The hallway didn't feel like a school anymore.
It felt like a battlefield.
Students ran in every direction.
Some screaming.
Some frozen.
Some already caught in the chaos.
Another metallic crunch echoed—
A locker folded in on itself like paper.
Maya's heart pounded.
"…this way."
Ethan didn't hesitate.
"Got you."
They pushed through the crowd—
Closer.
Closer.
And then—
They saw him.
A boy stood in the center of the destruction.
Still.
Breathing hard.
Everything around him—
Bent.
Not randomly.
Not wildly.
Controlled—
But unstable.
"…he's the source," Maya whispered.
The air around him warped slightly—
Like pressure building.
Ethan narrowed his eyes.
"…yeah."
A beat.
"And he's about to lose it."
The boy's voice shook.
"…make it stop…"
A desk lifted off the ground.
Shaking violently.
"I CAN'T—"
It slammed into the wall.
Students screamed again.
Maya stepped forward slowly.
"…hey."
Ethan grabbed her wrist lightly.
"…careful."
She nodded.
"…I know."
Another pulse hit—
And Ethan flinched.
"…he's not just scared."
Maya glanced at him.
"…what do you feel?"
Ethan's jaw tightened.
"…he feels trapped."
A pause.
"…like everything's closing in."
Maya exhaled slowly.
"…then that's what his power is reacting to."
Not anger.
Not control.
Pressure.
She took another step forward.
"…you're not alone."
The boy's head snapped toward her.
Eyes wide.
"…stay back!"
The air distorted—
And suddenly—
A crack formed in the wall behind him.
Spreading.
Like something invisible was crushing it.
Ethan stepped beside Maya.
"…okay yeah."
A breath.
"This is bad."
The boy clutched his head.
"…I can feel it—everything—"
Ethan's expression shifted.
"…he's like me."
Maya froze slightly.
"…what?"
"…he feels everyone too."
A beat.
"But he can't separate it."
That's why—
Everything was collapsing.
Maya's voice softened.
"…Ethan."
He already knew.
"…yeah."
A breath.
"I go in."
Maya grabbed his arm.
"…be careful."
Ethan gave a small smirk.
"…since when am I not?"
He stepped forward—
Alone.
The pressure hit instantly.
Harder than before.
But this time—
He didn't fight it.
He focused.
Separated.
Filtered.
Fear.
Panic.
Noise.
Then—
He reached out.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
"…hey," he said quietly.
The boy flinched.
"…don't—"
"I get it."
Silence.
That hit different.
"…you feel everything, right?" Ethan continued.
A pause.
"…it's too much."
The boy's breathing stuttered.
"…I can't stop it…"
Ethan nodded slowly.
"…yeah."
A beat.
"Same."
Maya watched closely.
The connection forming—
Not visible.
But real.
Ethan took another step.
"…you don't need to stop it."
The boy shook his head.
"…then what do I do?!"
Ethan's voice grounded.
Steady.
"…you control how it moves through you."
Silence.
"…what?" the boy whispered.
Ethan exhaled.
"…you're holding everything in."
A beat.
"That pressure?"
He gestured around them.
"…that's you trying to contain it."
The walls creaked again.
"…so stop containing it."
Maya's eyes widened slightly.
"…Ethan—"
But he didn't stop.
"…let it flow."
For a second—
Nothing happened.
Then—
The pressure shifted.
Not exploding.
Moving.
The air trembled—
And instead of crushing inward—
It pushed outward.
A shockwave—
But controlled.
It knocked papers, bags, and loose objects away—
But didn't destroy.
The hallway went still.
The boy dropped to his knees.
Breathing hard.
"…I…"
A pause.
"…it stopped."
Ethan exhaled slowly.
"…nah."
A small smirk.
"You just learned how to handle it."
Maya stepped forward—
Relief washing over her.
"…you did it."
The boy looked up at them.
Still shaken.
But stable.
"…what is happening to me?"
Silence.
Because that question—
Didn't have a simple answer anymore.
Behind them—
A slow clap echoed.
"…impressive."
They turned.
Subject Three.
Watching everything.
"…emotional stabilization through external influence," she said.
A pause.
"…inefficient."
Ethan rolled his eyes.
"…you always gotta ruin the moment?"
But Maya didn't respond.
Because something felt—
Off.
Subject Four stood nearby.
Quiet.
Watching.
Not smiling.
That's when Maya realized—
"…this wasn't the problem."
Ethan frowned.
"…what?"
Maya's voice dropped.
"…this was just the beginning."
Subject Four finally spoke.
"…now you're thinking."
A pause.
"…one awakened."
His gaze shifted—
"…many more to follow."
And right on cue—
Another pulse hit.
Stronger than all the others.
Not one source.
Not one student.
Multiple.
Maya's breath caught.
"…Ethan."
He already felt it.
"…yeah."
A beat.
"We're not dealing with one anymore."
Across the school—
Doors slammed.
Windows cracked.
Voices rose.
Power—
Awakening everywhere.
Subject Three stepped back slightly.
Calculating.
"…system expansion confirmed."
Subject Four whispered—
"…evolution."
Maya clenched her fists.
Not fear.
Not hesitation.
Resolve.
"…then we adapt faster."
Ethan smirked.
"…now that sounds like a plan."
Because this—
Was no longer about hiding.
Or surviving.
It was about learning—
Before everything collapsed.