
Inside the main courtyard, Lily waved when she saw him.
"You look terrible," she said as he approached.
"I didn't sleep," Ethan replied.
Lily frowned. "Same. I keep thinking about yesterday."
Before Ethan could respond, Jason jogged over, a grin plastered across his face.
"Morning, survivors," Jason said. "You should've seen the news. They're calling yesterday's demon weak."
Ethan looked at him. "It almost killed me."
Jason shrugged. "Almost doesn't count." He said.
Lily shot him a look. "You're not funny."
Jason raised his hands. "Alright, alright."
A bell chimed across campus.
Students began moving toward their classes.
The first lecture passed in a blur.
Ethan barely registered the professor's voice. His attention kept drifting to his hand, to the space just above his palm.
Nothing appeared.
By the time the second class ended, his head was pounding. As he stood to leave, a sudden chill ran down his spine.
The room felt wrong.
A student ahead of him tripped and fell.
No one laughed.
Ethan frowned.
The girl on the floor scrambled up, her face pale.
"I felt like someone pushed me," she said, looking around.
No one answered.
Ethan's palm tingled. He stopped walking. Slowly, cautiously, he opened his hand.
The faint interface flickered into existence.
[Survival Progress: 0.1%]
Ethan's breath caught. He closed his hand instantly.
The interface vanished.
"Ethan?" Lily's voice cut through his thoughts. "Are you okay?"
He looked up.
She was watching him closely.
"Yeah," he said. "Just dizzy."
Lily didn't look convinced.
Lunch hour brought noise back to campus.
Temporary food stalls lined the courtyard, run by local vendors hoping to profit from hero students.
Ethan sat at a corner table with Lily and Jason.
A group of B-Rank students occupied the next table, their conversation loud and animated.
"I'm telling you, demon attacks are increasing. This isn't random," one of them said.
Another scoffed. "People say that every year."
A third leaned forward. "No, this time it's different. My cousin works with the Hero Council."
Ethan listened quietly.
Jason laughed. "You guys love conspiracy theories."
The B-Rank student glanced at Ethan. "Hey, isn't he the G Rank guy?"
Lily stiffened.
Ethan stood. "We should go."
They left before the conversation could turn uglier.
The afternoon classes were cancelled.
An emergency announcement echoed across campus.
"Attention all students. Due to increased demon activity, off-campus movement is restricted. Hero trainees may be deployed if necessary."
Murmurs spread.
Jason's eyes lit up. "Deployment already?"
Lily looked uneasy. "That's not normal."
Ethan felt the chill again.
They didn't get far before the alarms sounded.
A sharp, pulsing siren echoed through the district.
"Demon breach reported," a mechanical voice announced. "All civilians evacuate immediately."
Students froze. Then panic erupted.
"Again?" someone shouted.
Ethan turned toward the sound. A black distortion shimmered near the residential blocks. Something was forcing its way through.
"Stay back!" a faculty member yelled.
Two heroes rushed forward.
One of them was unfamiliar. He moved with precision, his aura sharp and controlled.
A-Rank insignia gleamed on his sleeve.
Someone whispered, "That's Daniel Cross."
Ethan watched as the distortion burst open.
A demon crawled out, its form unstable, flickering as if reality struggled to hold it together.
Daniel raised his hand.
"Containment first," Daniel said calmly.
The demon screamed. Before anyone could react, it lunged.
Straight at Ethan. Ethan didn't think.
He moved sideways.
The demon's claws missed by inches.
Ethan stumbled, heart hammering.
The world slowed, not stopped, just stretched.
He saw Lily reaching out.
Jason is shouting his name.
The demon twisted, correcting its trajectory.
Ethan's palm burned. The interface exploded into view.
[Threat Detected]
[Emergency Adaptation Available]
[Accept?]
"I don't have a choice," Ethan whispered.
The world snapped back.
Ethan rolled as the demon slammed into the ground where he had been standing.
The impact cracked the pavement.
Daniel's eyes widened.
"That movement," Daniel said. "That wasn't luck."
The demon roared again.
Jason charged.
Lily closed her eyes, focusing, her psychic aura flaring weakly.
Ethan stood. His body felt different. Not stronger, but sharper.
He moved again.
This time, the demon hesitated.
Just for a moment.
Enough.
Daniel struck.
The demon collapsed, dissolving into smoke.
Silence followed.
Daniel turned slowly.
His gaze locked onto Ethan.
"What's your name?" Daniel asked.
Ethan swallowed. "Ethan." He replied.
Daniel studied him. "You moved before the attack finalized."
Jason grinned nervously. "He's fast."
Daniel didn't smile.
"That wasn't speed," Daniel said. "That was anticipation."
Ethan's palm pulsed once.
[Survival Progress: 0.6%]
No one else saw it.
Security cleared the area quickly. Students were sent home early.
As Ethan and Lily walked together, the city felt heavier.
Lily broke the silence. "You almost died."
Ethan nodded. "I know."
"You moved differently," Lily said. "Like you knew."
Ethan didn't answer.
They reached their street.
The sky darkened as clouds rolled in.
At Lily's building, she stopped.
"Ethan," Lily said softly. "If something's wrong… You can tell me."
Ethan met her eyes. He wanted to tell her everything.
The voice.
The system.
The warning.
Instead, he said, "Yeah, I will share if something's wrong."
"Ok, don't worry about not having powers. Sometimes power also becomes a curse," Lily said.
"I know," Ethan said. "That's why I'm saying it."
She studied him for a long moment.
Then she sighed. "Be careful."
She turned and walked inside.
Ethan stood there until the door closed.
That night, the interface appeared again.
Not on his palm. In his mind.
[Survival Protocol Active]
[Next Event: Imminent]
Ethan clenched his fists.
"Come on," he said quietly. "Let's see what you want."
Somewhere in the city, something shifted. And the system began watching more closely.