Revelation

Chapter 3: Revelation

Kazuki sat in the passenger seat of an old, beat-up van, staring out the window as the city passed in streaks of light and shadow. Renji drove in silence, his fingers tight on the wheel, eyes scanning the road ahead. The tension between them was palpable, not from distrust, but from the weight of what lay ahead.

"This Ascended in Sector 12," Kazuki began, breaking the silence. "Do we know anything about them?"

Renji shook his head. "Not much. Only that they triggered a flare—same kind of energy spike you produced. It's rare. Aegis will have seen it too. We have to move fast."

Kazuki nodded. Every second counted.

They reached the outskirts of the industrial zone, where abandoned warehouses lined the streets like forgotten sentinels. Renji pulled the van into a shadowed alley and cut the engine. The silence was deafening.

"Keep your energy low," he said. "We don't want to alert Aegis."

Kazuki focused, breathing in, drawing his energy inward. He felt the pulsing hum settle in his core. Together, they stepped out and crept toward the warehouse marked on Renji's map.

The moment they entered, the air shifted. It was thick with static, like a storm on the verge of breaking.

"They're here," Kazuki whispered.

"Not just Aegis," Renji replied, his voice tight. "The Ascended. They're inside."

A crash echoed through the warehouse. They ducked behind a stack of crates, just in time to see a girl, no older than sixteen, levitating in mid-air. Her long silver hair shimmered as blue light spiraled from her fingers, holding back two Aegis agents suspended in a telekinetic grip.

"Let me go!" she screamed. "I won't be your experiment!"

One of the agents managed to break free and fired a stun round. The girl screamed as she was hit, falling from the air and crashing into the ground. The second agent advanced.

Kazuki didn't hesitate. He leapt from behind cover, launching a wave of energy that knocked both agents off their feet. Renji joined him in a flash, finishing them off with precise, bone-breaking strikes.

Kazuki rushed to the girl's side. Her eyes fluttered open, unfocused.

"You're... like me?" she gasped.

He nodded. "You're safe now."

They carried her to the van, Renji driving them back toward the safe house as Kazuki tended to her wounds. Her name was Aria.

At the safe house, once Aria regained full consciousness, she shared her story. Taken from her family by Aegis after her powers awakened, she'd been kept in a lab, studied like an animal. She escaped when her powers surged during a failed experiment.

Renji paced. "They're accelerating their plans. Aegis used to wait, watch. Now they're acting fast—aggressive."

Kazuki clenched his fists. "We need to do something. We can't just keep reacting."

Renji nodded. "You're right. It's time we stopped being prey."

Aria looked up. "There's something else... something they were looking for. A source. A relic. They think it amplifies Ascended powers."

Kazuki leaned in. "A relic? Where?"

"I don't know exactly. But I saw maps. Blueprints. Underground. Deep beneath the city. I think it's called the Core."

Renji exchanged a glance with Kazuki. "We've heard rumors. But no confirmation. If it's real... it could change everything."

"Or destroy everything," Kazuki added.

That night, sleep didn't come. Kazuki stood on the rooftop again, staring at the stars. A storm was coming, and he was at the center of it. Every instinct in him screamed that the Core was more than just a power source. It was tied to his awakening. To the dreams. To the voice.

And maybe... to the truth about what he really was.

The next morning, the team prepared. Renji stocked weapons, Aria fine-tuned her telekinesis, and Kazuki practiced projecting controlled bursts of power. They moved with purpose now, no longer hiding. Their mission was clear: find the Core before Aegis did.

But just as they were about to leave, the safe house's alarms blared.

"They're here!" Renji shouted.

The ground trembled as explosions rocked the building. Drones swooped in through broken windows. Aegis had found them.

Kazuki stood in front of Aria. "Get to the escape tunnel! Go!"

Renji covered them, energy blades flashing, cutting down drones with precision. Kazuki unleashed a wave of force that shattered the front door. Aegis agents stormed in, but Kazuki held the line, raw power erupting from his hands.

Aria screamed. Kazuki turned in time to see a cloaked figure appear behind her—an Aegis elite.

"Kazuki!" she cried.

He teleported without thinking, slamming into the elite with a shockwave that cracked the walls. The elite recovered fast, landing a brutal blow to Kazuki's side. Pain bloomed in his ribs.

"You're not ready," the elite sneered.

"Maybe not," Kazuki spat blood, "but I don't fight alone."

Renji appeared behind the elite, striking hard. The two of them pushed the enemy back, forcing him into retreat.

"We have to go!" Renji yelled.

Together, they dove into the tunnel, the safe house collapsing behind them.

Their sanctuary was gone. But the mission remained. The Core had to be found.

And Kazuki had never been more certain: he was more than an Ascended. He was the key to unlocking something ancient, powerful—and dangerous.

(To be continued in Chapter 4: Descent)

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