"I… I'm about to see someone who could flatten an entire city," I stammered, my voice barely above a whisper.
The thought alone made my stomach churn.
For a split second, I considered running.
But there was no time.
No time to think. No time to prepare.
If I wanted to survive… I had to follow Hadal.
Not that I had much of a choice—he was already dragging me along like I was a lost kid.
We reached a massive door.
Hadal glanced down at me, his expression unreadable.
"Just follow what I do, and we'll be fine."
His tone was casual.
It didn't help.
The doors opened.
And my jaw dropped.
A long line of people stood at attention, perfectly aligned. Every movement was sharp. Controlled.
Military.
Terrifying.
Their eyes didn't move. Not even slightly.
It felt like standing in front of soldiers ready to die on command.
"Hadal… what the hell is thi—"
He nudged me sharply.
I shut up instantly.
He gestured.
I copied them.
Hands behind my back. Chest up. Shoulders straight.
Every instinct screamed at me to move.
To run.
To escape.
But I didn't.
I couldn't.
Whispers drifted through the air.
"Who is that idiot…"
"He's going to get us killed…"
"Must be a greenie…"
I ignored them.
Focus.
Breathe.
Don't mess this up.
A boy in a grey trench coat stepped forward.
STOMP.
The sound echoed like a gunshot.
"Salute! Captain Kinga has graced you with his presence!"
We saluted instantly.
Silence swallowed everything.
Then—
Footsteps.
Slow.
Measured.
Deliberate.
Each one hit the ground like a warning.
My heart pounded in sync.
Then I saw him.
Tall.
Imposing.
Unshakable.
His grey eyes were cold—calculating. Inhumanly calm.
His presence alone felt… heavy.
Like the air itself had thickened.
I glanced at Hadal.
He was sweating.
Badly.
So much for calm.
Breathing became harder.
Each second stretched longer than the last.
One mistake.
One movement.
And I was certain—
We'd die.
His polished shoes clicked against the floor.
Precise.
Controlled.
Almost… theatrical.
Like he enjoyed this.
"After he turns the corner, we can relax," Hadal whispered.
"Just a few more seconds…" I muttered.
"Hold on…"
Then—
A sneeze.
It echoed.
Loud.
Sharp.
Deadly.
Every head snapped toward the source.
A girl.
Young.
Frozen.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
We all knew.
She was dead.
The stain on his white coat said everything.
He stopped.
No movement.
No words.
Just—
Stillness.
I shut my eyes.
I didn't want to see it.
"You…"
His voice was low.
Dangerously low.
"What is your name?"
Then it hit.
His aura exploded outward.
Crushing.
Suffocating.
Unavoidable.
We dropped.
Straight to our knees.
My chest tightened.
I couldn't breathe.
People collapsed.
Some coughed blood.
Some passed out.
"F—fuck… I'm blacking out…" I gasped.
"Hadal… you alive?"
A thumbs-up.
Barely.
Not reassuring.
I forced my head up.
And froze.
The girl…
Was still standing.
Unaffected.
…What?
Everyone else was down.
Flow users.
Non-users.
Didn't matter.
But her?
Nothing.
Was she… stronger?
Dual awakening?
Something else?
Before I could think further—
CRASH.
Windows shattered.
The pressure vanished.
Kinga must've pulled back.
"I don't know how you resisted my aura," he said coldly.
"But I will make your life here… unbearable."
Relief hit me all at once.
I collapsed fully onto the ground, gasping.
Air never felt so good.
"Are you okay, Joseph?" Hadal asked, leaning against the wall.
"You see now… why we fear them?"
He exhaled shakily.
"The smallest thing sets them off."
"They're born at the top."
"Yeah…" I muttered.
"I get it now."
He didn't even use an ability.
And we almost died.
But one question burned through everything else.
Who… was that girl?
And how the hell…
Did she resist him?